[WFRP2e] The Power of One - Part 2 - "Transire Benefaciendo"

[MrAbdiel]

Augusto listens; offers small polite affirmations. You have to wear him down with one sided conversation for a long chunk of the night, and you're almost giving up, before he gives something back.

"I... wanted to say sorry. About Adriano."

The name doesn't register initially. It's only after his elaboration that it is clear he is referring to the young man who led the attempted burglary the night before; Elda's paramour, whose folly had brought him into a collision course with you and led ultimately to him bleeding out in the street.

"He was always kind of... reckless. I used to hold him back. From doing dumb things, I mean. I guess without me nearby, he was the only one in the group with something that sounded like a plan, and they just ran with it. They should never have come here. But... I guess he's paid for it now. Thank you, for saving my life. I'll be - ... I'll be fine."

That, of course, remains to be seen. The lad is not yet fully baked, one might say; that critical mass of maturity is still in his future. But he has every chance, now - a family that cares about him, a near death experience, and a place to learn skills in demand. What he becomes from this point on can only be laid at his own feet.

Biagio makes sure to embrace you with gratitude before he teeters off early to bed, eyes glossy with wine.

"I thank the gods for you, Taalia Giovanni; Verena, and Myrmidia, and Rhya, and Ranald, and Grugnio all. You've done us such good, I can barely say..."

Like his uncle Franchino, Biagio is an emotionally open fellow; so he truncates his blessings there before he loses himself; then turns to hug his son, whom you pulled from the jaws of tragedy; and finally retires for the night.

Spoiler: OOC:

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Also, to be clear, she is hocking everything she found in the rat den? Or keeping some elements?

You find:

• A two-handed military hammer engraved with a motif of hammers and anvils. It has an oilskin sling-strap.

• A wooden staff around which has been tied a string of wolf's teeth.

• A pair of embroidered leather shoes with a small tag bearing the seal of the town of Pfeildorf, home of the best tailors in the Empire. They are dirty, but still in good condition.

• A rain-stained sheet of parchment inscribed with the name and address of a tavern, Signore Pepito's, in the town of Rialto Mio.

• A grimy human skull with the name 'Magnus' inscribed into the forehead.

• A waxed rawhide case of butcher's knives and sharpening files.

• A tiny ivory statue of Shallya.

• A pewter ring etched with an oath of allegiance to the Empire.

• A leather case containing a musket-cleaning kit with muzzle rods, wire brushes, oils, chamois, fuses, flints and spare parts.

• An iron hand-torch with a fistful of charcoal in the cage.

• 23 shillings stuck to the bottom of a filthy rawhide pouch. (Imperial shillings specifically, printed with a wreathed skull on one side a a scythe clutching skeletal rendition of what must be Morr on the other, beside the letters "A L T D O R F".)

• A few sheets of water-warped parchment.

• A deer-hide pouch branded with the image of Sigmar.

• A leather flask of whale oil.

• A Best Quality Fishing Net. It has neatly smoothed lead weights on a large well constructed net and a stained but strong line that cinches in the drawstring. There is a small carved wooden handle at the end of the casting line engraved with the words "Timely Blessings Come From Strange Places. Thank you."

You may take or leave as much of that as you prefer.

* * * * *

When you circle around to make an unscheduled landing, Bartomar cackles an exhausted cackle and flaps the scarf a little more; dismounting and jogging to the machine's side as it settles to a stop.

"Ahahah! Oh, you had almost eluded me for good, Signorina Taalia! Why, you must have been travelling restlessly indeed to..." He puffs. "To have kept ahead of me this long! An insistent and slightly rude dwarf bid me catch up to your machine and give you this, the day after you left Bella Collina. I had hoped to catch you at Verezzo - but Bartomar, man of the roads, is not easily halted by challenge!"

In actuality, you have been travelling at a leisurely pace; stopping for inclement weather, to explore, to spend the odd day or two enjoying the scenery and the cities. The flying machine travels much faster and more constantly than a horse - Bartomar must have pursued you like a hungry wolf to catch up to you at all! But he seems to pride himself on his speed and efficiency - perhaps you don't need to rob him of the sense that his effort, and not your unhurried schedule, played the major part in the feat.

He produces a leather scrollcase, and hands it to you. Inside are two things - a rolled up sheet of parchment, and a tiny leather pouch with a drawstring. The hand in which the scroll is written is blocky, and inexact. It is scattered with spelling errors and it only uses the upper case of letters, the writer perhaps not seeing the purpose of using lesser ones.

Spoiler: OOC: A Letter From Bella Collina

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DEAR TAALIA

I HOPE THIS LETTER FINDS YOU WELL AND SOON AS I PAID THIS FELLOW A PRETTY COIN TO CATCH YOU AND IF HE DID NOT THEN I WILL OWE HIM A BOOT IN THE DONGLITZ AND WILL OWE ME A REFUND

I KNOW WE ALREADY SAID GOODBYE WHEN YOU FLY AWAY BUT I AM NOT A DWARF WHO IS GOOD WITH WORDS AND ONCE YOU HAD GONE I THOUGHT IT THE CASE THAT I OUGHT TO SAY SOME MORE

I WAS EXTREMELY CROSS WHEN THEY HAD LOCKED YOU UP IN VEREZZO AND IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE RESTRAINING OF THE RAMPOLLO AND OTHERS I WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE DONE A FOOLISHNESS TO GET YOU OUT BUT WE ARE ALL VERY PLEASED THAT WAS NOT NEEDED IN THE END

EVERYONE IN BELLA COLLINA IS VERY PROUD OF YOU AS YOU HAVE COME FROM SUCH HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO MAKE SUCH A YOUNG WOMAN OF YOURSELF AND WE ARE ALL VERY PLEASED TO KNOW YOU BUT I AM MORE PLEASED TO KNOW YOU THAN MOST AS BEFORE YOU CAME TO TOWN I WAS A VERY UNHAPPY DWARF INDEED

SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE TOO SOFT TOUCHED TO SAY SO BUT I KNOW I AM VERY OFTEN A VERY UNPLEASANT DWARF INDEED AS SOMETIMES I HAVE TROUBLE MAKING FRIENDS AND THIS IS A VERY UNFORTUNATE CONDITION AS I HAVE SOMETIMES MADE A HABIT OF FRUSTRATING EVEN VERY PATIENT PEOPLE UNTIL THEY HAVE NO TIME FOR ME AT ALL AND EVEN IF THEY SMILE AND TOLERATE ME I CAN TELL THAT THEY WISH I WOULD LEAVE THEM BE AND SOMETIMES I WOULD NOT LEAVE THEM BE JUST OUT OF SPITE BUT KEEP TALKING AND ONLY MADE MYSELF MORE ODIOS

I DO NOT HAVE MUCH FAMILY WHO ESCAPED MY DWARFHOLD WHEN IT FELL AND THOSE I DO HAVE DO NOT LIKE ME MUCH MORE THAN HUMANS USUALLY DO AND MOST DWARVES DO NOT HAVE MUCH CHANCE TO HAVE A FAMILY OF THEIR OWN SO FRIENDS ARE VERY IMPORTANT AND WHEN YOU MET ME I HAD NO FRIENDS AT ALL

I HAD DREAMED THAT I WOULD COME TO A UMGI HUMAN TOWN AND MAKE BEER AND THEY WOULD ALL APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH ON ACCOUNT OF IT BEING SO MUCH BETTER THAN HUMAN BEER WHICH IS WEAK AS PISS BUT I MUST SHAMEFULLY ADMIT I AM A VERY POOR BREWER INDEED AND NO ONE LIKES MY ALE AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR A DWARF TO ADMIT BECAUSE SKILLS ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR A DWARF

SOMETIMES FOLK IN BELLA COLLINA WOULD LOOK TO ME AS A FIGHTER AS WITH THE TROLL AND SUCH BUT IN TRUTH I AM NOT MUCH OF A FIGHTER OR STRATEGIST EITHER I AM JUST A LITTLE HARDIER THAN THE HUMANS AROUND ME AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE TO HAVE NO REMARKABLE SKILLS FOR COMBAT OR CRAFTING AND NO FAMILY TO SPEAK OF AND NO FRIENDS WELL I SHOULD SAY IT IS A VERY POOR CONDITION TO BE IN INDEED AS A DWARF IS MUCH DEFINED BY HOW USEFUL HE IS TO HIS PEOPLE AND TO HAVE NO USE OR PEOPLE IS VERY SORROWFUL

WHEN YOU CAME TO BELLA COLLINA YOU WERE VERY PATIENT WITH ME AND SHOWED ME FAVOR AND THOUGHT TO ASK FOR ME AND INCLUDE ME IN THINGS AND IT IS BECAUSE OF THAT I KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE IN BELLA COLLINA DARED TO TRUST ME IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS SUCH AS THE MISCHEIF WITH BERTUCCIO AND SUCH THINGS

GHERARDINO CAME TO BE A FRIEND OF MINE ALSO THROUGH THESE THINGS AND WHEN HE ASKED ME TO OPERATE THE INN IN THE VILLAGE SQUARE SO HE COULD OPEN THE TROLLSLAYERS REST I WAS QUITE UNSURE OF MYSELF INDEED BUT I HAVE FOUND I LIKE MAKING A COMFORTABLE PLACE OF REST FOR WEARY TRAVELLERS VERY MUCH AS IT IS NOT VERY GLORIOUS WORK BUT AT THE END OF A LONG JOURNEY THERE IS NOTHING MORE PLEASING THAN A WARM FIRE AND A HOT MEAL IN ONES BELLY AND SINCE I HAVE DECIDED TO SELL MY FARM AND BREWING TOOLS TO BUY THE INN OUTRIGHT I HAVE BEEN VERY CONTENT INDEED

I KNOW YOU ARE DOING MANY EXCITING THINGS LIKE FLYING IN YOUR MACHINE AND SHOOTING GUNS BUT I THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT YOU SHOWED KINDNESS TO AN UNPLEASANT DWARF AND AS A RESULT I AM MUCH HAPPIER AND I THINK PEOPLE FIND ME LESS ODIOS WHEN I AM HAPPIER SO I AM TWICE THANKFUL

I HAVE ENCLOSED A RING THAT ONCE BELONGED TO MY FATHER AS IT IS THE MOST PRECIOUS ITEM I OWN AND I WANT YOU TO HAVE IT ON YOUR TRAVELS EVEN IF IT IS TOO BIG FOR YOUR SMALL HUMAN FINGERS I THINK IT WILL DO JUST FINE AS A PENDANT AND YOUNG MARCO WAS VERY EAGER TO MAKE THE BRAID FOR IT

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

YOUR FRIEND NOGROM

In the small leather pouch is a chunky but very finely crafted gold ring that might fit on your big toe.
It has been thoughtfully hung on a braided loop of fine leather strands. The 'top' third of the outer face of the ring has three small circular flats, each of which is scored with a dwarven rune marked out with in beautiful precision.

Spoiler: OOC:

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This is a talisman with three dwarven runes. IC, they activate based on Taalia's instinct, not her specific knowledge of their function. Temporary ones vanish when used; permenant does not. OOC, you activate them at the point at which they are relevant.

The runes are:

Rune of Luck (Permenant): The bearer of an item inscribed with this rune gains an extra Fortune Point each day. Characters with the Lucky talent cannot benefit from a Rune of Luck.
Rune of the Furnace (Temporary): A character bearing an item inscribed with this rune is immune to fire damage of all types. Neither natural fires nor fire-based attacks such as fiery blast spells can affect someone protect by a Rune of the Furnace. Once the rune is activated (a free action), the benefit only lasts for 1 minute.
Rune of Fate (Temporary): The first attack that reduces the bearer of an item inscribed with this rune to 0 Wounds is negated. The bearer suffers no damage from this attack. This rune can only be used once.