Shoe Thief

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Taproom Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Thanks to the work of Master Urmdrus, the Coach house was quickly becoming a small fortress. The design did very much remind Kathryn of a small keep in more isolated regions or by lords who couldn't afford large forts. Maybe even garrison forts that didn't house lords, but the king's men in isolated regions. Still, with the few improvements that were made, someone trying to force their way inside would be having to go at it for a while before gaining entry. And the crossbars she was pretty sure would be significantly harder to pick than a traditional lock. When all was said and done, Kathryn gave the master craftsman a nod and spoke simply, yet warmly. "Thank you very much Master Urmdrus. I pity any poor bastard who tries to force entry into this place. And thank you for following up about the gate. But the crossbars and latches were far more important, and would likely do more to to keep everyone safe. Thank you very much." Kathryn said, thankful to have Urmdrus on their side in this.

Kathryn did have a chuckle at the talks of the next day's breakfast. How the quality of story telling would be entirely dependent on the breakfast the next day. Kathryn had let out a snort of a laugh at the shenanigans, and had to quickly catch herself before she did something worse with her laugh! Snorting like a pig was one she rarely did, but if caught off guard enough, she worried it would come up.

Victoria seemed pretty insistent on going out on her own. Kathryn worried it undermined what she had just stated being so close to dark already. A part of her wanted to put her foot down. Demand that Victoria not go off on her own, even if she did have her creatures to assist her. She decided against that though for a few reasons. Firstly, Kathryn didn't actually have any authority here. What she had was a loud voice, a huge stature, and brief moments of confidence that gave the illusion of authority. But more importantly, everyone was warming up to the situation. There was far less doom and gloom than she was originally worried about. On top of that, it was not yet dark. Though it was close. "If you are going to insist Victoria, then go have fun with your music. Just stay close enough so if some undead bear tries to eat you we can hear you calling out yeah?" Kathryn joked, trying to keep the lighthearted mood.

Though when the talk on travels seemed to explode, Kathryn couldn't help but feel giddy and wanting to include what she knew too. "You've never been to Arcanaple? A shame really, there are trees older than any mortal being in the deep woods, as thick around as a stone tower if not bigger. Old stone structures that were likely forts dating back to the age of empires long before Arcanaple was the kingdom it was today. About 30 years ago a whole underground city was discovered, and it was confirmed to be Yitilla, a city believed to be a myth in old children's stories. Making a bunch of regional scholars begin to question what else from those old stories are real, or just included that city for name alone." Kathryn said with excited glee. "My father even visited it during his Wandering years. It was actually... the only place he visited in his wandering years. Otherwise he spent 4 years studying in the Great Library of Ophelia. Four years, reading books. And attending lectures." Kathryn said in disbelief considering how her wandering years were going. He wasn't even going to study to pick up skills. he just wanted to... read. Then Kathryn looked over to Victoria, and a part of her could see Victoria doing that as well. "Though I am surprised you haven't been to even one of the port cities in Arcanaple? Well, maybe I shouldn't be that surprised. Yet here I am." She said with a dorky smile. Mostly just excited to chat about something other than impending doom for a moment. "You know BB, I am not sure you have shared much but what places have you been too? Have you traveled far at all?" Kathryn asked the monk with intrigue, excited to hear more about her fellow party members. Even Kosara got involved in sharing some details about her home! More places she would love to visit someday.

Kathryn found herself weak to dinner. When Lizbeth brought out the food, she would be lying if she said she didn't have a small sparkle in her eyes, and struggled to hide her excitement. Though Kathryn absolutely worried what people thought of her in terms of looks, her acts, and her abilities, she liked food. There was no hiding it. When confronted about it, she would always answer something along the lines of "I am the biggest person within 50 miles of here, I will eat more than other people" or "I can bench press a whole family sitting at a table, that takes a lot of energy" or! "It's not that much! Stop judging me! Don't look at me!" before crying into whatever she was currently eating. All depending on her current confidence levels. When Lizbeth gave Kathryn her food, Kathryn let out a chuckle at the comment of "Being accustomed to better food". "Lizbeth, my schooling and learning years were spent on reading, writing, and how to wield a sword. I can't cook anything more complex than scrambled eggs and cinnamon rolls. This is freaking fantastic. I must say, it smells delicious, and thank you very, very much." Kathryn said warmly trying a few bites of the soup, a few more, before tipping the bowl back with both hands and downing it. Yes, it was in fact, good soup.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Taproom Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn couldn't place it, but the way Kosara napped reminded her much of how the cats in her home would nap when they were left to their own devices. "We shall see if she is up for that shift when she wakes BB. But since Lizbeth and I will get up early anyways for training and patrol, I am more than comfortable taking it." Kathryn was a bit surprised to see Victoria so easily agree to taking the middle shift. The half giant would be lying if she said she didn't feel at least a little guilty now for her jesting pettiness.

Turning to Barbal and Tarace Kathryn listened intently as they shared their thoughts and concerns of the situation. "We will appreciate anything you can offer to us in terms of our work." Kathryn said in her best homely voice. Even grabbing herself a cup of tea to take a sip from. And after a single sip, setting it back down trying to ignore just how bad the tea was. What did surprise Kathryn was just how far Victoria had traveled in recent years. "How far have you gone with your family's Caravans? Ever been to Arcanaple? If so we may have gotten pretty close to crossing paths between here and there." Though... Victoria was a half elf. That also meant that she may be far, far older than she looked. For all Kathryn knew, Victoria had spent time with her father during his wandering years. But asking a woman her age in front of a crowd of people seemed rather inappropriate.

When hearing how BB was planning to sort the rooms Kathryn spoke up to him. "So where is your plan to sleep if your room shall be taken?" Kathryn asked with a little concern. Though there were a lot of beds on the second floor they also had a lot of people in the Coach House. BB did have a point about Victoria going out alone. Kathryn didn't like it that much either. "Please be careful Victoria. BB got attacked last night, and we all saw what was in the basement." Well, most of them saw. "And though I am sure that Morty and Nox are loyal, if you get attacked with only their support I worry about the outcome." Sure, she didn't know for sure what Morty could do outside of taking a hit or two. And Nox could probably scout a bit. Still, Kathryn worried. "If you'd like I can go with you. But at the very least I would ask you to stay close to the Coach house."

The Dead Don't Die: Paradise Lost.

June Fowler

Location: Outside Lighthouse --> Light of the house
Skills: N/A

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June was ready to put her expertise to use. She could cross wires, she could write and edit code, she could poke machines and sometimes even make them work! So being assigned to a task she was not only proficient in, but something she enjoyed doing? Was a huge win! Sure, it was a lighthouse and not a Microwave communication network. Nor home made Morse code through the power lines. Nor lazer pointers. BUT! It was a machine that used electricity! June would have fun with it. She had to admit though, despite having a surface level knowledge about countless things, to her surprise, lighthouses were in fact not on that list. It felt weird for June to not have a mental book full of fun facts readily available to draw up about their current situation. "I mean, even if the light itself is not intact, depending on what sort of light it used we could probably recreate something to get it to flash. Wouldn't be pretty, and it would probably ruin whatever we used to make it work. But it really only needs to work once or twice?" June offered up unprompted. When Jeb had offered to the rest to look through the rest of the lighthouse June felt the need to bring up her own needs. "I could still use a 3D printer and some filament and or resin if we find one." She offered up. Sure, she didn't expect the odds to be great, but what if everyone else had already forgotten her needs?! What if she was being ignored because people found her annoying?! No, she had to make sure she was heard.

Climbing up the tower, she waited for Billie to catch up. She did in fact remember to not get too far from the other woman. Looking up at the spiral stairs that led the frame of the lighthouse, June realized she did in fact have a collection of fun facts! "Did you know the spiral stairs inside of medieval castle towers were nearly always built clockwise so defenders trying to prevent attackers from going upwards would have the advantage? In general most people are right handed, and during those times being left handed was seen as rather unacceptable. So with a clockwise rotation of stairs it meant it was far easier for defenders to swing and attack anyone trying to go up the stairs than for someone who had to work around a central pillar trying to go up a tower. Though in some rare cases where a family was predominantly left handed they would have their towers built the other way for the same reason to give themselves an advantage." June said feeling rather proud of herself for actually having something relevant to say as she made her way up the stairs. "Though in this case we have guns instead of swords. Though... I guess for a few years they had guns too huh? In fact many early firearms were so expensive the first pistols used in Europe were not only for self protection, but so that a lord could quickly indicate that he needed help and was being attacked without hindering his ability to defend himself due to the loud noise the pistols would make/" June said holding her gun in both hands, aiming it carefully as she climbed the stairs. She was having a bit of difficulty staying focused on the task, likely due to rationing her prescriptions, but she had enough focus to keep the gun up, and ready to react. But... she was warned on that. Don't use it unless she had too. She lacked other weapons though... But she did have a multi tool. Maybe if she was attacked she could push the attacker over the rails?

The view from the top of the tower was a rather nice one. Sure, her room in the hotel had a spectacular view. But this one, felt much less clustered. Less busy. It was easy to pretend they weren't fighting for survival while up here. Turning slightly to her left, she saw the body. "Oh... Hi there." She said, her brain still catching up to what she was seeing. Then instinctively she raised the shotgun towards the dead man's head and held the post for a moment as she waited for a reaction. With the gun in his own hands, and the hole in his head, she assumed it was pretty safe he was going to stay dead. Generally a head shot would do the job. Just in case, she took the barrel of the shotgun in her hands and poked the head, finger close to the trigger waiting to react just in case. But... there was nothing. She felt like... she should be reacting more to this. For one reason or another, this guy had decided enough was enough. He was secure, armed, maybe he had run out of food? Maybe he was sick? June felt like she should pity him. Maybe she should mourn for this man she had never known? Maybe she should be up set in any form? But a part of her brain just couldn't process those feelings in this moment. She knew the body upset her. But it felt like she didn't know how she should react to seeing the dead man. She shrugged. She figured she would figure it out later, and all these emotions would hit her all at once when she felt she understood how to process what she was feeling. So instead, she ran on her default and began getting to work. "Hey Billie look another gun!" June said with glee as she took the pistol from the dead man, sliding her shotgun into her shoulder bag. Then checking it again to make sure she turned on the safety. She had to admit, she was rather unfamiliar with handguns compared to long guns. Functionally, they held a lot in common. In practice? Less so. But she figured out the safety, the release for the clip, and saw that it was still mostly loaded. SO! A win for June!

But that, wasn't even the big find. "Holy shit is that a radio?!" Thank fuck. Not only was that form of electronics a bit off to the side of her expertise, she had never built one from scratch before. meaning the only thing she could likely do was make a device that could scream on random frequencies and maybe they could attempt to make Morse Code with it. But with a proper radio?! Even if an older one?! It was a spectacular find. "Billie, if the full kit is here the only thing we need to get it to work is juice. Hell, we could set this up back at the gym as long as we had something that could be used as an attenuate. And since we are only working at a line of sight or comparable distance, it wouldn't even need to be a big one!" If the full kit was here, it saved June a ton of steps. Sure, she would need to go over some old instructions to get familiar with the equipment, spend some time getting comfortable. But machines were machines. They had a logic to them. Sure, not everyone could see the logic, but they always had one. They had a reason for everything they did. And once that was figured out, it became so much easier to work with them. Going through the desk June attempted to see what else she could find in regards to equipment, and instead found for herself, a box of bullets. "Oh Billie!" June sang as she held up the box. "I think we are winning the apocalypse!" She said with the biggest grin on her face. Looking back at the light itself, the thing they actually came up here for. "Oh right, the light! Jeb should be pleased to hear that the light here looks intact too! Oh but don't touch it. If they react anything like movie theater projectors, the slightest touch of human skin oil can cause it to shatter and explode when they turn on. Not fun for anyone." She found herself so focused on the task at hand involving the light, the reason for the light didn't cross her mind at all. To reach the outside world. Something the radio could probably do leagues better. BUT! They had a giant light bulb!

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Taproom Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kosara seemed clearly spent. Crashing out once most was said and done. Kathryn did attempt to take her cloak off to act as a blanket for the small tiefling woman, only to remember when she activated her runes in the basement, one of the runes had backfired breaking t he clamp that held her cloak in place. So instead as Kosara fell asleep, Kathryn simply walked over, patted her head a bit, and returned her attention to the rest of the room. Even if Kosaras dreaming words were confusing, and a little concerning.

BB had brought up a good point about his attack and it gave Kathryn a pause considering what they knew so far. "It could be a coalition thing. Or several independent parties working towards a common or shared goal. Or comparable enough. Think like organized rebellion groups. Many times they are made up of multiple, sometimes dozens or hundreds of smaller groups with their own ideology and goals. With just enough overlap and central leadership to keep them unified. It wasn't uncommon for rulers attempted to put down rebellions to make compromises with a couple of these smaller groups so they could destabilize the movement as a whole. But for now this is all theory work. We need to make collecting information about our foe one of our top priorities. That also means information denial on our part. No matter how our enemy is organized, a major advantage they have to know they have over us is how little we know about them. We need to keep what little we do know from this point forward a closely guarded secrete. Like a form of weaponizing their own ego. Even if we don't know a lot, if we know bits that they think we do not know, they should act accordingly. Once they know what we know, they will likely react in kind."

When clearing things up with Lizbeth Kathryn admired the youth's willingness to learn and commit to the cause. Yes, she had a huge personal stake in the matter. But still, the commitment was nice to see. "With our morning trainings, we shall follow the interior and exterior perimeter of the coach house. As for that storage, Thank you for that clarification master Urmdrus. We will have to check it out as soon as possible, barring tonight as I do not want to get caught out after dark without a plan. Especially while we have company present." And unprotected. There also seemed to be a bit of confusion on the Mosswater's situation as details of their stay was sorted. BB seemed to clear things up rather well, Kathryn figured she would add on to the statement too a bit. "We are thankful for any and all assistance you are willing and able to provide. And thought the help is appreciated, Nothing is mandatory for you. I would just ask that while you are here, we consider these steps for the safety of everyone involved. Be it one night or the season, we need to take some broader precautions until matters are resolved. I would recommend that when you do leave it is without any risk of travel during the less lit hours of the day." Kathryn spoke in her best reassuring tone.

Kathryn was rather pleased to get Victoria's approval of her words so far. Kathryn was far from a public speaking figure, and she would be lying if she said she didn't at least partially crave the praise and approval from others. She always worried she was never enough, so any and all praise was always welcome. Kathryn was a little disappointed that Victoria's magic did not cover the niche she was hoping for, but considering that Kathryn's understanding of magic was spotty at best, and Victoria covered so many fields of magic for the party that otherwise would be drastically missed, she wanted to assure the bard that any disappointment was not in her skills. "A shame about the magic, but we can work with what we got." Morty with a Bell though? That was... actually rather amazing. "Does that mean we do not need a night watcher? Or that can supplement our night watcher? I am personally leaning towards supplementing just do to my own concerns over security." Though a part of Kathryn got a chuckle over an idea she had as a soft payback for Victoria not taking part in their night watches back in Avonshire. "If you are really worried about getting your beauty sleep, er can put you on the second watch so you can sleep in a bit in the morning and get all the rest you need!" Kathryn said enthusiastically as she volunteered Victoria for the shift that Kathryn herself got dumped with back in Avonshire. "It even allows you to get a nap in ahead of time before your proper rest." Kathryn said with her biggest smile.

Now, for the master craftsman. "Master Urmdrus, in addition to asking for assistance with your skills, I would also ask a favor to get permission to make the modifications. At the very least a good crossbar on the second story door. Something simple that we can remove and patch up when all is said and done. And maybe some sort of gate for the exterior door of the Coach house yard. Either something we can make pretty, or something we can clean up nicely when all is said and done." Victoria and BB seemed to be deeply invested into the magic books that... Kathryn hadn't made the time to join BB in collecting. "Sorry BB... I may have gotten a little invested in the moment..." Kathryn said shyly as she more or less stood up BB in this encounter.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Taproom Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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To Kosara's credit, she seemed to really know what she was talking about. Or at least had observed some pretty significant details that were noteworthy to their situation. "I think you are right Kosara. Time is not our friend in this case. We need to assume whatever is going to happen we may see effects sooner than we would like. Just like how last night played out. We should take some steps to prepare ourselves, and to get ahead of anymore reminders before they can catch us off guard again."

It was nice to see Kathryn was getting a bunch of support from her party members in regards to keeping both Mosswaters at the Coach house instead of splitting them up. Though she hated the idea of keeping them on the lands due to that risk factor alone, they could use the more local insight, and they could use whatever information came up in the dreams. But she worried that now especially, anyone caught up on their own was likely a target. Trying to leave the lands by one's self could likely be just as dangerous. "Thankfully we do have other skilled cooks under our roof. I would hate to cause so much pain and suffering with my own cooking." Kathryn said Jokingly as Bb mentioned he could do some cooking. And Kathryn knew Kosara did rather decent in the kitchen too. As a whole, she was pretty sure they could make a decent stay of things here while they had extra heads under the roof.

When Lizbeth expressed concerns about things not being enough, Kathryn gave her a soft smirk and patted her shoulder. "It'll be enough. These goons are going to feel really dumb when they find out they crossed the wrong people." Kathryn said confidently. Despite her own concerns, she needed to feel confident enough that the others around her, Lizbeth especially, also had room to feel confident. Kathryn did give it a thought about Lizbeth's kit. It did in fact, pretty much all come from the land. Symbolic all things considering. But, her would be squire did make a good point. "What if our would be evil mastermind, doesn't have nearly as much control of the situation as they want us to think they do. Despite giving us a time table, we still get attacks. Despite a want or need for something, they are still making plays of intimidation but never a full attack. What if they lack total control over their own forces, or they want us to think they are more powerful than they actually are?"

Kathryn listened intently at Master Urmdrus explained the projects he worked on. And from the sounds of it, there was still another point of interest to investigate. And they had a rough location to check out. "We should go looking for that next then. The long storage, that site in southern fields? If it was never used, it could be a cover story to hide more projects like the one in the basement here." She paused turning to the Mosswaters. "That reminds me, while you are staying here I would ask that you stay out of the basement. Though it is probably safe we have no figured out everything going on in there yet. And I don't want something rough happening to either of you on accident while we figure it out." Kathryn asked in a rather cautious tone. The supporting details that some of the locals, may in fact not be locals was a little concerning to Kathryn. She wondered if that meant they had settled here long ago, if they could be agents sent by their attempted employer, or maybe they knew some more about what was going on that the other locals. Either way, it was worth the followup. "It could mean a lot of things unfortunately. But if there are any that you trust particularly well it may be worth talking to them. See if they have anything to say. Or if we can notice anything they are omitting."

When BB asked if Kathryn wanted to help with the books, she thought it a weird choice to ask her, but she was more than willing to lend a hand. "yeah lets go do that." She took a couple steps before hesitating. They were no longer at a point of treating this like a vacation. They were no longer at the point of being able to skirt by all on their lonesome and pretend things were manageable. No. They were now in hostile territory, they were under siege in a sense. "I think it's time we start treating this situation as an active combat zone. At least to a degree. Though our enemy hasn't attacked us in full force for one reason or another, we can not assume that they are incapable of it. Especially since some of them are willing to cause us harm despite what has been said so far. Just like back in town when things were beginning to devolve, I think we need to take steps of precaution. Think a keep under siege not by an army, but by raiders of unknown strength." Kathryn announced to the room before making her way towards the front door. Stopping just shy before turning around to face everyone. "From now on, we need to keep a night watch. Either in two shifts, or three. Everyone who is staying in the coach house needs to sleep upstairs. That is where our night watcher will be. Whoever the last two people downstairs are at night must come up together so they can not be picked off by their lonesome. The exceptions to this, are the Mosswaters, and Lizbeth. They can not be the last ones down here alone at night, someone else will need to be with them just in case things turn towards a hostile encounter. Lizbeth, that is not a slight towards you. But it is clear that you may be a target, and you are still young and in training." Kathryn said matter of factly, and with a hint of sympathy.

"The only times our foe has taken hostile actions against us are when we are unprepared, or separated from one another. And they seem to limit their attacks when it is dark. Though we can not assume that is the only time they can or will attack us. Especially as we also adapt. I propose that whenever anyone leaves the coach house, they do not do so alone. I would also like to take steps to lock down the coach house. Luckily for us, this former inn is built much like a smaller keep. And for better or worse, there is only one way in or out except for the second story windows. We could see about attaching a door to the main gate, but that may only do so much. If we can, we should get our hands on a rope ladder of some kind so we can have an emergency exit. Lizbeth, I am adding a patrol to our morning training routine. You and I will walk the interior and exterior perimeter of the coach house every morning to look for suspicious signs of any kind, or note worthy changes day to day. Though I don't expect to find much, I want to be safe rather than sorry." Kathryn said attempting to sound as confident as she could while she tried to take command of the situation. "I should be honest with the fact I have never been under siege before. But several of my mentors have, and I have learned a lot from their experiences. If anyone here has been and has any input, I would be most gracious for some first hand experience on the matter. As well, if anyone has a loud bell, whistle, or horn we can use for our night guard, it would be much appreciated if you could loan it to the cause. If not, we should look into getting one of some kind." Kathryn paused to think about what she had mentioned so far. "Much like end of the night, the first people down should do so in a pair. Excluding the Mosswaters, and Lizbeth unless they are with someone else. Chances are that will be Lizbeth and I when we do our training in the morning. Just in case it is not, please be cautious. We still do not have a full grasp of our enemies capabilities." Kathryn then turned to Master Urmdrus. "As you are not staying under our roof, and you are not in my employ, I have no authority to tell you what to do. But I would advise you take similar precautions until things are resolved. But I would appriciate any help you can offer in fortifying the coach house. A cross bar on the upstairs door, a door or barricade for the complexes main entrance. I'll pay you back for the work and materials with what I can. Labor, time, I am a decent smith so I can lend a hand with your work if you would prefer. Or I can offer up what gold I can." Kathryn then turned to Victoria. "Victoria I will be the first to admit, I have no clue what the extent of your powers are. But if you have magic we can use to help secure the place, or maybe ward it, traps, alarms, anything, we should look into setting those up." Turning back to the rest of the party Kathryn offered up a plan for the next day. "It may be too late in the day to head out to the south field and do meaningful investigations, and we still have work to do here today. Tomorrow as early as possible, we should head out and see if we can find that long storage. The unused site, and see if it has anymore answers for us." Kathryn offered up.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Taproom Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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"I think we are as sorted as we are getting for now Lizbeth. But thank you very much. When this is all done, we will be sure to return these to you. If you have other thoughts on the matter we can sort it out at your convenience." Kathryn wanted to make sure that she treated Lizbeth like the responsible one. The one in charge. Kathryn did not want to make her feel undermined, she didn't want her feeling taken advantage of. When Lizbeth got fitted with her new armor, Kathryn gave a brief inspection of the kit and smiled. "You look ready to take on any poor sod dumb enough to draw blades against you. In addition, I think its better than the set I had when I was your age." No money, on the run, she had random bits of armor to supplement whatever herself and Ser Lucas could afford at the time. Which, was inconsistent at best. Some weeks were better than others. But, the youth was dedicated to the training. And she was set up well. In all honesty she probably could have made a decent knight should she have been born into nobility, or had started at an earlier age and began as a proper page. Many families of noble birth, or who were household or traveling knights, would begin as a page as young as six, and be knighted as young as 14. Her uncle said he was knighted at 17 because he had a bit of a temper, and wasn't great at directing the damage. Ser Lucas was a squire until he was in his 60s due to his commitment issues, accusations of being a craven, and heavy drinking. Only knighted by Kathryn's insistence when she was forced from home. Though Kathryn was training Lizbeth, she was not in a position to ever knight her. And if Lizbeth went through the steps to be titled a knight without going through all the proper steps, she could have it revoked and have both their names tarnished for their title abuse.

Leaning that master Urmdrus had more or less built everything on the land was an interesting note from Kathryn. "Any chance that long storage is the building we found on the edge of the property? The one where we found the brandy at?" Kathryn asked the under dwarf inquisitively. Kathryn wondered how many other secrete rooms there were on the property they either did or didn't know about. Could there be some that Urmdrus didn't even know about? "Were you the only builder? I should rephrase. Did Mister L'Rose have construction done on the land that you may not have been involved with?" If that were the case, then that could imply that there could be more hidden places.

When Kathryn heard Barbal ask Tarace to leave back to their home, Kathryn hesitated for a moment. Sure, being off the land overall was probably safer, but that meant he would have to leave alone, without protection. And if he came back and things were worse, he would also be by himself again. "I am not sure that is the best idea Mister Barbal. If you are involved now, then that unfortunately mean Tarace is also involved. Once either of you are out of our sight, we can not lend a hand protecting either of you. Though I do agree we should compare notes in case we learn of anything else, but this seems like a bad time to split up. However, we just cleared out the coach house. And this former inn, is built surprisingly close to a small keep. If we are really worried, we can lock this place down, and hold it from a significantly stronger force just utilizing the brickwork alone. Plus, this place used to be an Inn, I am sure we can make room enough for both of you. As for breakfast, the only thing I have successfully made in a kitchen are those cinnamon rolls, and I can make some food over a camp fire. Otherwise? I think we can accommodate your need." Kathryn said with a smirk.

Kathryn listened intently as Victoria explained some of the theories and why they could maybe or maybe not be probable. Kathryn wished she did know more about liches and undead. "Well, we can continue to check out the basement and books for hint. If we can figure out the rune in the basement properly it may help. We can also take another look in the basement office in the main house to see if there is anything we missed. Maybe even some of the bedrooms. Or... Master Urmdrus, any areas you would recommend inspecting?" Kathryn asked hoping he had an idea or two.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Taproom Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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So the brandy and the dreams were likely connected. While, shite. But finally, the pieces were beginning to come together. Sort of. They were uncovering more pieces, and were beginning to assemble theories. "So between what BB experienced last night, and what Master Urmdrus had to say. We should also be careful about what we say where. Though we cleared out the basement, we should be careful anywhere else we may decide to talk. If this is to be a game of wits and plans, information denial will be half the battle." Kathryn said trying to think if she noticed anything else out of place. Thankfully, BB was already on top of working with Urmdrus to talk more potential sites to investigate. Kathryn turned to the Mosswaters who were explaining how the region had taken its loses in previous years. "I must also ask you both, do not repeat anything spoken in this room. Please. Not until we have a better idea what we are working with." Kathryn asked in a tone that could be compared to pleading, as well as a firm stance on how serious things were. No anger though, just formal.

When Lizbeth explained a little about her own motives, Kathryn couldn't help but sympathize. "You've been doing well Lizbeth. Not too many people can make me jump. Especially while in full kit. I am going to have to stop holding back to keep you from winning our practice duels." Kathryn said with a chuckle in an attempt to brighten the mood. "Anyone else, I would pity them going against you blade." Kathryn then said with less humor, and a bit more grit. Though still a confident smile on her face.

The talk of a potential Lich worried Kathryn. She had heard the term, but she could far say she was an expert. Most of what she knew were children's stories of knights facing off the forces of evil in the dark. She felt out of her element. But, she was still determined to be of some help. "We have confirmed that a few of the hills in the distance match those in the dreams. The hardest part we are struggling with, are these dreams memories, or forewarning?" Kathryn asked. She had hoped to figure that out last time she went into town, but alas, no progress was made there. What did surprise Kathryn was how much Kosara seemed to know on the topic of magical contracts, liches, and undead magic. The tiefling never came across as the brightest in the bunch, but it seemed she knew a few things. "A bride? Or a child? Like trying to get an heir?" It... wasn't too implausible. "An heir of some kind makes sense. My own father was rather insistent on that while I was growing up. And other family after him." Boy would they be displeased now. She almost made a comment how Lizbeth would be way too young to be a bride for someone like that, but before she spoke up she reminded herself that despite a lot of ethics, some people in power simply didn't care.

The Dead Don't Die: Paradise Lost.

June Fowler

Location: Paradise Gym
Skills: N/A

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ON TO THE SCAVENGING RUN! Sure, June had gone outside the safe zone a couple times. Kind of. She had entered the nearby areas without entering any of the buildings to pick up random things, or to see how feasible entering the nearby buildings may be. But otherwise? She hadn't really left the safe zone since they arrived there. She had been rationing her medications, she had tasks that kept her mind mostly in check, and she was safe. Well, safe enough. So she stayed as close to Billie as she could as they moved down the street, the 20 gauge shotgun gripped firmly in both hands. It was probably her least favorite gun that she had ever fired, lacking a stock and having a comically short barrel. But, it was easy to carry around. Maybe a handgun would have been better, but for a few reasons, June did not qualify for a pistol permit in her home state. A short barrel shotgun? Or a legally distinct "Other Weapon"? That she did qualify for. But even then, before all of this she had only used the gun a couple times at a shooting range, and never shot at another person with it. She had only gotten it when she had pissed off some high level corporate executives when she pointed out to the defense department just how pitiful and proprietary their digital security systems were. One case of attempted assault later, she had earned her paycheck, a lawsuit, and had purchased the gun she wasn't a huge fan of just in case something like that ever happened again. Sure, they tried legal battles before that, but as she was under contract she set herself up to be protected. So attempted assault it was. Fear tactics. Intimidation. All the fun stuff.

Then when the hotel they were in got overrun, she pulled the gun taking off the foot of one of the infected. And shattering the guts of another at close range. The foot she learned was far more effective. She had lost Sam while escaping, or scared her off. And had picked up Billie along the way. With the stress of that day, she wasn't totally sure if Billie had been with them before Sam got separated. Looking at June now? You couldn't tell she was stressed out of her mind ready to book it at the first sign of trouble. On her face, was an excited grin as she gleefully stepped quickly, and deceptively quiet. At a glance without knowing June in detail, she may look like she was having the time of her life! She almost didn't seem to notice the undead as they weaved around them. Sometimes she would look their direction, but she seemed to either not notice, or only notice enough to treat them as a background set piece. In actuality, she could see their faces out of the corners of her eyes. She noticed every movement. She noticed every change in direction. She noticed each shattered window. She noticed every slash of gore and limb in sight. Safety off. Finger resting against the trigger guard. This nervous e wreck was ready for a fight.

As they approached the lighthouse, June did her best to not sigh. Sure, they may find stocks of common goods there. She wasn't sure in what quantity though. But it was probably easier and safer than anywhere else nearby. But they likely would not find any of the specialized things she needed. Electronic parts, small motors, ADHD medication, anti-depressants, vitamin supplements, anxiety medications, and much more. But, food and water was nice too. She did wonder though if the lighthouse had a generator, and if it was at all portable. Having reliable electricity would be a boon to her work rather than what she could muster through phone batteries and makeshift motion devices that only produced enough juice to break what they were hooked up too while they were plugged in.

When Billie spoke up, she didn't register the words the woman had spoken at first. She found herself distracted on one of the undead tripping over a curb in the distance. Then the shape of the waves as they hit the stone works on the shore. June had to process a moment, but she figured Billie said something along the lines of don't get distracted, pay attention, stay close, or behave herself. "Sounds good, can do." June said with a very reassuring smile. The paying attention was probably going to be easier said than done. Her ADHD meds had run out day before yesterday. Though normally she could skip a few days and be fine, she had only packed enough for a couple weeks and had been forced to ration it. So she had been on a rather low dose for a while. Staying on task was hard. Keeping a train of though consistent was hard without constant stimulation. Surprisingly, the depression meds ran out weeks ago and she didn't feel any more depressed all things considering. So taking the wins where they come. "Do you think that there is some coffee or energy drinks in there?" June asked quietly as they approached.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Taproom Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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With BB agreeing about the ongoing obligations, Kathryn felt a small bit of pride. She enjoyed being appreciated for more than her ability to brute force obstacles in her path. Though she much appreciated those praises as well. Thankfully as well, it was Bb who pulled the rope on talking to Master Urmdurus. She already felt guilty about suspecting Cecily possibly having involvement, so accusing more gracious hosts wasn't something that the half giant wanted to do. While BB was interrogating the current person who may know a thing or two about the basement and the goings on of the vineyard, Kathryn was also trying her best to be a passable host for those that were visiting.

Taking the hot water, leather padding in her gloves making a great insulator, she poured tea for all that would like it! Sure, the leaves got a bit seared. Sure, there were bits through out the tea. And sure, she had no idea how to properly portion the requested sweeteners. But!!! She did in fact, serve the dictionary definition of tea. "Apologies on the wait for this, I must say I fit a little too well the stereotype of a noble woman who knows little and less on the goings on of household care." Kathryn joked trying to ease the mood. Kosara's suggestion on using fruits to act as sweeteners was actually pretty decent. Kathryn would have to keep that in mind for all future encounters with the hot leaf juice. "let us definitely plan for that in the future. I don't know if we have any fruits in stock at the moment." Kathryn said as she poured tea for the Mosswaters.

Lizbeth very much gave younger sibling vibes to Kathryn. Though not comparable to her existing siblings, Lizbeth felt much more like a sister than a squire some days. "Sweet enough yeah? Are you just trying to get me to let my guard down so you can jump me in practice again?" Kathryn asked in jest with the most comical wide eyes of suspicion towards the young lass. "Still, once you become an expert in melee, it wouldn't hurt to learn how to use your skills in tandum with one another. I have several family members who have capabilities in both blade and magic." She paused for a moment and thought about her words. "To clarify, not arcane magic like yours or Victoria's. But a form of magic none the less. Though we can save that stuff for when you can defeat me in a proper melee yeah?" Kathryn said in an almost challenging tone to her would be squire. To wrap up the topic of magic and blade training, Kathryn replied to Victoria, clearly having a blast of a conversation with her fellow students and teachers. "You know we can work on your skill with a sword? Maybe daggers? Or something in between? Who knows, maybe you have a secrete ability with a weapon of war that would surprise us all?" Kathryn said not really convinced herself, but understanding if the bard either had the skills and didn't want to share that she had them, or that maybe that she had other things to focus on rather than the ability to poke with sharp instruments.

The interrogation had gone rather... well. Disconcertingly well unfortunately. Urmdurus was in fact the one who had built the cellar below. But on top of that, he seemed to know much more than the party did about the current situation. "Tasked with the border room like the room we found? Or is there another?" Kathryn did her best to hide her hostility. But this man knew enough information to get the party a leg up on the current things, and said nothing despite the escalating stakes. When she heard some more of the details, she did her best to limit her anger towards the under dwarf. But she would be lying if she said she said she was completely sympathetic in this case. "Why didn't you come to us sooner. Especially after what happened last night?" Kathryn asked, must of her hostility gone at this point. Though a heavy amount of concern still in her voice.

When she saw what the master forger was looking at when emphasizing the deal, Kathryn's heart sank. With everything else that came together, she found herself wanting to be able to do more for the young lass. But... what else could she do? For now she could be a physical barrier for the poor teenager and anything that would want to get their hands on her. She could work on her training to make sure that no matter what came after her she would be better prepared to protect herself in case Kathryn could not shield her. "Well...." Kathryn said taking a deep breath trying to think of the words to say. "We'll find another way to complete the deal. Or we will have to find a way to let down some poor asshole that he isn't getting what he wants." Kathryn said faking her best smile, and using her most confident tone.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Kathryn Pyke Human, Fighter (Rune Knight), Level 05 HP: 49 / 49 Armor Class: 21 Conditions: N/A Location: Taproom Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn had to admit, she took pride in her work and skills. Though she was shy and awkward in many regards, she knew what she was an expert in. Replying to both Lizbeth and Victoria about the martial training Kathryn spoke in her most supportive tone she could. "I understand wanting skills that can be used completely independent from one another. Should the day come where we wanna figure some of these other skills out maybe you can show me a trick or two yeah?" Kathryn teased a bit. Though the kind of magic she knew was leagues different than the kind that Lizbeth or Victoria were familiar with. It was messy, crude, and had a mild tendency to burn itself out from time to time. That is when she noticed she hadn't recovered her cape from when the Runes snapped the buckle holding it in place. A problem for when guests were not present. Turning back to Victoria Kathryn did smirk. "That offer is also available to you too, magic for showing you how to use that blade for more than show yeah?" Again, more in jest. Though Kathryn was far from an expert magic user when it came to bringing physical punishment as two of the dead things in the basement learned, she was an expert.

Kosara was... another story. Between Master Urmdrus's comments, and somehow Kosara putting the pieces together, Kathryn found herself perplexed. But, the more the tiefling woman spoke of the matter, the more it bade sense. "I think the brandy is a bit of a stretch, but it wouldn't hurt to identify it if possible. Now that I am thinking about it, could it also be effected by the wild magic surge that happened in the distillery?" Kathryn asked almost forgetting she was in tea time not just work time. But the way that Urmdrus talked about his dreams. They were... Familiar. It was concerning. If Kosara was right on the mark here, maybe Kathryn should take it easy on the booze.

When Daxos left Kathryn couldn't say she blamed him. Things were getting intense, people were dead, and there were no signs of things being safer any time soon. "Be safe Daxos, reach out if ya ever need a hand yeah?" Kathryn said optimistically, a little saddened that he had to leave.

Kathryn was rather impressed with the work that Urmdrus had put into Lizbeth's new set of armor. "Careful Master Urmdrus, something like that could make a lass jealous. It's something I would fight the boys in the yard for when I was her age." Kathryn said jokingly. Though she was younger than Lizbeth when she was fighting boys in the yard. Still winning then too. To be fair, she was bigger and stronger than kids years older than herself most of her life. The wooden practice armor was enough for the mock battles her uncle used to put on. Kathryn did her best to hide a smirk when the underdwarf attempted to hide his awkwardness in the hug. She hated the fact that he was on the suspect lists. But it was a long list, with little way to narrow it down right now.

The Mosswaters seemed to be having an absolute wonderful bit of a time. Kathryn wished she was a better host, but between the night before and the morning, and the recent battle in the basement, she had little time to prepare, and felt rather frozen in place when it came to treating her guests. "Do let me know if the sweets are not to your liking, I bet we could find something else in the interim. Maybe something else to drink rather than the brandy. I do believe we have some Ale left from town if you would prefer that?"

Victoria had made some good work on the items that had been discovered. Kathryn felt strange pressing a claim to anything. Though Lizbeth gave permission to use what they find while they figure things out, she still felt terrible for her thoughts of taking that fortune hidden away in the main house's study. Taking anything from Lizbeth felt wrong after that. Especially after she and her aunt have been such gracious hosts. The way bb talked about the note that was read off gave Kathryn some pause. Though Victoria read it, BB brought up a fair point. "Maybe it's an on going obligation? Like taxes, tributes, rent, stuff like that?" Kathryn asked. But she wasn't totally sure how magical pacts worked overall. Now that she was out of her element, she was back to just sharing her thoughts, and trying to not get in the way. Kathryn did take a moment to skim the notes, some items looked interesting, though she wondered the best way they could be used. She would be lying if she said that the boots that teleported weren't at least a little bit interesting. Or the wand that caused massive changes in size. Though she had no idea how something like those would work. But the idea of being adorably small for an afternoon sounded fun. Or being so giant that she could punt some arseholl across town also seemed fun.

"The water is probably ready enough to finally make some tea. I can go and pour some." The warrior princess spoke making her way to the kettle, having little idea how to make tea other than hot leaf juice. Not that she ever needed much more than that, but she was probably the least qualified to make the hot leaf juice than anyone else in the room with the exception of Morty. Even that was only applicable as the half giant held something the walking pork chops lacked. Thumbs. "Would either of you like some sweetener in your tea?" Kathryn asked towards the Mosswaters attempting to make up for her lack of hosting skills. She would need to work on that, especially if she was to ever claim her titles. But first, she had to decide the best way to grab the tea pot without burning her hands.