Getting a Leg Up

Arphaxad: We should be going as well
Arphaxad: We are happy to see you though, and we will come visit as often as we can.
Sonadora hugs Aaron again and waves.
Beth Ruhlin: Oh, well, please come back when you can! We always appreciate the visits!
Ranja waves to Aaron as well.
Arphaxad smles at Beth and Aaron and heads to the door
Arphaxad: We will!
Aaron waves to you and goes back to reading the book on his bed.
You walk quickly to town, back to 4G's wagon.
Arphaxad: Poor child...
Geyer pounds his fist on the side of the wagon.
Geyer: Gnome!
Geyer: Get out here!
Sonadora: You have to touch things.
Sonadora picks up an item off the wagon.
Gnorm pops out of the spring-loaded compartment, this time skidding to a stop on his back!
Gnorm: Aha!
Gnorm: Thieves! Scoundrels!
Gnorm: Ne'erdowells!
Gnorm looks upside down at the four of you.
Sonadora giggles and gives the item back to the gnome.
Gnorm: Oh.
Gnorm rolls over and gets up, accepting the moldy sock Sonadora took.
Gnorm: What did you want?
Geyer: A favor.
Geyer: Or a commission.
Geyer: Preferably both.
Gnorm: Oh?
Sonadora leans against her staff.
Geyer: Aye.
Geyer: Yer one magic boot.
Gnorm: Ahhh, Sasquatch's Flip Flop?
Geyer: Think ye could put together a nice wooden leg ta go in it?
Gnorm: A wooden leg on Sasquatch's Flip Flop? I guess I could.
Gnorm: Already smells plenty bad on its own though.
Sonadora: How exciting!
Geyer: It's for a boy here in town....got hurt bad off a few days back.
Geyer: Helping him out might pick up yer business.
Geyer: Folks here don't trust strangers, but they like good people plenty.
Gnorm reaches into the wagon and pulls out an entirely different piece of footwear than what you saw earlier.
Sonadora: That's not the one!
Gnorm: Guaranteed to raise a stink wherever you go! I'll have a wooden leg in it in a jiff!
Gnorm blinks.
Geyer: Nay...the three league boot.
Gnorm: Oh!
Sonadora nods
Gnorm looks knowingly at Geyer.
Gnorm: The three *AND A HALF* league boot, thank you.
Gnorm: Why that one?
Geyer: Feels lucky, I suppose.
Sonadora: We don't want Aaron to be stinky!
Arphaxad detects magic once again
Gnorm whips out the boot from before.
Gnorm: So you want a stick in the 3.5 league boot?
Gnorm: To... give to a boy?
Geyer: Not a stick...a false leg...your highest quality work.
Geyer: Think of it as your masterpiece.
Gnorm: Hmm...
Gnorm: I could do it without the boot, too.
Gnorm: Lots cheaper.
Geyer: Diplomacy [1d20+7 = 23]
Geyer: It's for a noble cause.
Sonadora: What's the difference?
Gnorm: This is a 3.5 league boot! You can't just go giving it to any waif you run into on the street.
Gnorm: It has magic like you wouldn't believe!
Arphaxad: Does it now?
Arphaxad beams at the gnome.
Geyer: Aye.
Sonadora: Aaron deserves it.
Geyer: And that is why it must be that boot.
Gnorm: It does!
Arphaxad: Intimidate [1d20+3 = 20]
Arphaxad: There is not a bit of magic in that boot and you know it, gnome.
Gnorm: So, you want my 3.5 league boot, and a wooden leg. In exchange for?
Gnorm doesn't budge.
Gnorm: What! There...
Gnorm mutters.
Geyer: Good catch, wizard.
Arphaxad: If you want us to spread good report of you, do not lie to us.
Gnorm throws the boot back in the wagon.
Arphaxad: Ask the people in this town who they listen to. Who their heroes are. And then reconsider your generous gift to the boy.
Gnorm frowns.
Gnorm: I can make you the leg... and make it fit well and true, too.
Sonadora: I'll pay ten gold coins to add the boot.
Gnorm pinches his fingers, cracking the knuckles, and pulls the eye-protecting goggles down over his eyes.
Sonadora: Diplomacy [1d20+2 = 10]
Gnorm: A favor for a favor seems plenty fair to me, right?
Arphaxad: And your favor would be?
Geyer: Add some *real* magic to it. Something ta make it right special for the lad.
Gnorm: Right right, yes yes. *Real* magic.
Gnorm: I do have *real* magic, you know.
Geyer: Don't have ta be much. Just something.
Gnorm nods.
Gnorm: It'll be a great leg! Wonderful, splendiferous!
Gnorm: As for the favor from you four...
Arphaxad: And how long will you need, that we may come back and see what real magic you have made.
Gnorm: Well, first off - spread the good word about me. Business here's terrible!
Sonadora nods.
Gnorm: Once I give you the leg, and you're pleased with it, you can pay me the rest.
Sonadora: What's the rest?
Gnorm: Dunno yet.
Gnorm: Something of equal value for me to sell!
Sonadora frowns.
Sonadora: Sense motive [1d20+3 = 13]
Ranja: Sense motive [1d20+3 = 6]
Geyer: Sense motive [1d20+4 = 13]
Arphaxad: Sense motive [1d20+1 = 13]
GM: All of you get a sense that the gnome's being forthright on the later payment. It doesn't seem like it'll be sinister.
Gnorm: So, spread the good word. Gimme a week to make the leg - though you'll have to tell me where to find this boy so I can measure him - and then once I've made it, you tell me what you think. Deal?
Arphaxad: I have a wooden crossbow that I am sure will fetch you a good price among these hunters.
Arphaxad: It's a deal as far as I am concerned.
Sonadora shrugs and nods.
Gnorm: A wooden crossbow for a personally fitted, magically enhanced prosthetic limb for a child who was devastatingly injured.
Gnorm: Sounds fair!
Geyer: We will attempt to improve your reputation and repay you a favor of similar value later, provided the leg meets the standards we demand and the favor you ask is honorable.
Gnorm: Works for me!
Gnorm: And directions to the boy?
Sonadora: He's at the Ruhlin's Farm!
Arphaxad: Across the bridge and his farm will be along the river to the west.
Arphaxad: That would be the Cedar River...and the bridge in THIS town.
Sonadora grin.
Geyer: A contract it is then, sir gnome, and well-struck! Shake on it and swear by your god to uphold it.
Geyer extends his hand.
Gnorm shakes hands with Geyer.
Arphaxad: Real Magic...Good day, sir gnome.
Geyer: I swear by the Coin our bargain shall be fulfilled.
Sonadora nods and extends her hand, too.
Arphaxad: Alright, is it about time for our meeting at the bridge?
Sonadora: I swear by the Goddess Sheela!
Gnorm shakes with Sonadora, too.
Arphaxad raises his voice somewhat -
Arphaxad: What a magnificent deal master gnome, I will certainly be coming by here again.
Sonadora giggles and climbs on a rock.
Sonadora: This is such a wonderful cart!
Geyer: There's an easier way...
Geyer dashes over to the Bit o' Shade and tells Markham what the gnome is doing for Aaron.
Geyer: The whole village should know by tomorrow. Heh.
Markham and the Pavillion react as expected, with cheers and hurrahs for the four of you and Gnorm.

As the river comes into sight, you spot a squad of people apparently practicing what appear to be bucket-drills. At their head is the woman from the night before who initially helped form the bucket brigade. They could still use some work, you think to yourself as a too-fast moving bucket water smacks someone on the side of the head.
Sonadora: They seem worried it will happen again.
Arphaxad: Keep it up folks! You're an amazing team!
Geyer: Good work lasses! We'll have a full fire brigade in this town soon!
You reach the bridge, but Sintilya isn't there yet.
Arphaxad: When did she say would be here, Geyer?
Geyer: They said an hour or so....but looks to have been almost two by the sun.
Arphaxad: Could they have come and gone?
Arphaxad: Or would something have held them up?
Geyer: Aye...or not yet arrived.
Sonadora: Maybe the brigade would know?
Geyer: Hard ta say.
Arphaxad: Good idea Sona, let's ask them.
Geyer: They said they would wait here, though.
Arphaxad: What was the lady that Michael told us of?
Sonadora: Ana?
Arphaxad: Perhaps we should find her and see if she knows who was searching for us this morning.
Sonadora walks over to the brigade and asks if they've seen Sintilya.
-> Sonadora: They haven't seen her, nor Vida. But they are very excited at your presence.
Sonadora blushes and thanks them before walking back to the bridge.
Sonadora: They townspeople say they haven't seen Sintiyla, nor Vida.
Geyer: They were foraging fer herbs...mighta taken them longer than expected.
Arphaxad: Yes, lets find Anna then.
Its a bit of a walk, and with the forest and hills, you're getting a bit tired of all the traveling - but you do make it to where Michael said the Dross' Farm was -
Located among a copse of trees, this is a small farm devoted primarily to livestock. Just north of the copse, the trees thin out, providing a field for grazing - though at the moment, of course, it is nearly devoid of grass. The house is fairly standard, but the barn is very strangely constructed. The whole building is made of stone and is built at an angle due to the slope of the hill it's built on. The entrance is on the opposite side of the building, easily accessible from that side but putting it on the hill and several feet above the level you're standing at.
Geyer: Do na' worry to much about yer wolf, 'Dora. They're with a ranger.
Sonadora: They are?
Geyer: Aye. Daisy.
Arphaxad: Listen [1d20+1 = 4]
Ranja: Listen [1d20+3 = 16]
Sonadora: Listen [1d20+5 = 6]
Geyer: Listen [1d20 = 3]
-> Ranja: You think you can just make out a crash from inside the barn, slightly muffled by the building's stone walls.
Ranja frowns and stares off into nothing as if concentrating on something distant...
Ranja: I think . . . I think I heard something from the barn.
Arphaxad: Are you sure? I heard nothing.
Ranja: I'm fairly sure. Some sort of crashing sound.
Arphaxad: Well, we better check it out....thats some hill to get up.
Geyer: This helmet....I can never hear anything.
Sonadora starts climbing the hill quickly.
Arphaxad moves his lips as pretending to say something to the knight.
Ranja hurries after her.
Sonadora: Someone could need our help!
Arphaxad follows up the hill.
The entrance is just part-way up the hill, and you make it quickly to the door.
Geyer: Or it could be a cow or horse stomping around...
Geyer: It is a barn.
Arphaxad: Well, at worst, Anna may be tending the animals. If not, we can always come back this way.
Sonadora cautiously opens the door and looks inside.
A rising cloud of dust makes vision difficult in the building, but you think you can make out a large woman with a big hammer, shouting down into the floor of the room. Along the sides, the pigs and chicken reside in their pens and are making an enormous ruckus - their noises drowning out whatever the woman is saying.
END SESSION