Prelude #2

Characters:

Gaara (Human Warblade, Shaun)
Jeppy (Human female Barbarian, Corey)

Gaara is from a far-off, eastern land. He was banished after trying to redeem his family name, but failing because he wasn't strong enough. He is traveling to get stronger and to possibly redeem his family name through great deeds. He is confident like Sasuke, even arrogantly so, but this is because he is scared of failing again. He traveled to the west on a ship with no possessions, and earned enough doing odd jobs to buy a katana. Unfortunately the blacksmith had never seen one, so Shaun described it the best he could and he ended up with a shoddy, inferior katana for now. His upbringing was a rigid household full of rules, so he still is quite officious and lawful.

Jeppy is a large, muscular human female. Her parents died when she was young, so her aunt & uncle reluctantly took her in. (Uncle is a wealthy councillor in Paradise, aunt doesn't do much.) They have a son, Pimchee. Jeppy was very neglected growing up (think Harry Potter), and while she wasn't abused, she wasn't loved by her adoptive family either. Pimchee is a slovenly boor who is fat and doesn't do much, and likes to harass her. Jeppy was picked on as a youth, because she didn't fit in with anyone. She was too athletic for the smart kids, and too smart for the jock kids. As a result, she got in a lot of fights. Because she got nothing from her family, she worked at a farm to earn some cash and develop her muscles. One kindly farmer gave her a baby piglet on her birthday a few years back, and she has taken care of it ever since (and named it Pig.) She tends to be wary of other people because of her bad experiences with them, but trusts animals freely. Jeppy also carries around a huge barrel on her back.

Gaara was roaming around for a while and ended up in Paradise, where he met Jeppy (and assumed she was a male, something he still believes and Jeppy has not corrected.) She saw a new face that did not judge her, while Gaara was impressed with her doting nature towards Pig, a sacred animal in his homeland. They became friends. Gaara is also trying to find purpose in his life/travels, while Jeppy just wants out of this town.

Months later, they were having a friendly duel to hone their combat skills. Fang witnessed the fight (and the ensuing chaos it caused to an old man and his two mules, who were dragging a cart of logs). Fang gently reprimands them for dueling in town, and then suggests that if they are restless, Ogilvie (a merchant who passes through every couple months) needs escorts for his trip to Cauldron. Gaara and Jeppy agree.

They go to the tavern and speak with Milo, the bartender for a bit. They have some drinks before calling it a night (Shaun gets hammered, his guy doesn't drink very much.) Shaun sleeps on some bales of hay behind the blacksmith, who he helps during the day to earn his keep. Jeppy goes home and takes some mild abuse from Pimchee, who she scares away easily.

The next day they meet Ogilvie, a middle-aged out of shape man wearing blue robes and a big blue hat. They immediately suggest making a dummy out of straw and Ogilvie's robes and hat, and putting it on display on the wagon (being pulled by a single horse), and stuffing Ogilvie in the barrel and putting it in the wagon. Ogilvie, who has a load of carpets and rugs to sell, balks at the idea of being in the barrel and says how about he just lies down in the wagon under a blanket instead. Gaara and Jeppy reluctantly agree. They also put the barrel in the wagon.

It's a seven day trip. On the first night they decide that Gaara will take first watch and Jeppy the second. Gaara just sits, alert. Jeppy plays with Pig.

Second night they reach the three farmsteads and stop for water, and buy a few veggies.

Fourth night Jeppy is on watch when she sees three figures walking down the road towards them. Still far off. She hides in some nearby bushes and ties a rope into a lasso. They get closer, she can see that they're all wearing leather vests and have swords. All are men. Two have scruffy beards while the third's face is obscured by something on it. They walk up to the wagon and look around. Jeppy tries to send Pig out to investigate but Pig balks...so she tosses Pig out onto the road. Pig squeals. The three men draw swords and one thug comes to investigate, the other thug and the Last Laugh man poke around the wagon and are deciding what to do.

Jeppy doesn't make any noise to wake Gaara or Ogilvie but instead puts the rope around her neck as if she was going to hang herself, and steps out. The thug tells her stop, but is confused, but eventually conveys that he will attack if she takes another step. Gaara wakes up but remains still, listening. The Last Laugh man says to just kill her and he'll take care of Gaara and Ogilvie, then they can steal the carpets. He walks over to stab Ogilvie, but Gaara springs up and slashes away his sword. When the rogue walks into the light of the campfire Gaara can see that his face is painted black and white like a yin/yang. The loud clang fails to wake Ogilvie. Meanwhile, the thug by Jeppy stabs at her, but she slaps it away with the rope she's holding and draws her spiked maul.

The other thug leaps up onto the wagon and stabs Gaara in the shoulder. Gaara responds with a swift strike on both the thug and Last Laugh, taking out the thug but missing the Last Laugh.

Jeppy swings a massive blow that misses and destroys a nearby sapling, freaking out the rogue. He stabs Jeppy slightly but takes a big hit in return, knocking him into the tree stump. He turns to flee but trips over the stump, and Jeppy pulverizes him.

[cinema - POV of thug with Jeppy looming over, swinging down with her maul, and blood spraying up and covering her entire front.]

The rogue hits Gaara a second time, but sees the other thug get crushes and starts to panic. The rogue threatens to stab Ogilvie if Gaara doesn't back off. Gaara just attacks, he misses but the rogue only manages to cut Ogilvie's arm lightly. Ogilvie wakes up and screams when he sees what's going on.

Jeppy rushes over and tries to leap up onto the wagon, vault off, and smash the LL as she flies by. She leaps up and vaults off....and totally flies over the rogue, Gaara and Ogilvie, who all stop momentarily to watch her fly overhead.

[cinema - Gaara and the rogue fighting, Ogilvie on the ground, when suddenly Jeppy rushes up and vaults off the wagon, silhouetted against the moon with her giant maul raised and the other three gawking up at her]

Gaara is hard pressed, so Ogilvie grabs a log on fire and tosses it at the rogue. It burns him slightly and distracts him enough for Gaara to step in and finish him off.

The thug killed in the wagon is bleeding all over the carpets, but is still alive. Gaara questions him quickly, ignoring his pleas for medical aid. The thug reveals that the leader was a member of the Last Laugh thieves guild, and that they're just bandits. No ulterior motive. The thug passes out. Gaara lets him die.

They loot the bodies, try to console Ogilvie a bit over his bled-on rugs, and Gaara tells Jeppy to just wake them up next time. They get three shortswords, two daggers, two sets leather armor, one set masterwork studded leather, some cp and sp, and eight gp stamped with a jester face (though neither of them notice this.) Jeppy also takes a small wooden disk with a harlequin/yin yang symbol painted on it. Gaara advises him to keep it concealed. They also each take a dull brown cloak.

The next day they go down to a nearby river and wash out the rugs and carpets and manage to clean most of them. The rest of the trip is uneventful. They reach the Lucky Monkey inn a day away from Cauldron and stop there. When they are approaching, they spot a band of four or five baboons in the brush nearby, who stop foraging for food to watch them ominously as they walk up to the inn.

Inside they meet the innkeeper Orin, who chats with them for a bit. Gaara gives him a gp, and Orin frowns when he sees it has a jester face. Gaara groans and says to Jeppy that they're probably counterfeit. Gaara gives Orin a real gp instead. They ask about the Last Laugh thieves guild, but Orin doesn't know too much other than that he's heard mutterings about them. He does They rest, eat, and enjoy some bardic entertainment. Next day they proceed to Cauldron. They part ways with Ogilvie, who asks them what their plans on. (They say explore Cauldron.) Ogilvie says that when they're done, stop by the Drunken Morkoth inn where he is staying and see if he's still there.

(What I forgot to mention but should is that Ogilvie pays them each some money.)