"Hey, Abdel... give me a boost, will ya?" Abdel boosts Imoen up, and she removes a small, sparkling stone from a knot in the bole of the tree. "Nice!" she says in admiration.
From there they headed directly east. As they rached the end of the Lions Way road an odd looking old man with a pointy hat and a strange demeanor greeted them saying: "Ho there wanderers! Stay thy course a moment to indulge an old man."
Abdel rests his hand on the hilt of his dagger and snaps, "I am not so stupid as to listen to stangers* in the middle of nowhere, no matter how infirm they appear to be! Off with you!"
*Yes, Abdel says "stangers", both in BG1 and BG:EE. So there!
OOC: I forgot what Elminster's reaction was to that reply. I always turned it around on him and questioned his mental state... By the way, I noticed in the party status post that they don't have the belt of antipote (not that it matters much being a pretty worthless thing anyway)
"That wasn't very nice, Abdel!" Imoen says to Abdel. "I'm sorry sir, he had a really bad time recently and is a little grumpy." She says to the stranger as Abdel rolls his eyes. "That is quite alright. One of these days I should learn to mind my own business anyway." says the stranger before he walks away.
They continue on walking along the road and take the road leading northward towards the inn. They meet a few odd people along the way and arrive at the gates of the Friendly Arm Inn shortly before nightfall.
"Oh, thank the gods, Imoen! I'm so tired!", Abdel breathes with relief. "At last, the Friendly Arms Inn! And we should find Gorion's friends here as well!" Abdel and Imoen walk into the fortified, walled town and find the inn - which is a huge structure made of stone, with stairs up into the common room. A man in a black robe comes down the stairs and greets them. "Ah, are you perchance Gorion's ward?"
Abdel says yes and immediately he and Imoen get stricken with an uncontrollable panic. As they try to run away magic missiles get fired at them. All seems lost when suddenly an arrow and a bullet dart out of the common room, hitting the mage and killing him. Two half-elves step out of the inn.
OOC:I think we have all been there...Minus the rescue of course.
The half-elves are a man and a woman. The half-elven woman is clad in heavy studded leather with green trim that appears to be made out of leaves. The half-elven man is wearing heavy splint with a helmet and a red scarf.
"O-Of course, he r-resembles the letter to a fault," the man stutters. Abdel notices the man's strangely pointed ears. Abdel bows his head before turning to address the pair, pausing. "Well, then, speak up," cajoles the woman impatiently.
Imoen gives Abdel a nudge, bringing him out of his thoughts. "He was killed by this really big man with a deep voice..." Abdel says, his voice trailing off. The two strangers look at each other, somewhat surprised, but also like they expected as much. "Are you Kahlid?" Abdel asks the woman.
"No, I am Jaheira, and this tongue tied fellow is my husband, Khalid," states the woman. "Gorion was a dear friend of ours, and we feel for your loss. Would you allow us to accompany you for a time while you find your way in the world?"
"You company would be welcome" Abdel replies. "I forgot to introduce her, but this is Imoen. She's a good friend of mine and apparently one of your new travelling companions." Following a discussion about your travel options, Imoen suggests resting in the inn tonight.
Abdel agrees, and as they head inside, Imoen has the idea to check the dead guy for loot. "Hmm, a staff, a couple scrolls, and some sort of note," she scans it and hands it to Abdel "You should read this."
OOC: I checked prior to fixing my post and no one had posted. I changed a few times before arriving at that final edit, though part of that was to try to get it down to two lines. The only plot thing I changed was basically Imoen or Jaheira making the suggestion.
Abdel opens the parchment and gazes at it in horror. "Be it known to all those of evil intent" it reads" that a bounty has been placed upon the head of Abdel, the foster son of Gorion."
OOC:Just so that no one has to look it up the bounty total is 200 gold coins at this point
For a long moment, Abdel was horrified. Then, with a certain sick amusement oozing through him, he said, "Well, that explains all the people trying to kill me..."
"A-a bounty? Really?" Imoen looks around nervously. "Come child, none wil harm you here, in the Friendly Arm Inn," soothes Jaheira. Abdel replies, "and so that mage back there was just being, as you put it, friendly?"
Inside the common Room, Abdel is awed by the boistorous, heavy-drinking clintelle. "Well, this is a huge difference from the quite halls of Candlekeep", Abdel thinks to himself as he tries to find the landlord.
"Although Winthrop might have a competitor in his "Clean as an Elven arse!" boast," Abdel mused as he walked through the clean, well-appointed common room towards the bar and the gnomish man standing behind it.
Imoen, having worked for Winthrop seems more at ease in the Inn: "Let's order some wine and see if we can pick up on what's been going on around the sword coast - maybe someone knows anything about the bounty?"
"Private" Abdel says, quickly snatching the notice out of the man's hand. "Then you should do better to keep it so. Especially if you want to keep that head of yours. Now get out of my face." booms the stranger. As they leave he adds: "lucky for you I have no interest."
OOC: I'm assuming that Dorn read the first few lines before Abdel recovered the note.
"We'd like a room for the night, and a round of drinks first, please..." Abdel said with a smile. "'Course!" Bentley said with a smile, "I also buy treasures, if ye be needing ready coin, and if you need healing, see me wife, Gelana, in the temple next door."
"Its been dreadful slow business lately" Says Bentley. "At least it isn't dead yet." Said Abdel. "Give it time." said Bentley with a sigh. "With the Iron shortage and those bandits it will be soon. And that is on top of the 'normal' troubles in this region. Like the ogres and spiders some of my patrons are troubled by."
Comments
*Yes, Abdel says "stangers", both in BG1 and BG:EE. So there!
OOC:I think we have all been there...Minus the rescue of course.
I hope that is a suitably dramatic reveal.
OOC: sorry, didn't see the "kill" line.
OOC:Just so that no one has to look it up the bounty total is 200 gold coins at this point
OOC: I'm assuming that Dorn read the first few lines before Abdel recovered the note.
OOC: Time for our first real side quests. Yay!