sorry for absence, spent the last two days at the beach!
Vaga walks up to the little girl and conjures out a small piece of bread wrapped in cloth he had in his tunic pocket. It's stale and dry, but edible and not moldy. "Here's for you, youngling. Now jump up on my shoulders and we will go and look for you sister together." He crouches down and turns around so she can climb up on his shoulders.
He turns to the team. "Maybe those of you who care more for coins than young damsels in distress can go to Roan, and me and this youngling here can go look for her sister. Or you can all join me in the search of course."
" 'Fiora, Friend to Children!' That's what they call me." *She turns to the child* "Don't worry, we'll help you find your sister." *Fiora gives a reassuring smile*
"Guston, if you are going with the others to report to Roan, can you hold onto my payment for me?"
The girl hesitantly takes the bread from Vaga’s hands and slowly climbs onto his back, then says “Um, okay.” She feels practically weightless. It definitely seems that she’s a bit malnourished.
The Satchel and Anvil is located directly next to the market square, and you make it there easily. Merchant stalls selling everything from jewelry to food and wine line the square as vendors shout to the passersby who occasionally stop and gawk at a particularly fine necklace or vintage wine. Most of the shoppers are at the food stalls, buying their food for the next few days. It isn’t terribly busy, but outsiders could certainly lose themselves in the crowd nonetheless. As you enter the square, the girl looks around for signs of her sister. Of course, she is currently on the back of a dwarf, so she still can’t quite see over the heads of many of the taller folk, but it’s still a better vantage point than just being on her feet.
As you search for the girl’s sister, a tall, slender woman with long black hair walks up to you. She is wearing a long, black overcoat that reaches her ankles, covering a shirt of chain mail and black trousers. On her left hip is a long, curved sword. She steps over to you and says “Excuse me, I believe that’s my sister you’re carrying.”
The girl quickly slides down from Vaga’s shoulders and runs over to the woman. “Emmy,” she says happily. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait for you like I promised.” The woman kneels down and pats the girl on her head. “Silly,” she says. “I told you I would be back after a while. Here.” She pulls out a small loaf of bread from under her coat and hands it to the girl. “That’s all yours. Don’t eat all of it in one sitting, or you’ll get sick, okay?” She smiles at the girl, who smiles back, before standing up and addressing the party. “I take it you found her wandering the street? If so, you have my thanks for bringing her to me. I would have searched the entire town for her if I went home and found she wasn’t there.”
" 'Fiora, Friend to Children!' That's what they call me." *She turns to the child* "Don't worry, we'll help you find your sister." *Fiora gives a reassuring smile*
"Guston, if you are going with the others to report to Roan, can you hold onto my payment for me?"
Rule #1 of D&D: Never split the party!
With a feminine grumble and a dainty scratch of his rash, Guston(ette) follows Fiora and Vaga as they carry on with their altruistic “rescuing” of a beggar girl.
“She lives in this town, you know,” he whines. “And she’s lost. In her own town. Why do we have to help someone in their own town find their way when we only just got here ourselves? I don’t know where the market is, do you? How are we supposed to find this blasted market if the locals can’t even find it? And who in the nine hells is that gnome dressed in rags? He looks like he could be dangerous, or maybe some undead aberration! This is a dangerous part of town, obviously, and I am in a very vulnerable condition!”
Guston(ette)’s whining follows in their wake until they stumble across the girl’s sister.
Guston(ette)’s jaw drops when they see the beautiful woman and he momentarily forgets about the realities of his situation.
He gawks at her dumbly, scratching his rash absently, until she speaks. “Well, of course, all in a good day’s work,” his feminine voice squeaks in a vain attempt to sound manly and brave. “It was our pleasure to help you, and may I just say how beautiful you are?”
Guston(ette) is clearly so smitten by the tall, slender girl that he doesn’t notice the strikeout marks on his pronouns.
Ignatius senses that something is clearly very wrong here. Isn't it strange that the tall woman being so well dressed and well equipped herself could not provide proper clothing to her sister? Or has the poor little girl just been intimidated to follow her instructions and lead unsuspecting adventurers to a secluded place where an ambush lay prepared? It would not be wise to trust the woman so easily.
He whispers to the rest of the group:
"This appears to me a deceptive disguise, And to trust this woman would not be wise. Behind the face covered with a smile, May be hidden something vile.
Look around, look behind, For any strangeness that you find, Stay near, stay together, For when unexpected, comes danger."
Ignatius composes himself, focuses all his mental faculties, and scans the environment with his superior perception. He is ready to face an ambush.
Hey @Nimran, does Ignatius get a bonus to perception checks when he's focused and specifically searching for danger? I mean something like Active Search mode, or maybe the Take-20 rule when not in battle? What do you say?
Fiora detects no evil from the woman or the girl, however she does detect evil from within the crowd.
Eh, bonuses are a bit too much for me to keep track of.
Ignatius: Perception check: 12+4=16
Ignatius spots Nate and a few shady looking characters in the crowd. They seem to be watching the party for some reason.
“Right,” the woman says upon hearing Guston(ette)’s, er, compliment. “My name is Emeril. I’m sure you’re wondering why my sister is wearing rags. Truth is, I just rescued this girl from a band of ruffians. She had no home and no family, so I took her in. She’s taken to calling me her sister, and I don’t really have the heart to refuse.” She looks down at the girl and smiles.
“What was I just telling you guys?” says Guston(ette). “We all need to help the orphans! Wasn’t I just saying that? Just like this beautiful woman, with her good, generous heart, we all need to help the orphans! All of them! Isn’t that right you... little... bugger! ...hehe... right...” He adds this last part with an unconvincing attempt at an affectionate sort of smile in the direction of the dirty urchin. The expression looks more like a reluctant grimace, contorted by pain and cognitive dissonance. His rash suddenly reddens and magnifies to the point of bursting a few boils.
@Nimran , i don't know which is the more exciting, that you continue your story, or that i can be actively partaking in it. I'm suggesting all of the participants to read Nimran's story for fun.
Ignatius spots Nate and a few shady looking characters in the crowd. They seem to be watching the party for some reason.
Ignatius immediately whispers a warning to the others, and notifies them about Nate and his associates spying on them. He also warns them not to react to this, so that Nate doesn't understand that they have noticed him. If needed, they would use the element of surprise to overpower Nate's company, should some foul act on his part be suspected.
"Naughty Nate is spying on us covertly. Isn't some action needed immediately? Taking them by surprise sudden, We shall teach them a fair lesson."
“What was I just telling you guys?” says Guston(ette). “We all need to help the orphans! Wasn’t I just saying that? Just like this beautiful woman, with her good, generous heart, we all need to help the orphans! All of them! Isn’t that right you... little... bugger! ...hehe... right...” He adds this last part with an unconvincing attempt at an affectionate sort of smile in the direction of the dirty urchin. The expression looks more like a reluctant grimace, contorted by pain and cognitive dissonance. His rash suddenly reddens and magnifies to the point of bursting a few boils.
The girl immediately darts behind her sister in terror.
As the others are talking with Emeril, Kaled walks straight into the Satchel and Anvil. Right away, he notices that the store is being visited by a number of adventurers, all of whom are perusing the weapons and armor on display. Over by the forge, he sees the blacksmith taking off his apron and preparing to leave for the day. Roan is also on the floor, talking to the red-haired barmaid from the inn.
Vaga hears Ignatius' warning and can see Nate and the gang in the crowd. Being a man that judge other by action rather than intent or prejudice, he doesn't make a judgement call just yet but keeps his eyes open and aware.
"Is there anything more we can help you with?" Vaga asks Emeril and Emmy Lissy? Otherwise we should probably catch up with our friend who went ahead of us.
“No, thank you,” Emeril answers. “I need to get going. Lissa, since you’re here, would you like to come with me? I need to stop by the Satchel and Anvil for something important.” The girl nods happily, and Emeril starts walking towards the shop with her following closely behind.
Roan turns to see Kaled and smiles. “Indeed, I have received word that they had arrived,” he says. “I also received word that you had a bit of trouble with the workers, yes?”
"Yes, but Miranda helped with the situation, we don't had to confront with the workers. I wonder if we got any trouble from them now, that the work is over. Otherwise we got lucky in the fight with the orc raiders as well. It seems, that there's an "Orc King" around here, the raiders acted on their own and got punished from the orc king's underlings.
Miranda mentioned something about The Legion recruiting new members. Don't know about the others, but i'm intrested in that."
Following awkwardly close on the heels of Emeril as they enter the store, Guston(ette) drools a little down his dainty lip, mixing spittle and boil, until the awkwardness becomes obvious even to him.
Suddenly noticing how much of an idiot he is, he steps away quickly, casually running his hands through his now lustrous, gorgeous hair in too-obvious nonchalance.
Overhearing Kaled’s last words to Roan, Guston(ette) suddenly remembers his “her-predicament” and rudely interrupts in a panic.
He tries to whisper discreetly so as to not alert Emeril to his condition, but the whisper carries loudly.
“By all the gods and Chauntea’s golden sheaves, I need a priest immediately!” he scream-whispers. “I’ve been... I’ve been...” he searches for the proper word, though it is obvious what happened to any who saw him before, as he is nervously waving at his new and missing privies, “I’ve been... feminized!!!”
Roan looks Guston(ette) up and down. “Well, how did that happen?” he asks. “Regardless, a trip to the temple oughta fix it. A simple curse can be removed by one of the priests there. Of course, they’ll need a respectable donation before doing so. Of course, we do have a cleric who will do it for significantly less. Speaking of which...” He pulls out a pouch filled with gold and hands it over. It has 1200 gp in it. “There’s your reward for bringing the caravan back,” he says. “By all means, please spend it all here. As for recruitment...”
He looks past Kaled and Guston(ette) to Emeril. “I think we could use some new blood, right boss?” Emeril crosses her arms and studies Kaled for a moment before replying “If these are indeed the people you hired, then I wouldn’t mind. That said, we should gather the other members here quickly. Starlen, go deliver the message.” The red-haired barmaid nods her head and says “Yes, ma’am. Should I also be dressed for travel when I return?” Emeril nods, and Starlen hurrries outside. Emeril turns back to Kaled and says “This orc king you heard about, is he dangerous? What of his men? We were informed of his arrival by Miranda, but she didn’t know much.”
Ignoring the rest of Roan’s and Emeril’s conversation, Guston(ette) takes his share of the gold in continued panic and says to Roan, “How much for your cleric’s services to remove this blasted belt and restore me to my former glory?!”
I’m assuming we are all splitting this 4 ways evenly? 300gp to each person?
*FIora follows the girl and her "sister" trying to either stay out of sight, or appear nonchalant*
Fiora's biggest drive is the protection of children. Nothing angers her more than seeing a child endangered. Whether its a good idea or not, roleplaying this means Fiora will stick with the child until she is satisfied she's safe.
Roan beams at the question and answers “You can find Erica on the next floor. She’s in charge of crafting potions and magical items, as well as enchanting weapons. She can also provide healing services and remove curses, though the exact price of such services depend on how powerful the curse is. Just try not to make her angry. She very rarely enjoys conversing with anyone, and you will likely wind up in an even worse condition if you push her too far.”
*Anduin emerges once more from the shadows, eyes open wide at some overheard gossip, cackling to himself he makes his way to the second floor... A moment later a dull thud is lost in the ambient noise of the tavern below*
Comments
Vaga walks up to the little girl and conjures out a small piece of bread wrapped in cloth he had in his tunic pocket. It's stale and dry, but edible and not moldy. "Here's for you, youngling. Now jump up on my shoulders and we will go and look for you sister together." He crouches down and turns around so she can climb up on his shoulders.
He turns to the team. "Maybe those of you who care more for coins than young damsels in distress can go to Roan, and me and this youngling here can go look for her sister. Or you can all join me in the search of course."
"Don't worry, we'll help you find your sister." *Fiora gives a reassuring smile*
"Guston, if you are going with the others to report to Roan, can you hold onto my payment for me?"
The girl hesitantly takes the bread from Vaga’s hands and slowly climbs onto his back, then says “Um, okay.” She feels practically weightless. It definitely seems that she’s a bit malnourished.
The Satchel and Anvil is located directly next to the market square, and you make it there easily. Merchant stalls selling everything from jewelry to food and wine line the square as vendors shout to the passersby who occasionally stop and gawk at a particularly fine necklace or vintage wine. Most of the shoppers are at the food stalls, buying their food for the next few days. It isn’t terribly busy, but outsiders could certainly lose themselves in the crowd nonetheless. As you enter the square, the girl looks around for signs of her sister. Of course, she is currently on the back of a dwarf, so she still can’t quite see over the heads of many of the taller folk, but it’s still a better vantage point than just being on her feet.
As you search for the girl’s sister, a tall, slender woman with long black hair walks up to you. She is wearing a long, black overcoat that reaches her ankles, covering a shirt of chain mail and black trousers. On her left hip is a long, curved sword. She steps over to you and says “Excuse me, I believe that’s my sister you’re carrying.”
The girl quickly slides down from Vaga’s shoulders and runs over to the woman. “Emmy,” she says happily. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait for you like I promised.” The woman kneels down and pats the girl on her head. “Silly,” she says. “I told you I would be back after a while. Here.” She pulls out a small loaf of bread from under her coat and hands it to the girl. “That’s all yours. Don’t eat all of it in one sitting, or you’ll get sick, okay?” She smiles at the girl, who smiles back, before standing up and addressing the party. “I take it you found her wandering the street? If so, you have my thanks for bringing her to me. I would have searched the entire town for her if I went home and found she wasn’t there.”
Never split the party!
With a feminine grumble and a dainty scratch of
hisrash, Guston(ette) follows Fiora and Vaga as they carry on with their altruistic “rescuing” of a beggar girl.“She lives in this town, you know,”
hewhines. “And she’s lost. In her own town. Why do we have to help someone in their own town find their way when we only just got here ourselves? I don’t know where the market is, do you? How are we supposed to find this blasted market if the locals can’t even find it? And who in the nine hells is that gnome dressed in rags? He looks like he could be dangerous, or maybe some undead aberration! This is a dangerous part of town, obviously, and I am in a very vulnerable condition!”Guston(ette)’s whining follows in their wake until they stumble across the girl’s sister.
Guston(ette)’s jaw drops when they see the beautiful woman and
hemomentarily forgets about the realities ofhissituation.Hegawks at her dumbly, scratchinghisrash absently, until she speaks. “Well, of course, all in a good day’s work,”hisfeminine voice squeaks in a vain attempt to sound manly and brave. “It was our pleasure to help you, and may I just say how beautiful you are?”Guston(ette) is clearly so smitten by the tall, slender girl that
hedoesn’t notice the strikeout marks onhispronouns.He whispers to the rest of the group:
"This appears to me a deceptive disguise,
And to trust this woman would not be wise.
Behind the face covered with a smile,
May be hidden something vile.
Look around, look behind,
For any strangeness that you find,
Stay near, stay together,
For when unexpected, comes danger."
Ignatius composes himself, focuses all his mental faculties, and scans the environment with his superior perception. He is ready to face an ambush.
Ignatius: Perception check: 12+4=16
Ignatius spots Nate and a few shady looking characters in the crowd. They seem to be watching the party for some reason.
“Right,” the woman says upon hearing Guston(ette)’s, er, compliment. “My name is Emeril. I’m sure you’re wondering why my sister is wearing rags. Truth is, I just rescued this girl from a band of ruffians. She had no home and no family, so I took her in. She’s taken to calling me her sister, and I don’t really have the heart to refuse.” She looks down at the girl and smiles.
them! Isn’t that right you... little... bugger! ...hehe... right...”
Headds this last part with an unconvincing attempt at an affectionate sort of smile in the direction of the dirty urchin. The expression looks more like a reluctant grimace, contorted by pain and cognitive dissonance.Hisrash suddenly reddens and magnifies to the point of bursting a few boils."Naughty Nate is spying on us covertly.
Isn't some action needed immediately?
Taking them by surprise sudden,
We shall teach them a fair lesson."
"Is there anything more we can help you with?" Vaga asks Emeril and
EmmyLissy? Otherwise we should probably catch up with our friend who went ahead of us."Hello! So did you get the building materials?"
Miranda mentioned something about The Legion recruiting new members. Don't know about the others, but i'm intrested in that."
hisdainty lip, mixing spittle and boil, until the awkwardness becomes obvious even tohim.Suddenly noticing how much of an idiot
heis,hesteps away quickly, casually runninghishands throughhisnow lustrous, gorgeous hair in too-obvious nonchalance.Overhearing Kaled’s last words to Roan, Guston(ette) suddenly remembers
his“her-predicament” and rudely interrupts in a panic.Hetries to whisper discreetly so as to not alert Emeril tohiscondition, but the whisper carries loudly.“By all the gods and Chauntea’s golden sheaves, I need a priest immediately!”
hescream-whispers. “I’ve been... I’ve been...”hesearches for the proper word, though it is obvious what happened to any who sawhimbefore, asheis nervously waving athisnew and missing privies, “I’ve been... feminized!!!”He looks past Kaled and Guston(ette) to Emeril. “I think we could use some new blood, right boss?” Emeril crosses her arms and studies Kaled for a moment before replying “If these are indeed the people you hired, then I wouldn’t mind. That said, we should gather the other members here quickly. Starlen, go deliver the message.” The red-haired barmaid nods her head and says “Yes, ma’am. Should I also be dressed for travel when I return?” Emeril nods, and Starlen hurrries outside. Emeril turns back to Kaled and says “This orc king you heard about, is he dangerous? What of his men? We were informed of his arrival by Miranda, but she didn’t know much.”
"Guston, here's half of what I have. Use it to remove the curse if it's an expensive blessing."
"Ignatius, here's some for you as well." Vaga gives Ignatius one quarter of his coins, saving only one quarter for himself for now.