mrshnigles
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Currently Playing Gorien
Posts: 67
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Post by mrshnigles on Jan 7, 2019 2:09:53 GMT
Amia, the guild attendant stood waiting at the eastern edge of the city with a scroll, waiting for the adventurers that signed up for this strange fetch quest. The cold caused her to bundle in multiple cloaks today as the sea winds brought frigid air to the farthest corners of the city. She cursed under her breath regretting that she volunteered to take this note and map to the adventurers at the edge of town, that man made her do strange things outside of what she would ever do for herself. She blushed thinking about him but quickly came to her senses as an icy thick gust of wind blew those thoughts out of her mind and she came to think about the task at hand. The smell of that woman who requested this came to mind immediately as a cart carrying refuse went by her, she had never been witness to such an awful scent. When that lady walked into the guild Amia nearly gagged, and was almost convinced that a green hag had found her way into the guild and was about to cause trouble. That man looked like something fierce and took up a club to confront the hooded smelly woman but a jingling sack stopped him real quick. It was so strange, the smell hardly lingered and the sack smelled of spices and was full of gold!
After waiting for what seemed like hours, out of the monotonous crowd came fourth a unique person, an adventurer surely. As her eyes meet with the adventurer's she felt a sense of relief and was filled with enthusiasm. "Greetings! Are you here for the quest?"
(as this adventure takes place in the wilderness feel free to make any preparations in this thread such as purchasing items, changing spell lists, etc.)
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Post by 3personal5me on Jan 7, 2019 2:55:29 GMT
As Crucible neared the edge of the city, he wondered what this job had in store for him. While he was perfectly content to fetch items for those in need (especially for such good pay), he knew that adventurers were only called when adventurers were needed.
The cold wind chilled him to his core. While he didn't feel cold in the traditional sense, his body still struggled to perform optimally in extreme temperature and this brought with it its own discomfort. He pulled his hood up to protect his face, wishing he had dressed warmer. He carried on, the thinning crowd eventually parting, revealing the woman he was looking for.
The warforged smiled as he grew closer. "Yes, I am here for the job. I trust you'll be my guide for the day? I'm afraid I don't quite enjoy adventuring on my own".
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Kestrel
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Icon by @ArtByRue on Twitter!
Posts: 319
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Post by Kestrel on Jan 7, 2019 5:49:55 GMT
Echo nestled her face deeper into the folds of her scarf and pulled her hood tighter down. While her fur certainly did offer some protection against the biting cold of the sea winds, at least more than the positively shivering humans, elves, and other furless folk around her, it was hardly the same as a nice thick wrapping of wool or cloth. In fact, the smallest voice in the back of the tabaxi’s head was screaming at her to just go and buy a cloak or blanket from one of the many street vendors lining the eastern way out of the city. But she paid it no mind. Really, she paid the cold no mind either, for there was one thing above all else that was keeping her warm enough inside.
Excitement.
The girl could still hear the words of the guild attendant: "Pinch of scales from a faerie dragon, vine cut from a shambling mound, and the water from a slain water weird." Squee! There was also some rubbish about being paid a lot of gold or something but Echo hardly cared about that. She had never in her life seen a real-life faerie dragon, or a shambling mound, and to be honest she did not even know that water weirds were even a thing that, like, really existed! The moment her ears had caught word of the job Echo knew her inner curiosity would never let her live it down if she let the opportunity slip by. Even if her senses had almost been completely overwhelmed by the smell of rotting flower feces at the same time. Which was a really weird combination now that she thought about? Huh.
Sliding, twirling, and jumping between street side shoppers and watch patrols with the grace of a dancer (which she was), the tabaxi soon made her way to the very edge of Waterdeep. It only took the treasure hunter a moment to spot her soon-to-be party. Next to the guild attendant who had read out the job earlier was the hulking form of the tallest warforged she had ever seen. Well, the only warforged really. The metal man was scratched and dented and kitted out for a fight, and Echo was as sure that he was an adventurer as she was that a basilisk could turn someone to stone! As she approached the pair Echo caught the warforged’s question and piped in from behind.
“Who’s saying you’re on your own today?”
Bounding up to stand next to him, Echo placed one hand on her hip and offered the other to the warforged.
“Name’s Echo in the Valley, treasure hunter extraordinaire! You can just call me Echo though.”
Cocking an eye back toward the guild attendant the tabaxi gave her a toothy smile.
“Pleasure to be working with both of ya. Are we waiting for anyone else?”
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Alxolex
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H.J. Smee, sailor and thief (3) // Caligo Drogo, ranger (1)
Posts: 41
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Post by Alxolex on Jan 7, 2019 6:07:38 GMT
After a hearty breakfast at the Sailor's Corner Inn and two fingers of rum to cure his hangover, Henry James Smee, sailor and thief-for-hire, started walking down Fish Street to make his way towards the Gate. I bet this here street bears this name fer its stench, he thought. It be smellin’ like the scurvy-ridden carcass of a rottin’ kraken.
Stifling a hiccup and wrapping with cloak tighter against the biting wind, he tried to remember the details of the job he’d accepted the previous day. “There was sumthin’ about a stink,” he thought out loud. But the rest of it was lost in a fog of rum vapors. And the more he thought about it, the less he could recall. “Me blasted memory is all a’flustered again. Ye're as smart as a barrel of bilge, Henry James Smee,” he said, rapping a knuckle on his forehead. He looked to his left where he knew the welcoming sign of The Thirsty Sailor would be swinging in the blustery winter wind. “Nothing a good ol’ grog can’t cure, that’s what I always say.”
He'd left early, so he had time for a tiny little detour.
He stayed only a half hour, and despite the sun being hours still from its peak, H.J. tottered out of the tavern. Who knew sailors could be so thirsty so early in the day? Well, he knew, but he had conveniently forgotten, his memory being a’flustered and all. The rounds he’d shared with the patrons had lightened his coin pouch in a worrying way. “Gotta get to that job,” he slurred, hitched his pants up, and started walking down the street.
He couldn’t remember any more of the details about the job, but he knew he had to get to the gate in the eastern part of the city. He rarely ventured out of the Dock ward. It didn’t feel like home, but at least the docks and sailors and taverns were familiar. Home had always been the Jolly Devil gliding on the open sea. But that was lost now, smashed against the cliffs after the captain had angered Umberlee, Queen of the Depths. The crew, lost. The Jolly Devil, now mere driftwood along the Sword Coast. The booty, fathoms under the surface.
He shook the sobering memories away. He wanted a new boat. And for that, he needed coins. And for that, he needed odd jobs like the stinky one he’d taken. So he steeled himself against the frigid wind and lurched through the streets until he reached the eastern edge of the city.
By the time he spotted the guild attendant, his lurching had become a light sway. H.J. paused, pulled his leather armor down to hide his paunch, straightened his pack, and approached. He lost his sea legs just as he reached her and bumped into someone (something?) standing next to her. “Pardon me, Ma’am,” he muttered, lifting his red bonnet in apology.
Standing straight like it was inspection time with the captain, he nodded to the guild attendant and said, “Ahoy! Well met, dear lady. I be H.J. Smee, and I be here fer th’ job.”
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Post by enchilada on Jan 7, 2019 8:58:44 GMT
Yesephina was, in all honesty, disappointed to be arriving after everyone else. She tried to be early, but the forests called on their own time, and the monks had taught her to be far more laid back than she really imagined. Her general experience of life boiled down to doing things quickly, properly, and having them done when they’re finished. She slung her greataxe over her back, smiled to all who saw her, and for once, puffed out her chest and stood tall. Confidence in a situation is perhaps the only way to ensure success, and she wanted to be successful, and she was confident. Perhaps she let it spill over a little, but when you’re eight feet tall and carrying a huge weapon, it’s hard not to come across the wrong way, and well, if she cowered as usual she might attract worried staring, or maybe a guard or something. These people are so fixated on guards and rules. There are rules of the forests, yes, but they grow and twist to the whims of the day, and paper only tears.
She’d taken an interest in the job because she was frankly super interested in the forests, its denizens. She didn’t need a reward if she was going to be able to talk to the trees and the bugs and the little creatures again, hear them sigh and carry her forward in her heart. There’s something refreshing about going home, even if these would not be home forests. She took a deep breath. Yes, this would be a fine day out.
Stumbling a little, she widened her gait, smoothed her hair back into its lazy bun, then put her spare hand in her pocket. She saw a group of odds and ends assembled, and oh thank the gods, they weren’t all human, like they were real outsiders. “Yesephina. I punch stuff good.” As she stuck her hand out to shake someone else’s, she visibly cringed. “And that’s not everything! I’m kinda a forest person, and I have some... talents.”
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mrshnigles
Approved
Currently Playing Gorien
Posts: 67
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Post by mrshnigles on Jan 7, 2019 20:18:17 GMT
Amia's face lit up as all of these colorful (literally!) people approached her and she let out a small giggle before answering them: "Hello all! Yes indeed this meeting is for the materials gathering quest" She pulls out a tan piece of paper smelling faintly of spices from her bag and hands it to Yesephina's extended hand. The note has written on it in rough handwriting:
-pinch faerie drag. scales
-vine shambling mound
-dead water weird water
-red maiden
on the back of the list is a map of the surrounding area with an X in a forest to the east of the city
Amia shrugs and says "I know it is not very much to go on but try your best and come back to the guild when you obtain the items. Good luck!"
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Post by 3personal5me on Jan 8, 2019 1:26:00 GMT
"Well let's not wait then! The fun doesn't start until we do!" Crucible grinned as he studied the map. "I'm not exactly a nature and survival expert, but I think I can. Get us there. Unless anyone objects?"
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Alxolex
Approved
H.J. Smee, sailor and thief (3) // Caligo Drogo, ranger (1)
Posts: 41
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Post by Alxolex on Jan 8, 2019 1:28:24 GMT
"This 'ere map makes as much sense as a ballad written by a wooden-armed mute," grumbled H.J. His eyes bulged as he realized he'd just thought out loud. "No offense, dear Ma'am, mateys, but I can only ken maps of the open sea."
He shrugged an apology to the assembled party.
Looking at them for the first time, he thought he was way more drunk than he felt. There was a speaking automaton nearly twice his size (granted, at 5 feet tall, most people seemed tall to him), a muscular blue lady actually twice his size (she was a looker), and a talking cat.
This little saunter in the woods had suddenly gotten a lot more interesting.
"Any o' ye fine folks know what the flowers of that list look like? Or be they mushrooms? Tell old Mr. Smee what ter look for, an' I'll hunt it down like a wereshark in a bloodfrenzy." He looked at the snow and frozen puddles on the cobbled street. "Though I ain't sure we be capable of diggin' the frozen ground."
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Post by enchilada on Jan 8, 2019 2:18:36 GMT
“If you speak to the plants, they’re easy to coax out, and the foxes will lead you to the plants if you ask nicely.” She smiled, nodding to herself. Yep, that’s what she’d been raised knowing. She scrutinised the map for a second. “I s’pose... let’s go... that way, right? Yeah cause that’s the... yeah! This will be easy. I’m sure it’s not gonna be hard to find a bunch of trees. Trees are big.”
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mrshnigles
Approved
Currently Playing Gorien
Posts: 67
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Post by mrshnigles on Jan 9, 2019 18:17:51 GMT
With enough sense of direction to head directly away from thr city and coast the odd party starts off towards the task at hand. Getting to know one another on the road they walk at a brisk pace towards thier destination. A patch of green in the distance that becomes larger and larger as they walk and talk.
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Kestrel
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Icon by @ArtByRue on Twitter!
Posts: 319
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Post by Kestrel on Jan 10, 2019 7:51:46 GMT
Wow! Who needed interesting monsters when you had a partly like this?
Not long after Echo had introduced herself to the warforged, the rest of their group emerged one by one from the bustling crowds around the eastern gate. The first of them to arrive – well, really, he more stumbled toward them before teetering straight into the tabaxi – caused her to wrinkle her nose and audibly retch. By the Cat Lord’s twitching whiskers, that smell! Rotting fish and cheap liquor mixed and choked the air around Echo to the point where the dung flowers she had smelled earlier in the guild hall seemed pleasant by comparison. With a swift sidle over the treasure hunter glared down (down…did not happen often) at the pudgy human as he lifted his silly red hat and introduced himself as Achjaysmee (Hchaismey?) and hissed under her breath. Funny name or no, she was not staying next to anything that smelled like that!
The second one that arrived though was even more interesting and, thank the stars, smelled way more pleasant. And she was huge! Even bigger than the warfoged! Echo craned her neck up, mouth slightly open, as she watched the bluish person wade through a sea of concerned onlookers with a confident smile. She was pretty if not a little clumsy (at least by the tabaxi’s standards) and Echo’s eyes strayed for a moment over the axe slung over her back that was as big as…as…as Echo was honestly! The treasure hunter was dumbfounded enough that she failed to even acknowledge the hand the giant lady offered, but she did let out a giggle at her introduction. You had to be able to punch stuff good with arms like that! The tabaxi wondered what other talents Yesephina meant, though. Maybe she could also kick stuff good? Throw good? Kic-no she said that one already.
Still lost in thought, Echo returned her attention to the guild attendant as she handed them the map for their job. “I don’t know much about gathering plants and stuff”, she did pipe in though once they had gathered around the paper, “but it can’t be much harder than finding lost treasure, right?” And that was her specialty! “Though the only red maiden I’ve ever heard of was from a song.” Well, it was obviously a big red mushroom, right? How hard could that be to find.
Echo joined the others as the party finally made their way away from Waterdeep proper and out into the wilds around the port city. After a short but quick hike, during which the tabaxi made sure to stay just a little bit closer to Yosephine and the warforged than Hajaysmi, a distant smudge of green began to fill the horizon in front of them. That, the treasure hunter assumed, was the forest they were looking for. Jumping a few extra paces forward, she squeezed her way between the warforged and the blue lady (they were really so big!) and cast a wary eye back toward their human companion. “So…does, uh, anyone know what we’re supposed to find first? Like, how do you even just get scale dust?” Unless…
Aww, damnit! This would be her first time seeing these amazing, cool monsters, and they were supposed to kill them, weren’t they? Or at least…forcibly remove parts of their bodies. Echo was not sure that second one was really much of an improvement, honestly.
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Post by 3personal5me on Jan 10, 2019 9:46:02 GMT
Crucible watched Echo scamper ahead, enjoying the youthful vigor she possessed. "Well, I'm not really an expert on this sort of thing. I'm more like an extra pair of hands. Healing hands, if you would. Burning, healing, hands. It's a whole thing". He shrugged as he walked. He really didn't know much about the natural world. But he didn't like the idea of these adventurers possibly getting hurt. "I'm sure someone else here knows they're doing".
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Alxolex
Approved
H.J. Smee, sailor and thief (3) // Caligo Drogo, ranger (1)
Posts: 41
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Post by Alxolex on Jan 20, 2019 19:32:35 GMT
H.J. walk along the road with the others, an eye on the patch of forest growing closer by the minute, the other on their surroundings. He'd been on the seas most of his life, and being a lookout had been one of his duties, after all. Old habits die hard, and old salty dogs die harder.
The alcohol vapors dissipated from his mind as they put some miles behind them. He noticed that the cat lady was keeping her distances from him. HJ frowned. It'd been barely a ten-day since his last bath, and his underwear was freshly cleaned... But doubt assailed him. Were these undies fresh from the morn', or were they the same as last night? The whiskey fog wouldn't let him remember one way or another. Oh well, he shrugged.
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