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Post by moralhazard on May 1, 2019 22:21:53 GMT
Kara's insight check: SEDlNuIi1d201d20
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Jarovbees
Approved
Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
Posts: 706
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Post by Jarovbees on May 1, 2019 23:15:32 GMT
Solstice had spent the journey eager to see it end, though that wasn't due to the company. Her fellow hirelings were all fine folk, and she seemed grateful for it, but there was so little room, especially for one of her size. When she finally disembarked from the wagon, it was with an undisguised sigh of relief. Her legs had cramped up a little, but it was nothing that some time out of the wagon wouldn't fix. Gyleon's suggestion to visit the inn was a sound one, as far as she could tell, and would have been her first choice anyway. Inns were a gathering point for a community...and all the gossip it had to offer. Well, most communities. It didn't escape Solstice that this one seemed to have a muted feel to it, which unnerved her...but that was all the more reason to investigate. She caught Kara eyeing the new house and smiles as the woman met her gaze.
"Rather sticks out, doesn't it? Still, we can ask about it at the inn before heading there and banging on the door. If the folks there are willing, we might as well hear what they have to say."
The kenku's enthusiasm had her chuckling, and she eyed him with a glint of amusement and gratitude. The town's mood hung thick all over it, and any attempt to lighten it was to be encouraged. She strode toward the inn after him, peering around all the while at their surroundings. While her voice was warm and friendly, her gaze was more serious and took in as much of the town as she could while passing. "You do that, lad. Just keep an eye out as best you can and if there's trouble, come find us."
Insight check: onKg8OXH1d20+21d20+2
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Post by moralhazard on May 2, 2019 16:43:28 GMT
Solstice seemed to think the inn first was a good idea. Kara nodded, turning towards it. She waited just a moment more, looking over the town again. The eerie stillness of it reminded her a little of Sundabar. Not during the war – there had rarely been time for such stillness then. It was like Sundabar after the war. Hartusk and his army were gone, but it hadn't been the sort of victory one thought of from songs and stories. There had been no buoyant overwhelming relief, only a slow gentle lessening of their suffering. Survivors had trickled slowly in, numbed and stunned by the magnitude of their losses, wandering about with blank eyes. This town reminded her of them.
Kara exhaled. There was no point in dwelling. She started after the others towards the inn - then stopped, abruptly, as the kenku spoke again. She focused her gaze on the small man, a scowl deepening on her face.
After a moment, Kara shook her head slightly. Solstice was chuckling, treating it as a joke. Kara supposed it must be; he couldn’t be serious. She didn’t find it funny, and her persistent scowl reflected that as she followed the other two towards the inn.
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Post by enchilada on May 2, 2019 17:45:52 GMT
The inn was fairly different inside. More warm, more homely, than what the town may have initially lead the party to believe. The fire was roaring in its place, the walls reflecting the orangey colour and flickering with it. There were only five tables, but the bar area was rather large. A ruddy faced human woman with dark hair pulled off her face in a loose bun was behind it, cleaning up with some ferocity. The opening of the door immediately changed the temperature for her, as the internal temperature was a very comfortable hot.
She lifted her head up, and then shook it. Gyleon really did have more people strung along on his fantasies, eh?
At the bar was sat another human man, middle aged and clearly looking after his body, but not necessarily his appearance. He had short cropped hair, and had not shaved for a few days, and his clothes were simple, patched up in places, but very practical. He was having his dinner, which looked and smelled very good, with a mug of something fairly dark.
There was a small group of people, three in total, around a table. A half-elf, a dwarf, and another human. They had been talking occasionally, and were all also enjoying a meal.
The lady behind the bar was about to speak, and then Gyleon came through a door behind her, tying an apron around himself, and put a hand on her waist. He waved politely to the group.
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Kestrel
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Icon by @ArtByRue on Twitter!
Posts: 319
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Post by Kestrel on May 2, 2019 18:33:11 GMT
Quill kept up his march the whole way to the inn, arms swinging up and down and then up again, and his head was starting to swim from keeping his chest puffed out for so long. He marched and marched and marched and then clonked himself right in the face as he tried to march straight through the door. The apprentice bounced back, shook his head and rubbed at his beak, and then used both talons to push it open a little ways instead. He then squeezed through and popped out the other side into a well-lit room.
It was warm-warm!
His feathers fluffing up, Quill marched to the center of the room. It was nice-nice. There were only a few people inside: a lady at the counter, a guy eating close by, and then three different people sitting around a table. Quill stared at them the longest. More real-real adventurers? They sure looked like one of the people groups from his books! Then the Gyleon guy walked out from a backdoor and gave them all a wave. Quill nodded back, crossed his arms, and squared his shoulders.
“Aaaaalright!”
With a few more marched steps, a stumble, and then a skip and a hop, Quill jumped up onto one of the stools near the counter. Next to the hairy-hairy guy. He kicked his feet and then nodded at Gyleon. He nodded at the lady next to him. He nodded over his shoulder toward the group of three and the short tall-tall lady and the blue tall-tall lady. He nodded at the guy next to him.
“My kiiiiind of place!”
Quill pulled at his strap. He was…running out of things to say. The mercenaries had left soon after they had said the ale and gambling and broad thing…whatever that was, and that was bad-bad. Maybe he would let the others ask the good-good questions?
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Jarovbees
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Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
Posts: 706
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Post by Jarovbees on May 2, 2019 19:17:51 GMT
"Ah, now this is more like it...." Solstice relaxed slightly upon entering, glad to see that at least some place in this down was warm and inviting. Her gaze lingered on the fire, strongly tempted to sit by it and soak up the warmth...but there was a job to be done. Perhaps later, when she felt it had been properly earned. With that in mind, she likewise refrained from ordering ale or any other drink; with a task at hand, she would prefer to keep her wits about her, after all. Hopefully no one would insist; she didn't want to break any customs of hospitality, at least openly.
The ruddy-faced woman was met with a friendly nod and warm smile, before Solstice let her gaze drift to the other inhabitants of the bar. She made a thoughtful noise, noting each in turn as well as their reactions to her or any of her other companions. Whoever seemed the least fazed by or most open to their presence was probably the best option to approach for more details. They had to start somewhere, and she had no problem getting to work right away.
(Insight check, for who seems most approachable? Q|EijjHX1d20+2)1d20+2
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Post by moralhazard on May 2, 2019 19:30:16 GMT
Kara followed the kenku and Solstice into the bar. Unlike Solstice, she didn’t relax at all; it was warm, but there were also – people. Kara glanced uncertainly from the small group at the table to the woman behind the bar, the human male next to her, and Gyleon, who emerged and put his arm around the woman. After a moment, Kara nodded politely to the woman. The kenku was still – uncomfortably cheerful. He hopped up onto one of the stools, and Kara glanced at him, then at Solstice. Solstice, at least, seemed relaxed, looking around with her usual smile. The ones that caught Kara’s attention the most were the three at the table. Townspeople, wandering adventurers? The combination wasn’t impossible for a mining town; many of them had dwarves living there, and more now after the troubles in Silver Marches. She would do her best to see what she could discern about them from looking. ((dreemie, let me know what/if I should roll!))
Kara's insight: tvOtQI4p1d20
1d20
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Post by enchilada on May 2, 2019 19:32:36 GMT
Kara: The half-elf was a woman. She had a dark complexion, one that had seen hard work. Her face was delicately traced with swirling tattoos, that carried down her entire body. She had thick limbs, and a rather pointy face, and her nose had been broken at least twice. From the smudges of black coal on her clothes and skin, she may well possibly have been a miner, although, she possibly could just have been sort of dirty. She seemed to ignore Quill.
The dwarf man had a dark beard, and plain features, a stocky build, like his female companion. He was dressed similarly plainly, but far cleaner. The clothes were well ironed. He looked up, said nothing, and continued to mumble to the people at his table.
The human there was older, almost entirely grey haired. He was missing a few teeth, he was quite thin, more from not moving around and carrying heavy objects, rather than a lack of food.
All three were likely not adventurers. Maybe in the past, especially the half-elf and the dwarf, but none of them had any of the spirit about them.
Solstice: All of the above—
Instinctively, the half-elf woman seemed to have the least of a scowl, while also possibly knowing the area better, but the man at the bar was probably having a pretty good day, also, Gyleon and his wife were probably full of information, given their job.
Overall: in terms of approachability, probably the man at the bar.
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Post by Ossular on May 4, 2019 18:26:17 GMT
Orin would just go with it, the hand-shake that became a little too vigorous in Gyleon's hand. He seemed nice enough, honestly, but as she moved back to the cart that he had, she would move her arm in a circle before stepping into the wagon herself. She would be the last in the wagon, sitting across from Kara. She would look across, not looking at Kara, but at least in Kara's general direction, looking past her, to the side. Maybe she would have said something, but she took in the others here, too. The firbolg. The kenku. The bearded man. Before she knew it, they were moving, and the rhythmic churning of the wagon lulled Orin's eyes shut. Like most elves, she didn't fully sleep, but it didn't mean that her mind didn't wander through her past, the events that led her here. Without the influence of the Winter Lady and her manipulations, it was almost too easily to get lost in her trance.
Before she knew it, they were in the town- if it could be called that. As the other three set out of the wagon, Orin remained, eyes closed, ears flat and lips pressed, as if she were experiencing something unpleasant. As the others moved toward the inn and looked about the town, the eladrin would snap out of her daydream (if it was at Gyleon's inquiry, the inn door shutting or a bump in the road that jostled her just right, I'll leave it up in the air). Instantly, she'd stand up, quickly shuffling out of both the reflections of her past and the back of the wagon before stretching. She caught the inn, but took an extra moment to have her own look about the area, her green eyes scanning passively over the layout around her. Wooden shacks, some stone, some wood, some mixed. Some with openings for windows, and some were boarded up.
She also noticed that there was... no one besides her in the streets, and only one building stood out as... well, gaudy, really. She would keep an eye on it for a moment, but turn toward the inn either way, catching up with the rest of the group, almost stepping into Kara's back before catching herself, accented with a quick, curt "sorry" before clearing her throat. The inn seemed more alive than the rest of the town outside, complete with a woman shaking her head in their direction, a human eating dinner, another group of a half-elf, a dwarf and a human, all together enjoying a meal.
The kenku was... adorable, Orin had decided- almost childish, in a way, but she didn't know enough about the race to know if it was actually a child or not. Recognizing Gyleon, seeing as he was now behind the bar, and the woman that was probably his wife, and realizing she didn't fully know what was going on outside of what the Man with Orange Eyes had told her before she had left to the South Gate, the eladrin would make her way toward the bar, taking an open seat near the two innkeepers.
"So, Mr. Barrick- err, Gyleon," Orin would correct herself. "I'm afraid my employer didn't tell me too many of the details before he sent me out to meet you at the South Gate. Could you perhaps tell me about... well, what's happening? Maybe over an ale?" the eladrin would lean forward, setting a couple of silver coins on the bar. She figured she could still pay for the drinks- this was still a business, after all, no matter the state of the rest of the town outside.
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Post by enchilada on May 4, 2019 18:46:23 GMT
The first thing Gyleon did was push the silvers back towards Orin. He shook his head. “I really only have ale to pay you back with, you better keep your coins.”
His wife didn’t seem too pleased by the idea, but she didn’t stop him. She just sighed, and folded her arms across her chest.
Next, he poured a generous mug of drink, and set it down for Orin, then, counted again the people who were assembled, the ones he didn’t know as regulars but automatically as people with the spirits of heroes, and poured that many more. For a moment he deliberated between two different sizes, but decided that the little man was perhaps the scariest, and would likely get upset if Gyleon assumed he drank less.
“What’s been going on is this... over the past few years, the kids have been disappearing, one by one. It started when those...those weirdos moved here. I don’t know why they came here. I’ve heard it was for their son, that he had a rough start in their hometown, so they got a nice big house built where it would be nice and quiet. We’re a good community, or we were... anyway, the son was the first to disappear. I don’t know anything much beside that. The kids tend to need to be at least nine or ten? Anyway, there aren’t any left. We’ve searched everywhere, never found a scrap of fabric, never found...” Gyleon swallowed, “A body...
“So we, or rather, I, assume that something freaky must have happened. It’s obviously some kind of magic, right?”
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Post by moralhazard on May 4, 2019 19:27:35 GMT
Kara studied the adventurers. The half-elf struck her as a fighter; that nose wasn’t something most ended up with by accident. The dwarf and human looked normal either. All three seemed beaten down, worn, but – Kara thought she would be too, living in this town. She looked away.
Orin addressed herself to Gyleon, and Kara turned to listen, attentively. It was one thing to have heard it from the men in Virgin’s Square, and another to have heard it from Gyleon.
“Why weirdos?” Kara asked, gruffly, stepping forward slightly, a little frown tugging at her face. “… What are their names?” The first crime committed – that was the place to start. She remembered that much from her guard days. She didn't try to give Gyleon any answers, not yet; it was too soon for that, or for reassurances.
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Post by enchilada on May 4, 2019 20:29:06 GMT
“Their lifestyle... eeh... anyway. Names... names... they kept so much to themselves, uh...” Gyleon scratched his head, putting the last mug up on the bar.
His wife finally decided to help out. She couldn’t stop him at this point. “The big grey one was Dave, the small brown one had a funny name like Ragrain, and the kid was... he was... Wentz! We all knew about Wentz.”
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Jarovbees
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Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
Posts: 706
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Post by Jarovbees on May 4, 2019 21:29:29 GMT
The trio were noted, and Solstice had every intention of speaking with them should the situation provide. (Especially the half-elf, she had a good feeling about her that the firbolg hoped wasn't just her being drawn to other fey races.) However, the man the bar seemed most likely to not mind the sudden company while he dined. Unless it turned out that she was reading the room entirely wrong, she would begin with him first and go from there. The tall firbolg woman took a seat at the bar by him and nodded to Gyleon and the woman as well, listening as she got settled in. Her expression grew sympathetic as she accepted the ale, and kept in mind the general age of the children abducted. It would be a good thing to keep in mind for later, since she generally couldn't tell human ages right away.
"...how many children remain?"
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Post by enchilada on May 4, 2019 21:58:57 GMT
She couldn’t bring herself to speak. She looked at Solstice, at Gyleon... she shook her head. Then Gyleon took her into his arms, firmly. They stood in relative silence, it was difficult. Gyleon knew that he wasn’t completely ready to say anything, not after all this time, even. Jess hadn’t known, she’d thought she was at terms with it, with everything that happened. But she wasn’t.
The man beside Solstice took a long drink, then gently elbowed her arm. “If anyone round here was a parent still, they moved away. It’s just hopeless families and people who just don’t have anywhere else to be now. You want to do something about it? You got any ideas yet? Cause that’s all anyone knows anymore. That Wentz kid would be what, twenty four now? Him and all the rest. I say he started it.”
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on May 6, 2019 0:56:29 GMT
Quill stayed in his seat at the bar, legs still kicking back and forth, and listened to the conversations around him. By now all three of the tall-tall ladies had joined him. Two of them also sat on one of the stools, the blue tall-tall lady – his new friend-friend – on the other side of the one guy at the bar and the new tall-tall lady a little farther ways off, while the short tall-tall lady just kept standing. They were all talking about the kids. About their disappearance. About weirdos who lived in the huge, bad-bad house. About…Quill swallowed and looked down at the counter. He shivered.
About bodies.
The kenku’s attention was pulled away, though, when something clinked onto the counter in front of him. He lifted his head. A mug of…something brown and foamy and funny looking had been placed there. A big-big mug. Quill reached out with both talons and tugged it closer. The mug was cool to the touch, almost like ice in the otherwise warm room, and the liquid inside sloshed around dangerously close to the rim. Quill leaned forward and sniffed at it. Then sniffed at it again. It smelled weird-weird. Kind of bad-bad, too. What was it? Was it…meant for drinking? It looked like mud water. The apprentice looked around. A big-big mug like his had been placed in front of all the tall-tall ladies, and even in front of the three other real-real adventurers in the tavern. That could only mean one thing.
It was a real-real adventurer drink!
Quill clutched at the mug with both talons again and lifted it up with a little pull and a heave. His beak clicked together. Maybe it was a strong-strong potion! Something that would keep them safe-safe and show them the way to the lost kids. That sure sounded like something from his books! A potion of good-good magics! Kind of like the ones his Uncle always drank at home. Only those were usually red or purple and in bigger bottles and smelled like grapes and other fruits and stuff. The kenku shook his head, ruffled his feathers, and gagged as the mug approached his beak. This one…smelled really bad-bad now that it was close. Pungent and sharp. But he was a big-big adult! A big-big adult here to save the day! And a big-big adult who wanted to save the day would need to drink the weird-weird brown potion thing if he wanted to be strong-strong enough to do it! As he opened his beak Quill cocked his head to the side for a moment, glancing at the guy next to him who had just spoken, and mimicked some of his words right back.
“He started it?”
Not even waiting for an answer, Quill then leaned his head back.
“Aaaaalright!”
And tipped over the mug. Foamy brown liquid rushed out, dropped through the air, and hit his open beak and sloshed down his throat. Quill’s eyes widened. It…it tasted bad-bad! His throat tightened. It burned-burned! He gagged and shut his eyes. It tasted bad-bad and it burned-burned and there was so much-much! The apprentice coughed, sputtered, and clamped his beak shut. Having only managed to drink about half of the mug, the rest splashed across his beak and over his face and down to stain his cloak, tunic, and white feathers. The mug shattered against the ground as Quill let go. He coughed again. He clutched at his throat. He wheezed and thrashed his legs against the counter and started to scream.
It burned-burned! It burned-burned! It burned-burned!
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