News:

For the most up to date reports about what is going on with the forum, and the latest topics of interest, throw us a like on Facebook, and if you're wanting some light banter with the seasoned and spiced members, join the Second Sphere Members Group.

Main Menu

Isle of Carandia (RPG)

Started by Narric, November 24, 2018, 09:49:24 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Mabbz

After a moment, Ben started counting out the coins. "Ninety-two. So that would be... twenty-three each, not counting Raven." He cast an apologetic glance at the Aarakocra as he said this. "No offence meant, but you weren't involved in the fight. Unless anyone disagrees?"

ULQ

Raven looks at Ben as if looking at something interesting and watching him fiddle with the gold coins.
"No apology needed, My arrival was unexpected, I am an outsider to this group and to this realm."
now turning his gaze to the sky, looking like he can see miles out into it.
"Lets say for now my payment was not being put with the likes of these poor fellows." he looks back at Ben, "sounds fair right?"
Steal, Silently, Like a ninja in the night, Swift like a breeze, Hidden like the TV remote no one can find.

Cammerz

Nyx exchanged a look with Ben, shrugged lightly and began depositing her share around the many pockets of her cloak.

"We should probably get moving, it's a long way to go and we can manage a few more miles before dark. I'd rather not camp around here, that lot might attract some wild animals that I'd rather not encounter in the middle of the night".

ULQ

"When we move out, I will be flying and keeping a watch over you all, I'll keep an eye out for anything interesting for you all"

Raven replied starting to stretch his wings in a warm up fashion. Watching Ben as he said it, His head moves to look at the sky and the position of the sun.

"Night flying is out the question for now, I need the sun to fly, As cover, Hurts eyes when you stare at the sun, If i see any trouble ill fire an arrow before your path, Still be careful"

Still flexing his wing he looks to the group letting them fall relaxed "Refusal i understand, Useful as it is, It is not without risks" He suddenly pauses.

He takes one last quick look around moving his head to side to side, Then back to the group.
Steal, Silently, Like a ninja in the night, Swift like a breeze, Hidden like the TV remote no one can find.

Cammerz

Nyx spent a moment trying to work out precisely what was being said before the friendly smile returned to her face,
"Um, yeah, sure. If you think it would be helpful then you go ahead and fly above. Feel free to walk with us instead if you think it's getting too dark up there".

Turning to address the rest of the party, "I suppose we should be off then".

She waited for them to grab their things and then let those with more wildreness experience walk ahead. She felt she was doing a pretty good job pretending she knew what to do out of the city. She hadn't exactly let on that she'd never left the city before but she reckoned she was handling it.

ULQ

Raven thinks for a moment and watches the group gather.
"ill be right behind you all, dont see any harm in walking with you all"
Steal, Silently, Like a ninja in the night, Swift like a breeze, Hidden like the TV remote no one can find.

Narric

With the group packed up and ready, Raven took to the afternoon air as Hlaine and Aela took vigil at the front and back of the ground group. The road was moderately used, typical of the areas surrounding small settlements.

It was surpringly short traveling before they arrive through the light wooden gates of Lakenvale. The gate seemed more for show, as no wall or fence snaked into the surrounding area, ostensibly stating the boundaries of where the small town ended. The main road into the town lead straight to a small temple, a carved totem signifying it accepted all to enter. The temple was surrounded by overwatered and drooping plants that were struggling to flower, and then a road that seemed to loop around the structure. Beyond the Temple the group could see a wide lake with a handful of freshwater fishing vessels. The main circle of the town had a number of stores, in order clockwise from the road the group entered from was a Smith and Weapons shop, an average sized Inn, a few simple two story houses, a prominent fishmongers overshadowing its neighbour of a Butchers, and lastly a semi open-air market which seemed to sell odds an ends but was dominated with fresh produce.

The group quickly noticed and were confirmed by the landing Raven, that the brewery was not within the town it self. Splitting up to ask around, the group tried individually to find out how to get to the lakenvale Brewery. Raven tried asking an elderly townsfolk, who was quickly spooked by his corvide appearence, and proceeded to shoo him away with a wicker broom. Ben made his way to the Temple, but was turned away, as the temples' clerics had sworn off alcohol and looked down upon does whom consumed it. Aela inquested at the general market stall, as Hlaine asked at the Smith and Weapons store, both coming back empty handed. Nyx on the other hand, had managed to find some young boys who were barely past ten summers of age. They'd told her the rough direction out of town the brewery could be found, but kept suggesting she grab a spare bottle of five for them to have without their parents knowing. Having what she needed, she managed to slip away from the youths.

"Seems we'll need to follow the road northwards around the lake to get to the brewery." The gnome informed the group after they met back up just outside the Inn. "Doesn't sound too far away considering ho quickly we got here after dealing with those bandits, but the afternoon is dragging on, wouldn't you say?"

Raven was muttering to himself as he was attempting to preen his feathers after his encounter with the elderly.

"Approaching at night could give us some advantage depending on what we find there?" Hlaine spoke up. "But we've also been traveling through two cities and had to dealt with highway bandits, so we may not be able to capitalise on it as best we could."

"But we also don't know the layout of the brewery." Ben added. "The road may have us exposed, or we won't see whats going on within the property until we're there by which point we might not be in the right place to get the advantage of surprise."

[Status]
Party

Raven: disheartened from such ruthless shooing

[Dice Rolls]
Brewery Info: Nyx, Aela, Raven, Ben, Hlaine

Cammerz

"Well the best place to ask would probably be in here", Nyx gestured to the inn they were next to, "It'd also let us know whether the beer is having trouble getting this far, just in case it's an issue with the road and not the brewery. Also it's getting late and I'd like a hot bath and a hot meal now I can afford both".

With that, Nyx led the way inside and began arranging room for the lot of them, a hot meal, a drawn bath and a third of a pint of beer (the best way to establish whether there's a shortage is to try and buy something, and the landlord would be more likely to answer her questions after she'd handed over some gold).

[Persuasion roll to get information] https://dadi.lapo.it/1572859504
(+2) = 20

ULQ

Raven follows Nyx into the inn, looks around, looks back at the group.
"ill be over there" he said pointing to the darkest corner he could see in the inn, as he sits down he tries to blend into the shadows as best as he can being a recognizing being to this plane.

[stealth roll] https://dadi.lapo.it/1572860339
(+3) = 9

Steal, Silently, Like a ninja in the night, Swift like a breeze, Hidden like the TV remote no one can find.

Narric

The door to the inn clunked open loudly as Nyx led the group inside. The patrons all rose eyes to the newcomers, unsubtle watching the odd group enter and take a table together. Despite his best efforts, Raven could not avoid any gazes, for no-one in this land had seen an Aarakocra before. His attempts to stay out of sight while staying with the group did lessen the number of eyes that tracked his every move. With everyone seated, Nyx flagged one of the Half-Orc barmaids.

"Afternoon, my colleagues and I were hoping for a round of drinks, rooms for the night, and I was hoping for a bite to eat and maybe a bath?" Nyx requested with a friendly smile. The Half-orc merely grunted, her disinterest apparent.

"Wha' abou' ah res' of you?" She growled through her underbite tusks. "Mos' ah booze is 'riple mark up, jus' so you know."

"Triple mark up?" Nyx feigned surprise. "Whatever has happened?" The group except Raven glanced at each other, suspecting what was the cause.

"'ha' old Jois is barely fillin' half our orders" The barmaid grunted. "Ah blame 'hose weirdos he's got doin' ah haulin'. Was jus' af'er 'hey showed up ah deliveries wen' sou'h."

"That is an interesting development" Ben commented, resting against the table. "One ale for me, and something hearty. We encountered a group of bandits before reaching here..."

"Been a few of 'hose. A' leas' you go' here." The barmaid roughly slaps Ben on the shoulder. "Wha' abou' you 'hree?" She directed at Aela, Hlaine and Raven.

"I would be fine with some water, please?" Aela requested politely. "A light meal would be sufficient also."

"Aah, give us an Ale, if you'd kindly" Hlaine smiled to the barmaid. "And some sort of roast if possible?"

"I believe my diet is not accounted for by this establishment. I would however like to try some Mead if possible? Only a small amount so as not to be wasteful." Raven couldn't help but flick between the numerous things and people in the Inn, maintaining a steady voice as his eyes and beak darted from point to point.

"'he name is Ursha, I'll ge' your oders." With that Ursha turned and left the group table. They waited a short time before they began discussing, as most eyes had lost interest in them.

Cammerz

"Well then", began Nyx, a hint of excitement in her voice although trying to keep her tone hushed enough to not be overheard, "We've definitely got trouble up at the brewery and it must be something to do with the people with the dead horse. Reckon we're dealing with necromancers or something? Some big conspiracy to siphon off loads of the beer for nefarious purposes?"

Jacurutu

"It's a touch more concerning than I originally thought. I would have suggested a normal off-the-books operation run by lowlifes were it not for that dead horse and that enchantment they used on us back in West Gemos." Aela piped up in reply to Nyx's suggestion. "Why they'd target a brewery rather than anything else I cannot find a logical answer to. I would have thought that to be a shade too high profile considering how much the mayfl- er.. folks here like to drink.."

Mabbz

"I still don't understand why they would use an undead horse. Are normal horses really that hard to come by? Is there some benefit to them over a..." Ben trailer off. "Oh. The sleep spell. I guess maybe it would have put the horse to sleep too if it were alive."

"Still, why use the sleep spell in the first place. The only reason I can think is to avoid the delivery men being questioned by angry innkeepers. Still a lot of effort to avoid complaints."

Ben sighed in frustration. "Maybe the innkeeper here has done some investigations of their own. We can ask when the barmaid returns"

ULQ

Raven just sits and listens to each member talk.

To take his mind off of being in a roofed Building, He reaches into his bag and starts playing with his cards.

"Ale supply low, Undead, Necromancers, Enchantments, Sleep spells, Bandits...." he tweets to himself placing down a card after each thing said.

*Seeming to be playing his own game while taking in the information*
Steal, Silently, Like a ninja in the night, Swift like a breeze, Hidden like the TV remote no one can find.

Narric

Ursha returns with the various drinks ordered, along with change for the payments.

"So wha' brings a group like you all to our neck of the woods?" She asked once everyone had received their purchase. "Don' worry I ain' forgeting your food."

"With the exception of our new friend here," Ben motions to Raven. "We've been sent to go and speak to Jois, who runs a local brewery. Seems He isn't delivering his end of a deal to an old Gnome Brindle back in West Gemos."

"I'm sure its nothing," Nyx added, lying slightly about the magic using delivery crew. "But Brindle must have thought that is Jois needed help it wouldn't be something simple."

"Aah, yes Jois ain' exac'ly popular round here." Ursha crossed her arms with a mild scowl. "Ins'ead of hiring 'he locals as normal for win'er work, he's got this group of weirdos running all the jobs."

"And because of that, old Urnis has tripled the damn price!" A half-elf patron from a neighboring table had stood up and slammed his half-empty tankard on the table. "Why though? Becuase not only has Jois screwed everyone for winter wages, he's also bloody started rationing the damn booze!" The tavern had gone silent but once the half-elf had finished his bit, the whole establishment was filled with thunderous disaproval.

"Aye, Jois has done s'iffed the entire town...." Ursha glances off to one side.

"Then why hasn't anybody from Lakenvale spoken to him?" Aela stood to her highest, and asked directly to the crowd. Her small outburst lasting breifly. Surprisingly the entire crowd fell silent, returning to their mugs and tankards. Some looked like they'd seen a ghost, or worse.

"Lass, we have our reasons why i's gone on so long..." Ursha was looking to the door with worry. "I'd recommend you drop it for now..." With that the barmaid walks away, leaving the group to confussion. Aela returned to her seat. The group glanced to one another. When words were exchanged again they made sure it was in hushed tones.

"Whatever is going on with Jois seems to have gotten to the town..." Ben noted, surveying as many of the other patrons as he could see.

"But why booze? Why necromancy?" Hlaine piped up, leaning back and resting on the interior window sill, drink in hand.

"If there is still enough light, I could fly above to scout this brewery?" Raven offered.

"Maybe this is only part of something bigger?" Aela put forward, arms crossed in front with a hand on her chin.

"That just makes the questions of why even more significant" Nyx reminded.

With little new information beyond learning that Lakenvale was a victim of whatever was happening to Jois, the group struggled to make progress understanding the situation. Drink passed slowly, with the group feeling on edge. No one inside seemed to be making moves to leave like an informant, but still seemed to be avoiding the group. The tables closest had seemingly moved further away as well.

All around, the air became heavy, and seemingly so did the heads of the patrons. Left and right, people began to slump into drinks and onto tables. Hlaine was snoring loudly already, Ben was trying to prop himself with his staff, Raven's wings seemed to droop, and Nyx was resting her head on crossed arms. Only Aela and a handful of Elves were unaffected. She had to act.

"You lot, make sure no one is drowning in their drink!" Aela shouted at the Elves who were giving the tale tale sign of panic. "They'll be fine, its just a sleep spell!" Shakily, the Elves did as told and began checking the other patrons at tables and on the floor. Aela focused on her associates and could already feel the force that had pushed everyone into slumber subsiding. A few shakes and the odd slap had awoken her allies save for Hlaine. As she turned towards the Halfling, she froze seeing him begin to lift up as if a force was dragging him up the wall. She lunges for the halfling, but with a loud crash they disappear through the window, a smear of blood on the top of the frame. The light was begining to fade, and unhelpful shrubberies also worked to obscure her view.

"What the heck was that?!" Ben shouted before turning to the door they had entered, the rest of the group following quickly behind.

The Inn was vacated by the group, Raven spreading his wings to quickly ascend to the roof of the building. Aela, Ben and Nyx rounded the corner to see where Hlaine had been pulled forcefully through the window, seeing just the shattered pains and smattering of blood. A booming chuckle resonated across the dirt road caused everyone to look towards the temple front that faced the entrance to the town.

A Green Dragonborn dressed in a weird mix of magic users robes and a butchers apron stood in front of what seemed to be two walking writhing masses of corpses. to the other side of the Dragonborn was a group of what could only be described as Unstable Zombies, slaming rotting fists into something on the ground. Further back, more could be seen.

"You all seem incredibly nice people, such a shame you'll have to be disposed of." The Dragonborn was male, and his accent could only be described as upper class snob. In one hand he carried a 10' stave topped with a strange icon which emitted a green miasma, around his other hand was a strange claw-like contraption. "Do die quickly, you might still be of use to us yet. Oh, and Choir Boy? Don't think I'll pull any punches against you."


[Bottom Left is the Inn and Smithy, Top Left is the residential housing, Top Middle is the Temple, Top Right is the Fish Mongers and Butchers, Bottom Right is the open market]
[The program I'm using can uses scale inches move movement. 1inch = 5foot. Go here for range rule version for reference]

[Status]
Party

Time in Inn classed as Short Rest.
Hlaine: MIA

Attackers
Warlock
12x Unstable Zombies
2x Corpse Hulks