"Thanks Concertina, reckon we need to know what the spear is. It's a bit fancy for me to keep as a toothpick, or Ragnvald can do some test test poke poke with it...then we can sell it to a pig farmer or something if he don't like it"
No one needs spellcraft to see what the potion was: A second after Mobo has drowned it, muscles start forming around his thin arms and legs and soon Mobo looks like the obscene parody of a goblin bodybuilder.
Bull's Strength
The barkeep steps back, getting some distance between him and the group of maniacs. He looks at Kosti and says
Ok, do whatever you want, you can fetch more beer from the bar, but don't leave this table and don't harass the other guests.
Kosti tries not to let out a loud sigh...
You best lay back a bit and enjoy your beer.
He then starts with a silent but very urgent prayer to Desna that the road may soon bring the Raven or at least a sign of him to this place.
"Why would we wrestle with arms? There aren't any lying around anyway." Attalas looks confused.
"Nice muscles though, reckon you'd make a good apprentice smithy now, I can do all the big bits, and you can do all the little bits and detail stuff. We'd make some great armour!"
Well, let's look at the alternatives. Have Mobo burn the place down, let Ragnvald thin the crowd out, let Attalas and me eat a few of them, or have the four of us gross out Nymeria. I think the latter choice, while the least interesting, is probably best.
"Your honour, our liability for compensation is limited to only the value of the ale within the container, and not to the keg itself. Indeed we find it falls to the Inn to take responsibility for its part in this, and it's negligence, in that it didn't have warning pictographs on the side of the kegs signalling that they were not to be used as a bath, a receptacle for lost goblins, nor the sanitation point upon which one can administer theur effluent. Or we trash your courthouse and stick your head on a pike."
Jez looks very confused as to when Attalas and Ragnvald switched from Chaotic to Lawful Neutral. However, when she is put on the stand, she "accidentally" pushes the judge's pulpit about four feet to the side causing great disruption in the courtroom and concern from the judge that the second smallest person in the room just moved something weighing several thousand pounds.
Time flies with enough ale and good food and night has already fallen as the barkeep approaches your table once more. Without saying anything he hands Kosti a small folded piece of paper
Note:
Tomorrow is the great day, right before the feat's climax.
surely I do - one "s" more or less...:) Well, the village is preparing for tomorrow's Harvest Festival, maybe there is a special feast as some kind of climax?! You should find out.
Mobo will show off great feats of average strength while the potion lasts, including but not limited to- picking up chairs, carrying three mugs at once, and nearly popping a few blood vessels trying to push Attalas over. Once intoxicated, he will chase Nymeria around the table brandishing Elf-wart the licktoad in attempts to get the elfkin to kiss the frog so she can become a prince.
As Jez drinks, she begins to consume food that likely would be considered less and less edible by the rest of the patrons. The judicious use of Purify Food and Drink, however, leaves her rather unharmed.
She also makes sure that her leg appears behind Nymeria and in front of Mobo so as to give the poor girl a slim chance of avoiding becoming a frog prince.
Since I don't believe I can obtain a roof or these mad folk - is there some unused barn in this town where I can make them a home for the night? Asking for the highlights of the festival while they are around spells desaster, and I don't think Kosti feels like spinning circles making excuses for strangers around his neighbors anymore.
Nymeria places her outstretched foot on Mobo's chest so his arms can't reach her. When this becomes too tiring, she snatches up Elf-Wart and holds him out of reach until Mobo settles down. Then she gives the toad back.
You stay in the tavern until about midnight. All other guests have left and the barkeep closes the tavern. But since Kosti knows the village quite well, he quickly finds an empty barn in the outskirts of the hamlet where you can stay for the night.
The power of the Vernal Key even reaches up to that barn and so you have a very pleasant night even though the barn has lots of holes in its sides and roof.
The next morning, you are woken up by the noise of the Harvest Festival which is taking place today. Thinking about the number of stands and podiums you have seen yesterday, you guess that paying a visit to the fair could be a nice idea.
"Festival! Festivals mean building and doing things, always need for a smithy around a festival, and that means work, work means money and money means food. Can we go to the festival?"
Attalas is already grabbing his belongings to go to the festival. "I need some festival clothes too I think, might look funny if an armed and armoured Ogre walks into a humie fair, they won't know if I'm a marauding monster or a carnival sideshow"
When they get to the fair, Jez looks for one of those funhouses with the glass and mirror walls thinking it would be amusing seeing how long it would take Ragnvald to lose his temper and destroy the place.
The marketplace and now fairground of Azurestone is bustling with activity. There are far more people here than living in the village and you realize that this harvest festival must be one of the greater festivities during the whole year.
On a central podium rests the Vernal Key - the artifact consists of three lattice orbs, one inside the other, all carved from a single blue mineral. The closer you get to it, the warmer the air gets and close to it, it feels like you were standing in a desert.
Among the many stands and for the festival errected small buildings you can make out the following:
The Sahtisauna: A mixture of bathhouse and brewery. After a hot bath or sauna visit you can jump into a cold pool and afterwards take a wodka!
Sun's Rest: A small stand selling all kinds of alcohol, from beer to absinth.
A small portable shrine of Erastil.
A small boxing and wrestling ring where villagers can try to beat a group of travelling strongmen.
Lots of different stands selling all kinds of food (mostly dried meat, pancakes, barbecue etc.)
The man selling the booze at Sun's Rest looks at the strange assortment of goodies and picks out the gold coins
Uh...you can keep the rest, stunty.
then he hands you a bottle with a clear liquid, only some blades of grass hover in the fluid.
------------
As Ragnvald reaches the ring, the villagers make room for him, by now none of them had the courage to challenge one of the strongmen. Their leader, a heavily muscled giant of a southlander, confidently walks over to to Ragnvald and says
Hah! You surely don't look like you're a native, huh? Wanna test your strength? It's 3gp and if you beat our man you can win 30gp!
Ragnvald grins perhaps a touch too maliciously as he shoulders off his pack and weapons before shrugging off the chain shirt and woolen tunic he wore revealing the hulking mass underneath. His chest and arms bear few scars though his chest bears one long and poorly healed wound at his ribcage as if someone had sloppily tried to remove his heart and only managed to succeed at angering him.
Flexing one of thee massive columns that are his arms he tosses three gold to the man collecting the cash. Looking towards the strongman with his arms outstretched the large birthmark of twin mountains being sheared by a massive sword is clear for all to see.
says a short, squat form behind the leader of the group. A half-orc with tusks that would make lots of boars jealous. He's only about 1.6m tall, but his arms and tighs remind you of tree trunks.
Oi'm pop-your-eye-out and Oi have neva been beaten!
The southlander grins and turns his attention back to Ragnvald
Your Gorum-tattoo is cute, but do you think you are able to face the wrath of an orcish warrior?
Mobo Bang-Dead
