Kehlysch does his best to pay polite attention to Mitabu, but his attention is drawn to the dice game going on before him.
"...just like her stories..." he mutters, as he watches the rough-and-tunble sailors drink and gamble.
"Oh, my apologies, Master Red, what were you saying?"
I'll sit this'un out as well since me luck is already sour and I ave nothing left to gamble wit'
A game of liars, now this is a game I cun appreciate!
Zarque glances at the game, then Seijiro, "Considering I barely rate as humanoid, her revealing herself holds little attraction for me, but if that's what you want to see then good luck. However I want to have some fun with this, watch."
Zarque hides his hands under the table, and casts silent image while focusing on it the next time someone rolls or reveals dice he will make it appear as though there is an extra dice having rolled a 6.
"Get on with it, Quilin, before we eat your talking chicken lest we starve to death!" Zaketta laughs merrily.
Seijiro shrugs and begs off the game. "I have no dice, and the game has already gotten too hot for me, that it has. I'll watch this round thanks all the same."
He settles in fascinated to see who wins. I already would have challenged some of the claims, especially the one that claimed to have six of a kind on five dice, he thought. He purses his lips, gnawing absently on the inside of his cheek as he considers how long this would go on.
Zaketta drinks steadily now, seeking to calm her impatience as she awaits the next bid. Three empty mugs sit next to her, with a fourth already halfway finished. Her cheeks are flushed, and she takes off her short coat and loosens the strings of her a bodice a little as both the drink and the close proximity of so many others has brought a thin sheen of sweat onto her face. Hanging her coat on the back of her chair, Zaketta raises a challenge to the other players:
"Come on then! You lot haven't been scared off already, have you? Morvius has nothing but hot wind in his sails. Stand to, Quilin, and put him in his place - just because he serves Besmara doesn't mean you can't best him at dice! Why, I'm practically the Pirate Queen's favored daughter, and I've lost more than coin to a foolish wager.
That's right, Karn - you're matching dice with two more blessed by the Pirate Queen. She may have your eye on you, but she's placed her bet on me! Stick around, and I'll show you more than a few things about Besmara's ways."
"Oye, at this pace it be Lagger's Dice", bemoans the Bosun, "Me whiskers will be longer than those catfolk types 'fore this game be done."
Grabbing the bottle of rum, Moon takes a long swig and settles back in his chair, propping his peg leg up on the table.
"Ya bardish louts, what ye be waiting fer?", the Bosun calls to the room in general, "If'n there ever be a time for bawdy tunes tis now."
"Don't rush me, I'm cogitating! So Morvius wants to cut to the chase with six freighters. I can do better- seven sixes."
Overhead a voice croaks:
So, has anybody heard from ryuoko the past few days? He hasn't posted or responded to my pm. Also, I should probably have passed out at this point. It's a little alarming.
"Seven sixes, a bold lie indeed. Lets see if the Halfling has the brass to call you on it,"Cries Morvius with a wide grin,"This game will not get back around to me, and i had but one six in my hand!"
He looks over the table to Zaketta and throws a cheeky wink, "And i already told you Besmarans make their own luck."
Durvin purses his brow, deep in thought he looks around at each cup, the tip of his tongue sticking out in sign of his level of concentration. His expression instantly turns to his bright demeanor, as he claims in a high voice, "I would be so bold as to claim TEN, ten sixes!" he peers around at the others, waiting to see where it goes from here.
"The halfling has some balls alright, but he's going to lose his ante with outlandish lies like that!" laughs Morvius as he sprays rum across the table in surprise.
"Ha! Halflings are ridiculous liars! Let's see them then. Quillin flips his cup up to reveal three 4's, a 1, and a 2.
Durvin shows his dice as well, displaying that he has two 6's, a 4, a 2, and a 1. He nods his head in obvious pleasure with himself for what he rolled.
"Terrible liars and lucky little basterds! You got half the 8 right there!" Quillin squints at the dice. Will save
"Wait a moment here! Seems I'm not the only one with a couple cantrips up my sleeve!" Quillin taps one of the dice. "This here 6 ain't. What do you have to say about that, slip?!"
Zaketta finishes her current mug of grog, then turns up her cup, revealing 4 fours and a two.
"There's no help for you here, Durvin! I'd say that Quilin has you for a Liar, but we won't know for sure until the others turn over their cups."
Zaketta cocks a skeptical eyebrow at Quilin.
"Are you saying the halfling cheated? Morvius is right, the halfling does have a pair on him! There's not many that would dare to question my fair play and then turn crooked themselves."
Zaketta rises angrily, pushing back from the table. She still grips her empty mug, her rage visible in the tension of her hand as she squeezes the vessel. The effect of her drinking is becoming visible, as she sways slightly on her feet.
"I'll not let some smooth-talking half pint double-deal me! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't flay the flesh from your bones! I'll wager you were trying to get your friend into my bed so you could rob me blind, at that! By Besmara's boots, I'm of a mind to rearrange your face!"
With that, Zaketta wound up and hurled her mug across the table...
Durvin looks totally confused by what's going on, he looks left and right, waiting for anyone to offer an explanation. He then looks down at the dice to see what it is they are talking about, and catches the shifting image that turns his four pips into six and back. He goes stark white, and the shock is evident on his features. "I never... I don't... why would someone..." he seems at a loss for words despite all his previously easy chatter.
Regaining his composure he tries to clear the air, "Look Milady, I neither cheat nor steal. All the fun of a game is in the chance, and natural halfling luck. Someone has decided to set me up to fall, and I have no idea why. I promise you that this was not of my doing. Maybe it's the dice, or someone having a go at me."
Kehlysch watches the exchange with child-like fascination.
"A buccaneer bar-brawl, just like her stories. Are you going to hit him with a rum bottle? Do you have a dagger up your sleeve? Are bodies going to go flying over tables and out of windows?!"
Ah lass, don't get yerself all worked up. You know what they say, alls fair when it comes to gold!.
Anyways, I am sure the little man will be more than happy to buy you nother' to make up for the misunderstandin'...right little man?
Slaps Durvin on the back and whispers, hurry man offer 'er a drink before she has yur guts for rigging!
Flipping his cup Morvius reveals a two, two fours and two sixes. "Thats some brass balls, but you'll need another three even to have your cheating pay off."
A tanned man in scale entered the Formidably Maid's taproom, and chuckles to himself as he sees drinks flying across the room, and angry, half-drunken shouts. "No matter where you go in the Shackles," he says with a hearty chuckle. "Every alehouse is exactly the same! Filled with rapscallions and scallywags and the rest of the bloods who'd sail widdershins against the Eye than sign away their freedom to a navy. By all means, don't stop on my account - just don't spill any of the grog I'm likely to buy!"
Seijiro watches the interchanges with amusement, ready to take cover under or behind a table if a fight actually does break out. I'm all for a good bar brawl, as long as I'm not in the middle of it. He does pick up the bottle on his table and holds it down at his side, so he has a ready weapon in his hand without drawing a dagger.
He looks over at Zarque questioningly, lofting one brow. The little fellow had told him to watch what happened next. Was this what he was talking about? Was he responsible for the shifting numbers on the halfling's die? Good trick, if that's what it was.
Seijiro tenses, ready for whatever happens next...
Zarque watches with mock surprise, "Seems the cheating has already started."
Any remaining cups will have extra dice when flipped.
Reaching out his hand to his rum bottle Morvius surveys his fellow players for signs of a fight breaking out, better risk it to save a brawl on the first lie. Reaching to fill everyones glasses "Here, everyone have a drink and calm down, we're playing a game based on lying to each other. If we're going to get offended everytime someone cheats we will never finish.
As Zaketta's mug goes flying, Bosun Moon lurches into action from his seat, always ready to have his companion's back. Like a good pirate, he's prepared for a spontaneous brawl, with a quick tug he yanks his peg leg free to serve as a makeshift club. Unfortunately, the rum has already soaked his mind, he pops the peg leg free with too much force and knocks his own skull with the end of it.
"Aarr, I've blackened me own eye, better than another chipped tooth I reckon. Right then, who's got squabbles with Zaketta 'as got squabbles with me as well!" threatens the Bosun as he shakes the peg leg club menacingly at the gathered dice players.
Idonias has been drunkenly watching the dice game and the fight for a while now. He's been sitting silently, barely conscious, trying to follow the events in front of him. As the action heats up, he decides that there's nothing like a good brawl. He stands up and hefts his trident, swinging it wildly in front of him as he stumbles forward.
"AARRGGllluuhHU", he insists.
He slips, and his trident sticks in to the wooden floor. He falls past it and his cloak catches on the butt, dangling his torso a foot off the ground as he legs slump behind him. He passes out, hoisted up by his weapon amidst an unlikely crowd of drunks and sailors.
Seijiro watches the antics of the crowd in the tavern and laughs, retreating into a corner, still hanging onto the half full bottle of rum and his mug.
"Aye and I don't think I'm drunk enough to fully enjoy this just yet. Where are my manners? He takes a drink directly from the bottle as he slinks into a corner.
Ralo has sat spinning in his chair: the alcohol discombobulating his equilibrium until Idonias is hoisted by his own petard. Ralo finds this event so funny that he falls out of his chair and strikes his head on the ground. Everything goes black.
Zarque follows Seijiro into the corner,"Well this the liveliest fight I've seen in a while, and it just started too."
Seijiro offers Zarque his bottle of rum, then retrieves it and takes a swig himself... "This could get interesting... or it could get deadly, but right now it's just damned funny. We could just wait for them all to knock themselves out and empty a few pockets... He gives Zarque a broad wink, hard to tell if he's jesting or not, but he does have a wicked little smile on his face...
Seijiro, noticing a couple of coins on the table next to him, takes advantage of the distraction of the fight to palm the coins and slip them into his own pouch.
Maybe he wasn't kidding...
I've been rather busy with work and haven't had much reason to step in here. Rest assured, I am watching and paying attention, just waiting to receive my book.
"Maybe it's the dice, or someone having a go at me."
"There's nothing funny with the dice and you look more a spell singer than a spell slinger. I think you owe everyone a round though, just for being a fool!"
During all the ruckus and raised tempers, Durvin slides, dodges, rolls, and scurries away from all the ready brawlers. Despite having a blade at his side, and a bow at his back, not once does he touch them beyond the occasional attempt to move them in irritation, as if they keep getting in his way.
At Quillen's suggestion he gladly acquiesces, "I would be most willing to offer drinks to all, and lose a die and ante, if it will only cause tempers to subside. I just want to have a fun game of dice, not a fight!"
Zaketta stands ready (albeit a bit wobbly) to dive into the action, cheered by the support of her old friend Bosun Moon. She's stopped short, however, by a most bizarre series of accidents.
Between Moon smacking himself in the head, Idonias tripping on his own trident, and Ralo falling out of his chair and knocking himself out, Zaketta couldn't stand it anymore. She burst into a wild gale of laughter.
"Bwa ha ha ha! What a sorry lot of brawlers you all are! You're more apt to hurt yourselves than anyone else! I've seen broken booms that swing better than you bunch! Ha ha ha ha!"
Zaketta nearly doubled over laughing, placing a hand on her chair to keep steady.
"Hee hee... Durvin, if you... heh heh... if you're serious about...ho ho... your forfeit... ha ha... that st-heh... that stands fine with me."
Zaketta barely manages to get her words out between fits of laughter, and settles herself back into her chair to regain her composure.
Steadying himself at the table once more and scraping some of the spilled rum from the table top into his glass Morvius takes up his cup and dice and slams them down again. "Round two?" He slurs drunkenly.
"Well that was the shortest fight ever."
The spell is still active and I can change it while active so now there is an extra die under each cup when they are next revealed to the table.
"Aye, that it was, but most amusing. Seems like some of them are still awake for round two," Masao says, watching those who are still dicing. "I give them one more round before they're at each other's throats again. I hope the show is as funny as last time."
Durvin collects himself out from under the table he was using as cover, sits back at the table, and gathers the dice cup in hand. He ensures that he sets aside a die, to show that he is willing to take the hit if it means not being thought of as a cheater.
Once again, he shakes his dice cup, and deposits it on the table upside-down. He peers underneath, first with surprise, then with increased scrutiny.
He lifts his index finger and clarifies, "Let it be known that there is an image under my cup of a die that isn't really there. I don't appreciate whoever is trying to cause a stir. I will point out which one it is when we reveal." After stating his situation, his face returns to it's bright demeanor, and he asks, "So, let's get this bidding started. It starts with you again, Milady?"
Zaketta gives Durvin a look of puzzlement mixed with frustration.
"If there's an extra die under your cup, why don't you just remove it now? I won't be throwing dice with anyone unless we're all playing straight with each other. I've no patience for cheats, least of all persistent cheats. I tell you all now: any more funny business, and the Bosun and I are going to start cracking skulls."
Zaketta cracks her knuckles and lays her cat-o'-nine-tails on the table.
"Now, are we going to have any more problems?"
Durvin groans in aggravation, and his cheery disposition vanishes "Look! If I could remove it I would. I put four dice into my cup, and there are five under it. One of them isn't real, like it's an illusion. If you keep accusing me of cheating, I may lose my patience. I have been both honest and forthright in my explanation of the events. I you still think the problem lies with me, you can take your fancy little whip there and sh... " He stops himself.
His voice, having risen steadily during the exchange, drops back to his normal volume, "Pardon my temper. I suggest that instead of threatening me, you would be better off actually even partially attempting to find the REAL culprit." He huffs and crosses his arms.
Spellcraft
"A gnome knows an illusion when he sees it and that's not a particularly impressive one at that. The spell can be cast at a distance, but requires concentration to keep it up. Look about for someone a bit preoccupied with those dice... now who's up to mischief?"
Sense motive