Cottonseed Lodge (PFS2)

Game Master Redelia

A dark half elf woman slips in the door, the sounds of the hustle and bustle outside spilling into the Lodge, along with a spear of fading daylight, until she nudges the door closed with a click. Her onyx eyes flick around the room as she nonchalantly ambles to the bar. As she slips her coin onto the bar, she orders in a soft, husky voice: "Hi. Summer ale, please." Dressed head to toe in black, with jet black hair and deep gray skin, her slender form seems to be an out-of-place shadow sitting on its own in the pool of lantern light at the bar.

"C'min right up." The goblin behind the bar draws a glass of straw-colored beer from a cask behind the bar, setting it down in front of the woman as he leans in to quietly add "it's gettin' a bit rowdy tonight. If that's not what you're after, you may want to sit over by the wall."

An obvious nerdy young wizard enters the room as well, looking rather paranoid, his eyes flicking all around. He moves to a spot at the bar that's not so crowded. He also seems to be avoiding looking at any of the females in the room and keeping his distance from them.

Um .... could I have a .... erm ..... non alchoholic berry juice .. please

"it's gettin' a bit rowdy tonight. If that's not what you're after, you may want to sit over by the wall."

"Ha! Thanks for the warning." Amusement crinkles the corners of her eyes as the half elf woman paces to a stand in a spot just outside the perimeter of the ruckus. She cocks a half smile as she sips her ale and watches the fools in their tomfoolery. It just so happens to be a dim spot between lanterns, and her dark coloration causes some of the less observant patrons to think there is simply a shadow there. After several bumps and near misses (after which she checks to make sure she hasn't been relieved of her possessions), she shifts to a better lit spot and seems satisfied.

A lanky Garundi man trudges into the Lodge with a somber look on his face and a bundle of winter clothes under one arm. He goes past the ruckus without even noticing and drops himself onto the nearest barstool.

Whiskey. S-Something from the Land of L-Linnorm Kings. No less than 25 years.

He mutters with a slight stutter, never looking up from the bar.

"Be with you in a seco--Xanno! No fire in the bar, please!" The goblin smiles at the two newcomers. "Sorry, that's one berry juice, and one Loch Cnuimh 25. C'mon up!"

"Aw, Seedy, I was just warming up some hot drinks for people!"

A flying toad near the goblin lazily drifts down the table and starts drinking out of a cup.

The hostess gives Seedy a questioning look, wondering if he needs help dealing with the rowdiness.

Seedy smiles and rolls his eyes back at the hostess, giving a small wave to indicate that there was no need for reinforcements. For now, anyway.

The nerdy mage gets his drink and finds a quiet spot - well away from the rowdiness. He pulls out a book and begins to read.

A serious looking young Goblin strides into the room with exaggerated confidence his tail flicking back and forth. After nearly knocking over several beverages with his tail he leaps up onto a too tall barstool.

I would like an ale please! Yes indeed a nice cold ale.

"Careful, book man, that will thh-teal the wordth from your head," Duvik says as he sits next to the wizard, Patrick.

Patrick looks over to the goblin and raises an eyebrow.

I assure you that is unlikely to be the case .... although I have to admit, I have to re-read my spellbook at least once a day, but that is to replace the 'words in my head' that have been used in the act of spellcasting.

"Sorry for the wait, friend. One ale for the man with the tail, extra cold. Comin' right up!"

A small goblin in some nicely kept leathers steps into the tavern he takes up a seat at one of the barstools, his legs not reaching the ground or even the highest foot rest. He excitedly sets down his pack, pulls out a book entitled Wise Monks on Mountains with Monkeys and the Monkey are Flying and Cute and on Fire and Teaching Little Goblins How to Fly! A Journal. It is clearly hand made. Next to the book he sets a charcoal pen.

The little one then settles in to wait for the barkeep, distractedly swinging his legs back and forth. As soon as the barkeep looks at him, Ogren smiles broadly. "So, I hear there's a drink that gives you wings! It involves a bull, maybe? But, I wanna go flying! Been forever since that Evil Tree punted me over a field. I miss it!"

Patrick looks up from his book. Indeed there is ... it is called a Potion of Flying. I do not believe there are bulls involved in it's production though - unless the maker is a minotaur

"All sorts of things are possible through the Accidental God," the bartender pauses to lift a glass and take a swig, "though I'll confess that he hasn't shown me how to make folks fly. I think that's mostly the purview of wizards and such, like our friend here."

The door opens and a boy enters, larger than a halfling but small for a human. Dark clothing covers most of his form and the hood of a cloak, clearly too large for his frame, casts his face in shadow.

As he approaches the counter, with deliberate steps, he throws off his hood to reveal the bronze skin of his face and his mismatched ice-blue and deep-green eyes. The tattoo around his right eye (the blue one) clearly marks him as of Varisian descent. He smiles.

"One ale, if you would."

The boy produces a piece of copper from some pocket or other and slides it across the counter. His voice is soft and of a high pitch befitting his small stature.

As he waits for his beverage, the new arrival turns to look about the room, his hands now stuffed deep into his pockets, making his loosely-fitting sleeves seemingly blend with the cloth of his top.

"One ale coming right...wait a minute. Are you old enough to be in here?"

The boy smirks. "But of course. I get that a lot. He leans over the counter, bringing his face closer to the goblin. "Take a look."

Indeed, his face shows some, albeit only a little, of the wear and tear that life tends to inflict; the signs of aging. There is even a scar above his right eye, almost obscured by the tattoo. You would assume him to be no older than 18, but a grown man he is.

The boy looks straight into the goblin's eyes for a few seconds before drawing back, his mouth again breaking into a smile. "Satisfied?"

"You're thhh-aying I'm a liar, book man? Bookth thh-teal the wordthh from your head," The frost goblin grumbles. He stands up and throws the book on the ground. He then scuttles off.

th-clink! Th-Clink! th-clink! Th-Clink!

"Not everyone appreciates study it seems," the figure says with a warm smile.

A human male, just into adulthood stands bedecked in full plate armor with symbols of Nethys emblazoned over its surface. His unkempt sandy brown hair and full blue eyes contrast the armor with an innocent goodness. At his waist is affixed a scabbard that holds a longsword. Also, on the other side, hangs a simple looking leather bound book. It has no words on it's surface, only a symbol of Nethys.

He gives the floor bound book an interested look, reaches out an outstretched hand, and mumbles "sursum". A faint blue glow envelops the book and his hand. He flips his hand over and raises it and the book floats off the ground toward Patrick.

With another smile he looks to Patrick, "I'm Leo."

Patrick ... and thank you he sighs, as if he's used to this sort of thing. Leo will notice it's an astronomy book filled with star charts and text about the constellations and the other worlds in the Golarian system. Some of the charts have notes next to them in some sort of short hand and marking indicating new objects found. The last few pages had been blank but is now nearly filled with handwritten addendums.

"All sorts of things are possible through the Accidental God," the bartender pauses to lift a glass and take a swig, "though I'll confess that he hasn't shown me how to make folks fly. I think that's mostly the purview of wizards and such, like our friend here."

The little goblin's ears droop some at getting turned down. "Ah, you can't make a drink like that here? That's disappointing. Thank you though! I guess a dwarven ale is fine then..."

Patrick looks up from his book. Indeed there is ... it is called a Potion of Flying. I do not believe there are bulls involved in it's production though - unless the maker is a minotaur

Ogren bounds over to the man, eager eyes wide at the mention of flying. "There's a potion for it!? How much is it? Can I buy it somewhere? Can you make me one?"

He watches the wizard with pleading eyes as he sees Duvik toss the book to the ground. He shouts after the other goblin. "Oi, that was rude! Even if you don't like books, it isn't your book!"

Ogren gives a huff of annoyance that seems to be more an imitation of someone else instead of actually being annoyed. He turns back and catches sight of Leo in armor and his eyes go wide. "Is that full plate? Wow, it's so well made!" He looks over at the two wizards, one in full plate, the other knowing the secrets to flying and extends a hand to both. "I'm Ogren Bound! Nice to meet you!"

The boy smirks. "But of course. I get that a lot. He leans over the counter, bringing his face closer to the goblin. "Take a look."

Indeed, his face shows some, albeit only a little, of the wear and tear that life tends to inflict; the signs of aging. There is even a scar above his right eye, almost obscured by the tattoo. You would assume him to be no older than 18, but a grown man he is.

The boy looks straight into the goblin's eyes for a few seconds before drawing back, his mouth again breaking into a smile. "Satisfied?"

"Satisfied" the bartender says with a nod, and goes to pour the boy his ale. Setting it down with a pat to indicate that it's on the house, an apology for the trouble. Turning to the disappointed earthbound goblin, "It may not make you fly, but we've got a nice barrel of strong ale in from the Five Kings Mountains, and it'll put some hop in your boots anyway." He scurries off to the far side of the room where he draws a tankard of thick dark ale from a barrel, before returning.

Ogren springs back over to the bar and sets a few copper pieces on it as he takes the tankard. "Oh, ale from the Five Kings Mountains? I'd love some! Only ever got to try stuff from Kraggodan! Thank-you Mr. Barkeep-goblin!" The chipper goblin then carefully takes the drink back to the table with the wizards, intent on learning their secrets of flying.

The boy slides the copper piece right back across the counter. "A copper for the road then, whenever luck or fate should take you there." He throws a glance at the small commotion behind him.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

His eyes come to rest on the book, catching a glimpse of the stars and constellations within. "Looking for your place in the sky?" He then hesitates, as if debating whether to approach the group forming around the wizard. For now, he stays at the counter and awaits an answer. He takes a sip of his ale.

The bartender drops the coin in a jar behind the bar with a clink and says [b]"Cheers! May the Hero's foam rain down upon you."[b] before rushing off to fill another drink order.

Not really. Just looking for hidden treasures in the sky. More likely to find them there than down here. he says quietly.

Leo takes a seat next to Patrick, his armor clinking. He turns a smirk to Ogren. "It is funny you should mention flying Ogren. I was just recently given a scroll containing the formula for flight in spell form by Ms. Westyr. I plan to study it for my own use tomorrow. I'll give you a holler when I figure it out."

"Out of curiosity," Leo begins, addressing Patrick curiously, "How would you go about getting the treasures you might find in the sky?"

"I'd just like an empty mug if that is alright, barkeep."

The boy nods in response. He hesitates again, then decides to take a stool at the bar, listening to the conversation behind him while nursing his beer.

Maybe one day Patrick replied quietly and looking slightly embarrased I may find a way to go there and walk on the other worlds in the Golarion sky. Until then, I am content just to view

Hiya, Seedy. Any chancey I could get a bottomless pot of tea? I'm prolly gonna be here a while. I have no ideally when I'll be called on my next mission.

Redd glances around and sees a familiar green face at the bar. Her eyes light up with joy.
Ogren! Boyo-boy, am I glad to see you! She gives her old pal a big hug.
How are you? I'm glad I found you. I made something for you.
She hefts her pack off her shoulders and searches around a bit. She pulls out a small, dark red, wooden talisman attached to a hempen twine cord. Carved with decent halfling craftsmanship, it depicts a goblin with arms outstretched as if flying with a pair of tiny wings.
I told you that you deserved a medal so I made this little charm for you to keep for good luck. She says with a proud smile.
Oh! And guess what? I went to bard school. I learned how to cast spells, Ogren! Isn't that fantastic? Now I can be more useful on missions. It's so exciting to be able to cast spells. Here, watch this...
Redd points at and concentrates (mage hand) on the mug of ale in front of Tawny. It rises slowly about a foot high but then begins to teeter in mid air. Suddenly, the mug spins wildly, spattering the ale all over Tawny and drops back onto the bar with a clunk.
Her face bright red with embarrassment, she grabs a nearby bar towel and profusely mops the ale off of Tawny's face and shirt. Oh dear! I'm so sorry there, laddy! I'm quite new to this art of spellcasting.

Reflex save: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

Seeing the mug begin to teeter, Tawny tries to scoot backwards, but his boot catches on the stool, which begins to tilt over. His hands slip uselessly as he grasps for the edge of the counter and he goes down together with the stool, landing on his back with a less-than-elegant thump. Adding further insult, the mug now finally topples and spills his contents all over Tawny. Boy, I sure hope noone saw that. Casting his eyes about, it seems like everybody saw that. The thump must have caught their attention just in time to witness the grand finale of this performance.

Tawny pushes himself up into a sitting position just as the halfling approaches with a towel. Mindful to change his surprised expression to a conciliatory smile, he lets her mop him off before standing up fully. "That's quite the act." He does not bother to hide his amusement at the lady's obvious embarrassment. "Might I suggest a cleaning spell as your next lesson?" After taking a few seconds to adjust his cloak and straighten his clothing, he extends an arm toward Redd. "The name's Tawny. Pleased to meet you." Thinking for a second, he adds: "And congratulations on learning the bardic arts."

With a side gesture, he motions to the bartender to replace his spilled ale.

Watching with a wry smile as the comedic turn of events unfolds, the bartender is already drawing a fresh mug of ale by the time Tawny motions. Setting it on the bar along an empty stein for Leo, he says "Kettle's on, Redd, tea will be up in a moment." With a smile, he adds "It'll be hot, though, so maybe hold off on any more magic practice until it cools off."

Oh, most definitely, Seedy. I'll practice more at the lodge. Hopefully my magic won't go awry when I'm out on a mission.

Leo smiles at the display of magic. Nethys wouldn't have it any other way, he thinks cheerfully to himself. He faces Patrick once more and lays a hand on his shoulder, "That is a pretty neat aspiration. How's about I start looking for a spell to teleport there too. If I find something, I'll let you know."

After, Leo holds both hands in a cup-like shape above the empty stein and mumbles, "aqua". With a faint blue glow, water fills his hands and then empties into the stein. Once full, he closes his hands like a book and the water stops.

With a contented smile Leo lifts his stein and takes a drink.

Not really. Just looking for hidden treasures in the sky. More likely to find them there than down here. he says quietly.

Ogren's eyes light up at the mention of finding treasure in the sky. His voice gets real quiet as he gazes wide eyed at the wizard. "Take me with you, please? Finding treasure in the sky would be a dream come true!"

Leo takes a seat next to Patrick, his armor clinking. He turns a smirk to Ogren. "It is funny you should mention flying Ogren. I was just recently given a scroll containing the formula for flight in spell form by Ms. Westyr. I plan to study it for my own use tomorrow. I'll give you a holler when I figure it out."

"Wait, what? You did? Here's my address! Write me anytime! I'd love to be a test subject! I'm great at recovering from falls! Used to jump off roofs until Meemaw made me promise not to cause it worried her too much!"

Hiya, Seedy. Any chancey I could get a bottomless pot of tea? I'm prolly gonna be here a while. I have no ideally when I'll be called on my next mission.

Redd glances around and sees a familiar green face at the bar. Her eyes light up with joy.
Ogren! Boyo-boy, am I glad to see you! She gives her old pal a big hug.
How are you? I'm glad I found you. I made something for you.
She hefts her pack off her shoulders and searches around a bit. She pulls out a small, dark red, wooden talisman attached to a hempen twine cord. Carved with decent halfling craftsmanship, it depicts a goblin with arms outstretched as if flying with a pair of tiny wings.
I told you that you deserved a medal so I made this little charm for you to keep for good luck. She says with a proud smile.
Oh! And guess what? I went to bard school. I learned how to cast spells, Ogren! Isn't that fantastic? Now I can be more useful on missions. It's so exciting to be able to cast spells. Here, watch this...
Redd points at and concentrates (mage hand) on the mug of ale in front of Tawny. It rises slowly about a foot high but then begins to teeter in mid air. Suddenly, the mug spins wildly, spattering the ale all over Tawny and drops back onto the bar with a clunk.
Her face bright red with embarrassment, she grabs a nearby bar towel and profusely mops the ale off of Tawny's face and shirt. Oh dear! I'm so sorry there, laddy! I'm quite new to this art of spellcasting.

Ogren glances up at the new Comer and then lights up like a light bulb. "REDD!" He jumps out of his chair and barrels into her hug, happy to see the halfling again. "Oh, you made me a medal? Thank you! It's so much better made than the figurine I made you. I love it!" The goblin tosses on the medal and puffs his chest with pride over the symbol, clearly very happy with it.

He watches the mug spill over and tries to not laugh. " Might need more practice there! But it's amazing you learned magic! I can only heal things... So don't worry if you burn yourself with your tea!"

A woman shambles through the door, her skin ashen and her eyes as white as her unkempt hair. She moves up to the counter with a jerky gait. Swiping some strands of hair away from her eyes, behind her pointy ear, she turns to the barkeep:

"I want the finest drink that" (she rummages through her pockets, fishes out a handful of coins and inspects them) "7 silver and 3 copper can afford." She enunciates her words clearly and carefully, as if reciting a poem, but her voice is rough, almost hoarse.

As the elf walks in, the bartender instinctively reaches for the symbol of Cayden hanging around his neck, calling to mind a prayer that would unleash divine energy across the room. He pauses, though, as she shows no signs of the mindless destruction or aggressive predation that would confirm his initial impression. When she orders a drink, he visible relaxes, releasing his grip on the holy symbol. "Well, we have a lovely firkin of wine in from Druma, down in the cellar. How does a carafe of that sound?"

"Love-ly."

She then stumbles through the room to take up a place in the very center, or as close to it as possible, chuckling to herself as if at some private joke as she lets the stares from people in the crowd wash over her. Surely this creature must choose a place in some shadowy corner. Hah, and wouldn't you like that?

Patrick glances around at the crowd around and tries not to visibly flinch as Leo puts a hand on his shoulder. He also seems to visibly shrink as other people come up to him and it looks like he is using his book as a shield. Maybe I should not have said anything. Maybe coming here was not a good idea after all

That would be advantageous thank you Leo. And logically I would wish companions .. there are most likely challenges to overcome that I may not be able to do on my own

He watches as Ogren hugs the halfling girl. Why isn't she attacking him for doing that?

Ogren watches the odd elf with a curious look on his face. He finishes his chat with Redd and walks over to the woman. "Hello! I'm Ogren Bound, Nice to meet you! ... uhhh, are you okay? You look like something nasty happened to you! Are you a ghoul? I meet a nice ghoul once! He talked about eating flesh alot but he was a good guy."

I love the little charm you made for me, Ogren. I have it hanging from my bow as my little good luck charm. She says with a grin.
Redd stares at the ghostly looking woman that just entered.
Oh my. Be careful, Ogren. You might not want to make her mad. Well, anywho, I'll see ya later. I'm sure we'll be on another mission together soon.

Leo keeps his hand on Patrick's shoulder, Patrick's discomfort clearly not registering to Leo. "You remind me a bit of my father Patrick. He likes to hole himself up in the..." Leo pause as if stopping himself from saying something. "Hole himself with his research with nobody else around. He is now a very powerful spellcaster and knowledgeable scholar. I respect the approach and have seen the results." Leo then reaches down and pats the book hanging at his side, "How 'bout this? You call on me if you need anything."

With a final pat Leo gets up, grabs his stein and walks over to an empty table. He then sits down, sets his stein down, and begins reading from the book.

Patrick nods over to Leo before resuming his own reading

Ogren watches the odd elf with a curious look on his face. He finishes his chat with Redd and walks over to the woman. "Hello! I'm Ogren Bound, Nice to meet you! ... uhhh, are you okay? You look like something nasty happened to you! Are you a ghoul? I meet a nice ghoul once! He talked about eating flesh alot but he was a good guy."

"Well, aren't you a brave little goblin, to approach me like that?" She brings up an arm and clasps his shoulder, squeezing (thought not so tight as to cause pain). "Let me tell you something. People hold up appearances so they don't need to show themselves to the world. I don't care about them. Nothing nasty happened to me, and nothing nasty will happen to them, no matter how much they think it will, judging by the looks on their faces. I am but an elf, though I was born with one foot in the grave, it seems. You may call me" - she then emits a ghastly gargling sound that can only be approximated in letters, maybe something akin to "Mmph."

"But your curiosity is commendable. Maybe I can help you sate it. Why don't you try walking in my shoes for a while? Don't worry, it's only temporary."

She then casts Touch of Undeath on the goblin, making him feel just a little bit more undead than normal. If you want, you can make a DC 17 Will save against the effects.

Attacking other Pathfinders is totally inappropriate.

Have you read the spell? It's not an attack.

Edit: Oh snap, I linked the wrong spell. My bad.

I can't edit the other post anymore, the spell I cast was supposed to be Undeath's Blessing (which apparently changed its name since the printing of my CRB, presumably because it shared its name with the cleric focus spell accidentally linked previously). Sorry again for the mix-up. I am not in the business of randomly attacking polite goblins, I swear!

That spell makes a lot more sense.