Sooty scratches his beard slowly while eyeballing the shack. "Capt'n, ye may want to put a fast one on the back side of the bar, just in case. They can catch a squirter or be our 'Ace in the Hole'. I could even do it myself if you give me a minute or so to mix up the right cocktail."
"Go ahead, Sooty. We'll give Mel a chance to make nice, but listen for Smudge if we need to get rough."
Sooty prepares an elixir of Expeditious Retreat and gives the group a quick head dip before heading off to a good vantage for watching the back of the bar. He double checks that his crossbow is loaded before settling down for a wait. He holds the elixir in his hand and tries to look casual.
Mel pushes through the bodies nose wrinkling at the stench of so many unwashed and drunken men in one place.It should be said here that her appearance since her first meeting with Quillan has improved immensly and she might almost be considered a dandy.
She makes it to the bar and looks down at the halfling "So yer the man wi' all the water" she says pleasantly.."perhaps we can talk about a small business transaction?"
Diplomacy
Shaso casually goes to watch what the men are doing out in the water, while trying to stay within earshot of Mel and the halfling.
Below Shaso sees the discarded remnants of a ninepins game on some hard pack near the beach but instead there seems to be some combination of "keep away" and "rough tumble" in the shallows of the beach over a cask tied to a rope. One man on the dock, a tall and brawny sort, seems to have taken to hefting the cask out into deeper water and the two teams of 4 are fighting over returning it to shore. A crude point total is carved in the sand. Apparently the teams are relatively evenly matched.
Mel approaches the halfling and offers "business" but the halfling doesn't seem too caught by the "dandy" Mel and only half listens, Water? Thats me. 1 sp per mug. 5sp for ice cold. He seems to ignore the duelist otherwise.
Sooty makes his way out back and finds, to no surprise, a door that leads out of the rough made bar. Currently it is closed. The terrain is rough on this side, leading out to grass and then jungle in short order. There are also many casks laying about but they are all empty and bone dry.
Quillin and Pfarna note that they are drawing some attention as they hover, a table of half-orc (and one full orc?) sailors seem to be leering at the slayer and talking amongst themselves about the presence of a gnome in such close proximity to her...
Pfarna looks at the table of orcs and then takes out her sharp blade in a nonchalant manner, but clearly showing that she is ready and fully capable of using it.
She then turns to Quillin:
Watch out for the pigs over there. I think they want me. . . And don't want you.
Glancing back at the doorway periodically, Sooty stands and walks around the back of the bar, searching for possible clues about the casks' origins.
Pfarna looks down at Quillin:
Can your gnomish senses discern whether the source of this "ice cold water" is magic? Assuredly it is, the question is, where is the source?
Pfarna carefully watches the halfling to see from whence he gets the glasses of water and cold water.
Perception:
Also, would it be ok to change some of my Profession: Engineer and Sailor skill ranks to Craft: Ships. After reading up, it is more what I originally envisioned for the character.
Sure go for it.
These *were* water casks but they are bone dry. Even in this kind of heat, and assuming they were treated regularly they have to have been empty for over a week. Given the size of the shop and the casks back here whatever the halfling is doing he isn't sitting on barrels of the stuff.
Quillin snorts at Pfarna's observations and approaches the halfling. "Here now mate, where's all this water coming from? I thought we were under a drought... You got something magical around here?" He makes no effort to hide his casting of detect magic and scans the place.
Pfarna moves up behind Quillin, hand on the hilt of her cutlass, prepared should anyone attempt to interfere with the small man.
Shaso looks around the bar, out the windows, and so forth, to see if there is any plumbing or mechanism for bringing water here, or areas for water storage. He approaches the bar and lays five silver on the table. "I will have some cold water."
Order:
Quillin
Shaso
Pfarna
Barkeep/Other
Mel
Sooty
Quillin approaches with bluster Here now mate, where's all this water coming from? I thought we were under a drought... You got something magical around here? which causes the halfling to flush red as Quillin casts his spell.
Shaso approaches pushing coins on the table, I will have some cold water. Looking about the warpriest sees no pipes or mechanisms for water.
Pfarna mean mugs and puts her hand on her cutlass.
The halfling sputters Hey! HEY! Get outta my face! He takes a step back and claps his hands, one man at the bar and another from a table behind you rise and look menacing at the lot of you. They are unarmed but seem ready for a fight.
Sooty can hear the commotion with a DC 20 perception check.
Mel can act if she wishes. Pfarna can act.
Sooty continues to examine the casks.
Pfarna looks about to make sure that there are none other than the two unarmed brutes looking for a fight. She then draws her blade and stares at the two men who rose from the table.
This is not your fight, unless you wish to leave this port in a box.
Perception:
Intimidate: <-- not her best half-orc scary, but not terrible
Quillin makes no comments as he continues studying the auras.
Shaso rises again and takes a guarding position near Quillin, but he does not draw a weapon. He gives his best menacing glare.
Mel turns towards the bravo's who look like they want to intervene.."I'd stay out of this me bucko's..if you know what's good for ye" she says her eyes narrowing as she drops her hand to her sword hilt.
Intimidate
Quillin detects 3 auras in his line of sight. One is "medium" in strength
Pfarna, Shaso and Mel form a menacing ring around the gnome and the toughs in question clearly exchange a look and back off. The halfling for his part seems almost apoplectic as he stammers about "businessman", "thugs" and "outrage". He doesn't make a move to run however.
The altercation has drawn some attention however as the rest of the people in the drinking area have taken to watching the proceedings. Some, mostly new crew, seem excited at the prospect of seeing their new "officers" starting a ruckus. Other seem anxious that the water service is about to be disrupted and then a small portion seem interested in getting involved..because...bar fight. But for now everyone stays where they are.
The sudden shift in noise is noticeable to Sooty.
Quinn is nowhere to be seen.
Sooty moves cautiously over to the bar's back door and glances inside.
Smiling faintly at the halfling's protestations, Quillin homes in on the magical auras.
Smudge squawks loudly, "Simmer down, Shorty! Simmer down, Shorty!"
Mel turns to the halfling.."Look..we are not trying to steal your business man..we just want to strike a deal that doesn't fleece us.So we need to know where the water is coming from..because you know.." she raises her voice so that the bar can hear "..there's nothing worse than being at sea with nothing, or worse bad water, in the water casks."
Diplomacy
Quillin continues to investigate.A piece of crockery behind the halfling radiates a strong aura while Quillin catches a faint aura coming for a ring on the halfling and a faint aura coming from the halfling himself.
Mel continues to work on the halfling using reason but the barkeep seems content to listlessly look around for a "solution".
Sense Motive:
Pfarna is unsure what the halfling is up to, but it is clear that if he is doing something which the owner of the port would not approve of, this is not going to end well.
Acrobatics:
Deciding that waiting on the side of the bar where the orc thugs could choose to enter to fray is a poor choice, athletic half-orc suddenly leaps over the bar, landing next to the halfling water provider.
I will ready an action to attack if the halfling reaches for any of these items.
The half orc smiles:
Nice stuff you have there. I would strongly recommend stepping away from the bar and not touching any of it until we are finished talking. Unless you would prefer loosing a hand trying to grab them.
Sooty lets the bottle in his hand droop with a sigh. He steps into the doorway, "Well bloody nails girl! I was just about ta get those without him noticing!"
Sense Motive
Mel fails to notice the halflings move and continues to try and sweet talk him "Come on Mate..you want to control the supply fine..but at least put a fair price on it..what do you say?"
Diplomacy
Shaso takes a position where he can keep an eye on the customers but does not do anything to provoke anyone.
Quillin continues to investigate.A piece of crockery behind the halfling radiates a strong aura while Quillin catches a faint aura coming for a ring on the halfling and a faint aura coming from the halfling himself.
Quillin grins, "Ah just as I suspected. What you got there, Pfarna? I was thinking of offering friend Furfoot something for that old crockery back there. Say maybe...his life?"
Pfarna looks sad:
His life? Come on, there has to be something else we can bargain with. I really want to see if miniature people bleed the same way that big people do.
By now, Pfarna is once more playing with her cutlass as though it is a toy, flipping it around from a backhand to a standard grip, but never allowing it to actually leave her hand.
"Bah, settle down, Pfarna. As Mel says, 'a fair price'. Don't damage the goods."
Smudge bobs excitedly on the gnomes tricorne. "Don't damage the goods! Don't damage the goods!"
Pfarna looks down at the halfling:
How about a few fingers? He will still be able to serve his clientele with one and a half hands.
Sooty steps into the bar, "Matey, ye might want to just hand over whatever it is that the Capt'n is askin for. If ye have a problem with it, take it up with Ol' Hake, he's the one who sent us."
2 or less
The "bar" reaches a pitch of high tensions as almost everyone moves to rise. Murmurs of thuggery and open banditry mix with accolades and bemused interest. The sound of more than one blade being pulled and the taught creaking of hands around leather wrapped hilts add to the sense that at any second things will break loose.
The halfling for his part continues to fume between clenched teeth, Its my pot, I bought with mine own treasure who are you to take it from...
A scream of abject terror erupts from down the way near the water in response. Gods! Blood! Where is Erick? Grab him! Get him!
Hearing the cries for help, Shaso takes the fastest available route toward the water.
Quillin's eyes narrow at the halfling, "If this is a slip trick then the 'bargaining' is over..."
Pfarna looks to Quillin:
Anything we should protect while we look to what is happening by the water?
Pfarna is now holding her blade quite steady, making sure the halfling is aware that she is prepared to use it.
Sooty shrugs, stows his mutagen, and attaches a tanglefoot bag to his crossbow bolt in preparation for what's coming.
Reamin seems as perplexed as the rest of you and shakes his head a the gnome as he is being threatened.
Shaso is easily able to hop the rail and half jump half tumble down the hillside (about 45 feet or so) into the rough dirt that transitions into the beach. The dock and the "game" as it were are roughly 50 feet away and Shaso can see teeming chaos as the man on the pier seems to be struggling with the keg and the sailors in the water seem to be scattering. With all the frothing and movement anything else is hard to see but blood is clearly in the water.
The chaos continues as men yell and it becomes clear that "something" is attacking "Erick" and has pulled him under.
Group can act.
Pfarna looks to Quillin: Anything we should protect while we look to what is happening by the water?
"You can keep an eye on shorty here," Quillin shouts as he dashes out to see what's up.
Pfarna stares at the halfling:
Make a move, I would much rather finish you and join my mates.