"Perhaps....they used psionics and NOT magic..."
Mentally berating himself for not firing up some divination spells of his own, Altai runs off to the divination section.
What the Scarlet Shroud is grabbing elves. Or merchantmen. Or both. Who is this Scarlet Shroud....
Allrighty.....
Pip's up on stage, jammin. In between sets, one of the bartenders comes up to him; says the owner's had to hike the door and the beer coz of him; and any time he wants to play he'll give Pip 10% of the door that night.
He wants to hire the guitarist too; the guitarist says he'll think about it.
Pip tells the owner he'll think about it too, but that he has an itchy foot and doesn't like long term commitments.
"I'd play when in town no problem, my fine fellow."
He does a little conversating with the Sea Princes bard dude
"That salsa has a nice rhythm to it. On the chorus do you ..(blah blah musical technology talk)"
Pip also keeps an ear our for any juicy gossip
“Where are the two wizards?” asks Beldan absently at one point, tearing his gaze briefly from the dancer’s chest. “Those two; always wasting their time with stupid stuff,” he says, spending his time wisely by slipping coins into the woman’s greaves and downing copious amounts of alcohol.
What the Scarlet Shroud is grabbing elves. Or merchantmen. Or both. Who is this Scarlet Shroud....
oh...the Scarlet Brotherhood is enemies of Sasserine. They harrass Sasserine's shipping.
Allrighty.....
Pip's up on stage, jammin. In between sets, one of the bartenders comes up to him; says the owner's had to hike the door and the beer coz of him; and any time he wants to play he'll give Pip 10% of the door that night.
He wants to hire the guitarist too; the guitarist says he'll think about it.Pip tells the owner he'll think about it too, but that he has an itchy foot and doesn't like long term commitments.
"I'd play when in town no problem, my fine fellow."
He does a little conversating with the Sea Princes bard dude
"That salsa has a nice rhythm to it. On the chorus do you ..(blah blah musical technology talk)"
Pip also keeps an ear our for any juicy gossip
"The Scarlet Shroud is a blade in the night. Vigilante sword.
Pretty sure the 'Shroud is working for the Church of We Jas.""The council revoked the Cudgelman's ability to provide city guards in their section of town. They are members of the Church of St. Cuthbert; the council's trying to separate any church from government roles. They're leery of it.
Zelkarune's Horns, a mercenary unit in league with the Church of Kord, is doing guardsmen's duty though, in the Champion's District. They.....don't exactly pay the council a whole lot of heed it's said.
People most places are growing towards private security, since the whole historic role of the churches in the area is being challenged."
Allrighty.....
Pip's up on stage, jammin. In between sets, one of the bartenders comes up to him; says the owner's had to hike the door and the beer coz of him; and any time he wants to play he'll give Pip 10% of the door that night.
He wants to hire the guitarist too; the guitarist says he'll think about it.
Beldan's off in the corner with the girl who's no longer wearing full plate or much of anything at all.
Elgan's next to Oso by the long dancing platform.
Three men walk into the bar dressed in fine silks and chainjacket vests; they all wear bastard swords, hilts to the left shoulder. They approach Oso, abling up on the left; Elgan's on the right.
"Kelanen bless your blade, brother," the one nearest Oso speaks. He's a northerner; Furyondian accent. His hair's rather extreme, a "mohawk" it would be called, if Oerth had Mohicans.
He has a bad old scar. Ear-to-ear. He's survived something in this life, though his voice is raspy for it.
"Art thou housed? Invested?"
To Oso again,....."Well, priest? Art though housed, or invested?"
Private security,.....or the private guard of the noble(s) on the council of the district in question.
Mentally berating himself for not firing up some divination spells of his own, Altai runs off to the divination section.
You've collected a pile of books and scrolls; not coming up with anything fruitful;....
She comes up and asks; "well, what is the specific problem you've had, young man? Now I'm intrigued....."
Rumors in the air like a thief in the night....
Rumours...
"There's Vudrans aplenty in Sasserine now. They sailed from the west, to Farshore.....they're settling there too.
They bring silk and spices and all manner of things from afar....a wealthy Vudran silk merchant bought Parrot Island and built a pleasure dome, a veritable Shangri La there.....a palace with gold leafing about an azure domed roof."
Library:
one book looks interesting; titled....
"the effects of the unnaming on divinations" by Kabinithia Skrule
You've collected a pile of books and scrolls; not coming up with anything fruitful;....
She comes up and asks; "well, what is the specific problem you've had, young man? Now I'm intrigued....."
"Well, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the burn victim calling himself Krexin? He knows too much about me and I too little about him. I suspect he's using some form of mind-reading magics to fake familiarity, while he claims some sort of unnaming backlash has removed my memories of him, which is preposterous." He pushes the Skrule text around a bit. "Maybe not impossible, but still unlikely."
She laughs a little.
"Oh, yes,....the Unnaming. We Jas, the trouble it's caused all these years.
Your situation is far from unique, my child. There's people who've forgotten their own children over that bit of trouble.
The Unnaming was an attempt to hide Sasserine from the rest of the world. The Sea Princes wanted her all to themselves.
I think the main reason for it, though, was to punish.....a rebellious lover, if you will. It was as if The Sea Princes lusted after our fair city mind, body, and soul.
I've heard anecdotes of the effects still, to this day, making old acquaintances utter and total strangers.
How does it feel to be senile before your time, even if but in a little way?"
"Contest huh? Soun's inter-estin'. We have pulenty o' contests back home, but nuthin' on dis scale. IF'n yeh all'r wantin' tah play, Ah'm in." Elgan tells the others (meaning at this point probably Oso,) "Ah hears yeh Oso, doh ah prefers a sleekeh vixen, one who kin gives yeh a merry chase t'ruogh deh trees!" He grins at his large friend.
Elgan downs yet another glass of,... something, he's not really sure. But savors the taste before finishing it off in a single gulp. HE looks wistfully at his empty glass, as if perhaps mourning his loss to be affected by the drinks. HE shrugs and continues to smile gleefully at the disrobing women on the stage.
When the large men appear, Elgan at first spares them only a glance, but at their repeated questions, he gives them both a better, longer look. Not haughty or threatening, but obviously sizing them up, as if he might have to compete with them for the ladies attentions.
"Ah'm sorry chere', ah cain't hardly hear yeh ovah deh band. But we'se jest recent cum tah town. If'n yer askin' sumthin in yer quaint local lingo, we don' get it. Yeh'll haveta talk plain common fer 'My Main Man Oso' heah." The little elf tells the boys, perfectly mimicking Oso's dialect for all of four words.
One of the bigger guys, not the main one, says, "we ain't talkin' tyou, points! Whyn't you dis-the-funk-appear."
The leader, the one talking to Oso in the canty speak, swats him in the hand with an iaijutsu-fast drawn dirk; the blunt side, but the big bullock of a man whimpers....
"Manners, rockheaded one. Manners. All things, in order...." he smiles at Oso.
Oso gets up and frees his sword in the scabbard a little,
I am a native born jungle fighter, who saw the light and now serves the Prince. He gives me magicks to aid my friends and in return I give him the gift of victories in mortal combat. By the sword, of course. House no, invested no, a soldier of fortune yes.
When he senses your mien he smiles; his eyes light up like a dog just thrown a t-bone stake.
He steps back, pulling his blade free, elation painted in his wilding eyes.
His friends step back too, though they do not bare steel.
"Oh, frabjous day, to indoctrinate a neophyte....welcome to the jungle, little brother....welcome to the game."
Initiative. Beat a 24.
Pip sees the drawn steel, and turns his attention to his pal Oso. He readies to assist should things go sour. He ups the tempo of his tunage a bit, hoping to give Oso a little bump
A bard of 9th level or higher with 12 or more ranks in a Perform skill can use music or poetics to inspire greatness in himself or a single willing ally within 30 feet, granting him or her extra fighting capability. For every three levels a bard attains beyond 9th, he can target one additional ally with a single use of this ability (two at 12th level, three at 15th, four at 18th). To inspire greatness, a bard must sing and an ally must hear him sing. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the bard sing and for 5 rounds thereafter. A creature inspired with greatness gains 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10s), the commensurate number of temporary hit points (apply the target’s Constitution modifier, if any, to these bonus Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves. The bonus Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining the effect of spells that are Hit Dice dependant. Inspire greatness is a mind-affecting ability.
Yeah; Pip's got that right.
Go ahead and roll those two ten-sided dice, Pip m'man.
meh...going off of no map....Oso's enemy is one square over meleeing Oso; the other two are 10 feet away. Bel's about 20 feet away and there's a good sized crowd around; Pip's 30 feet away.
Oso's assailant blurts out, "now I baptize thee brother" and brings down his sword.
The other two bare steel but do not attack.
The first hit connects, 18 in damage to Oso.
the second swing is a miss.
"I'll put you to the sacred test of steel brother! I thank thee for the gift of rubies you just gave."
Oso; Pip; Elgan; Beldan can go.
Oso steps back five foot and casts divine power then draws his sword.
He waits.
Pip does a Flamenco riff on Lucille as he sings:
"Drawing steel is easy
When you have a shiny blade
But using it's another thing
When you face a warrior made.."
Pip's music makes Oso feel like the 18 h.p. wound he's got is nothing...
Elgan; Beldan got an action.
Oso's chest swells at the great music.
still got the divine power bennies. ;0
Beldan stands hurriedly, spilling the girl off his lap, as he sees the man facing Oso draw steel and strike.
“Sorry,” he mutters absently, groping for his rapier then trying to move unseen through the crowd, positioning himself just behind the nearest assailant, waiting for the right time to strike.
Elgan just stares as the big bully-boy actually draws steel, and strikes Oso!
"Aw naw chere',... Aw naw yew di'int!" HE cries, leaping from the chair to his feet in one smooth motion. As an after thought he downs the cup he was holding, (which hadn't spilled a drop as gained his feet,) And tosses it over his shoulder. He glares at the two who drew steel, buit haven't attacked,... yet. Then he smiles.
"Two agin won. Dat's SO unfare. Dew yew wanna surrun'deh now?" He asks politely. Then he shifts into a Dire Bear, rising head and shoulders above the warriors. He is still smiling, but his smile is now filled with razor-sharp fangs.
(lol) somebody wanna roll for Elgy? ;)
that's funny.....I could see the thought process then....."no--that'd be sooooooooo dorky if I woke them kids up trying to get my dice..."
Everybody backs away from the polarbear in the bar....Elgan starts mauling the duod to the right of Oso's attacker; he gets a good bite and a good swipe in on him. The guys' looking shredded; he's got a big bleeding gouge on his shoulder.
Beldan sneaks up in the audience. The dude on the right's gonna use his held attack on Elgan and the dude on the left's gonna help his buddy; as he moves Beldan gets to aoo sneak attack 'Lefty's ass.
Go Beldan!!!
woah...
Beldan slashes lefty; the two backups attack Elgan.
Beldan stuck lefty really good though; through the kidney; he'll be pissing blood a while.
The backups slash at Elganbear. One connects with a bastard sword; 16 damage. The other connects with a fiery bastard sword. His flaming brand gouges Elgan for 14 h.p. more.
Oso's attacker says, "thou play us most foul, inviting your friends against me. You know not the rules. Kelanen pity you, cheater."
He hits Oso once with his bastard sword; 12 h.p. to the Hepmon.
Party's attack.
Oso's face mottles at the slur on his faith.
"Cheater! CHEATER! you walk in here unannounced, start a fight in bar with no good cause and you bring friends. Lucky for f$!!ing you! Soon it will be you and me, and you'll be dead, your prize fool! Kelanen backs the winner, not the idiot that does not set the rules first. Why not just run away like the name-calling s%%@e you are."
Oso rages.
And attacks, he is trying to put this guy in the ground.
The blood squirts out in pulsing spurts from his new neckwound, as Oso follows through with a body blow. The floor is redded in slick gore.
He still fights on.
Beldan; Elgan; Pip up to bat.
Elgan roars in pain, and anger. NObody has ever called him a cheater before! He replies with a few elvish curses of his own, but they are lost on the uncultured swine that can't understand bearish Druidic.
He backs up a step, rumbles a sonorous note in his beary basso, and his furry hide takes on the texture of stone. He slaps his paws together with a resounding crash of stone, and waves the two backups towards him. He is still grinning.
They look on amazed at the spellcasting bear.....
Beldan'n'Pip...
"Leave this one to me. Elgan? Pip? Beldan?" roars the furious warrior.
Elgan-Dire-Bear nods in agreement with Oso, but once more points his two ginormous paws at the two who punctured him, and waves them closer once more,... still smiling,...
Beldan shrugs, then slips back to hide behind a table, waiting to see how things play out.
34.......Beldan fades into the shadows like Sho Kosuge.
Pip nods
"You want his head for your trophy wall solo, be my guest Oso, I'll just be back here making a ballad 'bout it."
Pip returns to Lucille
"Man of steel and man of fire
Pirates' dread and wenches' desire
Oso of the southern lands
Forged and carried by Death's hand.."
Oso's attacker swings twice; hits the first time, gashing the hepmon's leg (12 h.p. damage).
"I think you're the better for wear here; though you'll pay to drink my sword!"
Elgan's two opponents attack him (Elgan gets an aoo)
One barely chinks the stoneskin; 1 h.p. after dr;
The other with the fiery sword does better and singes the elfbear; though it's only 7 h.p. after dr.
"Go get your backstabbing cheat of a friend, bear; you'll need him!" one of them says.
Everybody's attack!!!