Shadow over Riddleport

Game Master Joana

Phil's short brief for the next 24 hours:
1) Head out to meet Ethel at close of business
1a) Swing past the providor and get a bigger order of Sargavan Red if feasible.
2) Engage in verbal wordplay to play up his lumped noggin as well as elict sympathy as Phil escorts Ethel home.
2a) If shops are open then do a wee bit of shopping for some new threads. A couple of non-descript sets of muted green and brown clothes.
3) Discern if Ethel has any interest in drinking with sweaty Northern gladiators (Phil would not stop her if she chose to), and commit to a late night rendezvous if she chose not to come.
4) Proceed to get a couple of bottles of rotgut and do shots with gladiators. Phil would not try to fleece them any more tonight, instead freely offering liquor and attempting to play the charmer. Talk about the fight on Friday, who has the biggest pe....ctorals... that sort of thing.
5) Post getting drunk (say mid-evening or so), sway to Ethel wherever she may be and bring her back to the Goblin - with some of her belongings as well if she wished to make a second nest. Make with small talk and what not.

Tomorrow:
1) Head out to a locksmith and cut a few extra copies of the Goblin's key (Assuming the key itself doesn't have any identifying marks?) and the key to his room.
2) Free time - perhaps seek out another small present for Ethel... though more functional this time. Cloth and thread if she still speaks of making clothing for a profession. Or some cards and dice to practice Sleight of Hand.
3) Meet up with Gristav and Cas for lunch - somehow figure out way to make Gristav talk up his aspect of the equation without giving away that the shipwright's been duped...

Enough to work with?

Oh - and after lunch tomorrow - go back and visit the dude who has the box with the hidden compartment...

Idea being approaching with intent to put another gold against it's price - and seeing how the man reacts once he finds out that there is a copper piece in there.

If the man at the shop proves trustworthy through verbal sparring, Phil would pay for the box outright and then ask how much it would cost to rent the box as a place to keep a few knick knacks. He'd then spot a couple of gold coins and one of the copies of the Goblin's key in the box - giving him an out of Goblin safety deposit box.

You're still a bit early for close-of-business: I'm going to suggest Phil swing by Flask & Stubb's for his coffee first before going to Ethel's workplace.

Perfectly fine with me Joana :) - might see if they've got any jerky to go with the rotgut for drinking times with the gladiatorial types.

Gris is a forced fan of travel-food, there's a scene begging to be written where he's self-doubting over SAMething or other, and Phil asks, 'Jerky?', and Gris replies. "Not deliberately. But yes." :)

I'm kind of curious, actually, if Larur has any issue with Gris along the lines proposed by Phil.

Poor Joana, though. It seems like all the PCs left the room! Gris at least is back. Oh yes, Braddon hadn't left, he's just... absent.

Meh, it's already tomorrow where you are, isn't it, Mark? I'm going to jump Phil ahead in the timeline because shopping for dry goods is boring and he has a bit of explanation due Ethel about his extracurricular activities at lunchtime.

Yeah, except for Braddon and Malkith who have their own buddy-movie thing going on, the rest of you seem to actively avoid being in the same place at the same time. ;)

In Phillip's defence - he did actually call out to everyone and provide an opening for engagement of a verbal manner... but everyone ignored him so he slunk off to sulk :P

Happy to skip past the dry goods - Phil would look to have a delivery of Sargavan Red a couple of times a week in Larur's name and would pay in advance for a couple of weeks. He'd also request a hand-written note be included with the first delivery:
Larur,
Selfishly I have hoped that you are willing to renounce your previous blend and drink coffee that is actually worthy of being called same. However if pride grates and even this proves beyond you, I promise that I shall not seek vengeance for the slight of rejection.
Phillip

He'd also pick up some jerky or appropriately manly tidbits for the gladiatorial engagement.

All right, post underway to get you to Betta's shop. We'll settle up for the shopping later.

Have a safe trip, Mark. Enjoy your vacation!

I shall indeed - y'all have fun too while I'm gone :P

From the DVD of Sargavan Red, found among the deleted scenes:

ECU: Gristav, tired, hoarse, or whispering, or both.

"Do I speak with an accent?", he asks. "Did I then? Remember, please?"

MCU: Gristav, head resting in one hand, arm in the shot, clearly leaning on something.

"It was a clue, you see? That was all for her. I didn't mean it for you; the accent was for you, so you'd know it was for her."

MCU: Gristav, not speaking

CU: Gristav, leaning in a door frame, angering.

"I couldn't take watching you shrink like a cut sail, imagining it every day. Every day?! How many times? They didn't de- You didnt' deser- It wasn't right!"

ECU: Gristav, not speaking.

MCU: Gristav

"I know. I didn't have any right. I just, wanted you to know. I meant to help."

ECU: Gristav

MCU: Gristav

"I thought you would figure it out. At least now, you know."

ESTABLISHING SHOT: Gristav, walking out of the Goblin's staff quarters hallway, starting from Samaritha's door.

---

Director's voiceover: "We cut this for time, but we still wonder if it was right. We couldn't agree on whether Sam was in her room-"

2nd Director's VO: "Or asleep."

Director's VO: "Right, or even asleep, or across the hall in Mal's, or in Braddon's. One cut had this scene, and then for a stinger after credits, just the shot of Gris' boots going around the corner, and Sam coming out of Mal's room. On the table, we had a close shot of a couple of Harrow cards, Lovers and-"

2nd Director's VO: "That's Tarot."

DVO: "What?"

2DVO: "Lovers is a Tarot card. We had Harrow cards. I don't remember which cards, but the iconography said, basically, 'Shippers, don't hold your breath'."

DVO: (laughs)

2DVO: (laughs)

DVO: "So yeah, we cut this scene. But I still kind of miss it."

2DVO: "Yeah."

Presented without comment

The Muse leads where she will. But She does not stand still. :)

It seems it would be odd to write on 'spec' in an RPG, so I try to dress the things She must have written so as to make them clearly un-canon. I hope they are at least amusing.

Sorry if I'm a little off the grid right now. We just underwent a round of layoffs here at work. I'm still gainfully employed, but it's really shaken things up and everyone is trying to adjust.

Never easy to lose hands. Here's hoping things settle smoothly.

Not at all, the loreweaver. It was a weekend, when posts are welcome but not expected. Hope work becomes less harrowing as time goes by.

EDIT: Pun not intended, I swear. :P

On the spoiler - done! Though I think I owe a bit more for a couple of bottles of rotgut too?

Currently on Kauai and enjoying selves immensely... But with chidlets and lack of laptop it's not going to be good for much posting at all I'm afraid...

On the spoiler - done! Though I think I owe a bit more for a couple of bottles of rotgut too?

Not sold at Flask & Stubbs. Your best bet would be to venture into the northern edge of Rotgut District and purchase it there. It's not far from the gladiators' housing across from the arena.

Hey y'all, my week of camping turned into a 2.5 week Amazing affair, so had little to no online access that whole time. Right now I'm off to a big birthday party in the park. Summer's always a busy, but Great, time. I should have some time tomorrow afternoon to catch up though (although with a group as prolific and verbose as This one, that takes some extra time. 154 posts in two weeks! Yikes!!). So, sorry for my absence and thanks for all remaining awesome!

Happy Fourth to the two Aussies in the US for Independence Day! (Dave, you're still in the Northern hemisphere, I take it?) Hope you take in some fireworks.

And here I was restraining my patriotic fervor. Please do, if you can, join us in enjoying Chinese fireworks in this Roman-named month. Have some chili or hummus, french-fried potatoes or even poutin, if you can.

Just returned from Times Square where there was a tiny view of fireworks down W 46th Street. Took photos of everything like the tourist I am. :-)
Spent the previous part of the day riding the subway from Grand Central Station, seeing the Statue of Liberty and wandering through Central Park. Did the Empire State building and Saint Patrick's Cathedral after we arrived yesterday.
Tomorrow- some aimless wandering. My wife wants to find an upmarket yarn store. :-)

Happy 4th to all. I had a most suitable day... Ate McDonalds, shopped at Walmart and then off to a fete... Though didn't stay for fireworks as the kids were flagging.

Very nice fete though, hula on one side and the mountains of Kauai as a backdrop :)

I sometimes overestimate my artfulness as a writer. Can I ask what my last post for Gristav suggests to the reader?

He's under the impression that Braddon and Samaritha have a thing going, and he's a bit taken aback at Braddon's blase attitude toward killing people?

Thank you. :)

Samaritha's Sense Motive is only marginally higher than Gristav's, btw. Wizards: high Int, low Wis. ;)

((responding only yo Joanna's first line above, she edited wile I repsonded))

Which is all well enough, permitting them to stumble as characters through the dance we do as writers. :)

Gris is documentedly more foolish than most, after all, so it seemed he'd misdirect that 16 INT to put it all together as indicated. The pieces do seem to fit, going back to Braddon's looking past Gristav at that first meeting, and Braddon's eyes repeatedly going toward the door. What seems undeniable to Gristav as confirming some degree of... Gristav might say 'familiarity', is Braddon's applying of ice to Samaritha, and her lack of alarm or especial notice.

I suppose it's arguably meta to have a character with a -1 to perception observe all the described mannerisms? But it seems outright rude to disregard the descriptions, so I let Gris put those pearls on a thread.

That'll teach you all to cast them before swine. :)

I was actually composing my "let's touch base; who's here?" post when you posted in the first place. :)

Here, it's not too late; let's cut-and-paste it down here so we're not hopscotching conversations.

So Mark has posted in another thread that he doesn't have internet where he is now and will be unavailable until he gets home on the 17th.

Dave is probably getting ready to get on a plane and fly back home; I believe he said he'd be home around the 11th.

I'm assuming that Malkith is performing some divinations in his room, but we haven't heard from him since before the holiday weekend. You still with us, the loreweaver?

Okay, been mostly vamping to keep Thornborn amused while everyone else is out of pocket. I'll move us on to dinner when I get a chance to update tomorrow; it'll at least give me a few extra NPCs to toss in the mix. Hopefully, Braddon and Malkith will be back in the saddle soon; we've still another week before Phil rejoins us.

I'm still here. Just busy with re-organization and pulling a little extra weight here at work after the layoffs. I did figure Malkith was going to retire to his room for a while anyways, so it would buy me some time :)

Excellent; glad you're here. Any particular subject for Malkith's divinations? I'll give you the results when we move on to dinner.

Greetings all. Back in Oz once more. Should be up for regular posting again, though I seem to post mostly while everyone there is asleep. :-)
Time here at this posting is like 11:20am, Fri 12th July.

I hope no one minds Braddon's threat to Gristav. I'm usually against inter party threats which all too often lead to something more. But everyone here seems to be good at turning conflict into a game enhancer rather than a game stopper, and it's not like Braddon is really serious. I'm just trying to remember that he is supposed to be a thug.

As always, any issues with my character please let me know and I'll make an effort to steer him in other directions.

With an 18 STR, I don't think thuggery is really to be avoided. :)

And Gris just got in line for a punch, throwing himself on the mercy of the (girl he's come to) court.

Greetings all. Back in Oz once more. Should be up for regular posting again, though I seem to post mostly while everyone there is asleep. :-)

Time here at this posting is like 11:20am, Fri 12th July.

8:47 Thursday night here, so I'm not asleep yet. :)

Hope you had a pleasant vacation. How was the road trip?

The road trip was awesome. You live in a beautiful and varied country with interesting and, for the most part, lovely people.
But I'm still glad to be home in Australia.
I shall endeavour to put up some sort of album on the net so I can tell everyone about our trip without repeating myself constantly for hours and hours on end. Not that I'd mind of course, but others may want a break between events. :-)
Anyway, should I actually succeed in this task, I'll put up links here too.

No, no particular subject for the divinations that come to mind at the moment. Just trying to get a general sense of the state of things at the moment.

I'm keeping tabs on what's happening, but may be a little quite while things at work are on their head for a while.

Only Gristav could apologize for the brevity of an eight-paragraph tale. :)

Only Gristav could apologize for the brevity of an eight-paragraph tale. :)

:D

Compare 'Megekki', sometime!

Today was my son's birthday so I was busy most of the day. Will definitely get us moved on to dinner proper tomorrow.

All right, everyone but Phil is upstairs in the dining room now, I believe. (The Norman Rockwell Freedom-from-Wantness of the scene amuses me.)

Mark, I'm hoping you're close to joining us again. It'll be a lot of posts to sift through, so just so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle, Phil's part of the story is told in this, this, and this post.

I am indeed back in the tropical drudgery of Malaysia and am already sorely missing the delightful chill of sun showers and the tradewinds. Trip was absolutely awesome... and that's without using hyperbole. Kauai was the highlight of the trip, though we spent most of our time on the Waikiki strip (wife's family was in town as well). Have resolved that I need to take up kayaking so that I can sea-kayak the Na'Pali coastline next time I'm over. Have nascent plans of renting a house near Kapa'a on Kauai and using up long service leave...

Will be back in thread ASAP as I want to try and hit the ground running again. I much appreciate the forwarding of Phillip's plot to the doorstep of the gladiators and shall pick it up from there with a few callbacks to his departure from Ethel as well as his encounter with grizzled, toothless and hairy.

Mrs. unwell. Writing from ICU. Role on w/o me.

So sorry to hear that, Thornborn. I hope she improves quickly. Take whatever time you need to take care of her.

Inclining his head and offering a short bow Phillip addresses his greeter.

Braddon nods and offering a short sword in return makes a silly joke. :-)

Heh. That pun doesn't work at the table. :)

Mark, is Phil wearing his holy symbol openly or still concealing it?

Phil's standard modus operandi is holy symbol in secret, so it isn't visible at present.

Gristav - hope that the Mrs is doing ok?

Thank you, yes. Latest CATscan suggests the damage arc of the stroke has ended. We're now in the planning for recovery the process.