"Let's take a look at how they are first. Sharing rooms is fine, but I'm sure that more than one of us are opposed to sharing a bed," Stilgar would put bluntly, as he assesses the appearance of the establishment.
"I'd take a floor over 'nother night under the stars," Brodgar remarks. "Let's see if they'll have us."
Your group enters the open gates, finding themselves in a courtyard of packed earth, surrounded on three sides by buildings. Next to the double doors directly ahead of you sit two wooden bowls. One is half full of water, the other holds a well-gnawed bone.
As the party stands surveying the roadhouse, the double doors suddenly creak open and a man steps out. He is fairly tall and thin, with close-cropped hair and a stubbled face. His arms are behind his back, tying the strings of a greasy apron that covers him. He looks over the group, giving you a gap-toothed smile.
"Apologies, gentlefolk. Ain't much traffic on the road this late in the season. Tweren't expectin' company. 'Ow kin ah help you?"
Tarrana endeavors to stay out of relative sight behind the rest. Not wanting to draw undo attention.
"Just a few rooms for myself and my friends here for the night, I was hoping," he would say, gesturing towards the group, "We can compensate you accordingly."
"Just a few rooms for myself and my friends here for the night, I was hoping," he would say, gesturing towards the group, "We can compensate you accordingly."
"Aye. It's a little cold for this time of year a warm fire and good food would be welcome."
The man nods and smiles again.
"Ah course, ah course. Plenty of rooms open, so beds for all. The bread's a coupla days old, but we got a stew on the pot. Glad yer on foot. The stables still need a good muckin' out. Jus' c'mon in and set yerselves. I'll send the boy up ta get yer rooms ready while the wife sees ta supper."
At this, he sticks his head in the door and hollers orders to his wife and "the boy." Then he pulls the door wide for your entrance and stands aside, bowing awkwardly.
"Thank you very much," Stilgar says with a curt nod, before proceeding to enter the establishment.
Magnus inspects the room closely, looking specifically for notches in the wood and construction that allow him a visual into adjacent rooms. He pays close attention to the housekeeper, ensuring that he does not act suspiciously by reporting Tarrana (or others). I'll use send senses or other spells if need be.
Brodgar's face goes stony at the innkeeper's appearance. He makes his way to the front of the group and grasps Stilgar's shoulder before his fellow dwarf enters, turning the cleric to face away from the door. He leans in and whispers, "Somethin's wrong here. Look at that wound, on his arm." The man does have a long, partially-healed cut on his forearm. "And he was sizing us up. He's too nervous. We need to keep our guards up."
Stilgar takes in Brodgar's words, replying with a stiff, subtle nod. He trusted in his friend's insight - if he noticed something was amiss, chances are, he was onto something. "It would seem that our gnome friend has noticed something as well," he murmurs, noticing that Magnus had already entered. Turning around, Stilgar flashes the innkeeper a grin before walking in, doing what he can to conceal his caution.
The man nods and smiles again.
"Ah course, ah course. Plenty of rooms open, so beds for all. The bread's a coupla days old, but we got a stew on the pot. Glad yer on foot. The stables still need a good muckin' out. Jus' c'mon in and set yerselves. I'll send the boy up ta get yer rooms ready while the wife sees ta supper."
At this, he sticks his head in the door and hollers orders to his wife and "the boy." Then he pulls the door wide for your entrance and stands aside, bowing awkwardly.
Gaius assumes the manners of a factotum with Tarrana as his principal.
"Thank you. This is a fine roadhouse you have here. My lady will require your best room and a hot bath before she dines. As she is in mourning you will understand that she will retire immediately."
Tarrana says little but plays along standing with full regal dignity as if expecting things to simply happen for her.
Heeding Brogdar's words, Jinjer keeps her eyes peeled and her hand close to the hilt of her sword.
The innkeeper leads you into the common room, about twenty feet deep by thirty feet wide. The center of the room is taken up by two rectangular tables, flanking the double doors, each surrounded by seven stools. To your left is a large hearth, a new fire just beginning to take hold of the wood piled within. To your left, a smaller fireplace filled with banked coals, and a single wooden door. Against the far wall to your left is a stairway leading to the second floor.
Your host gestures towards the table near the larger hearth.
"Please, set yerselves here. I'll git yah some stew and ale. When ye've eaten, I'll show yah to yer rooms."
Gaius' request gets a puzzled look from the man, but it quickly passes.
"Of course, sirrah. First door at the top ah the stairs. I'll have the boy fix that one up right quick. Cook can heat up some water in the kitchen. I'll have the boy send 'er up some food and drink."
By your command..
Look! Elvis!
Perception:
By your command..1d20+10
Look! Elvis!
Your innkeeper moves to the door on the right of the room and opens it, passing through and shutting it behind him. You can hear sounds like the clattering of tableware and footsteps on the wooden floor.
By your command..1d20+10
Look! Elvis!
Your innkeeper moves to the door on the right of the room and opens it, passing through and shutting it behind him. You can hear sounds like the clattering of tableware and footsteps on the wooden floor.
Gaius indicates the smaller hearth.
"That's clever, the hearth there connects to the kitchen. Heats both rooms with the same fuel. Quite clever."
As Stilgar moves to seat himself, he pauses, noticing the dark smears on the table and floor. "He must have been in a hurry..." he says with a frown, his gruff voice just loud enough for the group to hear. Wiping a finger across the smudge, he looks to Brodgar, his expression making it clear that he was thinking of what the inquisitor had said before.
His eyes then turn to the hearth Gaius pointed out, an idea manifesting. "I don't condone abusing hospitality, but perhaps we should see why our friend is so distressed," he says, nodding towards the fire.
Giaus smiles as the idea flows to his mind from Stilgar's.
"An excellent notion. Milady if you will honor us with your gifts?" This last is directed to Tarrana as gaius extends his hand to the hearth.
Tarrana shrugs and moves towards the fire. "I'm not much of a scout but I'll do my best."
Takin care not to catch her own clothes on fire Tarrana stands as close to the fire as possible even sticking her head in a touch to get a better view of the other side.
Untrained Hide.
Perception
Perception
"Why did you let them in," asks the dwarf. "Should'a just told them the place was full up."
"At this time ah year? Too suspicious. Too few people on the road. Just let 'em eat and get to the rooms."
"I'd just poison the stew if'n I could. Be easier that way. Just don't slip up. Yer right. Once they're in the rooms, we'll take 'em then. G'wan now, get things ready."
The party watches as Terrana creeps over and peers through the hearth for a minute, then suddenly scrambles back as someone lowers a hook into it and removes a small cauldron from where it hangs above the coals. She quickly puts her hood back up and the party takes their seats around the far table. The innkeeper comes back from the kitchen.
"Well folks, supper should be ready presently. Settle in. Boy! C'mere, boy!"
At his shout, a small figure with a mop of unruly brown hair clumps his way down the stairs, stopping about halfway and peering through the rails with large, inquisitive eyes.
"Is the good woman's room ready yet?" asks the innkeeper. The boy nods in response.
"Ye kin take 'er on up, sirrah. Food and drink will be up for her shortly," he says to Gaius. "Boy, get on back up and fix up the rest of them rooms."
The boy gives an impish grin and a nod and scampers away.
Magnus slowly chews on only a slice of bread, doing so with great deliberation, hoping the rest of the group takes the hint that the food may not be the best to fill up on. He speaks to Tuboo while handing him a piece of bread. Tuboo moves under the table towards the innkeeper.
Magnus stands and walks across the room, looking at a fixture behind the innkeeper, depending upon how he reads the rest of the group, his actions will differ.
Sense motive
diplomacy?
bluff?
Seeing the general feeling of suspicion and anxiety Tarrana senses thigns are going to go bad. She stops to listen putting her ear close to her soup bowl and then nods. "Yes, boiling is a terrible state for water to be in. Whats that? Oh, yes I think I will." Suddenly flicking her head back her hood comes off her face clearly revealign her flowing fiery hair and pronounced horns. She smiles mischievously at the tavern keeper.
"Whoopsy! And here I am right next to a cleric and inquisitor of Baal. I sure do hope some slightly medium strong soldiers don't come and horrible things to me and anyone who might have taken me in and fed me just after doing something rather horrid. That could end badly."
Jinjer smoothly unslings her bow from her shoulder, nocks an arrow, and turns to face the entrance to the kitchen while Magnus talks to the innkeeper. After Tarrana's words, Jinjer grins wickedly and says, "My advice is to call all your staff out here nice and quiet like so I don't get nervous and just start firing arrows. Else, we'll burn this hole to the ground and you with it!"
Gauis remains still, ready for what comes.
Having just come from the kitchen with three mugs of ale clutched in each fist, the innkeeper seems rather taken aback by Terrana's appearance combined with her sudden proclamation. He glances quickly from Stilgar to the still-helmed Brodgar with a look of fear on his face. When Jinjer makes her threat, this seems to be his breaking point. He utters an oath unfit for a publican.
"Ahright, ahright! Look, we don't want no trouble. But you won't take Bronda. She'll die fighting first, and we've got lotsa company hiding upstairs. How 'bout we just get our gear and get out and you kin have this place ta yerselves? We didn't do nuthin'. Found the place empty like this and jus' wanted a warm place ta hole up for the winter. Ain't no need fer a scrap. Whatta ya say?"
"You've obviously mistaken our intent in coming here," Jinjer replies with a frown, glancing at her companions. "We mean you no harm unless attacked. Who is Bronda anyway?"
"Bronda's our boss. If'n yah don't mean any harm, why are you trooping in here with the Inquisition? You lookin' fer somebody? We ain't done nothin', but if ye leave us alone we maybe kin help yah find somebody."
Gaius sits calmly at the table and listens.
"Clearly we have neither of us any reason to trust the other. Some mutual collateral is in order to ensure no double-crossing. I recommend one member of each organization to become the charge of the other."
"We're not with the Inquisition," Stilgar puts bluntly, without even looking at the supposed innkeeper. His attention is instead concentrated on his fingers, covered with the dark residue from the table. His expression darkens as he realizes what it is. "But perhaps you could explain whose blood that is on the table and floor," he says, his voice stern and accusatory, "Am I to just suppose that it was there when you got here?"
"It's like I said; tweren't nobody here when we showed up. Place was bloodied up real good. We cleaned it up 'cause we planned on stayin'. Dunno what happened to the folks runnin' the place. Seemed a shame ta leave it to waste. We ain't committed no crime but squattin'."
At this, the door to the kitchen opens and a female dwarf steps through. She has a loaded crossbow in hand and is girded in a chain shirt. Her broad face is marked with angular dwarven tattoos down both cheeks to her chin. She addresses Magnus when she speaks.
"You want to exchange hostages, I might be game. Should keep everything on the up-and-up. I'll give you Connor there, since he seems to like chatting with you so much. We'll take the cleric there. Question is, what arrangement are we coming to, and when do we release them back?"
Prior to the dwarven woman stepping into the room, Jinjer tries to get Tarrana and Gaius' attention, rolling her eyes upward and jerking her chin at the ceiling. "Footsteps," she mouths wordlessly.
But when the woman steps into the room with a loaded crossbow, Jinjer swings her bow up with an arrow at full draw trained on the woman's chest. "We're not swapping anybody! You folks are lying about something and we aim to find out what it is. You have three seconds to lower your crossbow."
A luminous green dot flows from Gaius's hand. The dot rapidly expands it's colour shifting wildly as it becomes a curtian of silent light. The light envelopes the two foes and its brightness flares. Connor and the dwarf are lifted from the ground for a moment as the aroura grounds through them.
Brodgar stays passive, observing the scenario as it escalates. As he mulls over the hostage suggestion, Jinjer begins to take matters into her own hands and threatens the dwarf.
"I would recommend bein' straight with us."
Brodgar stays passive, observing the scenario as it escalates. As he mulls over the hostage suggestion, Jinjer begins to take matters into her own hands and threatens the dwarf.
"I would recommend bein' straight with us."
Bronda's eyes narrow as she regards Jinjer's drawn bow. As the ranger draws in the breath to count "three," she lowers the crossbow. However, she also speaks, calling up the stairs.
"Fellas, a couple of you should bring down the boy."
There are footsteps on the floor above, and a couple of rough looking humans in leathers stop midway down the stairs. They have the curly-haired boy between them. One of them holds the kid by the collar of his rough shirt. The boy looks wide-eyed and frightened.
"All right, now, you want straight? You pull any funny stuff or try to keep us from lighting out of here, and maybe my men poke a hole or two in the youngling...before we cut our way to the door. That straight enough for ya?"
Gaius stands to face the newcomers on the stairs. He begins walking towards them. The sound of his boots and the panicked breathing of the boy the only sound in the room. The air feels heavy.When the thugs holding the boy are within 15' he speaks. His voice is flat and level. "I see no issue here. I believe you were on 2."
initiative
Magnus releases a magical burst of light himself. Grabbing dust from his component pouch and watching as it animates in the air, twirling and striking into the eyes of the innkeeper, and the dwarf as well if possible.
"Let's just skip right to the part where you surrender, shall we? "
I'll go ahead and take initiatives and actions from everyone. Next time I'm conscious and free of cold meds I'll upload a combat map, resolve the readied actions, and get the first round rolling. Looks like we're starting things off with a bang...a bunch of them, actually.
Hardly bothering to get up Tarrana turns to the man holding the boy. In a voice as commanding and as urgent as a wildfire at the mans back she commands him.
Casting Command on the man holding the boy. (DC15 Will)
Initiative:
Seeing the situation quickly spiral downhill, Stilgar reaches for his hammer and readies his buckler, assuming a defensive stance.