"The Festival." She replies, cutting the meat and taking a bite. "I've no clue what it is, but it's a welcome change of pace. Anyway, the Swallowtail Festival was the deciding factor for coming here. Truthfully, it's been a while since I've really relaxed and had some fun."
"Well, I guess we'll need to see if we can fix that! There are plenty of games and other entertainers about to serve as distractions until they get around to the grand ceremony for the cathedral." He pulls some of the meat loose from the portion on his plate and grins as he eats it. "Is there anything special you like to see or do at a festival such as ours?"
Reaching the Rusty Dragon, Chadron strolls into the bar. He makes his way to the bar, and asks, "Can I arrange a room for a few days? This kit, " hefting his pack with bow, arrows, spear, and shield above and beyond basic traveling supplies, "has gotten a bit heavy. A wonderful halfling, name of Dairkal told me you might still have some rooms."
At skinny man with dark skin and a thin-line beard, wearing a fashionable high-collared dark coat, black brimmed hat, and dark spectacles walks up behind you.
With a smirk "My goodness, someone should have hired a valet!" he then laughs at his own joke. He motions with his hand, and his bags float along and set themselves in a nice pile by the counter.
"By all means, please carry on. This spell doesn't last forever, and I'd love to make it up the stairs before it expires."
Duee has fallen asleep even with all the noise. He has slumped against the outside of the wall and is snoring. People are stopping and laughing at him as there is a diminutive otter on top of his head hissing. One of the people walking by states the guards will take care of him when they pass by.
"Thank you!" Talliree says to Grigore as they start off for The Rusty Dragon.
"So, if you were unaware of the Swallowtail Festival, what brings you here to Sandpoint?"The gnome purses her lips in thought for a few moments before answering the question with a shrug.
"Wanderlust, I guess. I didn't find out about the festival until I was almost here."
"Whstledown, you said? Passed through there myself coming here--Janderhoff's east of there, up in the Mindspuns." He grins as the unlikely trio walks past a sleeping man with an otter on his head, then pauses to make tsking sounds at the otter.
"Sounds foolish, but I'm here on a rumor. Word is, there's supposed to be giants about, and that's what I've trained to fight."
"Is there anything special you like to see or do at a festival such as ours?"
"Maybe get a trinket or two, listen to some of the tails about the weird creatures living around here, maybe play a few games or visit the new cathedral. So anything and everything, really. I'm guessing you know the town well enough, and I haven't minded your company so far, so why don't you show a new comer the festival?"
"Though... maybe the cathedral first, to thank Desna for all the luck I've had lately, and Gozreh for keeping me safe."
"Thank you!" Talliree says to Grigore as they start off for The Rusty Dragon.
"So, if you were unaware of the Swallowtail Festival, what brings you here to Sandpoint?"The gnome purses her lips in thought for a few moments before answering the question with a shrug.
"Wanderlust, I guess. I didn't find out about the festival until I was almost here."
The scarred soldier nods knowingly, and for a moment stares off in the distance before looking back at the gnome.
I used to travel a bit myself, back in my fighting days. You ever heard of Jargen Razortooth? No? He was this Ogre that filed his teeth into points, was fond of biting folks. I challenged him and took him down a peg, after the fight they called him Jargen "No-Teeth".
He pats the bladed-glove on his hand and smiles, then continues.
Anyway, ole' "No-Teeth" was protected by some local "merchants" who didn't take kindly to their boy losing the purse, so I was "asked" to leave, if you take my meaning. If you feel the need to wander again, you should try Riddleport--never a dull moment, there.
"Whstledown, you said? Passed through there myself coming here--Janderhoff's east of there, up in the Mindspuns." He grins as the unlikely trio walks past a sleeping man with an otter on his head, then pauses to make tsking sounds at the otter.
1d20 - 1
"Sounds foolish, but I'm here on a rumor. Word is, there's supposed to be giants about, and that's what I've trained to fight."
Grigore screws his face up in concentration, searching his memory for any tidings of giants in the area.
I've been here for some years now and, well, I can't say I've even heard of giants anywhere aroun-- mid-sentence his eyes get wide, something dawning on him. Oh, I get it--yes, there are some tall folks here, but don't worry, no need to fight. You'll get a fair shake here so long as you treat everyone decently. Anyway, here we are at the Dragon . Go ahead in, I have to take care of...this, he says, gesturing to the sleeping man with the rodent on his head.
The warrior crouches low, arms extended and palms up in a non-threatening, yet defensive stance. Shhh he whispers at the animal, circling around slowly and cautiously. He reaches a hand over to grab the sleeper's shoulder and shake him gently, then pulling his hand back before he can get bitten.
Son, I'm glad you're having fun, but you can't sleep here. Get a room, or get a second wind and come inside and I'll buy you another round. The name's Grigore. C'mon, I'll tell you about the time I knocked out Heartless Rahj and his brother Taj. You see, he had been stabbed a few years earlier by a greatsword--I saw it myself, a full two feet of steel in the man's chest and he didn't die, so the locals took to calling him "Heartless". Should have been called "Brainless" with how dumb that one was. You coming? He looks at the otter suspiciously, but seems genuine in his offer nonetheless.
"Yep, born and raised on the music of the chimes. As far as you being here I can think of worse things than chasing giants."
Talli listens to the man with mild amusement. His jokes didn't bring much of a chuckle, but the story was enough to hold the gnome's attention.
She notices Throfinn grinning and trying to make nice with the, the... Okay, webbed feet, looks like a weasel... OTTER! Yes the otter sleeping on the man's head. She thinks about asking why he was wearing an otter as a hat, but Grigore ushers her and Thorfinn inside the tavern before she got a chance.
And once she is inside, with the enticing smells of hot food and strange flavors she'd be hard pressed to find in Whistledown, the man wearing an otter as a hat is quickly pushed to the back of her mind. The vitality and boisterousness of the place immediately brought a big grin the little woman's face as she soaked it all in. A platter of food whisked by and her stomach politely reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything in a while.
"Oh. Wow. I hope they have a room available."
With the boundless energy that seems to only come from children and fey, Talliree weaves through the crowd to the bar to get some food, motioning for Thorfinn to follow.
Thorfinn shakes his head, seemingly exasperated. "Giants, man. Not tall folks, I know the difference. I mean the real thing." Figures...I leave Janderhoff, come all this way, and there's nothing here for me.
Talli's mood is infectious, though. Chuckling to himself, the dwarf follows the exuberant gnome into the Rusty Dragon. At the sight of the crowd, though, his mood sours again. "Room'd be good, but I doubt they'll have one. Spot of floor in the common room, maybe, and that not cheap." He raises his voice as they near the bar. "Ale here! Then meat!"
@Ryuko--added Grigore's backround to my profile, so it's now good to go.
I have to say, I'm having a lot of fun here!
Chadron grins at the newcomer, "We don't generally have servants where I come from, " glancing at the floating luggage, "of any sort. I'd be happy to walk with you towards lodging if your... valet... may wear out." After a short discussion with the bartender, Chadron heads towards where they keep the rooms at the Dragon. The bartender waves a pot-boy to guide the small procession towards rooms.
"My name's Chadron. I'm in town for a few days, from points west. I have reason to believe there may be some need for my services here, though my source wasn't very specific on what, or by whom. Yourself?"
Reaching the door of a room, Chadron opens it and sets about arranging his kit on a stool near the door. He leaves pack, helm, shield, bow, and spear in his room, though set for ready retrieval. Chadron looks for an ewer and basin - finding these, he splashes head and face refreshingly. He takes a moment longer washing his hands and drying. Still armed with sword and dagger, and armored, he exits, locks (and checks) the door, then heads back to the commons room. Underway, he gives Razorstorm's door a quick thump, "If you're still up for it, I'm to have some drink and comradeship. I hope to see you out shortly!" Chadron also thinks to himself, 'And maybe he's not in anymore. Ah well, talking to an empty room has seldom done any harm.'
HUH!!!! What... what... is going on? Duee is confused as he has Chute all upset scratching his head and someone saying something.
Did I fall asleep? he wonders as he tries to move.
OUCH, that hurts and you can stop your alarm Chute as I am awake. Calm and safe, Chute Duee looks down to see how much of a mess he has made. Nothing too bad. Glad the side of the building wasn't a mud pit.
Who is this person? Rahj and Taj doesn't sound to interesting but he is probably right about going inside. Duee makes sure he has everything and coaxes Chute back into his shirt.
Thank you sir. I seem to have fallen asleep without meaning to. Probably would be wise for me to find a decent meal and a place to reside for the night. If you do not mind then I will follow you and the path you clear. He stands and prepares to follow the man inside while still attempting to become fully awake.
Sorry about that above post as forgot to select Duilure for the post. Just realized my mistake and no way to edit.
"Though... maybe the cathedral first, to thank Desna for all the luck I've had lately, and Gozreh for keeping me safe."
'Dada nods to show he is listening even as he eats, right up until that point, and then he starts waving his hands. "I am afraid that won't work quite how you expect. There is a big ceremony scheduled for later today to formally open the Cathedral. Yesterday, we could probably have gotten in without an issue. Tomorrow, we can probably get in without an issue. Today, they're not going to let us in until the ceremony formally opens the doors." His hands calm down as he talks, and he finishes with a simple shrug. "We can walk by and get a look at it before then if you want, though. It won't be hard to do."
He grabs his mug of wine and takes a quick gulp, his face twisting as he chokes the mouthful down. "She gives me this wine on purpose, I swear it! Far too tart for my liking. It does wake me up, though." He shakes his head. "Wow!"
Chadron grins at the newcomer, "We don't generally have servants where I come from, " glancing at the floating luggage, "of any sort. I'd be happy to walk with you towards lodging if your... valet... may wear out." After a short discussion with the bartender, Chadron heads towards where they keep the rooms at the Dragon. The bartender waves a pot-boy to guide the small procession towards rooms.
Zurich laughs "Quite all right. I'm sure I'll manage." He politely waits for Chadron to complete his transaction. He busies himself with one of him luggages, a small wicker basket with a caged side. There seems to be some sort of pet in there.
"My name's Chadron. I'm in town for a few days, from points west. I have reason to believe there may be some need for my services here, though my source wasn't very specific on what, or by whom. Yourself?"
Zurich answers as he steps over to the counter, his bags floating behind him, "Oh my, how mysterious! I'm here for rather less exciting reasons. I am here for academic study." He says this next bit proudly. "I just recently graduated from the Acadamae in Korvosa, and I some of my final research was on ancient Thassilonian runes and symbolism. I'm here to take my research out of the class room. I'm hoping to explore some of the ruins in the vicinity, do rubbings, that sort of thing. All rather boring and academic."
He arranges his room with the innkeep and heads upstairs to his room. He opens the cage and takes out his familiar, letting the serpent twine around his arms. "Now now, you mustn't scare any of these poor country bumpkins."
Underway, he gives Zurich's door a quick thump, "If you're still up for it, I'm to have some drink and comradeship. I hope to see you out shortly!" Chadron also thinks to himself, 'And maybe he's not in anymore. Ah well, talking to an empty room has seldom done any harm.'
At the knocking, Zurich goes to open his door. "Oh hello! It seems there is some sort of festival going on. I'm sure there'll is fun to be had. Shall we?"
A wizard? Has to be if he's from the Acad- Academin? Acadammit? Academon? Whatever he called that place. Seemed a little too wound. Wonder if I could loosen him up a bit.
Talliree orders some food and a drink from the Bartender and asks if there's any room at all available for a gnome and a, "short tall-folk."
After finding a table with Thorfinn, she sits so she's facing the door leading to the rooms. Once she sees Chadron and Zurich walk through the door, and impish grin spreads across her face as she gets Thorfinn's attention.
"Watch the tall-folk in the big hat."
A sing-song chant dances on her lips as her fingers twirl just above the table in graceful complex patterns. In the rafters just above the wizard, a glow appears and then splits into four as four colorful motes of light swoop down and surround the wizard. They begin to spiral around him in a whimsical dance.
Chadron picks up the conversation with Zurich as though uninterrupted, "Then let us to the festival. I understand they're also dedicating a temple, though I haven't heard when. Congratulations on completing your studies."
"Perhaps it is that fate has been pushing us together. It was some months ago that I traveled through Korvosa. You're more resilient than I to have lived there for years, never mind managed to study. I couldn't find rest there, for fear I'd wear the wrong thing, or walk on the wrong lawn."
As Zurich's surrounded by blue streamers of lights, "Oh my - pretty lights. Fans of yours here?"
Looking around the room to see who's interested, "Fireworks and celebrations indeed - I understand our friend here is in line for congratulations!"
"Perhaps it is that fate has been pushing us together. It was some months ago that I traveled through Korvosa. You're more resilient than I to have lived there for years, never mind managed to study. I couldn't find rest there, for fear I'd wear the wrong thing, or walk on the wrong lawn."
"That is the difficult thing in Korvosa. There are the written rules, which are easy, and then there are the unwritten ones, which I think are actually..."
As Zurich's surrounded by blue streamers of lights, "Oh my - pretty lights. Fans of yours here?"
Looking around the room to see who's interested, "Fireworks and celebrations indeed - I understand our friend here is in line for congratulations!"
"What the!" swatting at the lights
After a brief moment of surprise, Zurich stops and really looks at what he's seeing. "Ah, I see." He scans the room and then his eyes lock on Tali. He lowers his dark spectacles to look right at her, showing his eyes with the dark irises, and he winks at her. "I don't think they're meant in mischief, but I'll take them all the same."
Thorfinn accepts a mug of ale from the Tian barmaid and grins at the gnome's trick. "Nice one, Talli!" He takes a long pull from the mug, then sighs happily, wiping foam from his mustache. "Not bad. Way better than what some of the folks on the river try to pass off as beer. Might've started out that way, but the way it tastes you'd think it'd been through an orc's kidneys."
HUH!!!! What... what... is going on? Duee is confused as he has Chute all upset scratching his head and someone saying something.
Did I fall asleep? he wonders as he tries to move.
** spoiler omitted **
OUCH, that hurts and you can stop your alarm Chute as I am awake. Calm and safe, Chute Duee looks down to see how much of a mess he has made. Nothing too bad. Glad the side of the building wasn't a mud pit.
Who is this person? Rahj and Taj doesn't sound to interesting but he is probably right about going inside. Duee makes sure he has everything and coaxes Chute back into his shirt.
Thank you sir. I seem to have fallen asleep without meaning to. Probably would be wise for me to find a decent meal and a place to reside for the night. If you do not mind then I will follow you and the path you clear. He stands and prepares to follow the man inside while still attempting to become fully awake.
Grigore claps the young man on the back, then barges through the door like he owns the place. He enters in time to see some magical lights fading, and figures from Talli's chuckling that she was the impetus behind it. He'd seen gnome magic before, though, so he's amused, not alarmed.
He signals to the serving girl to fetch his usual drink, then surveys the strange collection of visitors to the tavern.
Well met, folks! Miss Kaijitsu here loves a good tale and, while I've got several, she's heard 'em all. Now I don't mind telling them again because, hey, who doesn't like a good fight story? But I think it's only fair that all of you fine travelers entertain us with your own best road stories. So, who wants to go first?
Seeing that the man goes big, Duee quickly tries to follows to try and find a quiet corner.
That is one guy who for sure would be a great shield. Rubbing his shoulder, Duee tries to find a good spot to listen to these stories as he reaches for charcoal and paper.
Hope there are some old stories.
The mischievous gnome nearly falls off her chair in a laughing fit after the wizard winks at her. The lights whirl around Zurich and Chadron before speeding off to the table the gnome and a dwarf are seated at.
"Hahahaha he hehe. Thank you Thorfinn. I don't get a chance like that everyday."
She takes the food and the smaller mug from the barmaid and gives her a quick, heartfelt thank you before sampling the food and the ale. She savors the first bite long enough to have to take a quick drink when Thorfinn starts to speak again.
"Not bad. Way better than what some of the folks on the river try to pass off as beer. Might've started out that way, but the way it tastes you'd think it'd been through an orc's kidneys."
"Yuck! the only thing that I've ever had that came close to that was a shot of rotgut. One of my cousins is a brewer and he swears that it's made with ogre piss that's already been passed through a goblin and an orc."
She almost spits on the ground when she says goblin, and the word was more o a curse than a name. The grimace on her face only stuck around long enough for her to take another sip of the ale.
"Wow, that is really good."
The dwarf fixes Talli with a penetrating gaze. "Don't think much of goblins, do you? Don't blame you--rancid little pests. We don't see them in the deep places, but they're nuisances and sometimes worse up top."
Talli gives Throfinn a dry chuckle before responding to his rhetorical question.
"No, I don't think much of goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, or kobolds, but I've fought a goblin before and have the scars to prove it."
She takes a long pull of her ale before continuing, speaking calmly and precisely in complete contrast to her normal animated way of speaking.
"Goblins came to take some of us to Desna only knows where once. I wound up killing one of them, but I was in such a rage that I didn't even notice the wounds the little bastard gave me, and I was about to go after the other two before a hunter pinned me to the ground."
Goblins seem to be hated but doesn't offer me anything for my research other than trouble The charcoal used to do little doodles around edge of the paper.
A small piece of raw fish and some of whatever stew and water, please. Thank you, ma'am. Duee hopes the food is good. A cook is not something he has learned to be yet.
Guess I will have to look for somewhere to sleep soon. Still might get lucky and hear an old one or legend for the area.
After seeing the overwhelming response I will be closing recruitment now. I will go through submissions and will have my list of players by early tomorrow morning. I'd like to congratulate all of you on coming up with very interesting and varied characters and I can't wait to see those I choose in play and wish the others luck in the no-doubt many recruitments that will be appearing for this thread soon.
All right, ended up with more time than I thought and have got my list so here goes:
Duilure
Talliree Yndercook
Thorfinn Feigrsson
Chadron B. Land
Gudada Purrun
Elloe Awran
I'm sorry to those of you who didn't make it. It was extremely hard to boil down to just these characters. I still had 9 tabs open on my browser when I was hoping I was done with culling and the last three were tough to see go. I finally couldn't decide who to drop of these 6 and decided finally to take a slightly bigger game.
Good luck to those of you who didn't make it.
Congrats guys!
has noro had any success in her romantic pursuits as yet? or is it still early days?
Nothing personal, Noro, but Elloe is prettier!
<ducks and runs for cover>
That was just a tab bit mean, don't you think, Gudada?
Have you MET Noro? Mean is her specialty, not mine.
She can be kind and gentle. Yes. Mean is still her specialty.
"Poouuu . . .ooh"
"Glad you liked the complement, Noro. I'd hate to see what you would do if I made you angry."