Welcome! Feel free to begin roleplaying and we will start the game as soon as OutPost IV begins!
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Miladistra plays away on her piccolo. A Farmer's Lament, the song of a farmer suffering from the third draught this season. A leprechaun feels pity upon her, and enchants her crops. They burst forth and the farmer is happy, until her neighbors are overcome with jealousy. The tune ends on a sad note as the farmer mourns her farm as it burns to ash.
A gray-haired wolf lays on her feet, keeping his head down and eyes closed.
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A pale elven woman with a black ponytail sits and listens attentively. Her right eye is violet, her left eye black. She has long purple nails, and wears a jester’s motley in purple, black and white. Holding a large marotte (jester’s baton), she wears a black cloak with the hood down.
When the song ends, she tucks the marotte into the crook of her elbow, and golf claps. ”Very nice”, she says. ”Tragedy isn’t my favorite, but you play it beautifully”
She rises, and bows to Miladistra with a flourish. ”Aldonza Delamorte”, she announces.
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"Ah, this is Deroff, my good pal. His grandpa and my uncle helped me out a lot when I was young." She pets the wolf, who nuzzles her hand briefly. "He's nice. A lot more active when we're outdoors- can't blame him." She chuckles.
"I love your uh... stick... uh, baton!" She wrinkles her eyebrows. "What's it for, anyway?"
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Oh is this a trad sesh?
Extending her arms and fingers outwards, Tao blows into the air, and swirling wisps of green and brown reeds knit together in an instant, forming into a pan flute playing light and fast notes, and she continues the story of the farmer, in which a fair comes to town, and all the community attends, but in their avarice, refuse to place any coins into the hat after the performance, except the farmer who places a last pocketful of coins in it, and having nothing, spends the night hungry and cold, but then they come in the night, on their way out of town, and invite the farmer to "join" them, tending to odd jobs on the road and passing the hat around in the next town, and the next, and the adventures they have together, and how the farmer's world expands beyond the small thatch of burnt land that was once a farm, and how the fourth and fifth draught eventually caused the neighbors to lose their crops as well, and years later, when the fair returns to town, they see the farmer happy and worldwise, and this time, put some coins into the hat, and the leprechaun turns the coins into gold coins, which the farmer returns to the neighbors, and travels onto the next town, leaving them completely baffled...
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"Ah, this is Deroff, my good pal. His grandpa and my uncle helped me out a lot when I was young." She pets the wolf, who nuzzles her hand briefly. "He's nice. A lot more active when we're outdoors- can't blame him." She chuckles.
"I love your uh... stick... uh, baton!" She wrinkles her eyebrows. "What's it for, anyway?"
Aldonza holds it up; about four feet long, topped with a small version of her head. ”Oh this?”, she asks. ”It’s terribly handy for performances. Pointing out audience members...”
At this, she points it at Miladistra.
”It exaggerates your gestures for the cheap seats, you can use it as a stage partner...”
She holds it upright, with the head facing her. ”Say, Aldonza”, she says to it, ”what did the gorgon say to the basilisk?”
She shakes the marotte. ”I don’t know”, she says in a high-pitched voice. ”What did the gorgon say to the basilisk?”
She’s about to respond, when her face suddenly lights up. ”Tao!”, she cries. She sits down, and watches her performance, clapping at the end.
”That takes me back”, she says. ”I miss the circus life, sometimes. Tao, meet Miladistra. Miladistra, Tao. We just had quite the adventure at a bazaar”
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The sound of clinking metal precedes a relatively tall dwarven woman, her graying hair pulled back in a long braid.
"Hello, there!" she says with a warm smile that seems at odd with the large axe strapped to her hip.
She uncomfortably adjusts the shield on her back, a rune-carved hearth emblazoned on the boss.
"No, no, don't let me interrupt you," she exclaims as the music and tales come to a stop. "It sounded lovely. Quite a bit better than the last performance I was in, though I don't know if the goblins would appreciate it as much."
Deroff looks up and skitters away to rest.
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"Oh yeah just kind of got carried away now" Tao explains to Miladistra as her flute disappears in a puff of primary-colored rainbow whisps "Tis' a good story it is - but wanted the 'Farmer's Lament' to have a... turn shall we say for Aldonza here I had ta just make stuff up there - didn't mean to offend or muss up a classical tune" she pauses here "I'm sure there will be time to share an oldie but goodie I know, maybe..." naming off several tunes here most probably none of which anyone here would recognize.
To Grams "Ahoy there Newcomer - And there ya have it - I'm Tao, Miladistra's partner in tune as needed - I do love to play you know, grew up with it I did!" She jumps a little here in excitement seemingly recalling a joyous childhood - and not a moment later notices the dwarven woman's religious effects "I think we'll get along here well, you and I?"
And then she remembers "Wait what did the gorgon say to the basilisk?!?" the anticipation is so much to bear for poor Tao!
Meanwhile, while the adults talk, Jesselle runs after Deroff "Good puppy atta boy whut's yer name?" preventing the poor dog from rest...
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Another Twolegs runs up to Deroff and pets him. Deroff allows it. Dad said there would be days like this, and entertaining the younger Twolegs was a kind gesture to their tribe.
But he's not gonna fetch anything. The other canines can deal with that stuff.
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"What brings all of us here?" Grams asks with a smile. "The Pathfinder Society!
"I know, I know, I look a bit old, but ... well, I didn't start adventuring until the kids were grown, you know. After my husband passed on, I had nothing but time on my hands, and they all insisted I follow the old dream," she explains. "So, here I am. Ready to have some adventures!"
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There is a loud clinking and clanking of pots and pans, along with an assortment of weapons that seems to be steadily approaching the relaxed group of Pathfinders. A smell of burnt grease and garlic surrounds this strange mound of kitchen implements, being held up on two short and stocky blue legs. With a crash, the stack of kitchen utensils falls to the floor.
Bedecked with blades of all types, from rusty old weapons to nice shiny hatchets and kitchen knives, a blue skinned goblin emerges from the stack of kitchen utensils. The goblin wears a creased chef's off-white hat, splattered with grease and other foreign bodies, an whiteish-brown apron coloured with both dried blood and stains of various shades from beetroot to saffron, with the odd burn mark. In one hand she holds a shiny sharp kitchen knife or hatchet in one hand, whilst in the other a bottle of liquid refreshment is available for consumption. On the floor her backpack has pots and pans falling off it, along with the famous goblin weapons of choice sheathed at her side.
"Heard the singy-songy and muzak, so dis mus'n bee the place!" She takes a swig from her bottle, "Nikebei's the name, cookin's the game! at yours service." she bows and bangs her head on the handle of a black and copper pot jutting at an unkind angle from the floor. She turns her head back around looking behind her, "Who's dun dat?" As she turns back, her lips are pursed in annoyance. "Well, I's got some rat tail stew to heat up, anyone want a bite?" A big grin goes from blue ear to blue ear.
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Jesselle barely notices the goblin, having ruffled Deroff's head hair with continuous petting and no end in sight.
"You alright there?" Tao says as she observes the strange creature crawl out from it's own set of utensils. Seeing the incoming "bonk" before Nikebei, Tao moves her hand to prevent it, but is too late to stop the blue goblin from hitting it's head on the black and copper pot - and winces as it all unfolds rapidly "Oof" she exasperates.
And then something truly auspicious happens!
Grandmother Ben - one of the spirits that haunts Tao, reaches out an ethereal hand to Grandmother Nikebei, looking to shake!
Deroff endures the small one's torture. Protect the head! Roll over slightly and expose the belly, it can withstand the punishment! Just a bit longer!
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Nikebei smiles at the gathered Pathfinder's but is a little concerned that the food offered might not be to everyone's taste, "If you don't likes that, I has 'Queue de rongeur avec les legumes'." She beams, before her attention is taken by something happening behind her. She looks intently into the space behind at something few can see, well no-one other than Tao maybe. "Gran, now don't yous be going and gettings trouble. You's here to help mes cook cook."
Turning back she straightens her chef's hat, trying to get the least dirty side to face forward, before looking busily from side to side, "Nos, mes not Loolas, dont sees her. Was she looks like? Ans dont yous worry bout them rats, wes eat them one the ways here. Theys was roasting nice." her eyes glaze at the memory as she smiles at Grams.
"Sos it was yous pretty lady Miladistras wots made them tunes. Nice an sweet theys were. Is can hit mes pots, be like the drummer if'n yous wanna band." she skips in the air, with excitement at the thought. "Sees this big pot, makey deep ground bang, small pot is likey birdy tweet, well bang!"
Then spying the dog, goes for one of her knives, "Looky, fresh meat. Wants me to cook cook it?"
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"Oh no, please." Miladistra smiles and makes a mental note to keep Deroff away from the goblin. "I'm on a strict no-meat diet. Makes me a bit queasy."
"Now percusshun is always welcome. You set the beat, we give the tone." Keep this goblin distracted from making filet of her wolf. "What's your favorite tune? Maybe I can follow.
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Jesselle ceases her petting for the moment to get up and protest on Deroff's behalf, doing her best with her small body to block the large dog from the blue goblin's view.
Meanwhile, her cousin Tao observes Nikebei go to straighten her chef's hat - all sides of it being quite covered in one sauce or other staining agent or another - and she says to herself "Yes Gramma Ben you can sort it" as if someone by that name was standing next to her asking permission. Tao's eyes cloud over, and a barely visible spirit reaches out and crosses the space between her and the Chef - the shape of an elderly woman with a slow but steady walk and shaking hands who grabs a piece of fabric and begins wiping Nikebei's hat clean!
The ghostly figure adds some spices to the Rat Stew, and samples it herself - the fluid rises by an invisible force and splashes back into the bucket - an ethereal voice exclaims "Ah - that'll do the trick" - and the apparition hovers in place, eager to render additional services as need to either Nikebei and/or her grandmother!
Finally, Tao scolds Nikebei! "Deroff is not for eating, any more than you or I are - think of her as a friend transformed into a dog, but happy in her new body!" offering the eager chef a rationale if she can't find her own. She continues "And when the time comes, you may find yourself standing side-by-side with this friend, defending all of us from danger!"
Her words are sharp here, but her demeanor is warm.
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With Miladistra seemingly liking the bashing of the pots, a syncopated rhythm that a five year old would be proud of, the goblin is very pleased. With her spirits high, it comes as a shock when her revelries are interrupted by Tao's sharp words and finding a clean hat on her head. Especially as she feels Grandma's presence, and she is not happy with any talk of eating dogs.
"Oh, no! No eatey Deroff, nice dog dog! Not a pot dog! Nikebei understand."
Nikebei takes off her hat and starts to look around, before making her way into the pile of kitchen ware she carries around with her. Shaking her head she sits scratching her chin and thinking....
Later Nikebei is seen removing rat's tails from the stew that is held in a basic wooden bowl. Her fingers reaching in, splashing the hot liquid and vegetables about and onto the floor as the tails are pulled out and thrown in the large black pot cooking on the fire. She looks at Aldonza, "See no rats here!!" she wipes her fingers on her chef's hat, leaving stripes of gravy stain.
"Everyone happy, we goes, wes have fun, wes together. Nikebei cook cook nice. Wes wait for big Society guy to tell us what wes do. Nikebei cook cook, hit hit, What Nikebei doos."
Deroff stands up, gives Jesselle a passive but pleasant look, before cautiously pawing up to Nikelbei. He gives the goblin a curious sniff before sniffing into the stew pot. Reminds him of chewing on a fresh kill after an exciting chase. Tastes like victory, but it's much warmer.
And saltier.
And some kind of fine herbs, too.
Deroff begins lapping down on the liquid, quite satisfied.
The chartered ship from Absalom sails up the River Porthmos until it circles north past an island stronghold. As it rounds the river’s final bend, the ship sails into a bustling harbour filled with people and vessels from all across the Inner Sea. A gargantuan bridge spans the wide river, connecting the southern bank to the vast city of Oppara. To the north rises an enormous, weatherworn dome on top of a hill otherwise covered with beautiful old buildings and manicured gardens.
Grandbridge is the largest district of Oppara, world-renowned for the international trade it facilitates through its import-export firms, markets, factories, and warehouses.
You each carry with you a missive from Venture-Captain Muesello bidding you to meet him at his bait and tackle shop that serves as a front for the Pathfinder Lodge.
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Jack♢, a pale-skinned elven man, spent the sea voyage assisting with various seafaring activities. He had introduced himself under the alias of Jack of Diamonds, after a playing card. He's clearly a habitual gambler and is seldom seen without a deck of playing cards being shuffled in his deft hands. In his own words, Jack♢ is "an acquisitions expert" who joined the Pathfinder Society to expand his repertoire of tricks and cheats. He wears fashionable but cheap-looking clothes.
As the ship docks at the Grandbridge harbor, Jack♢ descends from the crow's nest and starts shuffling his deck once again.
"Enjoyed the voyage? I did: these sea dogs liked losing coin," he refers to the co-sailors, a smug grin emerging in his lips. "And now, another round at the Pathfinders' games. Must be a lucky day."
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"Well, at least that was a shorter trip than to Minkai," Grams says as they disembark, making sure no one needs any of the spearmint leaves she had tucked in her pouch.
"Jack♢, I hope you played fairly. Those poor sailors are working hard for their money, and you know the Society doesn't always pay that well," she scolds him.
She looks around Oppara, trying not to compare it with Absalom. Maybe she won't end up in this city's sewers, at least.
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On the ship, Jesselle attached herself at the hip to Jack♢, bugging him with questions like "Are you a real pirate?" and "Why did you stick that card in your sleeve?" and to the other sailors "You're not very good at this game, are you?" - and of course, this would all be before she eventually stole the captain's hat striving to impress her new role model!
(And to which, she had already received her scolding from her "big sister" - a term they use even though both are technically cousins of some declension)
Tao nods in agreement in Grams, or rather, shakes her head in disapproval. But Jesselle beams instead!
In any case, Tao's eyes widen in awe at the splendorous size of Oppara, as well as the stone, marble, granite, and brick building that align it's vast streets.
"Another big city - Ooh, this is so exciting!" she looks over at Aldonza, a comrade with whom they had spent their most recent mission in Katheer "Think we'll be chasing merchants around this city too?" she wonders at her, mouth agape at the sprawling city around her.
As they stroll into Grandbridge, with it's warehouses, factories, shopping squares, open-air markets, currency exchanges, and import/export businesses, Tao struggles to keep "on mission", barely resisting her strong urges to just wander around the district to "see everything" and show up hours - or even days! - late.
But eventually, as being in a position to chaperone Jesselle from doing just the same causes her to pause in self-reflection and center herself, she arrives at a bait and tackle shop - perhaps Muesello's?...
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”Oh, I’d count on it!”, Aldonza replies to Tao. ”If that’s what we were called for, so much the better, but if we have to go shopping on our own later...” She gives an exaggerated shrug, as if to say Oh well...
She accepts a mint leaf from Grams. ”Why thank you!”, she says, as she starts to chew. ”I don’t want to meet anyone important, smelling like dried fish”
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Miladistra keeps her distance from Jack. She's not a gambler and she's not a liar either. Well, okay she lies sometimes. Okay, she lies a lot, but it's more of a survival tactic than anything.
Oppara's noise and stench overwhelms her as they disembark and she has to meditate to dull her senses. Uncle said there would be days like this..." She shifts uncomfortably in the big city.
It wasn't too bad on the ship. No place to run, but most of the crew left him alone. They reeked of sweat, fishwater and oranges. Citrus wasn't Deroff's thing.
Another human on board, kept quiet. Upset the missus. These bipedals are always a mystery.
Deroff finally got off the ship and couldn't wait to run around the dirt, but the missus entered the den of bipedals. So Deroff followed. Nilaglade did warn him the environment would change frequently.
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Nikebei blinks as she comes back on deck, having spent most of the voyage under the deck in the galley, cooking and cleaning for the passengers and crew.
Nikebei is excited to be in such a big and old city as Oppara, especially as they are asked to go to a bait and tackle shop. Hopping and skipping through the city, she explains that her speciality is cooking fish and chips and there's nothing like frying fresh caught fish.
She sticks with Gram, "Yous even more old than my Gran. Yous looks after mes and Is makes yous nice food, cos I cook, cook." She smells the air, and her eyes pop out as they pass street vendors selling their freshly cooked foods. The smell of barbecued meats, marinated in sweet and spicy sauces.
With her mind directed to food, she vaguely hears Miladistra mention something about being followed. She nudges Tao, "Why not just nip into an alley and bash 'em a bit! I got me best set of kitchen knives! I goes buy them foot nasties, them calytropes, make 'em dance for us!"
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Nikebei looks after Miladistra and turns to Grams, "You knows, dem lady pointy ears are really strange. What's she doing? Her doggy friend seems to be chasing her!!!" she blurts out rather louder than she meant. She fiddles around in her clothes to bring out a set of brown balls held together by rope, "Mees trippy balls, longshanks calls dem bolas, but I tried that, bowling dem, but it didn't work. Longshanks funny folks too!"