Longroads Coffeehouse 2.0

Game Master chadius

Though one or two of you have some doubts, everyone eventually agrees that speed is key and with funds being tight, it might be wisest to seek passage aboard the Opportune. Captain Payne is there to greet you as you pay the fee and walk up the creaking gangplank. "Welcome aboard, welcome aboard! She may not look like much, but the Opportune is built for speed!" the dwarf remarks. "I stripped off every part that's not necessary to ensure I'll get ye wherever ye want to be, posthaste!"

He gives the vessel a slap, and the sound echoes throughout the ship. On the other side of the vessel, a clunk can be heard, followed by a sploosh as something hits the water. "That's probably nothing. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh, speed! Aye, you'll be in Cassomir in three days. Of course, this speed does come at a price. Ye'll all have to bunk together in the same room as the crew, and there's only enough cargo room for two meals a day. But that's fine, right? Of course it is!"

Once everyone is aboard and captain and crew make their preparations, the ship glides away from the dock and sets course for Cassomir. Unfortunately, you soon realize that sometimes when you buy cheap, you really do get cheap. The Opportune has clearly had nearly every piece of it replaced at one point or another, and some pieces more than once. Though he boasted of the vessel's speed, the hull springs leaks on a regular basis which necessitates several stops at other ports to make repairs and slows you down considerably - even with Stitch (likely) lending his own expertise to help with repairs. By the time you finally, finally reach Cassomir, eight days have passed. Given that it's now been a little over two weeks since Rain in Cloudy Day was expected to check back in, it's certainly going to be more difficult to pick up his trail in the city. Still, there's nothing else to do but continue on as best as you can and at least you do have a starting point in the city - the Three-Legged Frog Inn, where Rain was supposed to be staying.

Prim and proper.
Check your dress for barnacles and beer stains.
Try not to say I told you so.

The Opportune keeps up with the Mimosa for most of the first day, until the captain calls everyone for help to drain water from the hull while he makes an emergency stop and he makes repairs. She watches the Mimosa blaze by into the horizon while she wards off several drunkards asking if she can help their loneliness. Khiari promises to explain what that means, later.

By day seven the crew are asking her to summon her sister- they enjoy her stories and reports of the First World, and she manages to keep up everyone's spirits. Bella is happy to oblige as it keeps them away from her. And Khiari interviews as many as she can.

When they leave the ship, Bella breathes a sigh of relief. "Let us reach the Three-Legged Frog Inn, post haste. I've seen enough water to last a lifetime."

"That's too long for a ride if we are in a rush! That captain should be sued," Nicole says in a discouraged voice. "Well, you get what you pay for." she concedes on what happened. "Let's go ahead to the inn. Maybe people there know him and where he went!"

Roark gets off the boat, stiff and sore from sleeping on the hard deck.

"Another round on me!" Finn calls to the barkeep upon settling into the inn, slamming down another shot of whiskey. "It was called the hic Opportune 'cuz hic it gives us the opportunity ta drink, paaaals."

"How was I supposed to know the rudder was just going to fall off mid trip? You'd think he'd have a spare or two kicking around. Never even listened to my advice, kid had too much sea water between his ears."

Fully disappointed with the writer(s) missing the 'boat' on giving the characters some control over that scene. Putting in some skill checks to mitigate/influence that makes a lot of sense to me. But maybe we just failed the gathering info part to avoid the situation all together. /shrug.

Stitch pops his back a few times and hops up on Meat Wagon "Yep, let's get to the inn and see what a few rounds of free beers will get us?" He drops it into first and squeals the tires.

Roark gets off the boat, stiff and sore from sleeping on the hard deck.

Hrm, I kinda expected he'd have slept in the Crow's Nest.

Though disappointed with how the trip to Cassomir went, you try to keep your spirits up as you make your way to the Three-Legged Frog - notable for the signage which depicts a frog standing up on its hind legs with a stream of drool from its mouth acting as the third leg to help keep its balance. It's difficult to decide if it's charming, silly, or simply bizarre.

As you head inside, a middle-aged halfling woman standing behind the bar looks up and gives you a cheery wave. "Good morning! Welcome to the Three-Legged Frog! Name's Aganis. What I can get for you today?"

The first answer to her question is, of course, obvious as Finn immediately sets about ordering drinks for everyone as you settle in at the bar. It's still fairly early in the day so the inn's common room isn't especially busy or crowded - yet.

Bella carefully sniffs Pal's drink and promptly passes it to Khiari. "Madame Aganis, I rather enjoy the depiction of your mascot. It leaves much to the imagination. Perhaps when my work is done I can ask about your inspiration." She looks back with a curious glance and a mental note to sketch the logo.

Duty eventually overwhelms her curiosity. "A request, if I may: I am looking for a coworker named Rain in Cloudy Day. I was supposed to meet with him approximately 3 weeks ago. He is a leshy, a plant-based spirit about your height."

Khiari scoops up Bella's mug and clinks it against her own. "Bella won't get drunk unless she can identify the fruit." She begins alternating mugs.

"Man, this is good stuff! Hey! Are Three-legged Frogs native to here? It's really cute!"

Roark plops himself down on a nearby table with a groan. "Even a perch would be nice after that trip. I'll get a mug of ale and some food, thank you..."

Stitch looks around the empty frog and sighs "Not too many people we can ask just yet, pace yourself Pal. Some food sounds good, who survives on only two meals a day for over a week?" Stitch takes a seat next to Roark and shifts his eyes back and forth looking for some sort of menu and pondering what the Tengu ordered.

"Ya, food, and a walking, talking mushroom guy. Seen 'em?"

"I would like some milk if you have," Nicole orders the halfling woman what she would like to have for the day. "Well, I would like to also have a boiled egg and some soup of mushrooms." she adds, while glancing momentarily to Roark when she mentions egg, and outside the window when it is mushrooms.

"I would like some milk if you have," Nicole orders the halfling woman what she would like to have for the day. "Well, I would like to also have a boiled egg and some soup of mushrooms." she adds, while glancing momentarily to Roark when she mentions egg, and outside the window when it is mushrooms.

"Oh ya, those sound good, if you skip the milk and make it a nice thick milk stout instead."

Nicole looks at Stitch with a puzzled face. "I am not sure what drink is that but I think I would not like it. Does it taste sweet? What kind of milk is that?" she asks him.

"Oh! Well, you know how it is, you need something eye-catching to get people in the door," the halfling replies, clearly pleased with Bella and Khiari's compliments on the inn's namesake. She continues chatting as she bustles about getting your drinks and food. "My husband Roland came up with the name; swears he saw a giant three-legged frog out in the swamps one time. I don't know if I believe the story or not, but the idea stuck just the same and here we are!"

When Bella inquires about Rain in Cloudy Day, Aganis looks puzzled for a moment and then a look of recollection dawns as Stitch gives a slightly more detailed description of the missing leshy. "Ohhh...I'm terribly sorry, I don't know much about your missing friend," she answers with a shake of her head. "My husband managed things when he visited and he's out doing errands right now. He'll be back in a few hours, don't worry. In the meantime, you might want to secure lodgings, yes? It'll be awfully late once Roland gets back, and you surely don't want to go looking for your friend after dark."

"I can, of course, whole-heartedly recommend you our luxury suites, with alchemically enriched foods and magically heated beds," Aganis continues with a wide smile. "It'll be five gold pieces per person, but I guarantee you'll never taste food so rich, or feel beds this soft. Of course, if that's above your budget, our standard-fare rooms are two and a half gold pieces per person. Your meals are still prepared by yours truly and the beds are firm, but clean."

Here, she pauses and leans in close, lowering her voice slightly. "And if, ah, your funds are low, there's always the hostel down the street. Just one gold piece per person gets you a roof over your head and some straw to sleep on. I wouldn't recommend it, personally, but it's better than nothing."

Bella nods politely, but lights up as Aganis mentions the luxury suite. "Ah, that would be splendid. Much better than some of our previous... accommodations."

She pauses as she hears the other options. "And yet, frugality weighs us down. Perhaps we may purchase the standard fare rooms?" She turns to her allies. "What say you?"

"Standard fare room sounds good to me. I hope the beds are not as clunky as those we had on the ship. My body still aches from sleeping there for many days." Nicole agrees to Bella.

"I for one, wouldn't mind the luxury suite. I'm still aching from sleeping on the deck. I've still got splinters in my tail feathers."

"I think I need ta lie down," Finn groans. "Any room is good at this point. I'll even take the floor. hic"

"Standard for me. Gotta save some beer money. Maybe a quick nap before dinner." Stitch agrees with most before scratching his greasy bald head Can you even get a splinter in a feather? Aren't they mostly like big splinters already?

Stitch gives Finn a shoulder to lean on, picking up his trusty magnifying glass and taking a gander through it around the bar top. Maybe I could mount some of these on Meat Wagon.. fry some ants with them?

So while the scenario specifies that everyone has to travel on the same boat to get here, it does *not* say that everyone has to purchase the same quality of rooms.

"Okay, so...that's three of you for the standard setup, one for our luxury accommodations (nice choice), and one that's good for anything," Aganis confirms. "I'll mark you down for standard for now but let me know if you change your mind and want to upgrade. Same goes for the rest of you folks, okay? Okay!"
______________

After taking a little time to unwind with a good meal and a few drinks, some of you decide that it can't hurt to head out and ask around town about Rain in Cloudy Day. Besides, you need *some* way to kill some time until Roland returns in a few hours and you may as well attempt to be productive, right?

Rolling for Bella, Roark, and Finn to save a little time. If Stitch and Nicole also want to ask around, go ahead and give me a Diplomacy (Gather Information) check with a -2 penalty.

Roark has trouble learning much of anything; it seems that so much time has passed that a lot of folks who might've encountered or seen the missing leshy have forgotten any details that could have been helpful. Bella and Finn have better luck though, as they learn that Rain in Cloudy Day showed up late due to bad weather and had to pay increased costs at the inn as a result. His provisions and the pack mule that he’d stabled at the Three-Legged Frog inn were promptly stolen, which isn't an uncommon occurrence given the plight of some of the city's citizens. Still, he intended to press on with his agenda and left the next day to meet the guide he'd hired to take him into Blackwood Swamp. No one's seen the leshy since...

I will pass for this one.

"The only way to get splinters out is with a hot bath." Khiari mumbles to Roark. "Unlike these thin skins, splinters are hard to pick out."

---

Khiari has so much fun talking to people. Bella keeps quiet and lets her sister handle conversing with potential thieves and cutthroats.

"Okay, so Rain in Cloudy Day seems to be persistent, but maybe not practical. Looks like we need to go to Blackwood Swamp next!"

"Well, after a good night's rest, first. Sis needs to help me clean up."

Stitch passes on slogging around through town and opts to chill at the inn, nursing cheap ale while he doodles on bar napkins. Gotta mount those bigger pistons somewhere solid and out of the spray zone hrm... Maybe some wipers for the zombie guts?

He does make some growling noises at people that get to close to his drawings or that seem to want to make useless chit chat. I think its best for everyone if Stitch's -3 diplomacy keeps to himself.

Finn awakens, and he's seen downing a bottle of thick, pink liquid, his face contorting in disgust. "Not sure what's worse, the hangover, or this stuff!"

He gathers himself up and fills the party in. "Seems our guy is in Blackwood Swamp, pals. Lost his mule and other goods, stolen right from here, so I guess he went without supplies. Wonder if we can find someone to tell us how to get there."

As it turns out, finding someone to offer some advice on getting into the swamp is one of the easier tasks you've had. When you head back to the Three-Legged Frog for your evening meal you learn that Aganis' husband Roland has returned from his errands and he's able to offer a little more insight into the matter.

"Rain in Cloudy Day? Yeah, I remember the fella. Nice mushr-er, person, though he seemed a little haggard," Roland nods. "He said his boat got caught in a storm and got delayed, and then the moment he set foot in the city he got robbed of most of his things. Even had his pack mule stolen from the stables here. We, uh, we decided we needed to beef up our security around the place after that," he adds, looking rather embarrassed. "But he was bound and determined to head out into the swamp, provisions be damned. I still can't decide if he was brave or just stupid. Anyway, that's been, oh...gosh, about three weeks ago, now? We haven't seen or heard from him since."

Roland gives the group an appraising look. "If you want to go there yourselves, it's not too hard to find - just head north out of the city and you'll see the ground turns swampy pretty quick. Plenty of dangers to be had out there but there's safety in numbers and you folks look like you can probably handle yourselves alright."

"Thank you. Your assistance is much appreciated." Bella gives a quick curtsy before turning to her allies.

"Sounds like we may be able to catch up if we hurry. Mister Rain in Cloudy Day had as much luck as we did."

Stitch chuckles at Pal's beverage of choice "Next time pour it in a mug and yer team won't be the wiser!" He gives him a solid slap on the back, then steals the man's bowl of greasy peanuts.

"This Rainy guy in the Clouds sure sounds like a lucky duck. Storms, robbed, probably gonna find him tied to a skewer over an ogre's fire pit next to a hind quarter of venison." He pops a salty nut up in the air, failing to catch it in his mouth.

"This guy have on any kind of clothing that we'd maybe recognize? A certain color or something?"

Reflex: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Roark follows the nut Stitch tossed and manages to catch it in his beak before it hit the ground. Of course he also managed to slightly push Stitch out of the way.

"Mmmm.. this is good. Where'd ya get it Stitchy?"

"Stole it from Hangover Helper over here. Haven't you ever had bar peanuts before? Salty snacks so you buy more drinks?" He shakes his head crazy bird doesn't get out much does he?

"I hope Rain is safe wherever the leshy maybe." Nicole says more worriedly, now that they are much delayed by the slow trip they had from the ship going to Cassomir.

Roark nods his agreement. Shall we go find our missing mushroom?

"This guy have on any kind of clothing that we'd maybe recognize? A certain color or something?"

"Naw, he was actually dressed for travel, like you folks," Roland answers. "But y'know, his little mushroom cap was purple. I don't know if that'll help narrow it down any - don't know a lot of fungus-type leshys - but maybe it will. Besides, how many fungus leshys are going to be out in the swamp, anyway? If you find one with a purple mushroom cap, then it's probably safe to say you've found your fungi."

Though worried for Rain's safety, the sun has nearly set and it wouldn't do you much good to head out into the swamps now. So you make your preparations and settle in for the night, planning to head out bright and early the next morning. Most of the group enjoys a good evening meal and a good night's sleep in the Frog's standard-quality rooms while Roark (who was willing to pay a little more) gets what feels like the royal treatment, having never tasted food quite so rich or slept on a bed that felt like the world's softest, puffiest cloud. (Roark gains a benefit from this, which I'll explain when it becomes relevant :)) You rise just before dawn the next morning and strike out of the city to the north, ready to take whatever Blackwood Swamp can throw at you.
______________

Just as Roland said, it doesn't take long after passing through the city's northern gate before the terrain turns decidedly wet and boggy. The air grows hot and humid and your feet sink slightly into the ground with every step. Mosquitoes and other insects buzz about, the droning occasional punctuated by the croaking of a frog or the chirping of a bird. You can't help but feel that you've got a long day ahead...

Please let me know if you're changing up your Exploration Activity from what's currently listed on the macro sheet!

Nicole had a better sleep in the inn's bedroom than she had on the ship. "I had a good rest yesternight than I had when we were on the ship." she shares with them. She is now ready to go to find Rain in Cloudy Day.

Exploration activity: Avoid notice

Roark awakens, refreshed and wide-eyed.

"That was the best sleep I've had in days! Especially after that horrible boat ride. My feathers are all so shiny! Ahhh. Even the food looks good!" He tucks into the delicious meal in front of him, tossing nuts into the air and catching them with his beak in full view of Stitch.

Same Exploration Activity

Colour has returned to Finn's face after a second cozy night at the inn, regal bed or not. He stalks ahead, a magnifying glass in each hand, examining the frogs, birds, trees carefully. "So he's a leshy, eh? Might blend in easily with this place. Gotta keep our eyes peeled, Gumshoe style!"

Avoid Notice

"Yes, we will find that entertaining mushroom." Bella grins as Khiari groans. "Good day to you."

"Best to travel in the morning. Let us hope our ally is used to sleeping outdoors."

Bella spends the night jealous of Roark. He's probably getting the foot massage of a lifetime right about now. Or maybe a feast fit for a duke. The bed must be so soft and fluffy. Bella feels her bed and has to even out some of the straw manually.

Khiari stumbles into the room, reeking of barley and ale. "Man, they got some good stuff. One drink made my hairs stand on end. Phew!" She plops on the ground, next to bed and burps. "G'night, sis. Love ya. Bedbugs are cute."

---

In the morning, Khiari asks Finn to pass the pink stuff as she manages to drink some. "Ugh! It's like you dissolved a bunch of rocks in water. Hey sis, you want some? I'll make it bubbly, just the way you like it."

Bella rolls her eyes. "I warned you not to drink too much." She takes another spoonful of cereal. "Once we are on the road, I shall scout ahead. Khiari is a bit too... sick to help in that regard."

Scouting!

Same as the macros for Stitch: Search.

"Don't come squawking to me when you're out of beer and nuts because you dropped all your coin on a feather bed Roark." Stitch loads up Meat Wagon for the swampy trek. Should have put some deep mudders on for this place, guess I'll have to find some for next time.. why did we take a mission in a swamp anyhow?

While Bella leads the group and most of the others creep along quietly, Stitch rides Meat Wagon rumbling along slinging mud at anyone unlucky enough to be too close and behind... namely Roark.

Who Gets it!?!: 1d3 ⇒ 2 Ha!

"You can use the mud to blend in better.. or maybe keep the flies off?" He chortles and revs the engine.

"HEY! SQUAWK!" Roark lets out an indignant squawk as Meat Wagon spatters mud all over his shiny black feathers.

"Shhhh..." Khiari puts a finger in front of her lips before rubbing her temples. She covers her ears as Meat Wagon kicks into gear. "Ugh, everything is so loud..."

You trudge along through the swamp, some of you taking advantage of all the noise Stitch and Meat Wagon make to try and blend in with your surroundings while others keep their eyes peeled for any signs of the missing leshy. The going is slower than you'd like, though there are some game trails here and there that at least give you something of a path to follow.

After about an hour or so of trudging along, Stitch and Meat Wagon suddenly screech to a halt, spraying mud in all directions and causing the rest of you to come to a stop as well. He points at a section of ground just up ahead, roughly 15 feet wide - though it looks firm enough, when Nicole lobs a small branch into the area it lands with a wet *splat*...and then sinks out of sight. It's a patch of swampy quicksand but thanks to Stitch's keen eyes and Nicole's knowledge of getting along in the wilds, the surface has been disturbed enough that you can easily move around it and continue on.

"Careful everyone. You might not want to sink on a swampy quicksand." Nicole warns everyone. "Maybe we should go around it." she adds while heaving a sigh of relief after they have discovered the swampy quicksand. But her mind is now running a scene of whoever might accidentally step into the bog and be sucked down into it. She shakes her head off to erase such grim thought. She continues to walk cautiously.

Stitch throttles down, accidentally spraying some extra mud around "Hey you sneaky sneaks. How about you keep your eyes peeled for more stuff like this... or our mushroom friend. Need all the eyes we can get if we're gonna keep our heads above the mud."

He backs up and follows Nicole's route "Good eyes Nicole. I'll keep on your trail if you don't mind."

With the hazardous quicksand avoided (literally, you avoided a Hazard), you press onward. The next several hours pass without incident and you manage to cover a fair bit of ground in spite of the swampy terrain.

It's roughly mid-afternoon when your progress once more comes to a halt as you reach a section of swamp where a large downed tree trunk blocks the way forward. As you get nearer to the tree your presence catches the attention of some of the local wildlife - you hear a loud *RIBBIT* as three giant frogs emerge from the nearby bogs. The bad news is that they look awfully hungry. The good news is that all of you have been quite watchful ever since the close call with the quicksand and thus are ready to act!

The Recall Knowledge skill for these is Nature.
______________

Round 1

Finn
Bella
>Khiari
Stitch
>Meat Wagon
Nicole
Roark
==============
Giant Frogs

Active Conditions:

Environmental Conditions: Green Areas = Shallow Bog (Difficult Terrain for Medium Creatures; Small Creatures Must Swim)

Everyone may act!

Swamp Trail

Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

"Oh hey. Frogs. Big frogs." Khiari adjusts her eyesight. "I think I remember these. Something about their special attacks. One sec..."

Bella takes the moment to move up to the tree trunk and begins rapping her knuckles on it, trying to create a percussive rhythm that will fascinate the toad.

Performance: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Khiari calls out. "Sis. That's too loud for a mating call. Not every frog is a cursed prince."

◆ Khiari Recall Knowledge
◆ Bella Strides
◆ Bella uses >Fascinating Performance< vs Red's Will DC, probably failed

"Swamp frogs.. big ones.. guess our old choice is to test our skills against theirs!" He drops the throttle into low gear and pulls out the WD40 can.

Overdrive: Standard Craft Check, DC16?: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

With a quick lube both he and Meat Wagon are running smoothly. He draws out his pistol and gives the frogs a good look, leaving Meat Wagon purring in its current position.

Recall Knowledge Nature!

How many actions to jump up onto the log?

"Biggest frogs I've ever seen!" Finn adds, staring down the creatures to try and see if he can remember what they are...

Nature with Assurance for 13

Nicole draws her shortbow and gets close to one of the giant frogs. She then flies a bolt onto it.
Shorbow Attack vs Red: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Shortbow Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4 piercing damage

The log that is blocking in front of her seems too high for her aim to be precise.

◆ Interact to draw a weapon
◆ Stride
◆ Strike