Corwynt appears as a black dressed, slender and tall figure. A hood can be seen hanging from his cloak, though he removed it when he came in. His long hair is strategically hanging over the left side of his head. He seems nervous and curious, as he's watching for potential winners, even though he knows it's still too early. At the bar, he asks for any non-alcoholic beverage - he needs his senses at full capacity tonight.
-----Morrolan -----
Talen nods along with Morrolan as he details his plan, eyes widening at the offer of 25 silver. He mutters to himself, "Watch...don't talk...split it."
He looks at Morrolan, then nods, taking a nervous gulp of air, "Ok, I'll do it!" he says a bit loudly, as if trying to convince himself.
----- Molg -----
The man points to himself, echoing Molg, "Who me? You can call me Tog, Naxan Tog. I did some work for your boss a while back, that must be where
I saw you. Hard not to remember you!" he jests, flashing his broken smile once more.
"Working for yourself, eh? How's that goin', good enough to buy an associate of your ol'Boss a drink?" he asks.
---- Krystal ----
The elf carefully places another wager, then turns to Krystal, "Indeed. I currently reside in Riddleport. I find it...entertaining. "
---- Liza ------
At the entrance, the 'succubi' takes the modified contract and looks it over , her lips twitching with amusement. A quick look over her shoulder at one of
the guards, who nods, she turns back and signs it before handing it back to Liza, "Enjoy yourself, Liz"
Liza sits down to a game of Golem with two others, a handsome human with long blonde hair and a female halfing perched on a tall stool. After a few hands, it'
was just Liza and the halfling, when the cards were revealed, Liza's trio of 10 flesh cards had beat the halflings own trio of 5 Diamonds.
Then the dealer 'upped the golem', revealing the discarded cards....one a pair of 12 clubs! Liza won back her initial bet plus 7 gold!
---Brand----
The barkeep eventually makes his way over, holding up one hand when Brand offers any coin, "First drink is on the house, Sir Dwarf! Might I interest you in something of higher quality than swill?" he asks.
--- Corwynt ----
One of the barkeeps approaches as Corwynt gets to the bar. His eyebrows raise at the request for a non-alcholic drink, but offers up , "Of course, of course. The proprietor has supplied a variety of non-inebriating libations! Crystal clear glacier water from the nearby mountains, a fine cider from the orchards of Taldor, a sweet concoction of fruit juices popular in far away Katapesh....or this... " he says, reaching under the bar and placing a bottle of dark, almost black glass on the bar, " This is Blurg, a concoction of various herbs and roots and I believe prunes that is popular among the Orcs' of Belkzen!"
Of course! How didn't get think about it?
"Ah, I would have never thought orcs drank something without alcohol. Let's have a try!" he says, out of curiosity. While the barman pours some beverage in a glass, Corwynt asks, casually. "And who's the owner? I think he could be interested in having a chat with me."
She afterwards approaches Brand, knowing him a fair bit, and certainly hopeing to get in his good side.
Ah, Brand, how is the Lord in Iron treating you on this fine evening?
I would have a "Naughty Nocticula" bartender.
A combination of black current juice and a high powered Amber looking mead based Alcohol, the cocktail is somewhat easy to make. Both fluids have a similar density, meaning one can actually paint a message with the Amber looking booze.
If done correctly, the amber will, in a glass, look like an eye, or, if the bartender is actually Nocticulan and unafraid to show it, like Nocticulas unholy symbol.
Now, the abyssal version is based on a liquor from Larvae, rather then Amber, and the black current juice is also something else.
If you prefer to not gamble yourself, I would propose you tag along, you are hard to lie too, and I would rather not be on my own after winning too much. How do 10% of the winnings sound like?
Ill play Golem once more, then cool it down a bit Liza thinks
Mholg's beady eyes narrow at Naxan's features;
"Z-Zircher has lot of men. Tog maybe one. Maybe no. M-Mholg no care."
The brute draws the attention of the barkeep to Tog and points;
"Ale for Tog. Ale for M-Mholg."
He mulls the man's question, then shrugs as he answers in his slow, mumbling tone;
"C-Coin here. People here. M-Mholg here... Why Tog here?"
Krystal is more than happy to let the elf take the next bet. Having no opinion on Saul is at least a good sign of no animosity with the man, so she would press on. "If I may, what sort of entertainment do you enjoy the most around here? There's plenty of ways to enjoy yourself if you know where to look."
”Bah, I don’t need any winnings. I’m merely waitin for an opportunity tae lay a blessing of Gorum up aside anaether’s heid. That, an some information. Lead on and I’ll follaw ya. Dae ya kin this vankaskerkin chap? An can ya point him oot?” Brand says in response to Liza.
Heh, you do Flytings? I think they are a big thing of those following Gorum, the ghouls head thing may be a thing for you.
Liza saunters over to the Ghoullette board.
I have an alternative proposal She says loudly to the staff there.
5 Gold says I can outinsult the Ghoul She offers 5 gold as a bet.
-----Morrolan -----
Talen nods along with Morrolan as he details his plan, eyes widening at the offer of 25 silver. He mutters to himself, "Watch...don't talk...split it."
He looks at Morrolan, then nods, taking a nervous gulp of air, "Ok, I'll do it!" he says a bit loudly, as if trying to convince himself.
...
... Buy in for one of their cheap tables here is 25 silver; can't afford the gold tables myself. So the rules for this partnership are simple we both put in our own starting stakes, and we split any winnings either of us makes equally. Either of us can walk away whenever a game's finished." ...
Having come to a deal, Morrolan hands over the stake money, and waits, nursing his beer and watching Talen as he heads to the Skiffs table. Once Morrolan has finished his beer, he joins Talen for a game of skiffs, plunking down his own 25 gp. He requests his ancestors blessings loudly, as the storm is flipped
+ whatever benefit having a partner is worth...
+3 wis +1 guidance
Krystal turned around and raised an eyebrow. What's with this table and attracting tall ladies around here. Krystal herself wasn't that tall herself with the tip of her hair barely reaching Liza's shoulders.
Krystal grinned as she brought out 5 gold of her own. "I'll take the bet and do one better if you both take a shot at me."
--- Corwynt ----
Sliding the glass, now full of the orcish concotion, towards Corwynt, the barkeep responsds, "That's be ol' Saul Vancaskerkin! Made a come back dint' he? "
Then he frowns, "Why'd he want to chat with you?"
---- Liza and Brand -----
The barkeep's eyes widen as he sees the improbable, a dwarf turning down the offer of a free drink. But, he shrugs and turns to Liza as she makes her order. He get's a bit of a pained looks at her order, but goes back and makes the profane drink, purposefully muddying the concoction so no one may make the wrong assumption about him.
At the Golem table, Liza once again proves her mettle, netting another 9gp
----Morrolan -----
Playing a near perfect game Morrolan was able to come out ahead. However, Talen didn't do so well, but was able to win back his original wager.
---- At The Ghoulette Table ----
The croupier raises and eyebrow at Liza's offered wager and looks across the gaming floor to a man standing on a raised platform. Catching his eye, she jerks her head to get him to make his way over. After a moment he arrives and they have a quick whispered conversation. He looks a Liza then the rest of the players around the table, "If the table agrees to the wager... you can continue. The House will claim one quarter of any wagers won."
He receives a chorus of yeas, so he bows and retreats to his platform.
The croupier rubs her hands and says, "Place your bets..."
Two other gamblers place 5gp bets on the table and wait for the insults to fly.
The croupier indicates to Liza to hurl her best insult at Krystal....
---- Mholg ---
Tog takes his ale from the barkeep, and raises it in salute to Mholg, "Why is anyone here!? To win all that coin, of course! " he declares, then leans in to the big man, whispering conspiratorially, "But, ol Tog's got a system! Sure to win it all!"
He takes his free beer and take a long pull, smacking his lips, "You get me another , and maybe I'll share it with ya."
Ghoulette insult
Oi Hi there you ugly little Ghoul
your weak-ass taunts barely mask your drool
your maker gives the worst blow jobs of the Abyss
and even Goatface on his head does piss
So listen up and lap up that diss,
you whose face your mother wont miss!
Youre just a badly decapaciated fool
An out of date ghoul who is no longer cool
Is there anything you ever have done?
Other then increase the consumption of Rum?
The only use for your face with rotten gums
Is to beat it like 10 f*&*ing drums!
She looks at the Ghoullette and starts
Kellids in particular like to refer to demon lords with incredibly insulting nicknames, partly to ferret out infiltrators.
"Worst blow job in the Abyss" is a frequently used insulting nickname for Kabriri, demon lord of Ghouls.
Goatface, fully, "Goatface Dogtitsson, Demon Lord of motherf&$@ing and real estate fraud" is one for Baphomet
Before turning to Krystal
Oi, are you Sauls little girl?
Wanna give them taunts a swirl?
But in your brain which works half-assed
You see that you are effing outclassed
So listen little Pony who thinks shes a stallion
I am about to mount you like a lyrical battallion
So rejoice you oldly proportioned hellion
For one you wont be ignored like a Dandellion
But honestly, you two would make a pair
I effing promise noone would even stare
Although a picture of it would be quite a ware
As the psychic anguish from seeing it few would dare!
Corwynt tries not to show his disappointment. "Ah, good old Saul. Is he around?" he tries to recover. "If he's busy, don't worry - I already work for him anyway. Let's have a taste of this!" he says, giving a good and deep sip to the glass.
"Damn. Now he's gonna inform Saul and half of my plan is wrecked. Got to be careful from now on."
Turning around, he once again has a look at the crowd.
He spots a half-demon girl playing at the Ghoulette, and she seems crazy good. Corwynt carefully closes in, awaiting the moment she finishes her turn,
"Hey, you seem good at this. You might actually earn some good coin. But that can attract unwanted attention..."
Assuming the girl does bother to pay attention, he goes on.
"Sorry. Corwynt here. I can help you keep your money and your health. Not free, of course, but cheaper than having a thug assault you at the alley."
He'll have to play low, then, and try to gather more than one client, or else Saul will quickly breath in his weird ears.
After the game, Morrolan heads back to the bar, to meet up with Talen again. He finds a hard to observe spot in a corner and waits...
"See, not a kids game afterall. Here's your half of the split"; Morrolan puts 17 silver on the table but covers them with his hand. "Ya can pay me back your stake money and we can both walk away, or do you want to try another table?"
Maybe once upon a time such insults would have gotten to her. Made her throw a punch or quip back. But instead she gave Liza a bow. "Nicely done, but you still have to match someone staying alive by pure spite. And I don't like your odds," she winked.
---- At the Ghoulette table ----
The croupier smiles at Liza's obvious talent, then spins the ghoul about before stopping it expertly...pointing directly at Liza!
The ghoul head fixes the Tiefling with it's dead eyes and shouts, "Every girl has the right to be ugly, you seem to have abused that privilege!"
Then the croupier spins the wheel , stopping it to look at Krystal. This time the ghoul head mutters sarcastically, "Anybody who told you to be yourself simply couldn't have given you worse advice..."
The croupier then looks about the crowd that had assembled to watch the competetion, indicating the ghoul head with one hand. A cheer rose up for the animated head. Then the croupier motioned towards Liza and a larger cheer erupted!
"The player wins." the croupier deadpans, collecting the bets, counting out the House's share and sliding the remaining 15gp to Liza.
With a smile she says, "Nicely done. But, the House has decreed that no more competition with the Ghoulette head is allowed, however amusing it may be."
Then giving the wheel a spin, she calls out to the assembled gamblers, "Place your bets...."
==== Morrolan ====
Eventually Talen returns and spies Morrolan sitting in the corner. When Morrolan offers him his 'share', Talen blinks, "But , I didn't win!"
You don't see any one of Vankaskerkin's description among the throng of gamblers. There are at least 6 bulky guards around the room and a couple of obvious supervisory types going about their business.
Liza gives the croupier a wink.
Before eying up Corwynt
You offer protection? Hmm, how about you demonstrate some appropriate capabilities dearie?
Before heading back to the Golem table.
Did you miss me darlings? She asks the golem table, which probably does not.
"Well damn girl." She magnanimously handed her own 5 gp to Liza. "Remind me to not to get in the way of that sharp tongue again," she chuckled.
But she wasn't done just yet, she followed the woman to the golem table. "Don't think I can let you off that easily," she smirked. "Let's see how ya fare player vs player." She collected her cards. "Wanna make it interesting again?"
Hmm, I noticed you have subtly changed a bit? Did my taunting trigger a suddeny increase of your abilities? She gives the mildly changed Crystal an eye over.
Wait, werent you Ragnars Girlfriend at one point? Tell him I said hi, he still didnt give me that rope back, effing merc cheapskate, just because he hulked up and got out of my bind, stupid abyssal bloodragers with their ridiculous Strength and on demand claws..., but sure, by my guest, lets gamble!
Krystal laughed in response. "That was years ago. Girl had to work somewhere while things were a bit hot to my liking." She looked over to the side before turning back towards yhe telling. "How about the winner also gains a favor from the loser."
==== Morrolan ====Eventually Talen returns and spies Morrolan sitting in the corner. When Morrolan offers him his 'share', Talen blinks, "But , I didn't win!"
Morrolan blinks twice as he takes this in and realizes that either he's dealing with a turnip made into a human via Polymorph any Object, or Talen has a much better idiot act than he wants to deal with... He says "You're right. Thanks for the game." Keeping his winnings (which leaves him up 10 sp after Talen's stake), he leaves Talen to nurse the 25 sp he's up (his stake), and takes wander about the room, looking for another potential partner... He spots the dwarf at the bar, scanning the room, and thinks "Why not, he can't be dumber than Talen was..."
Max 10 as it is untrained
+2 int+1 guidance
With Khaavren (his dog) loyally following at this heels, Morrolan walks up to Brand introduces himself: "Hi, I'm Morrolan. For a fellow at a gambling tournament, you don't seem to be playing much."
We can add a favor on top of the monetary winnings, if you can make it to the headsup that is Liza smiles.
Brand who has followed along with Liza as promised nods to Morrolan, ”I be hir lookin’ fur someone an havin’ no look. You kin anythin’ aboot Vankaskerkin?”
"Nothing much. It's well known that he got run out of town a while back. Now he's back and starting up again with this casino. He's holding this tournament as advertising. That's about it."
Mholg takes a gulp of ale and turns slowly, beady eyes surveying the throng within The Goblin as he leans in awaiting the imparting of Tog's wisdom...
"Well, I told you already, but in any case you don't have to risk your money. You only pay me at the end of the job."
”I be distracted, sorry boot that. I’m Brand, priest of Gorum.” Brand says as follow up to his earlier response and then offers his hand to Morrolan.
Morrolan shakes Brand's hand, and asks "So you're here on business, not having some fun... Why are you chasing after Saul so hard?"
"It's a bit o' a queer situation wit him a'coomin back noo. I want'a noo why." Brand says matter of factly. "Are ya here tae win your fortune?" he asks.
"Well, among other things, I no doubt could find a use for a fortune... But I'm not just here for that; like you I have things I want to know about. I'd guess the best tidbits will be where the money is flowing, so I want to win my way into the 'deeper pits'. Gambling's a bit of an iffy way to do that, too random, but Skiffs on the other hand, is a game of strategy. Have you ever played?"
As the evening sky darkens outside, several gamehall employees enter the gaming room, carrying torches shaped like pitchforks skewering burning heads made of straw and cloth.
They move to light several large braziers , giving the hall a more infernal hue.
The buzz of conversation hushes as a short man climbs to the central podium, accompanied by two gorgeous 'succubi', and stands before the gold , chain shrouded chest .
He wears a formal suit, and his thinning black hair is slicked back. His left arm ends in a stump just above the wrist and affixed to it is a bronze cap from which protrudes an oddly shaped key.
Tog slaps Mholg on the shoulder, "Good luck, big man. Thanks for the beer!" . He then drift into the crowd for a better look .
Those who know him, and those who've heard of him, recognize Saul Vancaskerkin immediately. He bows before the crowd before speaking:
"Welcome, one and all, to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall and your chance to cheat the Devil and win back not only your soul but all of his gold as well." He says this last as he pats the large chest before which he stands. "I hope you found your reception by the Devil’s lovely temptresses suitably entertaining.
This is met by a general murmur of laughter and a few catcalls.
"Let’s take this moment to thank Old Scratch himself for attending this event. Not only did he loan us these lovely, dark angels, but he also emptied the deepest vaults of Hell itself to provide the gold for this tournament."
With this, Saul directs the crowd’s attention up to the imp in the birdcage. At the sudden attention, Old Scratch flies into a flurry of rage, banging the cage bars, spitting, howling, and screaming vile epithets in Infernal at all assembled. His theatrics are received with guffaws and even a smattering of applause. As the crowd dies down, Vancaskerkin continues.
"Of course, he plans on replacing what he loses in gold with the souls of those of you who don’t win. The tournament rules are quite simple—as you play, you’ll earn more chips. And with those chips, you’ll be able to bribe your way out of the current Hell you’re trapped in, working your way down deeper until you get to Old Scratch’s treasury. Currently, all of you are Old Scratch’s prisoners in the first of the Hells, Avernus. If you want
to work your way down to the ninth circle, you need to win games. Each time you win, you’ll be awarded a golden eye. If you come in second, you’ll get a silver tooth. And third place wins a copper heart. These bits of flesh and bone are what the devils use in Hell for currency, and they’re what you’ll need to pay in order to bribe your way into the next layer of hell. The first player to win a game after reaching Nessus not only keeps his winnings for that game, but also earns back his soul and the ten thousand silver coins that the Devil put up for this tournament. You can, of course, decide to cash out your winnings at any time you want, but if you do, or if you run out of money entirely… well, that means Old Scratch gets you."
Vancaskerkin grins evilly and the caged imp cuts loose with another profane tirade. "And that earns you the Devil’s Mark and an escort out of the
game hall until the tournament is over. What, you ask, exactly is this Devil’s Mark? Well, it’s something too utterly horrible to even contemplate. The
forfeiture of your very soul, it is. But I suppose I can show you what it is—gods know I more than deserve the Devil’s Mark. In fact, better make it two, girls!"
With that, the two 'succubi' accompanying him lean over and each firmly plants a kiss on Saul’s cheek with her ruby-red lips. When they pull away,
their lip rouge has left clearly visible prints in the same shocking red on his cheeks. Saul beams as he cries out, "The Devil’s Mark, everyone!" which is greeted by a flurry of shouts, catcalls, and hoots. "Now, let’s cheat the Devil and take his gold!" which prompts one more rabid flurry from the imprisoned fiend above, and with that, the tournament begins.
Hmmm maybe Saul gets rid of "Totally not a Succubus" by afflicting her with an aneurysm, over all the "Devils lovely temptresses" stuff. Succububi are demons after all, and they dont particularly like devils.
Liza thinks, having read up a bit on Succubus lore, several of her smut books actually being reasonably accurate lore wise.
She gives the "Succubi" a glance over, winking at one of them she knows from a gig otherwise.
I do dig the getup, hej, isnt the one of the left straight from Act 16 of "the 66 unauthorized and fiendishly well-illustrated acts of Iomedae?" Specifically "Iomedae infiltrates the Succubus strip bar to rescue her horny bard friend"
Opening her mouth:
Mis on see vana kriimustus? Läheb meile kõigile teadmisteplaanide õppetunde andma selle absoluutse vääruse kohta? She generates some hype by concern trolling the Imp in his native infernal language.
Whats that Old Scratch? Going to give us all a knowledge planes lessons on the absolute wrongness of this?
"Of course, if someone can embrace evil so happily, that will be old Saul."
So it seems the big price comes now. Well, it starts now. But Corwynt doesn't want to risk his soul, and he doesn't have a single hope to win, so what to do?
"I need to find a winner."
He discretely has a walk around in search for potential participants and weighs the situation - always trying not to call Saul's attention too much.
Krystal whistled and clapped in applause as her man finally made his way to greet the masses. "Give it up to the man! He can sure make a comeback! And he's damn fine in that suit too."
With that over, she turned her attention towards Liza. "Hey, at least once you get the mark, you'll be in good company," she winked. "There's worse ways to go to the Abyss." She paused. "Well he said Hell in this case, but most people here wouldn't know the difference."
As Tog moves into the crowd without sharing his secret, the notion he has been cheated of a beer dawns on Mholg.
He finishes his own beer, grimacing at his own stupidity again.
Instead the brute begins to ponder how he will shift 10, 000 silver coins that the winner will "gift" him as their dying wish...
"I've seen it played boot I'm noot skilled in it tho." Brand replies. "I wood like tae see how far doon this rabbit hole goes tho'. Ya 'ave an idea?"
"Well, it's one of the few games on offer that's more of a strategy game than a luck of the draw," Morrolan shifts closer and speaks more quietly "With a partner at the table who will work with you though, things are a bit easier... The trick is to not make it obvious you're partners, or everyone else at the table will start making alliances. Buy in for one of their cheap tables here is 25 silver; can't afford the gold tables myself. So the rules for this partnership are simple we both put in our own starting stakes, and we split any winnings either of us makes equally. Either of us can walk away whenever a game's finished. Sound fair to you?"
While Brand is making his way over to the skiffs table, Morrolan stops by the organizing table to collect a badge for his previous win with Talen. (This to ensure they don't show up as immediately obvious partners.)
Then Morrolan heads over to the skiffs table Brand has chosen. After buying in for 25 sp, he again calls loudly for his ancestors aid as the storm is flipped...
+ whatever benefit having a partner is worth...
+3 wis +1 guidance
While playing, he also tries to help Brand do well as well...
vs DC10
+3 Wis
The staff member at the cashier shakes his head apologetically to Morrolan, "Sorry, Sir. Cheat the Devil tokens are only for wins after the competition has started. "
A bit later at the Skiffs table, Brand's intuition assists his assessment of the relative risks of various plays, netting him a solid win.
However, Brands' brand of play upset Morrolan's more practiced attempts, leaving him down 17sp.
Throughout the casino, the volume of the excited players has soared. Shouts of glee and anger echo from all corners as the vagaries of chance swayed this way and that. There's the occasional scuffle as someone is awarded The Devil's Mark, and is escorted, bodily if necessary, out of the building.
Mholg stands around one game after another, frowning, unable to comprehend even the simplest of the games. Frustrated , he leaves through the front door, bowling over a number of patrons on the way out.
Liza and Krystal baffle and confuse the other players at the Golem table. One other player becomes so discombobulated that he slips and sprays his cards all over, revealing his rather unremarkable hand.
In the end though, Liza prevails taking down a pot of 24 silver and possibly a favor from Krystal!
In the bar, Morrolan commiserates with Brand, "Fortune did not favor me, but I am still ahead on the night. Shall we give it another go?"
|
"Aye, let's see how tae gaem goes." Brand responds, heading back to the table. He wagers another 25 silver and begins.
After the game, win or lose, he goes to the bar to get a drink. As he drinks, he watches Vancaskerkin to see if anyone seems like an actual bodyguard. Do the women around him have any sort of concealed weapon? Is he armed.
"Another run it is... But ye might want to collect yer badge for the next level, ye have won enough."
After the ususal folderol (showing up at the table seperately, guidance ...)
+ whatever benefit having a partner is worth...
+3 wis +1 guidance
vs DC10
+3 Wis
Liza looks around to see if anyone else is moving ahead in winnings
Then returns to do some more bluffing, bringing one of the Succubi-Gals in, and pretending to just chat with her, in Abyssal (Liza thought her a bit for that gig they were both doing), while actually benefitting from the distraction she offers. Betting 25 gold again and upgrading her badge when feasible.