Aundairian Tales

Game Master EltonJ

Here's the Gameplay thread.

It's a blustery day. The wind moved like a saw through the trees, as a Low from the Eldeen Bay impacts the nation of Aundair. The low pressure means to bring some rain in the form of Thunderstorms, as it clashes with a High pressure over the village of Passage. Your group is in Passage, and you are enjoying a windy spring day.

Also, your group is one that knows each other. Whether friends or acquaintances, you have to decide. It's noon, and all of you are enjoying lunch in a cafe.

Describe your lunch. And yes, you can include coffee. Coffee is grown in tropical climes -- whether it's Valanar, Breland, or Zilargo.

As Sprout walked in through the blockade walls, she drops her hooded cowl. The half-bred woman has canines, that have been whittled down in order to look more human. She eyes other people while waiting for mistrust to blossom. Smiling, she tells her friends, "I know you say it's too much, But I just gotta see."

The group makes it's way down the central road. In the distance is a lovely park. A man, who had been slumping against a podium, brightened immediately. "What an attractive group that we have here." The man extends his hand to the entrance of the botanical wonderland. "The wonders of this world are before you..." The man can see how much Sprout wants to go in. He smiles at her. "Twenty a piece love." The man tallies the coins and nods them in.

The garden was cool with giant golden elms shading the ground. There is a table sitting in the center of the park. They all sit and a voice speaks. Please stay seated for the meal. The group can feel the floor shift. The voice asks what we would you care for your meal.

The noise of launch ends quickly. The table and chairs go invisible, all allowing the group to see themselves fly.

Scuffed and scratched Mithral shines as the warforged Doctor 13 stands, his right eye flickering in and out. Wrapped in stitched-together clothes of various styles and colors. His cloak is a patchwork of threads. As he stands, he blinks as he looks under his cloth cap of burlap and leather, looking to Spout.

'Boy, I have seen my compatriots cut in twain, Mortals' hearts ripped from chests and sheer behemoths taken done with brutal beauty! T'was Wonderfully Disasterous!!!" Doc the Warforged found, fixed, and reactivated from the wastes.

"Flesh bags are weak, but they also seem to be very kind..."[ he followed and then sat as soon as the voice spoke, he pointed at the wall.

" NO FOUL ETHEREAL FIEND!!!" He then blinks again and tilts his head to the side. His neck sparks, and his jaw seems to pop free. Doc reaches up and resets his head back into a proper position and then fixes his jaw. Seeing himself seated and free-falling,he looks about and laughs!!

"Glorious!!! If you fleshy one falls from this high, you'll explode in red mist!!! He he he, I will be most curious to see exactly how that looks, though I would miss you, Sprout." He says every odd and quirky resurrected Warforged

'Boy, I have seen my compatriots cut in twain, Mortals' hearts ripped from chests and sheer behemoths taken done with brutal beauty! T'was Wonderfully Disasterous!!!" Doc the Warforged found, fixed, and reactivated from the wastes.

"Flesh bags are weak, but they also seem to be very kind..."[ he followed and then sat as soon as the voice spoke, he pointed at the wall.

Sprout's face betrays her annoyance. "Did you know that you can say all those things..." She mimics 'pushing the idea' while pushing her hands at him. "...on the inside."

" NO FOUL ETHEREAL FIEND!!!" He then blinks again and tilts his head to the side. His neck sparks, and his jaw seems to pop free. Doc reaches up and resets his head back into a proper position and then fixes his jaw. Seeing himself seated and free-falling,he looks about and laughs!!

"Glorious!!! If you fleshy one falls from this high, you'll explode in red mist!!! He he he, I will be most curious to see exactly how that looks, though I would miss you, Sprout." He says every odd and quirky resurrected Warforged

"Bring it down a few notches metal pants." She says.

When it arrives, they will toast with wine.

He laughs and once more his jaw slacks ans his head sticks. Doc paws ar his head and realizes its a worse issue rhen the last. He grabs a tool and begins to work on his jaw and neck.

Once fixed he shakes his head "I can? Seems unnesscary when amongst dtaunch friends and allies!"

He then taps his skull and laughs again." Could be my multiple war wounds. My repair and ressurrection was not optimal things happened and" he stops and laughs again.

"Wine, delightful"

Leaned back chewing on a grass straw Jeren watches his traveling companions while petting his trusty ride, who was curled up at his side.

Malfunctioning, most likely. People get damage by war, they get injured bodily and in their mind. Guess it's the same for... tin-men. Wonder if there are similiarites and whether it can be fixed or not.

What's making you so nervous, Miss Sprout?

A waitress approaches you.

"Lets see, coffee for everyone?" she says. She's red haired, and dressed in a pink polka-dot dress with a white apron. The hair is tied back into a pony tail, she has blue eyes, and looks like she's in her mid-twenties. She carries pencils in her pocket, along with a spiral bound notebook. Her shoes cover her feet completely, and are made of leather. She has red socks on. Her dress goes to her mid calf on her legs.

I'll take a double espresso please.
Jeren eyes her up and down, considers shortly where he is, then adds:
You know what that is and how to make it, right?

"I am fine, though I will indulge in the hot dark liquid too." He says, trying to mimic a smile and just slightly opens his mouth. The light in his right eye still winks in and out as she does, and then looks back to his party.

" This is nice, though I fear the Shorties may come at any moment. Always popping up with spears and crossbows, ambushing us in the night or when we took rest!"Doc states nonchalantly as he then follows it with a laugh.

"That's how 12 died. Three Shorty spears through his abdomen, fluid and fiber falling, drenching the dirt in his fluids. They didn't get away, oh no. His Fist took one's head, and the other two fell to 6 12's personal companion and a vicious sword master. Wonder what happened to Lady 6..."He begins to stare off into the distance as his words slow, reliving the moment. Then it just stops as he stares on.

I'll take a double espresso please.

Jeren eyes her up and down, considers shortly where he is, then adds:
You know what that is and how to make it, right?

"Yes, we do know how to make that," said the waitress. "We do have an expresso machine. Okay, what would you like to eat?"

Ah, you do?
Jeren seems sceptical, it was widely known the Talenta halflings made the best espresso, and they made it in special cans, usualy in the embers of a fire.
Well, guess i have to try it then. And a panini sandwhich with Provolone, rucola, olive oil, Pecorino and some olives please.

Ah, you do?

Jeren seems sceptical, it was widely known the Talenta halflings made the best espresso, and they made it in special cans, usualy in the embers of a fire.
Well, guess i have to try it then. And a panini sandwhich with Provolone, rucola, olive oil, Pecorino and some olives please.

She takes your order. "Okay, anyone else?" she asks.

Doc blinks and looks at the waiter." No I am fine. Thanks though"

The front door of the cafe opens, the customers that see the newcomer via their periphal vision assume its just another human. "Jeren, is that you?" Sithar asks, which causes the customers to look towards the door and see from the man's hands that he is a shifter and not a human. The most peculiar visual thing about the dark-haired shifter are the tiger stripe tattoos that can be seen on his face. As he walks towards the halfling he just asked the question to, the ones that are closer to him see that it is not a tattoo but rather a natural part of his flesh.

"It is you!" Without thinking or knowing the particular etiquette that is called for, Sithar bends forward to hug Jeren and stands back up while continuing to hug one of his halfling saviors. "I am heading east to where we left Sithar in Cyre. It would be great if we could travel again. I am much more capable now than the last time you saw me."

How does Jeren let Sithar know that he should stop hugging him and set him back down? Sithar was a (nine-year old) kid the last time you saw him.

"AHHH ENEMIES!!!" Doc says as he stands and tries to draw his weapon!

As he stands up, his jaw begins to dangle, and he sounds a bit off.

[i]"No NOt AgAiN WhY iS ThIs..."[/l]He slaps his jaw back up and then sees his finger twitching.

"What..WHY..." He laughs before sputtering out and offering his hand with a twitching finger.

" Hello, Human, I am Doctor Sixteen of Baker's Legion. There were two dozen of us!!" He said, his eye flashing a bit.

Sithar, still hugging Jeren when the warforged stands up and warns there are enemies, releases Jeren, "Sounds like it will be now when you see I am a warrior now too, my friend." Sithar spins around, his hands morphing into his (class) shifter claws to face the threat...and seeing no enemies...

He spins back around, his hands shifting back to his normal hands as he extends one of his arms to shake the warforged's hand, "Please to meet you. I am Sithar. Are you a friend of Jeren's too?"

Inhaling the fumes of his espresso to determine the taste and quality before actually costing it, Jeren was utterly taken by surprise from the newcomer guest to the cafe.

Being recognized by someone at all was something he was not used too and he most certainly did not expect to meet someone who knew him at this location, so all he could do was to set his cup down before the new arrival violently and swiftly invaded his private space, starting to grapple him.
He was very confused why a human would storm in and start to hug him, what showed on his face.
Only in the last moment a distant memory dawned on him, this might be the boy he once helped save at the beginning of his service.
Of course time would do that to humans and other species, letting them grow so much.

Softly he padded Sithar on the shoulders.
Now, now, easy boy. Is that you, the one i once helped save from, what was it again? Some fey? Mind if you let me down so i can take a look at you, before the clanker here loads the wrong programm.

Sithar's face tenses at the mention of the fey. "Yes, it was. Spriggans that caged Hareen and me and tortured us for years for their sick enjoyment." Sithar's breathing becomes slightly faster, the fingers of his left hand start to twitch. He focuses on Jeren and his breathing slows and his fingers stop twitching, "What have you been doing since the last time we saw each other?"

Sithar takes a step back from Jeren so Jeren can more easily take a better look at him, as he calls out to the server at the bar, "Miss, can I get an apple cider with cinnamon. Heated would be preferred, but cold is fine too."

Sithar's face tenses at the mention of the fey. "Yes, it was. Spriggans that caged Hareen and me and tortured us for years for their sick enjoyment." Sithar's breathing becomes slightly faster, the fingers of his left hand start to twitch. He focuses on Jeren and his breathing slows and his fingers stop twitching, "What have you been doing since the last time we saw each other?"

Sithar takes a step back from Jeren so Jeren can more easily take a better look at him, as he calls out to the server at the bar, "Miss, can I get an apple cider with cinnamon. Heated would be preferred, but cold is fine too."

"Which do you prefer? Hard or soft?"

" Attack, where?" He whispered as he seemed ready and weary.

Hearinf rhe Sproggan story he tapped his chin his finfer still twitching as he hums.

" Not sure we fought thise...Saw a thing called a Springen a weirs thing of springs and death bolts. Had barbs to lacwrate and make it hard to work out. Made repairs hard. I took one in the knee. Had ro replacw a lwg with Sevens" He said snapping, which was more a clink to point at the pair rememberinf more tales he had done in the war. Especialy ripped apart and put back together, over and ocer and over again.

"Are you taking about the cinnamon? If powdered cinnamon is soft and hard is a cinnamon stick, the cinnamon stick would be good. Thank you."

"Are you taking about the cinnamon? If powdered cinnamon is soft and hard is a cinnamon stick, the cinnamon stick would be good. Thank you."

"Soft cider it is," says the girl. "With a cinnamon stick!"

I never heard of that drink. Apples and cinamon belong into pie, everything else is wrong.
The weird human drink habit raised an eyebrow from Jeren.
Anyways, how many years was that ago? I had just joined to serve the holy order of Dol Arrah. Lots of stuff happened since then. Well, mainly exercises, training, lessons and then a couple of more exercises. Also i met Doc and Sprout here.

Theo walks into the cafe, looking around for the table he spotted from the outside. Waving at the others, he nods to the host and makes his way in to the table. "Afternoon, gents, how fare you all?" As he sits, he quietly speaks to the server, "A mug of coffee, black, and a double bourbon, neat, if you please."

The waitress finishes taking your orders, and starts pouring the drinks. Black coffee and bourbon for Theonius, cider for Sithar (and she makes sure it's soft for the shifter), she makes one of the coffees into an expresso using a machine she got from House Gallanda.

"One of the halfling artificers from House Gallanda made us this expresso machine," she says. "Tell me if its the way you like it."

"It was eight years ago when we arrived in Wolf's Paw and Lorgan became my guardian and started training me. I was there for a year before word of my return reached my parents, who came and brought me home to my tribe."

Sithar takes the cider from the server and thanks her.

"When I heard Cyre was devastated I wanted to travel back there to find Hareen to make sure he is okay. My parents wouldn't let me. A few weeks ago I helped defend the tribe from a gnoll raiding party from Droamm. I became blooded when I slayed a gnoll who got past our warriors' protective circle before he could harm any of the young ones."

"Nice to meet you too, Sprout," Sithar extends his arm to shake Sprout's hand.

In response to Theonius's question, Sithar extends his arm to shake his hand, "Are you a friend of Jeren's too?"

I thank the waitress and take a small sip from my coffee before responding, "I've run into Ser Jeren and the Doc here once or twice in the last few years." I clasp hands with Sithar, giving a slight bow, "Theonius d'Lyrandar, at your service."

"You Have !?!?!" Doc says, listening as he leans forward and studies Theonius for a moment, then taps his chin.

The tap innocuous made the automaton's jaw quiver, and he then snapped his two metal digits, producing a clink.

' You do look familiar! It's hard you fleshies look a lot alike, with your hair and skin"Doc laughs as he takes a drink of something and doesn't realize some drips down his chin.

"Good to see you again, Doc. You seem to be .. less broken than the last time."

"Very true,Would be better but me and my Physician had a disagreement with how best to proceed. To bad I fired him and got a second oppinion...Me..though That was after I fired me!" He says laughing and then takes a sip of a drink, with more dribbling off his metal chin.

Everyone, we have one player joining us.

Perception checks to see if you notice the jobs board for adventurers. DC 13.

Doctor Sixteen's Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Theonius's perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Sithar's perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Jeren's perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

"Do all cafes have job boards?" Sithar asks and goes over to look for any postings that might help earn some money for traveling.

"Do all cafes have job boards?" Sithar asks and goes over to look for any postings that might help earn some money for traveling.

"Look at the Missions board. The Superiors must have things that need to be done by a small squad instead of a huge corps. So instead we have us skilled individuals willing to do the dangerous and daring, putting our lives on the line, our bodies." he drifts off then laughs.

"Though a good reboot and replacement parts, and we can survive anything!" He says with a laugh, remembering his own missions and multiple rebuilds.

Ah Theonius, nice to see you again. You up for some adventure?

Jeren gets up and peeks at the board after finishing his espresso.

Ah, might need another one of that. Can taste the halfling goodness. Now let's look what we got here.

He reads the entries and then looks at the group.
Now i've got nothing special to do at the moment, if you're up to it we could look into all three postings here.
Tracking a strange creature eating cattle while chatting up folks to see who steals from the poor and then bring something to Fairhaven for House Cannith. Why not?

When the waitress returns carrying a full cake, the rest of the staff and a tall man are following her. As a group they begin singing a song of birthday wishes.*
When they conclude and the rest of the cafe is applauds Jorntesh sits down smiling. "Happy Birthday to all of you. Please enjoy a slice on me. I figure it has been long enough I must have missed at least one birthday since I saw you last."

Jorntesh grew up on a tea plantation & has been selling tea to various places. He always stops into the local houses so could have met anyone on all of these. Maybe we played a game of chess? or enjoyed a jam on the fiddle? or were randomly put on the same trivia team one night and have been communicating ever since.
*I hope I am not overstepping to have the cafe sing. If so please retcon and take the above simply as a sentiment for my introduction. :)

"No I've died more than I/ve lived!" Doc says with a laugh as he then rubs his chin.

'Also I do not know my Birthdate" he says unsure about when he was activated.

When the waitress returns carrying a full cake, the rest of the staff and a tall man are following her. As a group they begin singing a song of birthday wishes.*

When they conclude and the rest of the cafe is applauds Jorntesh sits down smiling. "Happy Birthday to all of you. Please enjoy a slice on me. I figure it has been long enough I must have missed at least one birthday since I saw you last."

Jorntesh grew up on a tea plantation & has been selling tea to various places. He always stops into the local houses so could have met anyone on all of these. Maybe we played a game of chess? or enjoyed a jam on the fiddle? or were randomly put on the same trivia team one night and have been communicating ever since.
*I hope I am not overstepping to have the cafe sing. If so please retcon and take the above simply as a sentiment for my introduction. :)

It's alright, you might as well have the members of the cafe sing. Even if they aren't bards.

Sithar's facial expression reveals he is not familiar with the apparent birthday tradition of a cake, with or without candles.

Sithar asks Jeren, "How many traveling companions of yours are in here?"

After the cake is placed on the table, Sithar stands up to address the newcomer and extends his arm to shake hands, "Hi, I am Sithar. Pleased to meet another friend of Jeren's."

"There was once 20 of us....Now aside myself 5 that I know of" Meloncholy is heard clearly in his voice. He then snaps, or tries and laughs.

'So what manner of work do we seek?"

"I am up for something. Until Lyrandar calls me back in, at least." Theo takes another small sip from his bourbon, looking up in surprise as the singing servers arrive.

Theo breaks into a wide smile at the familiar face, "Jorn? Last I saw you, weren't you making a delivery in Stormhome? You really do get to a lot of places." I salute with my coffee as the server sets down a slice of cake.

Since Ser Jeren will be offline for two weeks, I'm going to bot him for a little while.

Ser Jeren looks at the cake. "Is it Chocolate?" he asks. "Oh, nice to see you again, Jorn. Are you still delivering Tea to my house?"

"Stormhome? Not since last spring and that crazy equinox festival... Oh right... I think my dice gave you over two dozen of my coppers! That was a good trip."

"Have you found any better tea Master Jorasco? Then I will still be delivering to your house," Jorn smiles. Then the smile drops "you haven't found better have you? he whispers.
He is joking of course and digs into a slice of cake before ordering the shrimp.

"Stormhome? Not since last spring and that crazy equinox festival... Oh right... I think my dice gave you over two dozen of my coppers! That was a good trip."

"Have you found any better tea Master Jorasco? Then I will still be delivering to your house," Jorn smiles. Then the smile drops "you haven't found better have you? he whispers.
He is joking of course and digs into a slice of cake before ordering the shrimp.

The shrimps begin to cook.

Sithar takes a slice of cake and tries it, "Not as good as pie. This is kind of", he coughs, "dry compared to pie."

At certain street corners in Passage, he would sometimes head in the direction his newfound ally cat tag-along headed in the direction of.

Sithar wonders if The Traveler guided his new feline friend to the cafe that turned out to be where one of his saviors was, who was there with an adventuring group.

"Where are each of you from?"

"I am from Atur, in Karn. But my home is in Stormhome now." I eat a little more of my cake, chased with the coffee. "This cake tastes pretty good .. but better with the coffee."

As the employees finish their song, the waitress asks, "Anything else for the travelers?"

"Two slices of apple pie for me." Sithar replies.

This cafe serves Apple Pie in three kinds. Aundairian, which is Dutch Apple Pie; Karrn, which is Tart-a-tan -- upside down apple pie, and Thranish, which is standard apple pie. Can come with ice cream.

"Which kind of apple pie?" she asks. "Aundairian, Karrn, or Thranish? And do you want ice cream with it?"