Shame that. Although as it happens, my mid-week game group is pestering me to run... this. So I suppose freeing up the time and avoiding the conflict of interest isn't something I can complaint about too much.
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Shayliss excuses herself to find Saul and explain things as best she can, "So... Zilcher didn't really seem to be up to anything, but then someone snuck a snake into the kitchen- he's down in there still, and then when people were dealing with that Zilcher hit Rel over the head and ran, so, there's probably some connection there..."
Shayliss nods. "Oh, well that might be another story I guess. We're still a little short-staffed I think and you made a good first impression with Rel there... hey, that wasn't some kind of odd little setup with Zilcher there to get a foot in the door, was it?"
Oh? Where did I get the idea we were going high side of average for this I wonder.
Oof. Good thing I'm not likely to be the highest priority target at any point. That IS roll or take half in the "take half or roll and commit to it" sense, not "roll and either take that or half the max" I assume.
Once things have definitely wound down, Shayliss hops down from the stage. "Well I wouldn't have been up there if I wasn't. If you're here about some sort of business matter though, you'd want to talk to Mr. Vancaskerkin, and I think he probably has an emergency staff meeting to deal with tonight, so he's probably not going to be in the best mood to see anyone."
Level up!
Shayliss heads back to the main floor, and with a fair bit of surprise, dashes over to be sure Relverest is OK.
In an effort to do a little damage control, she then hops up on stage and generally addresses the patrons. "So it seems like someone out there is a bit jealous of all the good times we're having in here. Let's not crowd around any injured staff members unless we're a healer though hmm? Instead, why don't you all just crowd around this here stage and see if we can't find something better to stare at?"
Shayliss ponders doubling back to chase after Zinder, or drawing her whip to trip the thug in the kitchen, but upon (I assume) realizing how venomous the snake is, finds it to be a far greater concern. "That thing hasn't bitten anyone I hope!"
Shayliss gives a worried look on hearing the shout, and has a gander at Zincher's expression for comparison's sake.
"Excuse me for a moment," she says, making her way towards the kitchen, bobbing and weaving towards the kitchen with a few fancy twirls and flashy smiles, hoping whatever is going on won't send everyone fleeing the premises this time around if she maintains a positive outlook. Inspire Courage activated (if only for the sake of saving finale if Brom fails another poison save), and I suppose just for good measure...
Shayliss is doing the same, assuming Lluvia has things handled well enough.
"Well, now that we've given our guest here such an extensive interview, I still wouldn't mind a nice drink before the next curtain call-"
"And what's with all the clattering in the kitchen? "
Zincher stands from his table and turns to face Shayliss, rising to his full height and towering over the small red-headed girl. "True, true, but I ain't here to drain your coffers - I already got my big break...", her looks her up and down before continuing, "Though I wouldn't mind the consequences." "Ah, quitting while you're ahead then huh? Well, there's plenty else to check out around here if you aren't in a hurry to leave. I've got another dance number coming up once this break's over, and the new bartender here has a whole bunch of exotic drinks on the menu in the meantime." Shayliss watches his reaction, trying to work out just what it is he's here for if he's not cheating his way to a big payday.
Back to having a melee type AND up to an even gender ratio then?
Shayliss grins back. "That's my line. Stay on this hot streak though and I might have to ask you to treat me to dinner. My salary comes from those coffers you're over here draining after all." And just to double check on what he might be up to from more or less his vantage point...
Shayliss nods, with an extra mischievous grin, and promptly sets off on a meandering path across the main floor, doing her best to conduct herself in a particularly cheerful and chatty fashion, wishing luck to various patrons and encouraging them to go for big bets, both to avoid any suspicion and because high spirits lead to high profits (and vice versa). And I suppose if it's called for...
Shayliss grins. "I'd be more worried about the regulars keeping their hands to themselves than some shifty stranger. If you're worried about him robbing the place, Daddy always taught me the best thing to do is let'em know you're there, and keep making suggestions until they buy something or get too nervous. Don't see why I couldn't do the same sort of thing here."
I'll get an update up sometime in the next 12 hours, I had a rather nasty surprise to deal with all day yesterday.
"Well, if nothing else that sounds like it might get some classier people in here for a change."
"I can't really think of anything I need either, but I haven't really had a chance to show myself around the city."
Shayliss blinks in confusion as Brom flees. "Was it something I said?"
Shayliss stares at Brom for a moment, wondering how he managed not to pick up on her name yet, and making a note to try 'The Mysterious Red Lady' as a future stage name, but is quickly distracted by the payment. A full third of what she managed to sneak away with from her father's store, in just a week! "Thank you so much! Also, speaking of Mr. Vancaskerkin, do you happen to know how he lost his hand? I'd just ask in person, but, sometimes people are sensitive about those sorts of things."
"Rich, handsome, kind, and not the sort of guy who's gonna go running off all over and forget about me," comes the quick and cheery reply.
"Well," Shayliss says with a little smirk, "I suppose that really depends on the fan in question."
"I think I'm getting people riled up enough on my own there. Did you hear how loud they were whistling during that last number?"
I believe we're playing fast and loose enough with time at the moment to wedge that sort of thing in whenever the mood strikes you. Any news on that replacement character by the way?
And does getting paid include "working out everyone's cash split from thug loot" or are we waiting for someone else to bite the bullet and crunch those numbers?
"Well, I'll keep practicing with it. Anyway, it seemed like we had a pretty good crowd in here last night, considering. Do you suppose the gendarmes there are close to catching whoever tried to rob everyone the other day?"
Shayliss grins at the whip. "You know, I was actually thinking of picking one of these up myself when I had the chance! Anything you can twirl around behind you helps costuming wise, and it's nice to have something for when the crowd gets a bit too bold and decides to hop on stage too!"
Big ol' feathery fans may have been involved that night?
Shayliss shrugs at Sapphire. "I don't suppose anyone else really has any use for that sort of thing." She then follows everyone else upstairs towards the staff quarters. Seeing the room rather obviously occupied, she checks the next door down, and emits a rather loud and girlish squeal of delight. "There is a dressing room full of crazy costumes in here!" Shayliss spends the next several hours throwing together various saucy outfits from what she finds, and parading herself around for the others to see, before finally wearing herself out enough to get some sleep.
Ooh, and there ARE crazy costumes on hand. Hooray for not having to dip into personal funds there. Anyway, rolls:
I figure that's why we're still just sort of in end-of-the-day limbo here yes. Also, a wizard to replace Aine? I'm not generally one to sweat party balance but that's going to be a weird set of characters for a trip-happy buff-tossing bard.
Shayliss sees everyone turning in and says, "I'm still too excited to sleep just yet... would you mind giving me a tour of the place, Larur? Or I guess if you wanted to save time and just do that in the morning with everyone that'd make more sense wouldn't it."
Hooray for having a +9 perform (dance) at level 1. I take it you're just going to be kicking off each in-game day (or week?) with a round of skill checks and play things out from there?
Shayliss glances around and does her best to break the sudden tension. "Since the big scary Shoanti woman seems to be leaving, is there a place nearby I could find something for self-defense? And are we going to save all this for new employees being hired in the future?"
Shame to lose you, but yeah, when you're busy, you're busy.
I was starting to wonder but, holiday weekend, wasn't too worried yet about things being a bit dead.
Shayliss gets a little distracted, doing her best to take a knife to a set of armor, and using a little prestidigitation to smooth out the errors and generally remove the smell of sweaty thug. "Hmm... it could really stand some rhinestones or tassels, but this should do... and I suppose this little cleaning trick could help some with those bloodstains too..."
Shayliss holds up the armor. "Well... I suppose if I took it in a bit here, and let it out a lot here... or maybe just cut it open here like a vest... and oh! They did have knives? Well, that really could have turned ugly then."
"...I'm also in a position to offer you room and board for as long as you work for me."
Shayliss' eyes light up at the prospect of earning a whole 800 copper per week, as she continues doing her best to clean up the mess combat has made of the place.
Finishing her wine with a speed that suggests she has very little (or perhaps very much) experience with alcohol, Shayliss picks up on the mounting tension. "So, um... if you're hiring us right away, I suppose we should probably close the doors and clean things up a bit? It wouldn't really do to have people wandering in looking for a good time without a trained staff and with bodies just sort of strewn about. If nothing else, that's going to leave nasty stains on the floor, won't it?" Barring any objections, Shayliss stands, heads over to close the doors, and does her best to empty the pockets of the thugs, piling everything in a pile on the bar, and attempts to locate a mop and bucket, hoping someone else will handle the grim work of actually moving the bodies outside.
Hey, you missed me!
This is getting into tricky territory. Setting aside the issue of whether this might be a case of overgeneralization, you're introducing a nasty problem with this. The only NPCs I can think of that specifically exist as potential romance options are the ones from Jade Regent. Most of these are just NPCs who play a notable role in an AP that romance-minded PCs may happen to pick up on. Either people you rescue, or allies who actually actively help you out. In a given AP, you are pretty much always going to be rescuing a lot more people than you will be making viable allies, especially if we're looking at ones who are on par with the PCs... and if you want them to stay on par for the duration, that's not going to happen at all. It's a basic principle of APs that the PCs are the heroes. The only ones who can save whatever city/region/nation/world/organization from certain doom and all. People in need of saving (or, otherwise are helpless to solve their own problems and inclined to show gratitude) are great quest hooks. Viable peers steal the spotlight from the party, and if you throw a bunch in, eventually the game isn't really about the party any more, it's about some big gang of people of which the party are just a small part. Even if you did manage to get a viable peer for each rescuable "damsel" type, splitting them evenly gender wise wouldn't work by your logic. You've got, say, 3 strong independent ladies for people into those, 3 damsels in distress, and then only 3 "viable" male options in the form of tough fellow adventuring dudes, since we're ignoring our 3 "helpless beta male" types. So effectively, that's a 2:1 ratio. Now, if all the helpful peers were men, and all the people needing saving were women, you'd have your ratio in place, but... you also have a Very Serious Problem from a feminist perspective with regards to these NPCs.
Actually... Spoiler: "Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can't be resurrected." Her body'd be fair game for revival if she was destroyed but... that's an awkward proposal. Pretty sure you'd need a wish here. Either way though, by the time you're high enough level to cast it, the AP's pretty much over.
Still waiting on someone to officially say they're looting the thugs before listing it out? In character wise, I'm not doing it since I didn't actually kill anyone, and the living pair have someone else roughing them up still.
Shayliss takes a drink and starts brainstorming, mostly to herself. "Well, the devil thing is still a neat idea especially when you have a real one for a pet, but I guess you want to wait for people to forget how tonight went... but oh! If you can get ahold of those two big shirtless guys with the swords, you could do some sort of Katapesh theme night. Just... get some big ol' braziers and scales and dress all the guys up like genies and have the girls wear those sheer poofy pants and veils... and maybe do some old time-y thing with everyone wearing togas, maybe have the girls just do those little tunics that come down to here with just the one shoulder strap... or some kind of mammoth country night with just little bits of fur and everyone carrying big clubs... or ooh, some Shoanti thing with crazy face paint and lizard skulls... you could do something different every week I bet without costing too much! "I definitely do need to think up some kind of stage name if I'm the only one who's going to be dancing around on stage though every night though. Don't suppose anyone has any ideas?"
Shayliss struggles to contain her joy at this latest development. Free food, a place to stay, and no established dancers to take center stage?
Overwhelmed by dreams of stardom, she jumps straight into the air with a squeal of delight before bursting into a rapid fire series of questions. "So can we start right away? Is there a fitting room? Do we have to provide our own costumes? Do you always do the devil thing or was that just for tonight? You know if you're worried about things like this happening again ooh I could just carry around a whip that'd still be pretty sexy and keep people in line without there being big scary blades all over and blood and maybe like some thick leather thing if you're really expecting trouble- is there a place around to get stuff like that? I guess I should really have a look around the rest of this place too, and yeah I suppose it would be a good idea to at least pat down these two and make sure they didn't nab anything else before they get dragged off- and oh, you mentioned drinks? I could probably stand a glass of wine or something to settle the nerves." Eventually, she remembers to breathe.
Shayliss just kind of gives Sapphire an odd look when she switches to an unfamiliar language, before turning back hopefully to Vancaskerkin. "So... you were getting to the part where you needed a new security staff and some dancers? Oh and uh... does anyone know where there's a cheap place to get a room in this town?"
Shayliss continues generally tidying up, scooping scattered chips and cards off the floor. "I said it was just supposed to be a harmless little mascot, right? I mean, I hear over in Korvosa they have things that look like that which they all just treat like pigeons, and you know, in Chelliax they summon up real serious devils all the time and make them do things for them. People say they're all going to hell for that, but I think that applies to anyone who just forces slaves to do all their work for them."
Shayliss steps away to give Bojask some room. "So... sorry your whole big event here petered out, and it looks like someone let your mascot loose too. I'm sure the local sheriff will catch the ones who ran off though. I mean, plenty of people got a good look at them. So, just give it a bit and you can try this whole thing again, right?" She generally tries to straighten up the mess left by a half-blind crowd fleeing the building as best as can be managed.
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