'Squint Eye' McRae's page

The dwarf shrugs, clearly taking no offense at anything that's been said, "No need to apologize! When I first got here, I had the same sorts of questions as you. What I'm saying is... sometimes, keeping your eyes and ears open just might net you some answers without upsetting anyone." The dwarf appears to be trying to tell you something important. Abruptly, he claps his hands as if concluding a matter. "Well! I'll leave you folks to your wanderings... All sorts of interesting people and places to see in Threshold. Likely I'll be seeing you around. If not, enjoy the town." With a polite bow, McRae moves off into the crowd.

SM: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
Hand o' Fate: 1d100 ⇒ 3
O.o Well, that didn't take long...

I'm out for a chunk of the evening. When I get back, assuming you guys aren't in the middle of a RP storm, I'll be kicking off an event (as the HoF has spoken!)

When I first saw your post, there was just the roll. The context came a bit later. I get what you are going for.

“…That's an intriguing choice in a name. A door or entryway between two places. The point at which one thing changes to another. The residents of this town must think very highly of it, no? To name it something so weighted with significance I mean."

McRae blinks, his smile never falters and only deepens, amusement written all over his face. ”I’m not sure I get half of what you mean… but we are fond of our little corner of the world and it is a special place. Stick around and you’ll likely find that out for yourself. As for why they named it exactly as they did, you’d have to ask one of the citizens. I wasn’t here anywhere near its founding. Piece of advice from a fellow traveler… have a care in asking questions like that. Some people take it poor when you walk into their house and immediately start poking around the medicine cabinet.” McRae’s last comment doesn’t come across as a veiled threat or even a warning so much as it sounds like fatherly advice.

Sabelina casts her eyes around, her investigative senses itching at something below the surface. From her current position, at the entry to the long plaza, she can’t see much of the docks. They are relatively modest, holding room for no more than five boats comfortably. Currently, there are two boats that look to be small merchant vessels and one boat that looks to be a fishing boat. You don’t see any loading or unloading activities at the moment. There is a group of idle stevedors (judging by their clothing and gear) deeply involved in a game of dice near one of the boats. The docks themselves are made of common wood at the end nearest you, and it seems like there may be a stone jetty at the far end of the docks but the view is blocked by an overturned galley that appears to have been hoisted onto the jetty and converted into some sort of building. Lights shine out from multiple windows cut into the hull, and smoke rises from a chimney (one of several) emerging from the hull as well. Without going closer, you can’t tell much more than that.

In the distance, you see what appears to be a group of merchants with laden donkeys cresting one of the encircling hills leaving the town. They must have left through one of the other archways in the wall. Near at hand, there are laborers just beginning to load up a cart with lumpy canvas bags filled with some sort of fruit, you’d guess, judging by the sweet/tangy smell coming from their goods. All things being equal, you suspect they plan to leave by the archway you just came through.

Hand of Fate: 1d100 ⇒ 39

Finally getting down to a subject McRae appreciates… ”Drinks?” He scratches his beard at Xing’s question. ”For the cheapest drinks, go to Rustic. For cheap drinks, head to Caterwaul, it’s about halfway up the dock and facing the plaza. The booze is decent as are the fights. But, if you don’t mind paying a bit more and have varied ah… interests, I’d suggest the Near-Sighted Slattern. It is the heart of Dockside.”

As an afterthought, the dwarf meets Little Jameson eye-to-eye, ”Sorry, son, the Cyclopser left two days ago.” He gives the boy a wink.

Bluff: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

”We got one main road that winds all through town. We call it the High Street. You are free to go anywhere along it. We got no locked gates or anything silly like that. But the further you go up the High Street, the more expensive everything gets. So, best ask about prices before you buy something too far up. If you are short on coin, pack a lunch.”

”For stabling and feeding animals, go past this first row of buildings, turn right and keep walking til you hit the wall. Stables are right there. Tell them you are newcomers, they’ll give you the best rate they can. For boat fixes…” McRae points to the left, through the teeming plaza and docks, ”Go to the far end of the docks. At the Near-Sighted Slattern take a right, go down the widest alley, and you’ll end up at our boatsmiths. Lumber is there too if anyone needs wood. Again, tell them you are newcomers and they’ll treat you as best they can… but repairs can get expensive here.”

”For selling goods, you can set a stall here in the plaza, no charge. Setting up a stall elsewhere will cost you a bit. If you want to sell your goods in bulk, take the High Street up to ‘Market Square’ probably a 15-minute walk. You can’t miss it. Once you hit a big rectangle of grass with shade trees, you are there. If you take a wagon with your goods, one of the merchants will find you. Mention you are newcomers and they’ll be obliged to introduce you to the other town merchants. You might get lucky and there could be a war of bids on whatever you’re selling.”

”Looking for the cheapest Inn, try Rustic… it’s well named. Ask around in the plaza and someone will direct you to the right alley.”

McRae weathers the gale of questions with a smile, tries to throw in a quick “Yes” or “No” edgewise, and finally holds up a surrendering hand, ”Alright, let me order my thoughts and set you all on the right paths, so you don’t trip.” He thinks for a moment.

As introductions were made, Yash smacked his chest three times with his free hand and uttered "Yash."

McRae hitches a thumb towards his chest, ”McRae… You are welcome here.”

Introductions done, the dwarf takes a deep breath and dives in. ”Alright. You folks are in Threshold and this area of town is called ‘Dockside’… for obvious reasons. Threshold can be a pretty expensive place to stay. The best values in town – whether it is food, drink, lodging, supplies, or entertainment is right here. And while it looks a bit woolly, it is mostly safe. Safer than most wharf areas in any town you know, I expect.”

”Newcomers?” He says in a way that sounds like 70% statement and 30% question. ”I’m McRae. You are welcome in Threshold.”

He casts a discerning eye, under a very bushy brow, at your entire company, noting the many poleaxed looks. Acknowledging Yash with a significant nod, he addresses his comment to everyone else in the company, ”If you’ve got a problem rubbing elbows with folks not like you, best you leave those opinions outside the wall. Everyone here knows how to behave themselves.” There is an implicit warning is his statement, which he immediately counters with a smile. ”But you’ll find us a hospitable crew mostly – friendly as friendly can be. Now, are you here for trade or has happenstance brought you to our door? Is there something I can help you with or some advice you need?”