Steve the Cat's page

With Shi and Simon gone, the priest begins to pace back and forth, flipping a copper coin between his fingers as he does so. In a minute, again a soldier comes running to his side. "No sign of the adventurers or the diamond, sir. Shall we report back?"

"Not just yet." Agitated, the priest barges into the nearest tent, or wherever the members of the Circus currently talk amongst themselves. "I must beg forgiveness from all of you on behalf of my very rude introduction. The truth is that the temple of Thyr finds itself in a time of great need and the stress laid upon me has taken its toll.

I am Reverend Mallory and these unfortunate circumstances have placed me in such a position where I must beg for your aid. Why enlist a band of circus performers you ask? I can tell from the, ahem, interesting composition of your troupe and the weather-worn wagons you travel in that you are no strangers to strangeness. This mission which I carry is one that will undoubtedly lead down us down many strange paths and for this reason I believe an alliance would be in both of our best interests. Although I cannot offer any reward now, I can promise many boons on behalf of the temple and if we together we are successful, perhaps a gift from the god himself."

Reverend Mallory stands before you, head bowed, arms up, and palms facing outward.

"I suggest that you take up the issue of money with the innkeeper or the city guard. We have larger problems on our hands than recovering a single gold piece. Problems which those adventurers would have helped solve for us in exchange for the diamond. The adventurers and diamond are now gone, but our problem still exists." The priest thinks a moment, then addresses Simon. "I must thank you for your offer, although recovering the diamond is a paltry matter in comparison to this larger task that befalls us. Perhaps this Shi'Vatha and yourself would be willing to gather the other members of your circus in one of these tents so that we may talk in private?"

Before the priest can respond to Shi'Vatha, one of the Thyrian soldiers posted back at the inn comes running towards the stage. "Sir! The adventurers we hired have disappeared! All of their rooms are completely empty."

"Will nothing go as planned today?" the priest grumbles, "They must have teleported out. This and the diamond is enough cursed luck for the day. Let us see what horrible tidings this little one brings us..." He looks Shi'Vatha up and down, one eyebrow raised. "Barahil, you say? And who would you be?"

Meanwhile, Scout stumbles upon a hastily scrawled stuffed underneath a box nearby Veilwar's last sitting place.

investigating tarrio, will return
-Veilwar

Simon's address to the audience garners a round of applause and cheering, although as some of the crowd realizes that he just said that the show would be later they start calling for more entertainment immediately.

The crowd quiets down when the Thyrian priest and his soldiers push through, all of them armed. The soldiers line the front of the stage while the priest takes the stage. "There will be no show tonight until the thief in our midst has been found. A valuable piece of property has just been stolen from the church of Thyr and we have reason to believe that magic was involved. All of you are advised to report any suspicious findings to myself or one of my men immediately. I'm sure this circus troupe will be more than happy to lend their aid." His last line he delivers to the crowd with a smile, yet also with the slightest hint of a threat.

Anyone who bothered to check, would also notice that Veilwar is nowhere to be found.

Belonda shakes her head. "Tarrio's pretty good about staying out of trouble, my guess is that he is the trouble. I'll run back to tell Mama Bobo - carry on with your show but keep an eye out for anything suspicious." As Belonda leaves, a rowdy group of adventurer-types show up from the direction she originally came; it looks like the patrons from Helman's are showing up.

Scout pre-show doesn't go over too well, but the crowd does at least stay to heckle him. "Oi! Where's the ringmaster? Someone tell him that his puppet's broken!" The acrobatics quickly quiet the hecklers however, and an impressed crowd begins to throw some coins to the stage. Jack's act pleases them as well, but it's clear that they want more.

Over at the Inn of Six Candles, a number of soldiers wearing the livery of the local temple of Thyr suddenly come storming down the stairs. They are led by a cleric in nondescript homespun robes that typically denote higher levels of ecclesiastic significance among the orders of the God of Law and Justice. All of them are fully armed.

"There's been a robbery," the leader states. He directs a few of his men to spread through the inn, placing one at the door. "Nobody goes in or out until we've found the thief." He takes the rest of his men and pushes through the main entrance, forcing Simon out of the doorway as well. Just Simon - it seems that Lolly either miraculously vanished or slipped away while Simon was sending messages to Shi'Vatha.

Once outside, the cleric completely misses Shi'Vatha and heads straight for the circus tents with his remaining soldiers. "Where in the nine hells did this come from? Probably those damn gypsies..." he mutters under his breath.

Just a short post, but I tried to give everyone something they could respond to.

Group 2 - The Six Candles
"The authorities will be notified if you do not cease heckling my guests and I immediately!" the innkeeper hisses at Shi'Vatha.

"Aaah, what a lovely couple," he says, composing himself and turning to Simon and Lolly. "Although a bit under dressed if I do say so. You must be here for the room and spa package. If you'll ignore this thing I'd be happy to help you over here."

Group 1 - The Grand Plaza
The crowd responds moderately well to Slatha's performance - they've seen charmed snakes and small illusions but the combination of the two is at least somewhat novel.

Soon after the performance, Belonda returns from Helman's. "Good news and bad news. The folks at Helman's seemed to like the idea of a circus in the neighborhood. You should have a bit of a crowd worked up soon enough. Also Tarrio vanished before we entered and he's now loose somewhere in the Plaza."

No worries, I've been pretty busy with a new job anyways, where my lunch break turns out to not be as long as I had thought, so I'll kick us off tonight.

Everyone still around? I think we all might be waiting for someone else to post - I'll try to get something up during my lunchbreak today.

"Yes, food will be twenty gold pieces for our world-renowned ten course mean, or just five gold pieces if you just want the luncheon," the innkeeper says haughtily. "No, no, no, what am I thinking - we don't allow animals to stay here. ESPECIALLY not without a reservation. You really must leave lest the guests become frightened."

Group 1 (in the Plaza), feel free to start putting on the show or pre-show or whatever whenever you're ready.

Group 2 - The Inn of Six Candle
Lolly and Simon enter the Six Candles to the sight of a soft magical lighting which illuminates hardwood tables and comfortable-looking chairs. The few patrons who have come downstairs are currently enjoying very expensive looking breakfasts. Through a set of glass doors farther back a pleasant courtyard boasting several small tables set for more intimate dining can be seen.

None of this is immediately noticeable however, due to the fact that a bizarre, four-legged creature currently stands at the main counter in front of a gaping, slack-jawed innkeeper. After rubbing his eyes as if to make sure he's not dreaming, he says to the odd creature, "Wait one minute! You'll need two more pieces of gold if you hope to get a room. And quite possibly a reservation!"

Sorry Sergei, I completely forgot to have anyone answer you're question. Now that I think about it, however, I like the idea of the Wanderers purposely ignoring his inquiries in the spirit of keeping the joke alive. I'll leave it up to you as to whether Sergei actually believes this.

The crowd shows some nods of approval at Scout's juggling, and when they hear that shows will be performed throughout the day, some of them begin to disperse but stay close to the circus tents

What seemed to be a spot of shade shifts to reveal Veilwar swaddled in his dark robes as he coolly regards the crowd. Veilwar's still here as a DMPC, although if things go according to plan not for long.

I'll be getting around to all that later tonight, I had some last minute business to take care of afore work and couldn't get around to posting.

"No worries at all friend!" Tarrio says with a grin. "But I must insist that you and Lolly take the Six Candles. Belonda and I'll be over at Helman's if you need us." He points towards a corner of the plaza as he grabs Belonda and walks off. Lolly looks to Simon, and heads towards the Inn of Six Candles.

By now the beginnings of a crowd are forming around the circus tents, curious as to what spectacle has popped up overnight in the Grand Plaza.

I decided on Shi'Vatha - he's got an interesting circus themed character, a good recommendation from Sergei, and his connection to the church of Muir work's well with some upcoming plot lines I hope to develop.

After much deliberation and player input, we have decided to welcome Shi'Vatha into the Circus - head on over to the discussion board!

You'll never know the true meaning of the eyebrow raise!

Lolly smiles at Simon's suggestion but then shakes her head. "Tarrio's been telling me how much he's wanted to see the inside of the Six Candles, I think it'd be best if you two go together and Belonda and I --"

"Actually," Tarrio says, cutting Lolly off. He pauses a moment in thought and then continues. "I like Simon's suggestion better. You two take the Six Candles, Belonda and I hit Helman's."

Belonda looks from Simon to Lolly to Tarrio and then raises one eyebrow. You've never seen her make this expression before.

Just a heads up, I'll probably keep this open for a day or two, at which point the players and I will make our pick.

In Shi'vatha's occupation field he wrote "troubleshooter for the church of Muir" and as it so happens there is a temple to Muir in Bard's Gate. I'd assume he'd be living with the clergy before you guys rolled into town - although it'd really be up to him.

@Shi'vatha: Interesting. I'll have to give a think as to whether I'd allow him and how the non HD levels would be handled.

@MannyGoblin: You'll have to tweak the background a bit considering that you wouldn't be starting the game as a Circus member. Also, not to shatter your dreams of being cook, but Zathyl who posted up above has been consistently dropping some pretty ace cooking checks.

@Katie: I decided no templates or high RP races this go around to keep the party uniform - you'd need to drop the shadow template entirely.

I'm thinking of leaving the recruitment up just a bit longer considering that the party currently isn't traveling anywhere before making a pick. If any of you have any input on the applicants please let me know, as this campaign is yours just as much as it is mine.

"I was thinking that Lolly and I do a bit of advertising at the Six Candles while Belonda spreads the good word over at Helman's - so as you all can prepare an what not."

Just realized that I actually got some replies to this! At the moment I've already got 1 campaign on my plate and 1 on the way, not to mention that I'd be going out of a hardcover book that I won't always have with me. Once my second game starts up I might be able to pull this together if there's still interest.

For now I'll just DMPC Veilwar until I can figure out some way to dispose of him (cue evil grin). I put up a very hasty rerecruitment notice here but there haven't been any replies yet and it's starting to get buried among all the recruitment threads (much obliged if one of you would leave a comment to bump it). The good thing is that we're still on the zone of comfort as far as players go - but I'd still like to get that super comfy 6th.

Now that the Circus holds the distinction of being one of the best fed traveling shows in Bard's Gate thanks to Zathyl's cooking - the tent's are up - the cabb'e is drunk - the Grand Plaza has begun to fill in with the usual booths, travelers, and shoppers. Anyone with an eye to the rest of the plaza would notice that this is primarily a trader's market - everything from metals and uncut gemstones to cotton and wool changes hands here. At the moment there doesn't seem to be any casual shoppers here, mainly regulars who trade these raw materials for a living.

At one booth a group of Tent City barbarians can be seen in a loud and very muddled up exchange with a rather flustered trader. One of them spots the Circus however and as soon as he points your tents out to his companions they begin to head over, much to the trader's relief. Apparently these are some fans from last show, as they start a very unsynchronized round of chanting - "Snake man! Snake man!"

"Looks like we've already got the beginnings of a crowd forming," Tarrio says with a smile. He points to the simple but elegant facade of the nearest building. "The real prize is in there however. The Inn of Six Candles. If we can draw a crowd from inside that fortress of opulence we'll stand to make some real profit. Of course Durst'll send some customers our way as well, and if word gets round at Helman's Bar that there's a circus nearby we should pull some more. I dunno if you've got a new game plan for today, but I'd be much obliged if I could borrow a small space for some cards and other games of skill."

Lolly scoffs at the mention of skill and Belonda speaks to both of them. "Let us prepare my 'tiny friends," she says in a nod towards Sergei. "The circus is in town."

Humans! Hello!

I'm running a super awesome Lost Lands sandbox campaign with almost all the major Lost Lands products for Pathfinder released to date (including Sword of Air) We recently had one player drop and I'd like to keep our party size at 6 in preparation for all the nasty things that live in the Lost Lands. Right now the group is in Bard's Gate and is about to perform their first big show - I figured the new addition could be an audience member who approaches asking to join - although I'm open to any ideas you might have.

You can check out the character creation rules here as well as read through the gameplay thread if you like. We're still at level two, so all character creation rules are the same, with the caveat that I'd take high race point/template characters off the table, as no one in our group elected to play one and I'd like to keep things consistent.

Slight priority will of course be given to those who applied in the original thread.

Sad to hear Daniel, but best of luck to you!

One of the guards begins to step towards Simon's tent when the other grabs him by the collar and pulls him back. "Not now! We're on duty, remember?"[b] As the interested guard walks/gets dragged away, he shouts, [b]"Hope your still open for business tomorrow morning! I will take you up on that offer!".

With that morning fast approaching, you quickly drift into sleep, be it in the tents or stables.

+++

Sunrise seems to come all to quickly, for when Scout wakes you the heavy hand of fatigue begins to slip it fingers around you. (Scout, I'm assuming you'd wake the party to save us time, post otherwise if this is not the case and we'll rewind and go from there)

Everyone who attended the Felled Ogre is fatigued.

Tarrio groggily stumbles out from wherever he had been sleeping, rubbing his eyes mostly for effect as he does so. "This is no way for a circus to look on it's grand premier, now! Don't worry, your friend Tarrio has just the thing. Lolly! Belonda!" The three Wanderers then sleepily stumble back towards the direction of the main gate.

By the time you've completed your various morning routines, Tarrio, Lolly, and Belonda are back, carrying trays of some steaming, pleasant-smelling beverage. "Brace yourselves friends, for I, Tarrio, am about to reveal one of Tent City's greatest secrets. Well, it's not really a secret, in fact it's quite popular, but you get the point. Straight from the Ground Bean, it's the ultimate pick-me-up, a guaranteed hangover cure, and I know a guy who knows a guy who says that this drink definitely extended his lifespan. It's the one and only - cabb'e!" This "cabb'e" is freely distributed to anyone who wants it, it's strange almost earthy aroma having a soothing effect on those who are tired.

More connectivity issues and a dead phone all in one weekend has kept me out of the fray. I'm armed with a new phone and a new internet box however, and will get the ball rolling tonight.

Don't keep those guards waiting too long... ;)

But really no worries.

Aw, thanks Zathyl, glad you're having fun. Hearing that's even better than kitty biscuits!

The guards look at Simon, puzzled. "Do you do... fortune telling... or detective work... or... I'm really not sure to be honest."

"I dunno what he's peddling but he can sign me up," the other guard adds excitedly. "Unless its something illegal? You're not doing illegal things are you? Regardless, you're not troubling us a bit, although the owner of the Six Candles might find a circus suddenly appearing in front of his establishment a bit... gaudy?"

+++

Back at the Felled Ogre, Durst regards Sergei's request for a stable with bewilderment and apologizes profusely for not having a room available for the performers. In place of a room he offers to stable the horses (and anyone else) for free.

Everything's back in order fellows, sorry for the delay, I'm puzzling out how the guards are going to respond to the sexy androgynous cat man right now.

Shoot, I meant to mention earlier that Durst's rooms were unusually full tonight but it looks like I forgot. The Wanderers (which is the 'official' name for Mama Bobo's group by the way) have decided to rough it and stay in the tents.

Also, my internet's currently down and I may not have the time to bang out a full post on my phone tonight.

"Now when I say they've been attacked, that's just rumors - neither the dwarves nor Zwiesher have spoken up. Even if they were attacked the Stoneheart Distillery is built like a fortress; not to mention Gowan McKean, their leader, is a veteran soldier himself." Standing, he begins clearing the table and resuming his duties as barkeep. "I've got to get back to work, but you can see the Distillery for yourself if you head over to the Outer Quarter. And remember, Stoneheart Mountain Ale beats out Zwiesher's any day." As he leaves, he picks up Simon's ticket and tucks it into his apron.

+++

Once out in the open air you return to the wagons to find Jack and Scout speaking with two of what you assume to be city guards. One of them jumps at the strange group approaching and pokes the other. "Ah, you must be the rest of this circus we've been hearing about. You aren't all planning on sleeping in these here tent's are you? Normally that'd be against vagrancy laws." The other guard finally speaks up at this point. "However, owing to the fact that we do love a good circus, we could maybe let it slide this one time, but you'd have to be up before dawn. If you want to sleep in any later you'll need to find proper lodgings. At this hour, Nightgate Inn over by the west gate is probably your best bet, although the stables at the Felled Ogre are much cheaper." The Wanderer's smile at this, and seem to have to problem with the early waking time, despite the fact that it wouldn't quite result in a full night's sleep.

Yep, I caught your question thanks to Sergei's gameplay post where he mentioned it. Working on a post now.

As for cues, my lips are sealed, but I will say that you'll likely end up with more than you know what to do with before long - Bard's Gate is full of 'em.

Done.

I was planning on getting another post up tonight but my new laptop just arrived so I've been a tad busy getting everything set up and in order - I'll have to postpone tomorrow until, well, tomorrow.

"Bit too much milk for you cat man?" Tarrio says this very lightly, not intending (as far as you can tell) to cause any offense. "You are certainly free to go but we've got more celebrating to do don't we now?"

The night has grown very late by this point.

Group 1 - In the Tavern
Sergei actually could've easily heard everything Durst said to Zathyl, being at the same table.
Before Lolly or Tarrio can get in a word, Belonda jumps in to anwer Simon, completely deadpan. "Actually we engaged." After a few seconds of silence, Tarrio, Lolly, and Belonda all burst into laughter at this comment. Lolly chimes in, barely able to contain her laughter as she speaks, "Yes, sadly for you these two are set to get married tomorrow night."

"That's right!" Tarrio shouts, playing along. "Durst! More ale in celebration!" Unfortunately for him, Durst is still at the table with Zathyl and Sergei.

+++

Group 2 - Watching the Wagons
Aah! I completely forgot that Flying Jack was still at the wagons, terribly sorry.
The guards do a double take at this strange little wooden man backed up by a large half-orc. One guard is still wholely unable to speak when the other breaks in. "Do you, um, own all this? What I mean sir, is are you selling something? You're taking up an awful lot of space and I hate if market traffic got clogged because of it, sir."

I also thought it interesting that you only have 1 normal profile and an alias.... and both happen to be GMs with no other posts besides their respective campaign/recruitment threads.

Oh no! He's one step closer to discovering my evil true identity! Reminder to be more subtle from now on...

Not sure about the poison bonuses, I'll have to get back to you. Regardless, no one's drank anywhere near enough to start requiring saves yet (although Tarrio might shortly).

Group 1 - In the Tavern
Realizing Zathyl heard him, Durst pauses before spitting out his next words in disgust. "Brin Zweisher." In an instant he is next to Zathyl, completely ignoring all other patrons in the tavern. "As the maker of the excellent, if I do say so myself, Hammerhand Whiskey, I'm of course a member of the Brewers and Distillers Guild. Our current president, Ayn Vinewood, could hardly be called a real leader, as he's let a feud boil up as two party's jocky for leadership, threatening to split the guild in two. On one side are the Stoneheart Mountain Distillers, a group of dwarves from the Stoneheart who tragically lost their clan, but know how to make some damn fine liquors. On the other side is Brin Zwiesher and his brewery - you won't find a barkeeper in town who actually likes his beers, but they're cheap enough to be popular. By this point he's bullied and cajoled just about every taven in town into carrying his wares, and with the rest of the brewers at his back there's little anyone can do to stop him. I've even heard he was responsible for a raid on the Stoneheart Distillery, but both the dwarves and Brin are silent on the matter." Durst let's his words taper off as he finishes his speech then glances around to make sure no unwanted ears heard him.

+++

Group 2 - Watching the Wagons
Two men approach the wagons, dressed in leather armor and robins egg blue cloaks, both armed with clubs. "What's this here? Some sort of carnival? Do you reckon they'll block the market traffic come morning?" The other scratches his head and replies, "Dunno, perhaps we should find the owners and warn them. Right in front of the Six Candles, too. Hmm...." Neither of them seem to have noticed Scout or Veilwar yet.

I'm here.

I'm not making any one uncomfortable, am I?

You've certainly made Tarrio a bit uncomfortable!

And sorry about the lack of action for you folks at the wagons, if the interaction at the tavern doesn't wind down soon I'll throw something your way to keep you occupied.

Finally, don't worry about that "other pbp" that Zathyl mentioned. Responding to posts in this game will still be my top priority and the other one is only in recruitment right now. On the flipside, if you don't mind a shameless plug and you do like steampunk, I'd recommend you check it out!

Tarrio, although intoxicated, still recognizes Simon's advances, and regards the cat man with both amusement and surprise. He seems a little put off guard at first and looks to Lolly uncomfortably, but then cracks a grin and begins to play along. "Lolly, it would appear our affectionate friend has us a little mixed up. Yes sir, the distractingly attractive female I believe you were looking for is over there!"

As Lolly and Belonda share a laugh at Tarrio's plight, Lolly responds, "I take on enough attention during your card games. While I don't mind those men ogling me while you fleece them, I think tonight the well-deserved attention belongs to you!"

Even Durst notices and joins in the teasing despite being busy bartending, as he sets two mugs of ale on the table. "Ho ho! A round of ales on the house for the two lovebirds!"[b] As he walks away, you just barely catch him muttering under his breath. [b]"Although to be honest I should be paying you to drink this sewer water that Zweisher puts out, I swear he'll be the death of good alcohol in this city!"

Clearly impressed with the workmanship of the whittled ogre head, Durst accepts it and places it on the counter next to the real one.

The time is now getting quite late, however, neither Durst, Tarrio, Belonda, or Lolly show any signs of wanting to shut the party down. In fact Tarrio calls everyone over to finish the whiskey, filling a set of shot glasses to the brim in order to drain the bottle. "To ogres! To magic rings! To circuses! To everything!"

"Interestingly enough, the real wealth came in the form of the fame that my stunt brought me - the gauntlet I wear and that axe you saw me using earlier were both crafted as gifts by impressed patrons. That's my advice to any would be adventurers - do something impressive, settle down, reap the rewards, and live long. It's the fools who go chasing excitement their whole lives that end up like Tarrio would've had I not come to his aid - no offense Tarrio."

Tarrio leans in close but makes no effort to quiet his voice. "He's jealous at heart of those 'fools.' But just between you and me, ol' Hammerhand did make a pretty penny off of that ogre's treasure - it's how this inn got opened. I, of course got my share as well, but that's another story for another night."

Tarrio finishes off another shot of whiskey before answering Sergei. "Like Durst said, that ogre was one sneaky bastard! I, being, a much more experienced adventurer, had discovered the cave first, and was snooping around with my magic ring until I realized there was nobody home, at which point I became visible and quickly found out that there WAS somebody home. A somebody who stuffed me into that cage!"

In digging through some old possessions, I recently stumbled across a shiny new hardcover copy of Grim Tales and thought I'd quickly check to see if there would be any interest in a campaign. Grim Tales is a variant of d20 Modern which is advertised as "the high adventure, low magic campaign sourcebook for fantastic roleplaying in your favorite pulp genres."

I also have a copy of Slavelords of Cydonia which is NOT a metal album but in fact an epic campaign sourcebook written for Grim Tales with some badass cover art. The flavor text on the back of Slavelords reads:

In a time lost to history, the first Lethid War sundered the Earth and sank mighty Atlantis, the heart of the Sli'ess Empire. The cruel reptilian sli'ess were scattered, their interplanar network destroyed, and their technology lost. Mankind has forgotten the scourge of the Slavelords, and time has moved on.

Now, thousands of years later, tentacled shapes once again cast their shadow across the stars. The lethid are returning, eager to exact revenge on the Sli'ess Empire. Will Earth be caught once again between cosmic evil forces - or are there yet brave heroes to answer the call?

The cool thing about the campaign is that it can kick off in any time period - the Archaic, Modern, or Post-Apocalyptic Eras are how Grim Tales categorizes different settings. If we did get a campaign going, I would leave it up to the players to decide which of these eras to begin in.

Any interest? I'll link to the d20 Modern SRD here so you can get some idea of the system (very similar to Pathfinder/3.5), but know that Grim Tales does make a few exciting and deadly changes to the core rules which I'll go into further detail if there's enough interest.

"Now there's a story..." Durst settles into a familiar rhythm, as if he's told this tale countless time's before. "Back when Tarrio was but a young lad, lacking in proper sense..."

Lolly interjects at this point, "If his lack of common sense is how we're placing the story, then this could've happened yesterday!"

Durst continues with a chuckle, "Hah! There's a truth if I've heard one. Anyhow, it was back in my adventuring days and there I was sword in one hand, torch in another, exploring a cave full of rather frighteningly large furniture. Soon enough I come upon an empty cage, or at least it was empty until you know who appeared inside. Says he was 'hiding from the monster,' and I replied that hiding exactly where the monster left you wouldn't be the best hiding place. So we go back and forth like this while I get the cage open. Just as I pop the lock open the hand of the sneakiest damn ogre you've never seen has grabbed me by the collar and tossed me clear across the room. How this ogre managed to sneak up on us both I'll never know, but now I'm against the wall with the ogre in front of me and Tarrio and my sword just past him. As I look over at Tarrio I see him heaving the sword like he's ready to throw it to me, but the problem is that so does the ogre. See, most people don't know that ogre's have damn fast reflexes considering their size, and had the boy thrown that sword to me, the ogre would've swatted it away without so much as batting an eye."

Unable to contain himself, Tarrio butts in to comment, "But I knew this, of course, so I slid the sword past the brute, but away from Durst, so as to distract his attention and all."

Shaking his head, Durst continues his story. "I'm still convinced that you were just a bad thrower back then, but regardless he had the ogre's attention pulled away from me for but a second. And that second was all it took - I swung as hard as I could and connected with that brute's face right as he was turning back towards me - felled the beast with a single blow. If you don't believe me just look back over the counter - his head's right there." With this Durst jabs a large thumb back at the pickled monstrosity that you noticed when you entered.

Zathyl, you do realize that 2 gp is an insane tip, especially for someone just buying food. Tarrio's contribution wasn't actually a tip, he was paying for the bottle that was opened.

Durst beams at Zathyl's tipping and shouts for the cook to bring out a meal right away. In no time at all a huge meal is brought out, consisting of eggs, bacon, bread, roast beef, roasted chicken, and meat stew - a full sampling of the cook's abilities.

Tarrio is quick to pour a shot of whiskey for any of the Circus members to approach him and insists on toasting to tomorrow's success.