Tarjun Branston's page

"I'd call that 'choosing to be boring' - but yes; it's basically it. So how'd you become a faun?" Tarjun asks in a tone that he hopes is nonchalant and disinterested enough. "In case I have a friend that'd want to join you?"

"Not bad!" Tarjun struggles to catch his breath once the song is done. To put up a bit more of a challenge to the dancers, he's been giggling and spinning around wildly. "I wonder why we don't have that kind of fun more often in Oakstead..."

It's hard to speak while playing the flute, but Tarjun plays the next notes a bit more forcefully - as if encouraging John to dance!

Tarjun joins in with great enthusiasm and a decent amount of talent, tapping his foot rhythmically to accompany the melody.

Perform (wind instrument): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

"What kinda dance? Just a regular jig? Or a reel?"

Dodge: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19 Love that dodging this literally had a 1 to 20 chance to happen.

"Um. Solid question, actually," Tarjun ducks to dodge George's attack, and pokes him in the stomach in one fluid movement that looks astonishingly controlled for a mere hyperactive kid. "Haha! Gotcha!"

"Guess we can sorta say it's a draw?"

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

"Not so fast!" Tarjun changes his grip on the stick, and makes a surprisingly swift counter-attack, poking George on the shoulder. "Not as long as I still live!"

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Dodge: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Dodge: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

"Er, yeah," Tarjun answers vaguely - quite destabilised by the way this fight is going.

Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Dodge (-4 Armor Penalty; +3 BAB): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1

Tarjun is not deft on his feet at all, and cannot dodge a poke fast enough. "Oh, heck!"

"Aw come on! We said 'duel'! This ain't a duel! It's some kind of execution!" Tarjun turns around, facing the lumberjacks. "Anyone up for a duel?"

Tarjun cannot say no to a duel of sticks. "Hell yeah!" he cries out, and immediately attempts to poke Clara.

A hit - a very palpable hit!: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Perhaps she should have asked somehow who's not so used to fighting with staves. "One point!"

"It would be even cooler if the sticks made some kind of sparks when they hit each other! Do ya think we could do it with magic?"

Tarjun looks confused. "But I was born in April..."

"And anyway, at least trees are reliable. You ever worked your butt off for a full year, only to lose your crops in thirty minutes 'cause of one really bad storm? Or some other stuff? It's random as hell. I couldn't live like that."

"You know, when I make a chair or a flute, at least I know they're not gonna go anywhere. Unless there's a fire."

"If you girls wanna stay too, I'm sure they'll be okay with it..." Tarjun goes on, fairly oblivious to Jewel's existential fears.

"Weeeeeell... I told 'em we were going to go to a party with our lumberjack pals. I may have not told 'em who else was attending..."

"But I'm sure I can think of somethin' to tell 'em so they don't worry!! We've disappeared for weeks before, and they've been mostly fine."

"Really??? That sounds awesome!!" Tarjun begins to think that he just might have finally found his people.

That some of these people happened to be beautiful ladies who were not really interested in such trivialities as gowns or clothes is starting to hold a bit of an appeal in mind of the teenage boy.

"We're working too much, is the thing - and it ain't gonna be better. You can't become super good at the flute if you gotta spend most of your days doing something else!"

"I think that kinda schedule is more reasonable," Tarjun points at George.

"Yeah, what do you do all day? You never have to work?" Tarjun suddenly seems very interested in that particular prospect.

"Why not?? You get the fun part. And the money. That's two advantages instead of one."

"Spare clothes? A bed? A roof over my head when the weather sucks? Something to make a fire?" Clark recounts the basics.

"Ah, I didn't know you counted all of the stuff you needed but couldn't carry as well!"

"In that case, yeah. How do you guys deal with not having houses? What do you do when it's cold? Or rainy? I could never."

"I never go very far without a good stick. But I guess you could just pick it off the ground instead of carrying it in a belt," Tarjun shrugs. "What else would ya need?"

"You tell me. Most of you don't even have pockets."

Tarjun is not really sure, but it seems like even the trees and the forest animals are straining their ears to listen to their music.

"Hey, you're really good!" he exclaims when the tune gently comes to an end. "Can you play other instruments?"

"Well - good thing I've got a brand new flute then!" Tarjun takes out his masterwork flute proudly, and plays a little jig - hoping that George will go easy on the criticism.

Perform (wind instruments): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

Tarjun grimaces. "I don't think I like this juice very much." He offers the waterskin to George. "You can have it!"

"Sure! Not one to refuse fun," Tarjun takes the waterskin from the man. Surely it's just a juice of some sort? Maybe apple?

He takes a big gulp.

Fortitude?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

"'Cause we're special!"

"What - all this time spent working in the forest, and you ain't ever seen fauns and nymphs and talking trees and all that? Good thing you have kids around to see what's right under your nose, then!"

"Anyway, what are you guys doing here? We just wanted to show George the pond."

"Heya guys! This is our new friend, er-" Tarjun turns to the youngling, and realizes instantly he has no clue what his name is. "Actually, I don't think I asked."

"Do you know Bruihu?" Tarjun asks the youngling. "He's pretty cool. Dunno if he plays a lot of music though."

"So what do you do for fun, when you ain't playing music?" Tarjun makes small talk on the way to the pond. "Like, do fairy people work? Do they have farm to grow their food? Or do you go on adventures? Fight monsters, curse people and all?"

If there's one thing Tarjun isn't particularly good at, it's reading the room. "'Course it was! Looks pretty cute, too! You seen it? You liked it?"

This conversation was going somewhere Tarjun was absolutely not ready to explore. "You know what - nevermind," he quickly replies to the youngling. "So what do kids get to do?"

"You know, being naked and feeding each other fruits and making eyes at each other and all. What, you don't think it's weird?"

"Magic? There's magic involved?? Is that why everyone's behaving weird and flirty and embarrassing back there?"

Tarjun is, unfortunately, too focused on his lesson to notice that the girls are getting increasingly ignored. By the time the youngling finishes his explanations, Tarjun is beaming. "That's soooo cool! Do you think I can play at the party?!"

Tarjun's face falls. "Hey, I made those flutes and they ain't too bad!" Still, he's not too blindly devoted to his creations to let go of an opportunity to play such a well-crafted instrument.

Perform (wind instruments, Masterwork +2): 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 9 + 2 = 15

It does sound... Marginally better. But only marginally. Clearly he has little technic beyond the basics. "Like this?"

ALWAYS go for the loudest option :P

Even Tarjun can't help but contort his face in an embarrassed grimace as his sister plays what must be the worst possible tune he's ever heard. It's ear-splitting. He finds himself unconciously gritting his teeth through it.

"Yeah, I wasn't at my best last time, but I ain't a complete beginner!" He tries to salvage the situation by giving a demonstration.

Perform (wind instruments): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

There's no way that someone at least a little trained in playing the flute could reproduce what Jewel just did - even by accident. Still, perhaps she popped his eardrum a bit - because it's quite obviously off-key.

Not that she would notice.

LOL those rolls

"Wait. You're gonna teach us? I thought the music teacher was, like, the lady over there. You look like us kids...! You look young, I mean. Not speaking about the goat legs. Although it definitely gives you a style," Tarjun's babbling gets fainter and fainter as he is dragged away. It doesn't sound like it's stopping, though.

"Adults are weird," Tarjun comments.

Since he doesn't see a way to attract the flute teacher's attention, he resorts to the ageless and peer-approved way of Making as Much Noise as Possible.

He takes out his willow flute, and starts playing a tune. Surely she'll be impressed by his technique?

Perform (wind instrument): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

"We're supposed to learn how to play from her," Tarjun points at the nymph Zephyrus has started courted - if it can be called that way. "But she's busy."

He glances at Gertrud and her husband. "Are your parents okay? I've never seen them acting that way."

With adolescence comes a basic survival instinct - call it social policing, or merely self-preservation. What Tarjun confusedly understands at this moment is that his trousers are, in fact, an important barrier that he should part with at no cost, if he is to avoid the kind of burning shame that will haunt him for life.

"I'm good, thanks," he shakes his head.

Tarjun has apparently reached the age where naked women dancing is more interesting than plates full of ripe fruits.

Which is saying something, because his stomach is definitely rumbling.

"Are they nymphs?" he manages to ask, after a solid ten seconds of just staring with his mouth open.

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

We aged 3 years last time, I think. Tarjun started the campaign at 10 years old, I'm pretty sure

"I hope not," Tarjun tries really hard not to imagine what it would be like giving birth to a baby with pointy bits on its head.

"I can go alone and tell you how it was," Tarjun suggests, reluctant to back down.

Sense Motive is a WIS check, she doesn't need high CHA :)

Tarjun shoots Jewel a worried glance. "They don't come after little girls...? Or you, Mrs Johnson? You'll be fine?"

Once on the way Gertrud takes Clara's pants off Jewel and inquires from Tarjun "You told your parents too? And they agreed that you go there?"

"Sure thing!" Tarjun answers confidently. "They said we could party."

"Yeah, Zephyrus can play mean music! And he said someone over there could teach us how to play too."

"And I've never been to a party with fauns - or satyrs, whatever. Could be fun!!"

"Yeah, she's gone a bit cray-cray. Worse than usual, I mean. I dunno what happened to her."

"A celebration? I didn't know there were celebrations in there. You mean, with villagers or - er, people who look kinda like you...?" Tarjun gestures vaguely at Zephyrus' lower body.

"We probably should tell our parents before we go wandering off in the woods. If we get lost again and don't return for several days they'd be upset. Tarjun? Can you go tell them, and Mrs. Johnson. I've gotta catch Clara before she runs over to the lumberjacks and embarrasses herself in from of Jack!"

"Righto - you tackle her and put her pants back on, I'll tell Ma and Pa and Mrs Johnson we're off playing!"

Tarjun sets off to the village. He doesn't really try to hide the truth from Mrs Johnson; somehow, something tells him she's seen and heard far worse than some dude with goat legs inviting kids into the woods to party hard and learn how to play the flute.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Figuring out what to say to his own parents is a little bit harder. Somehow, he doesn't think the same story would quite cut it, especially if it's followed by something along the lines of "don't come for us, unless we disappear for a couple of days!" He just pretends the lumberjacks have invited them over for a party after Jewel helped them mark the trees. A single grain of truth doesn't make it a complete lie.

Bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

"Okay, yeah, you're really good at this," Tarjun admits, lowering his club a bit reluctantly. Something vaguely buzzes in his ears, like an annoying fly - but he ignores it. He's too busy trying to keep track of the faun's fingers on the flute to memorize the melody to notice anything else.

"We're actually trying to be a band - but you're more or less a band on your own! How'd you do the thing where it sounds like there's several flutes playin' at the same time?"

Will: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Tarjun startles, and turns around to face the man. He stares him in the face. It's safer than letting his gaze travel down.

"Hey - it really wasn't bad for a complete beginner!" Startled as he is, Tarjun isn't going to let anyone trash talk his sister and steal his Big Brother Privilege. "Also, where are your clothes?!"

He reaches for his club. There was only one way to deal with strange men approaching kids in the woods with no pants on - goat legs or not. He couldn't run, but he could distract him while the girls fled.