O.L.L.I bleeps
Surely there were some details you can remember about Thanatos and his palace of Everlost? This unit would be most interested for any of observations of your journey there.
Somehow a quill and a piece of foolscap have materialized in O.L.L.I's spindly hands.
"All that I'll share," Malfaerr reaches into her haversack and pulls out a sack of news papers, "is printed there."
There are a couple of articles written from the point of view of a certain lady adventurer. Sadly none are particularly detailed.
The strange, almost drow-like man walks into the main room. A large snake follows closely at his heels. He looks very bewildered.
"What is this place?"
A small gnome lady in a volumninous peasant skirt swirls up to the newcomer, holding a tray of beverages
"Howdy ducks! Welcome to the World Serpent Inn! What can I do yeh fer?"
"All that I'll share," Malfaerr reaches into her haversack and pulls out a sack of news papers, "is printed there."
There are a couple of articles written from the point of view of a certain lady adventurer. Sadly none are particularly detailed.
O.L.L.I takes the proferred documents reverently
"Thank you Alienist Malfaerr. This unit will return them momentarily."
O.L.L.I mutters a few faint words. Suddenly his quill speeds to an amazing pace, copying down the entire manuscript in a flash
A small gnome lady in a volumninous peasant skirt swirls up to the newcomer, holding a tray of beverages
"Howdy ducks! Welcome to the World Serpent Inn! What can I do yeh fer?"
"The...what is the World Serpent Inn?" The man asks.
Sharinda smiles, having seen that confused look a million times.
Sure! The World Serpent Inn. It's kind of a nexus point of portals my boss Mitchifer runs. He's the avatar of the Midgard Serpent, don'tcha know. This is a waystation for those what get lost between the planes. We gots plenty of food and drink. There's darts, pool, and a fighting pit out back the Bearded Reaver runs. Hmm, if you feel lucky you can try to find your way home by opening the doors in the back hallway, but it's a gamble!
Looks the newcomer over
So what's your poison?
Sharinda smiles, having seen that confused look a million times.
Sure! The World Serpent Inn. It's kind of a nexus point of portals my boss Mitchifer runs. He's the avatar of the Midgard Serpent, don'tcha know. This is a waystation for those what get lost between the planes. We gots plenty of food and drink. There's darts, pool, and a fighting pit out back the Bearded Reaver runs. Hmm, if you feel lucky you can try to find your way home by opening the doors in the back hallway, but it's a gamble!
Looks the newcomer over
So what's your poison?
"Poison?" The man asks, distracted. "What poison? Haelyn here has poison..."
He looks at OLLI. "What's that?
Sharinda follows Witchbrand's gaze
"Oh him? That's little Olli, a Modron. He's orignally from Mechanus, but he calls kip in the Cage these days. Funny little berk, but friendly enough. Go ahead over if you want to introduce yourself."
Looks up at Witchbrand
"Would you like a mushroom ale? We also have a wide selection of Menzoberranzan vintages."
Sharinda follows Witchbrand's gaze
"Oh him? That's little Olli, a Modron. He's orignally from Mechanus, but he calls kip in the Cage these days. Funny little berk, but friendly enough. Go ahead over if you want to introduce yourself."
Looks up at Witchbrand
"Would you like a mushroom ale? We also have a wide selection of Menzoberranzan vintages."
The Witchbrand seems to come to his senses. "Menzoberranzan? What's that?"
"Oh, oh," a cheerful looking tiefling lady says, "sounds like someone else stumbled into the World Serpent Inn. Same thing happened to me a while back. I'm Karrin Kind what sort of creature are you, if you don't mind me asking."
...The Witchbrand seems to come to his senses. "Menzoberranzan? What's that?"
Sharinda squints her eyes
"I'm sorry cutter! I saw yeh coloring an' took yeh for a drow. After yer second century yer peepers ain't as keen as they used to be! Menzoberranzan is a famous drow city on a planet called Toril. We used to have a lot of traffic from there through here ... For some reason a lot of the gates have closed up lately."
Sharinda smiles when Karrin speaks
"Karrin ducks, you can show this new fish the ropes yes? I have a pot of veggie soup on the boil and Mitchifer gets cross if I burn it!"
Sharinda swirls off
"Oh, oh," a cheerful looking tiefling lady says, "sounds like someone else stumbled into the World Serpent Inn. Same thing happened to me a while back. I'm Karrin Kind what sort of creature are you, if you don't mind me asking."
"Me? I...I'm a caliban." He looks slightly embarrassed as he says it. "I'm called...I'm called The Witchbrand. And this" He says, patting the albino snake on its head, "Is Haelyn. What's your name? And what is this place?"
The square metallic creature turns and looks at Witchbrand.
"Greetings newcomer. This unit's designation is Oil Lube Initializer, but many beings shorten that to O.L.L.I. At the table is Traveller Smurf, points to a tiny blue creature, Malfaerr points to a medusa-like female ,her familiar Hop-Toy points to a small fiendish frog, Lolenthiel points to an elven-looking woman with odd antennae on her head, Brinkt points to a small goblin currently engrossed in the next table's conversation , Joachim points to a dark-complected warrior human, and Karrin is the being who addressed you."
The square metallic creature turns and looks at Witchbrand.
"Greetings newcomer. This unit's designation is Oil Lube Initializer, but many beings shorten that to O.L.L.I. At the table is Traveller Smurf, points to a tiny blue creature, Malfaerr points to a medusa-like female ,her familiar Hop-Toy points to a small fiendish frog, Lolenthiel points to an elven-looking woman with odd antennae on her head, Brinkt points to a small goblin currently engrossed in the next table's conversation , Joachim points to a dark-complected warrior human, and Karrin is the being who addressed you."
The Witchbrand nods. "Thank you, Olli. It would appear that there's quite a crowd of...unusual folk here. I'll fit right in."
The Witchbrand nods. "Thank you, Olli. It would appear that there's quite a crowd of...unusual folk here. I'll fit right in."
The small blue creature looks at the newcomer
Yeah there are some smurfing weirdos in this place. It is a smurfing weird place all together!
Traveller Smurf sips a thimble of apple brandy
Joachim nods
"I had heard that the fabled city of Amanpour on the far side of the Desert of Iriam was an exotic place .."
Looks about
"But I think that this place would be able to beat it."
The Witchbrand nods. "Thank you, Olli. It would appear that there's quite a crowd of...unusual folk here. I'll fit right in."The small blue creature looks at the newcomer
Yeah there are some -----ing weirdos in this place. It is a -----ing weird place all together!
Traveller ----- sips a thimble of apple brandy
The Witchbrand looks a it confused. "What?"
"Traveler has a unique dialect," Karrin says, "you'll get used to it after a while."
Traveller Smurf harumfs
"I have a weird smurf. You should smurf yourselves smurf some time."
"I suppose you have a point Traveler," Karrin says with a nod.
The olive-skinned warrior nods his head
"Indeed my small blue friend, there are many here who have strange accents and methods of speaking. I myself was at a loss for weeks before I could communicate, having never heard of this trade language called Common."
Joachim sips his drink meditatively
"Now it has been years since I spoke any Torrugais."
"The...what is the World Serpent Inn?" The man asks.
Bah Weep Granah Weep Ninni Bong!
This be me establishment though I tend to fade into the background now and again... Yer welcome to swig some grog, tell a tale, or rest yer weary bones for a spell. I be open to all and all be welcome in the World Serpent.
Yeah I was inspired by the Dragon article on the WSI and a few of us wanted to PS PbP... my PbP was the one the got written into the Dead Book before it started due to some family and work issues. So I made Mitchifer and started all the wacky fun, though his devoted Patrons and single unpaid super serving lass have kept the place running like a classic episode of Cheers!
In greeting to Witchbrand, Lolenthiel turns her head slightly from contemplating a scroll in her lap to reply in a low, croaking tongue. It sounds as if she's trying to talk through a crushed windpipe with a bellows.
<<Exploding bellies speak of the happiness of my hated sister brother daughter son as blue swirls with red>>
After a moment, she explains, "A traditional Slaadi greeting. Translated roughly, it means Nice to meet you."
Pausing thoughtfully, she adds, "Translated more strictly, it means... well, something less pleasant, I suppose."
----
"It isn't a frog language," the strange haired woman says, apparently talking to her familiar, "Slaadi and frogs have nothing in common . . ."
The strange toad like creature croaks, a hollow sounding noise that seems to echo from within, as if the tiny creature were as hollow as a jug inside, and it's strange hypnotic glowing eyes seem to palpitate as the toad focus looks up at it's master.
"Well I suppose that's true," she seems to reply as the toad finishes croaking, "but those traits while unique amongst denizens of the planes are hardly empirical evidence of any sort of link, never mind your assertions that frogs are the very spawns of chaos."
"Hey," Karrin says suddenly turning to Malfaerr with glee, "you stopped rhyming again. I think you only do that when you're talking to others."
"This could be so," Malfaerr says, "I don't know, but thank you, it is something to look into."
Sharinda returns to the table and begins dishing out hot bowls of vegetable soup
"I thought you could all use some warm soup"
She looks to Witchbrand
"Have yeh decided what yeh'd like to drink?"
Looks at the others
"Anyone else fancy another drink?"
Sharinda returns to the table and begins dishing out hot bowls of vegetable soup
"I thought you could all use some warm soup"
She looks to Witchbrand
"Have yeh decided what yeh'd like to drink?"
Looks at the others
"Anyone else fancy another drink?"
"I'll just have some water." Witchbrand says nervously.
"Well we're pleased to meet you Mr Brand," Karrin says with a toothy smile, "I don't think I've ever met a caliban before! I'm a tiefling in case you've never met one before. But I'm a good tiefing I better tell you in case you have met tieflings before, cuz we're not all friendly and stuff like me."
Lolenthiel regards Maelfaar's familiar thoughtfully a moment, her feelers wriggling on their own, and she addresses the mutant toad directly, "Why do frogs look like slaad? Why do goblins look like dretches? No reason, no reason I know except that swimming through muck is like swimming through chaos, and short, brutal lives are very like short, brutal eternities."
She adds, "Frogs taste better than slaad."
That said, she reaches out nudges her cup slightly in Witchbrand and Sharinda's general direction, "I recommend the sweet cider." The pale insect-like woman might be slightly tipsy. She looks robust for an elf-creature, but is rather drifty, "Why don't you try some and I'll have the water?"
The husky man behind the bar chuckles softly...
"Aye try the sweet cider, it always was me favorite! Applessss be such ssssweet treatsss! In fact I pressed them this morning in me own garden."
The innkeeps white beard and hair seem to writhe slightly and for a moment you think his eyes dialate to verticle slits.
The toad turns to address Lolenthiel, croaking and looking directly up at her, and Malfaerr nods as though she understands her companions noises.
"He says your point is very well said,
and that there is a transfer from living to dead,
we believe that the soul moves on,
and this theory is probably not wrong,
but after this transfer there might be a remaining taint,
as no mortal soul is going to be pure as a saint,
what is left is then cast to the planes,
and there that energy takes form again."
Malfaerr scratches her head, her tentacles wrap themselves around her wrist as a reflex, but Malfaerr easily pulls away from her rebellious hair.
"I've heard this theory before," her haversack mumbles, "the planes are shaped by material plane, but who's to say this isn't the other way around?"
Witchbrand nods. "Alright, I'll have the cider, then."
A dark, scowling young man enters.
"What in the hells..." he mutters upon seeing the bizarre collection of bodies making up the patrons of the inn.
"I thought I hadn't seen this pub before..." he grumbles, but looks around for a bar in any case.
"This place sure is filling up," Karrin says glancing around, "I haven't seen it this full in a while. I hope Sharinda doesn't get over worked."
The thoughtful tiefling looks over the new comers and wonders if any of them were lost like she once was.
"Hello there," Karrin says as she waves at one waves scowling young man, "welcome to the World Serpent Inn!"
Sharinda bustles up with a sweet cider for Witchbrand. She then hurries over to the scowling newcomer
"Good Peak to yeh ducks! Welcome to the World Serpent Inn! I'm Sharinda, and I'll be yer waitress. Are yeh alone? There's a nice table of friendly folk right over there if yeh'd be wanting some palaver with yer bub. Can I getcher summat teh drink?"
Chaine looks intently through narrowed eyes at the waitress, "What? What kind of talk is that? I just want a drink." he says with a bluster that tries to mask unease.
Sharinda looks back at the man and plants her small fists on her generous hips.
"Listen cutter, you want to sit by yer lonesome feel free. I'll be happy to bring you a drink and let yeh be by yerself. Just tell me yer preference."
Her tone has considerably cooled and she looks at the newcomer with a peery eye.
Lolenthiel lowers her head toward the table so she can look Hoptoy in the eye more respectfully, "My thought was on similar environmental demands providing similar adaptive responses from different entities, but that's true, that's true, there is evidence of a connection, whether one way or another, between the... spiritual planes and the material. Which way it goes, that depends on who wishes to feel more important. The gods created all, and all comes from their hand, so they say." If her eyes weren't flat black, like bug's eyes, she might roll them.
She does tilt her head up toward Maelfaar and she notes, "I wish my familiar was more interested in planar philosophy. She spends most of her time trying to pretend she's still a cat."
Idly, she turns her head over toward the newcomer(s), "Oh, do come over and sit down... we don't bite." She hesitates, "Except maybe the goblin... Or the inkeeper." glancing at snake-eyed Mitchfer.
Chaine looks dubiously at the table, his hand itching to draw his sword at what appears to be a group of monsters, he mutters, "Yeah, fine, a drink..."
He looks around for any spare seats, and asks in a tone of voice that tries to conceal his rising panic, "What in the hells is this place? This wasn't here before."
Lolenthiel replies, "A rogue transitive plane with variable or infinite dimensions... and a greater than average sense of hospitality." Her feelers, more or less of their own initiative, seem to be trying to smell one of the bowls of soup Sharinda placed on the table, "It seems to attract those who... aren't tied down to their homeworlds."
"As to the power of the gods I cannot say,
I shall have to ask my mistress Wee Jas some day,
I suspect that they are are bound by cosmic rules,
and in many respects the gods are just tools,
I suspect that the natural order of the universe is set firm,
but as with any subject there is so much more to learn."
The toad seems to nod with his mistress comments, but evidently he feels the need to add something else to the discussion as he begins croaking again.
"He says your thoughts are very profound,
but there's little evidence to be found,
to support or refute any theory,
and this is deliberate, clearly."
Chaine looks dubiously at the table, his hand itching to draw his sword at what appears to be a group of monsters, he mutters, "Yeah, fine, a drink..."
He looks around for any spare seats, and asks in a tone of voice that tries to conceal his rising panic, "What in the hells is this place? This wasn't here before."
O.L.L.I turns to face the newcomer, his boxy frame shifting and squealig a bit as he rubs the large table
"As a matter of fact, new arrival, this transitive plane has been here as long as the Midgard Serpent has been in existence. In the seminal work Ancient Planar Constructions by Teritary Eggmaster Freukij of the Sirruch Hive, he-she discusses when this Inn was called The Meeting Cave, when the ancient Obyrith ..."
O.L.L.I starts to get his steam up, referencing several obscure texts while going into a long-winded dry discussion of the WSI's history.
Chaine looks blankly at the assembled table, blinks, and then says to Sharinda, "Ale... dark." before sitting down at a spare chair numbly.
"Right, start again. What in Desna's name is a transitive plane?"