"Congratulations," Bex tells Sam. "I'm starting off slow and easy, but Desna seems to be smiling on me so far. Once I get my badge, I'm going to try out some of the other tables." Bex watches her as she sashays away, then tries to refocus on his hand. This is the problem with these "indulgences" of yours... he tells himself.
3 more hands of golem, bets of 20 hearts or 2 teeth each.
Prof (gambling); Bluff (1d20+6=13, 1d20+7=15); (1d20+6=9, 1d20+7=15); (1d20+6=12, 1d20+7=20)
Gierixa half expects to be turned aside for the night, but it still puts her off.
"what you mean i gotta do a training shift this is completely stupid!" She begins grinding her teeth, her eyes boring holes into the dwarf. Caution gets the better of her and she storms off, but her restraint with Larur only makes her angrier. She heads back over to the Ghoulette wheel, hoping it will calm her down to hear it make fun of people.
Gierixa places 1sp on 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 (6 sp total).
Over at the Bounder table, Mordecai winces in sympathy for the guy who just lost most of his winnings next to him, and then places another silver and takes another roll.
Mordecai doubles down and risks another silver.
He glances sideways across the room, attempting to steal the quickest and least obtrusive glance at the lucky Halfling and her pile of chips, to see if perhaps she has stacked her gold chips in such a way that they could be picked up quickly in a single action if some unfortunate thing were to happen to her during, say, perhaps, a brawl...
For the briefest of instants he considers the fellow that lost, whether or not to toss him a silver tooth, but then remembers his teachings. Fortune is not mere random chance. All things are the will of the gods and this world but a proving ground to test the worthy. Perhaps his Desna meant for him to learn a lesson of some sort? Perhaps Calistria felt spurned that he called out to her rival in this town? And what lesson does that logic hold for his thoughts of stealing this lucky Halflings winnings? Would he be defying the will of whomever has blessed her, or are her winnings a prize for him to take, a gift from Urgathoa that he can only claim with bold action and not the half-hearted tactics he had made thus far, tactics which had gotten him no closer to his goals in this wretched place?
A quandary. A cautious and precise nature beaten into him over years wars with ambition and greed, with the tenents of his faith whispering justification to see all the world as a banquet and to drink deeply from it.
Ozbadin determined not to go out on a losing note starts over again with 2 silver teeth on the bounder board. "Damn but this hobby is addicting" he mutters under his breath. "I can see why some get addicted" He then shrugs and rolls the die.
Hmm no doubling down on that.
Well at least there is a chance there. I wonder which god I should call on for help now? Ozbadin silently mulls.
Bexilarius
Up 3 silver from the game, Bexilarius turns his sights to the crude Ghoulette game. A tall and strong woman is standing beside the thing, laughing at every insult. Though she doesn't seem to be winning anything, she gleefully throws money at the thing to keep it going. She seems to be grinding her teeth in between spins.
The dealer, a beautiful woman named Lixy Parmenter, spins the macabre wheel. It lands on 8, 'Your Race'.
Turning to address the newcomer, the mouth starts shooting off at you; "Even your granny thinks you're a demented, goat-defiling, butt kissing monster who slobbers on the cross-dressing bat out of hell and the mildew gulping goblin."
Regardless of the insult, you win 10 silver teeth.
Gierixa
A newcomer strides over to the Ghoulette game. Tall and fairly spry, this tiefling wears a black robe and has several visible scars all over his body. His hands are thick and calloused. He obviously know how to fight. He places some bets, and the dealer, spins the macabre wheel. It lands on 8, 'Your Race'.
Turning to address the newcomer, the mouth starts shooting off at him; "Even your granny thinks you're a demented, goat-defiling, butt kissing monster who slobbers on the cross-dressing bat out of hell and the mildew gulping goblin."
He wins, but you do not.
Mordecai
The dealer rolls a 12, a win for Mordecai.
The halfling's developing quite a pile of tokens. While she bets with a number of them, keeping a stash on the table, she also keeps a fair number in a pouch around her neck.
Another gambler has been given a lot of attention. People are starting to whisper that he hasn't lost a single game yet, and the girl he arrived with is having similar luck. The man, a tall Tiefling in black robes and with visible, violent scars strides from the Golem tables to the Ghoulette table, winning there as well. His partner, a fire-haired half-elf seems to be garnering attention over at the skiffs games.
Ozbadin
The dealer rolls a 12, a loss for Ozbadin.
Another player seems to be doing a little better. A tall pale man, in worn out clothes that could better belong to a dead noble, smiles weakly at his winnings.
Sitting at 4 gold eyes and 5 silver teeth, Mordecai plants a gold eye down on his next Bounder roll, having decided to play big.
Roll 19! Mordecai doubles down and drops another gold eye in a fit of bravado!
Mordecai
The dealer frowns a little when you roll the 19, though a couple people behind you give a little cheer in anticipation of your next roll. The dealer rolls an 11. The small crowd cheers for you when you roll your low die. The dealer slides your winnings across the table.
Mordecai is up three gold! He's walking on air!
While Dergo was fooling around on the shallow end of the pool, he still wasn't stupid enough to let his guard drop - and kept his eyes peeled for trouble.
Dergo
"My luck? Not so great. I'm not really very good at these games, but a lot of it is luck, right? I figure if I can get up a few coins, that's better than nothing, right? I think I'm going to go play some bounder."
"Huh!, Obviously this game is fixed" says Ozbadin angrily rising to his feet. "I'll see if there is a more honest table here". He makes eye contact with the individual whom seems to be winning. "I've got my eye on you". he growls.
Bex laughs at the head's insult and throws the dealer a wink. As he gathers up his winnings, he takes a quick glance around the room.
Perception (1d20+2=15)
Bex places three more bets of 10 hearts each on the ghoulette wheel, saying the positions out loud as he looks pointedly at the dealer. "Your Presence, Your Face, and Your Body," he says. "I think those are going to be lucky for me on this spin."
Mordecai smirks at the hellblood's brazen flirtations with the Ghoulette 'dealer.' I guess he has to make do with such subtleties, since the wheel doesn't have categories like 'Your Pants' and 'Your Mouth.' he thinks.
Gierixa: Perception: 1d20+3=13
Bexilarius
Lixy blushes visibly, and almost forgets to spin the thing. Snapping back to it, she spins the Ghoulette wheel, and it lands on 12, 'Something Nice'. A chorus of groans is heard, as it is a loss for everyone. They almost block out Dungo's consolation insult, aimed at an older man who's been trying his luck here all night;"If ignorance is bliss, you must be the happiest person alive."
"Sorry, everyone. But that's how the wheel lands." She cocks her head, shyly, and looks at Bexilarius. "Why don't you give it another spin, hey?"
Gierixa: Sense Motive: 1d20+3=9.
"Maybe you're not as lucky as I thought, doll," Bex responds. "But you're cute, so I'll give you another chance." He puts down 3 more bets, 1 tooth each, on Skill, Body, and Brains.
Bexilarius
Dungo's head goes around and around and stops at 4, 'Your Hygiene'. It picks on an elderly woman this time; "Your teeth are so yellow that when the sun saw you smile, it said: 'Someone is doing my job, I should go home!"
But she retorts, "I don't have any teef!" and cackles, walking away with her winnings.
Lixy winks at Bexilarius. "Listen mister. I've been watching you most of the night. I don't think this game is good for you. You must be distracted or something. You had some nice wins earlier, but now, you're giving me all your money.", She bats her eyelashes at him. "And I didn't even have to take my clothes off. You're a generous one, that's for sure."
"You got that right, lady," Bex tells Lixy. "I just wanted to check out a new game. But maybe it's something I'll come back to later..."
After trading in 10 teeth for a Dis badge, Bexilarius heads over to the Bounder table. He lays down one tooth and picks up the dice, murmuring a short prayer to Desna. "Let's see if the dice are my friends tonight, or if it's back to the cards," he says.
Gritting his teeth, Bex puts down another tooth and rolls again.
Bounder roll (1d20=10)
Mordecai is somewhat paralyzed by how well he did in that last Bounder bet. A part of him is screaming 'quit while you're ahead!' while another is speculating if he could actually *win* some money, rather than steal it, tonight.
He orders a drink, still only water, and takes a short break from gambling, leaning against a wall while he steadies his nerves. He really, really wants to celebrate with some wine, but he knows how foolish that would be. A drunken 'celebration' while flush with cash in this town is a good way to wake up naked and bleeding in an alley with a headache, no possessions and a scorching case of codrash.
And while that sort of thing can certainly be memorable, he thinks with a rueful grin, he has other plans for tonight.
Bexilarius
"DOUBLES!", comes the cry from the crowd as Bex rolls two 15's. Soaking his loss, Bex tries again. The dealer rolls a 14, marking a win for the tiefling.
Ozbadin is down to 6 silver teeth, and believes it is time to see if any of the "new" people are here. He thinks the games are crooked. He also moves towards Old Scratch for more conversation.
Mordecai will return to the Bounder table. He doesn't really understand Golem at all, the Ghoulette wheel still irks him and he's no sure about that boat-tossing game. It looks too easy to cheat at that one and he's not interested in being at the *receiving* end of a riot...
Feeling flush after his prior winning, he plops down another golden eye and rolls the dice confidently.
18. 'I must make a nice sacrifice to Urgathoa tonight,' he thinks.
He doubles down, a win already assured in his mind.
Mordecai
Seeing your confidence, the croupier rolls his dice in defiance, scoring a 9. Mordecai is up two gold for that one!
Ozbadin approaches another Bounder Table and decides to go "All In" with his 6 silver teeth.
Then patiently waits for the dealer to roll an 8
OOC: I'll have sporadic Internet access for the next four days, so feel free to play Ozbadin as desired.
Ozbadin
The dealer smirks a little when you throw your chips into the mix. Picking up his own dice, he tosses his down, rolling a total of 8! Unbelievable; Desna must have been looking over his shoulder.
"Well done, Sailor. That was a close one. You in for another game?"
Dergo was a little bit sobered on his luck - though still far from considering it turned, the morning, now him not even managing to break even in Golem... taking it a little slow wasn't the worst idea.
He played a few lower-stakes games of bounder close to Thamara. If nothing else, she'd brighten the evening more than any would-be succubus.
At this point, Mordecai is beginning to feel that he's drawing too much attention with the big wins. He's not a big fish in this pond, and there are all too many sharks in these waters to be splashing around quite so enticingly...
He drops a silver tooth on his next roll and puts the gold away, since he doesn't want it to draw any further notice.
He doubles down and places another silver on the table.
The taste of victories has turned sour, for the moment, as the mere accumulation of golden coins in no way brings him closer to his true goals in this town, and, indeed, may only paint him as target to men far more dangerous than himself...
Mordecai
Lady Luck has turned an eye for this moment, as the dealer rolls a 15. He gleefully gathers up your two silver teeth.
"Now's a chance to win it back, if you're in again."
Dergo
He smirks at the dealer, "That sounds fine." and smacks down another Silver Tooth, which he's already written off in his mind.
He doubles down and adds another Silver Tooth, forgetting that he was expecting to lose and kicking himself for not dropping gold!
Mordecai
The dealer rolls a 14. A win for Mordecai, taking him back up to 5 teeth.
"Ah-ha, you did it. Why not throw a little more into the pot. You look like you can afford it."
Bexilarius puts down 10 copper hearts on another roll. "Bounder, bounder, bounder! No doubles, no doubles!"
First roll (1d20=9)
Second roll (1d20=2)
Bex rolls again, staking another 10 hearts, hoping his luck with the dice will improve.
First roll (1d20=16)
Murmuring a prayer to Desna, Bex doubles down on the roll.
Second roll (1d20=19)
Maybe I need to go back to the golem tables, Bex thinks, before I lose my entire stake. Or maybe I should partner up with Sam...
He scans the room for the fiery half-elf redhead.
Perception (1d20+2=19)
Bexilarius
The outcomes of the two bounder games are a win and a loss, leaving Bexilarius back where he started.
Spying the whole room, he sees Sam sitting at one of the Golem tables. She seems to be giggling playfully, the strap on her dress falling a couple times as she laughs. She's working the whole crowd.
Seeing you, seeing her, she blows a kiss in your direction.
Dergo played some games for small stakes, winning back his stakes, but not really making any progress. With Thamara watching, however, he became a little bit peevish. He would have liked to impress her a bit... and so he put a bigger stake of chips into the middle of the table. If didn't make the roll, he'd be pretty much out of the game - but if he won...
Pushed his two golden eyes and a veritable stack of silver teeth into the middle... rolled the dice "Bounder bounder..." As the first came up with a 20, he cursed under his breath - he couldn't double if he wanted. "No Doubles, No doubles..." The second die rolled... 8. Not too bad. Not a sure bet, but a good chance.
Bex decides to go back to what he knows best, joining Sam at the golem table. "Evening, gorgeous. How's your luck holding up?"
Bex opens with a bet of 16 copper hearts.
Prof (gambling); Bluff (1d20+6=25, 1d20+7=9)
This dealer vexes me by pointing out my winnings! Mordecai thinks, but fishes out a golden eye for another larger bet.
A bit outside of his comfort range, Mordecai does not double down.
Gierixa dumps her silver teeth onto the floor, sits down cross-legged and begins counting her remaining chits out loud. She is forced to stop and start over again several times before finally arriving at an incorrent total. With a scowl on her face, she looks around as if somebody took her money. Her eyes fall on the Ghoulette wheel, and she storms towards the dessicated gnome-head.
"alright trickster what kind of magic are you using to take my money right outta my purse!?"
Dergo
And the dealer rolls an eight, but two of the dice fall, cocked against a glass . Even other bystanders call for a re-roll, and so the dealer obliges, finally scoring a 15. A win for Dergo.
Bexilarius
Gierixa
Gierixa shows up to the table just as the wheel finishes turning. Hearing her tirade, the animated head chooses her as his target; "I don't have your money. You don't have any money. You're so poor, burglars break into your house...and leave money."
Mordecai
The dealer rolls an 11. Hooray!
Dergo
When Tamara sees you betting so much of your coins on one hand, she protests; "You're crazy! You're going to blow it all! With your luck, anyway".
But she can't help from squeeling and hugging Dergo when he finally wins. "You're lucky those dice were cocked. Someone was looking out for you for sure. I'm sticking by you. You must be a good luck charm
Bexilarius
"From what I hear, you and I are one of the hottest couples tonight. In gambling terms, anyway. Let's turn up the heat, I say. I could stand to win a few more games, here."
Mordecai quietly places two golden eyes on the next bet. He's got a thoughtful look on his face.
He does not double down.
He nods, as if he's just confirmed something, but says nothing and immediately places two golden eyes on the table for the next bet.
Again, he does not double down.
Mordecai
"Doubles!" the dealer calls out, pointing out Mordecai's loss on the first game. The second game tenses up however; the dealer rolls a twelve, a loss for Mordecai, but as one of the dice is cocked, people watching the game call for a re-roll. The croupier acquiesces, and throws down a 2, a 5 and a 4. 11 in total, and still a loss for Mordecai.
Getting up from the table, Mordecai notices across the room, a Varisian woman with curly dark hair and an eye-patch drop her whole bag of chips onto the floor. They go spilling everywhere, and some people rush over to help her clean them up. You also notice that she and the people that have rushed over to her tense up a little. They all close their eyes at once.
Suddenly, one of the lit braziers explodes with a blinding flash of light. The resulting light and sparks are disorienting as they dazzle the eyes.
Dergo
With Tamara by your side, the night could probably last forever. At least she was genuine. She wouldn't shoot you dead in an alley for a handful of copper.
You guys joke and laugh while playing a few games, but then something strange happens. A man in delicate clothes, with a sickle on his belt catches your eye. You follow him with your eyes all the way to the lavatory, where he leaves the door ajar a bit. Through a crack in the door, you see him pull out a scroll and begin reading aloud from it.
You notice across the room, a Varisian woman with curly dark hair and an eye-patch drop her whole bag of chips onto the floor. They go spilling everywhere, and some people rush over to help her clean them up. You also notice that she and the people that have rushed over to her tense up a little. They all close their eyes at once.
Suddenly, one of the lit braziers explodes with a blinding flash of light. The resulting light and sparks are disorienting as they dazzle the eyes.
Ozbadin
While playing some games and keeping a low profile, your eyes wander through the crowd. A man in delicate clothes, with a sickle on his belt catches your eye. You follow him with your eyes all the way to the lavatory, where he leaves the door ajar a bit. Through a crack in the door, you see him pull out a scroll and begin reading aloud from it.
You also notice across the room, a Varisian woman with curly dark hair and an eye-patch drop her whole bag of chips onto the floor. They go spilling everywhere, and some people rush over to help her clean them up.
Suddenly, one of the lit braziers explodes with a blinding flash of light. The resulting light and sparks are disorienting as they dazzle the eyes.
Gierixa
As you stride across the room toward the Ghoulette table, you notice something strange. The Varisian woman from before, with curly dark hair and an eye-patch, drops her whole bag of chips onto the floor. They go spilling everywhere, and some people rush over to help her clean them up.
Suddenly, one of the lit braziers explodes with a blinding flash of light. The resulting light and sparks are disorienting as they dazzle the eyes.
Bexilarius
You and Sam play some games, laughing and joking, but then you see something strange. A Varisian woman with curly dark hair and an eye-patch drops her whole bag of chips onto the floor. They go spilling everywhere, and some people rush over to help her clean them up.
Suddenly, one of the lit braziers explodes with a blinding flash of light. The resulting light and sparks are disorienting as they dazzle the eyes.
With the sudden flash of light, Mordecai realizes that he should probably head for the exit, assuming that he can still see it, but perhaps not before snatching up something handy...
Mordecai manages to stave off temporary blindness, his eyes still throb a little from the blast.