"Well bollocks. I suppose that puts our priorities in order for us. Tavern now, Mayor tomorrow." Randolph gave a great shrug as his typical, easy-going smile manifested.
"It's probably for the best. My throat for one is dry from the dust of the arena!" he boomed jovially as he made his way to the Chimera's door, losing no time in finding entry.
Corianan Melee Basic Attack: +23 versus AC, 1d12+18 damage. +2 additional if Raging, +4 if target is Bloodied, +6 if a Thunder power was used last turn.
"Does that mean the city falls into anarchy every night?" says Farashiel with a chuckle. "Let us seek lodgings for the night, then. We may even be in luck; the tavern across the street there might be a favored watering hole of government workers."
Spoiler:
No worries about not posting tonight or tomorrow, Stormwind. I'm surprised we've even gotten this much in on a late friday night/early saturday morning; I guess everyone's just eager to play =)
__________________ Rathas, Tiefling Warlord Op Attack: +23 vs AC (+24 if target bloodied), 1d10+9 (+4 if flank with ally).
Yaneth sighs, rubbing her forehead as her holy symbols jangle together. She had hoped they would finish their business in the town quickly; the unnecessary delay grates on her nerves. She turns to the tavern and grimaces. "Another dump that we have to sleep in. It should be called The Gilded Rathole."
While her friends discuss matters, Chaffie quickly and quietly slips into The Gilded Chimera, making a bee-line for the landlord with two gold pieces in hand to make sure that she gets the best room in the house.
The Gilded Chimera is anything but a rathole. It's obvious that this establishment is the pride and joy of Relkingham. Two hearths with roaring fires anchor the east and west ends of the dining area. A Warforged bard is playing a strange song by the edge of the eastern hearth. Near the western hearth, a spiral staircase leads up to presumably the sleeping and bathing rooms. On the far wall, a tapestry hangs depicting a tall human slaying a golden chimera. There are five large tables and all but one are filled to the brim with a variety of patrons, eating, drinking, and having a grand old time. Each table has a small round candle in the middle that acts almost like a mini-sunrod, only not quite as bright.
The landlord is a short and wiry human, and he greets Chaffie with a smile. "I'll secure a large private room for you, madam. Softest bed in Delornen! You'll have your own private bath; let me or one of the girls know when you need hot water. Also, the room comes with snacks, so ring the bell on the nightstand. I think this week we have fresh blackberries and some fine hard cheeses. Might be able to rustle up some corn cakes as well, if you prefer."
A conveniently empty table awaits your party. Even before you are completely seated, a bugbear waitress brusquely slams menus down on the table and smiles. "We got trout stuffed with mushrooms and cheese, succotash, and flatbread for dinner. 2 gold. Booze is 1 gold a glass or 5 for the bottle. Holler when you want to order." With that succinct spiel, she wanders off to take care of her other tables.
Randolph gives their darker skinned companion a not-so-subtle look of bemusement, "Rathole eh? Well I for one have to say that I like everything that's hit my ears since we've stepped inside! Stuffed trout...snacks...corn cakes. Clearly this place is a blessed retreat for weary warriors!"
As his laughter subsides, the Shifter steals a glance around the room with a furrowed brow. "The more I see of this place though the more it feels off. This place seems too...cheery to be exacting tolls of hands and eyes."
Shrugging his shoulders he waited for his companions to be seated with him. "That's humans for you I suppose though."
Corianan Melee Basic Attack: +23 versus AC, 1d12+18 damage. +2 additional if Raging, +4 if target is Bloodied, +6 if a Thunder power was used last turn.
Yaneth shrugs, disdain still evident on her face as she walks through the tavern. "Something is going on here, Randolph. Keep your eyes open." She walks to the nearby empty table, takes a few gold pieces out of her bag, and places them on the table. "Get some cheese and wine for me. I'm going to have a look around."
She walks over to the tapestry on the far wall and studies it, feeling a nagging sense that she recognizes it from somewhere.
As he sits down, the quiet Vengar finally begins to speak, "Ale would make the end of the world a cheery occasion." Contemplating the situation, Vengar speaks softly to his friends, "It would be wise of us to get plenty of rest... tomorrow is going to be a long and difficult day. We ought to investigate and see if there are any government workers here before they become too inebriated."
Taking Yaneth's coin, he calls out to the waitress, "Madam, would you be so kind as to get us some wine and cheese please?"
"Too much drink is a peril to be avoided, but there's no such thing as too much food! I'm going to have some of that trout. A lot of that trout, actually but that's neither here nor there."
Randolph grinned to himself, rubbing his hands together. If Kord didn't place so much exercise in his path, he would have undoubtedly become a very rotund Shifter by now.
Corianan Melee Basic Attack: +23 versus AC, 1d12+18 damage. +2 additional if Raging, +4 if target is Bloodied, +6 if a Thunder power was used last turn.
The tapestry depicts a scene in this world that would be reminiscent of Hercules vs. the Nimean lion: a larger-than- life hero (Warst) fighting a beast that's fantastical, even in this magic-infused world (a chimera with skin made of gold).
"Randolph, dear friend, could you spare a coin for a starving friend?"
The halfling winks, and shows his pockets turned out and empty.
"No worries, I'll just best some of the locals at cards, and pay you back this very night!"
"Pfah!" he grunted as he tossed a small purse Reeds way. "I don't expect to ever see that again but you never know, maybe I'll get lucky. Try not to draw the attention of too many debt collectors."
Corianan Melee Basic Attack: +23 versus AC, 1d12+18 damage. +2 additional if Raging, +4 if target is Bloodied, +6 if a Thunder power was used last turn.
Pulling a couple gold coins out of his pouch, Vengar stands up and walks over to the landlord. "I'd like a nice room, close to the staircase if possible. Also..." He glances over at the other customers, "Walking in, I noticed that this fine establishment is across from the town hall. I was wondering if the hall's employees often frequent this place. My companions and I have important business to conduct in this city."
Chaffie gives the landlord and prizewinners smile as she hands her money over to the landlord. "Thank you so much. Could you have one the girls have some hot water up there for me in about an hour, please?"
After the landlord confirms her request, Chaffie heads over to the table her friends are sitting at, trying to make sure that she's not sitting too close to Randolph while he's eating. "No-one start any fights, OK? I've already paid for my room."
Farashiel sits at the empty table with the others and listens to the chatter around the room for a few moments, as well as the bugbear waitress describing the fare. A bugbear waitress? Interesting choice, though I'll admit it probably cuts down on the heavy petting.
As she's walking away, Fara calls out to her.
"I'll have the trout, keep the succotash but bring extra flatbread. And a glass of whatever to go with it, something smooth."
Leaning back in her chair, she listens to the back-and-forth between her friends. Nodding at one point, she looks at Randolph;
"You're right, these people are far too cheery when you consider what we've been told about this city. Maybe they're just trying stick their heads in the sand?"
Spoiler:
This would be a perception check, but I rolled under my passive so there ya go.
__________________ Rathas, Tiefling Warlord Op Attack: +23 vs AC (+24 if target bloodied), 1d10+9 (+4 if flank with ally).
Yaneth looks over the tapestry a bit more, then shrugs and turns around, surveying the room. She sees Reed heading off, clutching some dice in his hand, and she smiles widely. Her eyes stray over to the other tables, full of people drinking and talking loudly. The people here seem carefree, but her innate sense of paranoia drives her to look at each of the patrons intently, trying to figure out if anyone was really upset or hiding something.
"Start a fight? Perish the thought lass, perish the thought." Randolph grinned to Chaffie as he took in the sights (and smells) of the room, his keen eyes moving from patron to patron. He'd wondered if their well armed band had drawn any attention.
Spoiler:
Perception goes here, albeit it was lower than my passive perception sooo...lulz.
Corianan Melee Basic Attack: +23 versus AC, 1d12+18 damage. +2 additional if Raging, +4 if target is Bloodied, +6 if a Thunder power was used last turn.
Corianan Melee Basic Attack: +23 versus AC, 1d12+18 damage. +2 additional if Raging, +4 if target is Bloodied, +6 if a Thunder power was used last turn.
What kind of roll do I need to make to have the dice come up my way? They're not loaded or anything.
Spoiler:
Bluff would be most appropriate. Make 4 checks (DC 21) to school some drunks. If you get 2 successes, you win your games. Get less than that, and you may have some angry drunks to deal with.
Yaneth notices a hint of tension in the air, but you also notice that none of these people are missing eyes or hands, so they might not be personally affected by the recent edict. Spoiler:
After Reed makes his rolls, and they aren't failures, we can move onward to the morning and the Mayor.
Reed gathers a few of the rowdier patrons, and makes a few weak attempts at humor that has the intoxicated men roaring with laughter. With his marks at ease, he begins rolling dice, and raking in enough money to earn himself a double portion of food and a nice room.
As the night goes on, Reed makes his money, and Randolph eats his weight on corn cakes, Chaffie retires to her room for a nice, hot bath.
A while later, Chaffie sneaks out of her room to quietly spy on her neighbours, listening in at their doors for any suspcious conversations, mystic chants or any potential blackmail situations.
The night passes without incident or suspicious activity. After a hearty breakfast, you can make your way across the street to the now open town hall. You are escorted by two guards through the lavish town hall, passing numerous statues of former mayors, town merchants, and elders. The simple opulence of the edifice bespeaks old money and a level of decadence not seen in most other lands. The guards open the doors to a sumptuous office, which is appointed with a plush leather chair, a handsome desk, stuffed animal heads, and numerous cultural artifacts. You are greeted by a portly, jolly-looking man with a handlebar mustache, who is dressed in orange silk robes and is wearing far too much perfume and jewelry.
The man says, “Thank you all for coming. Your bravery is well known to the citizens of our town. As I’m sure you know, these are trying times and the citizens of Relkingham are worried about this edict that we’re hearing about from Wyllea, as well as the violence and brigands reported in the land. We need respected heroes to speak with Founder Neelani and convince her of the problems with this new law. We would be more than happy to compensate you for the trip and any difficulties that might arise. We would be willing to offer 1,800 gold pieces if you will speak with her. We don’t expect miracles and you will still be compensated if she doesn’t listen, but success in this venture would be worth an additional reward.”
Passive Insight: You get the impression from his tone and body language that since he’s not familiar with your heroics, he’s holding back at least in terms of compensation if nothing else.
Spoiler:
Skill challenge: For the Mayor to increase your reward and smooth your bureaucratic journey to Founder Neelani, you need to convince him of your merit.
Requires 6 successes before 3 failures
Primary Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Insight.
Other Skill: Streetwise.
Bluff DC 15 (1 success). Two successes in a row reduce the DC of the next Diplomacy check by –3.
You fabricate reasons for the mayor to grant your party more money.
Diplomacy DC 20 (1 success, maximum 4 successes). One result of 22 or higher opens up Street¬wise as an option or eliminates one failure.
You discuss your party’s past heroic deeds or describes the dangers of traveling both ways with brigands and cultists in the area.
Insight DC 21 (1 success, maximum 2 successes). One result of 25 or higher allows the group to understand that any Intimidate check results in automatic failure, and that Streetwise checks that appeal to the mayor’s mercantile upbringing are likely to gain them a further advantage
You empathize with the mayor and use that knowledge to encourage a greater reward.
Streetwise DC 15 (0 successes). A failure here ruins the group’s credibility; the group has a –4 penalty to Charisma-based checks until the end of the skill challenge. A success…does something good. : )
05-09-2009, 08:46 AM
