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Kamil "Given the clientele, I don't think there'll be much of a choice. Local jobs might not be easy, but...with all of us together, I'm sure we can save ourselves some harm." Kamil looks out over the bar. "But let us see what we can find." (Diplomacy (Gather Information) at d20+11=26.)
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Mar 6, 2014 16:46
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 19:27 |
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After an hour of schmoozing and socializing at the taverns nearby, Kamil returns with a number of opportunities. -Matteo is looking for overnight guards. Rumour has it he has something especially valuable coming into Phlan for a special customer. -The sailors kept mentioning Alrem (the half-elf barkeep at the Broken Blade) having a special task for quiet and skilled hands. -The Council of Ten is looking for adventurers to accomplish a task in the ruins of Sokol Keep (a fort in the Bay of Phlan.) Many of the sailors want a light atop the Keep to aid in navigating the bay. All of these options should take less than a tenday and pay fairly well.
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Mar 7, 2014 17:00
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Kamil He lays out the options for the group quickly. "The money's good either way, and it seems that the job for Matteo would be easiest. Nevertheless, I have little preference for any of these particular things. What say you?"
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Mar 7, 2014 17:05
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Bries Chersk "Seems pretty clear to me, we can do everyone, including Shaundakul a favour in fixing a light on top of that tower. And get payed at the same time. Safer sailing means more trade and more work for everyone" Bries finishes his ale. "And on top of that, its nice and visible work, builds reputation."
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Mar 7, 2014 17:21
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Morn Morn taps his chin thoughtfully. "On the other hand, our reputation can't really get worse at the moment. Some might see that as an opportunity. That guard duty might just cause something valuable to fall into our laps." He lowers his voice. "More valuable than fake coinage."
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Mar 7, 2014 20:38
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Rowan Greenbridge Rowan purses her lips and slides a coin between her fingers, transferring it smoothly back and forth across her knuckles with only the slightest amount of apparent muscle motion. "Can't say I've ever done much guard work. Not sure it suits, but it might be refreshing." Rowan sits up a little straighter, smiling. "Hey, maybe the lighthouse is a good idea. I heard tell of a crew that used to operate out near Spandeliyon. There was a big lighthouse near the bay, and they'd bribe the guard to cover most of the light on stormy nights. Ships would head for it, trying to make for the bay, and crash on the rocks instead. Then they'd just have to..." Rowan stops, trailing off as she notices their reaction. "...help them with warm blankets. And hot cocoa." She slumps back in her stool, crossing her arms. "Fine, forget I mentioned it."
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Mar 7, 2014 21:51
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Lularie "The guarding job seems best to me," says Lularie with a shrug. "If there's no trouble, it's just an easy few nights' work. If there is... well, at least we didn't have to go anywhere for it."
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Mar 7, 2014 22:08
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Sasha "Guarding doesn't seem bad to me," he says. "Give us a chance to know the place too."
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Mar 10, 2014 05:37
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Matteo contracts you for exactly seventy-two hours: three hundred gold as payment for your time, and three hundred gold if the shop remains safe. The smith offers little details about what you are actually guarding: "I have located an especially rare item for sale in the markets of Marsember, and a nobleman has paid me a good sum to authenticate it and guarantee its safe delivery. The item is quite valuable, so if the Welcomers hear of it, they make seek to steal it. A simple job, one that you can ably accomplish! You are only extra guards for my own premises: the city guards are normally enough to deal with any other incidents." As Matteo promised when you signed the contract, a wagon rolls up to his shop at highsun. As the sun beats down on you, sweat beading behind your ears, two large men with enough scars to set up their own tattoo parlor take a crate out of the wagon (otherwise empty) and deliver it into Matteo's shop. From inside you can hear the half-elf shout "Wonderful! Wonderful! Just there, goodman, and here is your payment." The men and the wagon ride off as quickly as they came, and no one pays them any attention. Matteo's smithy has two entrances - the front, for business, and a back entrance for emergencies. A water barrel is kept by the back entrance in case of fire, but otherwise the back entrance is featureless, without window or distinguishing feature. With seven of you to spread the work among, and two entrances to cover, you agree to work in shifts of two: two at the front, two at the back, and two asleep. A seventh guard, if available, stands next to the crate inside the shop. Matteo has replaced the object - always in a bag of cloth, hidden from sight - back in the crate at the end of each day, nailing it shut once more. Sleeping is an easy thing. There is an inn just down the street, a quiet place called the Cracked Crown. It is the best appointed inn in Phlan, and you cringe a little when shelling out for three rooms at the exorbitant cost of ninety gold for three days. Still, the beds are freshly stuffed with straw every day, and the pillows real down, and the burnt mushrooms exquisite. The first two days pass without notice, and so do the nights. It is only on the last night when something alarming happens. Two deluxe carriages come careening around the corner, the young women driving them whipping their horses into a froth. The women are racing, it seems, both dressed in expensive gowns and yet paying no heed to the dirt being spun up. As the carriages near, you can hear the women shouting profanity at each other, yelling about driving the other into "the Bitch Queen's cold embrace!" (Certainly nothing they heard in the girls' academy on Phelsundra Street.) Unfortunately for you, the first woman's horses give out right in front of the smithy, her carriage screeching to a halt and then a wooden crash as its wheels ride up and over the exhausted horses with a sickening crunch. The first woman's horses whinny in terrible pain, and the woman herself attempts to extricate herself from the wreckage. However, the second woman's carriage joins the crash, her horses turning aside but the carriage itself going wild, joining the wreckage. The two women pull themselves from the wrecks of their carriages, producing rapiers from thin sheaths stuck in their garters. The first - a fetching blonde whose blue dress is torn to revealing tatters - shouts once more: "I'll see you dead tonight, harpy! No one insults a woman of the Neversuns like that!" The other woman sneers, her makeup a strange mockery of an elf's beauty. Her own dress is torn to shreds, and her long red updo has come undone. "Naelra Neverloved. No matter how much you spend on dresses from Suzail, you won't catch a girl like that - or a dog!" Meanwhile, at the back door, something else approaches out of the shadows. It's a dirty, hunched over thing - for a moment you think it's a gnome, but no, it's a woman, her face too dirty to tell her age, her hair matted and half-burnt. The woman is propping up her weight on a quarterstaff, her callused hands wrapped around it for support, and the staff has several small charms hanging from the top: discs of bone, moldy raven feathers, thongs of barely-cured leather. She stinks, and her voice is low and haunted: "You...things. Guards and highwaymen. What place is this?" The woman mumbles, tripping over her own tongue, and she seems better suited to the slums than polished and carefully crafted New Phlan. Sasha and Lularie are approaching the front door from the Cracked Crown, just having finished eating. Rowan and Morn are standing at the back, being approached by the dirty woman. Tara and Bries are at the front, watching a duel about to break out. And Kamil stands inside, next to the mysterious crate. He can better hear the woman out back, although he did hear enough of what's happening up front to know something is going on out there. What do you do?
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Mar 10, 2014 19:37
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Morn Morn raises an eyebrow at Rown before addressing the haggard woman. "No highwaymen here, I'm afraid, just guards. This is New Phlan, obviously. You're behind a shop that I deign to assume you don't intend to browse, and the hours are wrong besides. You best move along."
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Mar 10, 2014 19:44
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Tara Tara tells Midnight to keep an eye out then turns to the commotion. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?!?? LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO THOSE HORSES!"
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Mar 11, 2014 00:18
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Bries Chersk Bries has spent a lifetime among horses back home and calmly but grimly checks to see if there is anything that can be done for them still.
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Mar 11, 2014 09:41
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Kamil Hearing the commotion out front, Kamil opens one of the shutters and looks down. The mess of carriages and horses makes him frown, but he gives it a good look anyway, just in case. It's not unheard of for thieves and other scoundrels to cause a nice and visible distraction before the quiet one slips in. (Perception for d20+14=32)
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Mar 11, 2014 14:20
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Sasha Stepping aside as a burning wagon wheel rolls past him, Sasha unloads with a massive belch. The food was good at the Crown, to be sure. It ought to be for thirty gold a day. He keeps on walking towards the shop, eyeballing the wreck with the interest of someone who likes to watch fights sometimes. Mostly what he wanted after a meal that rich was a nap, however, so he keeps on walkin. It didn't look suspicious to him, after all. He turns to his companion, feeling the warm smug glow radiating from her. "Hell of a thing, life in the big city, eh?" Sense Motive LOL <+Morphball> WinsonPaine: 13 = 1d20(7)+6
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Mar 11, 2014 15:07
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Lularie Lularie knows exactly nothing about horses and cares even less about them. Still, a carriage wreck is always good watching. "Wouldn't call this place big... or a city, but it sure is a place." She too doesn't see anything untoward about any of this. I will also sense a motive [15:49] <Morphball> neongrey: 13 = 1d20(12)+1
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Mar 11, 2014 21:50
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At the back, the haggard woman straightens slightly at Morn's words. "A shop...the smith...you have mine. My birthright...give it to me!" Her right hand is jerking oddly, grabbing at the air. Out front, the blonde scowls at Kara. "Horses can be replaced. This is about more than that. Watch your words, wench, or I will take off your head next!" The two women touch blades, and are about to begin duelling. Bries: All of the horses have broken legs, and the first two are knocked out. None of them will be spared the blade tonight, a blessing versus their current pain. Kamil: You can now hear both the commotions clearly, but there is nothing else of interest. A rat rustles among the trash, somewhere down the street a woman laughs and closes a shutter with a bang. Sasha & Lularie: Nothing is amiss, as far as you can tell. These women are bitter rivals, and their hatred has boiled over into combat.
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Mar 11, 2014 22:55
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Tara "And I take it your life is just as easily replaced too." Tara throws her hands up and goes back to keeping an eye out. "Have fun painting your faces with each others' blood."
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Mar 11, 2014 23:17
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Sasha Sasha heads to go back in, but seeing the two women are so distracted as to not care about thousands of gold worth of horseflesh, Sasha looks around for anything valuble that looks like it rolled out of the wreckage and is lying around loose like someone might need to pick it up. Perception - [11:06] <+Morphball> WinsonPaine: 23 = 1d20(16)+7
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Mar 12, 2014 17:06
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Bries Chersk Bries grasps one of the Horses by the by the head and speaks a few calming words, then there is a small sound of crackeling lightning and it slumps over dead, he repeats the process on the others. Bries returns to his spot at the shop but makes sure to stand close enough to Tara that he can assist should the "noble" "ladies" get some really stupid ideas. "Just let them fight it out, one dead noble is a cheap price to pay to save another few teams of horses from a pointless death."
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Mar 12, 2014 17:08
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Rowan Greenbridge Rowan catches Morn's eye, tilting her head towards the crazy woman. Rowan fades backwards as Morn steps forward, hand outstretched, and reaches into her pocket. The woman's eyes narrow as Rowan steps through a shadow, but Morn draws her attention long enough for Rowan to step forward and bring the blackjack down on the woman's head, knocking her out cold. Rowan winces, flexing her stinging hand as she uses one arm to catch the old woman before she falls. She notices Morn's startled look and grimaces. "Ominous old woman shows up and starts making vaguely threatening gestures. That's too creepy by far for my tastes. Best case, she's just touched in the head, in which case we can feel guilty about it later." Rowan starts to drag the woman's unconscious body backwards, out of sight from the alley, and starts patting her down. "Keep an eye out, I'm going to see if I'm paranoid and correct or just paranoid." <Krysmbot> RPZip, 3+8 = 11 for stealth, which doesn't work. Taking a step behind the crazy woman and attacking her with my sap, using Morn to flank. <RPZip> <Krysmbot> RPZip, 5+2 = 7 <RPZip> <Krysmbot> RPZip, 10+2 = 12 <RPZip> <Krysmbot> RPZip, 5+4+2 = 11 Second attack hits. 11 points of nonlethal damage, which knocks her out. Making a perception check to search her - <Krysmbot> RPZip, 11+4 = 15
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Mar 12, 2014 21:25
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Morn Morn barely stifles a startled yelp as Rowan clubs the woman. He quickly regains his composure, making a nonchalant coughing sound as he covers his mouth. "Deftly handled, friend, deftly handled." As Rowan drags the crumpled heap away, Morn looks arounds, making sure no one is coming to investigate or just wandering by as he mutters under his breath, "This is how curses happen, mark my words." Keeping a lookout with Perception: 1d20 7
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Mar 12, 2014 22:18
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Seeing Tara back away, Naelra turns. "Wait! Guard. This is Matteo's smithy, is it not? He has an heirloom belonging to my family - a scepter of the Neversuns. Bring it to me, so that I may strike this harpy down!" In the back, Rowan drags the old woman into the shadows and begins rifling her pockets. She doesn't have much of value - a few scraps of pretty silk, a worn to almost breaking pair of tongs. You find her coin purse: one gold in dented and worn coppers and silvers, and one shiny gold coin. The same forged gold coin Glauraug stole from you and spent at the Broken Blade a few days ago. Sasha: Something very valuable has rolled out of one of the wrecks, stopping at your feet. It's an armlet, made of a bluish crystal, with tracery of silver. Is that Espruar on the side? Morn: You see nothing worth noting. Glossary Espruar: The script alphabet of elves, also used by elven-influenced peoples.
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Mar 13, 2014 18:53
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Sasha Casual as hell, Sasha quietly hunkers down, stepping forward a little. He is just adjusting his boot. No fear there. Watching the show, working on getting his boot fixed. While he is down there he quietly picks up the circlet and it disappears into a pocket without much muss or fuss as he stands back up. "Well," he says to his companion, "best get back inside. Ayup."
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Mar 13, 2014 19:03
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Tara "So let me get this straight, now you're asking a guard to bring you one of the things they are guarding? The two of you seem like you need to think this rivalry thing through a little better if that's the level of decision making going on here."
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Mar 13, 2014 19:10
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Rowan Greenbridge Rowan flips the forged coin up to Morn, shaking her head sadly. "What a crazy coincidence it is, that a coin spent at the same bar where we heard about this job ends up in the pockets of a creepy old woman. A creepy old woman who just happened to show up here while we're working this job." Rowan picks up the tongs, studying them, before casually smashing them against the wall and throwing the pieces into a dark corner behind the building. "It's hard, being right all the time. Come on, give me a hand tying her up." Rowan knocks twice on the back door, then three more times in quick succession before waiting another moment and knocking once to complete the pattern to signal Kamil to open up. "Let's bring her inside, we can figure out what to do with her later. She'll be out for a good..." Rowan bops the old woman on the head again, eliciting a groan. "Few hours now, at least."
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Mar 13, 2014 19:11
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Kamil The masked man carefully steps through the gunpowder room. "I heard what happened," he says, when he opens the door for Rowan. "I remain unconvinced that bringing her inside - where apparently we have what she wants - is a good idea."
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Mar 14, 2014 16:25
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Rowan Greenbridge Rowan turns to Kamil. "You want us to just slit her throat, then? No? Ugh, fine." Rowan picks the old woman up and drags her into a dark corner of the alleyway, mostly hidden out of sight behind some scattered boxes.
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Mar 14, 2014 22:23
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Lularie "Yeah... in we go. Why does this stuff happen on the way back from break, not in the middle?"
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Mar 14, 2014 22:30
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The redhead turns to Tara as well. "Watch your tongue, witch. Your blood is nothing, and unless you bring her what she wants, we'll both cut off your head!" Naelra nods. "My mace, Now. Go along and fetch, girl." Behind Tara, Lularie and Sasha enter the smithy, paying no heed to the threats being raised. Rowan: The old lady is out, and it looks like she'll be out for quite awhile.
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Mar 14, 2014 22:52
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Tara "Yeah, that doesn't sound suspicious at all. You do realize you're outnumbered for a fight here right?" First one to make a move towards Tara takes a nap.
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Mar 17, 2014 03:05
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"There's no fighting about this, girl! It's mine, and you'll give it to me or I'll have my father march you off in chains! Out of my way, you smallfruit!" Naelra steps forward, and Tara hexes her with a quick gesture. The noblewoman goes down in an instant, her head hitting the ground with a thunk. The redhead gasps in surprise. "How dare you!" At that moment, you hear the clattering of hooves in the distance, nearing the corner - several horses, riding hard. From the clatter and the lanterns, it's likely the city guard. Tara and Bries, what do you do? Arivia fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Mar 19, 2014 |
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Mar 19, 2014 02:04
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Bries Chersk Bries takes a few measured paces forward from the door standing next to Tara, one gauntleted arm spread wide to his side. "You're down a team of horses and a carriage, your friend is taking a nap in the dirt. You're hysterically shouting at a bunch of guards and attracting quite a crowd. I don't know how much pull you think your family has but today the only thing its going to do is loose face. Now unless you literally want to loose some face yourself." A massive 7 foot wingspan celestial eagle plunges from some unclear point in the air onto Bries' arm and fixes its beady eyes on the noblewoman. "This 'disturbance' is over." Tzarnal fucked around with this message at 12:08 on Mar 19, 2014 |
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Mar 19, 2014 12:02
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Tara "She'll be back up in a bit just fine I'm sure. Certainly not anything on the level of what you have done already. If either of you want this scepter that is supposedly hers back, and I have no idea which one it is anyway so I couldn't go get it specifically if I wanted to, then you can take that up with Matteo when he returns. As I said before, it's a little too convenient that you just happen to get in a fight, happen to crash here, happen to want something valuable from the shop for the supposedly spontaneous duel you happen to randomly be having in front of the smithy that happens to supposedly contain said weapon temporarily. If you or your "friend" there are truly noble like you say, would you want a guard that gave away your valuable possessions to the first people to come up and demand them under such suspicious circumstances? If so, then hire me and I will gladly hand out the rest of your belongings to any passerby claiming to be you as well." "Now, as it seems the town guard is on their way thanks to all the noise and destruction you have no doubt wrought in your street race, lets see what they have to say about this."
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Mar 20, 2014 15:17
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The redhead nods. "You're - you're right, goodman. I'll just go...now..." She turns and starts to walk away, but topples over. Seems she had a lot too much to drink. In agreement with Tara's warning, the city guards round the corner a moment later, riding five abreast in shining mail, another man on a plain brown horse following behind them. When they reach you, the guards cluster around the redhead, gently holding her up and pinning her arms as she attempts to kick at them. The other man - his hair gray, face lined with age, and the only sign of his status the thick golden circlet he wears - rushes to Naelra's side, kneeling beside her and gripping her tightly. The man looks alarmed, his face not softening when he realizes Naelra is gently snoring, sound asleep. What else could he be but Lord Neversun, and your suspicions are confirmed when he jumps to his feet and stalks towards the door, shouting. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER, YOU FILTHY ADVENTURER. IF YOU HURT HER AT ALL, I'LL HAVE THE GUARDS THROW YOU IN THE RIVER!" (Tara and Bries are the direct recipients of his wrath, but he's shouting loud enough a few dogs start barking. Anyone else is free to enter and interject.)
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Mar 21, 2014 01:06
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Lularie Lularie gives the man the look of pure disdain only someone from a big pond can give a big fish in a small pond. She says, chilly, "My lord, are you certain you wish to claim this girl as your daughter? Engaging in slap-fights, in public, shrieking so loudly the entire street can hear is a display of such horrifically poor breeding that I could hardly believe there is even the slightest scrap of nobility in her. If she truly is yours, and by the right side of the sheets, then I should take her home and school her better, in the hopes that such incidents as this might some day be forgotten." Unfortunately, she may be laying it on a little thick there. Intimidate: [19:16] <neongrey> .roll 1d20+8 lularie one intimidating lady, yo [19:16] <Morphball> neongrey: lularie one intimidating lady, yo: 9 = 1d20(1)+8 [19:16] <neongrey> ouch [19:17] <neongrey> not [19:17] <neongrey> that intimidating after all, I suppose
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Mar 21, 2014 01:18
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Tara "We only stopped her from doing something she might regret. She should be awake shortly. If you want to look for the one responsible for the current state of her clothing, carriage and such, I suggest you look towards the redhead there who was about to duel Naelra in front of this shop." Tara points to the toppled over redhead. "Naelra was about to try to pick a fight with us too, and I'm sure a short nap to give you time to arrive and help prevent that would be preferable to a swordfight, right?" Tara pauses a moment to let that settle. "If you shake her a little she should wake up fine, if she's not waking up already." Kylra fucked around with this message at 05:04 on Mar 21, 2014 |
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Mar 21, 2014 05:02
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Sasha Leaning out the doorway, Sasha frowns. He is one of natures naturally charming charmers. He puts on his most charming face, and recalls everything he has ever learned or thought of about dealing with the gentry. Assembling his courage and wit into a neat package, he delivers the finest opening volley generations of his people have quarried from the core nobility that humanity keeps at the heart and soul of what makes men great. "Oi, gently caress off with all the loving noise, you loving gently caress!" [23:05] <&WinsonPaine> .roll 1d20-1 [23:05] <+Morphball> WinsonPaine: 10 = 1d20(11)-1
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Mar 21, 2014 05:08
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The nobleman's face turns from indignation to confusion when Lularie speaks, and changes again to outright rage when Sasha curses. "I'll-" He begins to speak, his hand ready to draw his sword, but is stopped by a guardswoman coming up behind him. She puts her hand on the noble's shoulder: "Now then, Lord Neversun - they were just doing their job. We'll need to talk to you all to make sure there's nothing awry, but I don't see any need for any of this." True to her word, the guards spend some time talking to you and confirming that you did nothing wrong. But they don't clasp you in chains and take you away, and they wave you goodnight awhile later, seeing the Neversuns home. The rest of the night passes without incident. The next morning, Matteo appears at the pre-arranged time and asks how the night went. He chuckles when he hears of the brawl outside. "Yes, this is a Neversun family heirloom. But Lady Neversun will be along to collect it soon, not her daughter or husband, both of whom are said to be recovering in bed. Thank you for your service over the past three days - six hundred dragons well spent." Matteo hands you your payment in a satchel, and you walk off into Phlan, your pockets much heavier than they were before. It's a nice day as far as the lands of the Moonsea go - it's sunny, and there's a nice breeze coming off the water. It's warm enough that most everyone has left their cloaks at home, and is just enjoying the day in tunics and summer dresses. Probably the last of its kind until next summer, even. What do you do?
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Mar 24, 2014 14:26
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Sasha Pleased that in response to his reasoned arguments, the nobles did in fact gently caress off, Sasha is smug for the rest of the day. He radiates smugness like an aura, he wears it like a shroud. Lularie after winning a raffle could not be this smug. It is good. The next day, on the beach, Sasha stretches. "Oi," he says, liking the sound of the word in his mouth. "Noice day. We ought to have our buckets and little shovels for this, so we ought."
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Mar 24, 2014 16:55
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 19:27 |
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Tara "You cheated!" Tara yells. Midnight looks at her sideways. "Oh don't give me that look. You know very well what you did." Tara turns away from the bird and crosses her arms across her chest. "Hmph. I guess we'll just have to play a different game." Tara picks up a stick from the ground. "Ok, catch this in the air." Tara tosses it and Midnight stays put, tilting its head to the other side. "Oh, fine. Whatever. I spy something...green." Tara turns to everyone else while the bird looks occupied. "So, what's on the ticket today? Are we going to try to fix up that lighthouse or somesuch?"
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Mar 27, 2014 04:46
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