Bart "the" Bard sits down at a table with Kaliris in tow. Between making eyes and flirting with waitresses, he talks "business" to the kobold he had recently met.
"So, I don't know why Tomas was so mad at me, his wife took off her wedding ring! Anyway, I don't think I can go to Oregrove village anytime soon, which puts a dent in the adventuring. You got any ideas about where to go? Any rumors?"
Blood Mage Apologist
The Clavicle Tavern
Kaliris steeped his claws, and looked at his new 'friend.' "Well," he said dryly, "maybe you could have handled it a bit better. For example, by not egging him on. Or kissing his wife in front of him. Or egging him on while kissing his wife."
Scratching the back of the snake draped around his shoulders, the kobold tapped the table with a claw. "I know another adventurer, who happens to be searching for something; a city, I believe."
Picking a loose scale off his neck, Kaliris continued. "I'm sure that he would appreciate our help."
"I've worked together with him and a few other warriors in the past to guard some poor sap while more powerful adventurers dealt with a worse menace," the kobold informed Bart. "He's a good person."
The black snake resting on him hissed, and Kaliris nodded. "And as my familiar has so articulately pointed out, those are a rarity in these days."
edited 2nd Mar '18 12:56:53 PM by Cwest5538
Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look"Hey, you're the one who told me that her husband left town. I didn't know!"
Bart scratched at his stubble, and took a quick glance over his shoulder. "...I think I just proved your snake's point, the world is in need of good people nowadays." He let that linger for a bit, and then shrugged.
"So you guys were involved in the whole potato farmer debacle with that Dragon church or whatever? I thought you hated dragons."
edited 3rd Mar '18 9:00:22 AM by BismuthOmega
The man who sleeps with a machete is a fool every night but one.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
That sneeze made records. Two servers and a customer offered Gaumata handkerchiefs. He waived them off, not even looking up from his notes. He didn't dare take out his map with booze and unidentifiable, other liquid flying everywhere, but no rest for the studious.
A few of the servers walked by. Some winked. Some looked over the mountain of books that he had on the table—technically none of which were his. He didn't quite know how to respond to either. "Hn.." he said waiving lazily. Then he dope slapped himself. "I mean, hey! My apologies, I get absorbed in this stuff and..." She'd gone. Back to work, then...
Manuel rechecked his reflection in the stream, making sure everything was in place. His robes were a bluish off-white. He would have preferred brown: brown was the color of good honest dirt, and potatoes. However, there was a niggling voice in the back of his head that would never accept a priest of Ginemvir wearing brown robes.
She was merely the loudest of the voices.
He clutched at the crystal too, in the approved hexagonal prism pyramidal shape, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. It was her holy symbol. Well, the goddess's symbol, yes, but also that priestess's. The one who died fight, like the rest of those brave holy warriors while he cowered behind a cart.
Well, the priestess, the other one, the living one from the church, she told him to come here. To meet some old friends, she said. Who in the dark name of Tracon- I can blaspheme in my own head, thank you! -did he know in this town, so far from his home?
Entering the tavern, he'd look around and blink. Oh. Oh was right, because that little lizard man was hard to miss. Yes, he recognized him. Well, he thought he did- how many lizard men did he know? Okay, that paladin had been when one of those dragon men- women. But she was taller and also dead and he remember them insisting there was a distinction.
This might be a different one but it was unlikely.
So...
Blood Mage Apologist
Kaliris snorted. "Of course I hate dragons. But the pay was good, and the guy needed help."
"Oh, and yeah, the fighter over there was one of the reasons all of us came out of that fully intact," he continued. "And apparently the potato farmer was needed to get through this crazy maze because to navigate it we needed the love of a parent, and his daughter had been kidnapped by an evil Unseelie faery. Nasty stuff."
Glancing over at the person who sounded like he was going to lose his head sneezing, the kobold gestured at him.
"That's the guy, in fact," he pointed out. "I like him; he's studious. He has a bit to go before he'll be able to cast anything, of course, but I have no doubt he'll get there eventually."
His familiar hissed a sharp warning, and Kaliris glanced at someone new. "And, uh... that's the guy we were protecting. Here. In holy robes."
Glancing around one last time, the wizard sighed. "This is a recipe for disaster, of course. I'm certain that orcs are going to burst down the door, or that a dragon is about to attack right about now. This many adventurers in the same place? That know each other?"
Scratching an arcane rune into the table with a tip of a claw, Kaliris smiled grimly. "Of course, I might be wrong. But the universe just loves messing with us, doesn't it?"
edited 3rd Mar '18 9:06:19 AM by Cwest5538
Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' lookBart whistled lightly in response to the sneeze, and started rolling a coin across his knuckles in response to Kaliris's omens. "It almost sounds like you're trying to jinx us."
He flashed a grin at the kobold, and waved at the man who just entered, beckoning him to join the two. "Well, it looks like we're due for introductions, eh?
edited 3rd Mar '18 9:16:26 AM by BismuthOmega
The man who sleeps with a machete is a fool every night but one.
In that moment, a woman, obviously an adventurer s well- though her clothes and equipment were not as flashy as the others'- entered the tavern. She had fair looks, brown hair and brown eyes.
She looked around, spotted the adventures, grinned, and made a beeline to their table.
"Hi there. You're adventurers, correct?" she introduced herself. "So am I. A rogue, to be specific. My name's Spiral Pine. I just got contracted for a job, but I need help for it. Are you interested?"
"See, there has been an increase on goblinoid activity recently. Which is odd, because -at least in these lands- they tend to keep to themselves and cause no trouble to civilized folks. So, the local government wants it investigated, and, if possible, dealt with. The tribe itself is small... Thing is, the forest where they live is a bit- dangerous. So, better to go with a full party, I say, don't you agree?"
She jingled a bag of coins in one hand, in case enticement was needed.
edited 3rd Mar '18 9:30:05 AM by Sijo
Manuel sighed. This, he didn't wanna be involved in whatever this was but a babble of voices in his head said adventurers seek like minds so that they may vanguish evil, take names, right wrongs.
He approached the two, nodding at the other human but seeming to glance more and more at the kobold. "Hhhhello. Kasius, right?"
He was about say more, introduce himself, maybe crack a self-depreciating joke, when suddenly a woman burst in and makes her own introduction.
"Um- bub- well- goblins?"
Bart returned the nod, and smiled at the newcomers.
"Goblins? I've dealt with many of those small green men, both civilly, and otherwise," he lied, "and I doubt the rest of the forest will be much of a problem with your," he paused, examining the woman- both her looks and for weapons- "capabilities."
"Bart the Bard, by the way," he said, and glanced at Kaliris, "what say you?"
Blood Mage Apologist
Kalaris looked at the potato farmer turned cleric and sighed. "My name is Kaliris, but it has been a while. Good to see you again, I suppose -"
And then another adventurer burst into the tavern and introduced herself. The kobold bit his tongue to keep from belting out an 'I told you so''
Ironically, this was essentially how most adventuring jobs happened. People coming up to you and asking you to do shit for them was a really, really common occurrence in this profession.
Sighing, he nodded at Bart. "I'll come along, if only to make sure that he doesn't get himself killed."
Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look
Good is certainly a way to describe it. Manuel was physically fine, it was his mental state he was worried about. Like the clamoring voices all rose up at this chance for adventure!
Wild goblins were a threat to civilized, good people after all.
If these more tame tribes were being riled up by something, they needed to be brought to heel.
People were in danger! It was the duty of good men to help them.
"Of course, I would be glad to accompany you all," He said with forced cheer. Bluff 6 He looked at the kobold. "Some rather good people inspired me by their example."
The Rogue looked at the cleric, and smiled, unconvinced Insight roll 13
However, she said "Great then! Very well, we depart as soon as you are all ready. our target is located in the Forest of Three Steps, about three days journey from here. I will wait for you at the inn."
She then began to leave, not without throwing the Bard a meaningful gaze first.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Gaumata glanced toward the adventurer who had burst in asking for help. Well, he had to exercise in between hitting the books...and the money might be good too. "Oi!" he called to the woman. "I'll help as well."
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
A while later at the Sidewinder Inn
The female Rogue stood by the entrance, examining a map of the area they would explore.She was prepared with weapons and a backpack.
She whistled as she leaned against wooden beam, waiting for the others to show up.
Blood Mage Apologist
Kaliris was first to arrive, as usual. He was punctual; there was an old saying that a wizard is on time any time he arrives, but some people actually liked not showing up late. Not to mention the fact that if you were a adventurer and arrived late, there was a decent chance everything would have gone to hell before you arrived.
Walking into the Inn, he gave the rogue a curt nod. "What else lives in Three-Steps forest? Anything that we should be aware of, besides the goblins?"
Wooze looks at Glass with a 'please take her away' look
"Not that I know" she replied, but there was a note of uncertainty in her voice. "Like I said, the goblin tribe itself is very small. Maybe that's why they didn't harass outsiders- until now."
"Then again, its been years since anyone's been to their territory. Who knows what else could have moved in after all this time?"
Bart returned the gaze with a wink, and grinned at his companions. "Well, looks like we've got our work cut out for us." He nodded towards the man who volunteered to help, "should we go make introductions, or in your cases, re-introductions?"
Without waiting for a response, Bart walked to the studying swordsman's table and sat down across from him. "Well, it looks like we'll be working together. I'm Bard the Bard, Kaliris say's you're a good man, those seem to be few and far between, nowadays," he said, grinning.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
It took Gaumata alot longer than he was comfortable admitting to notice that he was being addressed again. "Yes, I'm a man," he answered half addressing his latest book. Wait, why would he ask me...gah!
"Yes," he repeated, standing and hoping he could erase that earlier statement. "Yers, I'm a pretty good man. At least I think so. You're helping with the adventurer then? Well, may as well go together. I'll pack these up."
In a sign of true practice, Gaumata's books were in his pack in the blink of an eye. At least one person knew from experience that house fires were great practice for packing up very quickly. "Let's go. Whenever you are ready, good sir." I feel as though, I've forgotten something. "Oh, yes. you may call me Gaumata. What might I call you?"
edited 3rd Mar '18 4:21:48 PM by CenturyEye
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our livesThough taken aback by Gaumata's lapse in attention, Bart didn't skip a beat while introducing himself again. "You can call me Bart "the" Bard, I'm a bard, by trade. If you know Kaliris and the potato farmer, we'll be working with them. Ah, we should probably go catch up with them." \\
Upon that, Bart stood up, nodded towards the door, and exited the tavern.
The Sidewinder Inn
Bart entered the Inn and made his way to the rogue and the wizard. "So, what'd I miss?"
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Gaumata nodded in response to the man and hurried after the others. Wait, is Bart still here?
The Sidewinder Inn
Gaumata made note of the other adventurers as entered, especially Bart's 'what did I miss' confirming that they had, in fact, kept pace. "If you please," Gaumata added. "What did we miss? And would should we know for our task?" Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Once the rest of the party had arrived, Spiral laid out the map on a table.
"See, we're here" she said, indicating a spot marked "Pueblo". She then followed a path with a finger up the map, until she reached a green area marked, "Three Steps Forest".
. "The Forest is Up North" she continued. "We should be there before nightfall. But crossing it will take us three days. We will need to camp twice."
"In case you're wondering, the forest's name comes from the fact that its divided in three sections, by two cliffs. A river passes perpendicular to them, forming two falls. But I'm sure those won't be hard obstacles for us" she added with a (reassuring?) smile.
"The goblins live in the northernmost part of the forest, on the third 'step'. "
"We will sneak in, observe, and, if possible, defuse the situation peacefully. If not, by force. Of course if things get too hard, we get the Seven Hells out of there."
edited 3rd Mar '18 5:43:49 PM by Sijo
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
"You say the goblins live in the northernmost part of the forest?" Gaumata traced a finger in the air, making invisible notes. "Surely, they're not all clumped there 24/7. What do we know of their patrol schedules or at least where they tend to wander or where they fetch water or forage? Also, do you know any path around the cliffs? Or are we so time-pressed?"
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
"Like I said- oh you weren't here, never mind- there's been no contact with the tribe in decades. Presumably they patrol the Third Step of the forest, forage and hunt there, and get their water from the river. Other than that, we're on our own."
She paused. "Honestly, there's no reason for them to harass travelers like they have been doing recently. But then, finding out is our job."
"Anyway, is everyone ready? We need to be going if we want to reach the forest before sunfall."
Everyone agreed, so Spiral rolled up the map and put it back in her backpack. She then walked out of the inn, followed by the rest of the neophyte party.
(hours later)
It was late in the afternoon when they began reaching a wooded area.
"This is it, the edge of the forest" Two cliffs, in fact, could be seen in the distance. "I know I don't need to say it, but be on the alert."
And they walked in.
.* * * * *
edited 3rd Mar '18 8:05:55 PM by Sijo
In the Beginning...
Eons ago, when The Multiverse was young, the gods split off in various groups, called Pantheons. Each would go on to create a world of their own preference.
But in all groups, there are always dissenters, and gods are no different. A few were displeased with the results, and struck out on their own.
These misfits eventually met together, and decided to created a new world, one better fit to their own tastes.
And thus was Terrene born, with materials taken from the four Elemental Planes, and seeded with life brought from all Planes.
And then, like artists who live just to complete their next project, these gods moved on, rarely if ever checking in on their creation.
Not that the divine vacuum lasted long, as gods from all over the Multiverse sought to establish their own cults there.
The Present
The kingdom of Royale
The town of Pueblo
The Clavicle Tavern
The owner, Bartholomew Ender, had just opened for business. He was cleaning the drinking mugs when the first clients started pouring in. They were all local laborers, on their noon break.[1]
"Hi, fellas. The usual?" the middle-aged man asked.
They nodded, so he began pouring them some ale.
"Any juicy gossip?" he asked while serving them.
"Nah, its all just rumors" one man said, bored. "Monsters being too active... unrest at the capital... you know, the usual."
Despite their tone, all of them were grateful things were not too serious. But they lived in fear that they might be, one day. Such things had happened in the past, and not too long ago.
And it was then that they started coming in. Bart did not know them personally, but he did not need to: you can tell an Adventurer from a league away, if not by his equipment, then by his attitude.
They stopped by the Clavicle all the time. Most of them, he never saw again. Others however, went on to become renowned. He wondered which kind these would turn to be.
PLAYERS: Introduce your characters, in any way you want. Interact with each other if you wish.