RPG Addicts | We Know You're Hooked

Location: Sea Jewel
Time: around midnight
Present: All PCs

The party emerges from the cylinder of light on a wide, rectangular plaza, surrounded by several three-story buildings, but dominated by a large church build of fire bricks and granite in the northeast corner. Maul is already in a hasty conversation with someone of tall stature, wearing a similar garment but with significantly more ornament than Maul's own. A circle of at least three dozen guards surround the gate, wearing chain armour featuring blue and silver coat of arms, helmets, and wielding halberds, also equipped with short swords and who knows what else.

Right next to the man Maul reports to, are four more figures. A tall and muscular man with raven hair and a silvery full plate, his shoulders are wrapped in a flowing blue-and-silver cloak, easy to guess that it features the same coat of arms. Next to him, partially behind him, stands a shorter, lithe figure, wrapped in a featureless brown cloak with a hood drawn deeply in front of the eyes. On the other side of the priest are a tall elven lady in lavishly ornamented gown with a bastard sword dangling from her hip and a nervous looking rock gnome in disturbingly colourful clothes, way too obvious even in the sickening twirl of rainbow light cast by the portal and the pale yellow light provided by half a dozen of everburning torches planted around them.

Lugar and Giant recognise the people as follows.

Upon the appearance of Torin and Portho they seem to be unfazed but as Toot pops out the short, lithe figure emits a brief shriek before stopping it by a slender hand. The voice sounded feminine and the fingers covering the mouth look tender and youthful. The elven mistress is more focused on Merri, still laying limply in Maul's cradling arms, but as the armourer steps forward, followed by a twelve-feet-high adamantine monstrosity, she snaps his gaze there, jaws clenched in a stern appreciation. At the same time, a low rumble runs around the circle of soldiers and the arms swing involuntarily in a defensive posture. A brief command is shouted by someone on the far side of the portal (not visible for the party), "Hold Stations!" and the guards resume their official posture in unison.

Maul turns back to the party.
"I made a first brief to the high priest, telling them you are fine. We shall have a more detailed meeting in the morning. Until then, I will take Merri to the ceremonial chambers. The guards will escort you to the mansion where you all can rest and recover."

With that, he starts towards the church, closely followed by the high priest and the mistress who sends a final gaze towards the armourer and the construct.
The rest of the party is escorted to a simple mansion two streets off the main square, featuring three bedrooms and adequate supplies, including food, drinks, a wooden bath tub, and a rack of common arms and armour.

Portho looks like he is full of questions, but with no one to really ask, and it being late at night he decides to wait. he follows the group to the mansion, and looks thrilled at the idea of a hot bath and warm meal.

Lugar is too tired to even show that he'd be willing to fight the guards when they take a defensive posture, he just lets out a sigh... He'd rather surrender and pick the locks later... Luckily there was no fight. On the way to the mansion Lugar explains who those people were that everyone saw. First he thinks about sharing any reward with Murkatos, Portho, Toot, and Torin but neglects to bring it up. Privately he wonders why Murkatos left his family behind. Maybe they were all assholes like my relatives, he assumes. When Portho brings up the idea of a bath, Lugar is excited at the prospects of washing his own ass but instead, when he takes his boots off on his bed he falls straight to sleep. The day felt as long as a year for the curmudgeon dwarf.

(03-02-2017, 09:02 AM)DM Surranó Wrote: [ -> ]Location: Sea Jewel
Time: around midnight
Present: All PCs

Upon the appearance of Torin and Portho they seem to be unfazed but as Toot pops out the short, lithe figure emits a brief shriek before stopping it by a slender hand. The voice sounded feminine and the fingers covering the mouth look tender and youthful. The elven mistress is more focused on Merri, still laying limply in Maul's cradling arms, but as the armourer steps forward, followed by a twelve-feet-high adamantine monstrosity, she snaps his gaze there, jaws clenched in a stern appreciation. At the same time, a low rumble runs around the circle of soldiers and the arms swing involuntarily in a defensive posture. A brief command is shouted by someone on the far side of the portal (not visible for the party), "Hold Stations!" and the guards resume their official posture in unison.

With that, he starts towards the church, closely followed by the high priest and the mistress who sends a final gaze towards the armourer and the construct.
The rest of the party is escorted to a simple mansion two streets off the main square, featuring three bedrooms and adequate supplies, including food, drinks, a wooden bath tub, and a rack of common arms and armour.

Hearing people shriek when they spotted him was nothing new to Toot.  What was new was he was now with 'friends' or at least people Toot could tolerate better than most.  So without missing a step, Toot's little feet move at incredible speed to easily keep pace with the party while sticking his tongue out at the person who shrieked.  He then continues to follow his 'friends.'

When the soldiers suddenly take a defensive posture, Toot hisses wildly and steps backward to press his back and arms against the wall.  While his gaze shoots back and forth desperately looking for an escape, the light catches his pupils to make them glow menacingly.

After everything calmed down, Toot follows everyone to the mansion.  When he sees all the food and drink, he dives into it all and fills his and his companion's belly!  Later he avoids the bath tub and falls asleep on Boo's fluffy back with a big toothy grin on his face.

Back to the Guest Estate
(spoiler for Merri and Shanna)

As everything is settled and two city guards supplement the adamantine guardian to keep the guests safe, the exhausted party falls asleep, one by one.
What feels like no more than a blink of an eye, everyone is roused from their sleep by the ring of bells struck off, crying fire alarm into the city night. Dozens of feet rush along the street right outside the windows and orders are shouted all around. More squads rush in various directions and the orders shouted, the screams of distant men, the cries of trumpets and horns, are all but suppressed by the agonizing wail of the bells all around the city, turn into a cacophony of chaos. The smell of burning wood penetrates the building's windows and wrinkles the nose of those within.

Those taking the effort to look outside the windows can see that it is still dark outside. There is no movement and no lights.

Having slept closest to the door (and the guardian outside the door) the armourer is the first to jump off the bed and tear up the door, only to be greeted by the startled look on the face of the two guards posted outside the door.

"Yes?" the one to the left asks.

Crickets chirp.

"The... bells..."

"We are sorry if they roused you, sir. They beat once every quarter of an hour but it's easy to get used to them."

The armourer blinks.
"Must have been a dream," he mumbles, then adds something that may have been "Good night."

"Good night, sir," the guard replies as Murkatos pushes the door shut and stumbles back to his bed.

Lugar rouses, angered at whoever or whatever woke him.  Fire bells be damned.  "Can't a Duergar get any sleep around here!  What the hell is going on!"  He roars.  Then the smell of burning wood hits his long nose.  "Fire! Fire, this shit-hole is on fire!"  He rushes to the window to escape but sees all is calm.  Then he sees Murkatos awake and asks, "What is going on? Is this some Gnome joke?"  His thoughts turn to all the loot they took from the underground mansion.  "The gold..." He mutters and rushes to make sure it's all still there, safe and shiny....

(03-08-2017, 03:07 AM)Lugar Wrote: [ -> ]Lugar rouses, angered at whoever or whatever woke him.  Fire bells be damned.  "Can't a Duergar get any sleep around here!  What the hell is going on!"  He roars.  Then the smell of burning wood hits his long nose.  "Fire! Fire, this shit-hole is on fire!"  He rushes to the window to escape but sees all is calm.  Then he sees Murkatos awake and asks, "What is going on? Is this some Gnome joke?"  His thoughts turn to all the loot they took from the underground mansion.  "The gold..." He mutters and rushes to make sure it's all still there, safe and shiny....

SG is waking up angrily after a big pigging out and heavy drinking.

What?! Where?! Who?! - he asks drowsily - Trap!!! Save the loot! - he jumps up suddenly

The armourer looks at Lugar, perplexed.
"You had the same dream? Then it must have been a gnomes trick after all. "
He glances at Portho who looks all innocent, curled up in his bed.
"Guess we need a guard we trust. Lugar, will you?" He mumbles while bring himself in his blanket, already half asleep.

(03-08-2017, 07:02 AM)DM Surranó Wrote: [ -> ]The armourer looks at Lugar, perplexed.
"You had the same dream? Then it must have been a gnomes trick after all. "
He glances at Portho who looks all innocent, curled up in his bed.
"Guess we need a guard we trust. Lugar, will you?" He mumbles while bring himself in his blanket, already half asleep.

Trick??? - he is still angry - Bad joke or bad omen.