Shades of Delusion: The Aftermath

[The Antigamer]

V&Y

Spoiler

Show

Raynor jumps over and taps that lad on the back.
"Oy, pardon meh, but wut'd ye jist put in yisser gob?"
His face is smiling, and his body is relaxed, but he keeps the song of the stars humming in his mind, ready to draw forth a weapon if the need arises.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Vorpal and Somnium

Spoiler

Show

Sarris turns to his newfound compatriot with an appraising look. "Gone out on a limb for you. Been here before? Know anything of the area?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Raynor

Spoiler

Show

The young man about chokes as he is confronted and swallows, thumping his chest. Once he has finished coughing he looks up with watery eyes.

"Just a briny longun, chûv'karim sir." the boy breathes in thick Banzarian. "Fingertips gone risen and waxed upstairs, and not a barame-an nip of the mouse have I seen. The Shiny not the dizzytwisting way?"

Translation: "Just a pickle, mighty/charitable sir. Since sunrise to noon I've not had a slave's share or smallest snack of anything. Wealthy lady's not one to hang me over it is she?"

Nearing him there is the distinct aroma of salt and dill.

[The Antigamer]

Vorpal

Spoiler

Show

Raynor thumps the youth on the back, smiling cheerily.
"'Course she ain't, oi wer jist checken' ter make sure ye weren't pilfering me lunch! Carry on den laddy-buk."
He moves closer to the rear of the wagon with the youth, leaning on the tail as the men search.
"An-e news from de travelin' city? What's in store for de festival?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Raynor

Spoiler

Show

"Oh, a wifecuzin's count! They's got timberjacks and oak fellows scattered all across the inandouts, the best tooters and whammers and pickers. Fire-lookers and meadlord. Humjigging and totmaltings for any us wants'em! Earburn says even got some ashcakes and fire cans for afters!

Edit: Basically a lot of stuff having to do with dancing and music and fire. Giant bonfires on the beach and stuffed effigies to light up. Slang has changed a little, but the meadlord probably means a drunken master will be on hand. Fireworks will even be brought.

[Calenestel]

Yamada Tarō

Raynor & Vorpal

Spoiler

Show

Still standing guard by the sleeping horse, and actually not seeing anyone using the beast as a diversion, the samurai looks to Gearna. "Lady Gearna, should I try and rouse Sarsasparilla for you? There seem to be nothing wrong with him. Well, beside the sudden drowsiness, of course." Looking from the narcoleptic horse to those who have stopped to gawk the genasi continues with a slightly harsher tone. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go about your business so we can get on with our!"

[Critical]

S&V

Spoiler

Show

"I sure do appreciate that, friend! - the little kobold replied cheerfully, with that, his scale color becoming slightly brighter. - "About the area? Banzar, you mean? Hm... It moves around a lot, depending on where the members of confederation want to. The choice is usually made in favor of one member and there's pretty stiff competition for that, pretty tight situation, eh?"

[The Antigamer]

Vorpal

Spoiler

Show

Ooch, oi'm bettin' dat ye'd loike ter noggin back as soon as possable den. Oi knu oi'm anxious ter git dare. Dis searchin' done yet sos as we can noggin aff?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Yamada & Raynor

Spoiler

Show

"Yeh, don't see nuttin' to harm the Sparkles nor yaself." the young man says, glancing to the bulbous eyed fellow, who nods in affirmation. Together they start carting the barrels, chairs and other large bits back within.

In the meantime Gearna is still worrying over the collapsed Sarsaparilla.

"If you can wake him up, please do." she says anxiously.

[The Antigamer]

Y&V

Spoiler

Show

Raynor nods cheerily. He helps the men put the things back in the wagon.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Yamada & Raynor

Spoiler

Show

As the sun-browned and goggledy-eyed man hoist the barrel back up, the latter jerks back with an oath.

"Lad, lookit that. Have my eyes gone cross or you see it to?" he says, and turns the barrel a little.

"I dun know what... HOLY SVARDEN-DOOG!" he cries out.

The goggledy eyed man puts a hand to the long hunting knife on his belt and says, "Sir, call the Ambassador over here, but please stay where you are."

[The Antigamer]

Y&V

Spoiler

Show

Raynor looks quizzically at the man, but he decides that the best thing to do would be to follow the order. Turning to call to the front, he shouts,
"Oy, Gearna, dees guys foun' somethin' an' want yer back 'ere."
He returns his gaze from the front to try to see what the man was looking at.

Spoiler

Show

Spot (d20+4)[9]

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Yamada & Raynor

Spoiler

Show

"I'll be right back." Gearna tells her guardian, and rises to her feet. She approaches and the goggledy eyed man nods to the barrel. Quizzically she looks it up and down and then her eyes widen.

"That is so strange..." she breathes, gazing at the barrel. She steps towards it and traces the woodgrain with her finger. She turns to look at Raynor with a confused, wondering gaze. "What on Terrinor?"

Raynor approaches and peers over Gearna's shoulder, but he still can't make out anything of interest.

OOC
Nat 1... geeze Louise, with that roll even with the combined +6 to spot they are giving you for pointing it out isn't enough.

Rolls

Spoiler

Show

(1d20+4)[5]
(1d20+5)[18]

[The Antigamer]

Y&V

Spoiler

Show

"Oi must be blind, cos oi cannea clap anythin' quare 'bout it. Someone mind 'elpin' me owt 'ere?"
He squints his eyes in earnest.

Spoiler

Show

spot (d20+4)[10]

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Raynor

Spoiler

Show

Obviously not able to see it, Gearna points out certain spots to you on the worn, graying wood. Then like suddenly spotting a shape in the clouds your point of view shifts and you wonder how you missed it.

The cracks, whirls and grain lines of the barrel form perfectly the shape of a pot-bellied man sitting in a fetal position, holding his legs to his chest. The head is lifted up, and the mouth opens wide and round to form the top of the barrel. A dark knot in the wood now seems to glare balefully at you from the outlined head.



Now that you know where to look there almost seems to be further details just beyond sight within the wood. Somehow this earlier unnoticed barrel now comes off as menacing.

[The Antigamer]

Vorpal

Spoiler

Show

Raynor feels his skin crawl under the gaze of the wooden man, but he's not sure why he should feel that.
"A wee man is in de barrel's waft an' weave? Nigh, that's weord creepy an' al', but what's de big dayle?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Raynor & Yamada

Spoiler

Show

"The uncanny is just one thing we've been asked to keep a look out for. Do you dabble in magic, or deal in objects of the arcane, Ambassador?" goggledy-eyes inquires.

"I've been known to makes trades for various occult items, but they were all stolen or burned during the raid. And a... a magical BARREL isn't something I've ever had need for." Gearna retorts. "There isn't even anything in it."

"My apologies but we had to check, Ambassador." he replies calmly.

OOC
Gonna wait and see if Calenestel wants to say anything.

[Calenestel]

Yamada Tarō

Spoiler

Show

When Tarō stands and ponders how to best try and rouse the sleeping horse cursing and shouting from further back draws his attention away. He's on the verge of going over there even before the people inspecting the wagon calls for Lady Gearna and when she heads over to them the genasi follows along. The horse can sleep for a while but this might be important.
The sight makes him swear softly himself, keeping to his own native language yet again, and he studies the barrel-man he can't help but wish his wife were with them. It would have delighted her, a riddle like this, and she might have had some insight into it. But as it stood he would have to do without. "I've never seen anything like it, lady Gearna. Is it... alive?" Gingerly he lifts the naginata and pokes the barrel with the butt of the sword-staff.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Somnium & Vorpal

Spoiler

Show

Sarris sighs. "Not much use. Domile still angry. Know anything useful?" He shakes his head, a thought striking him. "Not important. Instead, what's 'monstrumology'?"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Yamada & Raynor

Spoiler

Show

"How'm I supposed to know?" Gearna says distractedly, still staring at it.

The butt of Tarō's weapon thumps on it, and it echoes hollowly, but nothing unusual occurs.

[Critical]

S&V

Spoiler

Show

Somnium slightly tilted his facial expression as he was unable to help out in this area of knowledge, as well as unconsciously changing his skin color to another color, but it was impossible to catch which one, when it changed to a more dark than usual shade of lime as Sarris asked his question about monstrumology. "Ooh, good one! As I already said, monstrumology is a creature science, of course! So if you're looking for someone who knows about them, that's us! Cool, huh? Maybe you have some interesting exemplar on your mind you would like to know more of? Feel free to ask!"

[The Antigamer]

Y&V

Spoiler

Show

Raynor gives himself a little shake.
"Roight, so we've got a creepy wee man-barrel. Is dat a call ter restrict us access ter Banzar, or can we continue on ahead?"
He leans forward, and tries to lift the lid off the barrel, to peer inside it.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Raynor and Yamada

Spoiler

Show

"I suppose not. Still, that is most certainly uncanny." goggledy-eyes says warily. "Do you wish to keep the barrel?"

"Of course." Gearna says immediately. "Such an oddity should be worthwhile to someone."

Raynor looks about the barrel, and finds its lid twists on a pivot set in the rim. Inside it is hollow and empty, with moist, sticky residue. There is a distinctly unpleasant smell of stale fish within.

[The Antigamer]

Y&V

Spoiler

Show

Raynor pulls a face at the smell, and closes the barrel.
"It looks an' smells loike fish were kept innit. Thar's sum sticky stuff on de 'ole, but oi'm not gonna be de first ter investigate dat closer."

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Raynor and Yamada

Spoiler

Show

Gearna looks inside and wrinkles her nose, "I didn't have a barrel of fish. One is wine, and two were supposed to keep water, one for drinking and the other for washing. One of them spilled out during the raid Yam... Taro saved me from. Was fresh water, both of them. Wonder what they sealed the inside with, wouldn't drink anything from that."

She tips it up to look on the bottom and her features grow stern. "There's no manufacture's name on this. This isn't one of my barrels. All of them should at least have the Pineview mark on them in addition to the name."

[The Antigamer]

Y&V

Spoiler

Show

Raynor's brow wrinkles.
"So wait, does dat mean de people who raided yer lef a barrel av their own on yisser last wagon? Dat don't make any sense."

[Calenestel]

Yamada Tarō

Eyeing the barrel suspicously and hefting the naginata as if he'd attack it any time the samurai does make a bit of a comical sight, especially with his exotic armour. But he has a bad feeling about this. The barrel was like something taken straight out of the stories used to frighten small children with, he couldn't remember one that actually HAD a barrel like this in it. But it fit the overall theme and mood perfectly. "I for one would be just as glad to throw it on one of the bonfires tonight, lady Gearna. But if you want to find a seller for it..." Shrugging the earth genasi finally puts the staffsword back on his shoulder. With a suspicious twist on his mouth he shakes his head and walks back to the sleeping horse.

There he first tries to gently, and later a little less gently, shake the horse awake. Like if he tried to rouse a human. If that doesn't seem to have any effect he simply walks over to his own steed, fetch a waterskin from the backpack strapped onto the saddlebags, like everything else it would be on top, and unceremoniously empty it's contents over the head of the beast. Should THAT not work there's always the possibility of introducing Sarsasparilla's hind quarters to a needle. But he'd prefer not to hurt an innocent animal who's only crime is falling asleep.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Yamada & Raynor

Spoiler

Show

Gearna grins wickedly, "Oh, that is a fine idea! If those Ruiners thought they could get away with something, they'll be in for a surprise."

The goggledy eyed man however shakes his head, "Anything of ruin must be suspect. I'll have to gain permission from Member Jumja."

In the meantime Gearna's steed is awoken with a brief shaking, though it acts a little dazed and unnerved, snorting every few moments.

Soon the halfling official you all met before returns with an exasperated expression, which rapidly turns to alarm as he is shown the barrel.

He makes a slicing motion with his hand.

"Nothing of theirs is coming into this city. The residue within may be an explosive for all we know, and doing so would harm many citizens. We have a... visitor arriving at the city soon. He knows much of their mischief. We'll see to it he inspects it thoroughly. Goggles, roll it to the side and get some guards to watch over it."

The lanky Goggles however doesn't make a move, and begins to back away,

"I... I can't sir. I can't touch that thing. It'll... EAT me." he replies in a quavering voice, much unlike that of the calm, assured tone he's used all this time.

"Nonsense! What's the matter with you, Goggles? You've lead strikes against the Ruiners, and you're afraid of one of their toys?" he says, and looks towards the barrel suspiciously.

"Yeah, get your fumble up, Goggles. Mziek'alor..." the tanned youth says incredulously, and grips the lid to roll it away.

The lid swivels and grips the young man's fingers, and he opens his mouth to scream. Before he can exhale however he collapses awkwardly, his hands still held in the grip of the barrel. His skin has gone a deathly pale grey beneath his tan.

[The Antigamer]

Y&V

Spoiler

Show

Raynor uncharacteristically jumps forward to try to remove the lid from the man's hands. He rarely met someone he liked, and in talking with the youth he'd taken a shine to him.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Somnium & Vorpal

Spoiler

Show

Sarris shakes his head. "No particular one in mind. Working on a system of more arcane magic and noticed components of creatures necessary for some things. Would be useful to learn more about creatures' magical properties."