Adventurers Wanted IC

[TheAmishPirate]

"If drinks are in order, then I believe my first question would be in regards to their wine list." Melindy smirked as she skillfully scooted her too-large chair up to the table with some deft stick-pushing.

[Trobby]

Shokah took a wary look at one of the ornate chairs that the Tavern had for the patrons, before reluctantly setting herself down in one. She carefully slid her pack off her shoulders and onto the floor next to her, keeping half an eye on it while listening to Lord Athrun.

[Mystic Muse]

"I dunno...though I think those last two are irrelevant...or something...there's a word for it...but I just can't think which one." He said innocently as he scratched his nose in thought.


And then Shokah happened again, bringing him out of that thought. "Oh..no no no...they aren't my wives...they're new friends I've made during my stay here." He said to the disappointment of the ladies into being friendzoned. "I am without wife, wives, significant other, lovers and what not. A bachelor is me."

He then listened to Melindy and bowed. "Alright, well....if you lovely ladies would leave us for a moment, we have matters to discuss, but please, have yourself a drink on my tab." He said to his lady guests as they departed, leaving the table, some reluctantly, some not too bothered and helped themselves to the bar.

"And now for you five..." He said referring to the PCs. "Please have a sit here and prepare your questions if you have any."

"Any particular expectations we should have regarding the trip?" Gabrielle asks, because Becca wants to participate a bit. "Monsters we could expect to run into, treasure we can expect to keep, glory to be found, ETC.?" she asks with an inquisitive look.

[Hawkflight]

"Oh yes, what kind of funding can we expect for this expedition?" asked Elizabeth. "Food, lodging, supplies, ammunition, etcetera?"

[Benson]

Bard's End Tavern


Athrun opened his mouth to correct Shokah again in regards to his nonexistent wives but then shook his head, she'd catch on eventually, he hoped.

As for the chairs, they were made of high quality material, the chairs alone were worth a pretty Gold Sail and the tavern owner probably wouldn't appreciate a bar fight and using the chairs as weapons. Anyways, yea sure, they were on solid back since there was no previous reason to really account for tailed races to sit in them. For everyone else, they were pretty comfortable.

Anyways, the young noble then procured an actual small list and handed it to Melindy. "There you go ma'am." The list held the names of a few wines, followed by meads, brandies, beers, and even cider of soft and hard varieties. Many of them local brews, while some of the more expensive spirits hailing from exotic and foreign locales, like Qadira's famous Tapur wine, made from the finest of pomegranates and peaches.

Anyways, and then the young noble addressed the questions asked.

"Well the poster...want ad..what have you made mention of food and transportation to be provided. I expect camping in the woods, a lot of it, but when we reach towns and cities along the way, I will pay for the rooms. You're expected to bring a lot of your own supplies, because real adventurers who are serious about this would have had their own gear getting into this." He said gently rapping his finger tables against the polished table.

"But yes, right now I have a week's worth of fresh food in order in which along the way I'll be replenishing as we pass through towns marked along the way. I do have some extra blankets...oh and cooking gear...did you know they actually made collapsible pots?" There was a childlike like excitement in his tone around that last part.

"As for expectations...I would rather not hope to run into monsters.....I don't know what we'll face on the journey but....as we reach the mountains....there's always the chance of ice/snow based fiends.....and the cold of course...expect really cold weather. I do have an order of communal endure elements potions, which will be ready for pick up in the morning from the ward's local potion brewer. As for treasure.....whatever treasure you find along the way is yours...and I don't know how to answer that last one." The young lord said sheepishly.

[Lycan 01]

"Oh yay, good thing I already bought cold weather gear and other camping junk. Just gotta go buy a tent and some blankets, and I'm good to go," Luci says with her typical exuberant cheer.

[TheAmishPirate]

Melindy perused the wine list, before picking out a classic (and rather expensive) Magnimarian wine. Not her favorite, but enough like home to substitute.

As she waited for her wine, she steepled her little fingers and studied the naive, young noble to be her employer. "Just a few questions, Lord Athrun. First, what will be the terms of dividing treasure? First come, first served tends to give the short end of the stick to those with smaller legs." She tapped her walking stick on the table with a slight smirk at her own pun. "Second, what - if any - benefits or compensation might you be willing offer in the case of an injury or accident that leaves us unable to continue? I know, I know, unpleasant to even think about such a thing happening, but better to have it in writing now than a misunderstanding later. Third, and speaking of 'in writing', have you an official contract? Looking over the terms all at once would be helpful."

[Trobby]

"I have traveled far to reach this city, Lord Athrun. You can rest assured that I will be prepared for this long journey. Tell me, how long do you anticipate we shall be traveling? How frequent shall our 'stops' be?"

Shokah weighed her words carefully, to imply that frequent stops along the way would not be tolerated.

[Benson]

"Uhm...I guess with treasure you split it among the group?...and uh...for the other two...I didn't really think that far ahead...I uh...was kinda just excited about getting..a group together...uh well..uh...for the second thing...I would do the honorable thing and uh provide some sort of compensation for all one's help," The young noble found himself on the fretting nervous side, hit with questions he hadn't prepared himself for. The half orc behind him put a leather glove hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it as he tried to calm himself a little and collect his thoughts.

"Uh...I ah..don't have a contract....readily available...but uh...if you lot want..I'll write some up tonight?" He rapped his fingers against the table.

As for Shokah, he looked at the warrior and wanly smiled. "Uhm..well if things go well...two or so months of travel? And I have no real answer for the uh second inquiry but uh...I ah would guess not that many? Its really all circumstantial." He pulled on his shirt to air himself. He found himself worrying that his lack of foresight was going to get him losing possible members before it even started.

[Trobby]

Shokah leaned in a bit as the nervous noble fidgeted.

"Are you quite certain you are ready for this quest, Lord Athrun? You seem to be growing pale."

Says the moon-skinned warrior.

[Benson]

"Yes..!" He said rather quickly and bluntly. "I mean...yes....I spent a very long time planning for this....but I guess I forgot about the small details or rather I didn't think about them...my apologies. But...I don't think that detracts from how much I want this done." His fingers rapped on the table as a small tight lipped smile formed on his face.

[Mystic Muse]

"Seems like we could do with a little more planning before heading out." Gabrielle suggests. "Maybe find out some more about the area if possible, since we don't quite know what we're walking into."

[Lycan 01]

Luci flashes her own lopsided grin. "Hey, I've already got pretty much everything I need. Just need a tent and bedroll and I'm set. I don't really need a contract; I know the deal. We go adventuring, I do my thing, we find treasure, we all get famous, and if things go south we run like hell. Easy as pie!" she exclaims cheerfully.

A pause.

A frown.

"Where can I get a decent pie around here?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Inexperienced, but determined. A dangerous combination. And the rest of the group seemed little better. They really needed a cool hand like her on this job. "Not to worry, Lord Athrun, it's just a personal little condition of mine that I like to have some measure of security in writing before taking on work. I'm more than capable of helping you draft a fair contract, if you should like."

[Trobby]

Lord Athrun's answer seems to satisfy Shokah. Surely, small details are not as important as large ones, yes?

...Though perhaps she should take care to provide her own securities on this journey...just in case Lord Athrun's...provisions...prove to be poorly-planned.

[Hawkflight]

A small frown flashed across Elizabeth's face as she observed the group. They seemed a lot more ... disorganized than the (literal) rat pack she'd traveled with before. That was to be expected though, since she doubted any of them had met each other before. Their leader, however, was of more concern. He seemed overenthusiastic and underprepared. Nothing she hadn't seen before, but this time her mentor wasn't there to take charge.

The frown vanished, replaced by a light smile as she leaned forward, perching on the edge of the chair. "So, looks like I'm gonna be travelling with y'all," she said. "Nice to meet ya, I'm Elizabeth Starr. Or Ms. Starr, if you're feeling fancy."

[Benson]

Gabrielle

"Oh..we'll be walking into freezing death, if my books about the Kodar Mountains are to be believed," He said with a little smile, as if he was in on his own private joke. That sort of stating the obvious humor. "I can specifically tell you about what my books about those mountains told me, bear in mind its of a historical/mythos scholarly point of view, not about surviving the place or so I thought that was what your question sought."

Luci

"I don't mean to barge in madam, but if you truly seek pie, I suggest visiting Bakers Dozen at the Gold Market over in the Midlands District. My sweetheart swears by the gods they have the best pie along with many other good sweets," The elven waiter said as he placed down Melindy's (moments previously assumed ordered) wine on the table.


Melindy

"I would like that ma'am," Athrun said to to the halfling woman. "Anything to make this run better." He still feeling dumb about his lack of thinking, continued to rap his fingers on the table with an awkward smile on his face.

Shokah

His eyes passed onto Shokah, still uncertain, there was something about her, about her eyes that made it look like to him everything he was doing was being silently judged. It struck him with the want to not look so foolish anymore in front of her.

Elizabeth Starr

Such a weird name for a catfolk, he really was expecting something more along the lines of something well...exotic and not so Common sounding. Or sequential picture book hero sounding. "A pleasure Miss Elizabeth Starr." He said opting for full name basis.

At this point, the gathered around a single table gaggle of our weirdos, were getting stares.

[TheAmishPirate]

Melinda took a sip of her wine, relishing the rich flavor. Literally. With enough experience, one could all but taste the gold that went into a good vintage. Similarly, with enough experience, one could all but smell the gold lying beneath the rot of disorganization and the filth of inexperience. All one had to do was point an Eager prospector in the right direction. "Good, good. I'm sure that as soon as we iron out these little details, my signature will be first upon the papers." She smiled as she expertly swirled her wine glass. "And surely these other fine folk will be right behind me, no?"

[Lycan 01]

Luci smiles lopsidedly at the elven waiter. "Oh, why thank you sir. Pray tell, what species and gender is the owner of the bakery? And are they single?"

[Trobby]

"Ah yes, a signed contract. My mentor informed me I must read them very carefully, and to be 'careful to read the fine print'. I am not sure what a 'fine print' is, but I am certain that whatever print Lord Athrun chooses, it will be fine."

[Benson]

Luci smiles lopsidedly at the elven waiter. "Oh, why thank you sir. Pray tell, what species and gender is the owner of the bakery? And are they single?"

"Uhm....humans, male and female..married couple?" The waiter looked at Luci full of awkwardness and glanced around ready to take the opportunity to skedaddle.

Melinda took a sip of her wine, relishing the rich flavor. Literally. With enough experience, one could all but taste the gold that went into a good vintage. Similarly, with enough experience, one could all but smell the gold lying beneath the rot of disorganization and the filth of inexperience. All one had to do was point an Eager prospector in the right direction. "Good, good. I'm sure that as soon as we iron out these little details, my signature will be first upon the papers." She smiled as she expertly swirled her wine glass. "And surely these other fine folk will be right behind me, no?"

"Ah yes, a signed contract. My mentor informed me I must read them very carefully, and to be 'careful to read the fine print'. I am not sure what a 'fine print' is, but I am certain that whatever print Lord Athrun chooses, it will be fine."

Athrun couldn't help but chuckle, as intimating as she was, he couldn't help but find amusement in a lot of things she said. "Well if anything, I do think I have good penmanship."


"Alright, well with you all here, this looks like a good sizable group...I have no idea if we'll have others wanting to be a part of this...but...I figure, we should at least properly introduce ourselves to each other, like our catfolk friend did."

[Trobby]

"Very well." said Shokah, standing up to go first.

"I am Shokah, Shoanti of the Shundar-Quar, She Who Walks Two Worlds. Through my might and my lore, I shall see to it that you find safe passage on our journey."

And, feeling that sufficient, she sits back down.

[Lycan 01]

Luci looks... rather annoyed. "Married? Ugh. There goes that plan," she huffs.

She turns back to the rest of the group, looking slightly disgruntled. "Oh, right. Introductions. Name's Luci," she says, before lowering her head to sulk and stare off to the side in annoyance. "Information and espionage specialist. And a Changeling," she flatly observes, not even bothering to explain what that is since she is still clearly perturbed about missing out on a chance to get cheap pie.

[Trobby]

"A....changeling, you say?" Shokah inquires. "What manner of job is that?"

[Mystic Muse]

"My name is Gabrielle. I'm an aasimar, and a Paladin." She informs the group of gathered people. She waits for Luci to respond to the question of what a changeling was. She was vaguely aware it was a species, but she wasn't aware of much beyond that.

[Lycan 01]

Luci looks up, turns to the side, and smiles pleasantly at Shokah.

A small flickers of green flame appear at the top of Luci's head. It quickly flashes and grows, spreading through her hair and down her face. As the flames race along, flesh and hair burn to ash and fall away, revealing an underlying layer of dark locks and dirt-stained skin. The ethereal flame races further down her body, her figure subtle changing in the flames wake to be more athletic and strongly built - her clothing easily shifts to fit the new form.

Though it will likely be permanently etched in the memories of many of those present, the entire transformation takes less than a second.

Shokah finds herself staring into the eyes of Shokah.

"It is not an occupation," the mock-Shokah gruffly replies, perfectly imitating the warrior woman's voice and tone. "It is my species."

The green flames flicker across her visage once more, and soon the pretty little red-haired half-elf is sitting back at the table again. "Pretty neat, huh?" she asks with a roguish, crooked grin.

[Mystic Muse]

The green flames flicker across her visage once more, and soon the pretty little red-haired half-elf is sitting back at the table again. "Pretty neat, huh?" she asks with a roguish, crooked grin.

"...That may be one of the coolest and creepiest things I've ever seen. At the same time." She says, actually clapping a little. "Can you only imitate how you see and hear somebody, or by looking at them, can you accurately copy them down to every last physical detail?" she asks. "Naturaly, excluding the artifical things such as clothing and weapons." she clarified.

[TheAmishPirate]

Melindy watched Luci's little trick with evident delight. She'd heard whispers of folk able to swap their faces and voices, but never had she the priviledge to meet one. Didn't stop her from dreaming of all that she could do with one of those on her payroll...

"Brilliant, Miss Luci, brilliant!" The halfling gave her a little applause and a knowing smirk. "An information specialist who can change her face and form; you and I are going to get along splendidly."

Melindy propped herself up with her stick - standing would probably put her below the table - and gave a bow to the group. "Melindy Milew; halfling, tactician, negotiator, and lucky charm to boot. I also throw rocks, do magic tricks, and hit things with my stick." A bit of an intentional undersell; sometimes, you just had to bow to a more impressive act. She shuffled back into her seat and eagerly turned back to Luci, awaiting her answer to Gabrielle's question.

[Trobby]

This definitely gets Shokah's attention. She shifts back in her seat when the woman in front of her catches on fire, and stares in awe as she takes on an incredibly familiar form, looking at herself to see...yes, yes she took on Shokah's EXACT form.

She quickly looks around the table, and grabs the nearest reflective surface she can find, examining her reflection closely, as if expecting her own face to have changed.

When she finds it is still exactly as she remembers it, she relaxes a bit, and looks up at Luci with...what could only be described as reverent awe.

"Are...Are you a god?"

[Lycan 01]

Luci giggles. "Nope, just a relatively boring mortal who can shapeshift."

She turns to Melindy and flashes a roguish grin - the fact that Melindy can recognize the proper applications of her talents means Melindy and her are likely cut from the same clothe, and will almost certainly make for fast friends.

She then turns back to look at Gabrielle, and smiles cheerfully. "I can only copy what I know. I could copy you right now, but only what I can see. Hair, face, eyes, voice, general body shape. Even the horn. But if you had, say, an intricate tattoo on your back, or a birthmark on your right arm, I wouldn't be able to perfectly copy those unless I had a chance to see them. So yes, the transformation is only as perfect as my knowledge of the subject. Or I can just make something up. This-" she points at her face and smiles, "Is a mix, actually. The visage of a barmaid I saw last month, though with a few small aesthetic tweaks."