Bayport Chronicles.

[jakarta]

Chapter 1: Not so silent night.

Preludes and Pleasantries.

It is nearly Winter Solstice and Bayport is all decorated in green and red. The snow strewn streets are a bit quieter than in Summer, but those who are about all seem to have purpose: shopping, decorating, hauling firewood, rehearsing for pageants and carols. The air smells of pine and spice from the trees and baking, and last night the bay was aglow with the refection of the gay lights of the town, including the giant fir tree that is now in the market square.

As travelers passing though the town, you have enjoyed the festivities, and now you sit at Camille's Cafe and Confections sipping on spiced cider and waiting for a tray of Gingerbread bread men to cool.

The cafe is an indoor/outdoor affair with hinged windows that are open in warm weather, but are closed tonight. There are a couple of tables indoors, but you are all in the sidewalk seating area enjoying the view looking down on the decorated lights of the city and the full moon rising over the harbor. Snatches of music are carried by the breeze and you have make out a few lyrics and bars of traditional winterfest songs. Between your warm clothes, steaming mugs, and the pair of braziers on either side of the tables, you are comfortable despite the snow covered ground. The snow fell earlier in late afternoon, but the sky is now crystal clear.

The graying, 40 something Camille says that the latest batch of cookies will be cool enough to eat in about 10 minutes, 15 if you want them decorated. Would you like anything else in the mean time?

Menu: Spiced apple cider
Star shaped sugar cookies.
Hot coco
Coffee: black, pumpkin spiced, or mocha.
Plumb pudding
Pumpkin and sweetcorn stew.

[characters may now introduce themselves and chitchat.]

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair was sitting on one of the stools, staring at the small potted flower that was on an adjacent stool. His hair reddish, and his eyes green and disagreeable, he asked the flower "Why aren't you talking?", before sighing and gently patting the plant. He hadn't the foggiest idea why his unique version of druidery didn't seem to include the ability to speak with plants, and it was absurdly frustrating at times. Sipping at his (non-alcoholic, for miscellaneous reasons) cider, he glanced back at the plant, before quietly picking it up and throwing it into an adjacent bush. He went back to sipping his cider, murmering "Good riddance.", before sighing again, and pronouncing "Silvanus, I hate the holidays. This is a whole new level of dull. " He paused, set down his cider once more, and then spoke again with a peculiar lilt to his voice, emphasizing his recitement with hand gestures "You know, my great grandmother on my maternal side once had an interesting encounter with a dandelion. She once plucked one from the side of the road for a nice herbal tea she was going to make, when a leprechaun came out, clinging to the roots. It promised her three wishes if she put down the dandelion, and walked away, so she did, and you know what that leprechaun did? It had a heart attack from the stress, and died on the spot. Great granny was never the same." Following the story, four glowing green lights started forming assorted patterns and generally floating around, and Lothair sat down, sipping his cider.

[J-H]

Henry Howe

Sipping on his hot cider, Henry reaches for another cookie. "Can't turn these down." Distracted by the strange story, his hand pauses in the flame of one of the candles for a second or two; he only notices when the cookie grows warm. "mmmm."

Henry is a bit shorter than average, with some extra weight on his face and not a lot of muscle. The candlelight occasionally reflects from his eyes in strange glints of red as he sits and eats his cookie.

[jakarta]

Camille comes around with a pot of fresh coffee to freshen drinks. She stop and looks in confusion at one table. Her smile fades.

"Where did the poinsettia go? Hummph! Those aren't for customers to carry off; they got to last me the whole month! Worse than at Good Freaya's day with the dratted resurrection Lillys!"

She stomps back into the kitchen.

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair was quietly directing the lights to trace out various solstice carols, before they decided to pop out of existence. He frowned, and, having not really payed attention to Camille, sipped more of his cider. He took a gander at the man that was sitting nearby, noticed that his hand wasn't burning, and then held an awkward pause. He spoke, to nobody in particular "You know, pointsettas are really not very pointy at all. Sort of a false advertising, with that one. Like the pumpkin spice coffee; if I wanted cinnamon and spice and everything nice, I would go to a Gnome Scouts meeting, not a Cafe. My father once listened in on one of those, before he tripped over a cookie and got pelted with thin-mints. And rocks. He ended up more black and blue than thin and minty."

[brentcourtney]

Manlen approaches the bar with a mug full of mocha goodness and climbs on the stool next to Lothair.
Coulda been worse. Me friends' sister caught me trying to catch her friends changing at a meeting once. Let's just say the beating your da got sounds right nice compared to wha' happened. I won't relive the details, but it involved a tangle foot bag and me pants. As bad as you imagine it, explaining to me ma was worse.

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair smiled, a mischievous smile, at something interesting occurring. He turned to the fellow now sitting next to him, and said "Mothers can be so overbearing, you know. My own once found me befriending a snake, and threw such a fit, the snake was so upset at the insult he accidentally bit his wife, killing her. The poor snake was so mournful, he tied himself in a knot and threw himself in a local well. He landed on a heap of gold coins and a Kobold named Tommy that was trapped down there. They managed to escape and became both rich and best friends, so all was well that ended well, no pun intended. "

[J-H]

Henry Howe
Henry looks around the room slowly, and puts his cup down. "I think... I have had too much cider, for I clearly could not have heard what I think I heard."

[wkwkwkwk1]

"Did someone mention a rich Kobold?" a high-pitched scratchy voice yapps from below eye level. A tiny Kobold, with black-ish copper scales, appears seemingly out of nowhere, a skinny rapier hanging from his belt. Seemingly weightless, he somersaults and lands on a bench, inviting himself to the table.

"I'm Yakk'iss Qeelak. Not 'Queelak', mind you, but 'Qeelak'. What's your names?"

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair amusedly turned to the mysterious fire-immune man, stating "I think you very well may have drunken too much, and you may have a rabid platypus up your knickers. I haven't the foggiest." He turned to the dramatically presented Kobold, blinked twice, and spoke "Well, you can call me Brookfield, but you can call me Lothair. Or pair them together, that works. "

[J-H]

Henry Howe
"Henry Howe, at your service. I am used to magical oddities and strange messages, but some of the things I just heard make no sense at all to me."

[brentcourtney]

I'm to be called Manlen or Manny, but prefer the former. No surname, though. Gave that up after years of being known just by it. It's a pleasure to meet all of you, friends.

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair sipped his cider, and spoke "Why, how curious. Curious indeed, with a side of mead and a hot plate of snickerdoodles. Though they don't have any snickerdoodles here, the heathens. My mother had the most interesting recipe for them, as passed down to me. My great great grandmother Mathilda had to bargain for the recipe with a Troll Witch. She gave up her eyes for the recipe, and the Troll gleefully took the trade, but little did the fiend know that Mathilda was blind. Because of that, when the Troll made a potion from the eyes, she turned into a licorice statue, and the local squirrels ate her."

[Frendle]

Jesep walks up beside the group, in his own form he feels oddly naked, “Potion turned the troll into licorice? I wonder if the squirrels ever finished their treat, or if they are enjoying it to this very day. Regenerating candy. Put every sweets dealer in the town out of business.”

Sitting down at the table, Jesep helps himself to a cookie and slips a bit between the muzzle covering his dog’s snout, “Not really good for her, but she’ll work it off later. Names Jesep Felder.”

After taking a bite of the remaining cookie Jesep calls to the server to bring him a flagon of honey mead, then settles in for some more story telling.

[jakarta]

Camille calls from the kitchen "Sorry Sonny, no liquor license here. 'tis a cafe, not a pub. Spiced cider [apple juice], cocoa, tea, and coffee's what I got."

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair smiled at the dog, a genuine sort, and said "Why, there's a whole big squirrel colony there to this day, and they haven't hunted for nuts in ages. You ought to see them sometime; I'm certain you're the sort that appreciates that sort of sight-seeing. My own grandfather (father's side) was once taking a tour of the City of Lights, on one occasion, to go to the carnival that was being hosted there. Well, one of the bears escaped from her handler by simple chance, wobbled over to said grandfather, and was about to eat him, when someone yelled 'Duck!'. My grandfather figured he meant from a swipe of bear claw, but instead it was a merry old duck that flew from the rafters right in the face of the bear. My father managed to escape because of the distraction, but not, of course, before he got pooped on by the elephant."

[tonberryking]

At the mention of bears... as if sent by a divine source (in more ways than one) a 'proud' ragamuffin looking woman in an old, cracked, and quilted leather cloak softly marches up to the cafe and orders a round of drinks for whole the rag-tag lot. Hot cider for herself.

She's a native lass, form the looks of her ruddy skin and dark raven hair pulled into a thick ponytail, though she seems to hold herself in a passively proud manner rather than sulk about. Something about her seems, well, off, and it's likely got to do with the fact her eyes are a sparkling blue. Her ears seem a bit... large for her otherwise well-rounded face, and her two front teeth look a little long.

"Don't mind me, gentlemen, I'm just carrying on the father's tradition." Her chin ducks behind her cloak's high collar, Lapis hoping that they assume she means Father Tuck. Up close, one can see the blue and white beads that His followers loop into their clothes; in her case, even though the make and cut of her cloak is of the indigenous style, she's had the quilted seams laced with many of them. "Well, that and finding a bit of warmth for awhile; this isn't very good weather for a long walk..."

[jakarta]

[GM interruption: Pause your interactions here for a moment. I need to fix somethings by pm

Edit, Thank you. you may continue.]

Camille walks out to the porch to take new orders. "What will you have, friends?"

[tonberryking]

[Fixed the post, sorry about that, everyone...]

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair carefully looked at Camille, and said "Do you have any pumpkin pie?" in Sylvan, before shaking his head and asking again in Common. He had an odd look on his face, as if he was evaluating something.

[Frendle]

Jesep leans back in his chair and after waiting for Lothair to finish speaking, replies to Camille, "Actualy the Pumpkin and sweetcorn stew sounds nice and some pumpkin spiced coffee?

Thank you"

[jakarta]

"Stew and coffee I got, but no pie tonight."

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair frowns, suddenly much more considering, and eyeing the woman discretely. He spoke, observing her reaction "My great great grandmother Mathilda could whip up a mean pie, you know. Once, she even got kidnapped by a rival baker in order to divulge her secret ingredients; which were, of course, sea salt and rosemary. She only managed to escape when she made a key of dough, and shoved the rival baker into their own oven."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Just to be safe, rolling sense motive to see if something's amiss. Lothair doesn't trust any cafe that doesn't have pie. (1d20+8)[22]

[jakarta]

"Ga-ffa! Fairy tales! cookies will be ready in a minute....."

Camille looks over at others for a moment, and then "I'll get your ciders while the rest of you decide..." before returning to the into the cafe.


[for Lothair]

Spoiler

Show

She used the pumpkin to make the soup today, and probably wants to sell out of the more seasonal gingerbread.

[theterran]

A man walks around the corner laughing, his green eyes are shining, his sandy blonde hair a mess, and his entirety half covered in snow. He turns and yells back around the corner, Don't think this is over! Not by a long shot!. He chuckles under his breath,crazy kids. I expect a rematch tomorrow! he yells a final time before turning back around, pausing, and sniffing the air.

"What a wonderful smell!", he exclaims, before striding forward. Eyeing the clientele, he nods to himself before sitting down in an empty chair, drops his pack from his back, which dumps a small amount of snow onto the porch area, and begins brushing off the snow from his clothes and his pack. As he does this, he keeps his most 'winning' smile on his face and continues to look at each person there, almost as if he's expecting something.

[tonberryking]

The native woman politely laughs, her breaded cloak clicking and rustling some as she sits down and makes herself comfortable.

"Do you always wage war with children in the snow? she asks of the blond man, while also offering to pay for his drinks. "Or is it the season for it?"

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair shook his head, a glint in his eyes, and said "If you really wanted, I could melt the snow off of you, for the price of one acorn. That reminds me, though-", he paused, and then proceeded to move his hands in a variety of complicated motions, speaking in a dialect of Sylvan as green shimmers cascaded down his arms. He spoke again "There, I was getting rather chilly, and that should also help in case any of those ragamuffins decide to ambush me. You can never be to careful around children; my mother was once stabbed in the leg by an assassin disguised as one, sent by the wicked warlock of the north. He was upset with her after she rejected the bouquet of daffodils he sent her, and kicked him in the groin while she was at it."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Just cast Heart of Earth, because you can never be too careful around rags, muffins, or ragamuffins, and a cafe has all three. He also normally casts it as part of his morning routine, he just forgot too today. In addition, ragamuffin is an amusing word to say.

[J-H]

Henry Howe
"I had an encounter with a raggamoffyn once. Both the encounter and the raggamoffyn were unpleasant, although I obviously had the best of it."

He shakes his head and looks at his cider for a moment.

"I've never called a kid a ragamuffin since then."

Spoiler

Show

They're in MM2. Creepy clothing outfits that take you over and make you their carrier.

[theterran]

The man turns his attention to the native woman, half expecting something.

Upon hearing her comments, his smile slips slightly, for only a moment, before returning to it's former glory.

"I would assume it is just for the season my good lady." he says. "The day I arrived I witnessed one group of children accosting another group, so of course I had to intervene. Little did I know they'd all turn on me." He chuckles.

"And it's been a daily ritual ever since. I'll get the best of them one day, eventually..." he says smiling.

He turns as the second person addresses him..

"I do not have an acorn, nor do I mind the snow my good man." he says with a thanking nod to the man, then is left speechless as he the man rambles on about assassins.

Eventually he is able to work up what to say. "I believe you would be safe around these children, if any were assassins, I doubt I'd be sitting here having this lovely conversation." he says with a slightly crooked grin.

At the raggamoffyn comment, Jeffery chuckles uncomfortably, uncertain if he's being serious, or joking.

[Bobbybobby99]

Lothair shook his head when the blonde man dismissed the story, and spilled his cider slightly at the the raggamoffyn comment. He spoke again, amused "Creepy things, those creatures are. Not creepier than shades, for certain, but few things are, including my great uncle Alfred, who was turned into a vampire. He now wanders the earth in the form of a teenager, being entirely too angst ridden for anyone's peace of mind. Aunt Penelope tried killing him, but she died of boredom before she could do so."