The South-Eastern Mountains (IC)

[Lix Lorn]

"Grandpas aren't for playing catch, they're for complaining about things." she says, dismissively. "And pocket money! But I don't really need money for sweeties..."
She bites her lip as she considers the name. "Not bad. Dwarven isn't what I'd have chosen, but it's a good name. Mine is better, obviously."

[Fredaintdead]

"Grandpas aren't for playing catch, they're for complaining about things." she says, dismissively. "And pocket money! But I don't really need money for sweeties..."
She bites her lip as she considers the name. "Not bad. Dwarven isn't what I'd have chosen, but it's a good name. Mine is better, obviously."

Paraphorous twitches twice "It's okay. You're only 100. It's okay." he chants under his breath. "Look, if yer that bothered, we can vote on it."

[~Corvus~]

Cedric

The elf reflects to himself. Hard to countenance the idea we'd be defeated by an idea such as this. A good name. We are a disparate group. We have no common background,

Hmm. We're far from justicars or guardian spirits, capable of going wherever the soul of the world leads us. How about the Alliance Arms Mercenary Company?

[Lix Lorn]

"Hmm. We're far from justicars or guardian spirits, capable of going wherever the soul of the world leads us. How about the Alliance Arms Mercenary Company?"

Lucinda stares in distaste.
"...okay, nope, objection withdrawn. Formynder is a great name."

[Frog Dragon]

Joshua

"I wouldn't like to think of us as mercenary," Joshua says. "Formynder sounds good. If we need a name, may as well make it a fancy one." He nods slightly. Mercenary companies did more harm than good most of the time anyway.

[Eldest]

Silverstar watches the exchange impassively. Formynder it is. Now, I suggest you get a good night's sleep. We'll find you in the morning for your statements and other such followup. She ushers you out of her office (kindly), and goes back to staring at the heaping mound of paperwork sitting there with dread.

Spoiler

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I will be honest, I was hoping you wouldn't decide so I could have her default to the Princes. So when you did decide, you'd be the group formerly known as the Princes.

[Fredaintdead]

"Thank you for your time Captain." Paraphorous gives a gentle roll of his shoulders as they enter the street, as if shaking out restlessness rather than ache. "Got any ideas for where to start then? We're a little stuck in terms of location for tonight, but we can do a bit more than just stand around."

Paraphorous stops for a moment, not having pockets to place hands into as he rocks on his heels. "Families of the kidnapped kids might be a good place. We could ask around, see if anybody knows anything or is known for knowing goings on." He shrugs.

[~Corvus~]

Cedric

While the Dwarf and others trundle out of the guard station, the elf hangs back and gets the attention of one of the excited parents. "If I could have your recommendation for something?" He waits for affirmation before continuing, "Is there a nearby tavern you'd recommend? We haven't celebrated our victory as a group, and festivities are in order for the four of us."

Cedric takes into account the guard's recommendation, pauses near the child and addresses the youngling "Have you ever seen someone change their clothes in an instant? Want to see?" He focuses on his Cowl to re-cast Disguise to make his clothes transform from rags to a (clean) outfit of his soft leather boots colored red, emerald green pants, a deep red-colored shirt, and his over-garment transformed into a blue-green capelet. Contrasting colors for an energetic objective.

The elf makes a flourish to the girl and, after considering that Lucinda might gag and die if she saw him in such an outfit, decided instead to transform his clothes' appearance to a much simpler red-and-black noble's riding wear. He strides out, ready to go.

There's a tavern not too far from here. Shall we all have a drink?

Spoiler: picture

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[Lix Lorn]

"I was wondering if you were going to keep that." Lucinda said to Cedric. "Red and green is quite a statement. The red and black works much better.
Drink sounds good to me! We can make plans off of our feet, that way."

[Fredaintdead]

Paraphorous ponders the merits of immediate actions, but soon grunts out a "Drink. Good."

Inwardly he wonders why the shirt matters. He's pretty sure he doesn't even count as wearing a shirt, and he's doing fine.

[Frog Dragon]

Joshua

"No point standing in the street," Joshua says, adjusting his headscarves a little. His facepaint had also been dirtied in the cultist's hideout, and he was looking forward to a bit of downtime. "I need to fix my paint. Bloody necromancers had a messy hideout."

[~Corvus~]

Cedric leads them to a tavern named The Duchess. As it happens, they passed their inn (The Silver Swan) along the way. It has the look of a artist's touch on the outside, and he holds the door open for his companions.

[Fredaintdead]

"Trust you to pick the artsy place." Paraphorous rolls his eyes and heads inside. "A pub should have character. Like cheering and friendly brawling."

[Lix Lorn]

"There are different kinds of character, grandpa." Lucinda says, cheerfully. "This is the kind with a goatee and a flamboyant shirt. It's fun!"

[Fredaintdead]

"I ain't a damn Grandpa! I'm only 100 years old!" Paraphorous stomps the ground indignantly and huffs, releasing a very small amount of flame from his nostrils.

[Lix Lorn]

"ONLY more than four times older than me." Lucinda grins.

[Fredaintdead]

"Yer fergettin' yer proportions! For a Dwarf, 100 is like..." Paraphorous takes a moment to recall how long humans live and how that compares to a Dwarven lifespan. "30? Yeah, 30 sounds about right."

[~Corvus~]

Cedric

Paraphorous has it occured to you that Lucinda taunts you so that you have yet another fit like that?

[Fredaintdead]

"1. If I wasn't fiery I wouldn't be me. 2. If I'm not consistent with her she'll never learn. 3. Would you rather she direct her attention towards you?" Paraphorous raises an eyebrow.

[~Corvus~]

Cedric

The elf grins, shaking his head. He makes no comment; instead he walks into the tavern that none of his companions were going to enter at his gesture of opening the door.

[Lix Lorn]

Lucinda pats Paraphorous on the arm consolingly.
"Nah, he's not even nearly as fun to tease, grandpa." she says, walking into the inn.

[Fredaintdead]

"I ain't..." Paraphorous steadies himself, inhales, and exhales slowly. With a calm smile on his face, he obtains a strong drink from the bar. Grandpa deserves his booze.

[Frog Dragon]

Joshua

"You know, if he's a grandpa, what about Cedric?" Joshua asks, sitting down at the bar but not taking a drink yet. "Don't elves live even longer than dwarves?"

[~Corvus~]

Cedric

Cedric nods to Joshua and tells the group, "As far as I know I have sired three children; however my community ensures that no parent takes care of their own. The removal of normal child-and parent practices keeps our community accountable to its whole and also allows greater societal variety.

It would be impossible to know if I am a grandpa, but in human years, Paraphorous would be several years' my senior."

[Fredaintdead]

"Bah, what's the world coming to when you can't even trust an Elf to be old." Paraphorous knocks his drink back with the style of a seasoned veteran. "Right, time to get to work. Opening our ears and carousing a little sounds like a good place to start."

Paraphorous takes a deep breath, and opens his ears, listening for anyone talking about the Cult, the recent kidnappings, or just anyone who's likely to know goings on. Once he's got SOMETHING, he's going to zero in on them with an armful of drinks and a loud laugh of "Round's on me folks! If you're drinking then I'm buying! BWAHAHA!" If he doesn't hear anything then he's just carousing between groups, handing out booze, ingratiating himself and keeping his ears open.

Spoiler: Crunch Rolling

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Listen Check: (1d20+12)[24]
Gather Information check: (1d20+6)[26]

[Eldest]

The tavern is buzzing tonight with news of the Cult and it's clear nobody has any news about them. There's speculation about who the heroes are that saved the children, you hear. All conversation stops when one of the rescued children, clutching to his mother's skirts, peeks his head around her leg and goes That's him! Those are the people who killed the bad men. Everyone stops and you suddenly find yourself the center of a sea of eyes. What do you do?

[Lix Lorn]

"It sure is!" says Lucinda, drawing the attention to herself with a dramatic pose. "We are Formynder, the Judgement Corps, here to protect the innocent from the degradations of the cruel, the malicious, the selfish and the unsanitary! The cult was scattered by our hands! Let me tell you the tale." she offers, beaming, and begins to tell it before anyone has a chance to stop her.

...it's a little embellished.
Lucinda isn't a supernal storyteller, but she's passable, getting by on force of excitement.

[Fredaintdead]

Paraphorous sighs and raises both hands, palms towards the crowd. "Look, the kid's got a spirited imagination. All we did was save some kids from a bunch of cultists. I know I couldn't stand by as children got hurt while knowing I could stop it, just like any of us here."

[~Corvus~]

Cedric

The elf watches and listens with intense interest as the Dwarf schmoozes and Lucinda tells her tale. He works an empathic connection within the Inn's commons. He pays specific attention to fluctuations in people's emotions as they all happen, specifically for anyone that feels guilty or nervous and stressed, or wants to leave when the dwarf offers drinks for information, when Lucinda tells her tale, or who feels relieved when the dwarf downplays the group's importance.

Paraphorous is a fine person to have with us; it makes my job all that much easier, he thinks.

When Cedric has found a few choice individuals, he will tell them, If you know more about this cult, I Suggest you tell me or my trustworthy companions so you don't live your life plagued by guilt.

Spoiler: Powers & OOC

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Cedric's boots have soil in them; his powers cost 1 PP less to cast.

Manifesting Empathy, and will spend 2 PP for 3 hours' duration (1+2PP Augment & -1 total cost) and a 40 foot radius, which should cover the Inn.

If he finds a target, he will end concentration, manifest Suggestion, catching up to 3 people at a time if possible. If/when approached, Cedric will (quietly) tell them they can talk quietly, and will engage Telepathically It's a harmless trick I learned in wizards' college (1d20+15)[24] on a Diplomacy if he needs to, spending inspiration.

[Eldest]

Paraphorous's cheer heartens the pub, as he's quickly surrounded by a swarm of individuals telling him every rumor they can think of regarding the cult. "The boss is some forma undead!" "No, he's a lizard fellow, one of those westlings!" "I hear their base is out that way, this was just a recruiting spot." "I heard tell it's under a lake or sommat, sustained by magic." "No, you got it all wrong, it's up in the sky!" It's hard to sort out, but there's certainly a common thread that the main leader of the cult is still at large, and their base is to the west, hidden away in a difficult to reach area.
Meanwhile, Cedric notices one person slipping out the back against the backdrop of people listening raptly to Lucinda's tale: it's across the bar, but there's a good chance you can get through the crowd before he gets out of sight. Joshua, at the bar, has no less than five separate people offer to buy his drink, the nearest being a smiling drunk of no small stature.