The Three Musketeers (IC)

[antoin]

Spoiler: OOC(Out Of Character)

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Hey, you found this! A couple rules regarding spoilers:
1.) Do NOT read other player's spoilers. No matter how bad you might want to. It can seriously ruin the fun.
2.) OOC means information that you should know, but your characters might not or I'm telling you about the game.
3.) Please put your rolls in spoilers whenever possible, to keep the post looking nice. Spoiler tag "Rolls" works well.
Alright! Please try out using a spoiler in your first couple posts so you know how to do it when we start actually playing.
Also, have your character respond and pick a Font and a color for your character. All dialogue should be appropriately colored because it makes it wayyyyyy easier to see.

One way or another, you have all found yourselves in the small but charming office of an official just inside the front door of the Grand Palace of Bavinsk, the capitol of the dwarven kingdom of Bavinskor. He is a bored-looking, slightly grey-haired Dwarf sitting behind a desk loaded with various papers. An ornate sword is mounted behind him, and a stern red-headed dwarf points at you with his axe from the large painting on the right side of the room. Looking up, he flashes a smile and gestures to the seats in front of you.
"Ah, you're early! You're the mercenaries from out of town, right?"

[TheKidReaper]

Spoiler

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That piece of metal in his head is A-Okay. Just a war scar more than anything, no detriment to his health in any shape or form

A tall hooded man takes a seat in the chair furthest to the right and pushes himself back so that only two of the legs are still contacting the ground. He stretches and as he does so, his brown hair parts to show a piece of metal lodged in his head above his left eye. Resting his hands on the back of his head he replies,

"I prefer the title of 'Opportunistic Drifter' more than mercenary, but hey....to each their own."

This is Cayde, a half-elf from beyond the reaches of the land. Not always the best with words and not always one to take things seriously, he still holds himself with confidence as any battlefield hardened adventurer would.

His amber eyes turn to the others in the room as he settles in.

[glitterbaby]

Behind the hooded man follows another man, on the shorter side of average but carrying himself with a confidence that masks the fact without closer inspection. He is adorned with thick furs and pelts that betray his otherwise lithe frame. Swooping, serpentine tattoos reveal themselves on the back and sides of his neck before retreating into his thick reddish-brown hair, tied neatly back into a bun. He sports a bushy beard, the same color as his hair, that can't seem to decide if it's extremely well-groomed or hopelessly unkempt. His skin is clear but worn, bearing a scar that runs on an oblique through his left brow.

Leofric, as you've come to know him, moves with an unexpected grace. His gait is deliberate and smooth, his gestures are flourishing but not flamboyant; it all seems calcluated, almost choreographed. When he speaks, his voice is deep and gravelly, but intelligible. His lexicon is simple but he's proven himself capable of speaking to his crowd.

Does this man think me a mere sellsword? No matter, if I get what I've come for it's all the same.

"You may call me mercenary if you would like, dwarflord. I come for the hunt and seek to profit. You want to pay for a problem solved. Our goals align."

Spoiler: OOC

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I'm posting from my phone, I'll edit the post with color and such when I'm able back at my computer.

[truk8280]

Emerging from the back of the room is a dark skinned man who looks defeated from centuries of war. His gray, silky hair falls down to his chest where it lies on his burnt, cotton shirt. A dragon nearly burned him to death, but he nearly escaped with his life. He is on a mission to slay every last dragon known to man.

"Borbelous is the name, but you can call me Borb. I am on a mission to avenge my family and slay every last dragon I encounter. With the help of you swordsman, I can slay many more dragons and hopefully return home and start a new family."

Spoiler: OOC

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I changed my race to humans to stop the beef with zack lel.

[antoin]

The official nods as you all introduce yourselves.
"A dragonslayer, I see! Perfect. The work we need should suit your collective skills perfectly. We have a mining outpost, Kazeb, on the foothills of the mountain range to the north of here. This has brought a new wave of prosperity to Bavinskor. Unfortunately, our settlement has been harassed since its founding by roving giants, white dragons, goblins, and all manner of scum. We need you to help bring safety to the settlement to ensure the safety of our miners, guards, and supply. You will be paid from the wealth of the mines by one of our captains - a plentiful reward, I assure you. How does this assignment sound?"

Spoiler: OoC

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As long as no one opposes, I'm fine with one person speaking for the party so we don't have to keep waiting for 3 posts to say yes.

[TheKidReaper]

"I don't really see a problem with that. Have to ask though, you said new settlement correct? Did you by any chance, I don't know, rub some folk the wrong way?"

Cayde pushes his chair to the floor leaning in a bit towards the dwarf, his amber eyes searching for any sign or tell on his face.

"Just trying to get the lay of the situation here.....uh, what did you say your name was again?"

He flashes a slight grin, looking to his traveling compatriots.

At least these guys have fought dragons, I'm all down for helping the good people of the land but what if we aren't in the right here...?

[antoin]

"My apologies. The name's Kilmund, house Melwright. And while the roving savages may have issue with our settlement, it was built on the ruins of a far older settlement we found, abandoned, with several short mines already started. That land has been Bavinskor's by right for centuries, I assure you. Even if it were not ours, taking out the forces of Evil in those mountains is a noble cause."

[glitterbaby]

Leofric seems unimpressed, an incredulous grin briefly washing over his face.

"What help would you be in this hunt, old man? Can your clouded eyes see down the length of an arrow? Can your trembling arms thrust a spear? Do you know of the beasts we hunt? They are the most powerful predators that exist. Do not take this lightly."

"But I do not care about the politics of this situation. If other creatures stand between myself and my quarry, they shall fall."

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde shrugs,

"Sounds like a plan to me, any input big guy?"

Cayde motions to Borb looking at the intensity of the other two of the group. Though not familiar with dragons, he still has seen his fair share of conflicts and battles. He casts a glance to the dwarf ensuring the situation was still friendly after his new friend to his left's comments.

[antoin]

"Instead of boasting matches, I suggest you show each other your might. Before we send anyone into the field, new soldier, outsider, or otherwise, it's customary that we see some of your combat prowess in action. Our arena would be open to you to compete in, this evening, in fact. There's a sizable sum for the winners, and the crowd usually makes it a fun time. Is this amenable?"

[truk8280]

Borb gently nods and asks,

"Say, you know of any trading posts I could inquire? I could use a fresh set of clothes before we head into this fight."

Then, Borb puts his arms around Leofric and Cayde, slightly chuckles and looks over Leofric,

"Pardon me for threaten ya, I had mistaken you for a draconic species. Will you help slay a thousand dragons before I rest?"

[antoin]

Kilmund's left eyebrow raises as he seems lost for words before responding:
"Trading post...draconic species? You...are in Bavinsk, you know, right? Our markets are among the finest this side of the Suvakvo."

He stops and understanding crosses his face as his demeanor brightens and he beams a bright smile. His speech slows slightly as he pronounces each word as clearly as his bushy beard will allow.
"If you want good clothes, I like Madam Greth's shop. Their clothes are very fine, but they cost more money." He pulls two coins from a pouch at his belt and rubs them together as he watches Borb's face for understanding. "If you do not have lots of money..." he says, putting away the coins, "I like Master Werg's shop. Very nice dwarf from my house. And as you've already started with the ale for today, I would wait to drink more until after tonight's contest."

Turning to the rest of the party, he continues, "You likely passed the arena on the way in - it's on the main street leading up to the palace entrance. If your friend isn't looking to quite be in...condition to fight, stop in at Moradin's temple across the street from the arena. The clerics will get him in order before the contest, since they can't have ale losing them their precious bets - haha! Anything I can do for you before you go?"

Spoiler: OOC

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The Sea of Suvakvo is a vast sea to the east of Bavinskor.

Spoiler: Leofric

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Your people know Suvakvo as the Minor Sea to the southeast of your lands. Its "famed perils" are the butt of many jokes, as your tribe's main source of wealth is whaling in the Major Sea farther north, whose icebergs are often not for the strong of heart, much less the faint.

Spoiler: Cayde

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The river you took north to these lands empties into the Suvakvo. Your journeys took you instead on foot to Bavinskor in search of your prey.

[TheKidReaper]

"Hey woah woah woah who said anything about fighting each other now? That seems a bit counter productive for the lot of us trying to slay dragons, why are we suddenly trying to slay each other?"

Cayde responds somewhat defensively. He tugs a bit as his cloak to better cover his hip as he speaks.

He seems a bit uncomfortable with the larger man's arm weighing on his shoulder but seems moreso relieved the comments of his newfound friends haven't disrupted the friendly tone they have with the Dwarven man.

[antoin]

Kilmund shakes his head.
"Fight each other? No, far better for you to learn to work together against a foe. The Gamesmaster has several opponents ready to compete tonight, last I heard. Ah! Jorthun, welcome!"

A robed dwarf enters the room behind you. He is quite young, with a black beard barely half the length of Kilmund. He scrutinizes you all closely as he enters. He brings his arms to his chest and down as he bows to Kilmund, then turns to the party.
"Kilmund! You know how to find 'em...Quite the intimidating bunch! The crowd will love this. What are your names and titles so I can pass them to the bookmakers and announce them tonight?"

As he says this, he walks around with seemingly no sense of personal space, eyeing up and sometimes reaching to touch any weapons and gear you have visible, all the while staring intently at your faces and Borb's wings.

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde adjusts his cloak once again to hide his weapons, shifting a bit as the dwarf looks him over. He raises a finger to him,

"Hey, look don't touch. Uh, you can just announce me as Cayde....uh.....Cayyyydeee...."

The half-elf seems to be choosing the next words wisely,

"Cayde Sharpshot, Opportunistic Drifter. Got that brother?"

He winks at the younger dwarf. He sighs a bit, realizing he jumped to a conclusion a bit too quickly when the fight was mentioned.

Spoiler: OOC

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Cayde has a little betrayal PTSD so the idea of fighting friends got him a bit riled up

Spoiler: OOC: Antoin

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Cayde is trying hard to keep his weapons hidden.

[truk8280]

Initially Borb seems disinterested about the idea of fighting other entities besides dragons, but then he thinks that practicing against a few foes will get him back into the rhythm of fighting. Thus, Borb says,

"I am headed off to Moradin's temple, for I need to replace my broken dagger. I'll be waiting there until you guys are ready to enter the arena."

Borb leaves the office. As he passes Jorthun, one of Borb's wings slaps Jorthun on the butt.

[antoin]

Kilmund and Jorthun both watch Borb leave, confused and speechless. After a minute, Kilmund turns to Cayde,
"Cayde, why don't you go with him? I'm...I don't want him to get lost. Just make sure he's at the arena so we can see what he does with a blade, please? Jorthun, his name is...Rob, I think? I can't quite remember. Rob has a good ring to it, though."
Jorthun did not seem at all bothered by Borb's wing. After Cayde's response, he scrawls a couple notes on a scrap of paper and ceases his examination, now turning his attention to the designs of Leofric's tattoos instead.

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde looks like he is going to argue at first, but then just shrugs. He stretches a bit before standing up his amber eyes doing a final sweep of the room. He glances to Jorthun, glad he is given the chance to escape his prying eyes. He turns to leave but not before leaning to Jorthun a bit and whispering,

"Hey don't take that love tap too seriously, you'd never have a chance. See ya at the ring Leofric."

He gives the younger dwarf a slight wink then excuses himself from the room and into the hallway to follow Borb.

Is it immediately obvious where he went?

[antoin]

Jorthun seems slightly flustered by your comment and wink but is too absorbed in Leofric's tattoos and furs to respond. Assuming Borb actually went out the doors of the palace and onto the street towards Moradin's temple, yes. His wings and skin color definitely make him stand out in a crowd.

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde wanders out the front doors and into the streets taking some time to try and locate the arena so he knows where to head once he finds Borb.

He also takes a moment to look back at the Palace to take in the sights before walking into the streets, hands in pockets of his slacks, and to the temple/church.

[glitterbaby]

Leofric gives the man a death glare and what can only be described as a growl as the man attempts to inspect him.

"Enough of your nonsense. Your arena is not my objective and is of no concern to me. I go now to prepare for the hunt. You two do as you will.

Killmund. I request a briefing. Have you started writing reports about the this area and its dangers? I want an wide-ranging look at the area itself first and then I want to break down each threat to come up with a plan. Do you have magicians in your service? It would be valuable to keep one as an advisor. I would not expect them to join us in the wilderness.

I expect special access will be necessary for me to speak with the relevant members of any of your military. This will need to be granted before I can speak to your men about their official reports."


Fools, the whole lot. Let them run around in the arena, bloodying their clothes and diminishing their stamina. They will prove useless in the hunt. But no matter, glory shall be mine before the week is out. Whether a wyrm's head on a pike or my death by dragonfire. My ancestors shall smile upon me, one way or another.

[antoin]

Jorthun seems impressed and slightly frightened as he writes down a few notes. He continues examining, but backs up a little bit, no longer reaching to touch Leofric's furs, and his eager demeanor turns cold as Leofric dismisses the arena.
Kilmund's smile also fades away as Leofric speaks.
"Special access to our military? You are too bold for your own good, outsider. As for your more...reasonable request for a briefing, I will grant what I can, seeing as that represents our mutual best interest.

Kazeb lies a week's journey from here. The forests between here and there are...relatively peaceful when left alone. The leaders of the orc tribes have had no quarrel with us for almost three years now thanks to High King Ragnar's negotiations. The mountains, as I'm sure you're aware, are far more perilous. Little is known about the organization, if any, of the dragons that live there. They are white and they are good at slaughter and are in need of being slaughtered. The giants are mainly united in small groups by blood relation and as of yet pose no organized threat to Kazeb, though be wary of them if you leave the settlement. We have tenuous alliances with a few of them, mostly against their rivals. The goblins are numerous and would be a significant threat to Kazeb's existence if they were not also terrorized by dragon attacks. Their structure is more or less feudal, last I heard, with small armies owing allegiance to individual goblin lords.

This is what has been passed down to me through Kazeb's reports. The captain of the guard at Kazeb will know more and will keep you informed as he sees fit. Jorthun, would the College grant an advisor?"

With an almost imperceptible sneer, Jorthun stops writing to say, in a clipped, almost scripted tone,
"I do not believe it is the policy of the College to offer free assistance to non-citizens. If you can manage to find a magician to bring along as your 'advisor,' you must ask them - and pay them - yourself."

Kilmund examines Leofric as Jorthun speaks, his eyes narrowing.
"As you said to Rob, you are going to fight some of the most powerful predators that exist. Do you know of what you hunt? Would your thin body wilt like a leaf under a dragon's breath? Do your slender arms have the strength to finish off a dragon, should you even be able to wound him?

Would you fight alongside Cayde, Rob, or any other allies, or leave them to perish while you go your own way?"

[antoin]

Leofric's conversation with the dwarves continues for a short while longer.

A few hours pass, and the sun is almost setting. A modest crowd of a few hundred begin entering the arena. When Cayde and Borb enter, they are greeted by a dwarven child starting to grow a patchy chinstrap black beard, who puffs up his chest and is clearly straining to keep his voice as low as he can make it.
"Hi, um, Mr. Cayde and Mr. Borb? I'm your attendant for tonight's fight! You'll need these bracelets. Whatever you do, don't take them off! They make it so that you'll be healed after the fight is over, and so you can't hurt your opponents too badly...um..."
All his words so far have sounded highly scripted, except for the part about hurting opponents. He soon regains his train of thought:
"Right! The rules are, don't do anything that can permanently impair your opponents like making them blind or something. We want everyone to be able to compete again! And no dispelling the bracelets. Nothing that could hurt the crowd, though the walls are pretty good! The fight ends when all the members of one party are down!"
The crowd inside cheers as you hear what sounds like Jorthun's voice booming through the arena.
"Make sure you keep those bracelets on, don't do anything until the horn blows, and stop everything once the horn blows again!"
He looks around and whispers to you both in a normal, higher pitched voice for his age: "Please win tonight, ok? I've got 10 of my own silver pieces on you guys!"
He hands you both the bracelets.
"Uh, got any questions? You're my first contestants I've attended, but I've been going to these matches since I was a baby!"

[TheKidReaper]

Cayde smiles at the young dwarf taking his bracelet from his hands. He looks it over slightly before sliding it onto his wrist and feeling a small jolt of energy as the magical item rests in place.

He slides his bag off his shoulder and it falls into place with a metallic clang. Crouching down he rustles through it a bit before withdrawing five gold pieces and placing them in the young ones hand,

"Don't you worry your pretty little head bud, we got this. It okay if I leave my bag here? Don't want to be a bother or nothin' "

He adjusts his cloak a little and unclips a small pouch beneath it. He smiles smugly to himself a bit. Time to show what he's made of, and show them all what his people had made.

He stretches a bit and looks over to Borb,

"After you big guy."

He motions a bit towards the opening the sound is being funneled through.

[truk8280]

Borb slowly walks to the center of the colosseum, taking in the atmosphere of the crowd. With all the people yelling and chanting, Borb leaps into the sky and draws his rapier. The crowd goes wild. Then, Borb flies down to Jorthun and mumbles,

"Who's our first challenger?"

[antoin]

Jorthun has clearly warmed up the crowd well, as chants of Rob! Rob! Rob! fill the stadium. The arena itself is a rectangle about 50 feet wide and 120 feet long. The ground is smooth, firm dirt and seats extend all the way around the rectangle. Several shops are above the seats, selling food, drink, orange and blue flags, or taking bets. As Cayde walks through the tunnel into the arena, Jorthun booms, "Cayde Sharpshot, Opportunistic Drifter!" The crowd cheers, and a few already-inebriated dwarves begin chanting letters, none of which end up spelling "Cayde."

At Borb's question, Jorthun simply nods in the direction of the tunnel across from the arena as Borb and Cayde.

"Now for the Orange Team! Sid!"
An extremely stocky dwarf marches in, every step inducing slight tremors in the ground. His sword glows a very faint blue, and he has a mug of ale in his left hand that he chugs and tosses to the side as he enters. He flips his helmet down and points his sword around, roaring in laughter. His chunky armor makes his already enormous figure even larger. He still stands a foot shorter than Cayde or Borb, however. Many in the crowd chug their drinks with Sid.

"Borisivich, Firemaster!"
At this, a thin, middle aged man walks in. Several pouches and a dagger are around his waist, his only armor being a particularly shiny chain shirt. His appearance is...quite something. Not only is his hair spiked white and flaming red, but various burns and bright red blotches cover his face, some old, some new. The crowd claps politely, but no chants start.

"And another newcomer to the arena, Snu, the Hound!"
A young, lanky human strolls in, a slight grin on his face. His shirt looks very similar to Borisivich's. Other than that, he is only wearing a short loincloth and is apparently carrying no weapon. He looks around at the crowd, smiling, before sighing and almost instantly snapping to Cayde and Borb, glaring intensely. A group of humans on Cayde and Borb's side of the arena begin yelling Snuuuuuuuuuuuu.

Jorthun waves his hands and the crowd quiets. He motions to you to back up from the middle, as each "team" takes its positions about 40 feet away from each other. He then turns his attention to a wall on one side of the arena, gesturing and putting on two bracelets. Likenesses of your faces all appear on the wall- Cayde's and Borb's highlighted in blue, the same color as your bracelets now glow, and Sid, Borisivich, and Snu highlighted in orange, like their bracelets.

The crowd becomes completely silent as Jorthun steps out of the arena. 4 robed dwarves take positions in each corner of the arena, each with an axe and a very small hammer in hand.

Spoiler: Cayde

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There is some...thing moving on Borisivich's neck. It's as if his skin is literally crawling, and before the horn blows, it disappears and a bump travels down his shirt, near his beltline.
Also, Snu's hands have faint, glowing, white, tooth-like projections on them.

Spoiler: Borb

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You know that the small hammers mean these dwarves are clerics of Moradin. They can probably cast spells, since they use the hammer to focus their magic.
Also, Snu's hands have faint, glowing, white, tooth-like projections on them.

Above the seats in the arena, a very fat dwarf blows a deep horn that echoes throughout the arena.

Spoiler: OoC

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Let's get some init

[antoin]

(1d20+13)[20]
????

[truk8280]

Spoiler: ROLL

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(1d20+9)[19]

As soon as Jorthun waves his hands, Borb starts eyeing up the competition. He looks over to Cayde wondering who will strike first.

[TheKidReaper]

Spoiler: Roll

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(1d20+13)[24]

Cayde smiles a bit to himself, the commotion of the arena crowd makes him feel right at home. He slides his feet shoulder width apart, right arm rising his cloak a bit above his waist. There is a small pouch there and a handle to a metal object.

His fingers wag a bit in the moment as he waits to strike.

[antoin]

Almost instantly as the horn blows, Snu dashes forward a few steps, bringing himself about 30 feet from Borb. As he does so, a projection of a snarling dog's head forms in his hands before launching itself at Borb.
Rolls(outside of a spoiler might work?)
Attack: (1d20+8)[24]
Crit confirm: (1d20+8)[28]
Damage: (5d6)[14]
Crit Damage: (3d6)[10]

Borb is hit by the dog for 14 damage. The "dog" dissolves into nothing upon impact.

Sid, meanwhile, lumbers toward Cayde as fast as his armor and stature will allow. As he reaches him, he grasps his sword with both hands and swings at Cayde carefully and precisely, like someone highly trained.
Rolls
Attack: (1d20+19)[30]
Crit confirm: (1d20+19)[38]
Damage: (2d6+11)[14]
(1d6)[6]
Crit Damage: (2d6+11)[14]

Cayde is hit by Sid's sword for 14 Slashing Damage and 6 Cold Damage.

Cayde, you're up. Sid is in your face (10 feet away from Borb), Snu is 30 feet away from you and Borb, and Borisivich has yet to move, 40 feet away from you both.