Vagabond (Act1 IC2)

[amanodel]

Shimar

Shimar is tall and muscular, but still retains a cat-like agility as he walks. The face of the barbarian is tattoed, and his black hair is shaved at the sides of his head. A couple of scars are visible on him, and as far as clothing goes, he's not really different from the girl, taking as little as possible.

Confident and strong - thought the barbarian. He knows the type well. If a woman want to get into position in his homeland, she has to be just like this half-elf. He pets Whisper on the head. That would perhaps break the neck of a smaller dog, but Whisper is just smiling with it's tongue hanging out.

Not so many dog like Whisper around here, I received him from raindeer hunters. So, what's here for drinking? - answers Shimar with an expression matching the half-elf's.

[Sweet_Venom_84]

Rolling one shoulder by way of a shrug, she says, "Nothing out of the ordinary. Bad wine, stale ale, and that cheap mix of everyone's leftovers slop that sailors are overly fond of." She wrinkles her nose slightly at the last before she finally turns her head, regarding Shimar with an intense scrutiny.

[amanodel]

Nice weapon collection you've got. You serve in an army? - asks Shimar while waiting for the barkeeper to come around. Meanwhile, he tries to identify the origin of the girl. He's not very familiar with elves, but maybe there are obvious clues in her skin tone, hair colour, face, or speech pattern, that will help to identify the human half. She probably grew up with humans; she isn't really acting elfish.

[Sweet_Venom_84]

Her lips turn up into a smug grin. "No, I don't serve in the army. Taking orders isn't really a strong suit of mine." She shifts, glancing down at the weaponry at her feet before stretching her lower back outward as she brings one foot up to rest on her pack. The sharp edge to her words and rhythm of her sentences mark her as a city dweller of some sort. Her vivid green eyes clash with the shocking red color of her hair--which upon a second look is obviously dyed that particular color. An intricate pattern of thorns and knots has been inked onto her upper left arm and shoulder, highlighted with bold black strokes and artistic touches of red and yellow. A small portion of the design nearest to her body has begun to flake off, however, showing that this too is a temporary adornment.

"What about you?" she asks, "Are you taking orders from a higher up?"

[amanodel]

I never understood southern warfare about ordering the warriors... - Shimar wonders for a while - In my homeland every capable man is a warrior, but there is no regular army like in these lowlands. Do they alllow women to join the army? Here, I am merely freelancing. Quick tasks, good money, and some healthy battle every now and then.

Meanwhile, Shimar tries to get the bartender's attention in the subtle way of hitting the barpult with the shaft of his halberd.

[Deepblue706]

Harold finds himself at the Grand Library of Porto Giedion, situated in Lawmaker's Way. Its appearance certainly lives up to its title - the structure stands two stories high, and its halls are filled with a wealth of knowledge.

Although the hour is late, Harold is admitted inside, and guided to an area that holds a variety of magical tomes. After searching the shelves for a short while, he finds a few books of interest, all of which must have been left untouched for years. Some seem to be collections of seldom-used and perhaps even forgotten cantrips ("An introduction to Arcana" is one), others contain magical application to alchemy (some have recipes for potions and the like appear to be included), and some seem to be based on principles of magic itself ("Theories on the Origins of Old Magic" and "Metamagics" stand out).

Harold is informed he may read any of the books he desires, although those from this section of the library may not be removed by anyone.

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Shimar finally catches the bartender's attention, who approaches the brutish man wearily. "What're ya havin'?"

[amanodel]

Shimar

Your best ale, - he takes a glance at the girl to see if she'd take one - with two mugs.

Altough he's afraid that the they don't serve "best" ale in this pub.

[Deepblue706]

The bartender quickly fetches a pair of steins, and fills them up with a foaming, murky liquid. "Heh, this'll cook yer brain-meats." He mutters, as he sets down the drinks and then walks off to serve another, rather antsy patron.

[Sweet_Venom_84]

The half-elf gives the slightest of nods, indicating that she will accept the tactfully offered drink.

"I never gave much thought to joining a militia, so I didn't bother looking into it. Enlisting is far too... permanent for my tastes."

[Deepblue706]

A roar of laughter erupts from a nearby table, and a man standing nearly as tall as the great Shimar stands before the rest of the party that was seated there. He is a bald, muscular man with a short brown beard, and a set of crooked teeth. "I'll be back later, gents!" he announces to his friends. "The tingling in my loins calls for the private audience of a wench!" he continues, laughing so hard he nearly spills the mug of ale he holds in his left hand. He happens to stumble in the direction of Shimar and the Half-Elf, giving the woman a long look before clumsily strolling closer. "Hey there, missy." He grins, obviously thinking his composure and appearance to hold some measure of charm. "Wanna spend some time with a man?" He gives Shimar an unpleasant glance before turning back to the Half-Elf, and he slowly steps closer as he waits for an answer, halting only maybe a foot before her.

[Sweet_Venom_84]

A sweet, pleasant smile crosses her lips and she turns to face the man. She takes a long moment to look the man over from head to toe, and her smile never waivers--she even seems pleased by what she sees. "You, my fine drunkard, are what I've been looking for all night." She returns with another enchanting smile.

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold schlepps the tome through to the main section of the library. He takes a moment to look around, seeing who's present. Magicians tended to wear their trade on their sleeves, so to speak, and he was hoping to find someone wise in the ways of magic, but not fossilized.

[Deepblue706]

Harold's search finds him no-one but a young woman with long blonde hair, dressed in humble robes, wearing a pair of thick glasses over her almond eyes. She somewhat clumsily moves about a cart that holds numerous books, wearily reshelving them one-at-a-time. She doesn't appear to notice Harold; obviously lost in some daydream.

Meanwhile, at the pub, the bald man offers the half-Elf a moronic grin, as he looks her up-and-down. "Let's head upstairs, sweety..." he reaches out to grab her shoulder as he moves in closer.

[amanodel]

Shimar

Whisper, stay low! - he orders his dog quietly as he can. Drunkards usaually made the dog nervous.

He's not rushing to the help of the girl; he's sure that she can handle it. his face is more interested than worried when the guy takes his move.

He looks at the half-elf lady with a question in his eyes, if he was asking that he should join or not. He expect a definite 'no', but he keeps looking at the events nevertheless.

[Sweet_Venom_84]

The same sweet smile never leaves her face as she shifts forward, as if she is about to slide into the man's arms. Moments before she makes contact, however, she suddenly redirects her shoulders, aiming a solid punch for the man's gut as the other lines up a fast uppercut towards his chin.

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold gazes thoughtfully at the librarian. Maybe. Worth a shot.
He opens the book and stares intently at the page, adopting an expression of either intense concentration or intense constipation, as he'd seen magicians do. He mutters to himself and flips pages impatiently for a while, and then he twists his fingers and speaks aloud
"Ab-Doraldak!"
A loud bang fills the normally quiet library, and Harold makes a big show of being startled, before flipping through the pages even more fiercely, muttering again.

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Ghost Sound.

[Deepblue706]

The Librarian drops one of her books at the sound of the bang, obviously startled. She whirls around and gives Harold a stern look. "Hey! You can't just run around, casting spells in the library!" Her gaze grows less harsh after she takes a moment to size Harold up, although there is still a hint of frustration in her voice. "Please; if you want practice, come around during the day. When our tutors are in." She turns back to her books.

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The half-Elf sends the man onto his back, clearly not having anticipated any violent reaction. "You bitch!" He yells, and a few of the nearby patrons turn their heads. A few of his friends stand up as they suspect some kind of trouble, but others having seen his rejection simply laugh. He climbs to his feet, continuing to curse. "I don't normally hit women; but this time, I'm willing to make an exception!"

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Roll initiative, please

[Sweet_Venom_84]

A slow smile spreads across her face. "That might have been your first mistake. I might look like a good time, but it's you that will be enjoying it from your back." Tossing a wink at Shimar she says, "I don't want to steal all the fun. This one's mine, but you're welcome to any others that don't think he can take me on his own." With this she casts a smug lipped glance towards his table of friends.

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OOC: okay... someone help the forum dummy. How do I make the pretty spoiler boxes? Whoo! Not such a dummy! I feel significantly more important and smart now.

Init: nat 20 +6= 26. (I'm never this lucky. That's likely the only 20 I will ever see in combat.)

[amanodel]

Shimar

Seeing that the girl is confident enough to take the drunkard on her own, Shimar leans against the barpult, and watches. And he will give an angry look to anyone who thinks about standing up from his place.

To those, who already stood up, he motions to sit back down. He doesn't make any moves yet, but his left hand is resting at the shaft of his glaive.

Initiative - (1d20+3)[9]

[Proven_Paradox]

Drahlo wanders about the docks for a few minutes after passing the money to the servant, idly conversing with Guha and generally unsure what to do with himself in these strange lands. After some aimless strolling, he eventually decides to try and find Shimar.

The orc makes it to the bar Shimar had entered just in time to see the woman he'd sat beside knock down the other man. The orc sighs at the sight--people seem so prone to violence in these lands. Unsure who to support, he simply watches.

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Sorry for my absense. The worst of my finals should be over by Monday, but I'm still rather busy.

I hope it's okay that I'm inserting Drahlo into the scene; I had intended to have him follow Shimar directly to the bar before, but I got busy and didn't get a chance to throw that in. If you want me to change my actions DB, just lemme know.

Also, for Venom's benefit; Drahlo's description:

Drahlo is somewhat tall for an orc, and heavy due to his well-developed muscles. He has straight black hair that falls to his back. It looks fairly healthy, and he usually has braids in it at seemingly random locations, as well as beads and feathers woven into the strands. He has a small, scraggly beard that doesn't seem to have quite filled in yet; bits of his square jaw clearly visible through it due to his light-green skin. He has the usual, beast-like face of an orc, with a flattened nose and prominent brows. He has many facial piercings; one in both earlobes--from which charms made from purple stones hang--two in his left helix (the upper rim of the ear) and three in his right, and two piercings in his right eyebrow and one in his left. From these hang small, simple rings made of bone. Finally, he has a labret piercing (below bottom lip, above the chin) from which hang three rings made of iron, shaped so that they appear to loop around and go through the bottom of his jaw.

His body is very well muscled, even among the usually muscular orcs. He has hunched shoulders and hairy arms and legs, but his chest and back are hairless--either naturally so or shaven; it is difficult to tell. Around his torso are many purple tattoos; the same hue as the charms in his ear-lobe earrings. In shape, they look vaguely like the patterns you might see on a snake such as this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:P...ius_Pastel.jpg

Other than his rings and hair adornments, the only clothing he normally wears are a pair of simple leather trousers and plain sandals. He carries a simple spear with an obsidian head, and a satchel he usually wears hanging over his right shoulder so that the bag is at his left hip. His mouse, Guha, makes her home in this satchel when she's not on his shoulder.

Initiative: (1d20=19) (If needed)

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold closes his eyes and smiles, eyes closed. He ruffles his straw-yellow hair with one hand.
"Apologies, M'lady." He says, but then he looks around.
"It looks like it's rather quiet right now, though, even for a library. Don't more people come here?"

[Deepblue706]

The Library

The woman doesn't turn to look at Harold, but instead keeps to her work. "Today, it happens to be a bit more quiet than usual - but it's nothing unheard of. Sun's been down a couple of hours, now - and not so many people come here at night. Well, there are still a few in the private studies-" she glances down the hall, in the opposite direction. "But, most would have gone by now, anyway." She pauses in her chores, and finally looks to him. "Was there something you needed help with?"


The Pub

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-The map works like this: you're the little "powerup" (as Skenardo calls it) with the letter that corresponds to the first letter of your character's name, and the color you use for your dialogue. Stone-Cold Steve Austin, Kane, and The Undertaker make for baddies, here. Sometimes I use generic pictures, sometimes I make it more fun. It varies depending on my mood.

The green-yellow-olive-whatever squares represent bystanders, in this case. Everything else should be fairly easy to interpret, based on my description of the place.

In case you don't know anything about who these silly wrestlers are, or simply can't make them out: the one in the vest below Shimar is Stone-Cold, the guy harrassing SV's character. Right beside him is the Undertaker, and the doof up-top is Kane.

Drahlo, Shimar and the half-Elf all note that there's trouble brewing here, as the bald man to get knocked to the ground is now looking for a fight, and some of his friends seem to want to get in on the action. Other patrons keep their distance, some even call out, "No fighting! Stop it!", although others seem to be itching to see it happen. The band continues playing its lively tune, unaware of the impending brawl.

Initiative:
???: 26
Drahlo: 19
Shimar: 9
Kane: 9
Stone-Cold: 3
Undertaker: 3

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Post actions here. Generally, descriptive text makes up the normal post, and specific descriptions of actions - as well as rolls - go into spoilers to clarify all the wordy goodness.

Amanodel; if you want to Intimidate (to Demoralize, and possibly back them off), it's a standard action. If you'd like to see what the other two want to do first, you may take back that decision and post again here what you'd prefer to do.

[Sweet_Venom_84]

Looking absolutely pleased beyond measure at the reaction in the bar, the half-elf draws back her fist and aims a solid right hook at the man's chin.

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fisticuffs. to hit [roll]1d20+6[/roll] damage (if I hit) [roll]1d3+3[/roll]

[amanodel]

Shimar

The barbarian tries to stop the other two guys entering the fight.


Readying action to punch Kane in the face if he is about to move any futher.

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Attack - (1d20+5)[17], Damage - (1d4+3)[7]

[The Great Skenardo]

Harold Betruger
Harold places his hands behind his head and leans back.
"It's an odd story. I and a few stalwart companions are going on a mystical quest to a remote tropical island in search of treasure. I was hoping to pick up a little more magic before I left, but it's not really my specialty. We really need a magician, though...But where are we going to find a magician willing to drop everything and head off to warmer climes in search of adventure? most wizards that I've ever met don't like to walk down the street to get coffee."
He scratches an ear and smiles, charmingly.
"But I'm burdening you with my troubles, miss."

[Proven_Paradox]

Drahlo stands quietly, obviously confused. He tries to think out who is fighting who and why silently.

[Deepblue706]

The Library

The woman begins to make a facial contortion of which that makes it obvious she's trying not to smile. "It's okay." She sighs. "I think I know what you're looking for. You want the Owls. That mage's guild. They do all sorts of odd-jobs...public and private. Expensive, I hear - but I imagine worth it." She turns back to her books, reshelving one as she continues. "One of their number comes here fairly often. His name's Bradley. Looks for new recruits, and such." She shelves another book, and then turns back to Harold. "If you like, I can set you two up. Is that something you'd be interested in?"

The Pub

The half-Elf, seeing that bald man closing in to make his retort, takes the initiative and lands directly on-target with her hook. He stumbles backwards, and collides with another tavern patron - a rather tall and dark figure - who does not look very pleased.

Drahlo observes Shimar as he lunges for one of the drunkard's friends step forward in a threatening manner, and lands a solid blow in the man's gut. He seems temporarily stunned, but then quickly snaps back and lands a devastating cross that catches Shimar in the face, dealing 9 damage (lethal).

Meanwhile, the bald man catches himself and strikes back at the half-Elf, connecting with a solid jab, dealing 3 damage (non-lethal). And, the third of the men to come forward elbows Shimar from behind, dealing 5 damage (non-lethal).

Others around the bar keep their distance, save the dark figure with whom the bald man earlier struck by accident. A closer look shows this man has wet trousers, as a result of a spilled stein of ale. He tightly grips the empty containing in one hand for a moment, before approaching the bald man from behind, whirling him around by his shoulder, and punching him with the stein. The bald man goes down. However, his earlier-hesitant friends at the table notice this new man to be involved, and decide to leap at him. Other patrons, unliking the odds of this fight, join one side or the other, and chaos ensues. Half-drunk bottles of ale, pitchers of mead, and clay and wooden bowls begin to fly through the air in a maelstrom of mindless violence. The band finally stops playing, and its members quickly move for the door.

Update Map

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Initiative:
half-Elf: 26
Shimar: 9
Kane: 9
Stone-Cold: 3
Undertaker: 3
Guy: 2
Banditos (Stone-Cold's previously seated friends): 2
Various Patrons: 1
Drahlo: 1

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I'm going to say that Drahlo used a Delay action, and can go immediately, as if he were very last to act of last round, or first to act of this upcoming round. The clashing of yellow and olive boxes represent other NPCs engaging themselves in the erupting brawl.

[amanodel]

Shimar

The power of the first strike really surprised Shimar, but not wondering if it broke his jaw or not, he strikes back, trying to knock the guy out quickly as possible.

Attack - (1d20+6)[19], Damage - (1d3+3)[4]

[Sweet_Venom_84]

The half-elf's smile waivers as her target is taken out by the newcomer, and she frowns, but shrugs as the others join the brawl. Wading happily into the fray, she takes an enthusiastic swing at the nearest Bandito.

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tohit: (1d20+6)[13] damage: (1d3+3)[4]

[Proven_Paradox]

Drahlo will attempt to push his way through the banditos without hurting them. In the very likely case that one of them punches him for this, he will punch back. He shouts at Shimar over the fray, "Why are we fighting!?"

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Pre-emptive attack roll:
Punch attack/nonlethal damage: (1d20+6=21, 1d3+4=6)