Chapter One - Into the Shadows

[Radrabbit]

Sitting in the common room of the Orc's Head, you sit back and relax as you look around the tavern.
Conversation about the Mistbane forest has attracted you all to this big table as several people have mentioned some interesting facts about the forest.
Einar the owner wanders around the common room greeting regulars.
He stands at about six and a half feet tall, stocky and has an obvious martial background.
He seems pleasant and friendly but you notice he watches the new customers closely.
Other tables seem to have villagers drinking, talking and gambling
A few patrons do stand out.
A young man dressed in brown robes sits alone at a table and watches the crowd, his ale sits in front of him untouched.
A woman with a nasty scar along her cheek, spiked hair and dressed in a chainmail shirt sits in a corner. She drinks and pores over what looks like a map.

Actions?

[Marullus]

Awwrak

Shrouded in a midnight blue cloak, bulky over his five-foot frame, the birdman is already seated at the large, round table, his longbow at-hand but nothing else evident. He pulls forward his hood, embroidered with nordic runes in silvery thread, to obscure his feathered visage. He hopes he looks like just another ravenkin, not an uncommon sight in seedy taverns, but his posture is a bit too straight, his pronounced golden-brown eyebrow ridges too imposing above his piercing stare. A roasted rabbit sits still untouched on the plate before him, steaming next to a side of turnip greens. He doesn't look relaxed. At all. Despite his best efforts, he's clearly waiting for others he knows to arrive.
Deception [1d20+0] = 6+0 = 6

The noise of the room is a caucaphony of madness, the cowled bird is on-edge and trying to watch literally everything. His head remains perfectly still as his eyes move from each bang, clank, and rattle to the next. His eagle eyes catch everything.
Perception [1d20+6] = 17+6 = 23

As he and the man in brown robes both sit and watch from opposite sides of the room, their orders sitting absently on the tables in front of them, the deeply-cowled birdman locks eyes each time their gazes catch each other, waiting for the other man to turn away first, the bird unblinking.

[Bluehorse]

3 of 4 ducked his way in as the others had entered. He did not bother sitting. Most of the puny chairs could not really support him. He looked rough, having lived well past his warrenty and had further live past his predictable years of function and it showed. Only a few grit cover flakes of the once proud acrylic blue pain clung to his casings and all the brass filigree was so tarnished it was almost unrecognizable. His body was covered in a patina of rust and grit. And chainmail suite that from the looked of the long dried blood and less whole thing, might have been recovered long ago from a corpse. The dried bits of canvas and leather hung randomly, as did most of the rubbery remnants of artificial skin meant to act as both protective covering and to make him look more life like, were either worn, shorn away in battle, or outright dry rotted away. This left his chassis bare and it was a startling and drizzly sight. Very faintly in the left plate of his chest, one could read the pressed in lable, 3 of 4.
An abomination, plane to see of mankind's attempt to play god. Even the red crystal eyes that crackled inside like lightening gave no real glimmer of life. It was a molten hot cold stare, as he stood there looking at first around the room and then at those at the table he stood at. The light but solid ratcheting sounds as his head swiveled on the neck adding another inhuman layer to his visage as it turned and tilted taking in information around him.

Perception [1d20] = 12

He did allow his eyes to focus on that map the "scared one" was looking at. He stare focused and obvious. The mechanical monstrosity made no attempt to hide what he was doing.

Investigation [1d20+2] = 16+2 = 18

[Rex]

Sade

Sade made her way into the Orc's Head she glanced over the crowd and worked her way slowly to Awwrak. "Hello my friend, how fares the wind?"
She pulls a chair up and studies 3 of 4 for a moment.

She strains her keen hearing to learn what she can from others in the room.
Perception [1d20+6] = 13+6 = 19

[Marullus]

Awwrak

His feathers fluff and ruffle as Sade approaches. He extends his taloned hand to clasp forearms, a warm greeting for his friend.

"There's no wind in here," he replies, tilting his head slightly to the left as he replies quietly to the female elf. He remains intensely uncomfortable, but perhaps a bit less tense. "A breeze would help the smells. I don't believe these creatures bathe and that one there might have died last week. I am sure buzzards will circle him when he leaves, waiting for him to drop."

He pauses, then seems to notice the rabbit on his plate. Dipping his head in one swift motion, his sharp beak snaps the rabbit neatly in half. His head tips back and with three gulps of his throat, he swallows the hindquarters whole. Taking only a few seconds, he returns his gaze to the elf as if nothing just happened, gesturing instead to the mechanical man who stands against the wall beside them. "This is Three Orfour. He looks for our third number, a druid from this kingdom. There is interest in the forest."

[Rex]

Sade

"I have heard rumors of the forest, yes. Maybe not the best place to talk of such. Hello Three Orfour, how is your journey?"

[Bluehorse]

3of4

The low whine and ratchet sound of his neck mechanics are heard once more as the head swivels to look on Sade. When she ask about his journey his skeletal like metal jaw with all to real looking teeth began to move as he spoke. I arrived on time without detention.

[Enoch]

A low whooping erupts from outside the tavern, getting progressively louder over the course of several seconds. Kura throws open the door and lopes inside with an excited expression (ignoring the tavern door as it bangs off the wall and swings ajar), transitioning from running on all fours to a hunched but upright stance.

"Gnolls! Gnolls in the forest! A hunting party. It's lost but I have its clan-scent. Told the clan I'd find them, yep!" The bristles on his scalp and neck stand erect as he excitedly announces this in a voice loud enough to be heard throughout the tavern.

He nearly skids to a stop as he notices the other patrons, and his hackles rise further as his face curls into a rictus-scowl. "None of you heard that, right?" His hands flex as he growls.

Intimidation: [1d20+4] = 15+4 = 19

[Marullus]

Talons dig furrows into the wood as Awwrak grips the table, abruptly tensing and rising off his chair as the gnoll bursts in the door. Never get caught on the ground, he thinks, eyes darting to check the exit points. He constrains himself and looks to Sade for a cue.

[Radrabbit]

Einar the tavern owner scowls, "Gnoll! Ye may have safe passage for the moment, ruin my door and I'll make a rug out o ye."

[Bluehorse]

Einar the tavern owner scowls, "Gnoll! Ye may have safe passage for the moment, ruin my door and I'll make a rug out o ye."

Turning from the Gnoll to the tavern owner and then to Awwrak. Is this usual compensation for the destruction of a door here?

[Enoch]

Startled in mid-crouch as he watches Awwrak's movement, Kura lets out a high-pitched, nervous giggle as the larger man scolds him; his ears lay back on his head and his tail droops as he makes his way over to the table where the others sit.

[Paladin]

A clear, strong voice weaves through the chatter and merriment of the common room, both high notes and low flawless despite the singer's heavily-accented common. Rodrigo López stands briefly in the doorway, singing the final notes of his favorite shanty before ducking inside to find his comrades.

"Now the signal was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor,
We clewed up our tops’ls, stuck out tacks and sheets.
We stood by our stoppers, we brailed in our spankers,
And anchored ahead of the noblest of fleets.

Let every man here drink up his full bumper,
Let every man here drink up his full bowl,
And let us be jolly and drown melancholy,
Drink a health to each jovial an’ true-hearted soul."

He rakes a hand through long, wayward black hair and spots Sade. "There she is! Princesa!" He spins a chair around and straddles the seat, then cranes his neck left and right to seek a drink. "Forgive my tardiness. I was...detained." He pulls a wicked grin and picks a long, spun-gold hair from the front of his gaily-colored shirt. His brow furrows as he finds a bright red one beside it and removes it, as well.

"Awwrak, amigo...if only they had feathers. Perhaps they'd not shed on my clothing so badly." He chuckles and puts his elbows on the table. "I like her hair," he remarks of the armored and spiked young lady. "And it looks like it would stay put." Rodrigo sends her a speculative look before shrugging and returning his attention to his table-mates.

[jemmus]

Lothien of Blackacre

Outside, Lothien knocks his long pipe out on his boot, quietly enters through the doorway, doffs his worn billed traveling cap, and scans the room. He hopes that Awwrok and 3 of 4 are already here, so he's does have to enter a new social situation alone. He sees them with a female elf, a gnoll(!), and an exuberant human man just finishing a song. He immediate feels good about this motley group,* moves his pack from shoulders to hand, and moves to join them. Not wishing to wildly speak 3 of 4's and Awwrok's names in this place, greets them with his eyes and says "Hello, my friends! May I join you?" Shyly but sincerely, to Sade, Kura, and Rodrigo, "I'm Lothien. Well met, and at your service new friends." Beams.

Takes a seat, puts his backpack on the floor behind him, and starts inoccuosly observing all around for the group. "That human fellow in the brown cowl. He's got something on his mind, and he doesn't care if anyone notices. Maybe he wants them to. That flamboyant human lass in the corner, she's got something on her mind too." Looks around to the group, signals with eye direction, eye signs "Why not? We're alert and watching all corners for you."
.

*[To move things along, I rolled a plastic die at home and got a 19 and +3 for Insight. Crom was with me today. Maybe not tomorrow. Well, probably not. Next Unseen Servant task for me-- research and set up die roll macros.]

[Rex]

Sade

"Welcome all, a fine day is it not? Perhaps some food and drink for all?" Speaking up Sade motions to the tavern keep.

[Radrabbit]

Einar glances over as Sade and nods.
Within a couple of minutes a young red headed girl heads over to the tab;e with a tray full of ale tankards.
"Here you go my lords and lady. What brings you to our fine establishment today?"

[Bluehorse]

Sade

"Welcome all, a fine day is it not? Perhaps some food and drink for all?" Speaking up Sade motions to the tavern keep.

Looking to Sade: I require no biological matter.

[Marullus]

As the gnoll moderates himself and joins the table, Awwrak settles back onto his chair, his feathers smoothing down. He adjusts his hood again, trying to shroud himself. He nods to Lorien, their number complete.

Awwrak looks at the tankard as it is set down next to his plate... The half a rabbit. The turnip greens. He clicks his beak twice and makes a soft chittering noise. He doesn't touch it. "The noise, the ears, the eyes. You said Elsewhere, yes?" he asks of Sade, then is quiet, his eyes flitting again, watching the rest of the room.

Any results from our Perception and interactions with the room? Your two NPCs?

[Radrabbit]

The door opens and two men in long cloaks walk in and seem to be looking for someone.
Soon enough they make their way over to the table of the young man in brown robes and sit down.
The young man looks non too pleased as they make themselves comfortable.
The spiky haired woman has ignored everyone and everything while she continues to examine what looks like a map.

[Bluehorse]

3of4

The Warforge Juggernaut clearly goes on high alert as the robed men appear. He goes from an at attention standing guard stance to one of making ready to defend as his hands raise and clench and he bends at the knees. Protection protocols kicking in as his red eyes settle on the newcomers. Probability of assassins, safety compromised. State names and purpose. 5 seconds before primary protocol initiation.