Ferd's Carousing

[Eris]

OOC: When those going with Ferd for a night of carousing, post in this thread.

We can do a little light roleplaying, they make rolls on the Carousing Table and see if we have some more roleplaying to do when the Outcomes are reveled.

[Marullus]

As Vesper's wild party pub-crawls to the Serpent, Ferd assesses the crowd that remains at the Trident and Shield.

"A round of drinks, my wise companions," he orders in a strident tone, standing up upon his bench. "To all those wise enough to drink here in the docks and not lose our wallets in the North District tonight!" He is cheery, and strums a chord on his lute.

He begins to strum and sing, his tune rousing and fit for singing along with a chorus, rather than bawdy and uncomfortable.

"I'll begin with a new one tonight... about the barklings of the forest. It begins like this...

In the forests bright and green
are a sight you never have seen
Little men all covered with fur
Each one says -
yip yip bark bark grr!

Wet little noses
and grey groomed fur
Little tails wagging were
Don't say dog or
it will cause a stir -
yip yip bark bark grr!

Proper manners all around
Stiff and upright as ever found
...just toss a stick and off they bound!
yip yip bark bark grr!

...and a critical success!
Facinate. (DC 15) [1d20+3]=20+3=23 if advantage [1d20+3]=4+3=7. Effects [1d4]=3 targets.

[helvorn]

Robin was flabbergasted by Vesper's performance to say the least. It took him a while of drinking to be able to speak coherently again. About halfway through Ferd's ballad he began to clap along with the tune. By the end Robin was able to sing along with the chorus.

...just toss a stick and off they bound!
yip yip bark bark grr!

[terrymixon]

Robin was flabbergasted by Vesper's performance to say the least. It took him a while of drinking to be able to speak coherently again. About halfway through Ferd's ballad he began to clap along with the tune. By the end Robin was able to sing along with the chorus.

...just toss a stick and off they bound!
yip yip bark bark grr!

Robin might be slingshoted through puberty!

[subaltari]

Robin might be slingshoted through puberty!

Love that song, Marullus!

[helvorn]

Robin might be slingshoted through puberty! ;)

:lol:

Love that song, Marullus!

Very well done indeed!

[Marullus]

(Am I supposed to wait for a response to my first action and roll? Should I do another action and roll, or with a one-night revel we stop there?)

With the smaller group and no newcomers to cover the cost for, Ferd will do a 60gp carouse for +2. Both he and Robin can afford it, but if Robin balks, Ferd will pay his extra 30.
Read this post first, then OOC. If we can hop in with Daisy's crew, I'll keep this at 20gp each and a +1 to preserve that opportunity.

[Tiglath]

Although I'm not really here...

Loved the Barkling Ballard!

[helvorn]

I am fine at 60 or 20. I just want to get the most out of it and have some fun back-and-forth!

[Marullus]

After finishing his set, the barkeep pours another round of drinks for the crowd and Ferd drops back into his chair next to Robin.
"Now THAT is how you get remembered, my lad. They will sing of our adventures long after their titilation at Vesper's... assets is gone. Tell me, have you ever been beyond your town? Where do your townsfolk go, beyond the Gash? The Duke would have us believe this land unspoiled and unowned so your town was a pleasant... change in narrative."

[Eris]

After finishing his set, the barkeep pours another round of drinks for the crowd and Ferd drops back into his chair next to Robin.
"Now THAT is how you get remembered, my lad. They will sing of our adventures long after their titilation at Vesper's... assets is gone. Tell me, have you ever been beyond your town? Where do your townsfolk go, beyond the Gash? The Duke would have us believe this land unspoiled and unowned so your town was a pleasant... change in narrative."

Lore for Robin to distribute, as much or as little, as he desires. Some of this is factual, some is rumor, and some is speculation...

Jesselton is very isolated and has been for much longer than Robin has been alive. There are three villages of Halflings in what they call The West Shire. All are within a few miles of each other. Jesselton is the farthest south, with Lakeside on the western side of Skanny Lake north of Jesselton and Coldfoot on the eastern side of the same lake. He has only ever been to Coldfoot once and doesn't personally know anyone other than Mazie who has been anywhere other than inside The West Shire. She is from Jesselton, originally. He has been told that she traveled to Slateholm as a young woman to learn how to makes potions and such and has stayed. She returns to Jesselton two or three times a year to bring her wares and to collect components...and to tell tells of the "outside world" to the locals.

Well, that's not entirely true. Once a year an expedition to the coast is made by the halflings of Jesselton to collect salt for the next year. They travel north around Skanny Lake stopping at Lakeside for a night or two and then down the river to a bay where there are large sandy beaches. There they build temporary collection pens to hold the sea water until it evaporates so they can collect the salt that remains atop the sand. The last trip was about 8 months ago and returned with a tale of several tall ships being sighted sailing south along the western coast. He has never made that trip, that was on his list of things to do next year.

The halflings have a deal with the Barklings to trade salt for safe passage up to the coast and back. Until coming over to Slateholm he had never actually seen a Barkling, but he had heard tell of them his whole life. He thinks the halflings of Lakeside and Coldfoot have more dealings with the dog men, but he isn't sure.

About other creatures Robin doesn't know much. Robin has heard tales of Goblins and worse down in The Gash, but no one goes down there, so they could just be stories. The Kobolds he does know about. They are small nasty creatures that live in caves and dug outs into the hills south and east of Jesselton. They only occasionally come up to Jesselton to attempt to raid and steal, mostly when hunting is bad and they are desperate for food. This time, they might have shown up at Jesselton due to a band of Goblins occupying the lands south and east of The Gash...or so he overheard from the village elders as they talked among themselves. He has already told you what he knows about the Gnomes.

In his father's lifetime Jesselton was attacked by creatures called Orcs, who were beaten off, but not before the halflings took many casualties, including his father. Robin's mother died in childbirth a couple of months later and he was raised by the community.

Robin has heard stories about the distant past, too. Stories about ancient cities, now in ruins, that scatter the countryside. He doesn't know how halflings fit into that past, though. The tales never include his kind in those cities, maybe they have always lived in the three villages of the West Shire.

About the monstrous creatures, well the conventional wisdom is they are a plague imposed on the lands as punishment for some great sin or other. The darker tales say that they are the descendants of normal people, humans, halflings, dwarves and elves that were twisted and made into evil creatures. His mentor taught him that there was more to it than conventional wisdom indicated, but these monsters were indeed a plague and a curse and were the result of a war between the gods. Those that won we know, those that lost must never be named!
But those Lost Gods are not gone, they are still lurking out there somewhere like a hidden infection raging through the body of the world.

[Marullus]

*Bump*
to Robin.

Eris - is there a reaction to his performance?

[helvorn]

Robin solemnly shook his head. "None of the people that I know go down into the Gash. It is said that goblins and far worse dwell there. Really there are just the three villages scattered around Skanny Lake that are the whole of the West Shire. Mazie is the only one that I know that has left the Shire. I've been to the village of Coldfoot but not to Lakeside." He thinks for a minute and then smiles a bit. "Folks do travel down to the seaside to evaporate salt. We trade some of the salt to the Barklings for passage through their territory. I have never been on the trip but was planning to go next year." Robin continued to think about things that were a normal part of his life. "There are kobolds about in the hills to the south and east of Jesselton. They usually stay away unless the hunting is bad or the goblins further south and east of the Gash may have driven them to attack us when you were visiting." He sighs. "I have heard stories of ancient cities and glories but my people don't seem to make the legends. It is said that the Lost Gods are still out there in hiding while the monstrous creatures that were created in the war between Gods still our curse on the land and people."

Sorry for the delay in responding

[Eris]

*Bump*
to Robin.

Eris - is there a reaction to his performance?

Why of course there is!

There are shouts of acclaim from the crowded tavern, you hear your name being passed around as people nod and grin and say how good your tale was. A few ask if you made it all up or if there are really things like Barklings out there? A hat is passed around the room and comes back with 1 gold, 5 silver and 11 copper coins inside. Two people stand you a tankard of ale.

[Eris]

Have a dozen of the bar's patrons move their chairs over to Ferd's and Robin's table to listen to his story...

Robin solemnly shook his head. "None of the people that I know go down into the Gash. It is said that goblins and far worse dwell there. Really there are just the three villages scattered around Skanny Lake that are the whole of the West Shire. Mazie is the only one that I know that has left the Shire. I've been to the village of Coldfoot but not to Lakeside."

Robin gets questions, how he answers them is up to him. What exactly is The Gash? What direction is Skanny Lake from Slateholm? How far away? How big is the West Shire and how many of the "little people" like you live there?

He thinks for a minute and then smiles a bit. "Folks do travel down to the seaside to evaporate salt. We trade some of the salt to the Barklings for passage through their territory. I have never been on the trip but was planning to go next year."

More questions. There really are Barklings? They aren't just a tale that Ferd made up?

Robin continued to think about things that were a normal part of his life. "There are kobolds about in the hills to the south and east of Jesselton. They usually stay away unless the hunting is bad or the goblins further south and east of the Gash may have driven them to attack us when you were visiting."

Kobolds? Have you actually seen them? Are they like dogs...no that's the Barklings...no more like lizard's then? Somebody asks if he's heard of Gnomes?

He sighs. "I have heard stories of ancient cities and glories but my people don't seem to make the legends. It is said that the Lost Gods are still out there in hiding while the monstrous creatures that were created in the war between Gods still our curse on the land and people."

Sorry for the delay in responding

By the time Robin has finished telling his story and answering questions, the half dozen has grown to most of the bar listening and asking him questions. It's clear that the people of Slateholm know very little about any of the lands outside their city walls.

One of the patrons even says this is so, saying, "Folks here, only ever travel up the coast to the little villages up there for trade and otherwise stay with in a day's walking distance of Slateholm."

Another differs, "But we fishermen do sail around the gulf and sometimes land on the shores for fresh water and food. So, we see things. There are Lizardmen in the swamps southeast of here at the mouth of a river that continues on south. They will sometimes trade iron ingots for things. Oh, and then there's Fort Morgan on the southwest edge of the bay, ships sail back and forth from there often as it is safer to trade with them by water than along the shore road."

"Over to the east there is the Mancha Colony, too! Somewhere?" says another, and this draws growls and complaints from the bar crowd.

OOC: Mancha is a nation on the Northern Continent back across the Great Sea. Mancha is often at war with the countries around it, the countries that all of you are from. None of you are from Mancha and they are considered something of a threat to Duke John and Slateholm general.

A trio of musicians, flute, lute, and tambourine, take the small stage in the tap room and begin to play. This draws the crowd away from Ferd and Robin and the night turns to drinking, singing, drinking, story telling, and more drinking before you stagger out of the Tavern.

Marullus, what is Ferd's Carousing Bonus Roll? I'll add it to the rolls for your Events and we'll see what transpires from there.

[Marullus]

Read this post first, then OOC. If we can hop in with Daisy's crew, I'll keep this at 20gp each and a +1 to preserve that opportunity.

If the OOC plan is still to join up with Daisy'screw, we do 20gp for +1.

Marullus, what is Ferd's Carousing Bonus Roll? I'll add it to the rolls for your Events and we'll see what transpires from there.

+1 from coin spent
+3 Charisma (does this factor in?)
Critical success on the performance roll
[1d6]=6 Carousing bonus

[Eris]

Read this post first, then OOC. If we can hop in with Daisy's crew, I'll keep this at 20gp each and a +1 to preserve that opportunity.

If the OOC plan is still to join up with Daisy'screw, we do 20gp for +1.

Marullus, what is Ferd's Carousing Bonus Roll? I'll add it to the rolls for your Events and we'll see what transpires from there.

+1 from coin spent
+3 Charisma (does this factor in?)
Critical success on the performance roll
[1d6]=6 Carousing bonus

No, Charisma won't figure into the bonus roll. So the Bonus is +6 and +1 for the level of Carousing, total +7. (I really do need to rework the Outcome's Table with all these Bards in the game!)



Okay, here we go!

Ferd and Robin staggered out of the Trident & Shield late that night. Robin had expressed his desire to go visit the Wizard as he'd never met one before and that women in the tap room kept going on an on about wizards, so...she hadn't really, but it seemed so to Robin.

Ferd knew the way to the Tower, it was even visible as a dark shape rising above the scattered street lamps to the north along Dock Street. He didn't expect anything would come of this little excursion, but at least Robin could see the tower, right?

When they arrived, Robin began to knock on the door at the foot of the tower. After thwacking it several times he turned to Ferd and said, "Must not be home." and tried the knob, "Locked! I can handle that!"

Bold as brass, out comes his lockpicks and "Bob's Your Uncle" he has the the door open and you both are peeking inside.

Now, Ferd knew they shouldn't go in that tower, but it would be a tale to tell! So he stepped inside, cautiously. Robin, seemingly oblivious to the danger, strolled in casually and started calling out, "Hey Wizard! You home!"

As there was no reply, Ferd relaxed a little and started looking around. Spying a small statuette of a monkey idol with a ruby gripped in its teeth (60 gp) on a table he walked over and picked it up to examine it more closely.

Robin was also exploring the room and had just picked up a silver goblet from a table when light flared up in the room!

A shining apparition, you'd swear was ten feet tall loomed over them and intoned, "Be Gone!"

A bolt of light flew from the apparition at Robin, but he reflexively raised the goblet reflecting the bolt!

Darkness! Ferd and Robin were in darkness, the darkest darkness either could imagine! No light, no sound, no...well no anything. At first, this changed slowly and they became aware that they were both standing on a small platform. They could see it now, barely, maybe it was just their eyes adjusting to it, but there it was.

"What happened?" asked Robin.

"I don't know!" replied Ferd, "But we shouldn't have gone in there, that I do know."

Just then, the platform disappeared from beneath their feet and they fell straight down. Before either could be frightened, though, their feet hit the ground and daylight flared all around them!

Blinking to get their eyes to adjust to the early morning light they suddenly realized they were standing in a field just outside the city gates to Slateholm! Hours must have passed, they think. Where were they all that time?

Ferd still had the statue of the Gold Monkey in his hand and Robin still had the remains of what was once a silver goblet in his. The statue looked fine, but the goblet was a melted, blackened mass that Robin had to pry off his hand. Tired and hungover the pair make their way back to The Guild Hall only to discover three days have passed! They seem to have lost 3 days...

OOC: Feel free to join those from Vesper's Carouse in the Common Room for breakfast.

[Marullus]

After the nights events, Ferd checks the higher end smiths to see if he can aquire some mithril chain...

(listed for book purchase? 240gp. Rare opportunity to upgrade armor... as a stealthy type it's necessaryexpense...)

[helvorn]

Did we get a chance to help Daisy?

[Marullus]

I hoped so; doesn't look like it. I assume that is why we woke mysteriously three days later.