05. Journey to O'Hare

[wolfpack]

"Epislon, have you been in town long? When I was through here a few days ago, I left in pursuit of a band of orcs harassing the towns folk. This group of worthies have dealt a final blow to such a group - have you heard speak of such who would be interested in such news? What do you make of this town?" Alordan asks quietly.

no my newly aquanted companion, I in fact arrived in this quaint hamlet only minutes before our encounter. I have been traveling from up north

[Nuke66]

Strom feels the blessing course through his body and all but cure him of his ailments.

He turns to Garth and says Indeed in many a balance is kept but for some the scales shift more to one side..

"Aye, we must keep our guard up." Garth takes a drink and watches the locals a bit more.

nice on the XP.

[dmw71]

Advancing the game tomorrow.

[dmw71]

Advancing the game tomorrow.

Actually, tomorrow will almost certainly be a busy day for me, so I will advance the action tonight.
---

"What in blazes crawled up their arses?" Gwilt mumbles, mostly to himself, but his questions is undoubtedly shared by the others. He, and the rest of the original party, proceed to take this opportunity to welcome Epsilon into their graces. And it doesn't take Epsilon long to prove his worth to the group as he rivals Kaltar in the art of healing, bringing an increased sense of vitality surging through Strom.

"Epislon, have you been in town long? asks Alordan quietly, still clearly not sure what to make of this town, or this Inn, especially in light of the most recent outburst by its proprietor. "No, my newly acquainted companion, I arrived in this quaint hamlet only minutes before our encounter. Epsilon replies, indicating he has been traveling from further north. "Aye, we must keep our guard up," offers Garth before taking a drink and settling back to watch the locals a bit more.

Shannigans eats and fidgets at the end of the table, playing with the food before him, ultimately forming a surprisingly accurate map rendition of the goblins cave he alone explored. No one, at least not as of the current time, have inquired as to his doings so he continues to wait for his opportunity to show the map to the others. With much excitement in the room, an immediate opportunity is not had. He keeps his map intact and continues to listen to the ongoing conversations, hoping to gain some insight into their overall impression of the Inn. In keeping with his ever-curious nature, he 'drops' one of his eating utensils and dips below the table line to retrieve it, using the brief opportunity to look for any signs of trouble that this low position may divulge. (PM forthcoming)

---

A minute or two later the door in the far-right corner of the room opens and Gustov emerges. He notices the pass-through window to the kitchen still shuttered and does his best to fight off obvious frustration. He feels the stares of his new guests (you) and casts an empty smile in their direction, hoping to dispel the notion that anything is amiss. He fails.

The other patrons continue to carry on as they always have, though those that pay attention suspect a hint of nervousness in their behaviors as well.

[Stonjuz]

After finally getting someone's attention, the barkeep, Shannigans asks, "Gustav, sir. I always try to find new things to read at meals. Do you have anything that I could peruse whilst we eat?"

[dmw71]

"Gustav, sir. I always try to find new things to read at meals. Do you have anything that I could peruse whilst we eat?"

Gustov looks puzzled by the request. He ambles over to where the young halfling is seated and re-issues him the menu from within the pouch on his apron. "Is only things Gustov has to read." he says. "In fact, is almost only thing Gustov can read," he concludes, chortling.

[onlyme]

Ewell laughs with Gustav and speaks, "Is there something the matter with your kitchen help? Do we need to remove ourselves to the Sleeping Dragon to get a good meal? I certainly do not wish to cause you concern if we frighten you.

[dmw71]

Ewell laughs with Gustav and speaks, "Is there something the matter with your kitchen help? Do we need to remove ourselves to the Sleeping Dragon to get a good meal? I certainly do not wish to cause you concern if we frighten you.

Gustov ignores the question about his kitchen help and appears to take offense at the suggestion that a good meal could only be had elsewhere. "Is the meal before you not to your liking?" he asks defensively. "Please. You eat." he says. "I make sure rooms ready for you," he concludes before waddling up the stairs to the sleeping area.

[Alethan]

Gwilt gives the youth a slight shake of his head as he replies loudly, "Nay, the food is fine, Master Gustav. Please, see to our rooms while we finish our meal!"

Once Gustav has disappeared up the stairs, he leans towards Ewell and says, in a hushed voice, "Best to not draw attention to their unusual behavior, lad. Just act like everything is good. We'll speak more once we've secured one of the rooms for privacy."

[onlyme]

My bad... I missed that the food was brought already. I was commenting as if the cook was still back there "working"...

[dmw71]

My bad... I missed that the food was brought already. I was commenting as if the cook was still back there "working"...

Going back and re-reading this thread, it admittedly wasn't made obvious. The only actual remark was here, "As Gustov arrives with Alordan's order," No worries. For sake of clarity going forward, everyone has been served complementary drinks and meals.

---

Gustov descends the stairs from the upper levels and is completely winded. Between breaths he says to the party, "Yer rooms are ready and available fer when yer ready. No rush, my new friends, but I am afraid my kitchen is at least temporarily closed."

[Alethan]

"So no midnight snacks, then, is it?" Gwilt replies with a smile.

"Not to worry, Gustav; I think we just need a good night's rest more than anything. Which rooms are ours, then?"

[dmw71]

"Not to worry, Gustav; I think we just need a good night's rest more than anything. Which rooms are ours, then?"

"Again, when yer ready -- and when you pay, of course -- you'll be in rooms 7, 8 and 9; at the top of the stairs on the right." Gustov replies.

[onlyme]

Ewell looks around the table, and tries to divide by 3 without paper... Folks, shall we draw lots as to who bunks with whom? I dont recall anyone snoring yesterday bad enough to wake me. But, I do recall dreaming that one of you growled or snorted something fierce.

I suspect we should split it up to where we have a guard or two, and divide the weaponry best we can.

Thoughts?

[Alethan]

After Gustav is away from the group, slightly embarrassed, Gwilt pulls out a lone gold coin and flips it into the center of the table.

"Gentlemen, this is about the extent of my wealth right now, unfortunately. Obviously, I'll need to figure something out here in the next day. I was counting on those snarks having more than 8 bits of silver and some copper in their purses. Of course, I'm always willing to go back and..." he pauses as he finally notices what Shannigans has been doing with his food.

"Shanny, didn't anyone ever tell you it's impolite to play with your food? What exactly is it you're doing there, lad?"

[wolfpack]

I will make a deal with you gentlemen, I will pay for 1/2 the total room cost for the evening if you allow me to join your fellowship. i feel it would be safer to have companions rather than travel alone.

subtracting 3 gold

[ravenn4544]

"Fine offer, Epsilon. I'll pick up the other half. Truth be told, the orcs I think I was after were taken care of predominantly by the rest of you. Let me take care of this and we'll just play it by ear on what comes next monetarily speaking" Alordan offers.

[Alethan]

Gwilt deftly swipes his gold coin back up off the table without missing a beat.

"That sounds like a fine plan to me!"

[Stonjuz]

Shocked that anyone is concerned about ANY of his artistic creations, Shannigans begins speaking a mile-a-minute.
"This is the goblin cave. I beg your forgiveness for such a crude map, but I wanted to show it in three-dimension. See this rise here, in the bread? The tunnel inside bends just like this, up and down and around. This here carrot is showing a T section that I was able to spot, but i didnt want to dilly-dally too long. Not sure how strategically this will favor us, but lots of traffic prints and...."
He goes on and on, until someone breaks in with more important issues.

ooc: I think dmw showed the map in a semi priv post that said Shannigans only...but the drawing is really close to the food. or vice-a-versa.

[onlyme]

"Fine offer, Epsilon. I'll pick up the other half. Truth be told, the orcs I think I was after were taken care of predominantly by the rest of you. Let me take care of this and we'll just play it by ear on what comes next monetarily speaking" Alordan offers.

Ewell replies, "Those are generous offers indeed. Thank you both.