Chp. 5: WTF?!

[Grognardsw]

[Hotgoblin]

Groyn

He's going to hang back in the tavern with Bene the dog and guzzle this drink the locals call Oktoberfest!! Groyn's getting drunk...and thinks back to when he'd run his nose thru lovely dwarven female's beards!! Oh, how enjoyable it was.

[jakegreenxxxx44]

well if the whole group is going to follow Niles maybe I should too, I don't want to be left all alone at the tavern, is anyone staying here to eat and drink?

[Grognardsw]

Inside the tavern…

"I know the rain is not profound,
and autumn's not symbolic
And the wind does not make lonesome sounds
Yes, I know it's meaningless
Yes, I know it's meaningless
But let's go out and frolic

Cause the sun and the sea and the sky
They will never make you cry
You can love them and they don't die
They don't just die

You can wait for god all your life,
he's coming any day now
Any day now for two thousand years
Yes I know, it's trivial
Yes, I know I'm shallow
But let's go out and play now

Cause the sun and the sea and the sky
They will never make you cry
You can love them and they don't die
They don't just die"

[jakegreenxxxx44]

listens to the singing maiden and wonders if there's any hidden meaning behind her song. Thinks she'll go talk to her and discuss what her song means.

[Grognardsw]

Father Jerome, smoking a pipe, greets the adventurers warmly.

"It is good to see you again, alive. Too many times I see you adventurers return on your shields." His eyes alight on Albertus' wrapped corpse. "Perhaps I speak too soon."

"How can I help you?"

***



Meanwhile, in the tavern, drinks are ordered, monies tallied, stories swapped. Easia takes an interest in the bard with lute singing a melancholy song.

"I wrote this song after too many people I know died," says the bard, who introduces herself as Selandra. "What is your story?"

If anyone passes their cursor over the lyrics, you'll see it's a link to the song by Stephen Merritt. For those in the Runestaff battle, Round 8 contains several links to songs.

[OGRE MAGE]

Fingal

If it's possible to exit the dungeon when the guards leave, or change shifts, or whatever, he will do so and head back to the tavern to join his friends.

[AleBelly]

Wulfhart, eager to avoid the embarrassment from his last encounter with Father Jerome, measures his words carefully. "Hello Father - good to see you again too. Our last venture, protecting the princess, didn't go so well for our friend Albertus here. Do you possess the means to bring him back to life?"

[jakegreenxxxx44]

she introduces herself to Selandra, what a very pretty and familiar name. I am sorry to hear of your losses. I am new to town. I joined a group that has brought in a group of bandits that have killed one of our friends. They are speaking to Father Jerome, do you know of him? What can you tell me of these deaths of your friends that your song spoke of? (Trying to get any useful / helpful information she can)

[Grognardsw]

In the Keep dungeon...

Fingal the invisible thief waits for the right moment then pads out of the dungeon. Along the way he sees an assortment of prisoners in cells: an emaciated goblin eating a mouse; a forlorn bearded man whose body is covered in tattoos; a corpulent gnome touching himself; a half-orc hitting his head against the wall uttering "metal men no men metal men no men." In one cell a guard is raping a prisoner. 

Fingal pauses, then reminds himself the goal is getting out of there. After some wandering and waiting he escapes unseen and unheard. Fingal makes his way to the tavern.

In the tavern...

Selandra the bard talks with Easia. "Oh, just adventuring friends and acquaintances. No one you would know. These lands are very dangerous. I am not always so dour though."

Desertfox hears a familiar voice bellow out from across the tavern. "By the True God! It's Desertfox, my old friend!" yells a large man in plate armor emblazoned with a cross holy symbol. His helmet is off, revealing a ruggedly handsome face. 

He approaches Desertfox's table carrying a flagon of ale, which he slams down. "I'm here tracking down a devious cousin of mine, Tayne Tsaridian. The cur brings dishonor to the family name. What brings you here?"

In the Chapel of St. Cuthbert...

Father Jerome nods knowingly. "Yes, I can help. Though I lack the divine power myself, the head church has sent several holy scripts which contain that most precious secret. As you can guess, demand is high here. We ask for a donation of 2,000 gold pieces up front, conversion to St. Cuthbert's religion, a public service session, and pledge for an additional 1,500 gold pieces."

[Zhym]

Boddin, in the Chapel, thinks about the cost of bringing Albertus back from the dead. "I would like to ask a question about that price, if I might," he tells Father Jerome. "Is conversion required of all of the deceased's companions, or do you ask it only of the deceased himself?" Boddin racks his brain. Though he remembers that Albertus was stalwart and true, the hobbit can't remember which god the priest prayed to. Would he mind praying to a different god if it meant his life? As for Boddin converting to a different religion, well...

"One more question: What is St. Cuthbert's position on beer, wine, food, and an occasional nice smoke to go with it?"

[SlyFox]

DesertFox, Tribal Fighter

Inside the tavern, DesertFox waits, the singing of the woman having lured him into listening with great interest. His trance-like state is broken when he hears a familiar voice that he hasn't heard in several years from across the room and looks up to see if it could possibly be... Yes! The holy crusader walks over to the table where DesertFox sits and the tribal warrior gets up to shake his hand. "Tantahe, my friend! I'm surprised you returned from your mission. Although I prayed to the Great Spirit that you would survive, I didn't really think you'd come through. I am glad to see that I was wrong."

DesertFox turns to the others that are in the party he's recently joined up with and introduces his old friend. "This is Vorkath. Vorkath Tsaridian - paladin and holy crusader for his True God, though my people call him the Great Spirit. Come, my friend. Sit and join us. Perhaps I can yet talk you into sharing the peace pipe and there will be no lies between us. I have heard of a Tayne Tsaridian. The last I heard, he went far to the south on some quest with a barbarian woman who is known for killing giants. I believe the king there sent them on a mission to find out what has happened to the iron production. And there is talk of a strange device where men can walk through time. The people of the land are at war with each other and the land has been ravaged. None there are safe now. But I heard that these lands here were just as overtaken by monsters and chaos, so I had to see for myself what was going on. And you know how my soul craves the danger and adventure."

"Sit, friend. Tell me of your latest journeys." He pulls out the long pipe from his pack and a stash of peyote, crumbling the weed into the small pipe bowl while using his flint and steel to light up. After inhaling the smoke, he offers it to Vorkath.

[OGRE MAGE]

Fingal the Super Thief

Arriving late to this party, Fingal walks into the tavern smiling from ear to ear. He puffs out his chest and walks over to the table of herb smokers.

I don't know what's in that thing....... and I don't really care either. Can I get in on that? I got some interesting information fer y'all.

Fingal will join the party members if he is welcomed but as he is standing at the table he hears Selandra the Bard singing and he winces as if in pain. Jeeezzz!!! Ya call that sing'n? I've heard better tone from a dang BANSHEE!

He looks over to the holy crusader Vorkath and winks......Whos the new guy?

[SlyFox]

DesertFox, Tribal Fighter

The painted warrior remembers seeing Fingal before he disappeared and motions him over while holding the smoke in, then smoothly blows it out. "This is my old friend, Vorkath Tsaridian. It's been a few years since I last saw him. Come join us. We will smoke the peace pipe together and be one with the Great Spirit."

[Hotgoblin]

Groyn Shortbeard

Groyn gets himself another Oktoberfest and heads over by his friends. Mmm....sweet leaf!!! Hey, who's the new guy?
As he waits patiently for his turn on the pipe.

[SlyFox]

DesertFox passes the peace pipe around.

peace-pipe.jpg (30.89 KiB) Viewed 742 times

[AleBelly]

Wulfhart awaits the answers regarding obligations on their end, and asks another. "Thank you Father Jerome. One more question - what kind of service will be required? Is this a go slay an evil dragon kind of mission, or clean up litter from vagrant drunks at the tavern kind of service?"

He then goes through his belongings, and speaks with Boddin. "I have 580 gold, and we confiscated 400 from the prisoners. I think it fair that their loot be used to bring dear Albertus back to life. We also have Albertus' share, so that comes to…" after an embarrassingly long pause, whereupon a vein looks to verily burst forth from Wulfie's forehead "…1480 gold. Boddin, will you contribute to the cause? I think we can count on the others to cough up the extra 1500."

[Zhym]

"I am happy to give what I can to bring back Albertus," answers Boddin, "but, begging your pardon, I would like to wait to give you the money until I find out whether my contribution would also oblige me to regular St. Cuthbert church services. If so, I really must know what sort of fellow this St. Cuthbert is! 'If your a'gonna get religion,' my granny told me, 'get the list of pro'bitions first!' You can never tell with these religions if they might think beer is the devil's work or don't let you wear wool on nights of the full moon or something like that. Though I mean no disrespect to those who believe in such things."

[AleBelly]

"Of course, dear hobbit. I just need to know if I should find the others at the tavern to raise the funds. Let's see what Jerome says. But don't worry, we'll head back to the tavern anyway. I could use a pint or eight of ale after the week we've had" replies Wulfhart.

[jakegreenxxxx44]

She listens to Selandra and her stories of her friends being killed. please tell me more. What do you think happened to them. It sounds like something fishy is going on here in town and we must put a stop to it. innocent lives are being taken. Do you have any rumors or tips as to who or what can be the cause of all of this?