Khessa seems very interested in the story the black dragonborn is telling and her blue eyes widen for a moment: "Really, Tazzavur? What a wonderful spell to secure one's belongings... Or even to set a trap, perhaps... Imagine if one could make teeth grow on a dress to make them bite on the neck the victim who wears it... Haven't you by any chance investigated about the details of this sorcery?"
Master Taz I read once of creature something that, a mime, meme...no, what was, AH! a mimic! It can take the form of a mundane object like a treasure chest, then gobble the unlucky soul up that tries to open it. He shudders. Looking up, Ah, we must be here...
"Oh, that's so interesting, Elias..." Khessa smiles at the young mage "A creature in the mage's service, rather than a real spell... How clever that would be... Someone could try to take countermeasures against magic, only to succumb to a creature in disguise... After all, being a wizard is mostly a matter of using intelligence, even more important than using magic, right?"
While the party briefly deals with the bouncer, the blonde warrior quickly takes out of her backpack a large tome with an elegant binding, with the cover decorated with spider-web-like motifs. She sits for a moment on a nearby abandoned empty barrel and consults various pages... "No, it doesn't report anything of the sort... This must have been something new even for that b4stard Zer'lan, may he rot in Abyss..."
After that, having taken out ink, pen and inkwell, the tall adventuress begins to take notes, reporting both the 'magical' phenomenon narrated by Tazzavur, and Elias' hypothesis. [[ OOC: Yes, with the starting gold I also bought a Spellbook - it is realted to Khessa's peculiar backstory ]]"If I ever master magic, this detail could be useful, too, right? There is no knowledge that is not power..."
After taking a quick note, Khessa notices that Atlas has brilliantly solved the problem of access and she is ready to follow him inside. "Do you know this Tarina by sight?" she murmurs "Or should we go to the counter and ask?"
(No one in the party will have previously known Tarina.)
ELFSONG TAVERN
Outside the Elfsong, the female Half-Ogre accepts ATLAS’s gold piece with a wide toothy smile, and a high pitched yet cheerful sounding grunt. The party can pass freely into the Elfsong Tavern.
The Tavern is busy but not to full capacity. There is someone tending bar, he appears to be a Half-Elf. Also, it looks like a human male and female serving customers and joking around. (Yellow Tokens) The patrons, huddled around tables in the main room and in the private booths, appear to be well armed. TAZZAVUR and ATLAS will know that being well armed is commonplace in the lower city portions of Baldur’s Gate. Three padded chairs are angled toward a fireplace on the east wall, underneath a wooden staircase that climbs to the second floor. There appears to be a drunk passed out on the couch against the north wall. Next to the couch sits a wooden sea chest. Oddly, there is a Suit of Animated Armor just floating around near the bar.
(Map provides the other details. There are three types of tokens on the map. Generic patrons are in the D&D Beyond green silhouette, the Yellow marked ones are workers at the tavern, and then there are the others.)
"I do not know Tarina, we will need to do some investigating. Best thing to do in this situation is to play to your strengths. Act as you normally would in a tavern and casually and naturally lead the conversations you have to the information you are searching for. If you're not well versed in communication, best to act as a wall flower and listen in. We do not want to make our intentions directly know since we do not know what kind of people we are dealing with in this place. I think we should split up to search for Tarina, and while we search we should also try to obtain more information on these 'Death Dealers'."
With that, Atlas will head for an empty seat at the bar. "Ale, please." as he sets a gold on the bar, expecting change. With a mug of ale in hand and hood over head he will sit and listen in on the gossip of the tavern.
TAZZAVUR nods to the Half-Ogre before following ATLAS inside. He takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the smoke-filled interior before heading to the fireplace, looking for a space to sit before calling one of the staff over to order a drink.
Elias's eyes light up when he sees Khessa's book, what exquisite binding, he mutters. Then his eyes land on the animated armor, he fast walks to it calling out to the elf behind the bar. Absolutely marvelous master elf sir! Is this your construction? What series of enchantments did you use? Did you need a separate spell for each piece? What about commands? Is it capable of complex instruction or just basic commands like guard, stay, follow? Can I get a closer look?
Khessa replies to Elias: "Yes, the binding is of great quality - although I personally would have chosen a different decorative theme - but it is the content that interests me most... Perhaps when we have a free moment you will be so kind as to help me better grasp the meaning of what is written... You know, its original owner was not at all in the mood to teach, at the time he parted with it".
Once inside the Elfsong Tavern, the blonde warrior is initially fascinated no less than the young wizard by the Suit of Animated Armor! She initially stays close to her friend, while he questions the elf about it.
But after that, the tall adventurer does not lose sight of the main purpose that has brought them all there; trusting the more experienced Atlas, she, aware of her limits in the field of communication, decides on the strategy that the other has defined as 'wall flower' and, having ordered a beer, sits at a table and, initially, limits herself to lending an ear to the nearby conversations, trying to catch the name 'Tarina' and, if and when that happens, to understand who answers to that name.
Ray is watching all that is happening. He kinda stands out been silver and having spent most of his time in a temple he's somewhat shy but he's no fool either as he takes in all the diversity of peoples, its vibe and the dynamic interactions that are going on around him.
For the moment he's enjoying observing how the team dynamic is building.
As Atlas sits there drinking his ale and taking in the atmosphere he will say to the barkeep, "This is a nice place you've got here. How long have you been running this place?"
The bartender takes ATLAS’ gold piece. He pours an ale in a large plain wooden mug with a small flash of blue light. He gives the Rogue the ale along with an Electrum Piece and four silvers. The ale is cold, fruity, and refreshing. ATLAS listens to the nearby conversations. It seems that Elturel is in most of the patron's discussion. You hear someone at the table behind you say, “I’ll bet my last copper piece that those so-called refugees are advanced scouts for an army that’s preparing to attack Baldur’s Gate!”
A young woman, plain but not unattractive and wearing a stained apron takes TAZZAVUR’s order, “what can I get you?”
ELIAS approaches the Animated Armor. It is an impressive specimen, though you will notice a number of dents in the armor. The bartender responds to the young Wizard’s questions, “Klank there! No. If I could do that, I wouldn’t need Skoona. I would have a half dozen Klanks. He doesn’t cost me as much either. No,” he says again. “I purchased Klank long ago from a Wizard not much older than you. Klank has sent many drunken fools to the Outer Planes over the many years.”
He then responds to the inquisitive Wizard’s other questions, “He responds only to my simple commands. You can look closer. But I wouldn’t touch him. He might consider that a threat.”
The male waiter takes KHESSA’s order. He returns with a room temperature dark stout in a large wooden mug, “That’ll be a silver piece.” The stout is robust yet remarkably smooth. The Wallflower will overhear someone say, “The Flaming Fist is decapitated. The captains have already started bickering over who should be in charge with Ulder Ravengard gone.”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Amazing! Say barkeep, Lord Arbos has sent me to see a Tarina about making an acquisition for him in exchange for a monetary reimbursement. Would you know where I could find her? I look at the barkeep judging his reaction,
TAZZAVUR will not notice anyone wearing anything which would stand out as belonging to a mercenary company or guild. There is a Half Orc at the southernmost table that has a symbol of Baldur's Gate on his sleeve.
The barkeep will respond to ATLAS, "It has been over forty years now that I have been running the Elfsong."
Suddenly, you hear the sound of singing. The tavern goes eerily quiet. It is a female voice. The words are in Elvish. The voice is lilting but sadly melancholy. When the singing stops, the tavern resumes its normal low roar of the patron's voices.
After the singing, the barkeep looks at ELIAS with a doubtful expression. "Sound like you owe Tarina some money too. Many around here does. She's upstairs likely winning another game of Baldur's Bones.
Ah yes and thank you, looks around "looking" lost, make eye contact with Taz and point to the stairs, look back toward the barkeep, those stairs there?
Raynoir notices Elias desperately trying to make contact with Taz, so he casually moves to Elias seeing if he needs assistance."Elias, you and I could see what's up there if like?" and sits down next to him.
(I moved Raynoir's token to next to Elias. By the way, the tavern is busy, people come and go, seats get filled, seats become available. So, the Elfsong Tavern maps patrons will move from time to time. A seat opened up at the bar for Elias, then another for Raynoir. Some mostly drunk day laborer saw this blonde walk in, so he needs to take a seat next to her. That kind of thing.)
[[ OOC: Hey! This driunk day laborer could have offered that blonde her beer then! 😉 Lol! ]]
Khessa does not catch any reference to Tarina in the conversations near her, but she notices Elias and Raynoir gathering... maybe they discovered something? She finishes enjoying her beer, then slowly comes nearer to them and whispers: "I did not find out anything... Had you better luck?"
Khessa seems very interested in the story the black dragonborn is telling and her blue eyes widen for a moment: "Really, Tazzavur? What a wonderful spell to secure one's belongings... Or even to set a trap, perhaps... Imagine if one could make teeth grow on a dress to make them bite on the neck the victim who wears it... Haven't you by any chance investigated about the details of this sorcery?"
The members of the party that know of the Elfsong Tavern lead the way. (OOC-By all means, please continue your role-playing.)
When the party arrives at the Elfsong Tavern a massive Half-Ogre bouncer guards the front door.
(A new map link will be posted in the OOC thread.)
Atlas will flip the bouncer a gold coin, give a wink, and walk in like he owns the place.
"They're with me. We have a meeting with Tarina. This is for your troubles."
Master Taz I read once of creature something that, a mime, meme...no, what was, AH! a mimic! It can take the form of a mundane object like a treasure chest, then gobble the unlucky soul up that tries to open it. He shudders. Looking up, Ah, we must be here...
"Oh, that's so interesting, Elias..." Khessa smiles at the young mage "A creature in the mage's service, rather than a real spell... How clever that would be... Someone could try to take countermeasures against magic, only to succumb to a creature in disguise... After all, being a wizard is mostly a matter of using intelligence, even more important than using magic, right?"
While the party briefly deals with the bouncer, the blonde warrior quickly takes out of her backpack a large tome with an elegant binding, with the cover decorated with spider-web-like motifs. She sits for a moment on a nearby abandoned empty barrel and consults various pages... "No, it doesn't report anything of the sort... This must have been something new even for that b4stard Zer'lan, may he rot in Abyss..."
After that, having taken out ink, pen and inkwell, the tall adventuress begins to take notes, reporting both the 'magical' phenomenon narrated by Tazzavur, and Elias' hypothesis. [[ OOC: Yes, with the starting gold I also bought a Spellbook - it is realted to Khessa's peculiar backstory ]] "If I ever master magic, this detail could be useful, too, right? There is no knowledge that is not power..."
After taking a quick note, Khessa notices that Atlas has brilliantly solved the problem of access and she is ready to follow him inside. "Do you know this Tarina by sight?" she murmurs "Or should we go to the counter and ask?"
(No one in the party will have previously known Tarina.)
ELFSONG TAVERN
Outside the Elfsong, the female Half-Ogre accepts ATLAS’s gold piece with a wide toothy smile, and a high pitched yet cheerful sounding grunt. The party can pass freely into the Elfsong Tavern.
The Tavern is busy but not to full capacity. There is someone tending bar, he appears to be a Half-Elf. Also, it looks like a human male and female serving customers and joking around. (Yellow Tokens) The patrons, huddled around tables in the main room and in the private booths, appear to be well armed. TAZZAVUR and ATLAS will know that being well armed is commonplace in the lower city portions of Baldur’s Gate. Three padded chairs are angled toward a fireplace on the east wall, underneath a wooden staircase that climbs to the second floor. There appears to be a drunk passed out on the couch against the north wall. Next to the couch sits a wooden sea chest. Oddly, there is a Suit of Animated Armor just floating around near the bar.
(Map provides the other details. There are three types of tokens on the map. Generic patrons are in the D&D Beyond green silhouette, the Yellow marked ones are workers at the tavern, and then there are the others.)
"I do not know Tarina, we will need to do some investigating. Best thing to do in this situation is to play to your strengths. Act as you normally would in a tavern and casually and naturally lead the conversations you have to the information you are searching for. If you're not well versed in communication, best to act as a wall flower and listen in. We do not want to make our intentions directly know since we do not know what kind of people we are dealing with in this place. I think we should split up to search for Tarina, and while we search we should also try to obtain more information on these 'Death Dealers'."
With that, Atlas will head for an empty seat at the bar. "Ale, please." as he sets a gold on the bar, expecting change. With a mug of ale in hand and hood over head he will sit and listen in on the gossip of the tavern.
TAZZAVUR nods to the Half-Ogre before following ATLAS inside. He takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the smoke-filled interior before heading to the fireplace, looking for a space to sit before calling one of the staff over to order a drink.
Elias's eyes light up when he sees Khessa's book, what exquisite binding, he mutters. Then his eyes land on the animated armor, he fast walks to it calling out to the elf behind the bar. Absolutely marvelous master elf sir! Is this your construction? What series of enchantments did you use? Did you need a separate spell for each piece? What about commands? Is it capable of complex instruction or just basic commands like guard, stay, follow? Can I get a closer look?
Khessa replies to Elias: "Yes, the binding is of great quality - although I personally would have chosen a different decorative theme - but it is the content that interests me most... Perhaps when we have a free moment you will be so kind as to help me better grasp the meaning of what is written... You know, its original owner was not at all in the mood to teach, at the time he parted with it".
Once inside the Elfsong Tavern, the blonde warrior is initially fascinated no less than the young wizard by the Suit of Animated Armor! She initially stays close to her friend, while he questions the elf about it.
But after that, the tall adventurer does not lose sight of the main purpose that has brought them all there; trusting the more experienced Atlas, she, aware of her limits in the field of communication, decides on the strategy that the other has defined as 'wall flower' and, having ordered a beer, sits at a table and, initially, limits herself to lending an ear to the nearby conversations, trying to catch the name 'Tarina' and, if and when that happens, to understand who answers to that name.
Ray is watching all that is happening. He kinda stands out been silver and having spent most of his time in a temple he's somewhat shy but he's no fool either as he takes in all the diversity of peoples, its vibe and the dynamic interactions that are going on around him.
For the moment he's enjoying observing how the team dynamic is building.
As he glances around TAZZAVUR is looking for any symbols of emblems he might be familiar with. Mercenary companies, guilds etc.
As Atlas sits there drinking his ale and taking in the atmosphere he will say to the barkeep, "This is a nice place you've got here. How long have you been running this place?"
The bartender takes ATLAS’ gold piece. He pours an ale in a large plain wooden mug with a small flash of blue light. He gives the Rogue the ale along with an Electrum Piece and four silvers. The ale is cold, fruity, and refreshing. ATLAS listens to the nearby conversations. It seems that Elturel is in most of the patron's discussion. You hear someone at the table behind you say, “I’ll bet my last copper piece that those so-called refugees are advanced scouts for an army that’s preparing to attack Baldur’s Gate!”
A young woman, plain but not unattractive and wearing a stained apron takes TAZZAVUR’s order, “what can I get you?”
ELIAS approaches the Animated Armor. It is an impressive specimen, though you will notice a number of dents in the armor. The bartender responds to the young Wizard’s questions, “Klank there! No. If I could do that, I wouldn’t need Skoona. I would have a half dozen Klanks. He doesn’t cost me as much either. No,” he says again. “I purchased Klank long ago from a Wizard not much older than you. Klank has sent many drunken fools to the Outer Planes over the many years.”
He then responds to the inquisitive Wizard’s other questions, “He responds only to my simple commands. You can look closer. But I wouldn’t touch him. He might consider that a threat.”
The male waiter takes KHESSA’s order. He returns with a room temperature dark stout in a large wooden mug, “That’ll be a silver piece.” The stout is robust yet remarkably smooth. The Wallflower will overhear someone say, “The Flaming Fist is decapitated. The captains have already started bickering over who should be in charge with Ulder Ravengard gone.”
RAYNOIR takes it all in.
Amazing! Say barkeep, Lord Arbos has sent me to see a Tarina about making an acquisition for him in exchange for a monetary reimbursement. Would you know where I could find her? I look at the barkeep judging his reaction,
Insight roll 12
TAZZAVUR will not notice anyone wearing anything which would stand out as belonging to a mercenary company or guild. There is a Half Orc at the southernmost table that has a symbol of Baldur's Gate on his sleeve.
The barkeep will respond to ATLAS, "It has been over forty years now that I have been running the Elfsong."
Suddenly, you hear the sound of singing. The tavern goes eerily quiet. It is a female voice. The words are in Elvish. The voice is lilting but sadly melancholy. When the singing stops, the tavern resumes its normal low roar of the patron's voices.
After the singing, the barkeep looks at ELIAS with a doubtful expression. "Sound like you owe Tarina some money too. Many around here does. She's upstairs likely winning another game of Baldur's Bones.
Ah yes and thank you, looks around "looking" lost, make eye contact with Taz and point to the stairs, look back toward the barkeep, those stairs there?
Raynoir notices Elias desperately trying to make contact with Taz, so he casually moves to Elias seeing if he needs assistance. "Elias, you and I could see what's up there if like?" and sits down next to him.
(I moved Raynoir's token to next to Elias. By the way, the tavern is busy, people come and go, seats get filled, seats become available. So, the Elfsong Tavern maps patrons will move from time to time. A seat opened up at the bar for Elias, then another for Raynoir. Some mostly drunk day laborer saw this blonde walk in, so he needs to take a seat next to her. That kind of thing.)
[[ OOC: Hey! This driunk day laborer could have offered that blonde her beer then! 😉 Lol! ]]
Khessa does not catch any reference to Tarina in the conversations near her, but she notices Elias and Raynoir gathering... maybe they discovered something? She finishes enjoying her beer, then slowly comes nearer to them and whispers: "I did not find out anything... Had you better luck?"