The Long Road - Game Thread

Quillary allows herself to be pulled by Drusk to the three empty chairs, sitting in the one furthest from Hildi, so next to the old lady. Which puts Drusk in the middle chair of the three, I think.

Jorin will take whichever seat remains after everyone sits.  He will hold up his cup and say, "To Mr and Mrs Goodbody.  Your son carried himself well in battle and I would not be here today if not for his strength of arm and sharpness of mind.  You raised a fine son and I am proud to call him brother.  He is as brave as any of my clan.  I also thank you for having us at your hearth and know that, should you find yourselves in the Frost Hills, my hearth and the hearth of my people are open to you."

To be reposted later

As the four sit down — Jorin beside the finely-dressed female, Drusk beside the human, Quillary between the half-orc and the older female halfling, and Pascal across the table from Jorin between Popsy and Forte — another halfling dressed in an apron comes out of a door on the far side of the room carrying a large bowl in each hand. There are a couple comments of delight as the bowls are put down on the far end of the table (away from the party). She looks down the table, smiling brightly at the guests. "Oh, good, you all made it. Welcome to —"

"I've already welcomed them, Milee, dear," Hori interrupts not unkindly. "Skedaddle back in the kitchen and bring out the rest of the food so we can get started," he laughs. "Girls, give your aunt a hand, will you?"

Milee and the three beautiful females sitting on that end of the table file back into the kitchen and begin bringing out dish upon dish. As the platters and bowls are passed down both sides of the table, the noise of talking rises, as do the clinks of utensils on porcelain and glass.

The finely-dressed female turns to Jorin as she accepts and passes dishes and smiles at him. "My name is Lucifane ... Luci. I'm Hildi's cousin. Your name is Jorin?" When he responds that he is "Jorin of the Bodt," she raises her eyebrows at him, her smile widening a little. "What is a 'Bodt'?"

As Gramgram hands Quillary the first platter of some kind of brown-gray meat sliced into healthy portions, she comments, "Take as much as you like, dear. There's plenty for everyone. You could use a little more meat on your bones."

Popsy looks up at Pascal with a big grin and says, "So, you're one of them red dragonborns, right?"

"No, Popsy," Hildi responds before Pascal can. "He's a lizardfolk."

"Hainard's hairy toes," the old halfling responds. "You're big as a house. I thought lizardfolk were small like us?"

Forte comments to Drusk almost too quietly for the cleric to hear, "How long have you known Hildi?"

Pascal laughs heartily and pats the old halfling on the shoulder, “No, no, mon amie! In fact, back home, I’m hardly the largest of my brood. We got a king who’s ‘bout twice the size of me! Could take an arm off a beast in a blink of an eye. He ain’t as nice as I am though.”

Quote from DirtyDogP >>

The finely-dressed female turns to Jorin as she accepts and passes dishes and smiles at him. "My name is Lucifane ... Luci. I'm Hildi's cousin. Your name is Jorin?" When he responds that he is "Jorin of the Bodt," she raises her eyebrows at him, her smile widening a little. "What is a 'Bodt'?"

Drusk interrupts good-naturedly. "A fine joke." When Luci and Jorin look confused, Drusk continues. "Your family works on the water. With Jorin so big, you were going to ask if he should have been a "Shipt" instead of a "Bodt"." Now that everyone nearby is confused, Drusk looks down at his plate ("this looks tasty") and stuffs food in his mouth so he can't talk anymore.

Quote from DirtyDogP >>

Forte comments to Drusk almost too quietly for the cleric to hear, "How long have you known Hildi?"

"What?... You know when we first met... Oh, my apologies, Fortegren. For a moment, I confused you for someone else...

"Let's see... Most of us were there to attend a festival outside of Waterdeep. We were strangers at a table, when we saw a farmer woman who needed help. We decided to form a team, to fight threats that were more than any one of us could handle... Her house was built over an ancient cursed burial ground. Sounds like the setting of a play, but honest-to-Lliira, it happened... After we helped her, some members of the group left, some new members joined. But the constant was Hildigrim and that keen mind of his, to help guide the group."

Quillary takes the food, and serves herself a portion, then with a side eye at Gramgram, another slice. Passing it on to Drusk, she comments to the elder handling, "Are you then the progenitor of this group? Are they all your children, or children of your children? There are so many..."

Jorin takes a few large bits of his food and smiles broadly, "The Bodt are my people, my tribe.  We are from the Frost Hills in the north.  It is a pleasure to meet you Luci, your cousin is a skilled warrior and quite brave.  Where do you hail from?"

OOC: This is weird. I posted a response, but it's not here. Let me see what I remember.

Popsy watches Pascal, and continues to look at him with round eyes for a couple heartbeats before breaking into a wide grin and laughing. "Bigger than you? Hainard's hair toes, he must be a sight. Here I thought all you lizard people were small. Where is home for you, then?"

In response to Drusk, Forte shakes his head, looking not quite disappointed, but not happy, either. "Mom and Dad couldn't get Hildi to do anything besides read and listen to crazy, drunken tales growing up. Now, here he is, joining teams and ... a cursed burial ground, you say? What happened there?"

Gramgram gives Quillary a big smile. "'Progenitor'? You talk like Hildi," she says, patting Quillary on the arm. "Yes, these are all mine and Terrafer's," she says, pointing with her fork at the laughing elder halfling on the other side of Pascal. "We wanted more, but fate kept us to two. Not that I'm complaining. Our two are the best anyone could hope for." She points at the male across the table from Hildigrim — Hori — and the female directly across from Quillary who smiles at her mother lovingly. "I'm Goldereen, but you can call me Goldy. Everybody does." Gramgram continues, "Hori and Mileen had Forte and Hildi ... and Elsi, Tamil and my namesake, little Ula. She's upstairs taking a nap. Goldy has the five girls." She points at the woman on the other side of Jorin who looks about the same age as Hori and Mileen. "Luci ..." She turns and points at the female beside Hildi's mom. "... Brannon ..." And then at the two females across the table from those two. "... Hathy and Meeny." She looks back at Quillary. "They also have Yethy, but she's at a friend's house or somewhere," she says with a bit of a thoughtful scowl. "That's right," Goldy says quickly. "She's with a friend today." Gramgram looks at Goldy for a second as if contemplating the situation, but then turns to smile at Quillary again. "Do you have a big family?"

Pascal laughs, “Oui!” He leans over, “Big, but not quite handsome, if you catch my meaning.” He scratches, “Now, as to where, lemme see here...” Pascal thinks for a moment.

So, I can’t actually recall if me and Mingo ever decided where he’s from! He is from a swamp, I know that. But... uh... dunno!

OOC > We did not decide on Pascal’s home swamp. Make it up! We can always change it later!

Quillary turns to Goldy. “Family? No, it's just me, well, my father, but he’s an elf, and standoffish among them, even. These four,” she waves a fork to encompass the party, “Have been kind enough to see me settled, though they had no reason to. Like you, taking in strangers at the door. It is an act of kindness, masked as hospitality. Both speak well of you and the family you have raised.”

“I believe y’all call it... ‘Sess'innek’s Slaughter.’ You’d know it if ya saw it. Big swamp.” Pascal does the ‘my fish was this big’ hands.

As Quillary finishes her comment about kindness and hospitality, Jorin holds up his cup and says, "Aye Quillary.  To Mr and Mrs Goodbody.  Your son carried himself well in battle and I would not be here today if not for his strength of arm and sharpness of mind.  You raised a fine son, as brave as any of my clan, and I am proud to call him brother.  I also thank you for having us at your hearth and know that, should you find yourselves in the Frost Hills, my hearth and the hearth of my people are open to you."

By the end of Jorin's speech, a few of the cups have lowered slightly. As most of the table drinks to finish the toast, Gramgram and Forte's cups hang in the air while Hori's, Goldy's, and Mileen's have dropped back to the table.

"Battle?" Mileen asks tentatively.

A quick glance at Hildi, and he looks a combination of embarrassed and "caught" as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. Hori is looking horrified at his son. "Hildi," the middle-aged halfling says in a loud whisper.

"Oh, calm down, son," Popsy says loudly. "You knew that's what he was doing. What did you think adventurers did? Picked flowers all day?"

"Dad," Goldy warns.

"I think it's great," the elder Goodbody announces. "It's nice to have a warrior in the family."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Luci responds a bit spitefully.

"Luci, don't get involved," Goldy says to her daughter.

"I just mean it's nice," Popsy responds. "Hildi's out there making the Coast a better place."

"And we're not?" Luci continues.

"Here, dear," Gramgram says loudly to Quillary. "Have some more of this. It's one of my specialties." She offers the druid a bowl of potatoes cut up into quarters and decorated with all kinds of spices and herbs.

"I didn't say that," Popsy says, waving a hand and looking frustrated.

"You don't have to," Luci spits. "We all know we don't live up to Hori's kids. Forte's 'perfect' and Hildi's 'brave'. 'Did you hear what smart thing Fester said the other day?' or 'How happy Elsi's husband is going to be to have such a beautiful wife.'" The finely-dressed female stands. "Some of us are just fine without husbands. We can take care of ourselves."

"Who needs to marry you when they can —?" Popsy responds hotly.

"Terrafer!" Gramgram and Goldy holler at the same time to cut him off.

Luci looks as though she is ready to explode. She stares daggers at Popsy, who has the decency to look at the table. Finally, as the first few tears begin to roll down her decorated face, Luci storms out of the room and out the front door.

"Luci!" calls one of her sisters as the three stand. The three females leave as well, and the dining room is deathly silent for a few seconds.

"Good job, Dad," Goldy finally whispers.

Hildigrim, despite being the catalyst of it, looks very confused by the argument. Forte appears to be suppressing laughter. He looks the happiest the four visitors have seen him.

"What were you going to say?" Hildi finally asks. "'When they can' what?"

"Drop it, Hildi," Hori growls, shoving food into his mouth, and staring angrily at the table.

Mileen gets up from the table and disappears through a door which presumably leads to the kitchen.

Quillary spent the entire argument holding the bowl of potatoes with a spoon halfway to her plate. 

As various family members leave, she remains holding it. Then finally she notices what she is doing and completes the serving motion, then passes the bowl of potatoes to Drusk. 

She says not a peep. 

(OOC: Yeah, there was no way I would have done the Goodbody family any justice if I was writing for them.)

During an awkward silence in the preceding conversation: "Well Fortegren, there was a severed hand that attacked us despite being long dead and decaying. And a vast mass of transparent goo that tried to melt us alive with acid."

Noticing how loud he was, Drusk is silent again, and gratefully accepts the bowl of potatoes from Quillary.

Pascal is just looking from one person to the other as each of them argue.

Meanwhile, he pulls out his bag and slowly slides out some pastries for the table, “I brought sweet rolls. This should solve the issue, no?”

Clearly, his lizard brain does not grasp the finer intricacies of this.

Jorin sits back down saying, "I...do not understand.  I said Hildi was brave..." and eats a sweet roll.

"Should we... um, should we be going? It was a lovely second breakfast..." Quillary is trying to regain her feet, as it were.

"What? No!" Hildi responds to Quillary's question.

Hori's head rises, and he physically shakes it abruptly. "No ... no," he responds, sounding almost as if he just woke up. He leans forward and waves his arms at the table. "Everyone, keep eating. We don't want this food to go to waste."

"Yes," Goldy echoes her brother, "keep eating," she encourages. She reaches across the table and pats Gramgram's hand, which is still grasping her cup.

The older female halfling turns her eyes on her daughter and smiles, but her eyes are still worried.

Hori gets up from his chair and walks toward the back of the room. "I'm going to check on Mileen," he explains to Goldy as he passes her chair. She nods.

Forte, still grinning, looks down the table and says brightly, "Can someone pass me the trout?" While waiting for the dish, he looks across at Drusk. "So, a severed hand and acid goo? How did my good brother save the day in those circumstances?"

"Popsy?" Hildigrim asks tentatively. "Are you OK?"

The old gentleman takes a deep breath and shakes his head, giving his grandson a smile. "Yes, yes." He stoically turns back to Pascal and points at the pastries. "Sweet rolls, you say? May I have one?"

Goldy gives Jorin a sympathetic smile. "Your toast was very nice. Luci can be ... sensitive in circumstances like these. She's spent many years ..." She gives Popsy a sideways glance. "She doesn't always feel very loved."

Gramgram fiddles with her napkins, then appearing to remember herself, she turns to Quillary once again. "That's a lovely hat you have on," she says a bit meekly. "Is that a ... skull?" she asks, her face showing a hint of worry.

Drusk may not have the people skills, but he has decent Insight.

Forte seems to be getting too much pleasure on topics that are disturbing the people around him. "Ah, you can ask Hildigrim later. I'm sure you will want to catch up with him later, and I don't want to steal his good stories."

(OOC: Goldy was talking to Jorin, right? I assume that was a typo. If she is getting non-halflings confused, I can roll with that.)

To Hori: "I wasn't expecting this much food at... uh... second breakfast. At the elven abbey, they never had a Wintershield feast like this, and they didn't serve the big meal until late afternoon."