Quote from Guiltysparc >>

OOC -  Sorry if i was unclear, I was going to have Jorin offer to clean up their weapons but was asking the DM if that was something he could do.  Rather than just stare at them longingly, lol

(OOC - I understood that, but the ettin has poor Insight. Offering to take the weapons temporarily to do maintenance will be interpreted as "I want to take your weapons away from you to leave you defenseless."

And even if you could explain it to them, they might want to test the weapons when you are done... maybe on someone in the party? It is in a good mood, but still CE.)

Ok, gotcha.  Jorin rethinks his plan to help them be more deadly and says, "Perhaps I could fashion you a symbol made of coin?"  He takes two pieces of copper and clicks them together like finger symbols, "You see, like this?  Just wrap a piece of cloth around for finger holes..."  And then offers the improvised instrument to the creature.

Quote from Guiltysparc >>

Ok, gotcha.  Jorin rethinks his plan to help them be more deadly and says, "Perhaps I could fashion you a symbol made of coin?"  He takes two pieces of copper and clicks them together like finger symbols, "You see, like this?  Just wrap a piece of cloth around for finger holes..."  And then offers the improvised instrument to the creature.

One head looks at it dubiously. "Not shiny like gold."

The hand closest to the other head reaches out. Instead of using it like Jorin constructed, it tries to do a poker chip shuffle with only 2 coins. "Not musical like gold."

(It is not upset, just disappointed. The dude is in a mellow mood, but still has a craving for treasure.)

OOC > Let's give them 15 gold. Maybe they'll fight each other for the last coin.

JibberJabber start laughing at the 15 GP. "You want us in good mood? That funny joke."

(OOC: With your Insight, they aren't demanding gold. You don't have to pay anything, and can leave east or south. But the right amount of gold will loosen their lips. Depends whether you think their information will be useful or not.)

Quillary has never really understood the importance of money. You can’t take to with you. It causes as much harm as good. You can’t eat it. She upends whatever virtual or real bag of money Drusk/someone has, spilling a hundred gold or so into a pile.

Quillary spills 89 GP onto the floor. (Removed from joint party fund.) The ettin dives onto it, scoops it into a pile, and plays with it (picking it up and dropping it).

"Food, mead, and treasure, we got all !" (To the party.) "You welcome to rip out any mushrooms in the cavern look tasty, if you hungry. We not have enough mead to share. If you thirsty, get water from river, that passage south." (Ettin taps himself on the other shoulder, to get the other head's attention.) "But, water taste bad over last week. Oh yeah, tasting badder. That why home-brew mead good!"

Since Drusk is learning brewing back in Waterdeep, he will try to find out how they are making their mead. Persuasion: 2  The ettin is too busy playing with the coins to even notice the half-orc trying to talk to them.

As Quillary dumps the pile of gold, Hildigrim gasps, one hand reaching out longingly. He looks at the half-elf with very sorrow-filled eyes, but only makes a slight whimper.

Jorin let's out a full throated laugh, "Ha, mead!  Now you're talking my language.  Surely we have time to down a few horns with our new friends here, yes?"

Pascal blinks, as if snapping back to reality after living another life, “That sounds like a plan to me! Plus, Y’know if this stuff is actually worth it, we might could get some for the restaurant.”

Quillary, misunderstanding, puts a comforting hand out to Hildigrim. "Do not fret, Hildigrim. It is enough, see? They are happy. We are in no danger now."

OOC > The ettin(s) said they did NOT have enough mead to go around... and that the water in the cavern has gone bad recently.

OOC - GuiltySparc def misread that, and so Jorin will have misheard it too!

Quote from Guiltysparc >>

OOC - GuiltySparc def misread that, and so Jorin will have misheard it too!

 (And Pascal has had blank eyes for the past couple of weeks XD)

Hildigrim is too busy watching the hoped-for spells drift out of his spellbook and disappear into the ether.

(OOC: Pascal has many used spell slots, and is less than full health. Did he take the Long Rest?)

Pascal persuasion: 9

The ettin is distrustful of Jorin, as he was eyeing their weapons and now trying to take their mead. Before it can get angry, Pascal mentions alternative recipes for mushrooms. The ettin doesn't understand the cooking terms (ie. that roll means he doesn't get useful information from conversation), but it is enough to distract the ettin into calming down.

(OOC: Ask your questions, guide the conversation, or let me know where you want to go.)

Quillary steps up into the gap left by her floundering friends. "New friends," she says. "We are looking to go back up to the surface. Do you know the way? Or, do you know what lies in which direction from the cavern with mushrooms? More friendly peoples?"

Quillary spilled the gold pieces, so JibberJabber is more talkative. (I'll summarize, instead of the headache of a long speech with alternating colors.)

In post 4385, they already explained to the tiny blind one (Hildigrim) that they don't know the route to the surface. (At the least, the passage to the Yawning Portal is somewhat concealed, and likely too small for the ettin to use.)

For "friendly peoples", JibberJabber talks quite a bit about the All-Keem-East (3 syllable words are some trouble for the ettin) who lives to the east. The ettin does some bartering with him to get compost that, combined with the water-barrel mushrooms, forms the mead he is drinking. The neighbor is "smart, handsome, and small, but with a big smile."

Other peoples are not as friendly, so JibberJabber knows of them only from sporadic encounters:

• The newest (somewhat recent) neighbors are "spider people” living in the caves far to the east. (They are similar to Quillary, but "darker, and less full of life".)
• Mostly the caverns are inhabited by “fishy folk” and the “stinky lizards”, but they seem troubled, and are moving about more than usual. (There are individuals of those races who seem troubled, and are barely moving at all.)

And you've already been told that the passages south of this cavern lead to the river.

Once information has started to be shared, Hildigrim tries to pay attention. Does he get any ideas of who the ettin might be talking about from their descriptions through his distractions?

General intelligence check? 19

Let us see what Pascal holds... 14 +2 if Nature... WELP.

Pascal just nods along, “Alkeemeast... hmm. Wait a minute! Y’all, think they might be sayin’ alchemist!” Pascal gives a pleased grin, proud to be the first one (clearly) to figure it out.