The days lately have been more and more dreary. The skies are grey and the sun can only be seen for a few moments each day if you’re lucky. Winter is drawing to a close as the snow is now lightly covering the ground. Mud caked ice has solidified to the bottom of the homes and hovels in the town. The ice chunks floating down the river have continued to diminish in size as the days get marginally warmer.
The Winter Harvest Festival is just around the corner as the excitement in the townspeople’s voices begin to rise. Recently some motions have moved forward and the council has agreed to put up a job board in the commons courtyard.
You each find yourselves inside the Water Wheel, drink or meal in front of you while the local area of town has gathered for second breakfast. Kids running about and splashing in the river, fingers turning pale from the cold. Others laughing and socializing over their meals. Some of the older citizens are fast asleep in the corner booths.
(Go ahead and introduce your character and we will get this game a started.)
Sitting at a table farthest from the hearth, Kondo sips his bitter cider between mouthfuls of braised rabbit. Pondering just how the rabbit felt the moment it died, his shoulders drop. Will I ever know? There must be more to dying than....just dying.To a normal person this would seem a troubling and gruesome thought. But to Kondo it was born of pure curiosity. Curiosity so deep he had recently pledged his life in service of Urogalan, halfling God of Earth and Death. He knew of no halfling (at least in Wyndbrook) that could answer his questions - surely a god of death must.
One might think that being obsessed with the death of things Kondo might be a morbid, disdainful person. Far from it. He enjoyed life to the fullest. He sees death as a part of life just like the seasons or the passing of day to night back to day.
In a chair right next to the fire sits Treewyn Appleblossom, with a mug full of tea, one of his few vices if you could call it that. He was stretching his hairy toes out by the fire and waking up from a brief nap.
At 3’4”, he was pretty tall for a Halfling. His brown hair was kept a bit short and wild, and his chops went all the way down and around his chin. He always had a slightly fishy odor to him. Not his fault, he caught fish. He was wearing his usual leather pants and cotton shirt with a pack ready to head up the mountain to check out the fishing holes (waders hanging over the chair next to him).
Treewyn had been eyeing the new job board with interest. He wasn’t terribly popular in town, but maybe if he just showed a bit of his face around helping folks out with those jobs, it could change how folks felt. Not that they were mean, or anything.
Veryes skips into the Water Wheel with a grin an her face and her clothes slightly wet from getting splashed by the children. At 32" she's one of the shorter adults in town but she carries herself well and to the bewilderment of some she's managed to persuade many people in town that she's taller than she actually is. Her flax colored hair brushes her shoulders as her head spins right and left scanning the room to see if there's anyone she knows.
Spotting Kondo first sitting away from the hearth she walks up and plops herself down. "Hi, Kondo. How's the rabbit" and without giving him a chance to answer "Did you see the board is up in the commons, when do you think they'll post something, think they'll do it today, Oh, I hope they post something today, maybe it will be to find the hag in the woods, I mean I know that's just a story but that would be so coo!" She finally takes a breath bouncing a bit on the edge of her seat. "Not like that time Emilia had me go on a "Quest" she says with air quotes "to find her missing measuring cup only to find out her kids had made a hat out of it" grumbling under her breath "That was stupid"
Realizing she's been babbling she looks to Kondo bashfully "Sorry, I'm just really excited about the job board"
Rimmy trudges into the Water Wheel with the dirt and sweat of the day still fresh upon his brow. Standing at an even 3 feet tall, with slight build and ruffled dirty blonde hair (though it may just have been dirty. He had been up since before daybreak making preparations for the winter harvest festival with his father. The smell of the tavern made the pang of hunger even worse. He had forgotten about lunch in his work and was now ravenous.
Making eye contact with the owner, he bellows "Stew please, Rebecka, big as ya got. And an ale to wash it down! Thanks!" He scans the tavern looking for a friendly face in the crowd. Seeing the ever-bubbly Veryes deep in (what he can assume is) a very one-sided conversation he begins to make his way through the crowd.
Everyone settles in their spots and enjoys second breakfast. The children finally get wrangled to their seats to have a portion of the meal. The crowd still keeps the volume loud and boisterous in the tavern before the door slams open. The cheerful banter comes to a silent halt.
An elderly (Halfling) woman charges in. White right cotton top haircut that sits on top of her glasses framed face. A mole rests upon her chin. dressed down in working attire. Busts into the hectic hall and exclaims “Something has taken my baby!My poor, sweet, baby Timpleton has gone missing!” She looks pale and out of breath as she continues to barge through the crowds. She lets out a whimper before collapsing onto the ground. Fainted from shock and stress.
Everyone spots the woman before she collapses onto the floor. This is Gertrude, a widowed goat farmer and cheese maker. Whenever she comes into town, she is never seen without her prized miniature Toggenburg goat.
A wide circle forms around the poor woman before a brief moment when some men come to help her.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kondo
"Gertrude!" Kondo jumps to his feet and rushes to her side. He had spent a few hours with the widow when one of her goats had died. She had treated him kindly then and he hoped to return the favour. He checks her over as best he can.
As Kondo squeezes through the crowds and rushes to Gertrudes’s side while holding her head up to inspect her. You realize that she is clearly just fainted, probably going to have a headache after she wakes up.... but will be fine. She begins to come to, though still out of it. It’s probably best to let her come to consciousness; though still dazed. She begins to whisper one word as Kondo bends down To listen she is able to get out one word. “Whiskey”
Veryes being somewhat familiar with Kondo's abilities is confident that Gertrude is in good hands. She can't keep her mind from churning upon hearing about Timpleton. "Whoa, maybe it is the hag. Wouldn't that be crazy. I mean they say the hag takes children but what if there's a grain of truth in the stories and she takes Kids!"Whatever the real reason Veryes imagines that Gertrude wants to show Timpleton at the Winter Fair so finding him has a timer.
She stands up and makes her way over to Gertrude and Kondo. Putting her hand on Kondo's shoulder she softly says "Is she going to be alright?" and louder to Gertrude "Don't worry, we'll find Timpleton. Can you tell us anything about what happened? When was he taken, where was he when he was taken?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Before Rimmy even takes his seat, the commotion caused by Gertrude entering the tavern draw his attention. His feet seem to bring him towards the crowd without being conscious or their action. He listens intently to any details the elderly halfling gives.
Would Rimmy have noticed or heard anything odd or out of place during his morning's work?
Providing a couple of skill rolls, use or ignore as needed.
like a well orchestrated assembly line the two shots leave the hands of the beleaguered waitress and are expediently passed person to person until Kondo holds both in his hands. Feeding one to her as she drinks it down, whatever he had planned for the second is a moot point as Gertrude snags it and tosses it back.
Rubbing her eyes as she sits up she yells with a groan. “Next time someone is in dire need of medical attention, least ya can do is grab the bottle on the top shelf. Could’ve been me last drink, Rebecka!”
To which Rebecka replies “Well seeing how it looks like you’ll live for ‘nother ‘round, don’t think you’ll mind me chargin ya for those two, would’ya?”
Flabbergasted by the rebuttal Gertrude all of a sudden looks to feel faint once more as Rebecka rolls her eyes and walks away. Once the crowd begins to disperse. Old Gertrude stands up and thanks Kondo for his help and reassures Veryes that she will be okay..... physically.... for now. “But my poor little Timpleton has been stolen away from me! I let him out in the yard to feed and play. Usually just thetherer to a tree so he don’t stray too far and be susceptible to attacks by the other critters. Even got a little house for him to rest in if he gets too cold.” She begins to well up a bit and sniffle “The leash was cut through and footprints all over! She’s been taken by some wretched beast.... or worse, Hilda. She was always jealous of Timpleton’s coat. She wanted to make sure she gets the blue ribbon at the Winter Festival, I’m sure of it!” She loudly blows her nose.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Veryes scowls at Trynwym and almost slaps him on the back of the head but restrains herself. Instead she leans in "Hey, you shush about that. We're the experts! This is the most interesting thing that's happened since Feldas got his ass stuck to that frozen log and we had to run like, what was it, 2 miles, before the hot water cooled down to pour on the log and get him unstuck"
She then quickly produces her pen and notebook and starts writing while talking to the rest of the party "So, the leash was cut. That rules out wild critters but we should inspect it just to make sure. Lots of tracks. We'll want to have a look at those too." Tapping the pen against her hands she looks around the room and speaks up...
"OK, anyone here seen Hilda since last night or knows anything about this, I'm sure you'd want to speak up now before our dear, dear friend Gertrude goes into fits!"
It’s about this time a red headed beehive hairstyle can be seen poking out of the top of the crowd making its way to the group. Hilda Heartpalm emerges looking madder than a Orc without a town to pillage. (In this setting orcs are actually more civilized people). “You’re not going to drag my name through the mud this time around with your wimpy little goat. Leave me out of this you old beet suckin’ hag!” She yells.
"Now, now, now..." Rimmy responds, looking towards both Hilda and Gertrude. "No need to be hurlin' insults. Everyone's just a bit wound up, but we're all still friends here."
Focusing his attention to Gertrude, "Let's head back to the scene to see if we might be able to identify those tracks for find anything that might be of use in catching the culprit." He takes a moment to survey the crowd, "Not to speak for them, but Trynwym and Veyres are always lookin' for some type of adventure, I'd wager they'd be happy to tag along." He glaces at them, looking for some type of acknowledgement. "Kondo? You interested in joining as well? We could help Gertrude back to her farm, at least."
"Yes, yes, yes. Of course I'll help find the goat."His motives perhaps not orientated towards the goat, but the thought of adventure and a chance to encounter someone who might have the answer to his eternal question.
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The days lately have been more and more dreary. The skies are grey and the sun can only be seen for a few moments each day if you’re lucky. Winter is drawing to a close as the snow is now lightly covering the ground. Mud caked ice has solidified to the bottom of the homes and hovels in the town. The ice chunks floating down the river have continued to diminish in size as the days get marginally warmer.
The Winter Harvest Festival is just around the corner as the excitement in the townspeople’s voices begin to rise. Recently some motions have moved forward and the council has agreed to put up a job board in the commons courtyard.
You each find yourselves inside the Water Wheel, drink or meal in front of you while the local area of town has gathered for second breakfast. Kids running about and splashing in the river, fingers turning pale from the cold. Others laughing and socializing over their meals. Some of the older citizens are fast asleep in the corner booths.
(Go ahead and introduce your character and we will get this game a started.)
Kondo
Sitting at a table farthest from the hearth, Kondo sips his bitter cider between mouthfuls of braised rabbit. Pondering just how the rabbit felt the moment it died, his shoulders drop. Will I ever know? There must be more to dying than....just dying. To a normal person this would seem a troubling and gruesome thought. But to Kondo it was born of pure curiosity. Curiosity so deep he had recently pledged his life in service of Urogalan, halfling God of Earth and Death. He knew of no halfling (at least in Wyndbrook) that could answer his questions - surely a god of death must.
One might think that being obsessed with the death of things Kondo might be a morbid, disdainful person. Far from it. He enjoyed life to the fullest. He sees death as a part of life just like the seasons or the passing of day to night back to day.
Treewyn Appleblossom
In a chair right next to the fire sits Treewyn Appleblossom, with a mug full of tea, one of his few vices if you could call it that. He was stretching his hairy toes out by the fire and waking up from a brief nap.
At 3’4”, he was pretty tall for a Halfling. His brown hair was kept a bit short and wild, and his chops went all the way down and around his chin. He always had a slightly fishy odor to him. Not his fault, he caught fish. He was wearing his usual leather pants and cotton shirt with a pack ready to head up the mountain to check out the fishing holes (waders hanging over the chair next to him).
Treewyn had been eyeing the new job board with interest. He wasn’t terribly popular in town, but maybe if he just showed a bit of his face around helping folks out with those jobs, it could change how folks felt. Not that they were mean, or anything.
Paladin - warforged - orange
Veryes/Bard
Veryes skips into the Water Wheel with a grin an her face and her clothes slightly wet from getting splashed by the children. At 32" she's one of the shorter adults in town but she carries herself well and to the bewilderment of some she's managed to persuade many people in town that she's taller than she actually is. Her flax colored hair brushes her shoulders as her head spins right and left scanning the room to see if there's anyone she knows.
Spotting Kondo first sitting away from the hearth she walks up and plops herself down. "Hi, Kondo. How's the rabbit" and without giving him a chance to answer "Did you see the board is up in the commons, when do you think they'll post something, think they'll do it today, Oh, I hope they post something today, maybe it will be to find the hag in the woods, I mean I know that's just a story but that would be so coo!" She finally takes a breath bouncing a bit on the edge of her seat. "Not like that time Emilia had me go on a "Quest" she says with air quotes "to find her missing measuring cup only to find out her kids had made a hat out of it" grumbling under her breath "That was stupid"
Realizing she's been babbling she looks to Kondo bashfully "Sorry, I'm just really excited about the job board"
That's what happens when you wear a helmet your whole life!
My house rules
Rimmy Greenthumb/Druid
Rimmy trudges into the Water Wheel with the dirt and sweat of the day still fresh upon his brow. Standing at an even 3 feet tall, with slight build and ruffled dirty blonde hair (though it may just have been dirty. He had been up since before daybreak making preparations for the winter harvest festival with his father. The smell of the tavern made the pang of hunger even worse. He had forgotten about lunch in his work and was now ravenous.
Making eye contact with the owner, he bellows "Stew please, Rebecka, big as ya got. And an ale to wash it down! Thanks!" He scans the tavern looking for a friendly face in the crowd. Seeing the ever-bubbly Veryes deep in (what he can assume is) a very one-sided conversation he begins to make his way through the crowd.
Ryndar Shadowsbane - Lvl 3 Eldarin Fighter | Kassar - Lvl 2 Lizardfolk Druid (Circle of Stars) | Finnegan (Finn) Taggert - Lvl 1 Human Cleric (Peace Domain) |
Verdan Schmidt - Lvl 2 Half-Elf Bard | Grithik - Lvl 5 Deep Gnome Warlock (Celestial)
Everyone settles in their spots and enjoys second breakfast. The children finally get wrangled to their seats to have a portion of the meal. The crowd still keeps the volume loud and boisterous in the tavern before the door slams open. The cheerful banter comes to a silent halt.
An elderly (Halfling) woman charges in. White right cotton top haircut that sits on top of her glasses framed face. A mole rests upon her chin. dressed down in working attire. Busts into the hectic hall and exclaims “Something has taken my baby! My poor, sweet, baby Timpleton has gone missing!” She looks pale and out of breath as she continues to barge through the crowds. She lets out a whimper before collapsing onto the ground. Fainted from shock and stress.
Everyone spots the woman before she collapses onto the floor. This is Gertrude, a widowed goat farmer and cheese maker. Whenever she comes into town, she is never seen without her prized miniature Toggenburg goat.
A wide circle forms around the poor woman before a brief moment when some men come to help her.
Kondo
"Gertrude!" Kondo jumps to his feet and rushes to her side. He had spent a few hours with the widow when one of her goats had died. She had treated him kindly then and he hoped to return the favour. He checks her over as best he can.
Medicine 17
As Kondo squeezes through the crowds and rushes to Gertrudes’s side while holding her head up to inspect her. You realize that she is clearly just fainted, probably going to have a headache after she wakes up.... but will be fine. She begins to come to, though still out of it. It’s probably best to let her come to consciousness; though still dazed. She begins to whisper one word as Kondo bends down To listen she is able to get out one word. “Whiskey”
Kondo
"Rebecka, a nip of your finest for poor Gertrude" shouts Kondo, trying to be heard above the ruckus. "Actually, make it two"
Veryes being somewhat familiar with Kondo's abilities is confident that Gertrude is in good hands. She can't keep her mind from churning upon hearing about Timpleton. "Whoa, maybe it is the hag. Wouldn't that be crazy. I mean they say the hag takes children but what if there's a grain of truth in the stories and she takes Kids!" Whatever the real reason Veryes imagines that Gertrude wants to show Timpleton at the Winter Fair so finding him has a timer.
She stands up and makes her way over to Gertrude and Kondo. Putting her hand on Kondo's shoulder she softly says "Is she going to be alright?" and louder to Gertrude "Don't worry, we'll find Timpleton. Can you tell us anything about what happened? When was he taken, where was he when he was taken?"
That's what happens when you wear a helmet your whole life!
My house rules
Before Rimmy even takes his seat, the commotion caused by Gertrude entering the tavern draw his attention. His feet seem to bring him towards the crowd without being conscious or their action. He listens intently to any details the elderly halfling gives.
Would Rimmy have noticed or heard anything odd or out of place during his morning's work?
Providing a couple of skill rolls, use or ignore as needed.
Perception 7
History 5
Ryndar Shadowsbane - Lvl 3 Eldarin Fighter | Kassar - Lvl 2 Lizardfolk Druid (Circle of Stars) | Finnegan (Finn) Taggert - Lvl 1 Human Cleric (Peace Domain) |
Verdan Schmidt - Lvl 2 Half-Elf Bard | Grithik - Lvl 5 Deep Gnome Warlock (Celestial)
like a well orchestrated assembly line the two shots leave the hands of the beleaguered waitress and are expediently passed person to person until Kondo holds both in his hands. Feeding one to her as she drinks it down, whatever he had planned for the second is a moot point as Gertrude snags it and tosses it back.
Rubbing her eyes as she sits up she yells with a groan. “Next time someone is in dire need of medical attention, least ya can do is grab the bottle on the top shelf. Could’ve been me last drink, Rebecka!”
To which Rebecka replies “Well seeing how it looks like you’ll live for ‘nother ‘round, don’t think you’ll mind me chargin ya for those two, would’ya?”
Flabbergasted by the rebuttal Gertrude all of a sudden looks to feel faint once more as Rebecka rolls her eyes and walks away. Once the crowd begins to disperse. Old Gertrude stands up and thanks Kondo for his help and reassures Veryes that she will be okay..... physically.... for now. “But my poor little Timpleton has been stolen away from me! I let him out in the yard to feed and play. Usually just thetherer to a tree so he don’t stray too far and be susceptible to attacks by the other critters. Even got a little house for him to rest in if he gets too cold.” She begins to well up a bit and sniffle “The leash was cut through and footprints all over! She’s been taken by some wretched beast.... or worse, Hilda. She was always jealous of Timpleton’s coat. She wanted to make sure she gets the blue ribbon at the Winter Festival, I’m sure of it!” She loudly blows her nose.
Trynwyn stands up, pushing back his chair dramatically.
”Sounds like you need some kind o’ posting to the job board. And then an ex-pert can come and set things right.”
Paladin - warforged - orange
Veryes scowls at Trynwym and almost slaps him on the back of the head but restrains herself. Instead she leans in "Hey, you shush about that. We're the experts! This is the most interesting thing that's happened since Feldas got his ass stuck to that frozen log and we had to run like, what was it, 2 miles, before the hot water cooled down to pour on the log and get him unstuck"
She then quickly produces her pen and notebook and starts writing while talking to the rest of the party "So, the leash was cut. That rules out wild critters but we should inspect it just to make sure. Lots of tracks. We'll want to have a look at those too." Tapping the pen against her hands she looks around the room and speaks up...
"OK, anyone here seen Hilda since last night or knows anything about this, I'm sure you'd want to speak up now before our dear, dear friend Gertrude goes into fits!"
Persuasion: 11
That's what happens when you wear a helmet your whole life!
My house rules
Trynwyn whispers under his breath. “I meant us, I just thought, ya know... she could post it to the board, and all... like a proper job.”
Paladin - warforged - orange
It’s about this time a red headed beehive hairstyle can be seen poking out of the top of the crowd making its way to the group. Hilda Heartpalm emerges looking madder than a Orc without a town to pillage. (In this setting orcs are actually more civilized people). “You’re not going to drag my name through the mud this time around with your wimpy little goat. Leave me out of this you old beet suckin’ hag!” She yells.
Trynwyn looks back and forth at Hilda and Gertrude.
insight? 6
lucky! 4
Paladin - warforged - orange
"Now, now, now..." Rimmy responds, looking towards both Hilda and Gertrude. "No need to be hurlin' insults. Everyone's just a bit wound up, but we're all still friends here."
Focusing his attention to Gertrude, "Let's head back to the scene to see if we might be able to identify those tracks for find anything that might be of use in catching the culprit." He takes a moment to survey the crowd, "Not to speak for them, but Trynwym and Veyres are always lookin' for some type of adventure, I'd wager they'd be happy to tag along." He glaces at them, looking for some type of acknowledgement. "Kondo? You interested in joining as well? We could help Gertrude back to her farm, at least."
Ryndar Shadowsbane - Lvl 3 Eldarin Fighter | Kassar - Lvl 2 Lizardfolk Druid (Circle of Stars) | Finnegan (Finn) Taggert - Lvl 1 Human Cleric (Peace Domain) |
Verdan Schmidt - Lvl 2 Half-Elf Bard | Grithik - Lvl 5 Deep Gnome Warlock (Celestial)
Veryes writes in her book "Hilda: hostile:act?" and then nods to Rimmy. "Sounds good, let's have a look"
That's what happens when you wear a helmet your whole life!
My house rules
Kondo
"Yes, yes, yes. Of course I'll help find the goat." His motives perhaps not orientated towards the goat, but the thought of adventure and a chance to encounter someone who might have the answer to his eternal question.