“I hesitate to ask what sorts of rumors have made their way around,“ the dragonborn chuckles. He extends a big clawed hand to shake. “I am Dumasz. And yes, I was asked to come assist with an as yet undisclosed bit of trouble. I can only assume you’re here for the same, Miss...?”
Seeing the others striking up conversations and not wanting to feel left out, Lia swivels around on her chair to face the woman with the raven. Crossing her legs under her so it's more comfortable to sit backwards, she rests her arms on the back of the chair and offers a bright smile."I like your bird. Does it have a name?"Without waiting for an answer, she continues,"You said you were here for the job, too?"
"Icethorne. Noell Icethorne," she says, staring at the outstretched claw for half a beat, before reaching out to shake it heartily. "I'm a local hunter from around these parts. Harbin was looking for skilled individuals, and my friend and I are the best this town has to offer," she boasts. Some of her good cheer dissipates as she takes another look around the tavern. "But with so many notable strangers in town, I'm guessing the best our town has to offer might not be good enough. It must be serious, to have so many adventurers come in from so far away." She turns back to Dumasz. "But it's good to meet you, and I think we'll work well together. And don't worry too much... most of the rumors I heard were about your great height. As it turns out, they're not really rumors if they're true, are they?" She winks, eyes twinkling.
Vahorn winces slightly as Noell prods him. She knows full well that he doesn’t fraternise on the job.... or any time for that matter, yet every time she forces him into smalltalk with travelling nobodies. Vahorn watches her approach the dragonborn, “She’s not roping me in this time....” he mutters to himself. Suddenly, Vahorn doesn’t know what to do with his hands. Standing at the bar he tries to keep his eyes down but his heart beats faster as the red haired bartender approaches. “Hmmmmmmph, alright I’m coming” He grunts, slipping over to stand behind Noell awkwardly.
Hayeth shakes her head from trying to memorise the names of the people who have announced their names and looks up at Lia and smiles.
"I would say anyone in this room is here for the job at this point and she does indeed, her name is 'Fay' we just met on my travels here but we seem to get along" she says abscentmindedly reaching up and scratching the ravens head
"Mine is Hayeth by the way" She reaches out her hand for a handshake "Nice to meet you, uhm... I'm not sure I've heard your name?"
She starts writing all the names she's heard down in the back of a large leather and silver bound book with her other hand as well as a brief description however doesn't break eye contact with Lia
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sienna Fulgurflash, Bard 3- Child of the Stormy Sea - Alycron West Marches
"I'm Lia. It's nice to meet you." Lia reaches over the back of her chair further to shake Hayeth's hand, but has to pull away only moments later when the imbalanced weight nearly causes the chair to topple over. She barely manages to right herself by grasping onto the countertop for dear life. After a moment, the panic passes from her face and the smile returns."So, do you have any idea what this is about?"
Hayeth giggles a little at the display in front of her and then looks around thinking
"Well clearly this room is filled with adventurers of various sorts but speaking for myself at least I'm not so experienced, so if I had to guess there is a task they need us for which they can't afford to risk more experienced people for, or even perhaps they need people unaffiliated with thearea to avoid some sort of retaliation?"
She looks back at Lia and smiles "Really I have no idea but that's my best guess"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sienna Fulgurflash, Bard 3- Child of the Stormy Sea - Alycron West Marches
"Icethorne. Noell Icethorne," she says, staring at the outstretched claw for half a beat, before reaching out to shake it heartily. "I'm a local hunter from around these parts. Harbin was looking for skilled individuals, and my friend and I are the best this town has to offer," she boasts. Some of her good cheer dissipates as she takes another look around the tavern. "But with so many notable strangers in town, I'm guessing the best our town has to offer might not be good enough. It must be serious, to have so many adventurers come in from so far away." She turns back to Dumasz. "But it's good to meet you, and I think we'll work well together. And don't worry too much... most of the rumors I heard were about your great height. As it turns out, they're not really rumors if they're true, are they?" She winks, eyes twinkling.
Dumasz gives another deep, thundering chuckle. “I’m sure you’re plenty talented, this is all risk management. Better to not send the best into danger alone, afterall.” He sees Vahorn coming and gets a drink from behind the bar, putting it into his hand. “I’m no hunter, though. I’m sort of a jack of all trades, if all those trades involved magic, sword work, and diplomacy. So take that for what it’s worth for guessing what we’re up to.”
Lia nods along to the explanation. "Makes sense," she says once Hayeth is finished. "I guess I was more wondering what the job itself is. The elders were super cryptic about it when they assigned it to me. Like, are we fighting something? Protecting something? Breaking into somewhere? Stealing something?"As she begins to speculate, her eyes go wider, and she starts leaning forward again until she remembers how poorly that went last time.
Undermayor Harbin speaks up, “Well, it looks like we’re all here.” He gestures at the table and waits for you all to be seated before beginning.
”Thanks to you all for your offer of help. Things aren’t as simple as they seem sometimes. There have been some strange things happening in the woods. Some people have disappeared and we want you to investigate. The events all seem to be focused on a curious steep hill in the forest to the east. There have always been stories about that hill, and after a recent rainstorm and mudslide, a tunnel appeared near the base. We want you to see what’s going on and report back. We can reward you 30 gold dragons for investigating, and a bonus reward of 25 gold total for information on each of the three missing townsfolk.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Liarin: Against the Cult of the Reptile God Adewild: Shadows and Light 2 Brother Thaddeus: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Vahorn takes the drink from Dumasz, his eyes flitting between the drink and the dragonborn as he sniffs at it suspiciously. Once sure it’s not poisoned, Vahorn brings the glass to his mouth with two hands, slurping loudly as liquid dribbles down the sides of his mouth.
Slamming the glass down on the table, Vahorn addresses the undermayor furiously. “I’ll give you some information for free.” He hisses, spittle spraying from his mouth, ”they’re clueless, simple humans who think the forest is their play grounds. You people used to fear the woods, as you rightly should, it’s no place for sedentary fools, maybe now you’ll learn.”
Finishing his rant, the seething elf feels an unwelcome air and storms toward the exit, pausing at the door. “Anyone heading out there would be wise to have me guide you. You can arrange my payment with the human.” He points at Noell.
Dumasz raises an eyebrow at Noelle as Vahorn storms out, but shrugs in resignation.
He then moves up to Hayeth and flanks her. “A good question. It may also help if you can tell us who the missing people are, and how long they have been missing?”
"The first to disappear was Old Laughing Joe, a seasoned trapper and wilderness guide. He went into the woods on a routine trip to check his traps and he never came back. This was about two weeks back. His equipment was found near a campsite he used often on his trips. There were some signs of a struggle."
"The second was Derrik, a halfling Cleric of Anwyn who had just taken orders to replace his mother, Esmera as the towns main worship leader. He was last seen in town, in the temple, but he was friends with Old Joe and had talked to me about investigating his disappearance."
"The last is my daughter, Aleesa. She disappeared a few days ago. She and her idiot friends were hanging out in the woods near the old hill, and she vanished without a trace when she left the group for some privacy."
"Now you know that this is more than just business for me. Please find my daughter. Our last words were, unkind, and I'd hate for that to be final."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Liarin: Against the Cult of the Reptile God Adewild: Shadows and Light 2 Brother Thaddeus: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
"I see, we should make haste then, although I worry how our elven friend will take the news that two of our quarry are human"
She stops and rubs her chin thinking a bit
"Your daughter's 'idiot friends' have you any idea where they are? They may have seen or heard something and any information could be invaluable if we are to find the missing people"
Hayeth stands closing her book slowly and almost reverently stowing it in a holster at her left side under the arm and doing similarly with her quill with a holster on her right thigh
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sienna Fulgurflash, Bard 3- Child of the Stormy Sea - Alycron West Marches
Vahorn lingers at the door, tapping his foot as he listens in, although he seems slightly calmer with some fresh air. His interest is piqued by mention of old Joe. “Old Joe was no rookie, this could be more dangerous than usual.” He grumbles as he leers at Hayeth. “I show humans around all the time, my reaction will depend on how you conduct yourself in my domain. Your books won’t help you out there, if you’re coming you’ll follow my lead.”
Hayeth winces a little then pulls her hair aside and shows Vahorn slightly pointed half elven ears
"Not everything is as it seems friend, books can teach you a lot if you know the ones to read"
She smiles pleasantly then lets her hair fall back into place
OOC: if needed I can roll to hide the change she does here but I thought as the change is super minor and her ears would have been under her hair it may pass unnoticed (also appreciate you all playing along with not knowing about Hayeth)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sienna Fulgurflash, Bard 3- Child of the Stormy Sea - Alycron West Marches
Lia settles cross-legged into a chair at the Undermayor's table, listening to the conversation with mild interest and trying her hardest to remember all the details. Once Hayeth and Vahorn start arguing amongst themselves, she turns to Harbin and pipes in with a question of her own. "Has anyone tried to investigate the hole in the ground? Seems like that might be connected to all of this."
"Her friends are basically most of the older youth of the town. The first places I'd check for them are the falls themselves, Dorrit's Sweets Shop, or prowling the closer by woods. They really couldn't give a lot of detail when I confronted them."
"As far as investigating the tunnel, the leaders of the town got together and decided the best course of action was to gather a group of skilled adventurers to investigate it."
Suddenly, the door bangs open and a plump man in white robes with red and black trim walks in. "Harbin! Who are your new friends?"
"Everyone, this is Manciple Tobias. He is a priest of Anwyn who was sent from the more civilized church to see if there was anything Derrik needed. He only arrived after Derrik's disappearance, and is very eager to solve the mystery."
"I didn't get an invitation to this little party. you weren't sending a group out without me were you? While I've only served in a sedentary capacity, I'm more than capable of bringing the warmth and light of Anwyn to these dark tunnels."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Liarin: Against the Cult of the Reptile God Adewild: Shadows and Light 2 Brother Thaddeus: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
”The trees shall judge you. Your books may once have been their family.” As Vahorn shrugs at the half elf showing her ears as if it meant something, he is propelled forward as Manciple barges him through the open doorway.
“Buffoon! Have you not eyes! Very well, come along, myself and Noell have eyes enough to look out for you.”
“I hesitate to ask what sorts of rumors have made their way around,“ the dragonborn chuckles. He extends a big clawed hand to shake. “I am Dumasz. And yes, I was asked to come assist with an as yet undisclosed bit of trouble. I can only assume you’re here for the same, Miss...?”
Paladin - warforged - orange
Seeing the others striking up conversations and not wanting to feel left out, Lia swivels around on her chair to face the woman with the raven. Crossing her legs under her so it's more comfortable to sit backwards, she rests her arms on the back of the chair and offers a bright smile. "I like your bird. Does it have a name?" Without waiting for an answer, she continues, "You said you were here for the job, too?"
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
"Icethorne. Noell Icethorne," she says, staring at the outstretched claw for half a beat, before reaching out to shake it heartily. "I'm a local hunter from around these parts. Harbin was looking for skilled individuals, and my friend and I are the best this town has to offer," she boasts. Some of her good cheer dissipates as she takes another look around the tavern. "But with so many notable strangers in town, I'm guessing the best our town has to offer might not be good enough. It must be serious, to have so many adventurers come in from so far away." She turns back to Dumasz. "But it's good to meet you, and I think we'll work well together. And don't worry too much... most of the rumors I heard were about your great height. As it turns out, they're not really rumors if they're true, are they?" She winks, eyes twinkling.
Vahorn winces slightly as Noell prods him. She knows full well that he doesn’t fraternise on the job.... or any time for that matter, yet every time she forces him into smalltalk with travelling nobodies. Vahorn watches her approach the dragonborn, “She’s not roping me in this time....” he mutters to himself. Suddenly, Vahorn doesn’t know what to do with his hands. Standing at the bar he tries to keep his eyes down but his heart beats faster as the red haired bartender approaches. “Hmmmmmmph, alright I’m coming” He grunts, slipping over to stand behind Noell awkwardly.
Gilgin Hardhammer - Mountain Dwarf Cleric (Forge Domain) - Icewind Dale
Petal - Forest Gnome Druid (Circle of the Land - Forest) - Unsung Heroes of Embera
Hayeth shakes her head from trying to memorise the names of the people who have announced their names and looks up at Lia and smiles.
"I would say anyone in this room is here for the job at this point and she does indeed, her name is 'Fay' we just met on my travels here but we seem to get along" she says abscentmindedly reaching up and scratching the ravens head
"Mine is Hayeth by the way" She reaches out her hand for a handshake "Nice to meet you, uhm... I'm not sure I've heard your name?"
She starts writing all the names she's heard down in the back of a large leather and silver bound book with her other hand as well as a brief description however doesn't break eye contact with Lia
Sienna Fulgurflash, Bard 3 - Child of the Stormy Sea - Alycron West Marches
Yian Do'Garon, Ranger 5 - Dragonfriend
"I'm Lia. It's nice to meet you." Lia reaches over the back of her chair further to shake Hayeth's hand, but has to pull away only moments later when the imbalanced weight nearly causes the chair to topple over. She barely manages to right herself by grasping onto the countertop for dear life. After a moment, the panic passes from her face and the smile returns. "So, do you have any idea what this is about?"
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
Hayeth giggles a little at the display in front of her and then looks around thinking
"Well clearly this room is filled with adventurers of various sorts but speaking for myself at least I'm not so experienced, so if I had to guess there is a task they need us for which they can't afford to risk more experienced people for, or even perhaps they need people unaffiliated with the area to avoid some sort of retaliation?"
She looks back at Lia and smiles "Really I have no idea but that's my best guess"
Sienna Fulgurflash, Bard 3 - Child of the Stormy Sea - Alycron West Marches
Yian Do'Garon, Ranger 5 - Dragonfriend
Dumasz gives another deep, thundering chuckle. “I’m sure you’re plenty talented, this is all risk management. Better to not send the best into danger alone, afterall.” He sees Vahorn coming and gets a drink from behind the bar, putting it into his hand. “I’m no hunter, though. I’m sort of a jack of all trades, if all those trades involved magic, sword work, and diplomacy. So take that for what it’s worth for guessing what we’re up to.”
Paladin - warforged - orange
Lia nods along to the explanation. "Makes sense," she says once Hayeth is finished. "I guess I was more wondering what the job itself is. The elders were super cryptic about it when they assigned it to me. Like, are we fighting something? Protecting something? Breaking into somewhere? Stealing something?" As she begins to speculate, her eyes go wider, and she starts leaning forward again until she remembers how poorly that went last time.
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
Undermayor Harbin speaks up, “Well, it looks like we’re all here.” He gestures at the table and waits for you all to be seated before beginning.
”Thanks to you all for your offer of help. Things aren’t as simple as they seem sometimes. There have been some strange things happening in the woods. Some people have disappeared and we want you to investigate. The events all seem to be focused on a curious steep hill in the forest to the east. There have always been stories about that hill, and after a recent rainstorm and mudslide, a tunnel appeared near the base. We want you to see what’s going on and report back. We can reward you 30 gold dragons for investigating, and a bonus reward of 25 gold total for information on each of the three missing townsfolk.”
Liarin: Against the Cult of the Reptile God
Adewild: Shadows and Light 2
Brother Thaddeus: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Hayeth nods taking notes in the back of her book as the undermayor speaks, she looks up twirling her quill around her fingers
"Are there any signs of the disappeared townsfolk or do they just vanish like a cloud of mist?"
Sienna Fulgurflash, Bard 3 - Child of the Stormy Sea - Alycron West Marches
Yian Do'Garon, Ranger 5 - Dragonfriend
Vahorn takes the drink from Dumasz, his eyes flitting between the drink and the dragonborn as he sniffs at it suspiciously. Once sure it’s not poisoned, Vahorn brings the glass to his mouth with two hands, slurping loudly as liquid dribbles down the sides of his mouth.
Slamming the glass down on the table, Vahorn addresses the undermayor furiously. “I’ll give you some information for free.” He hisses, spittle spraying from his mouth, ”they’re clueless, simple humans who think the forest is their play grounds. You people used to fear the woods, as you rightly should, it’s no place for sedentary fools, maybe now you’ll learn.”
Finishing his rant, the seething elf feels an unwelcome air and storms toward the exit, pausing at the door. “Anyone heading out there would be wise to have me guide you. You can arrange my payment with the human.” He points at Noell.
Gilgin Hardhammer - Mountain Dwarf Cleric (Forge Domain) - Icewind Dale
Petal - Forest Gnome Druid (Circle of the Land - Forest) - Unsung Heroes of Embera
Dumasz raises an eyebrow at Noelle as Vahorn storms out, but shrugs in resignation.
He then moves up to Hayeth and flanks her.
“A good question. It may also help if you can tell us who the missing people are, and how long they have been missing?”
Paladin - warforged - orange
"The first to disappear was Old Laughing Joe, a seasoned trapper and wilderness guide. He went into the woods on a routine trip to check his traps and he never came back. This was about two weeks back. His equipment was found near a campsite he used often on his trips. There were some signs of a struggle."
"The second was Derrik, a halfling Cleric of Anwyn who had just taken orders to replace his mother, Esmera as the towns main worship leader. He was last seen in town, in the temple, but he was friends with Old Joe and had talked to me about investigating his disappearance."
"The last is my daughter, Aleesa. She disappeared a few days ago. She and her idiot friends were hanging out in the woods near the old hill, and she vanished without a trace when she left the group for some privacy."
"Now you know that this is more than just business for me. Please find my daughter. Our last words were, unkind, and I'd hate for that to be final."
Liarin: Against the Cult of the Reptile God
Adewild: Shadows and Light 2
Brother Thaddeus: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Hayeths eyes grow concerned
"I see, we should make haste then, although I worry how our elven friend will take the news that two of our quarry are human"
She stops and rubs her chin thinking a bit
"Your daughter's 'idiot friends' have you any idea where they are? They may have seen or heard something and any information could be invaluable if we are to find the missing people"
Hayeth stands closing her book slowly and almost reverently stowing it in a holster at her left side under the arm and doing similarly with her quill with a holster on her right thigh
Sienna Fulgurflash, Bard 3 - Child of the Stormy Sea - Alycron West Marches
Yian Do'Garon, Ranger 5 - Dragonfriend
Vahorn lingers at the door, tapping his foot as he listens in, although he seems slightly calmer with some fresh air. His interest is piqued by mention of old Joe. “Old Joe was no rookie, this could be more dangerous than usual.” He grumbles as he leers at Hayeth. “I show humans around all the time, my reaction will depend on how you conduct yourself in my domain. Your books won’t help you out there, if you’re coming you’ll follow my lead.”
Gilgin Hardhammer - Mountain Dwarf Cleric (Forge Domain) - Icewind Dale
Petal - Forest Gnome Druid (Circle of the Land - Forest) - Unsung Heroes of Embera
Hayeth winces a little then pulls her hair aside and shows Vahorn slightly pointed half elven ears
"Not everything is as it seems friend, books can teach you a lot if you know the ones to read"
She smiles pleasantly then lets her hair fall back into place
OOC: if needed I can roll to hide the change she does here but I thought as the change is super minor and her ears would have been under her hair it may pass unnoticed (also appreciate you all playing along with not knowing about Hayeth)
Sienna Fulgurflash, Bard 3 - Child of the Stormy Sea - Alycron West Marches
Yian Do'Garon, Ranger 5 - Dragonfriend
Lia settles cross-legged into a chair at the Undermayor's table, listening to the conversation with mild interest and trying her hardest to remember all the details. Once Hayeth and Vahorn start arguing amongst themselves, she turns to Harbin and pipes in with a question of her own. "Has anyone tried to investigate the hole in the ground? Seems like that might be connected to all of this."
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
"Her friends are basically most of the older youth of the town. The first places I'd check for them are the falls themselves, Dorrit's Sweets Shop, or prowling the closer by woods. They really couldn't give a lot of detail when I confronted them."
"As far as investigating the tunnel, the leaders of the town got together and decided the best course of action was to gather a group of skilled adventurers to investigate it."
Suddenly, the door bangs open and a plump man in white robes with red and black trim walks in. "Harbin! Who are your new friends?"
"Everyone, this is Manciple Tobias. He is a priest of Anwyn who was sent from the more civilized church to see if there was anything Derrik needed. He only arrived after Derrik's disappearance, and is very eager to solve the mystery."
"I didn't get an invitation to this little party. you weren't sending a group out without me were you? While I've only served in a sedentary capacity, I'm more than capable of bringing the warmth and light of Anwyn to these dark tunnels."
Liarin: Against the Cult of the Reptile God
Adewild: Shadows and Light 2
Brother Thaddeus: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
”The trees shall judge you. Your books may once have been their family.” As Vahorn shrugs at the half elf showing her ears as if it meant something, he is propelled forward as Manciple barges him through the open doorway.
“Buffoon! Have you not eyes! Very well, come along, myself and Noell have eyes enough to look out for you.”
Gilgin Hardhammer - Mountain Dwarf Cleric (Forge Domain) - Icewind Dale
Petal - Forest Gnome Druid (Circle of the Land - Forest) - Unsung Heroes of Embera