"You got me." Robin says with a laugh, smiling down at Rosie. "Frogs huh?" She looks a bit hesitant, but, seeing how excited Rosie is, she sighs. "Let's have a look at these frogs then." She says, smiling as she waves for Rosie to lead the way.
"Ooh! Trunk slayers~" Jedavii particularly enjoys the moniker, and imagines himself and his friends going on epic quests - killing such great beasts as 'the chest of (d)roars', the bureau of deadly affairs, and their ultimate nemesis, 'The StrongBox'.
He chuckles. "You had me at frog races, lead the way!"
Hark mentions something about forgetting something at his dorm and catching up with you all later as you head over to the Firejolt Cafe, led by the exuberant Rosie. She's rather quick and sometimes you completely lose sight of her before she doubles back and urges you to hurry. Soon, you arrive at the Cafe, a popular spot for first years to meet up for studying, socialization, or caffeine-related stimulation.
The café’s interior is clean and well lit, and its walls are decorated with fun, cartoonish scenes animated by permanent illusion magic. Well-known scenes include a jovial frog in a wizard’s hat stirring a cauldron, a dancing trio of lightning bolts with grinning faces, and a raven wearing a cravat and sipping daintily from a cup of coffee held in one wing. A barista's station stands in the center of the room and several tables, counters, and benches for patrons to make themselves comfortable. Normally, several first years and some upperclassmen are here studying and completing homework, but now that it's Friday, everyone here is unwinding and enjoying the break the upcoming weekend will bring.
The air buzzes with excitement—and the smell of coffee—as you make your way toward the back of Firejolt Café and duck into the lounge to witness the scene. Rosie leads you all past the cafe newsstand (completely stocked with magazines, posters, stickers, knick-knacks, and more - it's closed considering how busy the cafe is) and toward the Fireside Lounge, a space that is much more comfortable than the café’s other seating areas. This lounge is filled with sofas and armchairs where students can relax away from the hubbub, except for today.
Hidden from the view of the barista station, the lounge’s central table has been pushed toward the wall and its chairs haphazardly tossed out of the way. In the middle of the room hop four unusual frogs. Each is glowing in vibrant colors—red, blue, violet, and orange—and has been outfitted with a tiny costume. One wears a makeshift cape, another has suspenders, a third wears a stylish bow tie, and the fourth has a top hat perched jauntily on its head.
Someone has used chalk to mark lanes on the floor, and multiple students are trying to corral the frogs into a starting position. "Ta-da! We're here! And we're almost ready too - some of the frogs don't have racers yet, so if you wanna sign up, go for it! Or you can just hang out and cheer 'em on, whatever you want!" Rosie says.
As the setup continues, each of you spots someone you know. Who is it?
(OOC: It should be someone you have relationship points with, but it can also be an NPC you have not met yet and wish to form a bond with. This is an opportunity to connect and deepen a bond you have with an NPC and gain further relationship points - it's up to you which one of your connections you choose, or if it's someone completely new!)
Jedavii hops up and down eagerly, moving behind the orange one with the hat. "Ooh, dapper, think I'll cheer this on-" He stops suddenly as he hears the ruffling of feathers behind him, and sees the plumage of the coolest owlin on campus. "Yooooo, Java! How're you doin?"
The tall gith, tough in his own right, gives Java (or Jav, depending on how the nickname Java went the first time) a fistbump and a hearty smile, secretly hoping that others might warm up to Javanesh rather than stray away from his tough-looking exterior after seeing that he's a pretty decent person. "How've you been? Cooking up a storm in the mind over the past few days, planning on cooking up a storm in the kitchens over the weekend. Gonna be a killer chicken pasta thing, still working out the finer details. You racing a frog, Jav? Think I might.”
Canon spots a large figure hunched in the shadows in a corner of the room. Moving carefully around the impromptu racecourse, he approaches the minotaur. "Hey there, Drazhomir. I don't think I've ever seen you outside the Biblioplex before! Are you into these kinds of things?" he asks, gesturing toward the not-quite-assembled contestants. "Seems sort of like the stirge races we used to watch back home. Well," he frowns, "we watched the start. Usually a fight had broken out long before any of them got near the finish line, and everyone forgot about the race. Tell me, do the frogs around here usually wear clothing? Or… glow?"
Robin is a little uncomfortable with the situation. She doesn't want to get into trouble with the cafe, as it is her place of work. It is not until she sees her co-worker, Mina Lee, in the crowd, and looking relaxed, that she settles down herself.
Marius spots Rubina and waves her over. "Decided to come here since there's no rehearsal too, huh? I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it makes them happy, so who am I to argue?" he shrugs.
Jedavii's approach seems to brighten up Javanesh's face. He reciprocates the fist bump. "Hey, Davi, good to see you. I'm hanging in there, I actually just came from silkball practice. You're still coming to the game tomorrow, right? Anyway, I was just enjoying a coffee when the manager Ellina and I overheard this gaggle of first years getting ready for a frog race. I asked her if she wanted me to keep an eye on things to make sure they didn't get out of hand, and she obliged. Dunno about actually participating in the race, I guess I'll see who signs up first. Who knows, maybe my scary mug will make the frogs run a little faster!"The burly owlin jokes.
Drazhomir is startled at first by Canon's excited greeting, but it soon gives way to some laughter. "Oh, uh, Canon, hello! I think this is my, uh, first time seeing you outside of work, too, how serendipitous..."He murmurs in his trademark soft voice, setting his book to the side. "Honestly, I was here before, uh, everyone else arrived... I don't think they even noticed me when they started setting up the race. I hope there's no fighting, uh, you know, like you're stirge races... To be honest, I, uh, don't know a lot about the frogs around here... If only Urzmaktok were here, maybe he could identify them... Do you think you'll join the race, Canon?"
Mina catches Robin's eye and approaches her. "Hey, Robin! Fancy meeting you here," She jokes, gesturing around the cafe at which they both work. "How are classes treating you? Getting well-adjusted, you think? It took me a while to get used to Strixhaven during my first year, so I hope you're faring better than me."
"Ah, hello Marius," Rubina states with a respectful nod. "I know what you mean. Seems rather unsanitary to bring frogs into a place like this. But I'm a little intrigued at the same time. I cannot say I've ever seen a frog race before. Have you?"
Robin gives Mina a smile. "Adjusting? I am enjoying every bit of it, best days of my life!" She waves a hand to encompass the entire school around them. "It is just everything I could have wished for." Turning back to the frogs she nods towards them. "Isn't it odd the way those frogs look though? Are you going to make an article for the paper about them?"
Jedavii's approach seems to brighten up Javanesh's face. He reciprocates the fist bump. "Hey, Davi, good to see you. I'm hanging in there, I actually just came from silkball practice. You're still coming to the game tomorrow, right? Anyway, I was just enjoying a coffee when the manager Ellina and I overheard this gaggle of first years getting ready for a frog race. I asked her if she wanted me to keep an eye on things to make sure they didn't get out of hand, and she obliged. Dunno about actually participating in the race, I guess I'll see who signs up first. Who knows, maybe my scary mug will make the frogs run a little faster!"The burly owlin jokes.
"Wouldn't miss the game if it's the last thing I did!" the githyanki nods reassuringly. "Ooh, I think I know who's gonna sign up first." He points with his finger at the crowd near the frogs, however he stands up shortly after. "I'm gonna be Strixhaven's number-one frog racer, you watch!"
He stands, casting guidance on himself as he approaches the frog track. Out loud, to the people near the starting line, he calls out: "I'd like to race a frog! Who do I talk to for that?"
“Oh, these folk seem fairly excitable, but I don’t think we’ll see any fighting from them that isn’t resolved by a dice roll,” Canon replies to Drazhomir. He then smiles as Jedavii declares his intent to race, “I think I’ll just cheer from the sidelines.”
[Canon is prepared to cast Silvery Barbs as a reaction to assist one of the party’s entrants]
"Ah, hello Marius," Rubina states with a respectful nod. "I know what you mean. Seems rather unsanitary to bring frogs into a place like this. But I'm a little intrigued at the same time. I cannot say I've ever seen a frog race before. Have you?"
"I haven't either,"Marius says, "but I agree it seems intriguing. Should we go cheer on Jedavii?"
"I don't think so. I thought they were pretty weird-looking at first, but someone said that these kinds of frogs are pretty common in Sedgemoor on Witherbloom Campus. I don't think this is particularly newsworthy,"Mina mentions. "But it looks like one of your friends is hopping into - oh, crap, that was an accident! It looks like Jedavii is joining the race. Do you think you'll throw your hat in the ring? I was thinking about it myself."
Drazhomir sighs. "Oh, thank goodness. No point getting worked up by a bunch of frogs!"
"Sure, I suppose so,"Rubina says with a slight shrug. "It's college, after all. New experiences to be had and all that!"
Rosie cheers at Jedavii's enthusiasm. "Woo! That's the spirit Jedavii! Come on, everyone, step right up for the first-ever (to my knowledge) Firejolt Frog Race! Pick your frog, give 'em a name, and get ready for a fun time!"
Javenesh shrugs. "Ah, well, if Jedavii's doing it, I'll do it too. Unless someone else wants to jump in."
OOC: Frog Racing Rules!
Each racer must roll an animal handling check. Whoever rolls the highest wins; in the case of a tie, the race is a tie.
Spectators can choose to cheer or heckle a racer. Cheering for a racer grants them advantage on their check; heckling a racer grants them disadvantage on their check. Be warned: a heckler may not take kindly to your negative words, potentially damaging your relationship with them! A spectator could always cast a spell, though that would probably be considered cheating and would result in disqualification for the affected racer!
Currently Jedavii is the only one who has decided to race. If nobody else would like to join him, his opponents will be Rosie, Mina, and Javenesh. If you'd like to toss your hat in the ring, simply have your character say so and pick the frog that you would like!
Petting the one with the top hat, Jedavii nods to Robin. "Good luck, no hard feels either way!" He looks down at the frog. "Well then. Kiwi, let's do this!"
[OK, so no spells. Canon will just cheer on his partymates; assuming Marius does the same, it probably doesn't matter much who gives advantage to whom]
The frog race is about to begin! The racers today are Robin with Herman, Jedavii with Kiwi, Javenesh with Blue, and Rosie with Count Croakula. A first year student holds a napkin between their finger and thumb like it's a flag. "On your mark, get set, GO!" The napkin-flag is waved, and they're off!
Robin and Jedavii, roll an animal handling check with advantage, as Canon is cheering you on.
... And they're off! Unfortunately for Rosie, Croakula hops the wrong way, out of bounds. As she attempts to corral the amphibian back into the racetrack, Kiwi, Herman, and Blue take off down the lanes. As the race continues, it seems Kiwi gets tuckered out and slows down, giving Herman and Blue a good lead. It's a close race, with both frogs neck-and-neck until the final stretch... and Blue just cinches the lead and gives Javenesh the victory.
"Yes!!" Javenesh cheers. "Good work, Blue! I knew I picked the right frog. Good game Jedavii, Rosie, Robin."
"Ah... you did your best, Count. Thanks for trying! Congrats, Javenesh," Rosie says, patting Croakula on his head.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
"You got me." Robin says with a laugh, smiling down at Rosie. "Frogs huh?" She looks a bit hesitant, but, seeing how excited Rosie is, she sighs. "Let's have a look at these frogs then." She says, smiling as she waves for Rosie to lead the way.
"Ooh! Trunk slayers~" Jedavii particularly enjoys the moniker, and imagines himself and his friends going on epic quests - killing such great beasts as 'the chest of (d)roars', the bureau of deadly affairs, and their ultimate nemesis, 'The StrongBox'.
He chuckles. "You had me at frog races, lead the way!"
Hark mentions something about forgetting something at his dorm and catching up with you all later as you head over to the Firejolt Cafe, led by the exuberant Rosie. She's rather quick and sometimes you completely lose sight of her before she doubles back and urges you to hurry. Soon, you arrive at the Cafe, a popular spot for first years to meet up for studying, socialization, or caffeine-related stimulation.
The café’s interior is clean and well lit, and its walls are decorated with fun, cartoonish scenes animated by permanent illusion magic. Well-known scenes include a jovial frog in a wizard’s hat stirring a cauldron, a dancing trio of lightning bolts with grinning faces, and a raven wearing a cravat and sipping daintily from a cup of coffee held in one wing. A barista's station stands in the center of the room and several tables, counters, and benches for patrons to make themselves comfortable. Normally, several first years and some upperclassmen are here studying and completing homework, but now that it's Friday, everyone here is unwinding and enjoying the break the upcoming weekend will bring.
The air buzzes with excitement—and the smell of coffee—as you make your way toward the back of Firejolt Café and duck into the lounge to witness the scene. Rosie leads you all past the cafe newsstand (completely stocked with magazines, posters, stickers, knick-knacks, and more - it's closed considering how busy the cafe is) and toward the Fireside Lounge, a space that is much more comfortable than the café’s other seating areas. This lounge is filled with sofas and armchairs where students can relax away from the hubbub, except for today.
Hidden from the view of the barista station, the lounge’s central table has been pushed toward the wall and its chairs haphazardly tossed out of the way. In the middle of the room hop four unusual frogs. Each is glowing in vibrant colors—red, blue, violet, and orange—and has been outfitted with a tiny costume. One wears a makeshift cape, another has suspenders, a third wears a stylish bow tie, and the fourth has a top hat perched jauntily on its head.
Someone has used chalk to mark lanes on the floor, and multiple students are trying to corral the frogs into a starting position. "Ta-da! We're here! And we're almost ready too - some of the frogs don't have racers yet, so if you wanna sign up, go for it! Or you can just hang out and cheer 'em on, whatever you want!" Rosie says.
As the setup continues, each of you spots someone you know. Who is it?
(OOC: It should be someone you have relationship points with, but it can also be an NPC you have not met yet and wish to form a bond with. This is an opportunity to connect and deepen a bond you have with an NPC and gain further relationship points - it's up to you which one of your connections you choose, or if it's someone completely new!)
Jedavii hops up and down eagerly, moving behind the orange one with the hat. "Ooh, dapper, think I'll cheer this on-" He stops suddenly as he hears the ruffling of feathers behind him, and sees the plumage of the coolest owlin on campus. "Yooooo, Java! How're you doin?"
The tall gith, tough in his own right, gives Java (or Jav, depending on how the nickname Java went the first time) a fistbump and a hearty smile, secretly hoping that others might warm up to Javanesh rather than stray away from his tough-looking exterior after seeing that he's a pretty decent person. "How've you been? Cooking up a storm in the mind over the past few days, planning on cooking up a storm in the kitchens over the weekend. Gonna be a killer chicken pasta thing, still working out the finer details. You racing a frog, Jav? Think I might.”
Canon spots a large figure hunched in the shadows in a corner of the room. Moving carefully around the impromptu racecourse, he approaches the minotaur. "Hey there, Drazhomir. I don't think I've ever seen you outside the Biblioplex before! Are you into these kinds of things?" he asks, gesturing toward the not-quite-assembled contestants. "Seems sort of like the stirge races we used to watch back home. Well," he frowns, "we watched the start. Usually a fight had broken out long before any of them got near the finish line, and everyone forgot about the race. Tell me, do the frogs around here usually wear clothing? Or… glow?"
Robin is a little uncomfortable with the situation. She doesn't want to get into trouble with the cafe, as it is her place of work. It is not until she sees her co-worker, Mina Lee, in the crowd, and looking relaxed, that she settles down herself.
Marius spots Rubina and waves her over. "Decided to come here since there's no rehearsal too, huh? I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it makes them happy, so who am I to argue?" he shrugs.
Jedavii's approach seems to brighten up Javanesh's face. He reciprocates the fist bump. "Hey, Davi, good to see you. I'm hanging in there, I actually just came from silkball practice. You're still coming to the game tomorrow, right? Anyway, I was just enjoying a coffee when the manager Ellina and I overheard this gaggle of first years getting ready for a frog race. I asked her if she wanted me to keep an eye on things to make sure they didn't get out of hand, and she obliged. Dunno about actually participating in the race, I guess I'll see who signs up first. Who knows, maybe my scary mug will make the frogs run a little faster!" The burly owlin jokes.
Drazhomir is startled at first by Canon's excited greeting, but it soon gives way to some laughter. "Oh, uh, Canon, hello! I think this is my, uh, first time seeing you outside of work, too, how serendipitous..." He murmurs in his trademark soft voice, setting his book to the side. "Honestly, I was here before, uh, everyone else arrived... I don't think they even noticed me when they started setting up the race. I hope there's no fighting, uh, you know, like you're stirge races... To be honest, I, uh, don't know a lot about the frogs around here... If only Urzmaktok were here, maybe he could identify them... Do you think you'll join the race, Canon?"
Mina catches Robin's eye and approaches her. "Hey, Robin! Fancy meeting you here," She jokes, gesturing around the cafe at which they both work. "How are classes treating you? Getting well-adjusted, you think? It took me a while to get used to Strixhaven during my first year, so I hope you're faring better than me."
"Ah, hello Marius," Rubina states with a respectful nod. "I know what you mean. Seems rather unsanitary to bring frogs into a place like this. But I'm a little intrigued at the same time. I cannot say I've ever seen a frog race before. Have you?"
Robin gives Mina a smile. "Adjusting? I am enjoying every bit of it, best days of my life!" She waves a hand to encompass the entire school around them. "It is just everything I could have wished for." Turning back to the frogs she nods towards them. "Isn't it odd the way those frogs look though? Are you going to make an article for the paper about them?"
"Wouldn't miss the game if it's the last thing I did!" the githyanki nods reassuringly. "Ooh, I think I know who's gonna sign up first." He points with his finger at the crowd near the frogs, however he stands up shortly after. "I'm gonna be Strixhaven's number-one frog racer, you watch!"
He stands, casting guidance on himself as he approaches the frog track. Out loud, to the people near the starting line, he calls out: "I'd like to race a frog! Who do I talk to for that?"
“Oh, these folk seem fairly excitable, but I don’t think we’ll see any fighting from them that isn’t resolved by a dice roll,” Canon replies to Drazhomir. He then smiles as Jedavii declares his intent to race, “I think I’ll just cheer from the sidelines.”
[Canon is prepared to cast Silvery Barbs as a reaction to assist one of the party’s entrants]
"I haven't either," Marius says, "but I agree it seems intriguing. Should we go cheer on Jedavii?"
"I don't think so. I thought they were pretty weird-looking at first, but someone said that these kinds of frogs are pretty common in Sedgemoor on Witherbloom Campus. I don't think this is particularly newsworthy," Mina mentions. "But it looks like one of your friends is hopping into - oh, crap, that was an accident! It looks like Jedavii is joining the race. Do you think you'll throw your hat in the ring? I was thinking about it myself."
Drazhomir sighs. "Oh, thank goodness. No point getting worked up by a bunch of frogs!"
"Sure, I suppose so," Rubina says with a slight shrug. "It's college, after all. New experiences to be had and all that!"
Rosie cheers at Jedavii's enthusiasm. "Woo! That's the spirit Jedavii! Come on, everyone, step right up for the first-ever (to my knowledge) Firejolt Frog Race! Pick your frog, give 'em a name, and get ready for a fun time!"
Javenesh shrugs. "Ah, well, if Jedavii's doing it, I'll do it too. Unless someone else wants to jump in."
OOC: Frog Racing Rules!
Each racer must roll an animal handling check. Whoever rolls the highest wins; in the case of a tie, the race is a tie.
Spectators can choose to cheer or heckle a racer. Cheering for a racer grants them advantage on their check; heckling a racer grants them disadvantage on their check. Be warned: a heckler may not take kindly to your negative words, potentially damaging your relationship with them! A spectator could always cast a spell, though that would probably be considered cheating and would result in disqualification for the affected racer!
Currently Jedavii is the only one who has decided to race. If nobody else would like to join him, his opponents will be Rosie, Mina, and Javenesh. If you'd like to toss your hat in the ring, simply have your character say so and pick the frog that you would like!
"I'll give it a try." Robin says with a hesitant smile. She moves over to the one with the cape. "Come on um... Herman..."
Petting the one with the top hat, Jedavii nods to Robin. "Good luck, no hard feels either way!" He looks down at the frog. "Well then. Kiwi, let's do this!"
[OK, so no spells. Canon will just cheer on his partymates; assuming Marius does the same, it probably doesn't matter much who gives advantage to whom]
"Woo, you can do it Kiwi! Go get 'em Herman!"
The frog race is about to begin! The racers today are Robin with Herman, Jedavii with Kiwi, Javenesh with Blue, and Rosie with Count Croakula. A first year student holds a napkin between their finger and thumb like it's a flag. "On your mark, get set, GO!" The napkin-flag is waved, and they're off!
Robin and Jedavii, roll an animal handling check with advantage, as Canon is cheering you on.
Javenesh check: 21
Rosie check: 6
Jedavii Check: 12
The gith hops up and down excitedly to beckon the frog to go faster as the frog jumps forward. "Yeaahhh!!! Go Kiwi!! Kiwi! Kiwi! Gooooo!!"
Robin's check: 4
... And they're off! Unfortunately for Rosie, Croakula hops the wrong way, out of bounds. As she attempts to corral the amphibian back into the racetrack, Kiwi, Herman, and Blue take off down the lanes. As the race continues, it seems Kiwi gets tuckered out and slows down, giving Herman and Blue a good lead. It's a close race, with both frogs neck-and-neck until the final stretch... and Blue just cinches the lead and gives Javenesh the victory.
"Yes!!" Javenesh cheers. "Good work, Blue! I knew I picked the right frog. Good game Jedavii, Rosie, Robin."
"Ah... you did your best, Count. Thanks for trying! Congrats, Javenesh," Rosie says, patting Croakula on his head.