Bob buys as many blue-frosted cupcakes as his satchel will hold. He is overly vociferous whilst extolling the virtues of the sweet snacks; "make sure you have one, Mister Ben. You too, Mister Cadwallader. You'll love them, I swears!"
Basking in the resulting sugar rush, Bob proceeds to approach the gap-toothed old barker ((would he know the barker's name?)). He vaguely recalled the last time he had played the game; the reprimand he received for guessing accurately to the feather. "Oh boy!"he declares, "you two gentlemen best have a go. I couldn't possibly know." He shoots the old barker a quick wink and attempts to usher Ben and Cad forward.
He slows as he passes the mermaid. The singing had always enchanted him, the whirling magical sculptures sparking his imagination. "Beautiful,"he mutters happily to himself.
As he enters the feasting orchard a pang of regret enters the kenku, ever so briefly. He had wanted to try acrobatics back in the day, though he was only small he was sure he would give it a good go. There was no doubting the elegance and form of the Carnival's acrobats; the way they moved, and the skill they displayed, it was awe-inspiring. It was not just for himself that Bob felt a little regret, his dearest friend Primrose had been an acrobat, before her incident. He knew the tabaxi still loved the Carnival, but could tell that she missed performing.
Intrigued by the swans and their gondolas, Ben almost stops to take a ride…but then he sees the unicorns and their centaur leader at the carousel and is seized by the desire to ride one of those noble creatures.
”Go ahead and get started at the feasting tables,” he calls ahead to the others, “There is too much to do here for me to feel hungry after those snacks.”
Approaching the carousel, Ben checks his ticket and presents it to the centaur, hoping he will be allowed to ride one of the mystical creatures.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Horatio: Horatio watches the mermaid, singing from her giant bowl at the center of the lake, while the occasional giant swan drifts by. "Alone?!" responds a haughty swan nestled in the nearby rocks that Horatio hadn't noticed until now. "Am I nothing? How do I know you exist?"
Bob: Bob loads up on cupcakes (free for Witchlight hands.) He knows the "Guess the Feathers" barker only by sight. (Participant gets three tries to guess the number of feathers on one of a group of caged cockatrices. It's an Intelligence check with a relatively high DC.) In the orchard, he sees a gnome on a swing that hangs from the branch of a nearby pear tree, plucking the strings on her lute while eyeing Bob and his party curiously. Further ahead, Bob spies what appears to be a faerie cake eating contest. (Is Bob joined at the orchard by Cad and Edgardo?)
Matilda and Alyeira: The flamboyant elven ringmaster is in the wagon - he grins from ear to ear as he welcomes you inside with a theatrical bow. “Please come in, it’s a delight to meet you all! I am Mister Light, and this is my associate, Mister Witch.” He gestures to a stocky elf lounging on a bunk. Mister Witch nods to you and doffs his top hat. "Your performance at the Big Top tonight was top-notch!" Mister Light applauds enthusiastically.
Ben: Ben wanders into the carousel grounds. Fairgoers clamber onto the unicorns’ backs, and the centaur sets the ride in motion. The unicorns shake their manes and creak to life, cantering around the carousel to the delight of their riders. A ride on the carousel costs 1 ticket punch. The young half-horse-half-human quadruped greets Ben and the other patrons with good humor, but there’s a sadness behind her eyes.
Colin: Colin continues to rummage around the dressing room. The performers are beginning to clear out.
Startled, Horatio almost jumps up, ready for a fight. It surprises him that his instinct is to defend himself, especially when he realizes the voice is coming from one of the swans. "I... I'm very sorry. I meant no offense. Where I'm from the swans don't seem to understand or speak... I should have known it would be different here though." A panicked thought crosses his mind. Am I imagining this? Have I become the old man, talking to things that aren't there?
His voice lowered, in case others do see him talking to himself and he really is crazy. "At the risk of offending you more, well... this place seems really evil. I've heard and seen things tonight and, well, why do you all work here? Is someone forcing you to, or are you just okay with what happens here?" There is no anger in his voice. Instead, his tone is a mixture of fatigue and genuine curiosity. He wants to understand.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ben:
Intrigued by the centaur, Ben stops halfway in the motion of handing over his ticket and says earnestly, "Are you okay? You seem sad. Have you lost something or someone--there seems to be a lot of that going around at this carnival."
Persuasion: 7
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Bob makes a beeline for the faerie cake eating competition; at the moment, that is all that matters to the little kenku, forgetting to keep an eye on Ben and Cad. "OH BOY! This is my type of competition!" he squeals with delight.
Matilda and Alyeira: Mister Light continues his over-the-top praise for his two visitors in the wagon. Mister Witch quietly smiles and nods from the shadows. "We are beyond gratitude for the cheer that you and your friends have brought to the carnival. Your performance was extraordinary. And your strongman friend – is he the same gentleman who helped save the unfortunate dragonfly rider? That was some rescue, I heard! And may we ask what drew you two to the carnival today?"
Horatio: The swan on the jetty thinks for a moment and responds to Horatio. "Why does anyone work anywhere? Can one be happy being only the customer and guest, and never the doer and director? But this place is not evil, I feel. Mysterious, sometimes, true; and eddies of good and evil can sometimes intertwine unpredictably as the river flows ever downstream. But we should examine definitions. What, in your definition, does it mean to be evil? Also - speaking of work - would you like a ride?" (Riding a gondola costs 1 ticket punch. Each ride is an hour long; it starts and ends at the jetty, and the gondola follows the river that marks the perimeter of the carnival.)
Ben: “I'm okay," responds the carousel operator to Ben. "I've lost nothing but my lower half. I may look like a centaur, but I'm just a human who made a bad deal." She pauses for a moment, and then adds, hesitantly, "a hag made good on a promise to reunite me with my missing horse., but..." She gestures to her body.
Bob, Cad, and Edgardo Music and mirth radiate from the feasting orchard. The heady scents of flowers, mead, and berry pie waft through the air. Stilt-walkers pluck fruit from trees; musicians drum, pipe, and strum; and everywhere there is singing, dancing, and an inordinate amount of custard.
The Faerie Cake Eating Contest costs 1 ticket punch to enter. The contest table is piled high with small, glazed cupcakes, each filled with a dollop of berry custard. The goal is simple: eat as many cupcakes as you can within 60 seconds. A pudgy middle-aged halfling and a gangly teenager are stretching, preparing to compete; the game is run by a baby-faced man with a huge smile and a booming laugh. They are waiting for a few more competitors.
Colin: The dressing room has emptied. He examines a pair of stilts inside long, bright purple trousers. There are two exits - one leading toward the Staff Area, and the other back into the Big Top.
"Eddies of what? Evil is when people do hurtful things to other people on purpose. I wasn't aware there were other ways to think about it. Why would you think about it another way, doesn't that defeat the point? If I saw a fire and pointed at it to warn you so you didn't get burned, would you truly stop to question how I defined fire or getting burned? There is a deep problem with this place... and I think your question is part of it. The fact that anyone accepts the presence of evil so casually as 'mysterious oddities' is gruesome.
"My reflection was taken from me eight years ago, when I came here as a child. After that, my brother and mother left and never came back. A little girl I entered with had lost her entire brother while here at the carnival eight years ago and your troop just packed up and left with him. How do you do that? How would you not know? The cat-tentacle lady at the lost and found also lost her child here and has been looking for it ever since... who knows how long. Just tonight I saw a strange girl-thing try to lure a man into a mirror in your hall of illusions after a witch in a box made his girlfriend reject him cruelly. I see and hear all of these things, and you think this place has 'mysterious oddities'?
"This place is cursed, and I think no matter how nice any of you seem, you all are either aware of and fine with so many hurtful things being done to powerless bumpkins like me and the others, or you are choosing to be ignorant about how wrong and pervasive those things are here. It's.. it's too much. In either case every one of you is in some part responsible. The fact the owners keep doing these shows at all instead of shutting this damned thing down, knowing that people will continue to go missing or be cursed... that is willfulness. They are luring people here with the glamor and the magic and the food and then hurting just a few of them each time. Just a small enough number that they can pretend it nothing more than mysterious oddities!"
His voice raised a little towards the swan as he spoke, but his eyes were still staring down at the water, trying to hide tears as they flowed. "No. I don't want to ride around for an hour pretending everything is fine like all the rest of you do. To do nothing about evil when you're fully aware of it, that is a kind of evil too. At some point you're all responsible for missing children and broken lives. And if I just sit here I am too."
He looks at the swan a long moment. "I'm sorry if you can't understand or feel that I'm being unfair to you and your friends. You all may actually be cursed as well.. cursed to ignorance." He gets up and makes his way to the private staff area.
Horatio: "Well!" huffs the swan. "So rude! The nerve! Accusing me of being evil AND ignorant! I've never hurt a soul! Do humans have souls? Or are they just loud meat? I need a swim." She splashes noisily into the water with an audible harrumph.
Horatio begins to make his way back past the lake and toward the Big Top and Staff Area. "Fish Lady! You're foul! Dive! Dive!" he hears an obnoxious heckler shout from the crowd watching the mermaid. Her song falters for just a moment as she glares daggers at the yeller.
Matilda and Alyeira: Mister Light squints at Matilda and wags a long finger at her. "Yes, yes, I thought so. I believe I remember you from when you visited years ago." He sighs, dramatically, but seemingly earnestly. "I'm very, very sorry for your brother, but I'm afraid we cannot be responsible for his loss. Forces are at work on the other side that are entirely beyond our control.” Mister Witch adds, “The wheel of time turns ever on… what’s lost is lost, what’s gone is gone.”
Matilda and Alyeira: Mister Light clasps his hands together. "Oh, I wish I knew. I wish I knew, my poor child." He furrows his brow. "Please rest assured that we will continue to look tirelessly for him." Mister Witch takes a quick look at his pocket watch, then nods to Burly, who opens the door to let you out of the wagon. "May I offer you both a very small gift?" He gestures to the pipe-smoking clown outside. "This is Thaco, a clown of few words but many talents. Thaco, can you make some small gifts for these two talented ladies?” Light turns again to Matilda and Alyeira with a huge smile. "What are your absolute favorite animals?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Cadwallader:
Cad stops in front of the feather-guessing game. How many feathers on a bird? As well ask how many stars in the sky! Although... if he thinks of the bird's skin as a bag made of leather... and a reasonable guess for the number of feathers per square inch... if he had a commission to create a replica, how many feathers would he need? "Okay, I'll bite." He offers his ticket, then carefully studies the bird. "How will I know if I get the number right? Did someone already count all the feathers? Ah, nevermind; I'll give it a go!" He makes his best guesses based on a lifetime of leatherwork. Guess #1: 23 Guess #2:9 Guess #3: 17
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Horatio:
(( If the heckler is a child or someone old and infirm he ignores it and proceeds to the employee area, however, if not... ))
Horatio walks like he's going to pass the heckler, then, just as they are next to each other, he belts them right in the gut. "It's not nice to pick on people, don't do it again. Remember, tonight ends and tomorrow it's you and I back in the normal world. We'll see each other again..." Then he continues on his way. That's how it's been for me these past eight years anyways - facing bullies on my own. Why should tonight be different?
( In case that requires rolls; attack = 18, damage = 8 -- if he misses he will follow up the attempted gut punch with a jab to the nose (two-weapon fighting): attack = 18, damage = 11 (non-lethal only) )
Suddenly an image springs unbidden to Ben’s mind—a body with the legs of this woman and the head of a horse. Realizing this would be a horrible idea to ask what the hag did with her other half (and that of the horse), he just swallows and says, “I am truly sorry for your condition, but you seem to be making the best of it…May I go for a ride?”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Smiling politely at the compliments, Alyeira chooses not to point out the fact that she is a carnival performer, instead focusing on Matilda’s questions. “If we were to look for Matilda’s brother - or any other lost items - where would you suggest we start? Surely great and powerful men such as yourselves have some knowledge on the matter?”
The Eladrin takes a while to ponder Mr Witch’s question. “My favourite animal...? Well, I suppose I am rather fond of Fey Panthers.”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Cad: Cad strolls up to the feather-guessing game, and offering his ticket up for another punch, nails it on the first try (213). The old barker is astounded. He pauses for a moment, and produces not one, but two prizes for Cad (4, 8)
...another packet of pixie dust and a cuddly toy spider. (As an action, you can stroke the spider to gain the benefit of a spider climb spell that lasts for 1 hour...)
Bob buys as many blue-frosted cupcakes as his satchel will hold. He is overly vociferous whilst extolling the virtues of the sweet snacks; "make sure you have one, Mister Ben. You too, Mister Cadwallader. You'll love them, I swears!"
Basking in the resulting sugar rush, Bob proceeds to approach the gap-toothed old barker ((would he know the barker's name?)). He vaguely recalled the last time he had played the game; the reprimand he received for guessing accurately to the feather. "Oh boy!" he declares, "you two gentlemen best have a go. I couldn't possibly know." He shoots the old barker a quick wink and attempts to usher Ben and Cad forward.
He slows as he passes the mermaid. The singing had always enchanted him, the whirling magical sculptures sparking his imagination. "Beautiful," he mutters happily to himself.
As he enters the feasting orchard a pang of regret enters the kenku, ever so briefly. He had wanted to try acrobatics back in the day, though he was only small he was sure he would give it a good go. There was no doubting the elegance and form of the Carnival's acrobats; the way they moved, and the skill they displayed, it was awe-inspiring. It was not just for himself that Bob felt a little regret, his dearest friend Primrose had been an acrobat, before her incident. He knew the tabaxi still loved the Carnival, but could tell that she missed performing.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Matilda enters the wagon with a curious glance at the clown.
Ben:
Intrigued by the swans and their gondolas, Ben almost stops to take a ride…but then he sees the unicorns and their centaur leader at the carousel and is seized by the desire to ride one of those noble creatures.
”Go ahead and get started at the feasting tables,” he calls ahead to the others, “There is too much to do here for me to feel hungry after those snacks.”
Approaching the carousel, Ben checks his ticket and presents it to the centaur, hoping he will be allowed to ride one of the mystical creatures.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Horatio:
Horatio watches the mermaid, singing from her giant bowl at the center of the lake, while the occasional giant swan drifts by.
"Alone?!" responds a haughty swan nestled in the nearby rocks that Horatio hadn't noticed until now. "Am I nothing? How do I know you exist?"
Bob:
Bob loads up on cupcakes (free for Witchlight hands.) He knows the "Guess the Feathers" barker only by sight. (Participant gets three tries to guess the number of feathers on one of a group of caged cockatrices. It's an Intelligence check with a relatively high DC.) In the orchard, he sees a gnome on a swing that hangs from the branch of a nearby pear tree, plucking the strings on her lute while eyeing Bob and his party curiously. Further ahead, Bob spies what appears to be a faerie cake eating contest. (Is Bob joined at the orchard by Cad and Edgardo?)
Matilda and Alyeira:
The flamboyant elven ringmaster is in the wagon - he grins from ear to ear as he welcomes you inside with a theatrical bow. “Please come in, it’s a delight to meet you all! I am Mister Light, and this is my associate, Mister Witch.” He gestures to a stocky elf lounging on a bunk. Mister Witch nods to you and doffs his top hat. "Your performance at the Big Top tonight was top-notch!" Mister Light applauds enthusiastically.
Ben:
Ben wanders into the carousel grounds. Fairgoers clamber onto the unicorns’ backs, and the centaur sets the ride in motion. The unicorns shake their manes and creak to life, cantering around the carousel to the delight of their riders. A ride on the carousel costs 1 ticket punch. The young half-horse-half-human quadruped greets Ben and the other patrons with good humor, but there’s a sadness behind her eyes.
Colin:
Colin continues to rummage around the dressing room. The performers are beginning to clear out.
Matilda holds Alyeiras hand tightly and moves slightly behind her.
Horatio:
Startled, Horatio almost jumps up, ready for a fight. It surprises him that his instinct is to defend himself, especially when he realizes the voice is coming from one of the swans. "I... I'm very sorry. I meant no offense. Where I'm from the swans don't seem to understand or speak... I should have known it would be different here though." A panicked thought crosses his mind. Am I imagining this? Have I become the old man, talking to things that aren't there?
His voice lowered, in case others do see him talking to himself and he really is crazy. "At the risk of offending you more, well... this place seems really evil. I've heard and seen things tonight and, well, why do you all work here? Is someone forcing you to, or are you just okay with what happens here?" There is no anger in his voice. Instead, his tone is a mixture of fatigue and genuine curiosity. He wants to understand.
Ben:
Intrigued by the centaur, Ben stops halfway in the motion of handing over his ticket and says earnestly, "Are you okay? You seem sad. Have you lost something or someone--there seems to be a lot of that going around at this carnival."
Persuasion: 7
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Bob makes a beeline for the faerie cake eating competition; at the moment, that is all that matters to the little kenku, forgetting to keep an eye on Ben and Cad. "OH BOY! This is my type of competition!" he squeals with delight.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Matilda and Alyeira:
Mister Light continues his over-the-top praise for his two visitors in the wagon. Mister Witch quietly smiles and nods from the shadows. "We are beyond gratitude for the cheer that you and your friends have brought to the carnival. Your performance was extraordinary. And your strongman friend – is he the same gentleman who helped save the unfortunate dragonfly rider? That was some rescue, I heard! And may we ask what drew you two to the carnival today?"
Horatio:
The swan on the jetty thinks for a moment and responds to Horatio. "Why does anyone work anywhere? Can one be happy being only the customer and guest, and never the doer and director? But this place is not evil, I feel. Mysterious, sometimes, true; and eddies of good and evil can sometimes intertwine unpredictably as the river flows ever downstream. But we should examine definitions. What, in your definition, does it mean to be evil? Also - speaking of work - would you like a ride?" (Riding a gondola costs 1 ticket punch. Each ride is an hour long; it starts and ends at the jetty, and the gondola follows the river that marks the perimeter of the carnival.)
Ben:
“I'm okay," responds the carousel operator to Ben. "I've lost nothing but my lower half. I may look like a centaur, but I'm just a human who made a bad deal." She pauses for a moment, and then adds, hesitantly, "a hag made good on a promise to reunite me with my missing horse., but..." She gestures to her body.
Bob, Cad, and Edgardo
Music and mirth radiate from the feasting orchard. The heady scents of flowers, mead, and berry pie waft through the air. Stilt-walkers pluck fruit from trees; musicians drum, pipe, and strum; and everywhere there is singing, dancing, and an inordinate amount of custard.
The Faerie Cake Eating Contest costs 1 ticket punch to enter. The contest table is piled high with small, glazed cupcakes, each filled with a dollop of berry custard. The goal is simple: eat as many cupcakes as you can within 60 seconds. A pudgy middle-aged halfling and a gangly teenager are stretching, preparing to compete; the game is run by a baby-faced man with a huge smile and a booming laugh. They are waiting for a few more competitors.
Colin:
The dressing room has emptied. He examines a pair of stilts inside long, bright purple trousers. There are two exits - one leading toward the Staff Area, and the other back into the Big Top.
Horatio:
"Eddies of what? Evil is when people do hurtful things to other people on purpose. I wasn't aware there were other ways to think about it. Why would you think about it another way, doesn't that defeat the point? If I saw a fire and pointed at it to warn you so you didn't get burned, would you truly stop to question how I defined fire or getting burned? There is a deep problem with this place... and I think your question is part of it. The fact that anyone accepts the presence of evil so casually as 'mysterious oddities' is gruesome.
"My reflection was taken from me eight years ago, when I came here as a child. After that, my brother and mother left and never came back. A little girl I entered with had lost her entire brother while here at the carnival eight years ago and your troop just packed up and left with him. How do you do that? How would you not know? The cat-tentacle lady at the lost and found also lost her child here and has been looking for it ever since... who knows how long. Just tonight I saw a strange girl-thing try to lure a man into a mirror in your hall of illusions after a witch in a box made his girlfriend reject him cruelly. I see and hear all of these things, and you think this place has 'mysterious oddities'?
"This place is cursed, and I think no matter how nice any of you seem, you all are either aware of and fine with so many hurtful things being done to powerless bumpkins like me and the others, or you are choosing to be ignorant about how wrong and pervasive those things are here. It's.. it's too much. In either case every one of you is in some part responsible. The fact the owners keep doing these shows at all instead of shutting this damned thing down, knowing that people will continue to go missing or be cursed... that is willfulness. They are luring people here with the glamor and the magic and the food and then hurting just a few of them each time. Just a small enough number that they can pretend it nothing more than mysterious oddities!"
His voice raised a little towards the swan as he spoke, but his eyes were still staring down at the water, trying to hide tears as they flowed. "No. I don't want to ride around for an hour pretending everything is fine like all the rest of you do. To do nothing about evil when you're fully aware of it, that is a kind of evil too. At some point you're all responsible for missing children and broken lives. And if I just sit here I am too."
He looks at the swan a long moment. "I'm sorry if you can't understand or feel that I'm being unfair to you and your friends. You all may actually be cursed as well.. cursed to ignorance." He gets up and makes his way to the private staff area.
Matilda set her jaw, " I'm looking for my brother."
Horatio:
"Well!" huffs the swan. "So rude! The nerve! Accusing me of being evil AND ignorant! I've never hurt a soul! Do humans have souls? Or are they just loud meat? I need a swim." She splashes noisily into the water with an audible harrumph.
Horatio begins to make his way back past the lake and toward the Big Top and Staff Area. "Fish Lady! You're foul! Dive! Dive!" he hears an obnoxious heckler shout from the crowd watching the mermaid. Her song falters for just a moment as she glares daggers at the yeller.
Matilda and Alyeira:
Mister Light squints at Matilda and wags a long finger at her. "Yes, yes, I thought so. I believe I remember you from when you visited years ago." He sighs, dramatically, but seemingly earnestly. "I'm very, very sorry for your brother, but I'm afraid we cannot be responsible for his loss. Forces are at work on the other side that are entirely beyond our control.” Mister Witch adds, “The wheel of time turns ever on… what’s lost is lost, what’s gone is gone.”
Matilda bristled, " The other side of what? Where is he?"
Matilda and Alyeira:
Mister Light clasps his hands together. "Oh, I wish I knew. I wish I knew, my poor child." He furrows his brow. "Please rest assured that we will continue to look tirelessly for him."
Mister Witch takes a quick look at his pocket watch, then nods to Burly, who opens the door to let you out of the wagon.
"May I offer you both a very small gift?" He gestures to the pipe-smoking clown outside. "This is Thaco, a clown of few words but many talents. Thaco, can you make some small gifts for these two talented ladies?” Light turns again to Matilda and Alyeira with a huge smile. "What are your absolute favorite animals?"
Cadwallader:
Cad stops in front of the feather-guessing game. How many feathers on a bird? As well ask how many stars in the sky! Although... if he thinks of the bird's skin as a bag made of leather... and a reasonable guess for the number of feathers per square inch... if he had a commission to create a replica, how many feathers would he need? "Okay, I'll bite." He offers his ticket, then carefully studies the bird. "How will I know if I get the number right? Did someone already count all the feathers? Ah, nevermind; I'll give it a go!" He makes his best guesses based on a lifetime of leatherwork.
Guess #1: 23
Guess #2: 9
Guess #3: 17
Horatio:
(( If the heckler is a child or someone old and infirm he ignores it and proceeds to the employee area, however, if not... ))
Horatio walks like he's going to pass the heckler, then, just as they are next to each other, he belts them right in the gut. "It's not nice to pick on people, don't do it again. Remember, tonight ends and tomorrow it's you and I back in the normal world. We'll see each other again..." Then he continues on his way. That's how it's been for me these past eight years anyways - facing bullies on my own. Why should tonight be different?
( In case that requires rolls; attack = 18, damage = 8 -- if he misses he will follow up the attempted gut punch with a jab to the nose (two-weapon fighting): attack = 18, damage = 11 (non-lethal only) )
Ben:
Suddenly an image springs unbidden to Ben’s mind—a body with the legs of this woman and the head of a horse. Realizing this would be a horrible idea to ask what the hag did with her other half (and that of the horse), he just swallows and says, “I am truly sorry for your condition, but you seem to be making the best of it…May I go for a ride?”
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Smiling politely at the compliments, Alyeira chooses not to point out the fact that she is a carnival performer, instead focusing on Matilda’s questions.
“If we were to look for Matilda’s brother - or any other lost items - where would you suggest we start? Surely great and powerful men such as yourselves have some knowledge on the matter?”
The Eladrin takes a while to ponder Mr Witch’s question. “My favourite animal...? Well, I suppose I am rather fond of Fey Panthers.”
A calculating look came into Matildas eyes, " I also want to know the whereabouts of Ms. Dirlas kitten."
" So that kitten would be my current favourite beast."
Cad:
Cad strolls up to the feather-guessing game, and offering his ticket up for another punch, nails it on the first try (213). The old barker is astounded. He pauses for a moment, and produces not one, but two prizes for Cad (4, 8)
...another packet of pixie dust and a cuddly toy spider. (As an action, you can stroke the spider to gain the benefit of a spider climb spell that lasts for 1 hour...)
"Wow! Good guessing, mister!"