This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Tap approached the stall, studying the pastry in his hand. He wanted to call it a funnel cake, but he'd never seen a funnel cake filled with... sangria? It might be sangria. There was definitely strawberry. He was vaguely aware that he'd just glanced up to see if the goliath was armed.
'Stop it.' came his mother's voice in his head again. 'Turn it off.'
He paused. Sure, turn it off... But why was it on? He glanced at her, the tallest person at the bar. The ill-at-ease sense. That must be it. She was brawny enough to be a problem, and uncomfortable... Nothing wrong with keeping track...
'Turn it off.'
Sure, turn it off... But where was the police-presence here? Large crowds, alcohol. It was the sort of thing that should be covered. He glanced around.
'Turn it off.' Rang out in his head.
Sure, but, in a minute... just to be responsible.
'To protect and serve. It's a duty,' he said internally, and to no one in particular, before adding, 'mother.'
[Tap's looking to see if there is a visible police presence. If not, he's looking to see if there's a plain-clothes presence, despite that being somewhat neurotic and unnecessary; Investigation; 4. ]
Lazarus would let out a bit of a sigh as Alyndra would speak of him using his overall truer form which was good and all but also a bit lack luster when it came to the entertainment part of his side hustle. He bring his eyes to fall on the tender and then to the adventurer that they had seen just a couple of minutes prior as Alyndra would speak her order and then tag on the Bloody Fairy which would cause Lazarus to let out a sigh and shake his head but before he could speak or make a sarcastic comment, the adventurer seemed very taken aback by the idea of the drink but then as he mentioned that his misconception of the Bloody Fairy was a bit off. "Oh, that would taste like... something. Maybe a bit tangy?"
Lazarus would turn as another patron would visit the establishment as well, this one actually seemed a bit taller than himself which brought a bit of a coy smile to Lazarus' lips. He would look the the bartender as he would speak of the vertically inclined to visit today. "It must be something in the water." He would then bring his hand up just barely as if to ask for attention from the tender. "I guess I'll also try some cider, it seems to be quite the seller."
Taking the sample of the rosé offered to her, Alyndra murmured a thanks, trying to hide the drop in her smile at the lack of her new favorite mixed drink. She couldn't help but laugh aloud at the reaction of the fellow they had unintentionally stalking to her mentioning a 'Bloody Fairy'. "Heh, don't worry, not a real fairy."She lightly elbowed her husband at speculating as to what that would taste like before continuing, "Just named after one. Not sure where the name came from now that I think of it. Just that the drink is red as blood and twice as salty! You can kind of eat it too though, depending on what's put in it. Celery, bacon, olives, pickles, shrimp, cheese....it's a very versatile drink." She nodded before taking a sip of the drink she actually had in hand, green eyes widening at refreshing sweetness. "That is really good, thank you." She lifted the small mug to the vendor in appreciation.
Now the half elf was certainly no stranger to taller people. Most full elves were taller than herself, even some humans and tieflings and the like. Not many were taller than her husband though. So when she looked to the right to see the person that had also walked up to the stall was shocked when she didn't even reach chest height to the muscular pale woman, having to crane her neck back to look at her tattooed face. The woman certainly looked humanoid but with her size, Alyndra gathered that her ancestors had to be giants. Or some sort of enlargement spell went awry perhaps.
Glancing up at Lazarus, the brunette chuckled faintly at his joke about something being in the water. "Or tall people convention maybe." Glancing at the other tall person and finally getting a good look at his face when he lifted up his hat and becoming infinitely more curious as to what he was for no real good reason and was not about to be rude enough to ask still.
Nodding along with the vendor she glanced at Lazarus almost for permission or to let him say something first before volunteering, "We came by way of Nicodranas. Thought of visiting Port Zoon but we heard about the festival and knew we'd miss it if we did." The woman glanced at the others, not asking but passively curious.
((I have no idea what to roll to find out if Alyndra knows what Bugbears are or has ever seen one or a drawing of one so I'll just roll flat D20 n let DM decide!)) 9
((Tap sees that there a few Zhelezo patrolling up and down the streets of the fair, but given that things seem pretty well under control, they are few and far between. There are none who are currently very close to the booth where you are now standing.))
Alyndra has never seen a bugbear before, but she's heard of them, and she can recognize the goblinoid features that this particular individual. From that, she feels that it would be safe to assume that he is indeed a bugbear, but it's still surprising to see one for real in a "civilized" setting. Growing up in Marrow Valley, she would know that most people of the empire are generally fearful of goblin kind, and even those goblins who live in relative peace outside of raiding clans are hard-pressed to overcome the fears of the empire’s rural folk.
However, she would know that not all goblinkind are evil, and having traveled through Nicodranas, she would have seen the occasional "regular" goblin on the streets of the big city.
The vendor, who is one of a three people currently working the booth, (the other two are much younger, probably late teens or early twenties, are obviously "stock boys," and are at the back of the booth, generally handing the many crates full of full bottles), answers Alyndra,
"Well, you have made a good choice in coming here to Feolinn! The festival is on that's not to miss!"
As you're all enjoying your free drinks, you notice a young man approaching the booth who appears to be a quite inebriated. He's staggering about, wearing common clothing and a brown hat, and as he approach the area near the booth, he begins to slur in loud tones, making negative comments about Solvia Groves wines, professing that there are much better wines out there, even making direct comments to some of you in the vain of "how can you people drink that piss?!"
Bosko gives the elf lady a smile as she further explains the Bloody Fairy. Now I see her up close, there may be a little Human blood there, possibly Half Elf.
He chuckles at all the talk of tall people, the sound coming out low and a little like a growl, but not intimidating. “Not had look up at person since left clan”, he says with a smile, but with a tinge of regret to those insightful enough to tell.
He listens as the Half Elf explains her and the Firbolg’s journey. “I come from forest up coast”, he explains. “Gwardan”, he adds simply.
It is then that the drunk person arrives at the stall, making the negative claims about the wines. Turning his attention to the person also brings in to focus the Kenku standing at the stall.
“You look like tried lot of wine, must be expert. But smell no piss, think you wrong”, he says to the drunkard.
“What think all?”, he says addressing the Half Elf, Firbolg and Goliath. “What say bird man?”, he adds turning to the Kenku.
Tap smirks and turns to the inebriate. Using the drunks own words he rephrases a statement as a question, and thus has an opener to conversation. Once he's got the guy talking to him, he uses his body language to move the conversation outward from the stall, continuing to speak in the guy's voice and parrot his words back to him. Once they get far enough outside the stall tap begins to raise his voice as he speaks, making a point of getting the attention of the Zhelezo. If he can catch their eye he'll gesture to the drunk with a head motion, then extradite himself in the conversation, heading back to the stall.
As much as Tap tries to lead the “conversation” and steer the man away from the stall, he doesn’t take the bait, and he remains right in front as he continues to make a scene. However, he doesn’t seem to be drawing the attention of any of the Zhelezo, of which there are none within eyesight.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Lazarus would let his wife lead the conversation as she spoke of just where it was they were from and why it was they had decided to stop at this port specifically. "It is always good to see the festivities when able." He would simply add to her point. The rather furry individual would go on to say how he was from a forest which made Lazarus think of his old home before shaking his head a bit to get the cobwebs out and coming back to the here and now, at least, he was before some drunkard started to ramble outside the, what Lazarus would consider now that he had grown a tiny liking to the place, fine establishment.
The Bugbear would then also bring attention to the drunk, claiming that the smell of the area, while not the best, was nowhere near that of a toilet. Lazarus would also turn around to face the man, letting his stature straighten as he would nod his head in agreement. It would seem that a Kenku would try and turn the man outside but he wasn't having none of it. "I think that he surely hasn't tasted some of the best drink of the town and if he persists, he might just hurt someone's feelings." Lazarus would hold out the drink he was just given in hopes of quieting the man before things took a turn for the unfortunate.
[[ Rolling Persuasion to try and get the man to take the cider]] 11
As Lazarus holds his mug out, the drunk steps closer, then abruptly swats the mug out of the Firbolg's hand. Cider spills all over Lazarus's arm and chest, and the mug slams to the ground with a dull clunk as the metal bashes and bounces on the stone cobbles.
"I ain't drinkin' non o' yer piss water!" he says with a gruff tone as he steps backwards a few feet.
Staring at the furry man again, Alyndra realized that he looked....almost goblin-like. That's when it hit her as her heartrate increased a tad and breath was held, that he must be a bugbear. Certainly the first one she had ever seen in person, but she had read a worded description about them before and it didn't quite do them justice. But...he certainly seemed nice enough. Certainly civilized enough to have a fashion sense and come to a wine festival and make small talk with people. Surreptitiously letting out her held breath, the brunette squeezed Lazarus hand once before letting go and flashing a friendly smile to the hairy man and raising her cup to his in toast and then Lazarus and then the giant woman's. "To good drinks!"
And then of course someone had to ruin it. The drunkard clearly seemed to be trying to start something and the kenku (who she had also never seen before in person but recognized more easily based on descriptions from Lazarus and her dad) nearby tried to lure him away to no avail. Then thankfully Lazarus stepped in and tried to de-escalate the situation but the man was too belligerent to see an out when laid out in front of him.
His next action caused Alyndra's jaw to drop as her husband was soaked with cider, the mug he was holding clattering to the cobblestone. As soon as she saw him try to take a step backwards, the half elf would mutter under her breath and make a small gesture with her left fingers at her side, a translucent purple hand appearing directly behind the inebriated man right at ankle height. Glaring at the man and honestly trying to save him from a worse fate if she couldn't succeed.
((Trying to cause him to trip with Mage Hand. +6 if Arcana, +2 if Sleight of Hand)) 15
As he takes a couple steps backwards, the drunk man suddenly stumbles and falls backward, tripping over Alyndra's spectral hand. He tries to catch himself, unsuccessfully, though, flailing wildly before crashes to the cobbles and swearing with anger when he hits the ground. However, watching him fall, it would almost seem that he instinctually exhibited a bit more agility than what you would guess for a man who is apparently this inebriated.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ever the suspicious sort, Tap tries to get a read of the man's face and movement. Is he really drunk? How drunk? Insight:8
Regardless, the inspector places a clawed foot down next to him as he falls and holds out his hand to help him up.
"Perhaps you've had a bit too much." He says in a waitress's voice, then adds, "Maybe you should take it easy." in the more matronly tones of an older woman. Tap is careful to make sure his cape moves to reveal his badge. It's not as if an actual drunk is likely to notice it's not yet the local badge.
Narumi nods to the vendor. "Aye the mountains are where I'm from, though I left my tribe to see what was beyond." As the rest of the strangers make small jokes about how tall the group is, she quickly realizes that despite two of the other folk at the stand being much taller than your average lowlander, she still loomed over them. These lands sure must be safe for everyone to be so short. I wonder where these two are from? She shakes her head in amusement. As the others discuss where they are from, it is obvious that Narumi recognizes none of the names. She quickly agrees with the short half-elf, "To good drinks and good people! May your glory be known and may your names be remembered! I zaiwz za zmy tiezujy odipy!"
If anyone knows infernal
A toast to the captive flame
When the drunk man approaches Narumi pays him little mind. Small folk are no challenges especially when they can't even walk right. As the drunk knocks the offered cup of cider away she turns angrily. No freely offered gift should be treated with such disdain. But before she can act the man falls backwards over a small glimmering purple hand. Narumi quickly looks around for any sign of the mage and subconsciously drops her hand to her axe.
Tap easily sees a very large axe hangs under Narumi's cloak. The edges are battered and worn and slightly red tinged, although it is hard to tell if is bloodstained or just rusting.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Bosko takes a step backwards as everything seems to happen at once. He watches the bird man start to talk to the drunk, somehow in the drunks own voice, and tries to lead him away from the stall. That proved fruitless though as the drunk ignored him. He then watches as the tall man tries to calm things down by offering the drunk a drink, which was where things got a little too tense.
The drunk knocks the mug to the floor, spilling the cider all over the tall man before tripping over a translucent purple hand that appears out of no-where. The bird man with many voices then steps in again trying to diffuse the situation. At the same time the tall lady seems to tense.
He takes another step backwards, really not wanting to get involved in any trouble, but keeps a sharp eye on the drunkard. Something didnt seem quite right here.
Insight: 18 (Passive 15) (I really dislike the dice roller on here. Original roll was 2+5=7, so added passive score as much higher)
Tap has a hard time reading how drunk the man is, or even if he's inebriated at all. He certainly smells the part, but that's not always the most accurate way to gauge someone's level of inebriation. When he offers his hand, the man simply slaps it away and starts to get up on his own, grumbling loudly as he does so.
Meanwhile, Narumi looks around to see if she can spot whoever it was who cast that magic with the spectral hand. While she has no proof, she does recall seeing the half elven girl, Alyndra, make some strange hand gestures and speak a few words in a language she does not understand right before it happened.
Form his position a few feet away, Bosko backs another step, while observing carefully and becoming even more suspicious about the whole event as it continues to unfold.
Bosko
It's hard to read exactly what the the man's intent might be with this whole act, if in fact, he is not drunk at all, and merely acting. Why would someone behave like this? Having not spent all that much time in cities with humans and other human-like races, it's hard to get a read, but you definitely suspect something.
Then, something catches your eye, and turning your head slightly, you see the two stock boys in the back of the stall, quickly passing bottles to three other men, who are wrapping them with cloth and stuffing them into backpacks. You suddenly realize that this whole thing might be some kind of diversion, because the well-dressed vendor is completely oblivious to what's going on behind him, as his attention is focused entirely on the commotion in front of the stall.
Understanding dawns on Bosko as he watches the antics of the stock boys and their accomplices. Sneakier than a hungry goblin at a fish market, he thinks.
He reaches over with one long arm and taps the half elf on the shoulder, nodding in the direction of the stock boys. He wasn’t sure whether she would do anything, but the other patrons seemed a bit busy.
Not wanting to let the kind stall owner be robbed, he looks to sneak around the back of the stall as the half elf looks over. As he does so his right hand reaches down and draws one of the bear claws at his waist, keeping it hidden beneath his overcoat for the time being.
He positions himself in such a way that he blocks the escape of the three men taking possession of the bottles, trying to avoid being noticed by them as he does so.
After tapping Alyndra on the shoulder and pointing, Bosko slowly and a carefully sneaks his way over towards far end of the stall with an extraordinary level of stealth. He's able to position himself so the the three men are roughly between him and the most likely possible route of escape. None of them seem to notice. Now that you're closer you can see that all three are definitely armed, two with scimitars, and one with a mace. All three wear leather armor. The two stock boys are not armed.
((Yes, we'll assume that everyones's passive perception has you noticing Bosko's movements, which in turn lead you to see a little bit of what's going on at the back of the stall.))
Alyndra immediately cracked a wide grin as her ploy with the mage hand worked with wild success, but fell a little at seeing him almost catch himself. Maybe he was just more dumb than drunk. She watched passively as the kenku kindly offered the man a hand up, seeming to show him...something that was otherwise hidden from her perspective under his coat. Perhaps a weapon? Her attention was drawn to a tap at her shoulder and she turned, expecting to see her husband but instead the bugbear, who nodded to the back of the stall. Ah... Quite a ploy. Risky, but depending on how much those bottles went for, lucrative. It looks like the bugbear didn't want to stand idly by while the wine merchant was robbed blind behind his back and was moving to intercept, even drawing out a rather wicked looking claw weapon, causing the woman's green eyes to widen. Best she stepped in before things got too bloody.
Stepping back, the half elf pointed surreptitiously towards Lazarus without raising her arm at all, using Message to inform him, "Three in the back stealing the wine." Now she didn't necessarily care, but since she didn't gain anything by just letting them steal, maybe the merchant would be grateful for some help. And anyway the jerk that was helping them spilled cider all over her husband. Couldn't let that stand.
Moving around like she was simply draining her cup and moving to put it down to the stall she tried to subtly move closer to where her tri-corn wearing new friend was before exclaiming in mock shock, "Oh goodness, I do hope you three are paying for all those!"To gain the attention of the merchant. She would wait and see if any of them tried to get any bright ideas like attacking anyone and the first one that did she would punish for their trouble with a Mind Sliver.
((Holding an Action to use Mind Sliver on the first one that tries to attack. DC 14 INT Save. 6 Psychic Damage if they don't make the save and 1d4 subtracted from their next saving throw they make before the end of Alyndra's next turn.))
Tap approached the stall, studying the pastry in his hand. He wanted to call it a funnel cake, but he'd never seen a funnel cake filled with... sangria? It might be sangria. There was definitely strawberry. He was vaguely aware that he'd just glanced up to see if the goliath was armed.
'Stop it.' came his mother's voice in his head again. 'Turn it off.'
He paused. Sure, turn it off... But why was it on? He glanced at her, the tallest person at the bar. The ill-at-ease sense. That must be it. She was brawny enough to be a problem, and uncomfortable... Nothing wrong with keeping track...
'Turn it off.'
Sure, turn it off... But where was the police-presence here? Large crowds, alcohol. It was the sort of thing that should be covered. He glanced around.
'Turn it off.' Rang out in his head.
Sure, but, in a minute... just to be responsible.
'To protect and serve. It's a duty,' he said internally, and to no one in particular, before adding, 'mother.'
[Tap's looking to see if there is a visible police presence. If not, he's looking to see if there's a plain-clothes presence, despite that being somewhat neurotic and unnecessary; Investigation; 4. ]
Lazarus would let out a bit of a sigh as Alyndra would speak of him using his overall truer form which was good and all but also a bit lack luster when it came to the entertainment part of his side hustle. He bring his eyes to fall on the tender and then to the adventurer that they had seen just a couple of minutes prior as Alyndra would speak her order and then tag on the Bloody Fairy which would cause Lazarus to let out a sigh and shake his head but before he could speak or make a sarcastic comment, the adventurer seemed very taken aback by the idea of the drink but then as he mentioned that his misconception of the Bloody Fairy was a bit off. "Oh, that would taste like... something. Maybe a bit tangy?"
Lazarus would turn as another patron would visit the establishment as well, this one actually seemed a bit taller than himself which brought a bit of a coy smile to Lazarus' lips. He would look the the bartender as he would speak of the vertically inclined to visit today. "It must be something in the water." He would then bring his hand up just barely as if to ask for attention from the tender. "I guess I'll also try some cider, it seems to be quite the seller."
Lazarus Ryder - Adventures Abound in Wildemount
Taking the sample of the rosé offered to her, Alyndra murmured a thanks, trying to hide the drop in her smile at the lack of her new favorite mixed drink. She couldn't help but laugh aloud at the reaction of the fellow they had unintentionally stalking to her mentioning a 'Bloody Fairy'. "Heh, don't worry, not a real fairy." She lightly elbowed her husband at speculating as to what that would taste like before continuing, "Just named after one. Not sure where the name came from now that I think of it. Just that the drink is red as blood and twice as salty! You can kind of eat it too though, depending on what's put in it. Celery, bacon, olives, pickles, shrimp, cheese....it's a very versatile drink." She nodded before taking a sip of the drink she actually had in hand, green eyes widening at refreshing sweetness. "That is really good, thank you." She lifted the small mug to the vendor in appreciation.
Now the half elf was certainly no stranger to taller people. Most full elves were taller than herself, even some humans and tieflings and the like. Not many were taller than her husband though. So when she looked to the right to see the person that had also walked up to the stall was shocked when she didn't even reach chest height to the muscular pale woman, having to crane her neck back to look at her tattooed face. The woman certainly looked humanoid but with her size, Alyndra gathered that her ancestors had to be giants. Or some sort of enlargement spell went awry perhaps.
Glancing up at Lazarus, the brunette chuckled faintly at his joke about something being in the water. "Or tall people convention maybe." Glancing at the other tall person and finally getting a good look at his face when he lifted up his hat and becoming infinitely more curious as to what he was for no real good reason and was not about to be rude enough to ask still.
Nodding along with the vendor she glanced at Lazarus almost for permission or to let him say something first before volunteering, "We came by way of Nicodranas. Thought of visiting Port Zoon but we heard about the festival and knew we'd miss it if we did." The woman glanced at the others, not asking but passively curious.
((I have no idea what to roll to find out if Alyndra knows what Bugbears are or has ever seen one or a drawing of one so I'll just roll flat D20 n let DM decide!))
9
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
((Tap sees that there a few Zhelezo patrolling up and down the streets of the fair, but given that things seem pretty well under control, they are few and far between. There are none who are currently very close to the booth where you are now standing.))
Alyndra has never seen a bugbear before, but she's heard of them, and she can recognize the goblinoid features that this particular individual. From that, she feels that it would be safe to assume that he is indeed a bugbear, but it's still surprising to see one for real in a "civilized" setting. Growing up in Marrow Valley, she would know that most people of the empire are generally fearful of goblin kind, and even those goblins who live in relative peace outside of raiding clans are hard-pressed to overcome the fears of the empire’s rural folk.
However, she would know that not all goblinkind are evil, and having traveled through Nicodranas, she would have seen the occasional "regular" goblin on the streets of the big city.
The vendor, who is one of a three people currently working the booth, (the other two are much younger, probably late teens or early twenties, are obviously "stock boys," and are at the back of the booth, generally handing the many crates full of full bottles), answers Alyndra,
"Well, you have made a good choice in coming here to Feolinn! The festival is on that's not to miss!"
As you're all enjoying your free drinks, you notice a young man approaching the booth who appears to be a quite inebriated. He's staggering about, wearing common clothing and a brown hat, and as he approach the area near the booth, he begins to slur in loud tones, making negative comments about Solvia Groves wines, professing that there are much better wines out there, even making direct comments to some of you in the vain of "how can you people drink that piss?!"
Bosko gives the elf lady a smile as she further explains the Bloody Fairy. Now I see her up close, there may be a little Human blood there, possibly Half Elf.
He chuckles at all the talk of tall people, the sound coming out low and a little like a growl, but not intimidating. “Not had look up at person since left clan”, he says with a smile, but with a tinge of regret to those insightful enough to tell.
He listens as the Half Elf explains her and the Firbolg’s journey. “I come from forest up coast”, he explains. “Gwardan”, he adds simply.
It is then that the drunk person arrives at the stall, making the negative claims about the wines. Turning his attention to the person also brings in to focus the Kenku standing at the stall.
“You look like tried lot of wine, must be expert. But smell no piss, think you wrong”, he says to the drunkard.
“What think all?”, he says addressing the Half Elf, Firbolg and Goliath. “What say bird man?”, he adds turning to the Kenku.
Tap smirks and turns to the inebriate. Using the drunks own words he rephrases a statement as a question, and thus has an opener to conversation. Once he's got the guy talking to him, he uses his body language to move the conversation outward from the stall, continuing to speak in the guy's voice and parrot his words back to him. Once they get far enough outside the stall tap begins to raise his voice as he speaks, making a point of getting the attention of the Zhelezo. If he can catch their eye he'll gesture to the drunk with a head motion, then extradite himself in the conversation, heading back to the stall.
Call that a Deception check?
As much as Tap tries to lead the “conversation” and steer the man away from the stall, he doesn’t take the bait, and he remains right in front as he continues to make a scene. However, he doesn’t seem to be drawing the attention of any of the Zhelezo, of which there are none within eyesight.
Lazarus would let his wife lead the conversation as she spoke of just where it was they were from and why it was they had decided to stop at this port specifically. "It is always good to see the festivities when able." He would simply add to her point. The rather furry individual would go on to say how he was from a forest which made Lazarus think of his old home before shaking his head a bit to get the cobwebs out and coming back to the here and now, at least, he was before some drunkard started to ramble outside the, what Lazarus would consider now that he had grown a tiny liking to the place, fine establishment.
The Bugbear would then also bring attention to the drunk, claiming that the smell of the area, while not the best, was nowhere near that of a toilet. Lazarus would also turn around to face the man, letting his stature straighten as he would nod his head in agreement. It would seem that a Kenku would try and turn the man outside but he wasn't having none of it. "I think that he surely hasn't tasted some of the best drink of the town and if he persists, he might just hurt someone's feelings." Lazarus would hold out the drink he was just given in hopes of quieting the man before things took a turn for the unfortunate.
[[ Rolling Persuasion to try and get the man to take the cider]]
11
Lazarus Ryder - Adventures Abound in Wildemount
As Lazarus holds his mug out, the drunk steps closer, then abruptly swats the mug out of the Firbolg's hand. Cider spills all over Lazarus's arm and chest, and the mug slams to the ground with a dull clunk as the metal bashes and bounces on the stone cobbles.
"I ain't drinkin' non o' yer piss water!" he says with a gruff tone as he steps backwards a few feet.
Staring at the furry man again, Alyndra realized that he looked....almost goblin-like. That's when it hit her as her heartrate increased a tad and breath was held, that he must be a bugbear. Certainly the first one she had ever seen in person, but she had read a worded description about them before and it didn't quite do them justice. But...he certainly seemed nice enough. Certainly civilized enough to have a fashion sense and come to a wine festival and make small talk with people. Surreptitiously letting out her held breath, the brunette squeezed Lazarus hand once before letting go and flashing a friendly smile to the hairy man and raising her cup to his in toast and then Lazarus and then the giant woman's. "To good drinks!"
And then of course someone had to ruin it. The drunkard clearly seemed to be trying to start something and the kenku (who she had also never seen before in person but recognized more easily based on descriptions from Lazarus and her dad) nearby tried to lure him away to no avail. Then thankfully Lazarus stepped in and tried to de-escalate the situation but the man was too belligerent to see an out when laid out in front of him.
His next action caused Alyndra's jaw to drop as her husband was soaked with cider, the mug he was holding clattering to the cobblestone. As soon as she saw him try to take a step backwards, the half elf would mutter under her breath and make a small gesture with her left fingers at her side, a translucent purple hand appearing directly behind the inebriated man right at ankle height. Glaring at the man and honestly trying to save him from a worse fate if she couldn't succeed.
((Trying to cause him to trip with Mage Hand. +6 if Arcana, +2 if Sleight of Hand))
15
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
As he takes a couple steps backwards, the drunk man suddenly stumbles and falls backward, tripping over Alyndra's spectral hand. He tries to catch himself, unsuccessfully, though, flailing wildly before crashes to the cobbles and swearing with anger when he hits the ground. However, watching him fall, it would almost seem that he instinctually exhibited a bit more agility than what you would guess for a man who is apparently this inebriated.
Ever the suspicious sort, Tap tries to get a read of the man's face and movement. Is he really drunk? How drunk? Insight:8
Regardless, the inspector places a clawed foot down next to him as he falls and holds out his hand to help him up.
"Perhaps you've had a bit too much." He says in a waitress's voice, then adds, "Maybe you should take it easy." in the more matronly tones of an older woman. Tap is careful to make sure his cape moves to reveal his badge. It's not as if an actual drunk is likely to notice it's not yet the local badge.
Narumi nods to the vendor. "Aye the mountains are where I'm from, though I left my tribe to see what was beyond." As the rest of the strangers make small jokes about how tall the group is, she quickly realizes that despite two of the other folk at the stand being much taller than your average lowlander, she still loomed over them. These lands sure must be safe for everyone to be so short. I wonder where these two are from? She shakes her head in amusement. As the others discuss where they are from, it is obvious that Narumi recognizes none of the names. She quickly agrees with the short half-elf, "To good drinks and good people! May your glory be known and may your names be remembered! I zaiwz za zmy tiezujy odipy!"
If anyone knows infernal
A toast to the captive flame
When the drunk man approaches Narumi pays him little mind. Small folk are no challenges especially when they can't even walk right. As the drunk knocks the offered cup of cider away she turns angrily. No freely offered gift should be treated with such disdain. But before she can act the man falls backwards over a small glimmering purple hand. Narumi quickly looks around for any sign of the mage and subconsciously drops her hand to her axe.
Tap easily sees a very large axe hangs under Narumi's cloak. The edges are battered and worn and slightly red tinged, although it is hard to tell if is bloodstained or just rusting.
Bosko takes a step backwards as everything seems to happen at once. He watches the bird man start to talk to the drunk, somehow in the drunks own voice, and tries to lead him away from the stall. That proved fruitless though as the drunk ignored him. He then watches as the tall man tries to calm things down by offering the drunk a drink, which was where things got a little too tense.
The drunk knocks the mug to the floor, spilling the cider all over the tall man before tripping over a translucent purple hand that appears out of no-where. The bird man with many voices then steps in again trying to diffuse the situation. At the same time the tall lady seems to tense.
He takes another step backwards, really not wanting to get involved in any trouble, but keeps a sharp eye on the drunkard. Something didnt seem quite right here.
Insight:
18(Passive 15) (I really dislike the dice roller on here. Original roll was 2+5=7, so added passive score as much higher)Tap has a hard time reading how drunk the man is, or even if he's inebriated at all. He certainly smells the part, but that's not always the most accurate way to gauge someone's level of inebriation. When he offers his hand, the man simply slaps it away and starts to get up on his own, grumbling loudly as he does so.
Meanwhile, Narumi looks around to see if she can spot whoever it was who cast that magic with the spectral hand. While she has no proof, she does recall seeing the half elven girl, Alyndra, make some strange hand gestures and speak a few words in a language she does not understand right before it happened.
Form his position a few feet away, Bosko backs another step, while observing carefully and becoming even more suspicious about the whole event as it continues to unfold.
Bosko
It's hard to read exactly what the the man's intent might be with this whole act, if in fact, he is not drunk at all, and merely acting. Why would someone behave like this? Having not spent all that much time in cities with humans and other human-like races, it's hard to get a read, but you definitely suspect something.
Then, something catches your eye, and turning your head slightly, you see the two stock boys in the back of the stall, quickly passing bottles to three other men, who are wrapping them with cloth and stuffing them into backpacks. You suddenly realize that this whole thing might be some kind of diversion, because the well-dressed vendor is completely oblivious to what's going on behind him, as his attention is focused entirely on the commotion in front of the stall.
Understanding dawns on Bosko as he watches the antics of the stock boys and their accomplices. Sneakier than a hungry goblin at a fish market, he thinks.
He reaches over with one long arm and taps the half elf on the shoulder, nodding in the direction of the stock boys. He wasn’t sure whether she would do anything, but the other patrons seemed a bit busy.
Not wanting to let the kind stall owner be robbed, he looks to sneak around the back of the stall as the half elf looks over. As he does so his right hand reaches down and draws one of the bear claws at his waist, keeping it hidden beneath his overcoat for the time being.
He positions himself in such a way that he blocks the escape of the three men taking possession of the bottles, trying to avoid being noticed by them as he does so.
Stealth: 19+7=26
After tapping Alyndra on the shoulder and pointing, Bosko slowly and a carefully sneaks his way over towards far end of the stall with an extraordinary level of stealth. He's able to position himself so the the three men are roughly between him and the most likely possible route of escape. None of them seem to notice. Now that you're closer you can see that all three are definitely armed, two with scimitars, and one with a mace. All three wear leather armor. The two stock boys are not armed.
(Shall we assume we're using passive perception with respect to noticing Bosko?)
((Yes, we'll assume that everyones's passive perception has you noticing Bosko's movements, which in turn lead you to see a little bit of what's going on at the back of the stall.))
Alyndra immediately cracked a wide grin as her ploy with the mage hand worked with wild success, but fell a little at seeing him almost catch himself. Maybe he was just more dumb than drunk. She watched passively as the kenku kindly offered the man a hand up, seeming to show him...something that was otherwise hidden from her perspective under his coat. Perhaps a weapon? Her attention was drawn to a tap at her shoulder and she turned, expecting to see her husband but instead the bugbear, who nodded to the back of the stall. Ah... Quite a ploy. Risky, but depending on how much those bottles went for, lucrative. It looks like the bugbear didn't want to stand idly by while the wine merchant was robbed blind behind his back and was moving to intercept, even drawing out a rather wicked looking claw weapon, causing the woman's green eyes to widen. Best she stepped in before things got too bloody.
Stepping back, the half elf pointed surreptitiously towards Lazarus without raising her arm at all, using Message to inform him, "Three in the back stealing the wine." Now she didn't necessarily care, but since she didn't gain anything by just letting them steal, maybe the merchant would be grateful for some help. And anyway the jerk that was helping them spilled cider all over her husband. Couldn't let that stand.
Moving around like she was simply draining her cup and moving to put it down to the stall she tried to subtly move closer to where her tri-corn wearing new friend was before exclaiming in mock shock, "Oh goodness, I do hope you three are paying for all those!" To gain the attention of the merchant. She would wait and see if any of them tried to get any bright ideas like attacking anyone and the first one that did she would punish for their trouble with a Mind Sliver.
((Holding an Action to use Mind Sliver on the first one that tries to attack. DC 14 INT Save. 6 Psychic Damage if they don't make the save and 1d4 subtracted from their next saving throw they make before the end of Alyndra's next turn.))
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation