"If that's the case, I think inside the city might not be a bad idea. I'd prefer to have my weapons, but the magic on the city walls could be a boon to us."
Cob nods as they discuss where to spend the night. He hovers nearby one moment, darts off the next, doing his best not to bump into anyone but not always successfully. While he's small, he's only as small as a halfling and flying halflings would cause a lot of trouble.
"Let's check out the World's End then," Cobweb says. "I've always been able to play for my supper and a room. If I play well enough I'll see if I can get rooms for all of us."
He looks up at the stars and shifts his pack. When he does, he feels the weight of the book Hyrsam left him shift as well and that reminds him of their task ahead.
"Does anyone else feel like we're managing to land ourselves right in the middle of a war between two sides without having a clue who either side is or what they want?" Cob asks.
Looking over his shoulders, then flying up a little higher to make sure he sees no one listening.
"Does anyone know anything about Bast Trench that would help?" Cob asks the group.
Dvark stares up at the stares up at the stars as Cob does and all of a sudden looks very tired. "yes I suppose we could check it out atleast.I think Eremos is tight and being inside the city isn't the worst idea after all."
Still staring up at the night he lets the power of it was over him and as the words once again flow throw his mind "You have one year from this day Ekorin. Make it count."
"I suppose there's no need to rush too much. We have a little while after all."
With the sun finally set and the stars twinkling above, the group walks toward the gate of Erdelun. Up close, it is a massive pair of white pillars about 50 feet in height. Between the pillars are a pair of raised portcullises. Standing in front of the pillars are four guards, wearing full sets of heavy armor.
"Halt," one of the guards says when the group is nearby. "As per the 312 ABM Addendum to the Arms Restriction Act, we require all weaponry and travelers to be logged and monitored for the safety of Erdelun. Will you comply?"
If you comply, each of you will be stamped with a runic circle on the back of your hand. The rune shimmers a bit before leaving behind a faint impression on your skin. They then put a blue silk rope tying your weapon to its holster. They rummage around in your backpack and log everything inside on a big ledger that one of the guards carries. The guard ushers you in and welcomes you to Erdelun after everything has been noted inside the ledger.
"Everything is in order," the guard says. "A point of warning, the runic mark will shimmer if you cast a spell higher than a Tier 1 spell or break the seal put upon your weaponry. There will be an investigation for your violation of Erdelun's law, and you will be prosecuted if found doing so not out of self-defense. Enjoy your stay in Erdelun."
Entering the city proper, you immediately see the Pondu Memorials Cemetery to your left. Dvark, you can feel an aura of safety surrounding the cemetery. Once in a while, you can see faint wisps of spirits around the cemetery visitors before they depart back to the Dusk Weaver's embrace once more when the visitors leave. Directly to the right, you can see rows upon rows of market stalls still selling souvenirs and groceries. You think that you can find food and drinks there until late at night.
As you have been warned before, you can see that the citizens of the city have some sort of a dress code; there is always a little bit of purple article of clothing on them. You are not quite fitting, especially with the barely concealed weapon on your person. You definitely have been noted by the citizens.
After traveling for a couple of minutes, you arrive at a lavish inn with 'At World's End' written above the front door. It is a brick building, just like the buildings around it, that gives a sense of welcome and warmth. Entering the inn, a tinkling bell jingles above the door, and you are faced with a front desk. The front desk area is filled with rustic furniture that adds to the homely feeling the place gives off.
On the front desk, you see a halfling woman, wearing a white dress suit and a red vest with her hair coiffed up in a tight bun, writing furiously on a book. She stops writing and looks up when the bell jingles.
"Oh, travelers," she says with an excitable smile. "Welcome to At World's End, the best inn in the northernmost city of Vortes. My name is Raelle, the owner of the inn. Would you like a room? We have the normal suite for 1 copper a night, plus dinner and breakfast. The grand suite for 5 copper a night. Finally, we have the diplomatic suite for 10 copper a night. Each room has two beds, but we can add an extra bed for 15 bronze."
Raelle looks at Cob's get-up and musical instruments, and her smile widens. "Musician! Just so happen that one of our musicians for the open mic tonight bailed out. I'll give your group a fifteen percent discount if you agree to substitute him. We have promised five musicians for the open mic and we don't want to disappoint the visitors as a couple of them are investors that will fund the new theater in town. It's a reserved event, so you will be paid too at the end of the session depending on how good you are. Who knows, some of the names on the invite list are quite big contenders in the entertainment business. Maybe you will catch their eyes."
Eremoz turns to the group and whispers, "We have the money for two normal rooms with an extra bed for the night. It'll eat up most of our funds with or without the discount. What do you think?"
"Well", Drexon whispers in reply to Eremoz. "Our friend Cob here will be making some money for this open mic event by the sounds of it. And with those festivities there is likely to be much merry making in the Inn tonight. I am sure I could find some folk happy to sponsor our stay, by joining me in a friendly game of cards", he finishes with a broad smile displaying his deck of cards all fanned out.
"There we go," Cob says. "We'll come out of this night with extra coin in our pockets."
He smiles at Raelle, fluttering up just a couple of inches above the ground and gives her an exaggerated bow. "Of course I'll join in. We can't have you short a performer."
Cob then notices the book the halfling had been writing.
"Are you a poet?" Cob ask. "You must be. Everything you see here would be constant inspiration."
Raelle looks at Cob and at the book in front of her before closing the book and stashing it away hurriedly. "Not a poet, no. Just a little bit of historical fiction. It's still in the works."
She looks at the rest of the group and asks, "So, which one is it? Two normal suites with an extra bed or three normal suites? I'll waive the extra bed too as your friend seems to be enthusiastic to join our weekly open mic session. Will you be paying upfront or when you are checking out?"
"That will be 170 bronze for the two rooms," Raelle says. "I'll waive the extra bed, and I already include the fifteen percent discount."
She gives you two keys, presses something behind the front desk, and motions you to her left -- your right. "Your room will be on the second floor. I'm sorry, I didn't get all of your names before, especially the performer. I will need your name for the open mic, which will start in half an hour, just as dinner time begins. As today is open mic night, dinner will be served in the courtyard."
You have not noticed before as the front desk obscures anything behind it, but to the right side behind the front desk from where you are facing, there is a spiral staircase to a second floor that continues to a third floor. To the left side behind the front desk from where you are facing, a similar staircase spirals up. A corridor leads to the left and right with the left one having a plaque with the word 'Cafeteria' on it and the right one having a plaque with the word 'Meeting Hall' on it.
Directly behind the front desk, you see a glass door that opens to the main courtyard. Wooden tables have been placed all around with a small stage at the end of the courtyard. Buffet tables have been placed on the right and left sides of the courtyard. Small lanterns have been hung across the courtyard to give the place a soft and warm atmosphere for the night's event.
The rooms on the second floor and third floor seem to face the courtyard. You can see everything that is happening in the courtyard from a balcony upstairs. When you get into your room, you see a simplistic but quite spacious room. There are two beds, a desk, and a wardrobe. In one of the rooms, the two beds have been pushed to the wall to leave space for an extra bed in the middle. An attendant accompanies you to your room and points out a large communal bathroom at the end of the hall if you need it.
He looks at the group. "I suppose Eremoz and Dvark should take the two bed, you two will need the extra space", he says holding his hand up high to denote their size.
He turns back to Raelle. "Do you have any gambling tables in the inn? Or is it all unofficial?", he asks as he swipes up one of the keys, hoping it is the three bedder.
"Unfortunately, we don't have that here," Raelle says to Drexon. "Some of the male attendants sometimes have a game close to midnight when all the guests have retired, but they usually don't during open mic night."
About half an hour after you are shown to your rooms, you hear commotion from the courtyard. You peek from the balcony and see people beginning to fill the seat that has been prepared in the courtyard. You look around and see that the people that are staying beside your room are also starting to come down to enjoy this event.
Cob, in particular, is accosted by Raelle when he eventually comes down and is led to a meeting hall to the right of the courtyard. The rest of you are escorted to a table, not quite close enough to the stage, but also not at the very back.
"You can enjoy the buffet as much as you like," the attendant that escorted you says. "We have provided a variety of meals from all over Vorgeris and hope that it will be up to your liking. There is an open bar to the left side of the courtyard, but just give a sign to the attendants and servers if you need anything else. Enjoy the night."
Not long after dinner starts in earnest, the lantern hanging over the courtyard begins to dim as light illuminates the stage in the middle of the courtyard. Raelle steps up to the stage and bows to the audience, giving them a wide smile. She is holding a blue-colored baton and begins to speak to it. Her voice can be heard as if she is speaking directly in front of your table.
"Good evening, everybody," Raelle greets. "As you know, we At World's End seek to provide a platform for young artists to flourish. Every week since the inn was first built, we always hold an open mic night either at the end of the week or at the start of it. Many singers, performers, and dancers have gone on to become a star in the greater world. Tonight, however, is a special night. We welcome Mr. Barristan Holloway from Holloway Arts & Co who is spearheading the construction of our new theater in town."
You see a gnome man standing up from a table closest to the stage and taking a bow to the other guests. He is quite elderly -- hair greying and skin a bit wrinkly, but he has the air of someone that has lived a very happy life and wants to spread more cheerfulness in the world.
"We also would like to welcome the Mayor of Erdelun, Mr. Balmenor Rustrosse, who I cannot believe finally come to this event since taking office. We keep sending him invitation upon invitation, but it seems his cat ate them all. We made sure he got it this time in person. We did. Sir, we have been waiting for you and I expect a song or two from you later in the night."
You see a grey furred firbolg, towering above any other people that have come to the open mic night. He has a warm eye and an air of wisdom to him. His eyes crinkle in laughter as Raelle mentions his cat and nods firmly when offered to sing a song or two. "I will be happy to," he says.
"Well, without further ado, let's start this session, shall we?"
The crowd gives a polite clap as the first performer takes the stage. You can see that this open mic session is truly a platform for young performers that are trying to gain some clout from the masses before entering the greater league in a bigger city. The first performer is a young half-elven woman singing a ballad while playing the lute. Her voice cracks a little bit at the end from nervousness, and she hurriedly goes off the stage with a big smile when the crowd enthusiastically claps their hand.
The second performer is a teenage male human wearing a long white robe. He stands there for a while before moving in a graceful dance. He twirls and jumps and spins and backflips, landing on his hand, on his knees, then back on his feet. It is a story woven with each gesture and movement his body makes. It tells a story of a child climbing the ladder of life, experiencing the struggle of growing up, and being struck down on their luck, before finally becoming free to pursue his dream. The crowd doesn't give as much of an enthusiastic appreciation, but some people have a thoughtful look on their faces.
The third performer comes to the stage by stumbling on the steps. He falls down and begins to recite a poem. It is a grim poem, telling the tale of war. He slowly stands up as he continues his poem, telling the tale of death and destruction. He looks up to the night sky and shoots sparks of green fire into the air, telling the tale of rebirth and rebuilding. The crowd gasps as the green fire begin to slowly move and form into figures. He recites the poem once again, and with each verse, the green fire figures begin to move to act on the tale of the poem, becoming brighter with each emotional peak and becoming dimmer with each sorrowful end of the tale. When the poem finally ended, the green fire flutters to the ground, leaving the crowd in awe. It takes a moment before the crowd cheers and stands up for a standing ovation.
"Well, that is an incredible retelling of the War of the Best," Raelle says as the third performer bows and steps off the stage. "Now, for our fourth performer before we finally can hear our mayor sings, we have Mr. Cobweb Goodfellow, the Fiddler from Pancarona."
{{Cob, you can describe what it is you are doing for this performance. In the end, roll a Performance check for me. This will not affect whether the crowd will like the performance, but will affect how much tip you will get for the performance.}}
{{Does Anyone else wants to do anything during this brief jamming session?}}
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Cob skims across the ground, his feet barely touching as he takes to the stage. He bows low to the crowd and without saying a word begins to play.
At first, as his bow plays across his fiddle, he starts slowly, creating his own bass beat with his foot stomping on the stage. Dried autumn leaves fall from the air around him as the music starts to take shape into a song. He hadn't planned to, but before he gets more than a few chords in, he starts to add his voice to the music.
"Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face And stars fill my dream I'm a traveler of both time and space To be where I have been To sit with elders of the gentle race This world has seldom seen They talk of days for which they sit and wait All will be revealed"
The beat continues steadily, but picks up pace, the autumn leaves change to spring flower petals, a bright cacophony of colour.
Soon Cob is spinning as the bow turn into a blur across his fiddle, faster and faster with the music.
Eldritch energy crackles along the fiddle and bow.
Then suddenly it's over, the flowers stop and the glowing energy crackles off into the night without causing any harm.
Cob flutters up a few feet off the stage and gives the audience another bow.
The crowd cheers and offers another standing ovation as Cob completes his performance.
Raelle once again takes the stage and says, "What an incredible performance from Mr. Cobweb Goodfellow! Now, we are at the end of our open mic session. I would like to invite our mayor to join me on the stage. We finally can hear our mayor sings."
With Cob's performance and the Mayor's singing to close the night, the crowd begins to thin and return to their own room or residence. Raelle pulls Cob aside at the end of the night and gives him a pouch. Within the pouch are 440 bronze coins and a card. The card is a business card from Barristan Holloway from Holloway Arts & Co. On it is a handwritten note: 'Love the performance. Swing by our Timaril office if you are interested in furthering your career in music and arts. -- B. Holloway.'
"Thank you for your help," Raelle says. "Here's the tip and incentive for the whole event. Usually, it is not that much, but you seem to have caught Mr. Holloway's attention. He is a frequent customer of ours since the construction of the theater began. Once again, thank you for participating and helping us. Have a good night, Mr. Goodfellow."
{{With dinner done, you can take a Long Rest or chat for some time if there is nothing else that you want to do. The attendants and servers will also allow you to pack a few leftovers from the buffet. You can add one Ration to your inventory if you want.}}
After the festivities die down, Dvark drops off all his gear in the room then goes out into the night. Find a dark quite place(like a park or garden or something?) And prays and meditates for a while, hoping for some guidance from the Dusk Weaver. Hoping he will know what it means to be worthy. Praying he will see his family again. After a little while he returns to the inn.(I'll chat if anyone's still up)
Cob takes the coins and reads the card before slipping both into his pouch.
"My pleasure, Ms Raelle," Cob says with another bow. He leans in a little closer and lowers his voice, "though I suspect the open bar you had helped a little with the crowd."
((If no objections, Cob will just pay for the rooms out of the tip from the night))
Seeing that the buffet is winding down, Cob darts in and grabs a plate, and while eating, packs away some of the better looking items for tomorrow.
He looks around for the others while he finishes his later dinner.
Eremoz takes a plate of food and stands at the back of the courtyard, watching the performances. The music and atmosphere are reminiscent of the festivals where he would compete.
Finding Cob after the show, "Masterfully done, friend. A moving performance."
((Eremoz paid up front.))
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"If that's the case, I think inside the city might not be a bad idea. I'd prefer to have my weapons, but the magic on the city walls could be a boon to us."
Cob nods as they discuss where to spend the night. He hovers nearby one moment, darts off the next, doing his best not to bump into anyone but not always successfully. While he's small, he's only as small as a halfling and flying halflings would cause a lot of trouble.
"Let's check out the World's End then," Cobweb says. "I've always been able to play for my supper and a room. If I play well enough I'll see if I can get rooms for all of us."
He looks up at the stars and shifts his pack. When he does, he feels the weight of the book Hyrsam left him shift as well and that reminds him of their task ahead.
"Does anyone else feel like we're managing to land ourselves right in the middle of a war between two sides without having a clue who either side is or what they want?" Cob asks.
Looking over his shoulders, then flying up a little higher to make sure he sees no one listening.
"Does anyone know anything about Bast Trench that would help?" Cob asks the group.
Dvark stares up at the stares up at the stars as Cob does and all of a sudden looks very tired. "yes I suppose we could check it out atleast.I think Eremos is tight and being inside the city isn't the worst idea after all."
Still staring up at the night he lets the power of it was over him and as the words once again flow throw his mind "You have one year from this day Ekorin. Make it count."
"I suppose there's no need to rush too much. We have a little while after all."
With the sun finally set and the stars twinkling above, the group walks toward the gate of Erdelun. Up close, it is a massive pair of white pillars about 50 feet in height. Between the pillars are a pair of raised portcullises. Standing in front of the pillars are four guards, wearing full sets of heavy armor.
"Halt," one of the guards says when the group is nearby. "As per the 312 ABM Addendum to the Arms Restriction Act, we require all weaponry and travelers to be logged and monitored for the safety of Erdelun. Will you comply?"
If you comply, each of you will be stamped with a runic circle on the back of your hand. The rune shimmers a bit before leaving behind a faint impression on your skin. They then put a blue silk rope tying your weapon to its holster. They rummage around in your backpack and log everything inside on a big ledger that one of the guards carries. The guard ushers you in and welcomes you to Erdelun after everything has been noted inside the ledger.
"Everything is in order," the guard says. "A point of warning, the runic mark will shimmer if you cast a spell higher than a Tier 1 spell or break the seal put upon your weaponry. There will be an investigation for your violation of Erdelun's law, and you will be prosecuted if found doing so not out of self-defense. Enjoy your stay in Erdelun."
Entering the city proper, you immediately see the Pondu Memorials Cemetery to your left. Dvark, you can feel an aura of safety surrounding the cemetery. Once in a while, you can see faint wisps of spirits around the cemetery visitors before they depart back to the Dusk Weaver's embrace once more when the visitors leave. Directly to the right, you can see rows upon rows of market stalls still selling souvenirs and groceries. You think that you can find food and drinks there until late at night.
As you have been warned before, you can see that the citizens of the city have some sort of a dress code; there is always a little bit of purple article of clothing on them. You are not quite fitting, especially with the barely concealed weapon on your person. You definitely have been noted by the citizens.
After traveling for a couple of minutes, you arrive at a lavish inn with 'At World's End' written above the front door. It is a brick building, just like the buildings around it, that gives a sense of welcome and warmth. Entering the inn, a tinkling bell jingles above the door, and you are faced with a front desk. The front desk area is filled with rustic furniture that adds to the homely feeling the place gives off.
On the front desk, you see a halfling woman, wearing a white dress suit and a red vest with her hair coiffed up in a tight bun, writing furiously on a book. She stops writing and looks up when the bell jingles.
"Oh, travelers," she says with an excitable smile. "Welcome to At World's End, the best inn in the northernmost city of Vortes. My name is Raelle, the owner of the inn. Would you like a room? We have the normal suite for 1 copper a night, plus dinner and breakfast. The grand suite for 5 copper a night. Finally, we have the diplomatic suite for 10 copper a night. Each room has two beds, but we can add an extra bed for 15 bronze."
Raelle looks at Cob's get-up and musical instruments, and her smile widens. "Musician! Just so happen that one of our musicians for the open mic tonight bailed out. I'll give your group a fifteen percent discount if you agree to substitute him. We have promised five musicians for the open mic and we don't want to disappoint the visitors as a couple of them are investors that will fund the new theater in town. It's a reserved event, so you will be paid too at the end of the session depending on how good you are. Who knows, some of the names on the invite list are quite big contenders in the entertainment business. Maybe you will catch their eyes."
Eremoz turns to the group and whispers, "We have the money for two normal rooms with an extra bed for the night. It'll eat up most of our funds with or without the discount. What do you think?"
"Well", Drexon whispers in reply to Eremoz. "Our friend Cob here will be making some money for this open mic event by the sounds of it. And with those festivities there is likely to be much merry making in the Inn tonight. I am sure I could find some folk happy to sponsor our stay, by joining me in a friendly game of cards", he finishes with a broad smile displaying his deck of cards all fanned out.
Cob claps Drexon on the shoulder.
"There we go," Cob says. "We'll come out of this night with extra coin in our pockets."
He smiles at Raelle, fluttering up just a couple of inches above the ground and gives her an exaggerated bow. "Of course I'll join in. We can't have you short a performer."
Cob then notices the book the halfling had been writing.
"Are you a poet?" Cob ask. "You must be. Everything you see here would be constant inspiration."
Raelle looks at Cob and at the book in front of her before closing the book and stashing it away hurriedly. "Not a poet, no. Just a little bit of historical fiction. It's still in the works."
She looks at the rest of the group and asks, "So, which one is it? Two normal suites with an extra bed or three normal suites? I'll waive the extra bed too as your friend seems to be enthusiastic to join our weekly open mic session. Will you be paying upfront or when you are checking out?"
“Two normal rooms with the extra bed please. And we can pay now. Apologies, but we only have bronze.” Eremoz pulls out his coin pouch.
"That will be 170 bronze for the two rooms," Raelle says. "I'll waive the extra bed, and I already include the fifteen percent discount."
She gives you two keys, presses something behind the front desk, and motions you to her left -- your right. "Your room will be on the second floor. I'm sorry, I didn't get all of your names before, especially the performer. I will need your name for the open mic, which will start in half an hour, just as dinner time begins. As today is open mic night, dinner will be served in the courtyard."
You have not noticed before as the front desk obscures anything behind it, but to the right side behind the front desk from where you are facing, there is a spiral staircase to a second floor that continues to a third floor. To the left side behind the front desk from where you are facing, a similar staircase spirals up. A corridor leads to the left and right with the left one having a plaque with the word 'Cafeteria' on it and the right one having a plaque with the word 'Meeting Hall' on it.
Directly behind the front desk, you see a glass door that opens to the main courtyard. Wooden tables have been placed all around with a small stage at the end of the courtyard. Buffet tables have been placed on the right and left sides of the courtyard. Small lanterns have been hung across the courtyard to give the place a soft and warm atmosphere for the night's event.
The rooms on the second floor and third floor seem to face the courtyard. You can see everything that is happening in the courtyard from a balcony upstairs. When you get into your room, you see a simplistic but quite spacious room. There are two beds, a desk, and a wardrobe. In one of the rooms, the two beds have been pushed to the wall to leave space for an extra bed in the middle. An attendant accompanies you to your room and points out a large communal bathroom at the end of the hall if you need it.
"The names Drexon", Drexon says with a small bow.
He looks at the group. "I suppose Eremoz and Dvark should take the two bed, you two will need the extra space", he says holding his hand up high to denote their size.
He turns back to Raelle. "Do you have any gambling tables in the inn? Or is it all unofficial?", he asks as he swipes up one of the keys, hoping it is the three bedder.
"Unfortunately, we don't have that here," Raelle says to Drexon. "Some of the male attendants sometimes have a game close to midnight when all the guests have retired, but they usually don't during open mic night."
Cob bows again to Raelle.
"Cobweb Goodfellow," Cob says as introduction. "Fiddler of Pancorona."
He moves slightly closer and lowers his voice.
"You will have to let me read your book when you're done."
When they are in their rooms, Cob looks out, down on the courtyard.
"Do we keep the box with us or hope to find somewhere safe here to stash it?"
“My name is Eremoz. Happy to meet you.” Eremoz turns to Cob. “We should keep it with us. To much strangeness today to leave it alone.”
About half an hour after you are shown to your rooms, you hear commotion from the courtyard. You peek from the balcony and see people beginning to fill the seat that has been prepared in the courtyard. You look around and see that the people that are staying beside your room are also starting to come down to enjoy this event.
Cob, in particular, is accosted by Raelle when he eventually comes down and is led to a meeting hall to the right of the courtyard. The rest of you are escorted to a table, not quite close enough to the stage, but also not at the very back.
"You can enjoy the buffet as much as you like," the attendant that escorted you says. "We have provided a variety of meals from all over Vorgeris and hope that it will be up to your liking. There is an open bar to the left side of the courtyard, but just give a sign to the attendants and servers if you need anything else. Enjoy the night."
Not long after dinner starts in earnest, the lantern hanging over the courtyard begins to dim as light illuminates the stage in the middle of the courtyard. Raelle steps up to the stage and bows to the audience, giving them a wide smile. She is holding a blue-colored baton and begins to speak to it. Her voice can be heard as if she is speaking directly in front of your table.
"Good evening, everybody," Raelle greets. "As you know, we At World's End seek to provide a platform for young artists to flourish. Every week since the inn was first built, we always hold an open mic night either at the end of the week or at the start of it. Many singers, performers, and dancers have gone on to become a star in the greater world. Tonight, however, is a special night. We welcome Mr. Barristan Holloway from Holloway Arts & Co who is spearheading the construction of our new theater in town."
You see a gnome man standing up from a table closest to the stage and taking a bow to the other guests. He is quite elderly -- hair greying and skin a bit wrinkly, but he has the air of someone that has lived a very happy life and wants to spread more cheerfulness in the world.
"We also would like to welcome the Mayor of Erdelun, Mr. Balmenor Rustrosse, who I cannot believe finally come to this event since taking office. We keep sending him invitation upon invitation, but it seems his cat ate them all. We made sure he got it this time in person. We did. Sir, we have been waiting for you and I expect a song or two from you later in the night."
You see a grey furred firbolg, towering above any other people that have come to the open mic night. He has a warm eye and an air of wisdom to him. His eyes crinkle in laughter as Raelle mentions his cat and nods firmly when offered to sing a song or two. "I will be happy to," he says.
"Well, without further ado, let's start this session, shall we?"
The crowd gives a polite clap as the first performer takes the stage. You can see that this open mic session is truly a platform for young performers that are trying to gain some clout from the masses before entering the greater league in a bigger city. The first performer is a young half-elven woman singing a ballad while playing the lute. Her voice cracks a little bit at the end from nervousness, and she hurriedly goes off the stage with a big smile when the crowd enthusiastically claps their hand.
The second performer is a teenage male human wearing a long white robe. He stands there for a while before moving in a graceful dance. He twirls and jumps and spins and backflips, landing on his hand, on his knees, then back on his feet. It is a story woven with each gesture and movement his body makes. It tells a story of a child climbing the ladder of life, experiencing the struggle of growing up, and being struck down on their luck, before finally becoming free to pursue his dream. The crowd doesn't give as much of an enthusiastic appreciation, but some people have a thoughtful look on their faces.
The third performer comes to the stage by stumbling on the steps. He falls down and begins to recite a poem. It is a grim poem, telling the tale of war. He slowly stands up as he continues his poem, telling the tale of death and destruction. He looks up to the night sky and shoots sparks of green fire into the air, telling the tale of rebirth and rebuilding. The crowd gasps as the green fire begin to slowly move and form into figures. He recites the poem once again, and with each verse, the green fire figures begin to move to act on the tale of the poem, becoming brighter with each emotional peak and becoming dimmer with each sorrowful end of the tale. When the poem finally ended, the green fire flutters to the ground, leaving the crowd in awe. It takes a moment before the crowd cheers and stands up for a standing ovation.
"Well, that is an incredible retelling of the War of the Best," Raelle says as the third performer bows and steps off the stage. "Now, for our fourth performer before we finally can hear our mayor sings, we have Mr. Cobweb Goodfellow, the Fiddler from Pancarona."
{{Cob, you can describe what it is you are doing for this performance. In the end, roll a Performance check for me. This will not affect whether the crowd will like the performance, but will affect how much tip you will get for the performance.}}
{{Does Anyone else wants to do anything during this brief jamming session?}}
Cob skims across the ground, his feet barely touching as he takes to the stage. He bows low to the crowd and without saying a word begins to play.
At first, as his bow plays across his fiddle, he starts slowly, creating his own bass beat with his foot stomping on the stage. Dried autumn leaves fall from the air around him as the music starts to take shape into a song. He hadn't planned to, but before he gets more than a few chords in, he starts to add his voice to the music.
"Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face
And stars fill my dream
I'm a traveler of both time and space
To be where I have been
To sit with elders of the gentle race
This world has seldom seen
They talk of days for which they sit and wait
All will be revealed"
The beat continues steadily, but picks up pace, the autumn leaves change to spring flower petals, a bright cacophony of colour.
Soon Cob is spinning as the bow turn into a blur across his fiddle, faster and faster with the music.
Eldritch energy crackles along the fiddle and bow.
Then suddenly it's over, the flowers stop and the glowing energy crackles off into the night without causing any harm.
Cob flutters up a few feet off the stage and gives the audience another bow.
Performance: 17
The crowd cheers and offers another standing ovation as Cob completes his performance.
Raelle once again takes the stage and says, "What an incredible performance from Mr. Cobweb Goodfellow! Now, we are at the end of our open mic session. I would like to invite our mayor to join me on the stage. We finally can hear our mayor sings."
With Cob's performance and the Mayor's singing to close the night, the crowd begins to thin and return to their own room or residence. Raelle pulls Cob aside at the end of the night and gives him a pouch. Within the pouch are 440 bronze coins and a card. The card is a business card from Barristan Holloway from Holloway Arts & Co. On it is a handwritten note: 'Love the performance. Swing by our Timaril office if you are interested in furthering your career in music and arts. -- B. Holloway.'
"Thank you for your help," Raelle says. "Here's the tip and incentive for the whole event. Usually, it is not that much, but you seem to have caught Mr. Holloway's attention. He is a frequent customer of ours since the construction of the theater began. Once again, thank you for participating and helping us. Have a good night, Mr. Goodfellow."
{{With dinner done, you can take a Long Rest or chat for some time if there is nothing else that you want to do. The attendants and servers will also allow you to pack a few leftovers from the buffet. You can add one Ration to your inventory if you want.}}
After the festivities die down, Dvark drops off all his gear in the room then goes out into the night. Find a dark quite place(like a park or garden or something?) And prays and meditates for a while, hoping for some guidance from the Dusk Weaver. Hoping he will know what it means to be worthy. Praying he will see his family again. After a little while he returns to the inn.(I'll chat if anyone's still up)
Cob takes the coins and reads the card before slipping both into his pouch.
"My pleasure, Ms Raelle," Cob says with another bow. He leans in a little closer and lowers his voice, "though I suspect the open bar you had helped a little with the crowd."
((If no objections, Cob will just pay for the rooms out of the tip from the night))
Seeing that the buffet is winding down, Cob darts in and grabs a plate, and while eating, packs away some of the better looking items for tomorrow.
He looks around for the others while he finishes his later dinner.
Eremoz takes a plate of food and stands at the back of the courtyard, watching the performances. The music and atmosphere are reminiscent of the festivals where he would compete.
Finding Cob after the show, "Masterfully done, friend. A moving performance."
((Eremoz paid up front.))