The Undying Dragons - Campaign Thread

Marrin's disguise, her stellar performance as a sick patron, and the fog all combine to allow quick and easy passage into the 'Inn'.

Rounded metal loops have been affixed to the ceiling of this chamber at regular intervals. From these hooks hang makeshift walls, made of scrap fabric like old sailcloth, which imperfectly partition the chamber into smaller “rooms”. In addition, various other things hang from the ceiling, including equipment, short lengths of rope, rudimentary candle holders, decorations made from bones and cheap beads, and even drying laundry. All this clutter makes it impossible to gauge exactly how big this chamber is.

Voices can be heard through out, some happy, some angry, and many drunken.

Marrin quickly orients herself and takes a look out into the main passage/great chamber/arena area. This area is full of drunken pirates and sailors, some singing, some bare-knuckle fighting. The guards stick together and only intervene when a weapon is drawn. Drusus, arms folded across his chest, stands near the entrance to the Amorous Octopus just to the south of you.

Further south, towards where you would have to go to get to the stairs down to the guard door, you remember you would have to pass the guards' barracks and common room.

Avaria is less lucky than Marrin. The lack of disguise, and the excessive body hair mean that Avaria stands out from the crowd, even with the fog. The guards, see her at the last second as she's stepping through the doorway.

"Halt. You work in the tavern." One of the guards says.

"Of course," Ethel says to Gillian, begining the complex process of ending her spell [ie. stalling to leave the fog up as long as possible].

"The spell has its limitations," she says as she gently begins to blow, as if preparing to fan the fog away with her own breath.  "To summon a fog large enough to hide an entire ship would take a powerful wizard indeed."  She blows harder, as if struggling to contain the magical fog.  "At that scale," she continues, "it might actually be more efficient to go with an illusion... mask the ship to look like a fishing boat or an iceberg."

Hoping she has brought the girls enough time and assuming she can't play this out any further, she blows one more time and then drops her concentration on the spell and the fog dissipates into nothingness.  She tries to hide her disappointment in seeing Avaria stopped by the guards, but notes she hasn't seen Marrin in some time.  Hopefully she out there somewhere, cooking up something.

With the fog gone, she looks back to her generous host.  "I'm afraid that is it as far as cute tricks.  I know quite a bit more, of course, but in close quarters and polite company, the magic can be a bit... unpredictable.  Dangerous, even."  She waits to see if Gillian asks for more.

Jan takes a deep breath, which triggers a bit of a tickling cough that she stomps down as best she can. She nods, "Let's forking get this started."

She gives herself a shake, grips the bit of sock lint and produces the heavy squelching of a guard's footsteps who had just been tasked with swimming back up a sea pool. She strides down the hall, matching the pace of the footsteps, and pounds on the door in the manner she's seen the other guards do, giving what she hopes is a convincing guard grunt, weaving in the weary irritation of her role.

Marrin drops the act of being sick as she scans the rooms. She notes Drusus and plots a route that would take her wide of him before heading towards the guard room.

If there is a space she can step behind before going into the area she will duck in there to change her features to match Gillian's.

((Let me know how that goes and if it needs a roll!))

"Oh yes, I do!  I'm sorry, I must have gotten turned around in this fog."  She turns around and heads back into the main area, discouraged, but continuing serving.  She notices the woman she is assuming is Marrin has disappeared, so that's good at least.

She looks around for Gertrude to see what that woman is doing.

In the caverns, a moment or two passes. Finally the viewing panel opens in the door and hobgoblin eyes look out at Hob-Jan.

A stream of what Jan takes as surprised Ghukliak spews out from the grate. It's fast and agitated. Too fast for Jan to catch after her few lessons with Jisthelek.

Jisthelek pokes Jan in the shin, and mimes up speaking.

Once the goblin sees a hint of movement in the Hob-Jan lips, he mumbles back in Ghukliak to the guard. Another batch of increasingly loud words come from the guard. They pause and look at Hob-Jan.

Jisthelek speaks again.

(Performance or Deception roll from Jan to see how well she and Jisthelek are pulling this off).

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Marrin finds a dark space behind a curtain and quickly transforms into her version of Gillian. Mar-Gil walks out into the grand concourse. The rowdy patrons brawling, laughing, drinking and crying don't take too much notice, but Drusus spots her very quickly. His natural frown deepens further. The hobgoblin barks at a couple of guards and points over at Mar-Gil.

The guards move quickly to Mar-Gil, and fall into step beside her, pushing drunks out of the way. Drusus watches them as they pass by, heading towards the guards barracks and common room.

(Performance or Deception roll from Marrin to see how well she fools Drusus).

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In the Amorous Octopus, the guards let Avaria go back to work. She notices Gertrude watching her and the side door closely, then Gertrude looks over to Dodds. He gives a barely perceptible shake of his head and Gertrude goes back to pouring drinks with the bartender.

Gillian frowns slightly at Ethel saying there isn't more entertaining magic she can do with out causing damage. But she eventually nods, seeing reason.

"You must meet my husband," Gillian says. She waves over Avaria. "You, go tell my husband to get over her."

Avaria can see William and Godrick Hargrove still talking to the lizardfolk, but it appears one sided now. The lizardfolk have stopped talking.

Jan has halted the sound of footsteps and replaced them with dripping. She raises a hob-hand over her mouth as if weary, turning to look over her shoulder as well as Jiselthek speaks for her.

((She didn't train with him, that was Marrin, so she's not going to try to mouth along.))

Performance: 20

((Debated proficiency or the one she has a bonus die on... Rolled with her disadvantage.))

((Was hoping to go around Drusus so he wouldn't spot her but her we go!))

Mar-Gil ignores the job guards set with her but as she passes Drusus she will say, with only the barest glance at the captain,

"Come with me. I need to have a word with a prisoner and you need to hear wait they have to say."

She puts some threatening emphasis on the you.

She will try to mimic the murderous matron's march as she walks towards the way down.

Performance (min 18): 24

Breathing a sigh of relief that at least she wasn't in trouble, she notices Gillian's wave and heads directly to their table.  Stealing a glance at Ethel, she tries to gauge how her friend is doing.

She nods at Gillians request and after dropping off what is on her tray at the bar, she heads to the table of four, the tray held against her chest.  She walks straight up to William and gives a small bow, "Excuse me sir, but your wife would like a word with you."

She then looks towards the lizardfolk, trying to get a read on why they are so quiet lately.

Insight  10

In the caverns, the hobgoblin guard stares at Hob-Jan for a long beat. Jisthelek speaks again, rapidly, and with some growing heat to his tone.

The viewing plate slams shut and clicks in place.

Jisthelek looks up at Hob-Jan and shrugs.

"I told him to stop dicking around, and open the damn door."

After a what seems like minutes, but is only seconds, the guardpost door unlocks, and the door starts to open. Through the gap in the doorway, Hob-Jan can hear the sound of banging on another door.

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Drusus gives no indication that Mar-Gil is anyone other than Gillian. With Drusus and the two hobgoblin guards as escort, Marrin moves quickly passed the guard barracks and common room. She spots only one guard in the barracks, buckling on a belt. The common room is empty. The guards are likely all out in the main concourse and the Amorous Octopus.

The hobgoblins move quickly now that Drusus senses the urgency.

"Which prisoner?" is all Drusus asks as the group goes down the stairs and comes to the guardpost doorway.

He bangs on the door.

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William looks up at Avaria when she gets to the table and frowns at the mention of his wife. He looks over at Gillian's table and sees Ethel sitting there.

"She better not be on about that damn manor house again," William Hargrove says as he gets up, excuses himself from the lizardfolk and heads to Gillian's table.

To Avaria, the lizardfolk are blank slates. She can't tell whether they're angry, happy, drunk or something else.

Godrick waves Avaria away and speaks quietly to the lizardfolk. One of them nods and the two get up and head for the main exit.

When William gets to Gillian's table, he looks more closely at Ethel, his gaze lingering over her scars.

"What's this about?" William asks.

"Ethel here is going to make life so much easier for us," Gillian says. "She already has ideas about the manor. And I'm sure she get finally put some order to the warehouses and the docking fees."

William looks like he's going to argue, but when Gillian mentions the warehouses and docking fees, his demeanor changes completely.

"You're good with numbers?" he asks Ethel.

Mar-Gil replies to Drusus only with,

"The elf."

Once in she'll say,

"Get me her things. She came in with a ring."

By all the moldy mountain holds of the dwarves... I'm going to wind up balancing their checkbooks before I get out of this place, Ethel thinks to herself.  

Trying to maintain an air of respectful professionalism, Ethel nods.  "That is correct.  I handled the finances for a small trading house for the better part of a decade."  Navigating pleasantries with these serpents, she is beginning to miss the easy afternoons in the arena.

She will spare a glance at Godrick, as she suspects he is noticing now - if he hadn't already - that Ethel is hob-nobbing with his parents.

***

As an afterthought, she asks, "Am I to infer that there is an opportunity to improve your record-keeping?"

Jan will step partially through, gesturing to the other door in drippy irritation as she steps through into the guard post. More guards aren't good, best kill this one as quick and quiet as possible, and that means without Haguur.

She palms one of Jiselthek's daggers back to him behind the door and holds another hand back down the hall, making a wait gesture.

She's hoping the guard turns his back to her and gives her and the goblin a chance to take him out fast.

((At a point where order of actions matter, especially considering who's knocking on the door on the other side of the guardpost - Jan - Initiative please))

Jan init: 24

W/disadvantage: 21

((Less good than she'd like, but perhaps he's surprised? Or Jiselthek comes up big?))

Gillian laughs at Ethel's question, and even William smiles.

"There really are no records, dear," Gillian says. "We've wondered if keeping them would help increase profits."

Godrick turns from watching the lizardfolk leave to see his parents in conversation with Ethel. His mouth rests in a firm thin line, not giving away his thoughts or feelings, but he does quickly get up and head out the main entrance of the tavern.

Dodds waves Avaria down by raising an empty mug in the air.

"The crowd outside isn't going to get much drunker before they get sleepy," Dodds whispers as Avaria pours. "We want them causing trouble not passed out so we better get moving soon."

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