The Undying Dragons - Campaign Thread

Marrin goes to answer but Ethel beats her to it and she closes her mouth and just nods along.

She will turn a bit so Gertrude can get a better measurement.

Jan nods.

"Aye, we can get into the hallway, but my best shot at getting into the guard post is if there's no one there... or at least no one alert."

When asked about silverware, Avaria is dumbstruck.  There is a certain way it's used?  They should be happy I'm using any!  She thinks.

When Elthel answers the woman, Ava's mouth drops open, she can't help it.  But then she cringes inwardly when Gillian requests her friend sit at the main table.  When she gets a chance after Gillian leaves, she whispers, "We'll get you out of there, if anything you can pretend to be sick or something."

When the gowns appear, she picks the largest one up and turns it round and round, struggling where the top is and where you put your arms.  But heads to where is pointed out to try and change into it.

Ethel hangs her head as Avaria is speaking.  "I'm no courtly dilettante but I've entertained enough over the years to know the basics of tablesetting.  I was afraid she would linger to show us how she wanted it done and I had hoped to get rid of her by showing we were overqualified.  More the fool, I."  

Ethel will let the other two have first pick and then take whatever is left.  As she changes, she will transfer an innocuous pinch or two of sand from her pockets into the seams of the gown.

Marrin looks in dismay at the dresses.

"Honestly, what's the point in us dressing in these rather than the rags we're wearing now?"

Marrin will pick the dress that is nearest to current fashion and easiest to remove. While she's looking she'll ask, quietly, of Gertrude,

"Do you have anything like what your mother has around? Something she might wear? If so, can you set it aside somewhere I can get to?"

((Can Marrin lift a sharp table knife or scissors?))

Avaria manages to squeeze her way into a ruffled, pale yellow dress; tight across the shoulders and hangs like a tent from there. But it doesn’t smell. The clothing that fits Marrin more closely resembles a traditional tavern serving outfit: a grey dress with a dark, corseted overdress.

Ethel finds her clothing to be the closest to actually fitting. There’s a linen undersmock with a forest green, floor length gown to go over top.

When you’ve dressed and returned to the main room of the Amorous Octopus, the bartender does her best not to laugh, particularly at Avaria and how obviously uncomfortable she is in these clothes.

You see a couple of goblin servants have appeared and are performing a last second clean of the main room.

Gertrude takes a breath before speaking. “Good good.”

She signals to the guards at the front entrance to open up.

The next thirty minutes to an hour is a buzz of activity as guests filter in and you’re kept busy delivering drinks and snacks.

Ships captains and first mates, quasi black market merchants, and the like fill the room. There are about twenty guests. Included in this group are your old friends Captain Percival and First Mate Lozredak from the Rose Marie, drinking in at a corner table. Captain Percival raises a mug in Marrin’s direction and then laughs.

On the other side of the main room you see two lizardfolk seated and in deep conversation with William ‘Father’ Hargrove.

Drusus, the hobgoblin guard captain sticks his head in at one point but doesn’t stay long.

From glimpses through the doorway, you can see the lower ranked guest drinking in the main area near the axebeak roast.

Gillian Hargrove finally arrives and makes her way to her reserved table. She waves Ethel over to join her.

“Sit, sit. Now tell me. Where are you from? And where did you get those scars?”

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In the caverns there has been no sign of guards since Avaria, Marrin and Ethel were escorted upstairs.

Haguur’s impatience has reached a new limit. He now openly carriers a sword, and has put on leather armour. The sight of the weapon is causing whispers among some of the other prisoners.

“We need to go now,” he says to Jan.

Hammerdasher frowns at the visible sword but he shakes his head. "Have we waited long enough?"

Marrin - there are knives at the bar - nothing as lethal as a dagger but sharp enough to use as a weapon

((Any response from Trudy to Marrin's question?

Marrin is looking to cut clothes off, not people up.))

Marrin will return the Captain's gesture with a wide smile, toothy smile more akin to baring her teeth.

Marrin watches mamma Hargrove's movements and listens as best she can to the way she talks.

Avaria struggles with the tightness of the dress, so wanting to rip it so she could at least move!  These frocks were ridiculous.  The whole thing puts her in a grumpy mood.  She doesn't mind serving the others, other than the ones from the Rose Marie, she tries to avoid them as much as possible.

When she finds a moment near Gertrude without others looking on, she whispers, "Do you know when or how we are going to get out of here?  I don't think we ever discussed that part of the plan.  Are we going to escort you somewhere?"  and then more under her breath than anything, "Gotta get Ethel out from under your mother's claws..."

Ethel smiles politely and deferentially to Gillian Hargrove.  "Everywhere, I could say.  In my youth I handled the finances for a trading house and traveled the realms with them.  And these?  A tale of no consequence.  An accident born of inexperience in my early magical training," she answers, evading the first question and lying in response to the second.  She will not discuss her private loss with this hag.

"What about all this?" she asks in turn, gesturing with her scarred hand at the Amorous Octopus and implying all that lay beyond.  "Was this fantasy island built from scratch by you and your husband?  Or did you... inherit it?"

Ethel is hoping to find that Gillian is the type that loves to talk about herself, freeing her up to listen and learn, as well as watch for a sign from Avaria and Marrin.  She also notices Mr. Hargrove and his lizardfolk dinner guests.  Were those the same he had been meeting with when we last saw him in the arena?  Are those more pirates?  Business partners?  What is so important about them that they can monopolize the time of one of the masters of this place?

She lets that thought go for now, as she has her hands full entertaining the other master right here....

“My, um, my mother has plenty of, er, clothes,” Gertrude says to Marrin. “Lots that are, ah, like what she has now. But I never, ever, go in her, um room.”

Gertrude looks clearly uncomfortable about Avaria’s question about what comes next.

“I don’t know,” she finally says quietly. “Harry said you’re clever. Once the wine, um, er, flows, you’d um figure a way to um, help your friends from below.”

And indeed the food and wine does flow freely. Platters of roast axebeak and other foods, much better than the rotting vegetables you’ve been getting come to the tables.

Harry Dodd’s appears later but he stays clear of the three of you and Gertrude.

Gillian smiles at Ethel as she speaks, but whether she’s aware or not that Ethel really didn’t answer her question, she doesn’t let on.

“William and I used to make our living at sea, but that’s dangerous work,” Gillian begins. “And very uncomfortable. We always thought there should be somewhere we can safely enjoy ourselves and our wealth. So we came up with this. There were a few caves here but we expanded them. You know it’s probably time to expand them more. It’s starting to feel cramped. And I think we can start thinking about a manor up top too.”

She looks more closely at Ethel.

“Finances, eh?” she says, finally registering what Ethel said. “That could be very useful.”

Ethel’s focus on the lizardfolk at the table with William Hargrove makes her certain these are the same two she saw before.

Lizardfolk are much harder to read than other humanoids, maybe it’s the lack of lips. But these two appear tense.

Godrick Hargrove finally enters the tavern, his dark robe flowing around him as he moves. He sneers slightly at the drunken chaos before making his way to his father and the lizardfolk.

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Down below, the orcs have gathered at the entrance door, looking to Haguur for direction. Haguur ignores them and looks to Jan.

Jisthelek smiles and nods.

“Time to go?” the goblin asks. He then disappears into the goblin cavern.

The others in the cavern start whispering to each other, seeing the armed orcs.

Avaria's stomach growls as she takes in the scent of the roasted axebeak and the rest.  Trying to focus on her duties, and not her stomach after eating rotten vegetables for days was difficult.  She ignores Dodds as he enters and is a bit frustrated by Gertrude's answer.

As Godrick comes in and joins his father, she tries to eavesdrop on what they are discussing as she serves them and others if they draw her attention.  Not sure if it will help, but at least distract her from her stomach.

She peeks out to the group beyond the Octopus and wonders if they are supposed to serve them as well?  She heads over to Marrin, "If we could all be out in the other area serving at the same time, maybe we can slip away when it gets loud enough?  Any ideas on getting Ethel away from Gillian?  Hopefully she starts boring the woman cause all I see is constant chatter."

Avaria - stealth roll please.

Oh boy…

Stealth  12

Avaria gets reasonably close to the Hargrove - Lizardfolk table.

She hears the elder, William Hargrove say to what you for some reason think is the senior lizardfolk.

"Irhtos, your queen is being unreasonable, I -" William Hargrove says, but before he says more, Gordick rests a hand on his arm. Godrick then looks into Avaria's eyes. "Bring more wine. And make sure to keep your hair out of it."

The two lizardfolk don't say anything but they do look at Avaria intently.

Marrin smiles at Gertrude refusal to get her clothes, acting like she heard good news,

"You help out here and you'll not have to worry about her. You don't have to actually get me her clothes, just very similar. Hells, you could tell a guard to take me there to get something for her and I'll figure it out."

Persuasion: 21 (min 18)

In the meantime she'll serve at tables, sliding a carving knife into a sleeve or boot while she is clearing tables.

Avaria makes it her mission to make sure that Godrick and William Hargroves table is never low on wine as she works what she can of the room, trying to keep the wine flowing.  The whole situation was new to her and she wasn't sure how to gauge when was going to be a good time to slip away.  And was Gertrude coming with them or meeting them at Dodd's shop.  So many questions!!  She was getting angry with herself on the poor planning of the whole situation and was hoping Ula and Jan were fairing better than them.

She brings her next bottle over to Gillian, "Things going well, ma'am?"

Marrin  - Stealth roll for knife appropriation please

Gertrude looks from Marrin over to the table where here mother sits, more or less ignoring other guests to focus on Ethel, then back to Marrin.

"Maybe, um, maybe, Harry has something," Gertrude says. "Bring him, er, this plate of, um, food and ask him."

Gertrude slides a plate of pickled herring and turnips across the bar to Marrin.

Meanwhile, every time Avaria gets close to the Hargrove boys and the lizardfolk conversation quiets down immediately. While she hasn't been able to make out what they're saying, and with these being the first lizardfolk she's been up close to so she can't read their moods, she is definitely picking up that William and Godrick may be arguing over something and the lizardfolk are getting caught in between.

When Avaria gets to Gillian's table, the Hargrove matriarch looks up at her question, looks at Avaria for a moment, then looks away and back to Ethel.

"Now tell me," Gillian says to Ethel, "have you been up top yet? I say stone makes the most sense, but William says wood would be easier to work with for a manor."

The noise from outside the tavern, where the non-VIP ship's crews are celebrating gets louder and more boisterous. You can all make out shouting and cursing and what sounds like fighting.

Many inside the tavern look up but after a moment return to their conversations when they here the very loud and angry voice of Drusus Skull-Skewer, the hobgoblin guard leader, barking orders.

((Oops, post never posted.))

If Jan judges that it's been long enough, and Ula is wearing the armor, she'll nod and pull the key from Ethel's book, tucking the tome away for safekeeping, and making sure she has all the components she needs.

She will turn to the Ula and the leaders of the orcs and goblins, giving them a grin, before turning to Xanthe. "We've spent out last night in these pens, there's a plan, and we have support. I need to do somethings first, but once they way is clear, we'll head for the ships. If any wish to vent their anger on the guards or the Hargrove's, I'll not begrudge them that, but we've probably got a narrow window... I know you want to protect everyone, but getting out from under the Hargroves is the only way to protect them long term, otherwise you're just delaying the inevitable. This IS happening, and I hope you take the opportunity. If you don't want to take it, any of you can return here and lock the door behind us, but no one will be coming back for you."

Her piece said, she casts layers of illusion on herself, her appearance changing incrementally from the blond elf they know to a bulky hobgoblin in armor matching their guards. Best to do it slowly so give those assembled a chance to realize it's still just her. 

"I can't speak the language, and this is the best I can do at copying their tone, but if there's ever a question whether I'm me, or one of them... I hope to be wearing the real one soon.", she says, holding up a palm where the illusion of the set stone of her ring glimmers, having been twisted around the finger... or at least apparated in that orientation.

She pulls the key from Ethel's book, tucking the tome away for safekeeping, her hands seeming to penetrate into her flesh and she makes a mental note to avoid such interactions once there's unfriendly eyes on her. "We move quiet to the second door, if there's no guard on the other side, I'll be able to spring it quick and we can take the guardpost. If it's occupied, we'll have to get creative. Can you or one of yours scout it out?", she asks Jisthelek.

"Once we breach it, do you have a couple you trust not to run off to fight before we're ready? We'll want to guard against any coming back down from above while we hit the prep rooms for the arena and get more weapons and gear.", she asks Haguur.

SoH/Stealth: 15

Marrin lifts the food and heads over to Harry and places the food down in front of him and leans in to fill his drink, whether he needs it or not and whispers,

"I need some clothes that are something that Gillian would wear, can you make that happen?"

Marrin tries to use the yelling as cover.