Having been quietly sampling the various dishes spread before them, Utar decides to fully grasp the nettle.
"We also came across something you might be interested in, Dornal. During our investigation we discovered a book of lineages detailing lines of the noble houses of the city."
Utar pauses to allow the book to be handed over.
"It seems that a merchant in the city is trading using the name of one such house despite not being part of said house."
Obsben had been in much as the same boat as Utar, having decided to or simply neglect to correct Dornal on her status once the array of scrumptious goodies hit the table! For though loathe to miss an opportunity to spin a tale, she remained yet a halfling at heart, and thus not want to ignore second breakfast! To do otherwise once such hit the table would've been sacrilege! But, she would grudgingly spare a moment to clean her hands right quick before taking out and offering the book to Dornal.
"He offered to pay us quite handsomely for discretion in its return. But you have the quite the noble compatriots here, Dornal. Friends who I certainly hope you'll see fit to return the kindness in turn, if every the day comes."She tacks on as well, before returning to demolish the broiled toad with as much lady-like grace as a hammer beating a sword into shape.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"Oh yeah?" Dornal seems interested indeed. Then, when Utar first mentions the impersonation of a noble, the dwarf goes silent. His facial expression turns sour and serious. His intense stare is only interrupted by Obsben, when she hands over the book. He takes and begins to leaf through it (only after cleaning his own hands the old fashioned way.) He listens to the halfling's follow up comment and agrees, though only with a stern nod. When he moves his lips again, he only says a single word: "Who?"
He is still going over the book, but since a name has not been revealed yet, he is looking at each entry with a detective's purpose in his eyes.
"May he rest in peace." Dornal speaks solemnly and sincerely when Utar mentions Keef. The dwarf then joins Graxx in silent contemplation as he flips through the book less patiently, evidently looking for the entry on House Lamarck. He finds it and nods along with Neya when she mentions the long-standing nature of this case of identity theft.
A moment of awkward silence follow, before Dornal breaks it himself. "This is a crime of the highest order, though most wouldn't care to investigate. Who would be willing to denounce a noble and go against them on their word alone? The Lords' Alliance will do what others won't to maintain order. We will not stand for such an affront. The current representative of House Lamarck may bear no direct culpability for decisions made by his ancestors, but he was clearly aware of the falsehood of his claim and should have taken the proper steps to regularize his situation."
Dornal stands up and begins collecting his belongings. "I will depart now. This claim must be double and triple checked. Justice shall be dealt. Any income illegally appropriated by the false House Lamarck on behalf of their original members shall be returned to the people of Phlan. I'll see to it."He then looks at each CRAPer for a moment and adds: "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. If I held you in the highest esteem before, you have now broken that ceiling. Stay and enjoy the food and drink. From now own, your adventuring party may consider my private dining room at the Velvet Doublet yours as well. You shall eat and drink in here at no cost to you, and any meeting you choose to have here shall be veiled in secrecy or spotlighted as you see fit. I'll make the proper arrangements with the staff."He gestures to the space around him: "My work space is at your disposal."
Dornal then breathes a deep breath as if to punctuate his announcement and simultaneously say farewell for now. He leaves the dining room with purpose. You have never seen this dwarf walk as tall and as straight as he does now.
(OOC: The group is welcome to stay and enjoy themselves as you see fit. What is the next step once that is done, though? Seranolla?)
Having spent the better of the meeting stuffing her face, Obsben finally leaned back in her seat licking her fingers as Dornal. "Now that-..." She starts to say, only for the rest to come out as a healthy belch that warranted some belly pats after which. "Oo~ 'xcuse me." She says, then lets out a satisfied sigh. "But that most certainly hit the spot. Seeing as how the rest of you have plenty more to go though, I'm certainly not in much of a hurry... Though Utar, if you have the magic to spare, probably best to notify your contact with the enclave about visiting them, assuming such is possible today." Obby reminds the half-orc.
While waiting for the others to finish up, she then sees to cleaning herself up a bit [Tooltip Not Found], though pauses at some point at a thought."You know I'd had half expected the reward to be something more extravagant. But instead, that Dornal fellow looked out for your future instead... CRAP has made some good eggs here." She further comments on offhandedly.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Obsben talks as the group enjoys the meal provided to them. It is hard to compete with Dornal's appetite and thirst, but Obsben gives it a good shot. The dwarf is no longer in the room, so he might yet be convinced later that Obsben beat him.
At some point, the conversation turns to the topic of the next item in CRAP's to-do list. Utar is asked to reach out to Seranolla wit his magic, should he be able to do so.
Knowing that Seranolla is unlikely to remember him Utar composes his message out loud, counting the words out on his fingers as he verbally edits and re-edits the message on the fly.
"Seranolla. Utar. One of Aleyd Burrall's old comrades. We fought Claugiyliamatar together. Big news for the enclave. Rythnax is slain. Hope you are well."
He looks for a nod from the others before sending.
There is a bit of silence in the psychic link, but a warm voice eventually responds.
@Utar:
"He must have been the one upsetting the marsh's balance. Thank you Utar, friend of Aleyd. I will send you a gift through the Captain."
Apart from the direct response, Utar gets little more from Seranolla for now. He gets the impression the enigmatic forest gnome said what she wanted to say. She gives Utar no time frame regarding the gift.
(OOC: Anything else on the to-do list before having supper at the Brokengulf Estate?)
The chance to relax in a private room well-furnished with food and drink gives CRAP a chance to chill out in a different environment than the one they are used to. In here, they are isolated from the troubles in Phlan while simultaneously being in one of the most recognizable establishments in the city. The strange privacy within the chaos gives the party the sense they might be in the eye of the storm. In this setting, the group loses their sense of time for a bit. Most of the afternoon goes by with the CRApers enjoying each others' company and giving both Sagin and Mar a break.
Soon, it will be time to leave for the Brokengul Estate.
(OOC: Please fell free to retroactively RP anything you;d like during this lazy, indoors afternoon.)
Around about the time the party are ready to depart for either straight to the estate, or return home to freshen up a little more before making the trip, they step out in time to see a familiar halfling and mastiff pair striding towards the building the party had just exited out. Both appear to have seen better days just judging by the haggered look on their faces. Yet as soon as they look eyes on most of the party, their faces light up with either relief or excitement. With a mighty "BOOF!", the furry mastiff immediately charged the group, causing his companion to stumble forward a bit. Thankfully, the halfling is able to catch himself. Whether the case is the same for Utar after having a thick bodied dog nearly the same height of a human on when normally on all fours is another thing entirely.
But if given half the chance, Biscuit eagerly licks at the half-orcs face, replacing any traces of the afternoon meal with plenty of saliva. "Seems I underestimate just how much me brother missed ya guys."Doozey admits with a chuckle to his voice as he approached the group. Once up close, the group see not much had changed about the halfling since the last saw him apart from a few bags under the eyes. That, and his normally barely kept together curly mess of hair had grown much longer, and was pulled back into a set of twin pigtails behind the base of his head. After his nose twitched a bit, Doozey sniffs at the air near the closest party member before adding, "Seems I missed quite the lunch."
As all of that is going on, Obsben contented herself staring at Doozey with a subtle hint of mischief on her face. Doozey, however, appears not to have even noticed his fellow halfling yet, as all eyes were on the taller members of the party.
Graxx excuses himself for a moment, needing to stretch his legs and catch some fresh air. If he got an answer or a sign from his god this time, it shall remain a mystery. Tempus is not a talkative kind of god, Graxx knew that quite well. Under the eyes of Tempus, deeds speak louder than words. If the barbarian-paladin's newest weapon wasn't enough proof of that, then nothing would be.
By the time he comes back inside, the rest of the party is getting ready to depart. It is a slow exit, considering all the last bites and swigs taken, as well as the last few bits of storytelling needing a proper conclusion. When it doesn't look like Obsben is about to start another tale, the group agrees they should properly go back home to refresh a bit and think of an excuse for the eventual affront they will cast on the Brokengulf House by not eating much at the offered supper. How could they, after stuffing their faces at a Dornal-sized feast?
But this afternoon still has one more surprise for them. Doozey and his mobile zoo are back! The group's other favorite halfling looks a bit older, if not wiser, but that is probably just the longer hair playing tricks on the CRAPers' eyes.
(OOC: Such a reunion! I have to pause here and watch all the characters' reactions 😊)
Hearing the "BOOF!" long before he sees the dog, Utar attempts ready himself, setting his feet , readying his hands and ends up in a clumsy muddle underneath a large and excitable mastiff.
"I'm pleased to see you too, Biscuit!" Utar attempts to deflect a bit of the dog's saliva but at this point is pretty resigned to getting a pretty severe licking and gives the mastiff a good few rubs and pats of his own. Struggling up to a sitting position, Utar adds a welcome for Doozey. "It is good to see you too, Doozey. You look like you could do with a good meal. We've likely seen off this one, but we've another planned for tonight if you fancy?"
Pausing a moment, Utar gets his footing back and releases Biscuit to greet the other CRAPpers. "Introductions are in order too! Obsben, this bedraggled halfling is Doozey. Fully flegded member of CRAP. Doozey, this well-fed weaver of stories is Obsben, I guess she's been your understudy while you've been away."
"It is wonderful to see you, again, Doozey," Neya says. "Have we some stories for you. And I assume you have some for us, considering the reason for your departure?"
Reunited with Doozey and, at least temporarily, having five humanoid members, CRAP returns to the Leadstopper Residence for some catching up and propers introductions.
(OOC: Feel free to retroactively RP this reunion a bit more. For now, I'll move onward.)
LATER THAT EVENING
The arrival at the Brokengulf Estate had been uneventful. The Noble House's retinue had been informed of the invitation extended to CRAP and are swift with their admittance. Reentering the manor is always a bit strange, given how the group's first foray into the building had been as infiltrators.
Regent Ekmong receives the group at the central dining room this time. The long table is well furnished with plenty of exquisite food. Although there is more than enough food here for all who are sitting at the table, the amount of it all does not get close to what Dornal had served in the earlier impromptu meeting at the Velvet Doublet. The menu includes:
Braised weasel with almonds, juniper berries, and elderberries, served with a side of sliced plectranthus, cooked pea, and blackberries.
Stir-fried thick rice and poultry with celtuce and oregano, served with a side of steamed tomatoes, cooked common bean, and avocados.
Slow-roasted lamb leg with cloves and fennel, served with a salad of diced lentil and bananas, deviled eggs, and bagels with creamy beer cheese.
Fried acorn noodles with plum. Served with mustard pie, focaccia with jam, burdock soup, and poached eggs.
Salted fish with horseradish and chives on a bed of diced cabbage and gooseberries, served with canna soup and ajowan seeds pie.
Frog legs with cassia buds, palm nuts, and bay leaves on a bed of cooked ivy gourd and peaches, served with palm nut pie and cornbread.
Ekmong greets you with all of the pomp and circumstance that might be demanded from visitors who are of noble birth. That said, it doesn't take long for the well-dressed tiefling to talk business: "So, tell me, heroes, you have slayed a dragon!"
(OOC: As before, please tell me what you are sharing with Ekmong, or what you are specifically leaving off your tale.)
Graxx looks down at his new Weapon and proof of deed. It seems his next path is determined.
**Upon Doozey's Return!**
Graxx bellows out upon seeing Doozey and Biscuit.
"By Tempus! Doozey you have returned! Ah, so much has happened with us and I'm sure the same for you."
Graxx gives Doozey a smiling looking over.
"Looks like you're all whole! Great to see you again!" Graxx exclaims.
** At Ekmongs**
Graxx's mouth waters at the Lamb option and this is certainly what he will have.
Graxx shares the tale of the battle once more with more enthusiasm than even before now that he has had some practice telling the tale. Graxx makes sure to make eye contact with Doozey (Assuming Doozey comes to Ekmongs) to involve them in the storytelling as well as Ekmong.
"Oh you three don't know the half of it." Doozey let out a sigh of exasperation and shook his head. "But good to see ya again Mr. Graxx, Ms. Neya, and you as well, Mr. Utar! And as far as dinner plans go, I certainly wouldn't mind joining ya." He said in the brief lull in conversation. Once wrestled/set back on the ground, Biscuit happily went about sniffing, boofing, and wagging his tail as he went about getting reacquianted with the rest of the party. Thougoh around about the time Utar is introducing Obsben, Biscuit had paused to stare at her with his head cocked to side in confusion.
Doozey, on the other hand, after a bit of a start over having missed his fellow halfling at first, began to grin and utter a greeting, only to pause and squint at Obsben. Seeing that, Obsben's gave a wider smile and playful wave. Yet rather than set the stoutling at ease, his eyes suddenly widen with fear and recognition! However, just as he's about to say something, within seconds Obsben had closed the distance and placed a finger on his lips. "No, no, no~ We wouldn't want to say anything we'd regret now, would we?"Doozey grimaces, and briefly shoots a glance up at the party before slowly nodding in agreeent.
"Hm~ Good boy." She pets his head, ruffling his hair a bit, and then spins on her heels with a clap of her hands and faces the party. "Right~ Onward to dinner then."Without missing a beat, Obby began practically skipping away, intending to lead the procession. Both Doozey and Biscuit share a worried look. But as neither had the courage to say or do anything more, Doozey gives the party an awkward but what he'd hope was a reassuring smile while gesturing for the party to follow after Obby. "Guess we follow Mrs. Obsben then... Mn -- Oh! I 'fore I forget. I was talking with Ms. Seranolla earlier in hopes to find out how things with the Fey Lord was going in my absence, and she gave me these to give to you guys. Doozey then digs outa set of six Superior potions of healing in the form of bottled herbal concoctions and offers them to whoever happened to be closest during the walk. "Think she mentioned it be a reward or somethin', but honestly I... was a bit distracted at time."
Having completed the delivery, Doozey is happy to slip into companionable silence and listen to whatever tales the party may wish to share over the course of the journey. But if prodded further, he'd answer any questions the party might have regarding his findings or travels.
At Ekmongs:
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You guys slayed a dragon while I was away?!" Doozey exclaimed, forgetting all about the spread of food arrayed on the table that he'd been staring at for the past minute. Biscuit, on the other hand, never breaks eye contact with the frog legs, and just licks his chops in excitement.
Having been quietly sampling the various dishes spread before them, Utar decides to fully grasp the nettle.
"We also came across something you might be interested in, Dornal. During our investigation we discovered a book of lineages detailing lines of the noble houses of the city."
Utar pauses to allow the book to be handed over.
"It seems that a merchant in the city is trading using the name of one such house despite not being part of said house."
Obsben had been in much as the same boat as Utar, having decided to or simply neglect to correct Dornal on her status once the array of scrumptious goodies hit the table! For though loathe to miss an opportunity to spin a tale, she remained yet a halfling at heart, and thus not want to ignore second breakfast! To do otherwise once such hit the table would've been sacrilege! But, she would grudgingly spare a moment to clean her hands right quick before taking out and offering the book to Dornal.
"He offered to pay us quite handsomely for discretion in its return. But you have the quite the noble compatriots here, Dornal. Friends who I certainly hope you'll see fit to return the kindness in turn, if every the day comes." She tacks on as well, before returning to demolish the broiled toad with as much lady-like grace as a hammer beating a sword into shape.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"Oh yeah?" Dornal seems interested indeed. Then, when Utar first mentions the impersonation of a noble, the dwarf goes silent. His facial expression turns sour and serious. His intense stare is only interrupted by Obsben, when she hands over the book. He takes and begins to leaf through it (only after cleaning his own hands the old fashioned way.) He listens to the halfling's follow up comment and agrees, though only with a stern nod. When he moves his lips again, he only says a single word: "Who?"
He is still going over the book, but since a name has not been revealed yet, he is looking at each entry with a detective's purpose in his eyes.
Year doesn't best around the bush. This is clearly important to Dornal.
"Lamarck. Agin Lamarck."
To Obsben he adds, "Dornal has already come through for us in the past, as did Keef. He is sorely missed."
As he mentions Keef, Utar makes a gesture of remembrance over his heart for the Kelemvorite.
Graxx nods in agreement at the mention of the name.
He feels a bit of pity but only for a moment.
Justice must be done.
Graxx eats mostly in silence after the telling of the tale and thinks of what the next battle may be.
"Evidently, this masquerade has been generations long," Neya says, with a face that's akin to failing at pretending she didn't bite into a bad lemon.
Extended Signature
"May he rest in peace." Dornal speaks solemnly and sincerely when Utar mentions Keef. The dwarf then joins Graxx in silent contemplation as he flips through the book less patiently, evidently looking for the entry on House Lamarck. He finds it and nods along with Neya when she mentions the long-standing nature of this case of identity theft.
A moment of awkward silence follow, before Dornal breaks it himself. "This is a crime of the highest order, though most wouldn't care to investigate. Who would be willing to denounce a noble and go against them on their word alone? The Lords' Alliance will do what others won't to maintain order. We will not stand for such an affront. The current representative of House Lamarck may bear no direct culpability for decisions made by his ancestors, but he was clearly aware of the falsehood of his claim and should have taken the proper steps to regularize his situation."
Dornal stands up and begins collecting his belongings. "I will depart now. This claim must be double and triple checked. Justice shall be dealt. Any income illegally appropriated by the false House Lamarck on behalf of their original members shall be returned to the people of Phlan. I'll see to it." He then looks at each CRAPer for a moment and adds: "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. If I held you in the highest esteem before, you have now broken that ceiling. Stay and enjoy the food and drink. From now own, your adventuring party may consider my private dining room at the Velvet Doublet yours as well. You shall eat and drink in here at no cost to you, and any meeting you choose to have here shall be veiled in secrecy or spotlighted as you see fit. I'll make the proper arrangements with the staff." He gestures to the space around him: "My work space is at your disposal."
Dornal then breathes a deep breath as if to punctuate his announcement and simultaneously say farewell for now. He leaves the dining room with purpose. You have never seen this dwarf walk as tall and as straight as he does now.
(OOC: The group is welcome to stay and enjoy themselves as you see fit. What is the next step once that is done, though? Seranolla?)
Having spent the better of the meeting stuffing her face, Obsben finally leaned back in her seat licking her fingers as Dornal. "Now that-..." She starts to say, only for the rest to come out as a healthy belch that warranted some belly pats after which. "Oo~ 'xcuse me." She says, then lets out a satisfied sigh. "But that most certainly hit the spot. Seeing as how the rest of you have plenty more to go though, I'm certainly not in much of a hurry... Though Utar, if you have the magic to spare, probably best to notify your contact with the enclave about visiting them, assuming such is possible today." Obby reminds the half-orc.
While waiting for the others to finish up, she then sees to cleaning herself up a bit [Tooltip Not Found], though pauses at some point at a thought. "You know I'd had half expected the reward to be something more extravagant. But instead, that Dornal fellow looked out for your future instead... CRAP has made some good eggs here." She further comments on offhandedly.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Obsben talks as the group enjoys the meal provided to them. It is hard to compete with Dornal's appetite and thirst, but Obsben gives it a good shot. The dwarf is no longer in the room, so he might yet be convinced later that Obsben beat him.
At some point, the conversation turns to the topic of the next item in CRAP's to-do list. Utar is asked to reach out to Seranolla wit his magic, should he be able to do so.
Knowing that Seranolla is unlikely to remember him Utar composes his message out loud, counting the words out on his fingers as he verbally edits and re-edits the message on the fly.
"Seranolla. Utar. One of Aleyd Burrall's old comrades. We fought Claugiyliamatar together. Big news for the enclave. Rythnax is slain. Hope you are well."
He looks for a nod from the others before sending.
There is a bit of silence in the psychic link, but a warm voice eventually responds.
@Utar:
"He must have been the one upsetting the marsh's balance. Thank you Utar, friend of Aleyd. I will send you a gift through the Captain."
Apart from the direct response, Utar gets little more from Seranolla for now. He gets the impression the enigmatic forest gnome said what she wanted to say. She gives Utar no time frame regarding the gift.
(OOC: Anything else on the to-do list before having supper at the Brokengulf Estate?)
The chance to relax in a private room well-furnished with food and drink gives CRAP a chance to chill out in a different environment than the one they are used to. In here, they are isolated from the troubles in Phlan while simultaneously being in one of the most recognizable establishments in the city. The strange privacy within the chaos gives the party the sense they might be in the eye of the storm. In this setting, the group loses their sense of time for a bit. Most of the afternoon goes by with the CRApers enjoying each others' company and giving both Sagin and Mar a break.
Soon, it will be time to leave for the Brokengul Estate.
(OOC: Please fell free to retroactively RP anything you;d like during this lazy, indoors afternoon.)
"I need a minute to stretch the ol' legs." says Graxx to the others.
Graxx excuses himself for a moment and steps outside.
Graxx looks around at any passers by and thinks about what a home Phlan has become to him over many tendays.
The people, the smells, the looks, the warm beds... But.. It's not home.
Graxx looks up to the Sky,
"Tempus..." says Graxx quietly.
"Tempus you have been my guiding light in this darkness called life. Please show me where next you want me to go." says Graxx.
Graxx looks back down and looks once more at his surroundings.
Graxx will then walk back inside to join the others.
Around about the time the party are ready to depart for either straight to the estate, or return home to freshen up a little more before making the trip, they step out in time to see a familiar halfling and mastiff pair striding towards the building the party had just exited out. Both appear to have seen better days just judging by the haggered look on their faces. Yet as soon as they look eyes on most of the party, their faces light up with either relief or excitement. With a mighty "BOOF!", the furry mastiff immediately charged the group, causing his companion to stumble forward a bit. Thankfully, the halfling is able to catch himself. Whether the case is the same for Utar after having a thick bodied dog nearly the same height of a human on when normally on all fours is another thing entirely.
But if given half the chance, Biscuit eagerly licks at the half-orcs face, replacing any traces of the afternoon meal with plenty of saliva. "Seems I underestimate just how much me brother missed ya guys." Doozey admits with a chuckle to his voice as he approached the group. Once up close, the group see not much had changed about the halfling since the last saw him apart from a few bags under the eyes. That, and his normally barely kept together curly mess of hair had grown much longer, and was pulled back into a set of twin pigtails behind the base of his head. After his nose twitched a bit, Doozey sniffs at the air near the closest party member before adding, "Seems I missed quite the lunch."
As all of that is going on, Obsben contented herself staring at Doozey with a subtle hint of mischief on her face. Doozey, however, appears not to have even noticed his fellow halfling yet, as all eyes were on the taller members of the party.
(@MB: Pepperidge Farm Remembers.)
(In old group PM in reference to this from a group PM when it was described Doozey being pulled away by an animal companion:
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Graxx excuses himself for a moment, needing to stretch his legs and catch some fresh air. If he got an answer or a sign from his god this time, it shall remain a mystery. Tempus is not a talkative kind of god, Graxx knew that quite well. Under the eyes of Tempus, deeds speak louder than words. If the barbarian-paladin's newest weapon wasn't enough proof of that, then nothing would be.
By the time he comes back inside, the rest of the party is getting ready to depart. It is a slow exit, considering all the last bites and swigs taken, as well as the last few bits of storytelling needing a proper conclusion. When it doesn't look like Obsben is about to start another tale, the group agrees they should properly go back home to refresh a bit and think of an excuse for the eventual affront they will cast on the Brokengulf House by not eating much at the offered supper. How could they, after stuffing their faces at a Dornal-sized feast?
But this afternoon still has one more surprise for them. Doozey and his mobile zoo are back! The group's other favorite halfling looks a bit older, if not wiser, but that is probably just the longer hair playing tricks on the CRAPers' eyes.
(OOC: Such a reunion! I have to pause here and watch all the characters' reactions 😊)
Hearing the "BOOF!" long before he sees the dog, Utar attempts ready himself, setting his feet , readying his hands and ends up in a clumsy muddle underneath a large and excitable mastiff.
"I'm pleased to see you too, Biscuit!" Utar attempts to deflect a bit of the dog's saliva but at this point is pretty resigned to getting a pretty severe licking and gives the mastiff a good few rubs and pats of his own. Struggling up to a sitting position, Utar adds a welcome for Doozey. "It is good to see you too, Doozey. You look like you could do with a good meal. We've likely seen off this one, but we've another planned for tonight if you fancy?"
Pausing a moment, Utar gets his footing back and releases Biscuit to greet the other CRAPpers. "Introductions are in order too! Obsben, this bedraggled halfling is Doozey. Fully flegded member of CRAP. Doozey, this well-fed weaver of stories is Obsben, I guess she's been your understudy while you've been away."
"It is wonderful to see you, again, Doozey," Neya says. "Have we some stories for you. And I assume you have some for us, considering the reason for your departure?"
Extended Signature
Reunited with Doozey and, at least temporarily, having five humanoid members, CRAP returns to the Leadstopper Residence for some catching up and propers introductions.
(OOC: Feel free to retroactively RP this reunion a bit more. For now, I'll move onward.)
LATER THAT EVENING
The arrival at the Brokengulf Estate had been uneventful. The Noble House's retinue had been informed of the invitation extended to CRAP and are swift with their admittance. Reentering the manor is always a bit strange, given how the group's first foray into the building had been as infiltrators.
Regent Ekmong receives the group at the central dining room this time. The long table is well furnished with plenty of exquisite food. Although there is more than enough food here for all who are sitting at the table, the amount of it all does not get close to what Dornal had served in the earlier impromptu meeting at the Velvet Doublet. The menu includes:
Ekmong greets you with all of the pomp and circumstance that might be demanded from visitors who are of noble birth. That said, it doesn't take long for the well-dressed tiefling to talk business: "So, tell me, heroes, you have slayed a dragon!"
(OOC: As before, please tell me what you are sharing with Ekmong, or what you are specifically leaving off your tale.)
**During Graxx reflection time.**
Graxx looks down at his new Weapon and proof of deed. It seems his next path is determined.
**Upon Doozey's Return!**
Graxx bellows out upon seeing Doozey and Biscuit.
"By Tempus! Doozey you have returned! Ah, so much has happened with us and I'm sure the same for you."
Graxx gives Doozey a smiling looking over.
"Looks like you're all whole! Great to see you again!" Graxx exclaims.
** At Ekmongs**
Graxx's mouth waters at the Lamb option and this is certainly what he will have.
Graxx shares the tale of the battle once more with more enthusiasm than even before now that he has had some practice telling the tale. Graxx makes sure to make eye contact with Doozey (Assuming Doozey comes to Ekmongs) to involve them in the storytelling as well as Ekmong.
Reunion Time:
"Oh you three don't know the half of it." Doozey let out a sigh of exasperation and shook his head. "But good to see ya again Mr. Graxx, Ms. Neya, and you as well, Mr. Utar! And as far as dinner plans go, I certainly wouldn't mind joining ya." He said in the brief lull in conversation. Once wrestled/set back on the ground, Biscuit happily went about sniffing, boofing, and wagging his tail as he went about getting reacquianted with the rest of the party. Thougoh around about the time Utar is introducing Obsben, Biscuit had paused to stare at her with his head cocked to side in confusion.
Doozey, on the other hand, after a bit of a start over having missed his fellow halfling at first, began to grin and utter a greeting, only to pause and squint at Obsben. Seeing that, Obsben's gave a wider smile and playful wave. Yet rather than set the stoutling at ease, his eyes suddenly widen with fear and recognition! However, just as he's about to say something, within seconds Obsben had closed the distance and placed a finger on his lips. "No, no, no~ We wouldn't want to say anything we'd regret now, would we?" Doozey grimaces, and briefly shoots a glance up at the party before slowly nodding in agreeent.
"Hm~ Good boy." She pets his head, ruffling his hair a bit, and then spins on her heels with a clap of her hands and faces the party. "Right~ Onward to dinner then." Without missing a beat, Obby began practically skipping away, intending to lead the procession. Both Doozey and Biscuit share a worried look. But as neither had the courage to say or do anything more, Doozey gives the party an awkward but what he'd hope was a reassuring smile while gesturing for the party to follow after Obby. "Guess we follow Mrs. Obsben then... Mn -- Oh! I 'fore I forget. I was talking with Ms. Seranolla earlier in hopes to find out how things with the Fey Lord was going in my absence, and she gave me these to give to you guys. Doozey then digs outa set of six Superior potions of healing in the form of bottled herbal concoctions and offers them to whoever happened to be closest during the walk. "Think she mentioned it be a reward or somethin', but honestly I... was a bit distracted at time."
Having completed the delivery, Doozey is happy to slip into companionable silence and listen to whatever tales the party may wish to share over the course of the journey. But if prodded further, he'd answer any questions the party might have regarding his findings or travels.
At Ekmongs:
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You guys slayed a dragon while I was away?!" Doozey exclaimed, forgetting all about the spread of food arrayed on the table that he'd been staring at for the past minute. Biscuit, on the other hand, never breaks eye contact with the frog legs, and just licks his chops in excitement.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.