When Abishai approaches and presses him further on his skills, the gardener exclaims 'Bah! It is nothing! Any man can can trim a hedge, grow a tree, water a flower! I aim to create things that can truly flourish and live! The shape of these bushes, though instructed into that form under Brimbul's guidance, are so accurate that the hedges themselves walk the boundary between plant and beast! They are just as much a shrub-turned-animal as they are an animal-turned-shrub!' This is the first time the man has expressed any real passion or vivid emotion, though his voice is still accusatory and superior in tone, as if he's got something to prove to you, despite the fact that you complimented him in the first place.
Aralia takes a look at the walls and realises that she probably could scale them; the layered, slate grain and the gaps between the grey bricks would make the surface an ideal one to climb, full of hand and footholds. Although, as she identifies this, she also remembers that considering this is the stately home of the party's main contact, it may not be best to clamber across it looking for obscured secrets, especially under the watchful eye of the gardener. If the party really want to identify what the carving truly says, a more subtle approach would be needed.
OOC: I had tried posting Silvosh picking up Abishai by the armpits last night, which would have lifted him something like 9' up (Silvosh is 7' tall, rasing him over her head). But apparently that didn't go through :-(
Silvosh also gets curious at this point, so she rears up on her rear legs and steps forward, putting her hands on the wall to stabilize herself as she tries to read the rest of the message.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Silvosh rears up, propping her front hooves onto windowsill as she presses one palm to the wall and outstretches the other hand across the porches roof, her fingertips just barely brushing a streamer away to reveal the engraved 'M__OG____Y HOUSE -__54' before the gardener suddenly appears at her side. He seems to just appear, with no smoke or magical effects to indicate his arrival, yet he is looking up at her with an angry glare, scythe poised accusatorily as he says 'I expect Brimbul would not like you clambering on the walls and disturbing the ribbons, for whatever reason. Best you now all head inside and meet him, before you get up to anymore mischief.' He seems eager for you to now get out of his sight, even though he previously mentioned how earlier you were. [Intimidation: 18]
Abishai, impressed with the old mans swift movement is more and more intrigued with this person. He understands there is much more than meets the eye with this one. Though he decides he can't remain quite while the old man points his scythe at an ally. "Careful with that weapon old man. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, would we."Abishai wonders why the old man would be so protective of the streamers hanging everywhere.
Abishai then walks to the front door, opens it and enters the home.
Aralia gives a slight flinch as the old man seems to teleport right to Silvosh's side, scythe at the ready. All because of touching a ribbon? It makes no sense to her, but clearly the gardener could be a dangerous enemy if further provoked. Perhaps he is a bodyguard in addition to his gardening duties. Whatever the case, she moves to follow Abishai inside, seeing no reason to get into a fight over it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
| Joy - Hexblood Open Sea Paladin - Netherdeep| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep| Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia| Arkon - Goliath Champion Fighter - Hardcore DiA| Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren| Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron| Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault| Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts Manor |
'The things I do...' grumbles the gardener, as he wanders off and leaves you be. You then push open the large, mahogany doors, and get hit with a sickly sweet wave of scent, like toffee apples and candy-floss. You tentatively enter inside and find what can only be described as a hullabaloo going on in the hall. The floor is covered in all manner of multicoloured, zany rugs, which are patched together in all different shapes and sizes. The fine wood-panelled walls are lined with antique paintings, though they have been defaced with ink scribbles, along with curved and bendy mirrors, which mess with your reflection's appearance when you look into them, and also some hunting trophies, taxidermized heads of kills from long ago, though they too have been enhanced with clown makeup and red noses. There are two doors to adjoining rooms from the hall, east and west, though that is hardly the first thing you notice, since what must have once been a spiral staircase ahead of you has been replaced with a striped helter-skelter. A monochrome, elven maid, her skin the same dark grey complexion as the gardener and with raven black hair, is sweeping the rugs when you enter, and she looks up to stare at you before calling up 'Mr Caravatch, your guests have arrived!'
Suddenly, a halfling descends the helter-skelter, landing with a thump on the rug before jumping up to vigorously shake each of your hands individually. His face is broad, and his smile is so large that you would think it'd split his face in two. His 'hair' is flowing and a luscious ginger, the same shade as a clementine, though you hardly expect that it's authentic, and rather is a well-kept toupee. He's wearing an odd outfit, being some sort of leotard stretched over his round body, and it sort of reminds you of what a jester would wear. The outfit is characterised by the shiny orange and black diamonds up and down the top, and the similarly coloured striped pantaloons, the entire thing emphasised further by a generous helping of jewels and ruffles, and his knee-high stockings beneath his shiny tap-shoes. Once he has greeted you all, he falls down into peals of laughter, rolling on the ground and then leaping back up again with great enthusiasm, telling you 'Welcome! Welcome! I am so happy to meet you in the flesh! And you are early! How wonderful! The early bird gets the Balowang they say!' This jest causes him to collapses once more in a fit of cackling, before he recovers and beckons you towards the eastern door, telling you 'We shall discuss in my office, I have much to divulge!' The maid sweeping stays very stoic throughout the whole display, with some of you just catching her whisper 'Gods help me...' through gritted teeth as you follow Brimbul through.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Brimbul." Abishai responds to the halflings greeting. "Quite the place you got here." Abishai adds as he follows Brimbul into his office.
Aralia takes in the scenery and Brimbul's...eccentric behavior with a raised eyebrow. This is the one who hired them to hunt the Balowang? Not that she is going to complain, but she expected a more serious type. She heads into the office as well, watching Brimbul's behavior carefully to try to get a read on him.
Insight on Brimbul: 23
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| Joy - Hexblood Open Sea Paladin - Netherdeep| Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep| Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia| Arkon - Goliath Champion Fighter - Hardcore DiA| Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren| Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron| Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault| Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts Manor |
Ssha finds it all too much… he was from a species who liked the hardness and dampness, the dying of things not the brightening up of them….
”ssssso many trophiesssss” he does enjoy the taxidermy under the clown noses…
”and I never metssssss red headed businessssss man I didn’t like…in my experiencessssss they like coin… and making lotssssss of it… paying their cohortssssss well for their troublesssss…” implying a think or two about his expectation for good pay.
Abathax shakes his had at all this. What did he get himself into. Let's get out of this house asap he thinks
(dm would Abathax understand the precies species of the gardener and maid? I think I as a player do :P but not sure if Abathax would, maybe from earlier missions or something)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war |Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus
[I'd say that identifying the gardener and maid's race would probably be a History check if you believe Abathax may have encountered them in the past (Without spoiling, they're not native to the Material Plane or Nine Hells, and would be considered rare outside their own realm), or if you think he wouldn't have seen them, then it would be a Nature check with a higher DC! If you think you know what they are as a player, then go with that assumption and I'll trust your judgement on whether Abathax would have seen them in past missions!]
Brimbul's office is not just an office; in fact, it seems to be an amalgamation of several rooms, as it shows characteristics of a sitting room, lounge, library, and place of work all rolled into one. With this scattered focus also comes a scattered design; settees and ottomans are strewn across the room at all sorts of angles, each in different garish fabric colours and textures. The chandelier is covered in streamers like the exterior of the building, and even the back of the door as you enter has knives stuck into it, with a big red target beneath, as if somebody has been practicing circus tricks on it. The grand slate hearth to the east, choked with ash from centuries of use, is decorated up and down with all kinds of stuffed toys, attached to the chimney by little hooks on a line which is wrapped all the way around. The carpet is similarly mismatched as the rugs in the hall, and the walls are equally decorated with fanciful 'improvements' on old paintings, or with figureheads dressed up in fake moustaches and hats of all kind. The centrepiece of the room, however, is the desk to the north. It is raised nearly a whole two metres of the ground, covered in piles of papers, and looks directly through into the front windows of the house, which seem to be the only thing left untouched in this room.
Aralia keeps a close eye on Brimbul as he frolics into the room, and scrambles up onto his incredibly tall stool. His behaviour seems to be honest, as in he is definitely genuine in his delight, though he gives an unnerving sense of madness. You're unsure whether somebody so eccentric should be allowed to command as much wealth and status as he does, though you do also wonder if it was the money that made him this way in the first place. Once he is comfortably seated, he tells you 'Make yourself at home wherever you wish! We have much to discuss, so best you get snug!' Teetering forward, he pulls a stack of papers closer to him, almost obscuring him completely, however you can still very easily see him around the edges, due to how round and sparkly he is. Altogether, he appears to look like some sort of bedazzled beehive, sat way up in his chair. Once you have found a seat on any of the mismatched furniture, he clears his throat, and informs you 'We will begin with your initial briefing! I am sure you will have many a question to ask so we will work through them each and I shall educate you on everything you need to know from there! As you all know, your goal is to find, and then kill or capture, the elusive Balowang. Your reward, as I have heard some of you eager to learn, will be 1500 GP each, and a choice of one magical item from my personal vault! You may, perhaps, be wondering what is in this for me. Well, you see, long, long ago, when I was a simple hand at a local carnival, I encountered the Balowang on the outskirts of the fair!'He holds this for a second, although you are all well aware that he has met the beast before, seeing as that is what he made his fortune off. 'Now, as you know, the Balowang has a tricksome quality to it, which leaves it's beholder with only a single piece of it left in their memory! However, I, Brimbul Caravatch, was blessed with not one, not two, but THREE defining features of the beast engraved into my mind! Number 1! It is blue! Number 2! It is fluffy! Number 3! It is the most malicious, evil, blood-thirsty, carnivorous, dastardly creature to ever walk the land! That third memory is why I have tasked you with hunting it down! I have made my fortune telling my story and recounting my memories, but I have profited all I can, and now it must be vanquished! You must hunt down the beast, and kill it, or at least capture it and keep it far away from civilization, so that the public can be safe of it for ever!'
'...You must hunt down the beast, and kill it, or at least capture it and keep it far away from civilization, so that the public can be safe of it for ever!'
Abishai sits down in one of the chairs nearest the cold fireplace and takes time looking at all the trinkets on and near the mantle. As Brimbul begins to describe the Balowang, Abishai turns his attention back to the eccentric halfling. Brimbul's last sentence pricks Abishai like the point of a dagger... "What makes you say this beast is malicious and evil?" Abishai asks, somewhat deflated after Brimbul suggests the beast be kept away from civilization. "Surely if we captured it, we could tame it."
Abishai, though discouraged, still holds onto a shred of hope to capture the beast alive and profit from it's exploit.
Brimbul grimaces and responds 'When I saw it on that fateful night, it...it simply radiated malice. Its blue, fuzzy fur was slick with the blood of the performing animals it had killed, and it certainly would have murdered the nearby audience had it felt the need. If you wanted to even attempt to conquer this innate, hungering evil and tame it, then it would have to be done with impeccable care, and far away to minimise any chances of it escaping and causing havoc. Even then, I believe the beast is so vile that no training will ever make it safe to be seen by the public eye once more. Even if it may feign loyalty to a master, it may just as easily turn on it and those around it. For that reason, it must be kept away, for the good of the people.'
"Blue and fuzzy," Aralia murmurs, somewhat surprised that the creature would be so colorful, "And murderous. I remember its shadow moving of its own accord. What about the rest of you? We should try to get a clearer idea of what we are dealing with before we start the hunt."
Abishai begins to play his lute trying to recreate the melody he remembers the Balowang making. "I didn't remember so much seeing the creature as I heard it. It kinda sounded like this."
I think it would be fair to say Abathax would have had a mission on their home plane so history: 16.
"Blue you say, well what I remember are it's clear red eyes. I understand your concerns regarding people's safety. We will make sure that it won't hurt anything after we are finished."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war |Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus
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When Abishai approaches and presses him further on his skills, the gardener exclaims 'Bah! It is nothing! Any man can can trim a hedge, grow a tree, water a flower! I aim to create things that can truly flourish and live! The shape of these bushes, though instructed into that form under Brimbul's guidance, are so accurate that the hedges themselves walk the boundary between plant and beast! They are just as much a shrub-turned-animal as they are an animal-turned-shrub!' This is the first time the man has expressed any real passion or vivid emotion, though his voice is still accusatory and superior in tone, as if he's got something to prove to you, despite the fact that you complimented him in the first place.
Aralia takes a look at the walls and realises that she probably could scale them; the layered, slate grain and the gaps between the grey bricks would make the surface an ideal one to climb, full of hand and footholds. Although, as she identifies this, she also remembers that considering this is the stately home of the party's main contact, it may not be best to clamber across it looking for obscured secrets, especially under the watchful eye of the gardener. If the party really want to identify what the carving truly says, a more subtle approach would be needed.
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
Callow Sunken-Eyes: Goliath Arctic Druid: We Are Modron
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist , The Hunt for the Balowang and Surviving Tempest City!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Aralia sighs, realizing that her brawn will be inappropriate here.
| Joy - Hexblood Open Sea Paladin - Netherdeep | Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Arkon - Goliath Champion Fighter - Hardcore DiA | Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts Manor |
OOC: I had tried posting Silvosh picking up Abishai by the armpits last night, which would have lifted him something like 9' up (Silvosh is 7' tall, rasing him over her head). But apparently that didn't go through :-(
Silvosh also gets curious at this point, so she rears up on her rear legs and steps forward, putting her hands on the wall to stabilize herself as she tries to read the rest of the message.
Silvosh rears up, propping her front hooves onto windowsill as she presses one palm to the wall and outstretches the other hand across the porches roof, her fingertips just barely brushing a streamer away to reveal the engraved 'M__OG____Y HOUSE -__54' before the gardener suddenly appears at her side. He seems to just appear, with no smoke or magical effects to indicate his arrival, yet he is looking up at her with an angry glare, scythe poised accusatorily as he says 'I expect Brimbul would not like you clambering on the walls and disturbing the ribbons, for whatever reason. Best you now all head inside and meet him, before you get up to anymore mischief.' He seems eager for you to now get out of his sight, even though he previously mentioned how earlier you were. [Intimidation: 18]
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
Callow Sunken-Eyes: Goliath Arctic Druid: We Are Modron
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist , The Hunt for the Balowang and Surviving Tempest City!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Abishai, impressed with the old mans swift movement is more and more intrigued with this person. He understands there is much more than meets the eye with this one. Though he decides he can't remain quite while the old man points his scythe at an ally. "Careful with that weapon old man. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, would we." Abishai wonders why the old man would be so protective of the streamers hanging everywhere.
Abishai then walks to the front door, opens it and enters the home.
DM for Tyranny of Dragons and Phandelver and Below, two in-person campaigns that meet weekly on Friday and Saturday nights.
Aralia gives a slight flinch as the old man seems to teleport right to Silvosh's side, scythe at the ready. All because of touching a ribbon? It makes no sense to her, but clearly the gardener could be a dangerous enemy if further provoked. Perhaps he is a bodyguard in addition to his gardening duties. Whatever the case, she moves to follow Abishai inside, seeing no reason to get into a fight over it.
| Joy - Hexblood Open Sea Paladin - Netherdeep | Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Arkon - Goliath Champion Fighter - Hardcore DiA | Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts Manor |
Silvosh lets out a sheepish, "Sorry!" as she backs away from the house and drops back down to all four feet. She'll follow Abishai and Aralia inside.
'The things I do...' grumbles the gardener, as he wanders off and leaves you be. You then push open the large, mahogany doors, and get hit with a sickly sweet wave of scent, like toffee apples and candy-floss. You tentatively enter inside and find what can only be described as a hullabaloo going on in the hall. The floor is covered in all manner of multicoloured, zany rugs, which are patched together in all different shapes and sizes. The fine wood-panelled walls are lined with antique paintings, though they have been defaced with ink scribbles, along with curved and bendy mirrors, which mess with your reflection's appearance when you look into them, and also some hunting trophies, taxidermized heads of kills from long ago, though they too have been enhanced with clown makeup and red noses. There are two doors to adjoining rooms from the hall, east and west, though that is hardly the first thing you notice, since what must have once been a spiral staircase ahead of you has been replaced with a striped helter-skelter. A monochrome, elven maid, her skin the same dark grey complexion as the gardener and with raven black hair, is sweeping the rugs when you enter, and she looks up to stare at you before calling up 'Mr Caravatch, your guests have arrived!'
Suddenly, a halfling descends the helter-skelter, landing with a thump on the rug before jumping up to vigorously shake each of your hands individually. His face is broad, and his smile is so large that you would think it'd split his face in two. His 'hair' is flowing and a luscious ginger, the same shade as a clementine, though you hardly expect that it's authentic, and rather is a well-kept toupee. He's wearing an odd outfit, being some sort of leotard stretched over his round body, and it sort of reminds you of what a jester would wear. The outfit is characterised by the shiny orange and black diamonds up and down the top, and the similarly coloured striped pantaloons, the entire thing emphasised further by a generous helping of jewels and ruffles, and his knee-high stockings beneath his shiny tap-shoes. Once he has greeted you all, he falls down into peals of laughter, rolling on the ground and then leaping back up again with great enthusiasm, telling you 'Welcome! Welcome! I am so happy to meet you in the flesh! And you are early! How wonderful! The early bird gets the Balowang they say!' This jest causes him to collapses once more in a fit of cackling, before he recovers and beckons you towards the eastern door, telling you 'We shall discuss in my office, I have much to divulge!' The maid sweeping stays very stoic throughout the whole display, with some of you just catching her whisper 'Gods help me...' through gritted teeth as you follow Brimbul through.
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
Callow Sunken-Eyes: Goliath Arctic Druid: We Are Modron
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist , The Hunt for the Balowang and Surviving Tempest City!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Silvosh has seen eccentric people before, but no one this eccentric! She follows Mr Caravatch into his office.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Brimbul." Abishai responds to the halflings greeting. "Quite the place you got here." Abishai adds as he follows Brimbul into his office.
DM for Tyranny of Dragons and Phandelver and Below, two in-person campaigns that meet weekly on Friday and Saturday nights.
Aralia takes in the scenery and Brimbul's...eccentric behavior with a raised eyebrow. This is the one who hired them to hunt the Balowang? Not that she is going to complain, but she expected a more serious type. She heads into the office as well, watching Brimbul's behavior carefully to try to get a read on him.
Insight on Brimbul: 23
| Joy - Hexblood Open Sea Paladin - Netherdeep | Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Arkon - Goliath Champion Fighter - Hardcore DiA | Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts Manor |
Ssha finds it all too much… he was from a species who liked the hardness and dampness, the dying of things not the brightening up of them….
”ssssso many trophiesssss” he does enjoy the taxidermy under the clown noses…
”and I never metssssss red headed businessssss man I didn’t like…in my experiencessssss they like coin… and making lotssssss of it… paying their cohortssssss well for their troublesssss…” implying a think or two about his expectation for good pay.
Abathax shakes his had at all this. What did he get himself into. Let's get out of this house asap he thinks
(dm would Abathax understand the precies species of the gardener and maid? I think I as a player do :P but not sure if Abathax would, maybe from earlier missions or something)
"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war | Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus
"So what do you have for us?" asks Silvosh.
[I'd say that identifying the gardener and maid's race would probably be a History check if you believe Abathax may have encountered them in the past (Without spoiling, they're not native to the Material Plane or Nine Hells, and would be considered rare outside their own realm), or if you think he wouldn't have seen them, then it would be a Nature check with a higher DC! If you think you know what they are as a player, then go with that assumption and I'll trust your judgement on whether Abathax would have seen them in past missions!]
Brimbul's office is not just an office; in fact, it seems to be an amalgamation of several rooms, as it shows characteristics of a sitting room, lounge, library, and place of work all rolled into one. With this scattered focus also comes a scattered design; settees and ottomans are strewn across the room at all sorts of angles, each in different garish fabric colours and textures. The chandelier is covered in streamers like the exterior of the building, and even the back of the door as you enter has knives stuck into it, with a big red target beneath, as if somebody has been practicing circus tricks on it. The grand slate hearth to the east, choked with ash from centuries of use, is decorated up and down with all kinds of stuffed toys, attached to the chimney by little hooks on a line which is wrapped all the way around. The carpet is similarly mismatched as the rugs in the hall, and the walls are equally decorated with fanciful 'improvements' on old paintings, or with figureheads dressed up in fake moustaches and hats of all kind. The centrepiece of the room, however, is the desk to the north. It is raised nearly a whole two metres of the ground, covered in piles of papers, and looks directly through into the front windows of the house, which seem to be the only thing left untouched in this room.
Aralia keeps a close eye on Brimbul as he frolics into the room, and scrambles up onto his incredibly tall stool. His behaviour seems to be honest, as in he is definitely genuine in his delight, though he gives an unnerving sense of madness. You're unsure whether somebody so eccentric should be allowed to command as much wealth and status as he does, though you do also wonder if it was the money that made him this way in the first place. Once he is comfortably seated, he tells you 'Make yourself at home wherever you wish! We have much to discuss, so best you get snug!' Teetering forward, he pulls a stack of papers closer to him, almost obscuring him completely, however you can still very easily see him around the edges, due to how round and sparkly he is. Altogether, he appears to look like some sort of bedazzled beehive, sat way up in his chair. Once you have found a seat on any of the mismatched furniture, he clears his throat, and informs you 'We will begin with your initial briefing! I am sure you will have many a question to ask so we will work through them each and I shall educate you on everything you need to know from there! As you all know, your goal is to find, and then kill or capture, the elusive Balowang. Your reward, as I have heard some of you eager to learn, will be 1500 GP each, and a choice of one magical item from my personal vault! You may, perhaps, be wondering what is in this for me. Well, you see, long, long ago, when I was a simple hand at a local carnival, I encountered the Balowang on the outskirts of the fair!' He holds this for a second, although you are all well aware that he has met the beast before, seeing as that is what he made his fortune off. 'Now, as you know, the Balowang has a tricksome quality to it, which leaves it's beholder with only a single piece of it left in their memory! However, I, Brimbul Caravatch, was blessed with not one, not two, but THREE defining features of the beast engraved into my mind! Number 1! It is blue! Number 2! It is fluffy! Number 3! It is the most malicious, evil, blood-thirsty, carnivorous, dastardly creature to ever walk the land! That third memory is why I have tasked you with hunting it down! I have made my fortune telling my story and recounting my memories, but I have profited all I can, and now it must be vanquished! You must hunt down the beast, and kill it, or at least capture it and keep it far away from civilization, so that the public can be safe of it for ever!'
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
Callow Sunken-Eyes: Goliath Arctic Druid: We Are Modron
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist , The Hunt for the Balowang and Surviving Tempest City!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
Abishai sits down in one of the chairs nearest the cold fireplace and takes time looking at all the trinkets on and near the mantle. As Brimbul begins to describe the Balowang, Abishai turns his attention back to the eccentric halfling. Brimbul's last sentence pricks Abishai like the point of a dagger... "What makes you say this beast is malicious and evil?" Abishai asks, somewhat deflated after Brimbul suggests the beast be kept away from civilization. "Surely if we captured it, we could tame it."
Abishai, though discouraged, still holds onto a shred of hope to capture the beast alive and profit from it's exploit.
DM for Tyranny of Dragons and Phandelver and Below, two in-person campaigns that meet weekly on Friday and Saturday nights.
Brimbul grimaces and responds 'When I saw it on that fateful night, it...it simply radiated malice. Its blue, fuzzy fur was slick with the blood of the performing animals it had killed, and it certainly would have murdered the nearby audience had it felt the need. If you wanted to even attempt to conquer this innate, hungering evil and tame it, then it would have to be done with impeccable care, and far away to minimise any chances of it escaping and causing havoc. Even then, I believe the beast is so vile that no training will ever make it safe to be seen by the public eye once more. Even if it may feign loyalty to a master, it may just as easily turn on it and those around it. For that reason, it must be kept away, for the good of the people.'
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
Callow Sunken-Eyes: Goliath Arctic Druid: We Are Modron
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist , The Hunt for the Balowang and Surviving Tempest City!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
"Blue and fuzzy," Aralia murmurs, somewhat surprised that the creature would be so colorful, "And murderous. I remember its shadow moving of its own accord. What about the rest of you? We should try to get a clearer idea of what we are dealing with before we start the hunt."
| Joy - Hexblood Open Sea Paladin - Netherdeep | Kaelen - Shadar-kai Gloom Stalker Ranger - Old Keep | Lira - Half-elf Thief Rogue/Druid - Allansia | Arkon - Goliath Champion Fighter - Hardcore DiA | Teryn - High Elf Archfey Warlock - Runewarren | Zoveldra - Kalashtar Open Hand Monk - Eberron | Mavilius - Tiefling Eloquence Bard - Golden Vault | Vannithos - Shadar-kai Astral Self Monk - Von Nichts Manor |
Abishai begins to play his lute trying to recreate the melody he remembers the Balowang making. "I didn't remember so much seeing the creature as I heard it. It kinda sounded like this."
Perf: 18
DM for Tyranny of Dragons and Phandelver and Below, two in-person campaigns that meet weekly on Friday and Saturday nights.
I think it would be fair to say Abathax would have had a mission on their home plane so history: 16.
"Blue you say, well what I remember are it's clear red eyes. I understand your concerns regarding people's safety. We will make sure that it won't hurt anything after we are finished."
"grandpa" Salkur, Gnome Arti/Sorc: Forged in Chaos | Pepin, Human Arti/Cleric: Goblin horde | Mixtli, Volc Genasi Arti: Champions of the Citadel | Erix Vadalitis, Human Druid: Rising from the last war | Smithy, Human Arti: Night Ravens: Black orchids for Biscotti | Tamphalic Aliprax, Dragonborn Wizard: Chronicles of the Accursed | Doc, Dwarven Cleric (2024): Adventure at Hope's End | Abathax, Tiefling Illriger: Hunt for the Balowang | Gorin Mestel, Human Arti: Descend into Avernus