The Long Road - Game Thread

Quote from JcAndD >>

”Mmmlo? ... Mmhy?” He says with a taped-shut mouth.

The bugbears untie the gags and the bonds, but are very "hand-on" to make sure no one in the party moves. (You still have no equipment, other than your civilian clothes.)

Quillary doesn't know who this person is. She blinks in the dim light, looking around carefully as she massages her wrists.

OOC > Does she have her cat skull? It would have been well tied into her hair... but they could have taken it out. (I ask because it is her Druidic focus, and also precious to her.)

Quote from Mingofaust >>

OOC > Does she have her cat skull? It would have been well tied into her hair... but they could have taken it out. (I ask because it is her Druidic focus, and also precious to her.)

(OOC: I would say she does. Unless, does she takes it out when she goes to sleep at night? I would guess it might be like hair pins and contact lenses, that are put to the side when sleeping.)

Quillary's facial expressions make clear that she doesn't recognize the man, but she recognizes that the rest of you do.

(I'll wait a bit longer, to see if the drivers for Hildi or Jorin want to jump in. If they are busy at the moment, I'll say that they are stunned at the situation, and move forward.)

OOC > She does not usually take the cat skull out. She's committed! :) And she doesn't fuss with her appearance much, she's just got that natural elvish je ne sais quoi goin' on.

“Master Volo?” Hildi asks, confused.

Volothamp looks slightly confused to see the bugbears removing your bonds. "Why did you have them tied up?" Bugbear: "You say bring them." Volo: "I asked you to invite them here for a job offer. I didn't say to kidnap them." The bugbear blinks a few times (does not compute), then repeats, "You say bring them."

Volo sighs, then gestures to the chairs around his table, for the Road Enders to sit down. "I apologize for the inconvenience." (Even the members of the party who admire Volo are disappointed at his half-hearted "apology". Volo can be very self-absorbed. Since he didn't see it for himself, he doesn't care to think about what you've been put through for this past day. He can be a nice, charming person, but you can imagine him saying, "you are so selfish, why don't you think about me?")

Volothamp to bugbear: "Now that they are here, you should return their equipment." The bugbears drag in a few heavy sacks and duffel bags, and dump them on the ground nearby. Volo raises an eyebrow. After a moment of stillness, the bugbears reluctantly produce one more large sack. From the noise when it hits the ground, it was full of coins, and some of your more valuable magic items. (OOC: Your inventories are intact. You can reclaim your stuff while talking with Volothamp.) You are a bit surprised, because some of this adventuring equipment wasn't with you at the Hildigrim house. These bugbears must have also broken into the mansion in Waterdeep before kidnapping your group.

Volothamp hands over a small pouch of coins to pay the bugbears. The bugbear chief doesn't look happy. Volo puts on his best sales pitch. "Yes, yes, this is only part of the full payment. I'm in the middle of some deals, which will pay off soon. Real soon. You will get the rest. Have I ever failed to pay my debts..." (the bugbear glares at him.) "... eventually? Don't worry." The bugbears depart to a smaller (gambling) room in another part of the inn, dice rattling in their hands.

Your party is left with Volo (and the bartender).

Pascal blinks a few times. “Bonjour, Volo...” He rises up, turns Volo around, and with a swipe of his adamantine dagger, gives Volo a bit more of a breeze in his pants, “There, we square, crétine.”

Spinning her cudgel nimbly, Quillary glances towards the small gambling room. “I wish to inflict some payback, but perhaps you should tell us why we are here, first.” She settles her golden eyes on Volothamp.

Jorin goes through his kit and puts his various pieces of gear back on, taking special care to look over his prized battleaxes.  He looks towards the gambling room at the same time as Quillary, grunts and spits, then back to Volo.

Hildi gasps at the lizardfolk’s treatment of the human Volo. “Pascal!” he reprimands. He moves over to stand beside the author. “This was clearly a misunderstanding. He didn’t foresee us being kidnapped ... and threatened ... and abused ... and robbed, evidently.” His voice slowly changes from explaining to understanding. He finally turns, giving Volo a look of curiosity. “Why is it you felt the need to hire brutes when a simple letter would have sufficed?” Then, suddenly remembering, “And what of the rest of my family? Were they spared? Hainard’s hairy toes, they must be frantic with worry!”

Pascal shrugs in offense, “All I did was split his pants!” He raises a finger, “Might still be a bit tipsy...”

Quote from JcAndD >>

Pascal shrugs in offense, “All I did was split his pants!” He raises a finger, “Might still be a bit tipsy...”

Volothamp is in a bit of a huff. "No need to be rude. After all, you don't appear to have any permanent injuries, so the bugbears must not have mistreated you. Besides, how was I to know that they would decide to be uncouth and kidnap you?"

Drusk: "Because you wrote a chapter in your book, describing the cruelty of bugbears?"

Volo continues speaking, as if he didn't hear Drusk. To Hildigrim: "Your family should be okay. Their actions might have been a little excessive to your group, but they would know not to cause too much trouble above in Waterdeep. Businessmen (business-halflings?) like your family fishery enjoy more protections from the law than adventurers."

Sitting back, he looks around to your whole group. "But we are getting away from what is important. Time and secrecy were of the essence. Letter delivery from Skullport to above ground was not reliable, too slow, and it could have been intercepted... I needed adventurers to recover a key that was stolen from me. I could gifted this opportunity to others, who would have been glad to help me for a mere chance at glory, but you were my first and top choice!"

He pauses to take a bite of a chicken leg, and drink from his goblet of wine. (Despite the audible grumblings of your stomachs, Volothamp is too busy speechifying to notice.)

Volo, "...you don't appear to have any permanent injuries, so the bugbears must not have mistreated you."

Quillary's grip tightens on her thumping stick, and her spores begin to swirl, but since the others seem to know Volothamp, she quells herself.

"Then, are we free to go, if we do not wish this 'chance at glory'?" she asks. But she does not make a move to leave.

Pascal rubs his thumb and forefinger together, “C’mon Volo, you know we be needing some liquid funds after all those repairs. Glory ain’t gonna fix my broken windows. What kinda coin are we talking here?”

Volothamp (being an astute fellow) is starting to suspect that your group is unhappy (maybe even angry) with the situation. Although he isn't completely sure about why you feel that way.

Drusk points to some of the food on the table. "Do you mind if we help ourselves? The bugbears were not very hospitable during the boat trip."

Volo: "Eh? The bugbears said they provided a meal, so I didn't think you would still be hungry. By all means, help yourselves." (A full belly tends to improve the mood of the listener, after all.)

Volo: "I said others would be willing to jump at the glory alone. Obviously, you are professionals... The key I found was engraved with a gold dragon. With the research I have done, I am certain it is for the entrance to Ahgharion's Tower!" He gets louder as he gets excited, but then calms himself and softens his voice.

"That is the fabulous opportunity. The key must be found. Once we have it, you will be included in any exploration of the Tower. There’s wealth there beyond your wildest dreams, my dearest friends, but we need the key first!"

You are reminded once again that Volothamp dreams and talks big, but his actual planning tends to fall short of the task at hand.

(Below is not a spoiler, but info that you would know, or would be mentioned by the party members who have lived in Waterdeep:)

As soon as the invitation is extended, Hildigrim descends upon the food. He speaks rather inconsiderately about the tower with his mouth full. After everyone endures a short dissertation on Ahghairon’s Tower, Hildigrim addresses the author, “Master Volo, is it wise to breach the tower? Why foul the legend? I never understood you to be a treasure hunter.”

Jorin grabs a piece of whichever food is nearst him and munches on it, he also takes a drought of whatever beverage is in the nearest cup, even if that happens to be Volo's.

"Thank you, my belly was quite empty."  He listens to the proposal and adds, "Ahgharion's Tower?  I heard tale of the treasures inside, it does sound like quite an adventure, and another opportunity to crush  a sorcerous foe."  He then spits on the floor.

Quillary similarly eats of the food with little regard for whose it is (or was). As she eats, and listens to the story of the tower, she chimes in. "I have seen this tower, in the west quarter of the city, though I do not know the neighborhoods. There is an intact skeleton floating in midair near it. I have seen children poking at it with very long sticks. It seems like entry is not... permitted."

OOC > Below is an excerpt from Volo's Waterdeep Enchiridion regarding the tower:

Quote from DirtyDogP >>

After everyone endures a short dissertation on Ahghairon’s Tower, Hildigrim addresses the author, “Master Volo, is it wise to breach the tower? Why foul the legend? I never understood you to be a treasure hunter.”

Volothamp nods at Quillary's words. "Yes, it is that very tower. The unusual defenses add to the mystery of the tower, and it keeps juvenile delinquents (with their long sticks) occupied instead of committing petty crimes."

To Hildigrim: "As you say, I am not a treasure hunter. But as your reptilian restauranteur and your brawling blacksmith have mentioned, treasure is part of the lure of being an adventurer. I mentioned the riches and the glory, in case there were some in your group that do not see the appeal of pure academic exploration.

"The gold key is the key to safely enter the tower. (Oho, that was a witty pun!) Legend and mystery have their place, but it is always below knowledge. There is a reason why all of my texts are always best-sellers." (That reason may have to do with bribing the publishers, but no one mentions that at this time.)

"I only have one reason to explore that tower." He puts up three fingers.

Points to the first finger. "The public is hungry to know. Not just rumors and gossip, but the cold, hard facts. And what better way to get them, but with my unbiased texts... which include coupons for discounts on some of my books that didn't sell as well, like  The Illustrated Mating Habits of the Otyugh  (an under-rated masterpiece cruelly scorned by the critics)."

Points to the second finger. "The academic researcher is a noble profession, which I gladly give back to. If more kids decide to follow my footsteps, with the shining example of a humble, modest sage becoming the most talked about people on the Material Plane, then my work was worth it."

Points to the third finger. "There are some expenses that arise due to my lifestyle researching. It is important that I can pay the laborers and the loaners who make my work possible, otherwise it would cause untold damage to the economy."

"Treasure hunter? I scoff at the idea. My only purpose is to inform the public. And to encourage people to embrace the profession of academic research. And to keep the economy going... A more noble cause would be hard to find."

As it is Volo, Hildi nods at all the right places, looks hopeful at all the right places, looks aghast at all the right places, and appears similarly silly to the others. “I apologize for my presumption. I should have known your motives would be purely academic. Of course we will help you!”