The Long Road - Game Thread

(female halfling) "She lives around here... I'm Frankie Frogsleap. Mannered folk would state their names and their intents when entering a new neighborhood. We're trying to make this a safer place to live, and if you mean any harm to Mugrub, you would best be moving on."

Jorin sheaths the moonblade after the Halfling replies to Hildi and says, "I am Jorin, of the Bodt, and we mean no one harm."

(orc) "I be Irontusk. You still not say why you here. "No harm" not a reason."

(hobgoblin) "Greetings from Artemis. My neighbor is a bit uncouth, but he has a point. Besides myself, you are the fanciest folk to visit the Square in a while, which makes you and your reason for being here a curiosity."

(Frankie) "The gang wars are dangerous enough, and that was before the recent murders. Our safety is more important to us than your privacy."

Pascal raises a hand, “Bonjour, my name’s Pascal LaRoux. My friend Hildigrim Halflinglastname here is a collector and heard that your friend had recently acquired a fancy antique key. So, we decided to help him come down here to buy the key.”

"Smelledapickle," Hildigrim says quickly after Pascal. He smiles. "Hildigrim Smelledapickle."

OoC - LOL!

"Yes, it is a dangerous place, as you well know.  We mean no one harm, but we mean to keep harm from our friend here."  Jorin says.

Irontusk is not amused. "You think you funny, halfling? You tell me what makes this key so special, I willing to forget your little joke... Maybe I first tell you how I got these scars..."

Artemis to Irontusk: "Not another 'how I got these scars' story... You should tell by looking at them, they aren't going to be frightened of your bed-time story. If they do not want to say why the key is so important, I am sure that Mugrub will share that information with us. Especially after she knows how much they want it, before they start their price negotiations."

(You get the feeling that these two may get along as neighbors, but they have different agendas. You are reminded that almost everyone down here either works for the Xanthars, or with one of the rival gangs, or sometimes all of the above.)

Frankie: "If we help you, maybe you help us? I hear that adventurers like noble causes, doing right by the common people. Maybe you could stop the murders around here."

Pascal raises another hand, “If it is any consolation, mine wasn’t a joke. I couldn’t remember his las- GOODBODY! That was it.”

JC had forgotten, but suddenly remembered as he typed.

Quillary sighs, and she'd put her weapons away except she never got them out. "We are doing a favor for someone," she waves vaguely in Hildi's direction, but not committing to it completely. "But to do that favor we must do a favor for someone else," she waves at the natives. "And then we have to haggle a price for all these favors? It makes me want to have a drink."

Quote from Mingofaust >>

"And then we have to haggle a price for all these favors?"

(Artemis the hobgoblin): "Your friend Mr. LaRoux said you were here to buy a key. A task you created for yourselves should not be a cause for whinging."

(Irontusk the orc): "Mugrub has trouble finding own house keys. Don't know how she get hands on 'fancy antique key', or how you hear she have it from your far-away, well-do Waterdeep home. Maybe you explain some of dat?"

Jorin folds his arms across his chest, "At least killing murders would be fun, my blood is still up from those bugbears.  Better than all this talking getting us no where."

OoC - that is purely an in-character, Jorin, statement.  GuiltySparc is enjoying this exchange.

Quote from Guiltysparc >>

"At least killing murders would be fun, my blood is still up from those bugbears.  Better than all this talking getting us no where."

Artemis: "Oh, so you have heard news about the murders?"

When that draws a puzzled look from Jorin, the hobgoblin continues. "I guess that was a coincidence. The latest and third victim (that we are aware of) was a bugbear who ran a protection racket on the Square. He murdered a duergar in public for back-talking her... With his demise a few days ago, Frankie and the others were able to expel the rest of his social circle, and invite in more gentlemanly homeowners ... He was the former resident of my new home. A few work associates and I are doing repairs, as this bugbear was not a good housekeeper."

OoC - Who murdered the duergar, the bugbear?  And then the bugbear was murdered by an unknown someone?

Quote from Guiltysparc >>

OoC - Who murdered the duergar, the bugbear?  And then the bugbear was murdered by an unknown someone?

(OOC: Yes, the bugbear racket-boss killed a duergar in public. Then was a victim by this killer who has everyone spooked... You might wonder why they are certain about this, since the killer is unknown, but your characters haven't asked questions up to now.)

To Irontusk, Hildigrim begins, "Funny? But my last name is —" But then he's overrode by Pascal yelling his actual last name. The halfling stops talking and facepalms.

Pascal blinks with his lizard lids.

(OOC: Even if Pascal didn't give it away, these guys were not buying "Smelledapickle".

They may not have Hildi's Insight, but they aren't Moe the bartender from the Simpsons.)

“Well, you know who killed the deep dwarf,” Quillary says. “So that’s just one unsolved murder. Are there more?”

Quote from Mingofaust >>

“Well, you know who killed the deep dwarf,” Quillary says. “So that’s just one unsolved murder. Are there more?”

Frankie: "As Artemis mentioned" (in post 3499) "that is the 3rd one... that we are aware of...

"The first was a wererat slum lord, whose tenants found themselves plagued by rats anytime they asked for repairs. The second was a half-drow doctor. Or should I say, so-called doctor. That many patients dying, makes me suspect he was a fraud... The third was the mentioned bugbear."

Artemus: "I might have gotten a glimpse of the killer. There was a tall, cloaked figure with gloves skulking around here, at the time the murders started. A few of my house renovators got too close to this figure, and refuse to work here anymore. They didn't see any details, but they were frightened anyways... Some of the neighbors think this killer is a hero, with the three victims being less than beloved. I think it is just a matter of time before he (she? it?) kills someone we actually care about."

Irontusk (with a ghoulish glee): "The scavengers got the bodies, so not much info. But all had in common... no head. Sharp blade, neck slice, body bye bye head... Best way to stop speak with dead, heh heh."

Jorin holds up a hand, "Wait.  One _victim_ was a slum Lord, another was a doctor who killed people, and the other was a murderous bugbear.  These were the victims, yes?  It seems like we should recruit this unnamed murder into our adventuring party..."