As people start heading towards the inn, a young elven woman with wavy, dark red hair clad in the silvery scale mail of Elventree's guard (but sans helmet) comes out of it, and swiftly approaches Umbra.
"Good evening miss, I am Fennel Moss, personal Page and assistant to Lady Elanil Elassidil. As you may have heard, I have another one of her... personal letters, that she would like to once again be delivered to uh... a friend of hers in Hillsfar." the woman says, shifting her eyes nervously to the side when she emphasizes certain words, which shows that she's not quite as experienced in innuendo as she probably hopes she is. Shortly afterwards, she reaches into her travelling cloak, and withdraws an almost, but not quite official-looking letter, sealed in wax stamped with Elanil's personal slanted half-moon symbol in one hand, and a small pouch which jingles slightly in the other, and offers both to Umbra. "Something for your trouble..." Fennel explains, as she tries to hand over the pouch.
(Sharp-eyed folks will notice that the clasp on the cloak Fennel is wearing is a stylized harp)
"By the way,"he says after Halethar speaks, "I'm riding with these two. But we'll discuss our travelling plans after we all get some rest. If anyone needs help finding the inn, I am heading there myself. Oria and Durgan, I'll see you two in the mornin'. I'm looking forward to a dwarven breakfast!"
Thurgar accepts the coin graciously. "Me thanks, me thanks," he replies as he stows the bag without counting it "but dinnea think that me axes be departin'. I signed up for th' whole trek, an' th' whole trek I shall take! I'll be takin' yeh up on that offer o' a bed, though...an' th' Dwarven breakfast, 'course that goes without sayin'!" He let out a belly laugh, imagining the hearty food awaiting him in the morning. Turning to follow Raymond, as he had no idea where the inn was, he noticed Umbra strolling off.
"I see yeh be friends with th' caravan, eh?" he says to Raymond as they start moving toward the inn, "this lot seems teh know what they're aboot. How'd yeh come teh meet 'em?"
Aldarin takes the gold with a polite nod. "I thank you, and I am happy to continue on. Aside from your safety, I'm curious now what these creatures in the forest are up to. The rest is very welcome as well."
OOC: This is a halberd if anyone wasn't sure what is looks like. Ray's is very similar to this, but without the frill near the blade and with a leather wrapped shaft.
"I see yeh be friends with th' caravan, eh?" Thurgar says to Raymond as they start moving toward the inn, "this lot seems teh know what they're aboot. How'd yeh come teh meet 'em?"
As the group starts walking toward the inn, Ray glances around at them and says in an easy manner, "As I said earlier, I am originally from the east, from Impiltur. I made my way west, travelling with caravans and then on a ship, where I sought to make my fortune in Hillsfar. After arriving naught but six months ago, I was outside the city walls, getting a lay of the land when I heard sounds of battle. I rushed over to see the caravan under attack with a lone orc harassing the two young dwarves while the main battle raged further on. I met the orc in single combat and narrowly defeated him." He says this last sentence with a snarl of hatred.
His face softens once again and then continues. "After that experience and after speaking with Halethar there, I found out that my skill set,"he says as he momentarily plunks the end of the halberd in the ground like a walking stick, "was quite suitable for making coin and protecting travelers between here,"pausing andraising his left arm across the hamlet and the docks before continuing, "and Hillsfar. By the way, you all have me at a disadvantage. What are your names? I like to know the people I will be fighting alongside. If what we've been hearing is correct, I think we'll be doing a fair bit of that, eh?"
Umbra stops and listens to the woman with a raised eyebrow. She then nods with a smile and says loudly. "Of course we can deliver this for you. That's what a caravan does after all." She takes the letter and the payment.
" By the way, you all have me at a disadvantage. What are your names? I like to know the people I will be fighting alongside. If what we've been hearing is correct, I think we'll be doing a fair bit of that, eh?"
"Yeh have the right of it there, Raymond. Sounds teh me like yeh'll do jess fine, iffn' yeh faced down an orc," Thurgar clapped Raymond on the shoulder in approval. "Me name's Thurgar Bakebean, though a cook I ain't, mush teh me da's chagrin. I tend teh be th' one at'll bring down the game as opposed teh th' one cookin' it. The lass up ahead be Umbra, tho' I be knowin' little o' her 'cept she's good in a fight and quick wit' th' wit. The mannered fella with the pointy ears be Aldarin, but don' be fooled. I seen 'im step up to a drow wit' that staff o' 'is, an' crack one o'er th' head." Thurgar realized he was rambling like his days after a hunt, sitting near the fire with a party and fresh meat on the spit. "Beggin' yer pardon, but the excitement o' the battle muss still be flowin' in me veins, an' runnin' me mouth! Methinks it be time to hit the hay, as it were."
Having neared the inn, Thurgar nodded, shifted his pipe in his teeth and hustled his pace toward the door in search of a room.
Raymond stood in the entryway of the inn while the others made their arrangements. After the last of them were taken care of, Ray went up to the innkeeper, fished out his coin purse and made his usual weekly payment. Turning back toward any of the group that has not retired he says, "I'll be turning in for evening to get a good start on the 'morrow."
The Caravan Leaders seem relieved that most of the adventurers that were hired seem content to stay for now, and begin walking towards the Inn alongside the party. Kaylessa and Merrok split off however, with Merrok going to bunk with some of his old guard friends in their barracks, and Kaylessa choosing to sleep outside near the Wagon and Carts to keep an eye on them. Fennel Moss seems satisfied with Umbra's assurance that the "personal letter" will be delivered safely, and returns to the Inn ahead of everyone else.
The Inn is built in a rustic style, with walls made of irregular stone bricks accented by wooden beams. Despite this though, it is easily the largest building at the Lighthouse aside from the Lighthouse itself, and attests to the hamlet's need to house a large number of itinerant travelers rather than provide shelter for permanent residents. As the party enters the rectangular wooden double-doors, they see a cheerily lit interior, illuminated by sealed, oil-burning lanterns and a large hearth on the west wall. Well-built wooden furniture covers the floor, with tables and chairs in the dining area, and benches for sitting or resting on almost every wall. The Innkeeper, a dark-skinned middle-aged human woman with streaks of gray in her tightly rolled braids nods to Raymond as he arrives, and takes his payment. "Thank you for your payment, Mr. Raymond." the woman says with a light Calishite accent, nodding in acknowledgement to Raymond. "Your room is ready for you whenever it pleases you to retire."
For those who are used to travelling to this Inn whether frequently or infrequently, one thing stands out highly unusual compared to the normal goings-on at the Inn...
Drow. Brown-cloaked Drow swarm the Inn. Every other table, most of the benches, even the comfortable padded longseats by the fireplace are filled with brown-cloaked Eilistraee Drow, who seem to be using the Inn as their personal barracks and staging area. Fennel Moss appears to be slouched over, holding her head in one hand, while leaning against a support pillar with the other. As the party enters, she looks up, with a strained, chagrined expression on her face and turns to face them. "Yes uh... I don't know if anyone in town has mentioned this to you all yet, but due to certain.... preparations we've been making... they're letting the Drow out of the tunnels again. In numbers." she explains haltingly, with a note of tangible exasperation in her voice.
Taking a moment to sweep her eyes over the party again, Fennel bites the foreknuckles of her right hand anxiously as he eyes widen sharply. Letting a soft, but high pitched nervous squeal she quickly turns to Umbra and tries to grab her by the shoulders. "Quickly, hide your menfolk. QUICKLY!"the woman whispers harshly, shifting her eyes sideways to glance at the men in askance, particularly Aldarin and Halethar.
Before anyone can do anything further however, a group of tall Dark-Elven women are on the scene, leering at all of the male newcomers with an obvious mix of lust and glee, poring their eyes over every inch of their faces and bodies, even Thurgar. "My-my!" the tallest one intones in a low-pitched, throaty voice. "What do we have here. New meat, fresh from Elventree?" she inquires quizzically, playfully bringing the tip of her fingernail to her lip. One of the thinner, lithe looking ones with particularly dark skin flashes the rest of the girls with her a mischievous grin, then sidles deftly over towards Aldarin when she feels that he's not looking, and attempts to give him a playful pinch... in a perhaps, less than appropriate spot. (Which he can easily dodge if he likes)
"Oh, what's this? A woodsy looking Dwarf?" one of the shorter women (but still unusually tall for an Elf) coos, as she (quite intentionally) leans over at the waist to look at Thurgar. "Are those taught muscles I see from running and climbing in the forest all day?" she practically exhales, reaching to try and grab and feel the Dwarf's arms without even bothering to stop and ask for permission. (And again, Thurgar can pull away)
Another Drow female, wearing a much more greyish shade of Piwafwi, approaches Halethar with a thin smile on her face, playing with her long, silver braid in one hand as she walks over. "Halethar, have you come to see me again? Did you come to your senses and finally dump that wrinkling, rivthiir cow and decide to mate yourself to a real woman?" the woman enunciates in a pleasant, sophisticated way that's completely at odds with the words she's saying. The woman finally notices Elessa standing slightly behind the very nervous-looking Halethar and scowls.
(Note: Rivthiir is an impolite Drow term for Half-Elf)
Behind everyone, the sound of the double-doors opening and closing can be heard, and Durgan and Oria seem to have vanished.
(OOC Note: Since Zingbob's officially quit and made no remarks about wanting to rejoin, and AlienLlama's also probably out, did you want to recruit 1 more player to keep numbers up, or continue on as-is? Right now, I'm planning to have the Caravan Leaders get at least one more person (if not two) to make up for Belview leaving in light of the Goblin attack. These would be NPC's if you don't want more players.)
(If you guys want to keep numbers low for logistical or other reasons though, I can scratch all that and keep the number of guards at 6 (Aldarin, Raymond, Thurgar, Umbra, and Kaylessa / Merrok) and just say that it's okay because patrols are going out from the lighthouse to keep the road to Hillsfar safe)
Thurgar had never really been sure of himself around Dwarven women, but he was sure he didn't want anything to do with a Drow female. "Beggin' your pardon, miss...ahh" he trailed off, caught off guard by the gratuitous display of cleavage as the Drow bent forward to get a closer look at him, "er...righ', then. Apologies, but me bones 'n all else be weary from defending 'gainst a ferral Warg an' 'bonimations that dinnea smell too nice, so ah be needin' a bed 'n a basin to wash up a bit before ah be partakin' in any...ahh....activities."
He backed away as he spoke, making for the door that would lead him to the rooms. The Dwarf's mind reeled, scrambling for a polite way to excuse himself as he noted just how many Drow they were surrounded by, yet he still could not help but boast a little of his kills. His experience with the Dark Elves had been mixed over the years, and most folk certainly did not trust them, but in his particular situation, it seemed best not to offend anyone. He gave a quick bow, adjusted his pipe, still unlit, to the other side of his mouth, and moved off.
OOC: I'm okay with keeping the party as is without adding another NPC for you to manage. Don't want you to get over burdened, too! Plus with four of us posting regularly, we should be able to keep things moving along at a good pace.That said, if everyone else wants to add a player or NPC, I have no objections. I just see benefits to keeping things as they are.
Side note, I changed up Thurgar's mode of speech. I realized the accent I was actually trying to pull off was a pain in the butt to type, and probably equally as painful to read. It never "sounded" correct anyway.
Aldarin is overwhelmed with the scene, trying to take in the sight of so many Drow in one place. His dealings with them have been extremely limited in his past adventures. He doesn't notice the drow woman come up from behind to pinch him. Startled, he let's out a muffled yelp, and turning to see the woman grinning at him, Aldarin turns beet red. He quickly tells his companions, "You know, on second thought, I think I'd rather sleep outside... under the stars and trees. Farewell, and good night. I shall see you in the morning." Before they can respond, he turns to the innkeep, orders some food and drink to go, and beats a hasty retreat out of the building.
"Quickly, hide your menfolk. QUICKLY!"the woman whispers harshly, shifting her eyes sideways to glance at the men in askance, particularly Aldarin and Halethar.
Umbra raises an eyebrow in bewilderment. Her expression turns into a frown as the drow women approach the men.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding here, ladies." She flashes her teeth in a wicked grin. "You're not nearly as desirable as you think you are."She shrugs mockingly. "Turns out you can't be very sensual without being consensual. So maybe try to first ask nicely next time."Her hand comes to rest on the hilt of her rapier. "That lessons was for free. The next might cost you something."
OOC: I wouldn't mind another player but I don't think it's a necessity to the point of requiring another NPC.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
After proclaiming his desire to head off to his room, Raymond pauses to contemplate the scene before him. He chuckles softly as the women fairly throw themselves at Aldarin, Thurgar and Halethar. Having passed through this "gauntlet" earlier he realized he forgot to mention this wrinkle to his new companions.
"Halethar, have you come to see me again? Did you come to your senses and finally dump that wrinkling, rivthiir cow and decide to mate yourself to a real woman?" the woman enunciates in a pleasant, sophisticated way that's completely at odds with the words she's saying.
However, at the mention of the drow's disparagement of Elessa, he steps forward next to Umbra and thumps the butt of his weapon on the floor. "Ladies, we have urgent business in the morning and we don't need any distractions. You've had your fun. Now leave my companions to their rest." he says sternly then adds in a softer voice, "You wouldn't want to displease your Mistress, now would you?"
I figure I should try a persuasion roll to keep this from escalating: 15
OOC: I'm OK with the group composition we have now, but if the encounters or challenges you have in mind would be better suited for a larger party, another player or NPC could be helpful. And as far as the persuasion check goes, I don't know if it will help or not. I don't want to start a fight, but Ray's sense of honor kind of forces him into standing up for Elessa.
Another edit. I didn't realize that fixing the negative 1 in the die roll would re-roll it. The original value was an 11, which should be a 10.
The Drow woman accosting Thurgar looks disappointed at his response, but nonetheless backs away, respecting his wishes, and allows him to proceed to his room. The thin girl who pinched Aldarin covers her mouth as she giggles as she attentively watches him leave, but doesn't pursue. At Umbra's mention of consent, several of the women seem to startle briefly, but quickly recover their composure. It seems that the human woman's warning about asking first seems to have them more bothered than her more physical threat.
At Raymond's attempt at diplomacy, the tallest woman raises an eyebrow and turns to quietly whisper with the rest of the females for a bit and then turns back to give Raymond a friendly, if lurid smile. "Yes, sweet Raymond. You are quite correct. Matron Mother wouldn't wish us to tire ourselves out when we're to spend all day long searching for stray Goblins, Demons, and some of the less friendly members of our kind." she replies in a relaxed, yet stately tone, practically undressing the young human with her eyes the way she's leering at him.
The elegant-looking grey-cloaked Drow woman frowns and tries to take a step forward, but stop as the tallest woman snakes her arm out and bars her way. The tall woman looks to the other and shakes her head silently, and the grey-cloaked drow bites her lip and turns away, but not before giving Halethar one more passing glance over her shoulder. With that, the gaggle of Drow Females disperses, and spread themselves out amongst the other Dark Elves gathered throughout the inn. From the way they immediately begin drawing attention and taking charge of the groups they settle into, it seems that they're leaders or commanders of some sort. Perhaps nobles even, given the fact that on closer inspection, it can easily be seen that they're dressed more nicely and have finer decorations than most of the other Drow at the Inn.
The Innkeeper (who was apparently looking the party's way the whole time) gives an apologetic nod, and gestures towards the available rooms for anyone who wishes to stay. Elessa and Halether make their way out and join Durgan, Oria, and Kaylessa at the carts and wagon to camp out, but there's plenty of space for those who wish to stay.
(OOC: With that, everyone can take a long rest and get ready for the morning. If you want to stay up and RP a bit, I don't mind however. As for recruiting more members, I agree that it's not really necessary, especially since I've noticed from experience that having only 3-4 players makes games go a LOT faster, whereas having 5 or more makes it much more likely that someone's going to slow things down.)
(Also, while we're taking a break, let me ask everyone if they'd like to use a modified version of the Concentration rules for spellcasting in the 5e rules. I'm not used to it, but am willing to use them as written if everyone agrees, but think that they're a bit too finicky and require a lot of book-keeping for a lot of combat situations, and would prefer to only roll for concentration checks on hard controls and critical hits. Otherwise, it's too easy to disrupt something like Hunter's Mark or other ongoing Concentration spells, and waste a spell slot, and it also slows things down because you need to make a concentration roll everytime you get hit. What does everyone think of this?)
OOC: I'm fine with trying the modded version, if you want to give it a go. I have also seen Concentration treated as "you can't cast any other spells while concentrating on this" which is a bit hampering at later levels, but gets the job done in a post-based game. Rolling on crits or certain situations makes sense since I can imagine a nasty hit rattling one's brain a bit. Also, Thurgar chooses to just go to sleep.
As the tall drow woman responds and gives him the once over, Raymond suddenly tries to become smaller than his over six foot frame. "Well, um... Okay..." Raymond stammers. He wasn't expecting that. "At least we're on the same page when it comes to our enemies..."he trails off as the women disperse. He returns the innkeeper's nod, gives a slight bow to Halethar and Elessa as they leave, and turns to the rest of the group and says, "I will be retiring. I hope we all get some well deserved rest."With that he goes to his room.
OOC: I'm fine with using the modified concentration rules.
(OOC: Windows 10 Creator's Update hit my PC unexpectedly and totally trashed my Windows Installation. My PC will be down for a while so there'll be some delays in posting.)
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As people start heading towards the inn, a young elven woman with wavy, dark red hair clad in the silvery scale mail of Elventree's guard (but sans helmet) comes out of it, and swiftly approaches Umbra.
"Good evening miss, I am Fennel Moss, personal Page and assistant to Lady Elanil Elassidil. As you may have heard, I have another one of her... personal letters, that she would like to once again be delivered to uh... a friend of hers in Hillsfar." the woman says, shifting her eyes nervously to the side when she emphasizes certain words, which shows that she's not quite as experienced in innuendo as she probably hopes she is. Shortly afterwards, she reaches into her travelling cloak, and withdraws an almost, but not quite official-looking letter, sealed in wax stamped with Elanil's personal slanted half-moon symbol in one hand, and a small pouch which jingles slightly in the other, and offers both to Umbra. "Something for your trouble..." Fennel explains, as she tries to hand over the pouch.
(Sharp-eyed folks will notice that the clasp on the cloak Fennel is wearing is a stylized harp)
Thurgar accepts the coin graciously. "Me thanks, me thanks," he replies as he stows the bag without counting it "but dinnea think that me axes be departin'. I signed up for th' whole trek, an' th' whole trek I shall take! I'll be takin' yeh up on that offer o' a bed, though...an' th' Dwarven breakfast, 'course that goes without sayin'!" He let out a belly laugh, imagining the hearty food awaiting him in the morning. Turning to follow Raymond, as he had no idea where the inn was, he noticed Umbra strolling off.
"I see yeh be friends with th' caravan, eh?" he says to Raymond as they start moving toward the inn, "this lot seems teh know what they're aboot. How'd yeh come teh meet 'em?"
Aldarin takes the gold with a polite nod. "I thank you, and I am happy to continue on. Aside from your safety, I'm curious now what these creatures in the forest are up to. The rest is very welcome as well."
OOC: This is a halberd if anyone wasn't sure what is looks like. Ray's is very similar to this, but without the frill near the blade and with a leather wrapped shaft.
As the group starts walking toward the inn, Ray glances around at them and says in an easy manner, "As I said earlier, I am originally from the east, from Impiltur. I made my way west, travelling with caravans and then on a ship, where I sought to make my fortune in Hillsfar. After arriving naught but six months ago, I was outside the city walls, getting a lay of the land when I heard sounds of battle. I rushed over to see the caravan under attack with a lone orc harassing the two young dwarves while the main battle raged further on. I met the orc in single combat and narrowly defeated him." He says this last sentence with a snarl of hatred.
His face softens once again and then continues. "After that experience and after speaking with Halethar there, I found out that my skill set," he says as he momentarily plunks the end of the halberd in the ground like a walking stick, "was quite suitable for making coin and protecting travelers between here," pausing and raising his left arm across the hamlet and the docks before continuing, "and Hillsfar. By the way, you all have me at a disadvantage. What are your names? I like to know the people I will be fighting alongside. If what we've been hearing is correct, I think we'll be doing a fair bit of that, eh?"
Raymond Xarrut (pic)
Umbra stops and listens to the woman with a raised eyebrow. She then nods with a smile and says loudly. "Of course we can deliver this for you. That's what a caravan does after all." She takes the letter and the payment.
"Yeh have the right of it there, Raymond. Sounds teh me like yeh'll do jess fine, iffn' yeh faced down an orc," Thurgar clapped Raymond on the shoulder in approval. "Me name's Thurgar Bakebean, though a cook I ain't, mush teh me da's chagrin. I tend teh be th' one at'll bring down the game as opposed teh th' one cookin' it. The lass up ahead be Umbra, tho' I be knowin' little o' her 'cept she's good in a fight and quick wit' th' wit. The mannered fella with the pointy ears be Aldarin, but don' be fooled. I seen 'im step up to a drow wit' that staff o' 'is, an' crack one o'er th' head." Thurgar realized he was rambling like his days after a hunt, sitting near the fire with a party and fresh meat on the spit. "Beggin' yer pardon, but the excitement o' the battle muss still be flowin' in me veins, an' runnin' me mouth! Methinks it be time to hit the hay, as it were."
Having neared the inn, Thurgar nodded, shifted his pipe in his teeth and hustled his pace toward the door in search of a room.
Raymond stood in the entryway of the inn while the others made their arrangements. After the last of them were taken care of, Ray went up to the innkeeper, fished out his coin purse and made his usual weekly payment. Turning back toward any of the group that has not retired he says, "I'll be turning in for evening to get a good start on the 'morrow."
Raymond Xarrut (pic)
To the Inn
The Caravan Leaders seem relieved that most of the adventurers that were hired seem content to stay for now, and begin walking towards the Inn alongside the party. Kaylessa and Merrok split off however, with Merrok going to bunk with some of his old guard friends in their barracks, and Kaylessa choosing to sleep outside near the Wagon and Carts to keep an eye on them. Fennel Moss seems satisfied with Umbra's assurance that the "personal letter" will be delivered safely, and returns to the Inn ahead of everyone else.
The Inn is built in a rustic style, with walls made of irregular stone bricks accented by wooden beams. Despite this though, it is easily the largest building at the Lighthouse aside from the Lighthouse itself, and attests to the hamlet's need to house a large number of itinerant travelers rather than provide shelter for permanent residents. As the party enters the rectangular wooden double-doors, they see a cheerily lit interior, illuminated by sealed, oil-burning lanterns and a large hearth on the west wall. Well-built wooden furniture covers the floor, with tables and chairs in the dining area, and benches for sitting or resting on almost every wall. The Innkeeper, a dark-skinned middle-aged human woman with streaks of gray in her tightly rolled braids nods to Raymond as he arrives, and takes his payment. "Thank you for your payment, Mr. Raymond." the woman says with a light Calishite accent, nodding in acknowledgement to Raymond. "Your room is ready for you whenever it pleases you to retire."
For those who are used to travelling to this Inn whether frequently or infrequently, one thing stands out highly unusual compared to the normal goings-on at the Inn...
Drow. Brown-cloaked Drow swarm the Inn. Every other table, most of the benches, even the comfortable padded longseats by the fireplace are filled with brown-cloaked Eilistraee Drow, who seem to be using the Inn as their personal barracks and staging area. Fennel Moss appears to be slouched over, holding her head in one hand, while leaning against a support pillar with the other. As the party enters, she looks up, with a strained, chagrined expression on her face and turns to face them. "Yes uh... I don't know if anyone in town has mentioned this to you all yet, but due to certain.... preparations we've been making... they're letting the Drow out of the tunnels again. In numbers." she explains haltingly, with a note of tangible exasperation in her voice.
Fresh Meat?
Taking a moment to sweep her eyes over the party again, Fennel bites the foreknuckles of her right hand anxiously as he eyes widen sharply. Letting a soft, but high pitched nervous squeal she quickly turns to Umbra and tries to grab her by the shoulders. "Quickly, hide your menfolk. QUICKLY!" the woman whispers harshly, shifting her eyes sideways to glance at the men in askance, particularly Aldarin and Halethar.
Before anyone can do anything further however, a group of tall Dark-Elven women are on the scene, leering at all of the male newcomers with an obvious mix of lust and glee, poring their eyes over every inch of their faces and bodies, even Thurgar. "My-my!" the tallest one intones in a low-pitched, throaty voice. "What do we have here. New meat, fresh from Elventree?" she inquires quizzically, playfully bringing the tip of her fingernail to her lip. One of the thinner, lithe looking ones with particularly dark skin flashes the rest of the girls with her a mischievous grin, then sidles deftly over towards Aldarin when she feels that he's not looking, and attempts to give him a playful pinch... in a perhaps, less than appropriate spot. (Which he can easily dodge if he likes)
"Oh, what's this? A woodsy looking Dwarf?" one of the shorter women (but still unusually tall for an Elf) coos, as she (quite intentionally) leans over at the waist to look at Thurgar. "Are those taught muscles I see from running and climbing in the forest all day?" she practically exhales, reaching to try and grab and feel the Dwarf's arms without even bothering to stop and ask for permission. (And again, Thurgar can pull away)
Another Drow female, wearing a much more greyish shade of Piwafwi, approaches Halethar with a thin smile on her face, playing with her long, silver braid in one hand as she walks over. "Halethar, have you come to see me again? Did you come to your senses and finally dump that wrinkling, rivthiir cow and decide to mate yourself to a real woman?" the woman enunciates in a pleasant, sophisticated way that's completely at odds with the words she's saying. The woman finally notices Elessa standing slightly behind the very nervous-looking Halethar and scowls.
(Note: Rivthiir is an impolite Drow term for Half-Elf)
Behind everyone, the sound of the double-doors opening and closing can be heard, and Durgan and Oria seem to have vanished.
(OOC Note: Since Zingbob's officially quit and made no remarks about wanting to rejoin, and AlienLlama's also probably out, did you want to recruit 1 more player to keep numbers up, or continue on as-is? Right now, I'm planning to have the Caravan Leaders get at least one more person (if not two) to make up for Belview leaving in light of the Goblin attack. These would be NPC's if you don't want more players.)
(If you guys want to keep numbers low for logistical or other reasons though, I can scratch all that and keep the number of guards at 6 (Aldarin, Raymond, Thurgar, Umbra, and Kaylessa / Merrok) and just say that it's okay because patrols are going out from the lighthouse to keep the road to Hillsfar safe)
Thurgar had never really been sure of himself around Dwarven women, but he was sure he didn't want anything to do with a Drow female. "Beggin' your pardon, miss...ahh" he trailed off, caught off guard by the gratuitous display of cleavage as the Drow bent forward to get a closer look at him, "er...righ', then. Apologies, but me bones 'n all else be weary from defending 'gainst a ferral Warg an' 'bonimations that dinnea smell too nice, so ah be needin' a bed 'n a basin to wash up a bit before ah be partakin' in any...ahh....activities."
He backed away as he spoke, making for the door that would lead him to the rooms. The Dwarf's mind reeled, scrambling for a polite way to excuse himself as he noted just how many Drow they were surrounded by, yet he still could not help but boast a little of his kills. His experience with the Dark Elves had been mixed over the years, and most folk certainly did not trust them, but in his particular situation, it seemed best not to offend anyone. He gave a quick bow, adjusted his pipe, still unlit, to the other side of his mouth, and moved off.
Aldarin is overwhelmed with the scene, trying to take in the sight of so many Drow in one place. His dealings with them have been extremely limited in his past adventures. He doesn't notice the drow woman come up from behind to pinch him. Startled, he let's out a muffled yelp, and turning to see the woman grinning at him, Aldarin turns beet red. He quickly tells his companions, "You know, on second thought, I think I'd rather sleep outside... under the stars and trees. Farewell, and good night. I shall see you in the morning." Before they can respond, he turns to the innkeep, orders some food and drink to go, and beats a hasty retreat out of the building.
Umbra raises an eyebrow in bewilderment. Her expression turns into a frown as the drow women approach the men.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding here, ladies." She flashes her teeth in a wicked grin. "You're not nearly as desirable as you think you are." She shrugs mockingly. "Turns out you can't be very sensual without being consensual. So maybe try to first ask nicely next time." Her hand comes to rest on the hilt of her rapier. "That lessons was for free. The next might cost you something."
After proclaiming his desire to head off to his room, Raymond pauses to contemplate the scene before him. He chuckles softly as the women fairly throw themselves at Aldarin, Thurgar and Halethar. Having passed through this "gauntlet" earlier he realized he forgot to mention this wrinkle to his new companions.
However, at the mention of the drow's disparagement of Elessa, he steps forward next to Umbra and thumps the butt of his weapon on the floor. "Ladies, we have urgent business in the morning and we don't need any distractions. You've had your fun. Now leave my companions to their rest." he says sternly then adds in a softer voice, "You wouldn't want to displease your Mistress, now would you?"
I figure I should try a persuasion roll to keep this from escalating: 15
Raymond Xarrut (pic)
The Drow woman accosting Thurgar looks disappointed at his response, but nonetheless backs away, respecting his wishes, and allows him to proceed to his room. The thin girl who pinched Aldarin covers her mouth as she giggles as she attentively watches him leave, but doesn't pursue. At Umbra's mention of consent, several of the women seem to startle briefly, but quickly recover their composure. It seems that the human woman's warning about asking first seems to have them more bothered than her more physical threat.
At Raymond's attempt at diplomacy, the tallest woman raises an eyebrow and turns to quietly whisper with the rest of the females for a bit and then turns back to give Raymond a friendly, if lurid smile. "Yes, sweet Raymond. You are quite correct. Matron Mother wouldn't wish us to tire ourselves out when we're to spend all day long searching for stray Goblins, Demons, and some of the less friendly members of our kind." she replies in a relaxed, yet stately tone, practically undressing the young human with her eyes the way she's leering at him.
The elegant-looking grey-cloaked Drow woman frowns and tries to take a step forward, but stop as the tallest woman snakes her arm out and bars her way. The tall woman looks to the other and shakes her head silently, and the grey-cloaked drow bites her lip and turns away, but not before giving Halethar one more passing glance over her shoulder. With that, the gaggle of Drow Females disperses, and spread themselves out amongst the other Dark Elves gathered throughout the inn. From the way they immediately begin drawing attention and taking charge of the groups they settle into, it seems that they're leaders or commanders of some sort. Perhaps nobles even, given the fact that on closer inspection, it can easily be seen that they're dressed more nicely and have finer decorations than most of the other Drow at the Inn.
The Innkeeper (who was apparently looking the party's way the whole time) gives an apologetic nod, and gestures towards the available rooms for anyone who wishes to stay. Elessa and Halether make their way out and join Durgan, Oria, and Kaylessa at the carts and wagon to camp out, but there's plenty of space for those who wish to stay.
(OOC: With that, everyone can take a long rest and get ready for the morning. If you want to stay up and RP a bit, I don't mind however. As for recruiting more members, I agree that it's not really necessary, especially since I've noticed from experience that having only 3-4 players makes games go a LOT faster, whereas having 5 or more makes it much more likely that someone's going to slow things down.)
(Also, while we're taking a break, let me ask everyone if they'd like to use a modified version of the Concentration rules for spellcasting in the 5e rules. I'm not used to it, but am willing to use them as written if everyone agrees, but think that they're a bit too finicky and require a lot of book-keeping for a lot of combat situations, and would prefer to only roll for concentration checks on hard controls and critical hits. Otherwise, it's too easy to disrupt something like Hunter's Mark or other ongoing Concentration spells, and waste a spell slot, and it also slows things down because you need to make a concentration roll everytime you get hit. What does everyone think of this?)
As the tall drow woman responds and gives him the once over, Raymond suddenly tries to become smaller than his over six foot frame. "Well, um... Okay..." Raymond stammers. He wasn't expecting that. "At least we're on the same page when it comes to our enemies..." he trails off as the women disperse. He returns the innkeeper's nod, gives a slight bow to Halethar and Elessa as they leave, and turns to the rest of the group and says, "I will be retiring. I hope we all get some well deserved rest." With that he goes to his room.
Raymond Xarrut (pic)
(OOC: Windows 10 Creator's Update hit my PC unexpectedly and totally trashed my Windows Installation. My PC will be down for a while so there'll be some delays in posting.)