The Laughing Goblin is a large dark old tavern that, like much of Phlan, has had better times. The woodwork is worn, the plaster, once white, is now yellowed and crumbling, and the chandeliers have rusted. The furniture inside shows the signs of heavy use and the scars of various brawls.
After a few tendays handling odd jobs from Madame Freona's Tea Kettle, you enter The Laughing Goblin on a lead from Sylyra, whose contacts have assured him better work and better rumors are to be found here.
A thin human female with long, black hair is cleaning tankards behind the bar while chatting with an overweight human male in the tavern's livery sitting on a bar stool. The sounds of cooking and the strong smell of cabbage soup comes from the kitchen. At this time of day there are few guests, but it is not completely empty, with customers sitting quietly in various corners.
The common room has two floors with a large, open space in the middle containing the bar, a stage, and a large fireplace. A number of booths line the wall, and tables fill the rest of the room's open space. The only decoration in the common room is a large carved totem resembling a laughing goblin. The totem is clearly very old and is well-worn.
"Sit wherever you want," the overweight man shouts, "Except for the second floor. I'll get to you soon."
Our Party:
Arnald the Keen: Human Fighter Ola do Mari: Water Genasi Paladin Sylyra Wasanthi: Wood Elf Druid (Circle of the Shepherd) Uragum: Goliath Wizard (War Magic) Zelra Vitale: Half-Elf Rogue
Zelra leads the group to one of the booths, sitting on the inside and pulling Uragum to sit next to her. She leans back and uses his large frame to hide herself, though she has a grin on her face as she does this. "Man. No one can see me when I sit next to you, big guy."She laughs happily before turning to Sylyra, curiously. "So, you got a specific job for us or do you just know that there are some good jobs here?"
Ola - too used to attention due to her unusual coloration - did not understand Zelra's maneuvers, but shrugged and tried to take the place that could help Zelra to hide.
"Do hope you did not take on any obligations on our behalf yet, Sylyra" she noted too in her usual cool even voice, "If thous employers are too big to approach us in "Tea Kettle" they chose strange place for meeting. Nothing here screams "trustworthy"".
Sylyra pulls a chair over near the booth and sits. "I've not taken any jobs without talking to you first," he says in a "don't be daft" tone of voice. "But it was suggested to me that the Laughing Goblin would present more opportunities for us given our growing reputation." He says that last part with a bit of a satisfied grin. From inside his cloak, he pulls a dark brown wood viol and begins fiddling with the pegs, occasionally plucking the strings quietly and then making more adjustments. "Madam Freona’s was a dead end," he continues. "We needed to broaden our horizons."
OOC: How well does Sylyra know the woman and man? He's not one to get to know anybody he doesn't need to, so if you say they recognize him, but he doesn't recognize them, I'm good with that. And are we moving to the Laughing Goblin, or are we still living at the Tea Kettle?
Zelra's smile grows even bigger. "Well, if that's the case, I got a job for us. Well, potential job for us. The beacon at Sokol Keep has gone out and... uh, wait. One second."She pulls out a piece of paper, maneuvering herself so that it faces the wall and the others can't see it before reading it aloud.
"The beacon at Sokol Keep has gone out. Ordinarily I would care not for the troubles of House Sokol, blah blah blah, something about peasants, but their keep is unfortunately the first in Phlan's meager line of defense, and villages on the Moonsea have been under attack in recent days from the sea. Something needs to be done about this before the docks fall under attack, and neither House Sokol nor the Black Fist have done anything about it but accuse the other of being responsible. Gather your new "friends" and sort this situation out, and you can consider- AND that's it. That's the note." She quickly shoves it back into her pocket.
"I'll admit there isn't anything about pay in this but if we go to the Black Fist or House Sokol, I'm pretty sure they'd pay us something, right? Sounds like an important job, aye?" She looks towards the group, eyes wide and a little too eager, waiting for their response.
The large man waves Arnald's notion away, but the woman cleaning the bar calls out, "It shits, you clean it."
Contradictory to his own words, the man has no obvious desire to wait on the party, making idle conversation with the woman.
For Sylyra:
You recognize both the man and woman, though you are not sure of their names. Both of them have been working here each time you have visited The Laughing Goblin, and you have heard the woman call out to the man as "Fat Mar" on more than one occasion. The woman is who you typically speak to when asking for Olisara Lightsong.
OOC: To answer Sylyra's last question, for the time being, I'm assuming that the party is staying at The Laughing Goblin (it costs the same as Madame Freona's), though of course the characters are free to stay wherever they so choose.
Arnald has a seat with the rest of the group in time to hear Zelra share the job.
"Sounds more like charity than a job but... I'm starting to like the town. Would hate for something bad to happen if we could prevent it. Count me and Sly in."
Uragum drinks as he listens to the others. "This, sounds like... fun. No, it sounds like pirates and from what I hear is that pirates have treasure. I'm sure if we help, we can at least keep the treasure."
OOC: Are there any improvements to accommodation? Closer to important places (Temple, for example)? Is it still one room for all of us?
The Laughing Goblin looked and felt more neglectfully old than nobly vintage and without loving hometouch of Tea Kettle. Ola tried to abstract herself from surroundings and listened the readings quite intently. "If what they say in the letter is true, then this is more like a self-defence than a charity - we are still here, an attack on the town would be an attack on us too. Do they mention who is attacking villages? That could be the same forces that quenched the beacon, would be good to know who are we up against here." She though a little: "House Sokol... Do not know who is that but sounds like Lord's Alliance might. Can also talk to Black Fist. Not sure it is wise to remind them about our existence, but if they are already involved, probably better to inform them too, or, with luck, learn what they know about the situation."
OOC: The tavern does show its age, but you can each have individual rooms at The Laughing Goblin. In a way, it's like this party has "aged out" of Madame Freona's now that they have some experience in Phlan under their belt.
As the minutes pass, neither the man nor woman at the bar have yet to come to you. In addition to the employees, among the patrons in the tavern, you see a half-orc man nursing a drink in a dark corner, two halflings enjoying their lunch, three humans with ink-stained hands and shirts sharing a drink over their meal, and two female human women outfitted as mercenaries having a quiet conversation.
Sylyra produces a viol bow and draws it across the instrument in one, long note. He sounds fairly skilled in the technique, though it's not the best anyone's ever heard. After the single note, and without comment, the elf stands and walks up to the big man. "Are you Fat Mar? I was told by Olisara to talk to Fat Mar or Imizael."
The woman at the bar stifles a giggle as the large man turns a steely gaze upon Sylyra. "Markoth Hasselpond, thank you," he corrects, "How can I help you? If you are ready to order, I can be with you in just a moment."
Seeing Sylyra go speak to the man and woman at the bar, Zelra stands to follow. "I don't know a lot about House Sokol or what beacon this letter is talking about but I think I know who might."Heading over the the bar, she puts her hand on Sylyra's shoulder and address the two others. "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but you wouldn't happen to know anything about House Sokol, their beacon or the attacks on villages on the Moonsea would you? I mean, if anyone knows anything, it's usually a tavern owner or innkeep."
"I'd tell you what I knew if I thought I could get a word in edgewise with Fat Mar here," the woman at the bar chuckles. "He should keep his equally fat nose out of other peoples' business, but the man loves his gossip. Hey Fat Mar, quit your chatter and take their order, yeah? They've been here awhile, and I'm not going anywhere."
"Sure thing, Im," Fat Mar responds. The large man, despite the verbal prodding, grins as he beckons Sylyra and Zelra to join him on his way toward the rest of the party.
"So you're here for rumors?" he asks the group, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Heard a lot over the last few days. Can I get some food or drink for you before we chat? I'd recommend our famous cabbage soup, it's what most come here for. It's an old secret recipe, damn good, and comes with freshly baked bread and a piece of cheese. Otherwise, we serve a salty fish stew or our catch of the day; it's pike from the Moonsea today. We have a pretty extensive drink list, but if I were you I'd stick to light ale, stout, or the really strong stuff. The wine here is just...not particularly appetizing."
Well, if they were going to live here (a personal room was a strong argument for the change of an establishment), she could as well learn to like local food. "Pike, please, and a glass of water with another empty glass too." Ola did not bother to check Mar's reaction to her modest and eccentric request, but instead asked: "Mar, is it? We are not after the rumours per se, but happened to hear about troubles in the villages along the coast and the beacon at Sokol Keep. Have you heard anything about it?"
Imizael nods back to Sylyra, tipping an imaginary cap with a smirk.
"Nobody else feeling hungry, then?" Fat Mar shrugs, "Very well, two orders of pike, some water, some light ale, and...an empty glass. I'll be right back with you folk."
The man waddles back to the kitchen, and soft chatter fills the background for a few minutes until he returns with three glasses, setting them down on the table. "Chef is hotting up the catch of the day still, that will be out in just a moment. In the meantime..."
He pulls a chair out from an empty table nearby, spins it around and straddles it, looking a little comical with his sizeable stomach wrapping around the chair's back support.
"You know the basics then, right? The beacon at Sokol Keep hasn't been lit in a couple of days, and nobody knows why, yada yada. That place is quite old, you know. Might even be as old as Phlan. Legends say that it used to be a temple and the spirits of dead priests haunt a buried treasure beneath the keep. It's been destroyed more than once, though, if you ask me it's probably something simple like the stairs to the tower collapsing and the folks what run it can't get up there to light it."
"Now, the villages on the Moonsea...word is that a spirit ship full of monstrous pirates has been attacking them. That's what's really got people worrying. Sokol Keep's the closest thing we have to guard Phlan from the sea," Fat Mar begins.
(Sorry for delay. Zelra would definitely order a light ale and their cabbage soup as well, if we can do a small retcon of that)
Zelra listens intently as Fat Mar begins to speak. She perks up a bit at the mention of buried treasure, tapping her fingers on the table and looking away for a bit as though planning something in her head. "What exactly does the beacon do? Does it just light the way for people on the sea or is it some sort of special artifact with magical properties? You think House Sokol or the Black Fist would be willing to pay us to light it up again? Also, know anything more about this buried treasure?"
The Laughing Goblin is a large dark old tavern that, like much of Phlan, has had better times. The woodwork is worn, the plaster, once white, is now yellowed and crumbling, and the chandeliers have rusted. The furniture inside shows the signs of heavy use and the scars of various brawls.
After a few tendays handling odd jobs from Madame Freona's Tea Kettle, you enter The Laughing Goblin on a lead from Sylyra, whose contacts have assured him better work and better rumors are to be found here.
A thin human female with long, black hair is cleaning tankards behind the bar while chatting with an overweight human male in the tavern's livery sitting on a bar stool. The sounds of cooking and the strong smell of cabbage soup comes from the kitchen. At this time of day there are few guests, but it is not completely empty, with customers sitting quietly in various corners.
The common room has two floors with a large, open space in the middle containing the bar, a stage, and a large fireplace. A number of booths line the wall, and tables fill the rest of the room's open space. The only decoration in the common room is a large carved totem resembling a laughing goblin. The totem is clearly very old and is well-worn.
"Sit wherever you want," the overweight man shouts, "Except for the second floor. I'll get to you soon."
Our Party:
Arnald the Keen: Human Fighter
Ola do Mari: Water Genasi Paladin
Sylyra Wasanthi: Wood Elf Druid (Circle of the Shepherd)
Uragum: Goliath Wizard (War Magic)
Zelra Vitale: Half-Elf Rogue
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Zelra leads the group to one of the booths, sitting on the inside and pulling Uragum to sit next to her. She leans back and uses his large frame to hide herself, though she has a grin on her face as she does this. "Man. No one can see me when I sit next to you, big guy." She laughs happily before turning to Sylyra, curiously. "So, you got a specific job for us or do you just know that there are some good jobs here?"
Arnald walks in with Sly perched on his shoulder. He calls back to the overweight guy on the barstool, "Is it cool if bring my bird in?"
Campaigns:
DM - Waterdeep Dragon Heist PbP
Ola - too used to attention due to her unusual coloration - did not understand Zelra's maneuvers, but shrugged and tried to take the place that could help Zelra to hide.
"Do hope you did not take on any obligations on our behalf yet, Sylyra" she noted too in her usual cool even voice, "If thous employers are too big to approach us in "Tea Kettle" they chose strange place for meeting. Nothing here screams "trustworthy"".
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Sylyra pulls a chair over near the booth and sits. "I've not taken any jobs without talking to you first," he says in a "don't be daft" tone of voice. "But it was suggested to me that the Laughing Goblin would present more opportunities for us given our growing reputation." He says that last part with a bit of a satisfied grin. From inside his cloak, he pulls a dark brown wood viol and begins fiddling with the pegs, occasionally plucking the strings quietly and then making more adjustments. "Madam Freona’s was a dead end," he continues. "We needed to broaden our horizons."
OOC: How well does Sylyra know the woman and man? He's not one to get to know anybody he doesn't need to, so if you say they recognize him, but he doesn't recognize them, I'm good with that. And are we moving to the Laughing Goblin, or are we still living at the Tea Kettle?
Zelra's smile grows even bigger. "Well, if that's the case, I got a job for us. Well, potential job for us. The beacon at Sokol Keep has gone out and... uh, wait. One second." She pulls out a piece of paper, maneuvering herself so that it faces the wall and the others can't see it before reading it aloud.
"The beacon at Sokol Keep has gone out. Ordinarily I would care not for the troubles of House Sokol, blah blah blah, something about peasants, but their keep is unfortunately the first in Phlan's meager line of defense, and villages on the Moonsea have been under attack in recent days from the sea. Something needs to be done about this before the docks fall under attack, and neither House Sokol nor the Black Fist have done anything about it but accuse the other of being responsible. Gather your new "friends" and sort this situation out, and you can consider- AND that's it. That's the note." She quickly shoves it back into her pocket.
"I'll admit there isn't anything about pay in this but if we go to the Black Fist or House Sokol, I'm pretty sure they'd pay us something, right? Sounds like an important job, aye?" She looks towards the group, eyes wide and a little too eager, waiting for their response.
The large man waves Arnald's notion away, but the woman cleaning the bar calls out, "It shits, you clean it."
Contradictory to his own words, the man has no obvious desire to wait on the party, making idle conversation with the woman.
For Sylyra:
You recognize both the man and woman, though you are not sure of their names. Both of them have been working here each time you have visited The Laughing Goblin, and you have heard the woman call out to the man as "Fat Mar" on more than one occasion. The woman is who you typically speak to when asking for Olisara Lightsong.
OOC: To answer Sylyra's last question, for the time being, I'm assuming that the party is staying at The Laughing Goblin (it costs the same as Madame Freona's), though of course the characters are free to stay wherever they so choose.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Arnald has a seat with the rest of the group in time to hear Zelra share the job.
"Sounds more like charity than a job but... I'm starting to like the town. Would hate for something bad to happen if we could prevent it. Count me and Sly in."
Campaigns:
DM - Waterdeep Dragon Heist PbP
Uragum drinks as he listens to the others. "This, sounds like... fun. No, it sounds like pirates and from what I hear is that pirates have treasure. I'm sure if we help, we can at least keep the treasure."
OOC: Are there any improvements to accommodation? Closer to important places (Temple, for example)? Is it still one room for all of us?
The Laughing Goblin looked and felt more neglectfully old than nobly vintage and without loving hometouch of Tea Kettle. Ola tried to abstract herself from surroundings and listened the readings quite intently. "If what they say in the letter is true, then this is more like a self-defence than a charity - we are still here, an attack on the town would be an attack on us too. Do they mention who is attacking villages? That could be the same forces that quenched the beacon, would be good to know who are we up against here." She though a little: "House Sokol... Do not know who is that but sounds like Lord's Alliance might. Can also talk to Black Fist. Not sure it is wise to remind them about our existence, but if they are already involved, probably better to inform them too, or, with luck, learn what they know about the situation."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
OOC: The tavern does show its age, but you can each have individual rooms at The Laughing Goblin. In a way, it's like this party has "aged out" of Madame Freona's now that they have some experience in Phlan under their belt.
As the minutes pass, neither the man nor woman at the bar have yet to come to you. In addition to the employees, among the patrons in the tavern, you see a half-orc man nursing a drink in a dark corner, two halflings enjoying their lunch, three humans with ink-stained hands and shirts sharing a drink over their meal, and two female human women outfitted as mercenaries having a quiet conversation.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
OOC: Oh, he's Fat Mar.
Performance: 10 +2 (forgot proficiency)
Sylyra produces a viol bow and draws it across the instrument in one, long note. He sounds fairly skilled in the technique, though it's not the best anyone's ever heard. After the single note, and without comment, the elf stands and walks up to the big man. "Are you Fat Mar? I was told by Olisara to talk to Fat Mar or Imizael."
The woman at the bar stifles a giggle as the large man turns a steely gaze upon Sylyra. "Markoth Hasselpond, thank you," he corrects, "How can I help you? If you are ready to order, I can be with you in just a moment."
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Seeing Sylyra go speak to the man and woman at the bar, Zelra stands to follow. "I don't know a lot about House Sokol or what beacon this letter is talking about but I think I know who might." Heading over the the bar, she puts her hand on Sylyra's shoulder and address the two others. "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but you wouldn't happen to know anything about House Sokol, their beacon or the attacks on villages on the Moonsea would you? I mean, if anyone knows anything, it's usually a tavern owner or innkeep."
"I'd tell you what I knew if I thought I could get a word in edgewise with Fat Mar here," the woman at the bar chuckles. "He should keep his equally fat nose out of other peoples' business, but the man loves his gossip. Hey Fat Mar, quit your chatter and take their order, yeah? They've been here awhile, and I'm not going anywhere."
"Sure thing, Im," Fat Mar responds. The large man, despite the verbal prodding, grins as he beckons Sylyra and Zelra to join him on his way toward the rest of the party.
"So you're here for rumors?" he asks the group, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Heard a lot over the last few days. Can I get some food or drink for you before we chat? I'd recommend our famous cabbage soup, it's what most come here for. It's an old secret recipe, damn good, and comes with freshly baked bread and a piece of cheese. Otherwise, we serve a salty fish stew or our catch of the day; it's pike from the Moonsea today. We have a pretty extensive drink list, but if I were you I'd stick to light ale, stout, or the really strong stuff. The wine here is just...not particularly appetizing."
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Well, if they were going to live here (a personal room was a strong argument for the change of an establishment), she could as well learn to like local food. "Pike, please, and a glass of water with another empty glass too." Ola did not bother to check Mar's reaction to her modest and eccentric request, but instead asked: "Mar, is it? We are not after the rumours per se, but happened to hear about troubles in the villages along the coast and the beacon at Sokol Keep. Have you heard anything about it?"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Before following Fat Mar back to the table, Sylyra gives the woman a handsome smile and a nod, simply saying, "Imizael," in greeting.
Back in his chair at the end of the bar, Sylyra orders the pike and a light ale.
Imizael nods back to Sylyra, tipping an imaginary cap with a smirk.
"Nobody else feeling hungry, then?" Fat Mar shrugs, "Very well, two orders of pike, some water, some light ale, and...an empty glass. I'll be right back with you folk."
The man waddles back to the kitchen, and soft chatter fills the background for a few minutes until he returns with three glasses, setting them down on the table. "Chef is hotting up the catch of the day still, that will be out in just a moment. In the meantime..."
He pulls a chair out from an empty table nearby, spins it around and straddles it, looking a little comical with his sizeable stomach wrapping around the chair's back support.
"You know the basics then, right? The beacon at Sokol Keep hasn't been lit in a couple of days, and nobody knows why, yada yada. That place is quite old, you know. Might even be as old as Phlan. Legends say that it used to be a temple and the spirits of dead priests haunt a buried treasure beneath the keep. It's been destroyed more than once, though, if you ask me it's probably something simple like the stairs to the tower collapsing and the folks what run it can't get up there to light it."
"Now, the villages on the Moonsea...word is that a spirit ship full of monstrous pirates has been attacking them. That's what's really got people worrying. Sokol Keep's the closest thing we have to guard Phlan from the sea," Fat Mar begins.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
(Sorry for delay. Zelra would definitely order a light ale and their cabbage soup as well, if we can do a small retcon of that)
Zelra listens intently as Fat Mar begins to speak. She perks up a bit at the mention of buried treasure, tapping her fingers on the table and looking away for a bit as though planning something in her head. "What exactly does the beacon do? Does it just light the way for people on the sea or is it some sort of special artifact with magical properties? You think House Sokol or the Black Fist would be willing to pay us to light it up again? Also, know anything more about this buried treasure?"
Sylyra looks at Zelra. "We will definitely need to clear up the matter of pay before I'm agreeing to anything."