[Game Thread] Into the Brinestump Marsh

[Jondera]

Hearing the knock on the front door, Lyotah glances at Long and shrugs. "I do not know how it is where you are from, but I do not think that knocking is a common practice of monsters." Moving to the door, she opens it a foot or so and looks out. "Yes?"

[Ehlana]

Kaleb finds a small room behind the still open sliding panel. It is a bit tight for anyone but a halfling, as it is situated under the slope of the roof. There is a nearly empty skin of water hung on a hook on the wall and some shelves stocked with long-lasting foodstuffs. It is clearly meant to be a refuges as well as a strongroom. In the corner is a small chest, with a red scarf tossed carelessly on top.

Downstairs, Long returns and just as the words of warning leave the Minkaian's mouth, the knock sounds on the door.

"My day for visitors." Walthus remarks wryly as Lyotah goes to the door. "Well, so long as it isn't a relative of that blood-sucking thing, I won't complain. Much. But one of those things might knock, you know." In a lower voice, he murmurs to Katrina. "Thank you for the warning, young lady. I'll be checking my chest later. I expect I can trust the dark-haired fellow to turn my fellow halfing upside down and shake him a few times if he's taken anything."

Through the gap in the door, Lyotah finds herself looking at a long-haired elf whose face is vaguely familiar, as if she'd seen him about town before.

[GleefulNihilism]

It looked like Kalib wasn't going to steal anything. Sad but true. Not because he didn't want to, far from it. It was just a lack of opportunity. The scarf right on top, everyone knows it, and a couple even saw it not moments ago. He does give a quick check to see if the chest is unlocked. Professional standards of course. Someone could get robbed if they don't lock their chests.

[Mal Radagast]

Through the door he hears footfalls and some conversation...he leans closer to see what can be heard. Something about monsters...it doesn't occur to him that he is the monster in question. Still leaning in, with his long hair falling over one shoulder, the old marsh-moistened oak announces its intention of opening. Rowan has just enough time to straighten up and appear as though he wasn't just trying to eavesdrop through such a thick old door. Foolish and dishonest - Koya would be so proud.

When the door does open, he's looking perfectly composed...at Lyotah's chest. Which is to say, he'd expected the halfling to answer the door, and halflings grow notoriously irritable when you look over their heads. Raising his gaze, Rowan finds a tall woman indeed. She's got several inches on himself, and he's not a short elf, exactly. Her expression is...well, largely inscrutable, though he seems to detect an element of dry humor.

It would be an excellent time, he decides, for some witty remark or introduction. "Er...hello?" Clearly, he doesn't have one to hand.

[Jondera]

Lyotah looks at the fellow with a faintly amused expression on her face. "Well, you don't look like a monster to me. You wouldn't happen to be a shapeshifter, would you?"

[The Fool]

Long watches the conversation, not relaxing as he stands behind the door, ready to spring. As he stands her in this shack in the swamp, he finds himself falling into old habits, his muscles coiling and breath steadying. He feels like he's on the run again, suspecting trouble around every corner, always ready to cut down the next person who comes through the door.
It has been a while since I have felt this way, he thinks to himself, I keep half-expecting Ryushi to show up. I wonder where he is, now...are you still chasing me, old friend?

[SpatulaOdoom]

Katrina calls out from the table, where she's enjoying an edam cheese and roast beef sandwich.
"You might as well let him in Lyotah. We can always stab him later."

She turns her attention to Walthus.
"So what is special about the sash?"

[Mal Radagast]

Rowan simultaneously takes a step back and tries to speak over Lyotah's shoulder...which, from behind her, must make him appear fairly small, and also somewhat comical. "I'd really rather you didn't stab me later." He frowns. "Or, er, at all if that's an option. Why do you all seem so ready to, if I might ask? You know, without being stabbed." Then, peering through what bit of the doorway he can see - what with Lyotah towering over it - he spots the leftover mess, and belatedly registers what the woman said about shapeshifters. "Ah." He sighs. "Well, if it's going to be one of those trips, it won't be dull at least. He turns to Walthus, hoping the man will recognize him from...oh, quite a few years ago. "These aren't suddenly going to be dragons, rather than goblins, are they? No tarrasque infestation, I hope? Armies of undead rising to raze the living from the world? He does manage, finally, to sidle past the Shaonti woman - without being stabbed - and takes a fresh look about. "Ooh, is that roast beef?"

[Ehlana]

"Scarf." Walthus corrects, watching the elf sidle into the room through narrowed eyes. "You could've waited to be -invited- in." He grumbles half-heartedly from his chair. "Might as well have set up in town, if people are just going to walk in on me and assume I want their company." There's a bit more of this but it drops below the level of easy hearing. He shifts about fussily in his chair and then finally answers Katrina, keeping his eyes on Rowan.

"Magic scarf. Gives you a bit of an edge, just a bit mind, in all sorts of situations. Also helps a bit when anybody throws a bit of fire at you." He chuckles a little then, gaze briefly distant. "Used to belong to a charming little acrobat with a sideline in fire-eating." He mutters, half to himself, then clears his throat. "In any case, it's not much use to me out here. Too attention-catching and not too many things that either breathe -or- throw fire out here in the old Brinestump, thankfully."

OOC: The scarf functions as a cloak of resistance +1 with the added benefit of 5 fire resistance. However, it imposes a -4 on any Stealth checks attempted by the wearer. It can be worn in the necklace or the belt slot and must be in a visible position to grant it magical bonuses.

[The Fool]

"Our deepest gratitude for such a gift," Long says, bowing to the Halfling, and Rowan finds himself realizing there's one more person in the room than he had thought there was. The lean and athletic young Tian was standing behind the door, and the beautiful sword on his belt is not half as sharp as his steady gaze. On Long's part, he is fighting the instinct to refuse the gift out of politeness, as he has been in these lands long enough to know that people don't do that here. He is also regarding Rowan carefully, trying to measure the potential threat the elf might represent. He knows all too well that acting foolish is not the same as being a fool.
"This one believes it is customary, is it not, to introduce yourself and your intentions upon entering the home of another?" Long remarks to Rowan. "As opposed to barging in like a Minkaian tax collector," he does not say, as it would be discourteous, though the message is there.

[SpatulaOdoom]

Katrina eyes the scarf. Fire resistance could be extraordinarily useful in her line of work; that one time she'd put too much sulfur in the alchemist's fire recipe had been painful. Sure daddy had paid for a healer but it would be nice to skip the burns altogether. Still it wouldn't do to get greedy, Long could probably make best use of it since he was the one who wound up face to face with all the nasty things.

She looks up at the newcomer. An elf. Kind of cute, though as a rule not many elves were actually ugly.
"Yes, roast beef. And it's delicious. Gerard really is a fabulous cook."
Katrina takes another bite of her sandwich, visibly enjoying it.
After swallowing she wipes a bit of mustard out of the corner of her mouth.
"You know. It's customary when you show up at someone's home to tell them who you are and why you're here."
She gestures at Walthus.

[GleefulNihilism]

OOC Sorry, kind of have to press on. Can tweek later.

Either way, when Kalib comes back down the stairs the Scarf is the obvious thing he's carrying. Whether he has anything else hidden on his person or if he just didn't find anything worth taking not even he going to say what at the moment.

"This it? What's special about it? And who's the new guy?"

[Ehlana]

Upstairs, Kalib has found that the chest is indeed locked. Of course, it's generally possible to do something about locks if you have the right skillset for it. As he comes downstairs he notices that a pattern has appeared on the scarf, a border in gold just above the fringes. It shows a design of some small, sleek, running animal, chasing it's tail. The others, of course, notice only that the pattern is there.

"That seems to be the question of the day." The elf answers the halfling cheerfully. "You're the third person that's asked that in as many minutes. I feel like I must be famous if so many people are asking after me. It's not so bad, really. I could get used to it. I could also really get used to eating some roast beef if someone were so kind as to give me some. A piece without a dagger, spear or sword in it would also be kind. Since we were just talking about stabbing I want to be clear on this. If on nothing else." He leans his staff against the wall and scratches his head.

OOC: I'd like everyone to make a Perception Check please.

[The Fool]

Long narrows his eyes, and his stance grows slightly more alert and battle-ready, his hand not leaving the pommel of his sword. "Well, then," he whispers, his words taking on a hard, tense edge. "If you have been asked many times, it must be important. What is your name, and why are you here?"

[GleefulNihilism]

Kalib raises an eyebrow at that response. Usually about the time someone says something like that someone elses property starts going missing. Or has gone missing. And for once Kalib didn't do it. Locked chest. He swore in his head that if people kept being so responsible he'd be out of a job.