Game Thread Round 2, Group 2, Game Thread

roaddog41 · #1 08-06-2008, 05:02 PM

roaddog41 · #2 08-06-2008, 10:07 PM

The group sits easy around the table... the gnome and halfling sitting on the stools provided by good taverns for people of their height. It had been an interesting week, but they were finally in Barrowville, after what six months. In fact it had been in this very tavern that they had met with their first employer, and became a group guarding the grizzled old man's trade caravan. They had lost Christopher to the Bugbear raiders that had messed with the caravan. Of course the bugbears had lost alot more than that.
But enough reminiscing... its not like this area had any real value, they would not have returned at all if not for the rumors, rumors that had been proved a week ago at the burned out stead of Christopher's parents. The poor human farmers' home had been burned to the ground, and no bodies had been found.
There was evil on the loose in the beautiful and green fields of Roland. A demonic individual, some said half-demon, some said all demon, was leading a campaign of terror in the region. Farms were being burned, towns attacked, and the King and his military had been totally unsuccessful. So too had the Church of Pelor, the Radiant and the life giving been unsuccessful in their campaign against the evil. An evil that had been unknown until just a few days ago when the extent of the threat had been realized... Lycans. Yes this demonic individual was leading the beginnings of a were-wolf pack... and the Church of Pelor was having difficulties. Supplies of Belladona were running low, and only the Bishop himself had the divine power to cure an individual of The Curse without it.
Perhaps this was connected with the recent upswing in recruitment by the thieves guild up in Magethorn, a guild known to be run by were-rats. Or maybe this was an entirely separate incident all together. Either way Roland had a problem, and a problem like this meant money... it was their stock in trade and so the adventurers had come here to Barrowville... the local head of the church of Pelor, and the closest Army station to the latest attack.
Tomas, the half-elf bard had spent the morning spreading silver and stories of their exploits to a group of peasant boys... insuring that news of their arrival would spread quickly. In such a small town they would be easy to find, they were in the only tavern after all.
Lugar, the tall pudgy barkeep was busy polishing his glasses and mugs, preparing for the night to come. And Stell was walking across the room to take lunch to the small group of refugees in the corner. She had already served their stew... but she was still worth a look, Estell being the most beautiful half-elf to be found in Roland. Still since she was Lugar's niece it would be rather rude to do more than glance furtively... as a rule it was always unwise to offend the barkeep of the towns only tavern.
Then two people came to the door, stopping to glare at each other with anger and understanding.
The priest of Pelor was obvious from his garb, and his rather haggard look. A dwarf in Breastplate with a war axe and shield could be little else but an emissary from the king's soldiers. It appeared that both possible employers had arrived at the same time, this should be interesting.

Zhefonyll · #3 08-07-2008, 02:10 AM

Wulgryn Rumkil relaxed with his back to the wall, as was his habit, and watched the room intently as he conversed with his 'pack.' The body language of his companions was predictable and virtually unnoteworthy - it was any potential threats from beyond the group which he was concerned with.

As each patron entered the bar, the scarred dwarf took in the sight of them and assessed weapons, armor, stance - any and all indicators of how dangerous he considered the newcomer to be. Any who met his eye did not get the satisfaction of seeing him turn away, either. No, Wulgryn would boldly stare into their eyes and tilt his head to one side slightly, waiting to see if there was yet a fight to be had.

No fight was likely to be forthcoming, as the three-hundred-some pound primate sitting next to the table added to the fact that this was a party of adventurers in the only tavern to be had. It always took a little doing to get ooo-AH-gah into taverns, but Wulgryn promised that the gorilla would behave and that he had an appetite appropriate for his size. The latter usually cost a couple of gold, but opened many doors and kept his animal companion quite fond of people. Besides, nobody truly wanted to get in a bartender's bad graces, but if somebody else was going to start something, it was relatively safe for Wulgryn to finish it...

"...still makes me mad. I swear, if another townie comes at me crying 'lycan' and waving a farming implement, I'm going to give out more than a broken tool." The recent rise of shapeshifter activity had done little good for the shapeshifting-loving druid, and the general paranoia which met his ability to become a proper beast had been grating on Wulgryn's nerves for some time. He had mentioned the idea of hurting a few townspeople before, but the others always seemed to talk him out of it. "I'm not sure I buy this 'only the Bishop can cure The Curse' business, either. What makes him so special? If it's a curse, I can beat it..."

A darting movement on the floor nearby caught his interest for a moment.

It seemed that the puppy which would someday be a guard-dog for the tavern had helped itself to a bit of food left on ooo-AH-Gah's plate. The theft was overlooked completely by both druid and primate - puppies needed to eat and the two of them had taken an instant liking to the furball. Some might blame an instinctive urge to baby small, furry creatures, but neither of them was inclined to think about it that much. They liked puppies, and that was enough.

Wulgryn finished his current mead and waved the empty mug at Estell for another drink. Unlike most the tavern's patrons, he didn't try to admire the barmaid at all. When Tomas once mentioned the girl's beauty, the reply had been as easygoing as an evaluation of a horse. "Have fun. She's not bad for Elf-flesh, but certainly too scrawny for any real fun."

Then the two they had been waiting for came through the door, taking each other's measure. Wulgryn tensed ever so slightly before relaxing again. His predatory instinct was to pounce upon their quarry at the first opportunity, but he held back - he had been informed that this was not the best way to get jobs. Stupid, civilized games of words and manners. Even in Wulgryn's thoughts, his use of 'civilized' was an insulting word worse than many used by aged sailors.

Without changing his posture or raising his voice, Wulgryn glanced around the table. "Right, looks like we've got a priest and an army messenger headed our way. Tomas, you get them to pay us well and then we can go hunting. Remember, though, that we want to make them both hold my talon before we'll make a deal. Holy silver should help us - and these crazy townies - be sure we're not working for lycans or demons." Then the two potential employers walked together towards the bar to get a drink, clearly for the display of unity against the unseen evils. "Oh, somebody bite me - it looks like they don't want to seem too eager..."

Nightstalkers · #4 08-08-2008, 12:09 PM

Dindle waved his mug at Wulgryn's usual grumping and griping. By the Stones, if you didn't have something to whine about, you'd whine about that. The little gnome, topping out at three feet tall but broad for his race, look a long swig and thumped it back down on the table. Furbags or not, they's trouble; and trouble means a few notches on the axes and gold in the pocket. What could be more fun than that? Dindle thumped his fists on the tops of his axes for emphasis.

When the barmaid came around for more orders, the gnome had his mug refilled and added a wink and a smile for emphasis. He noted the usual cringe at seeing the gorilla at the table and cricked a finger at the lass. Don't worry, he bathes more often than the dwarf and usually had better manners. Getting a bit of a forced chuckle from the lass on her way back to work, Dindle eyed the emissary and the priest. One asking to kill in the name of the king, the other in the name of Pelor. You'd think if these factions were so powerful they could get their own work doe instead of coming to us. But then we'd have to get regular jobs; the Stones forbid.

TheDarkFuzz · #5 08-08-2008, 03:12 PM

"Taverns, bars, and houses of whores
are where a man may find the best swords
adventurers, wizards, soldiers of fortune
they all love women and drink in large portions!"

Tomas lounges on a seat facing away from the entrance, rocking his wooden chair back and forth on its back legs. He is reminded of a bawdy tune composed by a rather unskilled bard the group had watched perform about two weeks ago, in a tavern down the caravan road. The rhymes were atrocious, and the rhythm terrible, but the sentiment certainly rang true. Dindle had demanded an encore.

Sighing, he continues rocking, just idly letting time go by. Just six months ago they had been in this tavern accepting work, hiring out as caravan guards to do some traveling, but they were now right back where they started. Clearly they hadn't managed to get very far. The small irony makes Tomas chuckle a bit.

Another thing that he can't help but enjoy is the large male gorilla at their table. He is sitting on the floor, picking at a plate of piled greens that had been prepared for him. Though he is relatively quiet, he's still there. It is no small source of humor for Tomas to see the reactions of folk who keep glancing over their shoulders or mumbling to their friends while pointing furtively at ooh-Ah-gah, trying to be subtle in case the hostile-seeming Wulgryn should notice.

In fact, looking at the gorilla Tomas feels a pang of sympathy for his pegasus; Wings was much smarter than the lumbering ape, but unfortunately less human shaped, so it was the stable rather than the common room for him. The stables here were nice and cool, with good feed and few bugs, but sitting there all day alone probably had him bored out of his mind.

Speaking of boring, it sounded like Wulgryn was complaining again. The way he talked with the group while still intently surveying everyone else in the tavern for threats would be disconcerting if the companions weren't long since used to his odd idiosyncrasies. Dindle, of course, was joining in with his typical panache - the sort you'd expect from a three-foot tall warrior who likes to get drunk at lunchtime. "Gryn, if another townie comes running at you waving a farming implement, I will personally shake his hand. After the way you blew up at those two herders on the road, I don't doubt every farmer in this village has heard the story, and it would give me great pleasure to meet the one village idiot too stupid to back off."

When the barmaid visits their table, Tomas gives her a nod and a smile. Estell was a pretty thing, and he had mentioned as much to his friends, but definitely way out of his league. Not that he was looking for any romance right now. Being as he hasn't even touched his stew or water yet, he indicates that he doesn't need anything. He chuckles inwardly at seeing her react to the gorilla like everyone else, glancing at ooh-Ah-gah as though unsure there was really a three hundred pound primate sitting there casually munching greens.

When Wulgryn tenses momentarily, Tomas knows someone important has walked in. Leaning back, he bends around to get a look at what set the dwarf on edge. A priest and a soldier are glaring at one another, and it takes Tomas only a second to figure out what's up. He almost laughs out loud. No doubt both men came to ask them to kill the same werewolves, but they would haggle over who got to take the credit. Dindle gives voice to the same sentiment, and Tomas grins, turning back around. "You know, I don't think any of us could work regular jobs even if we wanted to, Stones or not. I for one would find it extremely boring." He smiles even wider as a thought occurs to him. "So, you guys think I should go say hello, or just let them find their way to the gorilla?"

Zhefonyll · #6 08-08-2008, 05:16 PM

The bare-chested druid looks hostilely at Dindle for a moment when comments on his hygene and manners are made, but the look quickly fades. The cub hadn't been looking to challenge him, only to flirt with the tavern wench. He leans over after Estell is gone and grumbles to the gnome. "Might as well slap her rear while you're at it. Wouldn't want to confuse the pretty little thing, would you?"

He let the comment about regular jobs go. Wulgryn knew that he could have all sorts of jobs - courier, spy, assassin, bouncer, scout... pretty much anything that involved travel, killing, blending in with other animals to go unnoticed, or solitary, violent work. Besides, he could always go into the forests and not return. He had reached the point where turning into a dwarf was something he did for the drinking and to talk to his pack - and if he adopted another non-humanoid pack, the latter wasn't needed.

"If they can't find their way to ooo-AH-Gah, they're too stupid to keep ahold of the money they'll promise us. How many people come through here accompanied by a primate in matching gear, anyways?" From any normal dwarf's lips, the deep-throated, rolling 'ooh' followed by two sharp grunting noises would have sounded out of place, but Wulgryn used the gorilla's native-tongue name as casually as a human might say 'Jon.' "And I don't whine - I growl. Whining is a noise prey-things and submissives make."

Then his tone suddenly softened, the mention of his own travelling companion reminding him that there was one who was not allowed at the table. "By the way, Tomas, I checked in on Wings earlier. He said the oats are pretty good, but the stable lad doesn't know a brush from a rake. I set the kid straight for our equine friend." Besides, I hadn't been a horse in a while.

'Set the kid straight' probably meant that Wulgryn had 'brushed' the child with the same tool which had proven unpleasant to Wings, all the while explaining in a grouchy tone why what made the boy yowl was equally bad for the winged horse that had been in his care. There wouldn't be any marks on the kid, but it would be one more young adult who thought the dwarf was a little too sympathetic towards the animals. Wings (and the other equines in the stables), on the other hand, would go back to being very well-treated by those caring for peoples' mounts.

TheDarkFuzz · #7 08-08-2008, 06:34 PM

Tomas shares a smile with his dwarven friend. They didn't have a lot of common ground, but caring for animals well was one thing they could agree on. Tomas would trust Wulgryn with Wings in a heartbeat. "Oh, thanks Gryn. I was wondering how he was doing out there." he replies. "Set the kid straight? Poor kid..."

He chooses to ignore Wulgryn's comments about whining, glossing over it quickly to move the conversation along. They certainly didn't need to have a conversation about synonyms and verbal intent. Again. As much as Tomas had learned from books, nuances of language came easily to him, but to the druid terms like 'synonym' were civilized to the point of heresy against nature. He would speak as he chose, and that was that. In any case, it was tough enough getting him to stay in Dwarven shape for any length of time these days, so Tomas certainly wasn't going to raise any issues over his grasp of Common.

His grasp of gorilla, on the other hand, was impressive. Quirky Wulgryn might be, but Tomas definitely respected his knowledge of the natural world. It was a knowledge Tomas himself was picking up over the course of their adventures together. Wulgryn had facilitated many conversations between Wings and Tomas, and the half-elf was doing his best to pick up what passed for equine language.

He ruminates on this but a moment, then asks, "So what's our preference, if they both come over here? Go with the one who pays the most or the one with the saddest story? For myself, I'd rather work with the soldier than the priest. I've known a few good fighting men, but I've yet to meet an honest man in white. "

RoBi · #8 08-08-2008, 07:52 PM

While at first it might have seemed like the two were heading to the bar for a drink, it is clear now that there is little unity between the two faction leader. The dwarf maneuvers himself in front of the priest as he walks towards you.

He reaches the table first. I am Thundur Hammerstrike champion of the king. The wee lass in the dress posing as a man be Adam. The old dwarf snickers at his attempt to discredit the holy man. Adam for his part strolls up to the table with a bit of holy then thou hanging about him. Not that it matters to a dirty dwarf such as your self, but this is a robe not a dress. Adam accentuates his point by flattening a wrinkle out of his robes the holy symbol of Pelor can now be clearly seen. I am Adam Mournlain church recorder second only to the Bishop himself. Adam holds out his hand to whoever will take it.

Thundur once again in a very dwarven manner maneuvers himself in front of Adam; as a result the table moves a bit I have a job fer ye. As ye most certainly have heard we have a demon problem on our hands Adam cuts the old dwarf off very quickly. It a lycan problem actually. The priest tries to gain your attention by breifly waving his hands above the dwarf's head. Its not hard Adam is a few feet taller then the dwarf. a problem the church will gladly pay for your assistance with. The dwarf quickly smacks Adams hands from above his head Quit fluttering about me like a fairy boy. the dwarf says in a tone of voice that declares he is more then feed up with the cleric. the king be willing to pay fer your help, plus give ye supplies and support

by this time the cleric had more then enough with his close proximity to the dwarf and shuffles to the other side of the table. The church will pay you, offer discounted healing and give you sliver weapons. Which are very handy against Lycans the dwarf growls from across the table. It be a demon! For a moment it seems like the dwarf is about to come across the table at the priest, but he does not.

Zhefonyll · #9 08-08-2008, 08:23 PM

As the voices raise and anger leaks into the words, few notice the plate on the floor slowly being pushed to the side. Thundur growls across the table, and is echoed by a much deeper, much louder growl from the gorilla which now stands with one massive hand resting on the mantle of the fireplace which ooo-AH-Gah had used as a prop to help himself stand to his full height. The sound is feral and threatening, the primate not discriminating much in the specific person the growl had been aimed at. An outsider had growled in the direction of Wulgryn's troop, and its largest member was ready to play dominance games.

Wulgryn held up a hand towards ooo-AH-Gah and uttered a single word. "Desist." It was an odd choice for the dwarf to use - too formal and militant for his normal bearing - and that's why he'd chosen it for the 'don't kill anything yet' command. There was no way you'd hear Wulgryn accidentally tell a companion not to hurt things.

"If we're going to growl, my friend here will certainly win. If we're going to fight, I still wouldn't like the odds for either of you. So maybe we can skip the pissing contests that you're both going to lose? If you were half as hot as you seem to think you are, you wouldn't be here."

By this point, Wulgryn had the attention of both the newcomers, so they didn't see Tomas wince at the dwarf's choice of words. There was a reason Wulgryn was usually asked to keep quiet for negotiations. They had irritated him, though, and he continued on in spite of his friend's apparent disapproval.

"I really don't care if it's a demon or a lycanthrope, both or neither. You can each take a turn talking and then the others here will decide which of you seems the better employer. But before you start playing all the silly word games, I want you both to answer one question:"

"Where would you want us to go?"

TheDarkFuzz · #10 08-08-2008, 10:23 PM

Things were proceeding as per normal, which is to say: disastrously. Tomas is quite amused. Patrons that had previously been stealing glances at ooh-AH-Gah were now staring openly, and with the exception of Wulgryn the bar had gone almost entirely silent. Dominance games indeed!

At least the dwarf was willing to call the primate to heel rather than allowing it to wrestle both of their potential employers into submission. In a situation like this, Tomas counted that particular fact as quite a stroke of luck. With Wulgryn, it was always a toss-up whether he would act like a dwarf or an animal, and it seems in this case he had settled for a combination of the two - mandating submission with words rather than actions.

It was funny, reflected Tomas as his druidic friend began to make demands, that the things the dwarf did to establish dominance and control were also some of the most well-endorsed techniques for negotiation. Back home, he had even read about a few of them. Putting your opponent off balance, forcing them to make concessions, making them answer your questions rather than allowing them to control the conversation; highly civilized men and elves spent time writing and practicing the argumentation techniques that came to Wulgryn naturally. "In the end," he supposes, "I guess we're just animals who can think." And Wulgryn was very good with animals.

Masterful technique aside, he still can't help but wince at his companion's particular vocabulary. It was a good thing these men needed their services desperately, because otherwise the dwarf's hostility would almost certainly send them huffing away to a competing adventuring company. "Ah, the perks of being the best..." Tomas thinks as Wulgryn continues to berate the men on both sides of the table.

When the dwarf issues his ultimatum, Tomas just leans back and looks back and forth, a bemused expression on his face. He meets each man's gaze with a half-smile and raised eyebrows, clearly expecting an answer.

Nightstalkers · #11 08-09-2008, 08:44 AM

Dindle looked up from his mug briefly; bushy eyebrows raised in mock surprise. Now Wulgryn, certainly you would have expected bluster and attitude from the soldier? The Churchman is expected to need assistance, but you know as well as I do that a dwarf is just as comfortable shaving his beard as he is to ask for help. Remember the night you had one too many tankards and ended up sitting in that bear trap outside the camp? You sputtered and cursed so badly it would have made a Drow blush but when offered help, you responded with, and I quote: I can get my own bleedin' ass outta this! And you did, too. After about an hour of squirmin' and shapin'.

The little gnome laughs as he takes another slug from his tankard, then turns serious as his eyes move towards the priest. And as for you, just because you're taller, doesn't mean you should be lording it over the soldier just to get our attention. If your almighty Bishop is so powerful that he can clear up this blasted curse, then why isn't he getting off his holy behind and fixing this? I know it's a tough job sitting in a jeweled throne wearing funny hats all day, but you'd think he'd take time to piss this fire out personally since "he's the only one with the power to cure it.."

RoBi · #12 08-09-2008, 03:30 PM

While the dwarf had been moderately annoyed the the priest it is clear in his eye to he is now down right pissed. I come to offer ye work and you try to scare me. Thundur reaches for the hilt of his mighty dwarven war axe, rage growing in his eyes. I will skin that monkey of yours if he even looks like he might want to touch me. Adam begins to slowly back away. He has apparently seen what happens when Thundur is actually angry and wants nothing to do with it.

The tension hanging in the air is broken by the heavy click of a repeating cross bow from across the bar. The situation had apparently attracted the attention of Lugar the bar keep. The tall pudgy tavern owner now stood behind his bar holding a cross bow pointed in the direction of the gorilla and the dwarfs. The weapon crackled with magical electricity. I like you all. been keep an ear out for your exploits ever since I got you your first job, but no one not even you gets to start a fight in my bar. The look in his one good eye, the other is glass, tells you he is dead serious. The impressive weapon in his hands proves he has the means to follow through. Now since your pet seems to have a problem staying claim I am going to have to ask it to leave. I will send a proper meal to it outside on the house, but it can not stay in here

Zhefonyll · #13 08-09-2008, 05:00 PM

Now the threat was beginning to leak into Wulgryn's voice. The king's dwarf had started things, and was getting ooo-AH-Gah in trouble. He raised his own volume to be heard clearly across the room.

"My friend did nothing more than growl back at a rude dwarf. It's not his fault if these lapdogs can't accept the same crap they're trying to dish out."

The stocky Dwarf rose to his own feet, pushing the chair back to make room and smiling wickedly when Thundur's fingers tighten on his waraxe. "We like you too, Lugar, so he certainly wouldn't have started the fight, but if Chiseltap here pulls out that axe of his, I could use a new pair of thin-skinned boots."

With that, and now that his immediate surroundings were clear, Wulgryn transforms into an even larger, even more feral ape than his companion, and issues a string of grunts at the gorilla. "The cattle are afraid of us. Take your food outside and enjoy the air until I come or you hear a tree break." Since none present likely spoke primate, it was probably safe to tell the gorilla to come back if Wulgryn started smashing people with tables. Then again, this was far from the first time he had used the phrase "hear a tree break" around Tomas, and the bard might have figured out that this set of grunts was roughly equivalent to 'something about breaking wood' by now. Oh well, Tomas wouldn't rat me out over this.

Ooo-AH-Gah, for his part, was relatively sedate. He was getting to keep his food and there would be fresh air and room to stretch outside. Besides, Wulgryn hadn't told him to stay away from any fighting that might happen. He picked up his plate and headed for the door - pausing to let the stranger-dwarf move out of his way. Thundur probably thought it was politely not pushing past him, but ooo-AH-Gah was sure that the little creature had backed down from him and cowered away. He gave a satisfied grunt as he walked by.

Wulgryn, on the other hand, was apparently done talking. He stepped up to the same place where ooo-AH-Gah had just been and stood with massive arms crossed over his barrel-like chest, glaring daggers at the offending dwarf.

Nightstalkers · #14 08-10-2008, 09:33 AM

Dindle looks at all the chest puffing and had to chuckle. If I was trying to scare you, I wouldn't still have my butt planted in this chair enjoying my ale. All we were doing was asking some simple questions and poking a little fun. There's no reason to get your underthings in a knot. City life sure does make some people uptight.

Dindle then went back to the priest. I think the grouchy little soldier may have kept you from answering MY question. If your Bishop's the only one who can do somethin' about this curse, then why isn't he? Us hacking up a few lycans isn't going to solve your real problem.

RoBi · #15 08-11-2008, 09:46 AM

The first Large gorilla was settling enough; seeing Wulgryn transform into a larger meaner looking gorilla was all it took to get the other patrons in the bar in a frenzy. The majority of the bar stands up and stampedes towards the bar when one drunk stands up and yells lycan. Lugar more familiar with your and and Wulgryn's druid way simply places his crossbow back on its rack on the wall behind the bar and says. Would you please refrain from frightening all my customers away.

It only takes a moment for most of the bar to clear out the only people left in the beside yourselves is Lugar Stell, Thundur, Adam and a handful of patrons who where on the far side of Wulgryn when he transformed. The druid is now between them and the door and they seem unwilling to rush past him to safety. Instead they choose to cower under a few tables.

Thundur scoffs at the druids attempts to show off. I'll be over there if ye wants to send a more civilized member of yer company over to negotiate. The dwarf stomps off across the tavern and sets down. It is then that you realize that Adam is also no longer. He is sitting on the opposite side of the tavern from the dwarf starring uncomfortably at the druid dwarf. While Adam is smart enough to recognize Wulgryn from what he is, the priest opinion of druids is low, plus he is a little unnerved by the huge gorilla the druid had just changed into. No matter what Adam will not be going back over to the table.

Stell arrives at your table a little while later with a tray of beer you don't remember ordering. She quickly sets a mug in front of each of you then explains. These are from Adam. He said he thought you guys were thirsty. As Stell leaves she throws a wink in Tomas' direction. You can see in the distance Adam waving one of you over for a talk.

Thundur glances over at at you as you receive your drinks and snorts. He waves Stell over to him as his heads to the kitchen. They exchange a few words then she heads to the back.