[Game Thread] Part One - Lets Party!

[epelj1]

The frontier town of Bellis stands within the quiet shade of the Verduran Forest, nestled along the western banks of the slow-moving Sellen River. Flower gardens color every homestead, painting a vibrant scene under the summer sun. Common folk go about their business, tilling the land, tying off keelboats, and hobnobbing over cups of mead. In the distance, a dog barks, children laugh, and the bees hum while gathering pollen.

Festivities for the wedding stretch from the stone chapel and rose gardens of Shelyn, past a large open-air tent, and down to the sun-drenched, tree-lined banks of Stillwater Creek. Music and laughter fill the air, with partygoers calling out for attendees to join their games and merrymaking.

Wedding Festival Legend A1 - Lovers Bridge A2 - Feast Tent and Box Social A3 - Gazebo and Amphitheater A4 - Dance Area A5 - Horseshoe Pit A6 - Chapel of Shelyn A7 - Rose Garden   Bellis Large Town conventional (town council); AL NG Base Value 2,000 gp Demographics Population 4,800 Type humanoid (79% human, 9% halfling, 5% elf, 3% dwarf, 2% gnome, 1% half-elf, 1% half-orc)

[Mostlymad]

Ever jump awake up in the middle of the night with that pit of fear gnawing on your insides after falling off a cliff in a dream? Ok. Now imagine that same fear of falling except upon awaking it doesn't go away. Instead it grabs a few friends (pair actually) and the three of them wreck hell on the newly conscious mind. First is Wind, who screams in your ears as you hurtle to Earth. Then there's Gravity, who loves you so much she grabs you and pulls you to her until something like the ground gets in her way. Throw in a healthy dose of Fear and you get the kakasha-in-my-pants scenario I awoke to and currently find myself in. Life wasn't always this way... hell of a life that would be huh? Born in the air, falling, splat. Ugh. No, you see I am a soldier. Russian spec ops or special operations for you civilian pukes. My specialty lies in sniping and scouting. Information gathering and target neutralization, sigh, there's nothing better. It is a rough and lonely life but I enjoyed it because I excelled at it. And last I remember I was loaded on a plane headed beyond the frontlines for a drop and the plane got hit with something. And I found myself... Falling. Damn. Let me tell you. Spinning and hurtling to the green, yellow, blue ground below is generally enough to make any man hurl. Which I did admittedly, though only a little, in my mouth. So, you ask, what does one do in high pressure situations like this? Blacking out is an option. Pinching yourself is another. And since the first makes me dead and the second one failed to wake me I opted for option C: Let training take over. Flinging my arms out wide I position my appendages to catch the wind, yes that bitch, to slow my spin until I could manage it. Once under control I check my gear and can say that I almost had a bowel movement when I found my chute chord and gear where they should be. Once steady I give the chord a rip and come to a screaming halt. Well, screaming cause my sack got pinched by the straps as my chute deployed but it hurt... and I doubt anyone heard at this altitude... don't judge me. After some 'adjustments' and tear wiping I take a moment to look around. "Why the hell is it so HOT?" I mutter to myself. Which is shortly followed by, "Where the **** is the snow?" At this point I'm at a loss and begin to mentally take note of the geography below. Again... let your training take over. So noting the major waterways and any other significant features For future reference when it dons on me that the field next to what appears to be a small gathering seems to be where I'm drifting. I hit the ground running and quickly pull my bayonet free from my boot and cut myself free of the chute strings. Next I sketch a crude map on a notepad based on what had been seen from the air. A quick weapons and equipment check... uh... checks out, and I hoof it north towards the encampment. Crossing the road cautiously I take a prone position on the side of a small hill and make my way around. Once line of sight is achieved I scope the encampment with my trusty sniper scope.

[DarkNetwerk]

The old man limped across the bridge, his walking staff clicking on each step as he hobbled his way across the river. 'Come on down!' he said, 'It'll be a great party!' he said, 'You'll have a blast!' he said. 'After all, he'll only get married once...' If it was such a special occasion, why the hell didn't he send a bloody carriage? Making me walk halfway across Andoran. Idiot. Probably didn't actually want me to be here. I can't believe I my daughter married that buffoon. Hopefully the boy turned out better. Haven't seen him since he was in swaddling... My damn son-in-law moving, taking my daughter and grandson away from me. Well, I'll show him. I'm here, despite his best efforts. The old man paused as he stepped off the bridge, back onto the road, looking at the masses of party-goers. My grandson's wedding warrants this size of spectacle? Perhaps he turned out more like his mother... One can only hope. A few of the party-goers call out to him, to have him join in their game. Their calls are cut off mid-sentence under the heat of his glare. The old man moves off along the road, looking for some indication where his grandson and his new bride may be located.

[epelj1]

Mostlymad Making your way across the clearing, the first thing you notice as you near the encampment is the lack of automobile tracks in the road. If you were to look closely, you'd see that the road is more of a path, or wagon trail, with several hoof prints embedded in the dirt from years of travel. Cresting the hill, you see that you're still about a klick out. However, from your vantage point, you can see atleast a couple hundred people in civilian dress. They appear to be partying, as there are several of them in the A4 Although, I guess that's fairly obvious from "Dance Area."north east dancing. Moving your scope to the east slightly you see a singular freakishly large man, and your first inclination that something is seriously different, as the man appears to be green. To the south of that man, you see a flower covered gazebo with a large amount of people huddling around a few others. Others can be seen sitting in the benches around the gazebo with plates piled of food. Further east, you see what looks to be a temple of some sort, though the markings on the exterior of it are nothing like you've seen before. Circling your scope around to the south, you see a large monument surrounded by what looks to be a maze of flowers. Several people wander here, and some sit on the benches, some of them appear to be eating, while others seem more content at looking at the flowers than wandering through the maze. To the west of the maze, you see a large tent with a constant steam of people coming and going on its northern side. On it's southern side, you notice five men standing over open fires grilling what can only be meat for the apparent festival. Completing your sweep of the area, you settle your scope on several kids playing on the wooden bridge spanning the river. As you watch, an elderly man crosses the bridge, and while several of the children keep their attention on fishing, several more turn their attention to the crossing man. All of the people appear to be dressed up, cheerful, and overall friendly. While most people look 'normal', there are several that look slightly off, lankier and more gaunt than normal, and even some of the kids running around have an absurd amount of facial hair.

DarkNetwerk Several small, fidgety children sit along this short wooden bridge. Fishing poles dangle from their hands, but judging by the empty buckets next to them, they haven’t caught anything yet. As you pass, one or two of the children look up at you expectantly, while many others jump up and start yelling at you. Although they all talk at the same time, you can make out many immature cat calls as well as the occasional, "Who you waitin' for Grampa?" and "Grampa's looking for a Grannie to smooch with!" Each, of course, followed by laughter from the children. As you cast the children an authoritative look, the kids scatter from under you, but still poke fun in hushed whispers. After crossing the bridge, to your right delicious smells emanate from a large canvas tent. Partygoers frequently come and go, carrying wooden plates of fried fish and barbecued pork with cups of honeymead. Around the back, smoke rises from several cookfires. On your left, several trees stand that have been decorated with flowered garland. Within the shade of these massive oak trees, musicians perform a variety of quickstep tunes. Several partygoers have already joined the dance, whirling beneath colored streamers and lanterns hung between the trees. Ahead of you lies a well-worn path strewn with flower petals leads between plain wooden benches to a decorative gazebo at the bottom of this amphitheater. More flowers adorn the structure itself, and a line of well-wishers extends to a seated couple dressed in finery beneath its roof. Obviously, this should be your grandson and wife-to-be. As you make your way towards the group, a frazzled Half-Elf still waving his hands in tune with the music nearly collides with you. A quick "Sorry!" is shouted as he runs from the Dance Area to the canvas tent.

[Mostlymad]

Looking down at the party Victor couldn't keep his mouth closed so agape it remained in wonder. The sheer craziness of the... the... Strange pointy ear, green skinned, and bearded childen? Uh yeah... thanks? No problem. You know, I'd say that the only sane thing I can see are the humans and burly midgets running around. Did the circus come to town? Hey, you telling this or am I? All yours. Anyway. Victor can't help but be curious as to what he sees before him and decides that sneaking up and surprising the party goers would probably be bad form. Yeah no telling what those FREAKS would do to me... or my body. Vic! Really? Sorry. Shedding his outer winter garments and putting them away in his pack the Sniper slings on the pack and then his rifle over his shoulder. The Ruskie (Hey, I hate that word!) made his way toward the bridge. After fording the shallow part of the stream he cautiously approached the kids 'guarding' the overpass.

[DarkNetwerk]

The old man glares at the mocking children, raising his staff threateningly. In my day, the kids would show respect to their elders. Clearly parenting around here has been lax. Spoiled brats need the switch. His ire subsides with a sigh as the children scatter. This is what all my years in the crusades amounts to? The mocking laughter of spoiled children? He then begins to hobble along the path taking in the sights. He follows the main path, passing by the canvas tent and the dancing area. All this frivolity! Is this a wedding or some festival? Where is the church? He stumbles back raising his staff defensively as the half-elf darts past him, nearly bowling into him. "Ware yer steps, fool!" he growled angrily, snorting at the swift half-hearted apology that was shouted out in passing. No respect... He continues on towards the gazebo, finally catching sight of what should be his grandson and his new bride and begins to approach, ignoring the line.

[epelj1]

DarkNetwerk Your shouts at the half-elf go unheard as he’s already ducking into the tent as you regain your balance. Approaching the gazebo, you hobble past the attendees already in line, respect obviously lost on all ages. As you near the happy couple, Elyin stands and exclaims, “Grandfather Ellismus! Father told me you’d be here, couldn’t stop talking about how much you wanted to be here!” The boy is positively beaming with pride, though his face falls abit when he adds, “It’s a shame he and mother can’t be here. Their carriage took a spill on the way here. He sent word that he wished it wasn’t so, but it was just too far to travel on foot.” His voice is hushed, as if his father might actually hear him, “It’s probably for the best though, he’s getting older, you know? But look at you,” Throwing his hands up. “How’ve ya been?!”

Mostlymad You approach the festival crossing the same bridge as the man you watched from the hill. This time however, the boys playing on the bridge see you and instantly turn rigid and divert their eyes to the creek, as if something terrifyingly interesting had just swam by. One exceptionally small child, however, takes off running for the canvas tent. As you enter the clearing, the people walking by slowly come to a stop, wide-eyed and staring at you. Those that were eating, stop mid-chew. In the distance, you hear a string instrument break a string, a loud Zing! echoing through the trees. Soon after, an avalanche of silence covers the festival, as each musician stops playing their instruments. The laughter gradually stops, as the entire festival becomes aware of your presence. As the villagers slowly start to gather around you, albeit with quite some distance between themselves and you, you hear hearty laughter coming from the tent to your right. “Oh Gibblet, it’s not nice to tell lie…” A rather robust middle-aged man, looking much like yourself, or, most unlike the others, comes out of the tent and notices you mid-sentence, “Oh!” The small child that had taken off running when you entered is barely visible behind the large man’s calf as he exits the tent, but quickly makes his way behind the tree to your right, staring curiously. As the man takes an involuntary step backwards, wide-eyed, much like the others, but quick to regain his composure, “I’m Mayor Brigrim Tell, Welcome to Bellis!” he exclaims, extending his arms at his sides. Glancing to the happy couple, then back to you, “Please, come in and enjoy our day of celebration!”

OOC Feel free to continue doing what you're doing. There's alot of stuff going on, you can either enjoy some of it, or not, and I can just progress the story whenever.

[DarkNetwerk]

The old man smiles at his grandson. That's the best news I've heard all week! he snorts out loud in amusement. "It's not all that far," he said. "After all, I walked here. And from further out than he. The lazy... ahh, but at least you never took after him. Good sense skipped his generation. But I digress... I am doing well. My hip still gives me some trouble, but it's manageable. Far better than a sword in the gut," he turns to look at the bride to be. "So is this the woman who stole my grandson's heart?" he asks with a smile. He turns his head and looks back with the sounds of the festival seemingly grinding to a halt and seeing the strangely dressed man crossing the bridge. What have we here?

[Mostlymad]

Not going to lie... walking in naked (well figuratively naked not literally naked you sick freaks) was more than a little unnerving. All these freaks around and I am the one getting the looks. Staying vigilant as he walked into town, Victor smiled stupidly as the large man addressed him using a dialect of speech similar to what Vic knew as English. He quickly gathered that Brigrim was in charge of this town... You mean shitbox. ...and had invited him to join in the celebration... freakshow. Extending his hand Vic introduced himself in Common, "Vic. A pleasure." Course I followed that with the MOST important question I could think of... Uh "Where am I?" No, no, no, you fool. I asked, "Got any vodka?"