[Game Thread] Princess For Sale, Very Cheap

[Fragmaster01]

It was not a dark and stormy night, and for that you were thankful. Character sheets and water don't mix. In any case, it is the SECOND FRIDAY of SPRING BREAK, and you have gathered at the abode of one Derrick Mathers to indulge in some... alternative entertainment.

The place is very cozy, with various fluffy things draped over everything, so that at any point you could be made comfortable against your will. Derrick is some 35 year old systems cryptography expert, which generally goes right over your head, but at least he has all sorts of nice electronics toys for you to borrow. Also, being chief of cybersecurity means he's a HORRIBLE PIRATE of the UTMOST DEGREE, and there is a veritable Stack of hard drives full of The Internet in the corner. Those less technically inclined concern themselves with the fact that Derrick takes up two seats on the couch with his girth, but that is here and there.

Radagast the Brown paws at your backpack, preparing it to become a comfortable cushion. He is a dubious kitten, with Wisdom as his dump stat and a taste for sauerkraut. Faithful companion indeed.

OOC Introduce yourself!

[Andramal]

Gui offers Radagast the Hand of Peace, applying its fingers into the space between the ears and petting. Kittens like that, right?

He is settled on a cushion, on the floor, beside a coffee table, and has his sheet laid out beside a notebook. There are assorted details scribbled in the notebook - an ideal space to have side notes to avoid cluttering the character sheet - and several dice neatly arranged in a row at the top of the page.

Apart from making sure Radagast is not the Eater of Fabric, Gui is checking his notes and his sheet to make sure everything is in order. He is a lad of sixteen, with brown hair and brown eyes. He by no means looks like a nerd, but given his lack of Jock-like behavior or muscle, is adaptable enough to join a horde of Ner-err, a group of fiction enthusiasts! Today is a Sandal and large khaki shorts day, for their ideal pocket space, and a green shirt with some random world phrase of wit that use to be important somewhere. he has a nice watch too, but it only tells you time if you pretend it can speak (you have to stare at it otherwise).

[Muggins]

Contrary to popular belief, spooling over a hundred-word textbook about a fictional game wasn't quite as easy as it appeared. At least, not in Gabrielle's case. Dungeons and Dragons was a formidable piece of work, and she hadn't quite grasped it yet. As the others sat around on cushions and armchairs, she was cooped up in the corner trying to jot down the past few blank spaces on her character sheet. What would a person made of jello weigh, anyway, and why did she care?

At least the corner of the room was comfy, what with all the fluffy window dressings strewn about. There was the cat, too, but Radagast had already been seized by another one of the players. Oh well. It wasn't like she needed something to comfort her about sitting in a room with strangers about a game she'd never played. She wasn't nervous at all, either. Most certainly not. Surely, those quivers in her arms were just from the trials and tribulations of creating a stat sheet. There was absolutely nothing scary about her situation.

Except for the fact that Bonnie and Marcie were missing, anyway. Had she missed a memo? Or maybe she'd gone to the wrong place at the wrong time, and they'd just happened to be playing Dungeons and Dragons there too. She couldn't find out unless she asked. "U-Um," she began, "this is the DnD group, right? Isn't Bonnie supposed to be here?" Had she already asked that question at the door? She couldn't remember. If she'd forgotten then it wouldn't hurt to ask twice, right?

[Morathor]

"Bonnie?" Without warning, a slim, boney arm was slung around Gabrielle's shoulders and she was pulled close to a tall, lanky girl. Although Terri had an earbud in her left ear, blasting a playlist of bright, optimistic tunes she had chosen to get her in the mood for this new campaign and character, the right earbud was dangling down by her thick belt; one ear was enough to hear somebody asking about Bonnie. "Bonnie couldn't make it. She called in sick or something." She let go of the newcomer to cup both hands around her mouth. "HEY MATHERS! Bonnie's sick, right? Isn't that what she said?" Without waiting for his answer, Terri turned back to the new girl. "You a friend of hers? Bonnie said she was bringing friends. That's great! What's your name? Do you play any instruments?"

[Aerandor]

Miles had arrived early, but as usual (at least until he opened his mouth) he had been ignored by the other players. At the moment, that was fine by Miles' account. He was intently staring at the stack of pirated stuff that Derrick kept in the corner, looking for anything interesting. Of course, there were more than a few things in that stack to interest a 14 year-old boy, but Miles figured he'd have more luck asking Derrick to let him borrow a few after the game was over and the DM was too tired to read into it too much. So for now Miles simply scribbled down a list of what he'd want to pocket later. The list slipped into the back of his jeans, Miles plopped himself down on one of the overly fluffy couches arranged for the game night.

He was careful to pick a couch opposite the two ladies present, of course. In some ways still too shy (in his mind, he could hear his older brother Gabe laughing at that one) to actually sit next to a girl, Miles figured this at least gave him an excuse to look in their direction occasionally. This was a new group for Miles. The old group he had played with was mostly gone, nearly all of them his brother's age and in college now. But Miles had been fortunate enough to get invited by Derrick, so he figured he'd play it cool for the time being and kept his favorite comics series on the seat next to him rather than read it while he waited. Naturally, it only took a solid minute before the ADHD kicked in and Miles looked for something to entertain himself with. He settled on switching between twirling his pencil in his hand and occasionally butting the eraser into Radagast when Let's assume that Miles sat next to Gui, if that works for everybody?the dude next to him was busy looking over his sheet, just to see if he could get a reaction from the cat.

[Fragmaster01]

Derrick is pleased, and scarfs many a potato chip. His skill is deft, and he can hold many in his gaping maw while still speaking intelligibly. "Excellence! Yes, I think that's everyone that was going to show up this time. Duty calls, or odd family vacations as I understand it. When the parents demand you get in the car and stop asking if you're there yet."

He draws forth many a tome of knowledge, and beckons you in closer. "Now then, everyone finished their sheet, yes? Come, tell us all about your characters, so we can laugh at you." Radagast does not understand any of this, merely asking a simple Maow? in reply. He has no character sheet, for he is a cat. "At you, not with you. With is for boring people. Are you all owners of interesting people?

OOC Intro your character, in appearance and prowess! Make them sound fetching and full of skill, so that others can be envious.

[Andramal]

Gui quirks a brow at the last part. He's pretty sure that's just wit being applied...pretty sure, anyways.

"Well, I have here, one Gryphon named Kedrith. He's a gryphon and a Storm Druid, about 19 in human years, since I couldn't find a spot about gryphon aging. There's a lot of Red to his feathers, and even his fur has a tint of it. He has a big yellow beak to peck you with and sharp black claws to poke with as well. He's out and about adventuring for the riches, not so much a greedy bird as to show off to the ladies. Some of them dig a gryphon who can live off the land, grow a house or otherwise be all buff and outdoorsie, or so I figured," He holds the sheet up in one hand and gives it a little wave, "More?"

[Morathor]

As it looked like the actual game was about to begin, Terri quickly stashed her headphones in her pocket. But it seemed it wasn't quite game time--it was character introduction time. Well, too late to go back for the headphones now... she listened to Gui describe his character, then shook her head. "Man, you know nobody woos like a bard. Storm gryphon is pretty cool and all, just don't be surprised when all the lady gryphons are more interested in the birdman who can rock out." 'Rocking out' probably wasn't a thing in this setting, but as far as Terri was concerned it was a universal constant. "So I got this satyri paladin. He's like early twenties, or whatever a satyr's equivalent to early twenties is. He's a little short--again, by satyri standards, I don't know if that means he's like five six, or if he's only six one. I didn't see it spelled out anywhere, but I get the impression the satyrs are a little short as medium sized creatures go. Anyway. Short, but stocky and muscular. Has mostly white fur and hair, a few patches of light brown. Horns are pretty normal... he's got really bright green eyes."

She held her character sheet a above her head as she continued. "Dude is a paladin of whatever sun god we got in this setting, and he's all about warmth and compassion, but he's not against kicking some ass when talking things out doesn't work. Gonna do nonlethal damage most the time though."

[Fragmaster01]

"Good good, all excellent. And yours?" He stares at the two of silence, for they are mute and afraid.

[Aerandor]

Miles sat up as the others read their introductions. When Derrick addressed him, he spoke up. "Well now, mine's a gremlin by the name of Delara. She's got a 17 charisma so she's whoot whoo," Miles wolf whistled to indicate his thoughts, giving a nod of confirmation to Derrick, "and her curves are like, wow," he demonstrated the outline of a curvy, feminine form with his hands, "and then of course her bust is like, uh-huh!" this time he demonstrated by holding his hands up in front of him as if cupping watermelons.

His overly physical description of the character now at an end, Miles pondered for a moment before continuing, "Let's see, she knows how to make guns, and she's pretty stealthy. She loves shiny things, can't get enough of them. Not sure how long gremlins live for, but let's say she's equivalent to a 15 year-old human. She likes to talk and have a good time at bars, but otherwise she's pretty neutral about most ideas so long as she gets some money out of it. Uh.. any questions?"

[Andramal]

Gui hears about Paladins and, uh, something that reminds him of a movie with Mogwi and awkward chemical concoctions. At least this one is highly unlikely to trap me in a bathroom and seduce me. "Sounds entertaining thus far," he responds with some amusement, "and not everyone can be a bard."

But the fourth seems to have gotten stage fright...? Thanks to the powers of temporal mechanics, however...

[Muggins]

Frankly, Gabrielle was petrified. First there was the girl with an arm around her, and then there was the pseudo-class presentation that had been requested of her by their cunning host, Derrick. That wasn't how you were supposed to do Icebreakers, darnit!

Gabrielle breathed, and then she took things slow. Slow for her, anyway. "Y-yeah, a friend. I expected a friend-of-a-friend here, too, but no, uh," she began, "dice. No dice. I'm Gab-." She paused, staring at Radagast as he encroached upon her personal space. Shoo, kitten! Begone from her domain! "Uh, right. I don't play any instruments," she said as she pushed away Radagast, "seemed like a waste of time. Probably is. Nyeh."

With Terri halfheartedly dismissed, Gabrielle turned her attention to her character sheet. It was scribbled in with all of the stuff - with the right stuff, hopefully, rather than the wrong stuff. All of that "base attack bonus and saving throw progression" stuff was probably the hardest to sort out. She fiddled anxiously with her paper, lifting it to the neighbouring eyes of Terri, and grimaced. Talking about mechanics she didn't know properly was going to be hard.

"Uh, I made a goofolk. Well, a slithery goofolk. Scales, tails and snake eyes, but made of gelatin," she began with a start, "I named her globule, she's coloured green, likes eating people by proxy of her warm, slimy embrace. Despises cats just as I do. Please get him away from me." Then she breathed. Gabrielle breathed long and deep, taking in the occasional strand of cat fur, before exhaling and calming down. It was bad enough that one of their number was a gazonga-obsessed boy without also being made to embarrass herself before his hormonalness. After some further consideration, though, Terri didn't seem much better.

So much for a relaxing night of introductory gaming.

[Fragmaster01]

"Everyone can be a bard. You just have to get the right music." He claps his hands, and draws forth the campaign notes. "That said, it looks like everyone's ready. So..."

Dramatic Narration It is a good day in the kingdom of Falassa. Indeed, it was finally the hour of the great royal wedding: Princess Alicia of Falassa and Mardeau, Paladin thereof, were to be forever chained by fate, He says this in the appropriate voice.mawwage, and twoo wuv. You, being adventurers of some skill, were invited to come along and enjoy the party. Okay, so you weren't invited directly, but you knew a guy who knew a guy, and that was good enough. The vows have been given, the flowers have been pelted, and now everyone is enjoying a good after-party, with booze and pastry. The plaza is a long street corridor leading to the palace, though it has been appropriated for the celebration. The newlyweds and their actual friends are up on a balcony on the palace steps, while the rest of you semi-important people are down below. At the moment however, someone has demanded more wine, and since your Strength scores are truly impressive, you'll have to do. Perhaps you can filch some cakes while you're at it. That said, the lizard simply said "the storerooms", which wasn't very helpful. You've entered into a little holding building off to the left of the plaza, but now three unmarked wooden doors stand before you, with no notice as to where the wine might be. What do you do?

The night seems to have fallen much more rapidly than you expected. Perhaps you spent longer than you thought waiting on people? Radagast doesn't seem to mind, as he sneakily snatches a wayward chip from the floor.

[Andramal]

Gui gets all settled in, and tries to give a voice of reasonably maturity as he speaks for Kedriths actions.

Kedrith The Gryphon "Well, may as well check them all." the red gryphon speaks up, and heads to the nearest door. All fours he may be, but he has the power of thumb-like digits to open doors with, and can surely hobble on three while carrying something. To the first door he goes!

[Muggins]

It turned out that the presentation wasn't the hardest part of Gabrielle's new hobby. No, the hardest part would be narrating in first person. Or was it third person? Second?

Globule Uh, I - Globule? Me? Whatever. I take the door on the right, assuming he takes the one on the left.

Gabrielle made a vague gesture to Gui, then pressed on. Maybe the speaking part wouldn't be as hard as the narration part.

Globule, Take 2 "That plan sounds good," said Globule, "and soon we'll be back to eating food. Food is better than drink, don't you think?" She's taken a wiggly form, replacing her goo with scales. On the surface, anyway. Deep down she's just a mass of sticky slime in a skin shirt, but she won't tell anyone if you won't. Er, I mean..