Mourning Star

- nope! Alba was just dropping an idiom! 😄

Alba Thompson the cooper's daughter Description: average height, athletic; fin-like ears, scales and gills on her neck; deep blue eyes, shortish white hair with flecks of blue and green Dress: clean beige linen work shirt; heavily worn brown duck pants; scuffed black leather boots Weaponry: none Alba turns white with embarrassment and nearly chokes as she stifles an awkward laugh. Keeping her eyes locked on the group in front of them, she leans in towards her friend and whispers, "I didn't mean like that!" But she decides to double down. Straightening her gait, she crosses her arms defiantly and clears her throat. "Wonder how that crow's gonna taste come mess call," she mumbles, just loud enough for the sneering one to hear. Her eyes dart playfully towards Mina, a smile creeping onto her face. Character Vitals Will populate this as needed.

Alba Thompson the cooper's daughter Description: average height, athletic; fin-like ears, scales and gills on her neck; deep blue eyes, shortish white hair with flecks of blue and green Dress: clean beige linen work shirt; heavily worn brown duck pants; scuffed black leather boots Weaponry: none When Mina makes her request, Alba pauses. Looking over at the line of people at the high striker, she half-feigns a sigh. “Yeah, okay. I promise.” She gives a sidelong grin, her gills parting slightly. “But you first!” Still clenching Mina’s hand, Alba starts moving towards the line with renewed excitement. ”As long as I get to see those three get their sheets in a tangle when you show them up!” Once the two girls arrive at the end of the line, behind the three boasting young men, Alba’s demeanor stifles slightly. She looks nervous—slightly uncomfortable, even; her eyes flit across the knots of people around her. Crowding in close to Mina, she sighs once more, this time with a certain weariness. Character Vitals Will populate this as needed.

💓 Thank you! I'll catch up tonight and get a post in, if it's needed.

Hey, all. IRL things settled down for me this past week, and my red alert is cleared. If and ya'll will have me, I'd like to jump back into the campaign? 🙂

I'm really sorry everyone, but I've had some very serous IRL issues come up, and I can no longer play this campaign. It's one of the best campaigns I've seen, and I'm saddened that I'm unable to continue. I apologize for any inconvenience, and I hope you all have a blast. - MS

Alba Thompson the cooper's daughter Description: average height, athletic; fin-like ears, scales and gills on her neck; deep blue eyes, shortish white hair with flecks of blue and green Dress: clean beige linen work shirt; heavily worn brown duck pants; scuffed black leather boots Weaponry: none When she sees Mina, Alba's expression relaxes, gills rippling slightly. She opens her arms wide to her charging friend, turning her head and clenching her eyes in preparation for impact. Oof! Once her feet are back on the ground, Alba steps back and smiles. "Your dad," she says. "I swear. His hawser's come loose! He just threatened to get out his bullhorn. Again!" She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, then a happy sigh escapes her. "I've been looking all over for you! Whatcha doin'?" She glances at the scene behind Mina. "Oh," she murmurs abruptly. Half the people in the high striker line are staring at them. Alba's gills seal shut, disappearing back into her neck. She looks over the aspiring bell-ringers, her eyes pausing on the group of three young men in a tight cluster at the end of the line. They're laughing loudly, posturing and boasting in preparation for their turn with the hammer. "You know," Alba says, nodding her head towards the group and smiling drily, "If you go to the back of the line right now, when your turn comes around we will see a grown man cry." "C'mon," she says, grabbing Mina's hand and heading to the line. "I gotta see this." Character Vitals Will populate this as needed.

Hi, Millie. Welcome! I'm Aster. I'm pretty new, myself. (I've had an account for maybe a year or two, but I've only been active for the past six months or so.) MW is a super cool place to hang out, and it's one of the best online communities I've ever encountered. Hope you find a game and have a blast! Their Discord server is a lot of fun as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Heya, all. I just wanted to pop in to say I'm going to be leaving the campaign. I had a lot of fun exploring the Glowing Expanse with you all. I hope that Karadoon, Iphigenia, and Greta can help Fennel to eliminate the Maliente scourge. 🙂

Alba Thompson the cooper's daughter Description: average height, athletic; fin-like ears, scales and gills on her neck; deep blue eyes, shortish white hair with flecks of blue and green Dress: clean beige linen work shirt; heavily worn brown duck pants; scuffed black leather boots Weaponry: none Alba stares at Mayhew, half in admiration and half in horror, as he eats and talks. "I haven't seen much of it," she admits. "I spent most of the morning helping Mrs. Edwards set up her sewing circle booth. Then I came straight over here." Because there's too damned many people out there, she didn't say. She winces at the mention of a bullhorn. "No, no, Mr. E. Please, no bullhorn." She shakes her head and stifles a smile. "I can find her." Alba turns to stare at the festivities behind her. "Thanks," she finally says, heaving a weighty sigh. "Be sure to leave some for the rest of us!" After flashing a sideways grin at Mayhew, Alba settles into a look of resignation then determination, then heads across the grounds, towards the high-striker. Character Vitals Will populate this as needed.

Greta Starling "Fennel is fretting that you haven't returned," Greta says to Sean in Halfling. "It's probably for the best that you return immediately and talk to him. Share the events of your journey. Also," she says, holding out the stack of bloodied papers, "you should get this information to him double-quick. The information is vital, and he may be able to help plan your next mission." "Besides," she says as she hands the papers over, "I have them all but memorized. I can recall the information in detail if I need it between now and then." "By the way: do you have a spare weapon? Something small? Dwarf Karadoon has given me an unwieldy garden tool to use as a weapon, and it's just too heavy. I'll end up hurting myself trying to use it. If you can provide something smaller and more manageable, you can collect payment from my wares cart back home. Pick anything you like out of it. The Widow Allyn is safekeeping it for me. Tell her I said it's okay." Turning to Karadoon, she switches back to Common. "I am willing to stay and see the secrets under the dark of tonight of this ghost-filled place. Sean and his men were in close to them the last night, and they remained without harm. So we can perhaps have a distant watch of it without harm to ourselves. I am also curious about the elves that are not elves; I wish to see these echo-creatures up close. And during the day, as we wait for nightfall, I might want to dig through the grass a bit to see if any other things of important value can be found." "Of course," she concludes, saying the words extra loud so any interlopers can hear her, "I shall not be taking any single thing for my own possessing. I wish not to make offenses to these waking dead, for they seem to be potential friends of the Llaisy halflings, and they appear to mean not to harm those who do not disturb their nighttime watchments."

Alba Thompson the cooper's daughter Description: average height, athletic; fin-like ears, scales and gills on her neck; deep blue eyes, shortish white hair with flecks of blue and green Dress: clean beige linen work shirt; heavily worn brown duck pants; scuffed black leather boots Weaponry: none "Alba." The word ached in her mind like an echo. "Alba?" it repeated abruptly, startling Alba out of her daydream. She blinked, and Baldur's Gate was gone. Before her instead was the apple-barrel game of the Sunrise Daybreak Festival. She watched the children before her gleefully laughing and shouting as each apple was tossed. Alba frowned, and her gills closed completely, disappearing into the fish-like scales of her neck. "Alba, dear, what's wrong with you!" the voice said again. It was scratchy and deep, its timbre similar to that of a frog or a boar. Alba turned around to see Sally Edwards standing behind her. Sally was a local seamstress, an aged halfling woman whom Alba helped from time to time in exchange for boarding. In Sally's hands was a parcel of bundled paisley fabric, tightly bound with string. "Hi, Mrs. Edwards. I'm fine. I didn't bunk down well last night." "Just Sally, dear. Just Sally." The old woman gazed out across the sea of people. "It's quite a sight, isn't it? Once every fifty years." She turned back to Alba. "Did Grant ever get to see it?" Alba's eyes moved instinctively away, back towards the apple-barrel game. She shook her head slightly. "No. We only got here 'bout fifteen years ago." A long silence loomed, punctuated by a shrill squeal of joy from a particularly deft apple toss. Alba's eyes stayed locked onto the distant barrel. "Dad wouldn't have liked it anyways." "Grant was a worker," said Sally half-apologetically. "It's the curse of the sailor, don't you know? They don't get time off out there. They all work, all the time, or they all die. They get so used to that life, they get restless if they stay in one place too long. They get bored." A pained look passed over Alba's face, her eyes lowering. "Oh, not you, dear. You were his best worst find. Good for him, bad for his crew. His little white bird, he called you." This elicited a laugh from Alba. She looked over at the halfling, eyes shimmering. "Dad told you that?" Sally nodded solemnly. "Thanks, Mrs. Edwards. Hey, what did you need?" "Oh!" The halfling held her parcel of fabric out before her. "I can't get this undone, Alba. I'm afraid my knots are too tight. Can you cut the strings?" Alba fished into her pocket and pulled out a tarnished pocketknife with a seashell motif. As she worked the blade under the string, the halfling woman stood on her tiptoes and squinted. "Oh, isn't that a darling little knife. Where did you get it?" "Baldur's Gate. A long time ago. I was just a little kid." ———— After helping Sally with her bundle, Alba purposefully walks across the festival grounds, towards the feasting area. She nods and greets more than a few people on the way, though she doesn't stop. When she finally reaches the tables, and she sees Mayhew Everbright sitting before a loaded plate, she pauses, fading away into another daydream. After a few moments she shakes if off, and moves to the seat across the table from him. "Hey, Mr. Everbright. Where's Mina? It's like trying to find a booger in a bilge out here today." Character Vitals Will populate this as needed.

Alba Thompson the cooper's daughter Description: 12-14 years old, short, athletic; fin-like ears, scales and gills on her neck; deep blue eyes, white hair with flecks of blue and green, tied back into a pony Dress: clean and pressed white tunic; moderately worn blue pantaloons; clean black leather boots Weaponry: none "Do you see her, Grant?" Alba Thompson asked her father, tugging him through the crowds by his hand. "There's so many people!" She stopped to look around, her gills flaring in agitation. "Baldur's Gate's a big city, Alba. You'll find her," Grant Thompson said patiently, scratching at his gray beard and moving his gaze across the masses. "You just have to look. Why don't you—" "I am looking! Ugh!" Alba grunted in frustration. "It's like trying to find a booger in the bilge!" Grant sighed and shook his head. "Al..." "Where's Mr. Everbright's tent?" Alba continued, oblivious of her father's disapproval. "He'll know where she's at. Besides, it'll give you someone to talk to." Grant burst into hearty laughter, his aged face creasing sharply. "Oh-ho! You're going to have old Mayhew babysit me, are you? Too embarrassed to go the fair with your old man?" "No, Grant," Alba said plainly, still looking around the crowds. "You'll get bored. You didn't even want to come to Baldur's Gate. Besides, you like talking to Mayhew." "Mr. Everbright," Grant corrected her. "Mr. Everbright. Where's he at, anyways?" "I don't know, Al. I just got here, same as you. Why don't you go play yourself some games? Make a few friends. We'll be here all day." "I already got a friend," the girl retorted. "And I can't find her for nothing! She's probably winning some tournament she found or something. Where is she?" Grant opened his mouth, but then snapped it closed again. He looked down at Alba, a shadow of sadness on his face. "Okay, Alba. I'll make you a friendly sailor's wager. Mark where we're at. See the candy floss stand? Now, you go off and play one of those games. Any game you like. But don't come back 'til you won something. I'll ask around for Mayhew's tent so he can help you track down Mina. And I won't come back 'til I find out where he is. Whoever gets back first..." He paused in contemplation. Alba looked up with a fiercely determined look on her face. "Whoever gets back first gets out of dinner duty for a week when we get back home!" Grinning from ear to ear, she thrust her hand out. With a smile, Grant clasped his daughter's hand firmly in his own, and leaned down to her, face-to-face. "You're on, matey!" ————— It wasn't long before Alba discovered a game suited to her tastes, the apple-barrel toss. She wasn't sure of the details, but the game involved pitching apples into a pony keg barrel from ten strides away. She started towards the admission booth, but paused. There was a boy—a human boy—at the pitching line, trying his hand at the game. Alba unconsciously touched the scales on the back of her neck and stared, her gills reddening as she did. For more than a few moments she stood there, her gaze drifting from person to person, all of them kids her age. Her gills widened even more. After a few more moments Alba shook off her reverie and pressed her palms to the sides of her neck, smoothing her gills back into place. She looked back towards the candy floss stand. Grant was gone. Heaving a sigh of resignation she moved to the end of the admission line and waited. In front of her was a halfling girl wearing a brand new pair of coveralls. When she heard Alba she turned around and smiled. "Hi. I'm Strobble. What's your name?" Character Vitals Will populate this as needed.

And we're off! Quick OOC question - where are Mayhew and Mina right now? Alba will definitely look for one of them to hang out with. Mina first, of course, but she's cool with pestering Mayhew if Mina can't be found.