Arklytte November 9, 2023 At The Sign Of The Prancing Pon...err...Golden Gear ************* (Back at the bar) The barman, Leider, nods along to each of the adventurer's requests in turn and collects their various fees. His response was, essentially, the same to each of them. "Take whatever table suits you," he gestured towards the room at large, "and one of my girls will fetch your supper. Martin will be by with your Cream in a minute. In the meantime, if there's anything else I can do for you, just come back up, or call for your server." He waited politely to see if anyone had any more questions, then when they departed for their table, he turned back to the casks behind the bar, refilling mugs and sending them to various thirsty patrons. ************* ************* (At the table) The conversation flowed between the companions. Several nearby patrons glanced their way, especially amused at the antics of their various familiars. Most quickly turned back to their conversations, though a few continued to occasionally glance their way, hoping for further entertainment. At one point, a waitress arrived, bringing a pitcher of ale and several mugs. The server smiled pleasantly, but didn't stay long enough to answer any questions, being immediately called away to deliver another round of drinks to a table on the far side of the dining room. The conversation continued, and they quartet were joined by the still sopping Tiefling. Almost immediately a second waitress arrived, dropped off an empty mug in front of Valros, and just as quickly scampered away, a tray over her shoulder brimming with more mugs and pitchers. A couple of minutes after Lucrezia rose to head towards the stage and more closely observe the bard, the other four, caught up in their conversation, were interrupted by a... *THUMP* The companions were caught by surprise by the arrival of another of the serving wenches, this one bearing their supper. With a cheerful grin the woman moved the small cauldron of stew that she'd set down into the center of the table. Beside it she set a basket with several small, dark loaves of bread and a crock of what appeared to be fresh butter. Bowls, utensils, and a pitcher of cold water quickly joined them. "Sorry my lords, didn't mean to startle ye." she grinned apologetically. "Tis just so busy tonight, we ain't got time ta breathe, much less slow down." The woman glanced towards the stage before turning her attention back to her customers. "A course, that's liable ta change, come the morrow, what with Mistress Ariand taking her leave to head on to the Artificer's manor." She tucked her tray under her arm and smiled brightly. "Martin will be by in a few minutes with your Cream. He had to refill his reservoir, so you'll be getting it fresh from the hob. In the meantime, you need anything, you just call out for Bess, and I'll be here in a trice, yeah?" She waited a beat to see if any of them had any further requests for her, but, before anyone could speak, her name was bellowed from across the room. With a wry grin, she gave a small dip of her head and quickly moved into the crowd. Delicious scents were coming from the stewpot, and the steam still rising from the bread indicated that it had just come from the oven. There was even a small, covered bowl that, when opened, revealed small chunks of raw venison, just the right size for a cat...or ferret. Beside the bowl was a small shot glass, filled with water A moment later, as the four were just beginning their meal, a tall, strange-looking man approached. His limbs were slender almost to the point of looking half starved, but, strangely, he had a large, almost barrel chest. He had close cropped, dark hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin, and in most all other ways looked so completely 'average' that he could have probably blended in with any random crowd of locals. His movements were slow and careful, almost as if his limbs were somehow heavier than they should be. He smiled stiffly at the patrons at the table as he approached, bearing a tray of small earthenware mugs in one hand and a spotless white towel draped over his opposite arm. Reaching the table, he set down five of the mugs. Each was roughly the size of a balled fist and the sides were fairly thick, most likely for insulation. As he moved, all present caught the dull glint of metal under the man's sleeve, however, before they could react to that, Martin lowered his right hand, pointing his index finger directly at the first mug. With a slight hiss of released steam, the tip of his finger flipped back, exposing a metal spigot, out of which poured a slightly viscous, steaming hot white liquid. The scent of cinnamon, cardamon, and citrus, along with the sharp tang of quality alcohol immediately hit everyone's nose as the mugs were quickly and efficiently filled. When all were finished, the tip of Martin's finger flipped back into place and the man stepped back slightly. "There you are gentlemen. Please enjoy your Korova Cream. Be sure to sip, and carefully. It's very hot, and very strong. Please let me know what you think. Leider always appreciates feedback from new patrons to the Inn." While the man's voice was pleasant and even, it was just the slightest bit...off. The inflections were occasionally odd, and the emotional undercurrent was curiously flat, though not monotone. And there seemed to be just the barest hint of reverberation to it, as though he were speaking through a very short tube. Martin waited patiently, giving the four a chance to sample their drinks, even as he waved at a customer who'd called his name. Just about the same time that Martin finished pouring the four's steaming drinks, Valros felt a sudden pressure on his leg, as though something had bumped against it. Looking down, the tiefling's gaze was instantly captured by a pair of bright green eyes, their pupils huge and dark. The feral kitten that he'd helped out of the rain appeared to have followed him to the inn. Now that it was out of the drizzle, and seemed to be, at least somewhat, free of the grey mud that had adorned it earlier, he could see that it's medium length coat was a bright golden orange...at least, it would be, once it was clean. When the two locked eyes, the small feline, apparently taking acknowledgement as permission, swarmed up Valros' leg, swiftly climbing to his thigh, and thence into the tiefling's lap. The still somewhat bedraggled kitten glanced up at Valros once more then, turning its head to the side, began to give itself a bath, swiping it's rough tongue on one foreleg and rubbing said foreleg against it's mud speckled ear. With a contented sounding grunt, the little creature quickly made itself to home, grooming itself to the exclusion of all else. A moment later, a high pitched, rumbling purr began to sound in the kittens chest...and somehow, the warrior heard the sound echo in his mind! The kitten suddenly stopped it's grooming and looked back up at Valros. Cocking it's head to the side, it stared deeply into the man's eyes, and, once again, deep in his mind, Valros heard a sound. A high pitched, childlike voice resounded through his thoughts. "horn man warm...smell good...have food?" ************* (At the stage) Lucrezia, from her new vantage standing much closer to the alluring...and rather fetching...bard, was able to get a better look at the symbols that adorned the cuffs and seams of the woman's garb. The characters formed a definite pattern and appeared to repeat several times as they wound around Ariand's body. Even as she studied the markings, Lucrezia let loose her powers, sensing many things about the area around her. Given her intense focus on the bard, she noticed the faintest of twitches in the woman's face and neck muscles when the spell was cast. Though her eyes remained closed, Ariand swiveled her head until her closed eyes were locked on Lucrezia's own, and after that, never wavered. It took Lucrezia several minutes to parse the language out...it turned out to be an extremely archaic dialect of Draconic. Combined with needing to split her mental focus to deal with the deluge of information her magical senses were bringing her, it took all the wizardess' formidable mental might to manage it all at once. But manage it she did. Lucrezia was able to parse out the words, though matching them up wasn't quite straightforward, because they would abruptly cut off as they wound around the woman's arm, her trim waist, even her full bust. But the dhampir persevered...it's not like she wasn't already staring, after all, and with a final mental splice, she was able to put the words in order. 'If you can read this, you spend far too much time with your nose buried in dusty old tomes. Go outside once in awhile, and touch grass.' OOC OOC NOTES And we're back. 😁 A couple bits of housekeeping. I'd like everyone to either create a 'Mechanics' spoiler at the end of their IC posts going forward (if you haven't already). In that spoiler, I'd like everyone to list their bonuses for Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth. Include your total bonus, including any long term buffs, but if there's anything affecting the skills, please break it down for me, including situational modifiers. While there's very little in 5E I like, Passive Perception is one of the things I find useful. I use it for all of the above skills as a sort of guideline for NPC reactions to various situations, rather than having to constantly ask for rolls, since those three skills are used all the time. Thanks! Martin If anyone wishes to try and garner any additional information about your server Martin, you can do so by making either a Knowledge: Arcana or Knowledge: Engineering check. Depending on your skill roll, open the appropriate nested spoilers below for the additional info you learn. Obviously, you're welcome to look at the rest of the spoilers, but, just as obviously, only allow your character to react to those things they actually know. Arcana 15 or Engineering 10 Martin appears to be some kind of technological construct, a highly advanced clockwork creation. While purely technological clockwork creations have been long known to exist, one in the form and function of a human being, fully interactable as Martin is, was always thought to be impossible. It is well known that Artificer Humbert, in addition to being an extremely powerful mage, is one of the most talented clockwork makers in the Empire, so it's highly likely that he created Martin. Arcana 25 or Engineering 20 It was rumoured that Humbert was working on humanlike clockwork creations with the capability to act and interact independently, rather than via simple programming. It is further speculated that Humbert was experimenting with somehow giving his clockwork creations the ability to interact emotionally. Lucrezia's Divination Results @Starhawk Going forward, please put mechanics based OOC comments in either an Inline OOC or (preferably) an OOC Spoiler at the end of your post. Thanks! 😀 Now, onto the crunchy stuff. 😁 Magical auras: Several. Ariand, Leider and the half orc bouncer all have a Moderate magical aura. Ariand's is the strongest of the three. There are a half dozen or so patrons, randomly scattered about the crowd, that have Faint magical auras, and there are a few Faint magical items scattered around. The half orc's weapon, and a torc around his neck have Moderate magical auras. He also has several other magic items with Faint auras. Leider has a belt, a ring, and an earring with Moderate auras. There's also a greataxe hidden under the bar with a Strong aura. Ariand's clothes, the two daggers at her belt, and her earrings have Moderate auras. She has several items with Faint auras as well. Her Dulcimer has a Strong aura. Aberrations, outsiders: None of either Wounds, hurts, bleeding: Ariand has healing wounds in her back/hip, and a few patrons have minor wounds...probably due to their various manual labor jobs. Incorporeals: None Who is phyically the most hale and hearty: The half orc bouncer. And the least: The androgynous stablehand, currently curled up near the stove in the stable. Who is the best armoured: The half orc bouncer Least armoured: An elderly patron, seated at the bar, wearing homespun clothing...probably a farmer. He's quite drunk, so his incapacitation makes him 'least armoured'. The presence of extreme desires (in particular those whose interest is focussed on her and those at her table): Lucrezia's various displays, both walking in as well as walking towards the stage, combined with her physical beauty and the fact that she's new in town, have drawn the attention of a number of patrons, both male and female. From Ariand specifically, Lucrezia senses interest (intellectual mostly, though there is a hint of cheerful lust as well), as well as more than a bit of amusement. From the half orc, she senses an INTENSE sense of protectiveness toward the staff of the inn, as well as a deep, almost fanatic loyalty to Leider. A generalized idea of the movement through the Tavern in the last 5 hours, not forgetting the presence of portals and signs that anyone has teleported in our out: There are no patterns to the movement within the inn. It's the typical chaos of an extremely busy night. There's constant traffic between the staff and the kitchen, as well as the bar. There are no signs of teleportation or portal effects, other than the portal that Lance summoned earlier. There are a few extradimensional spaces among the patrons, probably pouches/bags of holding and the like. There is a large extradimensional space somewhere behind the bar, probably in the kitchen. Leider, the half orc, and Ariand all have personal extradimensional spaces. Ariand's is strongest.
Arklytte October 30, 2023 At The Sign Of The Prancing Pon...err...Golden Gear ************* (Back at the bar) The barman, Leider, nods along to each of the adventurer's requests in turn and collects their various fees. His response was, essentially, the same to each of them. "Take whatever table suits you," he gestured towards the room at large, "and one of my girls will fetch your supper. Martin will be by with your Cream in a minute. In the meantime, if there's anything else I can do for you, just come back up, or call for your server." He waited politely to see if anyone had any more questions, then when they departed for their table, he turned back to the casks behind the bar, refilling mugs and sending them to various thirsty patrons. ************* ************* (At the table) The conversation flowed between the companions. Several nearby patrons glanced their way, especially amused at the antics of their various familiars. Most quickly turned back to their conversations, though a few continued to occasionally glance their way, hoping for further entertainment. At one point, a waitress arrived, bringing a pitcher of ale and several mugs. The server smiled pleasantly, but didn't stay long enough to answer any questions, being immediately called away to deliver another round of drinks to a table on the far side of the dining room. The conversation continued, and they quartet were joined by the still sopping Tiefling. Almost immediately a second waitress arrived, dropped off an empty mug in front of Valros, and just as quickly scampered away, a tray over her shoulder brimming with more mugs and pitchers. A couple of minutes after Lucrezia rose to head towards the stage and more closely observe the bard, the other four, caught up in their conversation, were interrupted by a... *THUMP* The companions were caught by surprise by the arrival of another of the serving wenches, this one bearing their supper. With a cheerful grin the woman moved the small cauldron of stew that she'd set down into the center of the table. Beside it she set a basket with several small, dark loaves of bread and a crock of what appeared to be fresh butter. Bowls, utensils, and a pitcher of cold water quickly joined them. "Sorry my lords, didn't mean to startle ye." she grinned apologetically. "Tis just so busy tonight, we ain't got time ta breathe, much less slow down." The woman glanced towards the stage before turning her attention back to her customers. "A course, that's liable ta change, come the morrow, what with Mistress Ariand taking her leave to head on to the Artificer's manor." She tucked her tray under her arm and smiled brightly. "Martin will be by in a few minutes with your Cream. He had to refill his reservoir, so you'll be getting it fresh from the hob. In the meantime, you need anything, you just call out for Bess, and I'll be here in a trice, yeah?" She waited a beat to see if any of them had any further requests for her, but, before anyone could speak, her name was bellowed from across the room. With a wry grin, she gave a small dip of her head and quickly moved into the crowd. Delicious scents were coming from the stewpot, and the steam still rising from the bread indicated that it had just come from the oven. There was even a small, covered bowl that, when opened, revealed small chunks of raw venison, just the right size for a cat...or ferret. Beside the bowl was a small shot glass, filled with water A moment later, as the four were just beginning their meal, a tall, strange-looking man approached. His limbs were slender almost to the point of looking half starved, but, strangely, he had a large, almost barrel chest. He had close cropped, dark hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin, and in most all other ways looked so completely 'average' that he could have probably blended in with any random crowd of locals. His movements were slow and careful, almost as if his limbs were somehow heavier than they should be. He smiled stiffly at the patrons at the table as he approached, bearing a tray of small earthenware mugs in one hand and a spotless white towel draped over his opposite arm. Reaching the table, he set down five of the mugs. Each was roughly the size of a balled fist and the sides were fairly thick, most likely for insulation. As he moved, all present caught the dull glint of metal under the man's sleeve, however, before they could react to that, Martin lowered his right hand, pointing his index finger directly at the first mug. With a slight hiss of released steam, the tip of his finger flipped back, exposing a metal spigot, out of which poured a slightly viscous, steaming hot white liquid. The scent of cinnamon, cardamon, and citrus, along with the sharp tang of quality alcohol immediately hit everyone's nose as the mugs were quickly and efficiently filled. When all were finished, the tip of Martin's finger flipped back into place and the man stepped back slightly. "There you are gentlemen. Please enjoy your Korova Cream. Be sure to sip, and carefully. It's very hot, and very strong. Please let me know what you think. Leider always appreciates feedback from new patrons to the Inn." While the man's voice was pleasant and even, it was just the slightest bit...off. The inflections were occasionally odd, and the emotional undercurrent was curiously flat, though not monotone. And there seemed to be just the barest hint of reverberation to it, as though he were speaking through a very short tube. Martin waited patiently, giving the four a chance to sample their drinks, even as he waved at a customer who'd called his name. Just about the same time that Martin finished pouring the four's steaming drinks, Valros felt a sudden pressure on his leg, as though something had bumped against it. Looking down, the tiefling's gaze was instantly captured by a pair of bright green eyes, their pupils huge and dark. The feral kitten that he'd helped out of the rain appeared to have followed him to the inn. Now that it was out of the drizzle, and seemed to be, at least somewhat, free of the grey mud that had adorned it earlier, he could see that it's medium length coat was a bright golden orange...at least, it would be, once it was clean. When the two locked eyes, the small feline, apparently taking acknowledgement as permission, swarmed up Valros' leg, swiftly climbing to his thigh, and thence into the tiefling's lap. The still somewhat bedraggled kitten glanced up at Valros once more then, turning its head to the side, began to give itself a bath, swiping it's rough tongue on one foreleg and rubbing said foreleg against it's mud speckled ear. With a contented sounding grunt, the little creature quickly made itself to home, grooming itself to the exclusion of all else. A moment later, a high pitched, rumbling purr began to sound in the kittens chest...and somehow, the warrior heard the sound echo in his mind! The kitten suddenly stopped it's grooming and looked back up at Valros. Cocking it's head to the side, it stared deeply into the man's eyes, and, once again, deep in his mind, Valros heard a sound. A high pitched, childlike voice resounded through his thoughts. "horn man warm...smell good...have food?" ************* (At the stage) Lucrezia, from her new vantage standing much closer to the alluring...and rather fetching...bard, was able to get a better look at the symbols that adorned the cuffs and seams of the woman's garb. The characters formed a definite pattern and appeared to repeat several times as they wound around Ariand's body. Even as she studied the markings, Lucrezia let loose her powers, sensing many things about the area around her. Given her intense focus on the bard, she noticed the faintest of twitches in the woman's face and neck muscles when the spell was cast. Though her eyes remained closed, Ariand swiveled her head until her closed eyes were locked on Lucrezia's own, and after that, never wavered. It took Lucrezia several minutes to parse the language out...it turned out to be an extremely archaic dialect of Draconic. Combined with needing to split her mental focus to deal with the deluge of information her magical senses were bringing her, it took all the wizardess' formidable mental might to manage it all at once. But manage it she did. Lucrezia was able to parse out the words, though matching them up wasn't quite straightforward, because they would abruptly cut off as they wound around the woman's arm, her trim waist, even her full bust. But the dhampir persevered...it's not like she wasn't already staring, after all, and with a final mental splice, she was able to put the words in order. 'If you can read this, you spend far too much time with your nose buried in dusty old tomes. Go outside once in awhile, and touch grass.' OOC OOC NOTES And we're back. 😁 A couple bits of housekeeping. I'd like everyone to either create a 'Mechanics' spoiler at the end of their IC posts going forward (if you haven't already). In that spoiler, I'd like everyone to list their bonuses for Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth. Include your total bonus, including any long term buffs, but if there's anything affecting the skills, please break it down for me, including situational modifiers. While there's very little in 5E I like, Passive Perception is one of the things I find useful. I use it for all of the above skills as a sort of guideline for NPC reactions to various situations, rather than having to constantly ask for rolls, since those three skills are used all the time. Thanks! Martin If anyone wishes to try and garner any additional information about your server Martin, you can do so by making either a Knowledge: Arcana or Knowledge: Engineering check. Depending on your skill roll, open the appropriate nested spoilers below for the additional info you learn. Obviously, you're welcome to look at the rest of the spoilers, but, just as obviously, only allow your character to react to those things they actually know. Arcana 15 or Engineering 10 Martin appears to be some kind of technological construct, a highly advanced clockwork creation. While purely technological clockwork creations have been long known to exist, one in the form and function of a human being, fully interactable as Martin is, was always thought to be impossible. It is well known that Artificer Humbert, in addition to being an extremely powerful mage, is one of the most talented clockwork makers in the Empire, so it's highly likely that he created Martin. Arcana 25 or Engineering 20 It was rumoured that Humbert was working on humanlike clockwork creations with the capability to act and interact independently, rather than via simple programming. It is further speculated that Humbert was experimenting with somehow giving his clockwork creations the ability to interact emotionally. Lucrezia's Divination Results @Starhawk Going forward, please put mechanics based OOC comments in either an Inline OOC or (preferably) an OOC Spoiler at the end of your post. Thanks! 😀 Now, onto the crunchy stuff. 😁 Magical auras: Several. Ariand, Leider and the half orc bouncer all have a Moderate magical aura. Ariand's is the strongest of the three. There are a half dozen or so patrons, randomly scattered about the crowd, that have Faint magical auras, and there are a few Faint magical items scattered around. The half orc's weapon, and a torc around his neck have Moderate magical auras. He also has several other magic items with Faint auras. Leider has a belt, a ring, and an earring with Moderate auras. There's also a greataxe hidden under the bar with a Strong aura. Ariand's clothes, the two daggers at her belt, and her earrings have Moderate auras. She has several items with Faint auras as well. Her Dulcimer has a Strong aura. Aberrations, outsiders: None of either Wounds, hurts, bleeding: Ariand has healing wounds in her back/hip, and a few patrons have minor wounds...probably due to their various manual labor jobs. Incorporeals: None Who is phyically the most hale and hearty: The half orc bouncer. And the least: The androgynous stablehand, currently curled up near the stove in the stable. Who is the best armoured: The half orc bouncer Least armoured: An elderly patron, seated at the bar, wearing homespun clothing...probably a farmer. He's quite drunk, so his incapacitation makes him 'least armoured'. The presence of extreme desires (in particular those whose interest is focussed on her and those at her table): Lucrezia's various displays, both walking in as well as walking towards the stage, combined with her physical beauty and the fact that she's new in town, have drawn the attention of a number of patrons, both male and female. From Ariand specifically, Lucrezia senses interest (intellectual mostly, though there is a hint of cheerful lust as well), as well as more than a bit of amusement. From the half orc, she senses an INTENSE sense of protectiveness toward the staff of the inn, as well as a deep, almost fanatic loyalty to Leider. A generalized idea of the movement through the Tavern in the last 5 hours, not forgetting the presence of portals and signs that anyone has teleported in our out: There are no patterns to the movement within the inn. It's the typical chaos of an extremely busy night. There's constant traffic between the staff and the kitchen, as well as the bar. There are no signs of teleportation or portal effects, other than the portal that Lance summoned earlier. There are a few extradimensional spaces among the patrons, probably pouches/bags of holding and the like. There is a large extradimensional space somewhere behind the bar, probably in the kitchen. Leider, the half orc, and Ariand all have personal extradimensional spaces. Ariand's is strongest.
Arklytte October 30, 2023 At The Sign Of The Prancing Pon...err...Golden Gear ************* (Back at the bar) The barman, Leider, nods along to each of the adventurer's requests in turn and collects their various fees. His response was, essentially, the same to each of them. "Take whatever table suits you," he gestured towards the room at large, "and one of my girls will fetch your supper. Martin will be by with your Cream in a minute. In the meantime, if there's anything else I can do for you, just come back up, or call for your server." He waited politely to see if anyone had any more questions, then when they departed for their table, he turned back to the casks behind the bar, refilling mugs and sending them to various thirsty patrons. ************* ************* (At the table) The conversation flowed between the companions. Several nearby patrons glanced their way, especially amused at the antics of their various familiars. Most quickly turned back to their conversations, though a few continued to occasionally glance their way, hoping for further entertainment. At one point, a waitress arrived, bringing a pitcher of ale and several mugs. The server smiled pleasantly, but didn't stay long enough to answer any questions, being immediately called away to deliver another round of drinks to a table on the far side of the dining room. The conversation continued, and they quartet were joined by the still sopping Tiefling. Almost immediately a second waitress arrived, dropped off an empty mug in front of Valros, and just as quickly scampered away, a tray over her shoulder brimming with more mugs and pitchers. A couple of minutes after Lucrezia rose to head towards the stage and more closely observe the bard, the other four, caught up in their conversation, were interrupted by a... *THUMP* The companions were caught by surprise by the arrival of another of the serving wenches, this one bearing their supper. With a cheerful grin the woman moved the small cauldron of stew that she'd set down into the center of the table. Beside it she set a basket with several small, dark loaves of bread and a crock of what appeared to be fresh butter. Bowls, utensils, and a pitcher of cold water quickly joined them. "Sorry my lords, didn't mean to startle ye." she grinned apologetically. "Tis just so busy tonight, we ain't got time ta breathe, much less slow down." The woman glanced towards the stage before turning her attention back to her customers. "A course, that's liable ta change, come the morrow, what with Mistress Ariand taking her leave to head on to the Artificer's manor." She tucked her tray under her arm and smiled brightly. "Martin will be by in a few minutes with your Cream. He had to refill his reservoir, so you'll be getting it fresh from the hob. In the meantime, you need anything, you just call out for Bess, and I'll be here in a trice, yeah?" She waited a beat to see if any of them had any further requests for her, but, before anyone could speak, her name was bellowed from across the room. With a wry grin, she gave a small dip of her head and quickly moved into the crowd. Delicious scents were coming from the stewpot, and the steam still rising from the bread indicated that it had just come from the oven. There was even a small, covered bowl that, when opened, revealed small chunks of raw venison, just the right size for a cat...or ferret. Beside the bowl was a small shot glass, filled with water A moment later, as the four were just beginning their meal, a tall, strange-looking man approached. His limbs were slender almost to the point of looking half starved, but, strangely, he had a large, almost barrel chest. He had close cropped, dark hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin, and in most all other ways looked so completely 'average' that he could have probably blended in with any random crowd of locals. His movements were slow and careful, almost as if his limbs were somehow heavier than they should be. He smiled stiffly at the patrons at the table as he approached, bearing a tray of small earthenware mugs in one hand and a spotless white towel draped over his opposite arm. Reaching the table, he set down five of the mugs. Each was roughly the size of a balled fist and the sides were fairly thick, most likely for insulation. As he moved, all present caught the dull glint of metal under the man's sleeve, however, before they could react to that, Martin lowered his right hand, pointing his index finger directly at the first mug. With a slight hiss of released steam, the tip of his finger flipped back, exposing a metal spigot, out of which poured a slightly viscous, steaming hot white liquid. The scent of cinnamon, cardamon, and citrus, along with the sharp tang of quality alcohol immediately hit everyone's nose as the mugs were quickly and efficiently filled. When all were finished, the tip of Martin's finger flipped back into place and the man stepped back slightly. "There you are gentlemen. Please enjoy your Korova Cream. Be sure to sip, and carefully. It's very hot, and very strong. Please let me know what you think. Leider always appreciates feedback from new patrons to the Inn." While the man's voice was pleasant and even, it was just the slightest bit...off. The inflections were occasionally odd, and the emotional undercurrent was curiously flat, though not monotone. And there seemed to be just the barest hint of reverberation to it, as though he were speaking through a very short tube. Martin waited patiently, giving the four a chance to sample their drinks, even as he waved at a customer who'd called his name. Just about the same time that Martin finished pouring the four's steaming drinks, Valros felt a sudden pressure on his leg, as though something had bumped against it. Looking down, the tiefling's gaze was instantly captured by a pair of bright green eyes, their pupils huge and dark. The feral kitten that he'd helped out of the rain appeared to have followed him to the inn. Now that it was out of the drizzle, and seemed to be, at least somewhat, free of the grey mud that had adorned it earlier, he could see that it's medium length coat was a bright golden orange...at least, it would be, once it was clean. When the two locked eyes, the small feline, apparently taking acknowledgement as permission, swarmed up Valros' leg, swiftly climbing to his thigh, and thence into the tiefling's lap. The still somewhat bedraggled kitten glanced up at Valros once more then, turning its head to the side, began to give itself a bath, swiping it's rough tongue on one foreleg and rubbing said foreleg against it's mud speckled ear. With a contented sounding grunt, the little creature quickly made itself to home, grooming itself to the exclusion of all else. A moment later, a high pitched, rumbling purr began to sound in the kittens chest...and somehow, the warrior's heard the sound echo in his mind! The kitten suddenly stopped it's grooming and looked back up at Valros. Cocking it's head to the side, it stared deeply into the man's eyes, and, once again, deep in his mind, Valros heard a sound. A high pitched, childlike voice resounded through his thoughts. "horn man warm...smell good...have food?" ************* (At the stage) Lucrezia, from her new vantage standing much closer to the alluring...and rather fetching...bard, was able to get a better look at the symbols that adorned the cuffs and seams of the woman's garb. The characters formed a definite pattern and appeared to repeat several times as they wound around Ariand's body. Even as she studied the markings, Lucrezia let loose her powers, sensing many things about the area around her. Given her intense focus on the bard, she noticed the faintest of twitches in the woman's face and neck muscles when the spell was cast. Though her eyes remained closed, Ariand swiveled her head until her closed eyes were locked on Lucrezia's own, and after that, never wavered. It took Lucrezia several minutes to parse the language out...it turned out to be an extremely archaic dialect of Draconic. Combined with needing to split her mental focus to deal with the deluge of information her magical senses were bringing her, it took all the wizardess' formidable mental might to manage it all at once. But manage it she did. Lucrezia was able to parse out the words, though matching them up wasn't quite straightforward, because they would abruptly cut off as they wound around the woman's arm, her trim waist, even her full bust. But the dhampir persevered...it's not like she wasn't already staring, after all, and with a final mental splice, she was able to put the words in order. 'If you can read this, you spend far too much time with your nose buried in dusty old tomes. Go outside once in awhile, and touch grass.' OOC OOC NOTES And we're back. 😁 A couple bits of housekeeping. I'd like everyone to either create a 'Mechanics' spoiler at the end of their IC posts going forward (if you haven't already). In that spoiler, I'd like everyone to list their bonuses for Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth. Include your total bonus, including any long term buffs, but if there's anything affecting the skills, please break it down for me, including situational modifiers. While there's very little in 5E I like, Passive Perception is one of the things I find useful. I use it for all of the above skills as a sort of guideline for NPC reactions to various situations, rather than having to constantly ask for rolls, since those three skills are used all the time. Thanks! Martin If anyone wishes to try and garner any additional information about your server Martin, you can do so by making either a Knowledge: Arcana or Knowledge: Engineering check. Depending on your skill roll, open the appropriate nested spoilers below for the additional info you learn. Obviously, you're welcome to look at the rest of the spoilers, but, just as obviously, only allow your character to react to those things they actually know. Arcana 15 or Engineering 10 Martin appears to be some kind of technological construct, a highly advanced clockwork creation. While purely technological clockwork creations have been long known to exist, one in the form and function of a human being, fully interactable as Martin is, was always thought to be impossible. It is well known that Artificer Humbert, in addition to being an extremely powerful mage, is one of the most talented clockwork makers in the Empire, so it's highly likely that he created Martin. Arcana 25 or Engineering 20 It was rumoured that Humbert was working on humanlike clockwork creations with the capability to act and interact independently, rather than via simple programming. It is further speculated that Humbert was experimenting with somehow giving his clockwork creations the ability to interact emotionally. Lucrezia's Divination Results @Starhawk Going forward, please put mechanics based OOC comments in either an Inline OOC or (preferably) an OOC Spoiler at the end of your post. Thanks! 😀 Now, onto the crunchy stuff. 😁 Magical auras: Several. Ariand, Leider and the half orc bouncer all have a Moderate magical aura. Ariand's is the strongest of the three. There are a half dozen or so patrons, randomly scattered about the crowd, that have Faint magical auras, and there are a few Faint magical items scattered around. The half orc's weapon, and a torc around his neck have Moderate magical auras. He also has several other magic items with Faint auras. Leider has a belt, a ring, and an earring with Moderate auras. There's also a greataxe hidden under the bar with a Strong aura. Ariand's clothes, the two daggers at her belt, and her earrings have Moderate auras. She has several items with Faint auras as well. Her Dulcimer has a Strong aura. Aberrations, outsiders: None of either Wounds, hurts, bleeding: Ariand has healing wounds in her back/hip, and a few patrons have minor wounds...probably due to their various manual labor jobs. Incorporeals: None Who is phyically the most hale and hearty: The half orc bouncer. And the least: The androgynous stablehand, currently curled up near the stove in the stable. Who is the best armoured: The half orc bouncer Least armoured: An elderly patron, seated at the bar, wearing homespun clothing...probably a farmer. He's quite drunk, so his incapacitation makes him 'least armoured'. The presence of extreme desires (in particular those whose interest is focussed on her and those at her table): Lucrezia's various displays, both walking in as well as walking towards the stage, combined with her physical beauty and the fact that she's new in town, have drawn the attention of a number of patrons, both male and female. From Ariand specifically, Lucrezia senses interest (intellectual mostly, though there is a hint of cheerful lust as well), as well as more than a bit of amusement. From the half orc, she senses an INTENSE sense of protectiveness toward the staff of the inn, as well as a deep, almost fanatic loyalty to Leider. A generalized idea of the movement through the Tavern in the last 5 hours, not forgetting the presence of portals and signs that anyone has teleported in our out: There are no patterns to the movement within the inn. It's the typical chaos of an extremely busy night. There's constant traffic between the staff and the kitchen, as well as the bar. There are no signs of teleportation or portal effects, other than the portal that Lance summoned earlier. There are a few extradimensional spaces among the patrons, probably pouches/bags of holding and the like. There is a large extradimensional space somewhere behind the bar, probably in the kitchen. Leider, the half orc, and Ariand all have personal extradimensional spaces. Ariand's is strongest.
Arklytte October 30, 2023 At The Sign Of The Prancing Pon...err...Golden Gear ************* (Back at the bar) The barman, Leider, nods along to each of the adventurer's requests in turn and collects their various fees. His response was, essentially, the same to each of them. "Take whatever table suits you," he gestured towards the room at large, "and one of my girls will fetch your supper. Martin will be by with your Cream in a minute. In the meantime, if there's anything else I can do for you, just come back up, or call for your server." He waited politely to see if anyone had any more questions, then when they departed for their table, he turned back to the casks behind the bar, refilling mugs and sending them to various thirsty patrons. ************* ************* (At the table) The conversation flowed between the companions. Several nearby patrons glanced their way, especially amused at the antics of their various familiars. Most quickly turned back to their conversations, though a few continued to occasionally glance their way, hoping for further entertainment. At one point, a waitress arrived, bringing a pitcher of ale and several mugs. The server smiled pleasantly, but didn't stay long enough to answer any questions, being immediately called away to deliver another round of drinks to a table on the far side of the dining room. The conversation continued, and they quartet were joined by the still sopping Tiefling. Almost immediately a second waitress arrived, dropped off an empty mug in front of Valros, and just as quickly scampered away, a tray over her shoulder brimming with more mugs and pitchers. A couple of minutes after Lucrezia rose to head towards the stage and more closely observe the bard, the other four, caught up in their conversation, were interrupted by a... *THUMP* The companions were caught by surprise by the arrival of another of the serving wenches, this one bearing their supper. With a cheerful grin the woman moved the small cauldron of stew that she'd set down into the center of the table. Beside it she set a basket with several small, dark loaves of bread and a crock of what appeared to be fresh butter. Bowls, utensils, and a pitcher of cold water quickly joined them. "Sorry my lords, didn't mean to startle ye." she grinned apologetically. "Tis just so busy tonight, we ain't got time ta breathe, much less slow down." The woman glanced towards the stage before turning her attention back to her customers. "A course, that's liable ta change, come the morrow, what with Mistress Ariand taking her leave to head on to the Artificer's manor." She tucked her tray under her arm and smiled brightly. "Martin will be by in a few minutes with your Cream. He had to refill his reservoir, so you'll be getting it fresh from the hob. In the meantime, you need anything, you just call out for Bess, and I'll be here in a trice, yeah?" She waited a beat to see if any of them had any further requests for her, but, before anyone could speak, her name was bellowed from across the room. With a wry grin, she gave a small dip of her head and quickly moved into the crowd. Delicious scents were coming from the stewpot, and the steam still rising from the bread indicated that it had just come from the oven. There was even a small, covered bowl that, when opened, revealed small chunks of raw venison, just the right size for a cat...or ferret. Beside the bowl was a small shot glass, filled with water A moment later, as the four were just beginning their meal, a tall, strange-looking man approached. His limbs was slender almost to the point of looking half starved, but, strangely, he had a large, almost barrel chest. He had close cropped, dark hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin, and in most all other ways looked so completely 'average' that he could have probably blended in with any random crowd of locals. His movements were slow and careful, almost as if his limbs were somehow heavier than they should be. He smiled stiffly at the patrons at the table as he approached, bearing a tray of small earthenware mugs in one hand and a spotless white towel draped over his opposite arm. Reaching the table, he set down five of the mugs. Each was roughly the size of a balled fist and the sides were fairly thick, most likely for insulation. As he moved, all present caught the dull glint of metal under the man's sleeve, however, before they could react to that, Martin lowered his right hand, pointing his index finger directly at the first mug. With a slight hiss of released steam, the tip of his finger flipped back, exposing a metal spigot, out of which poured a slightly viscous, steaming hot white liquid. The scent of cinnamon, cardamon, and citrus, along with the sharp tang of quality alcohol immediately hit everyone's nose as the mugs were quickly and efficiently filled. When all were finished, the tip of Martin's finger flipped back into place and the man stepped back slightly. "There you are gentlemen. Please enjoy your Korova Cream. Be sure to sip, and carefully. It's very hot, and very strong. Please let me know what you think. Leider always appreciates feedback from new patrons to the Inn." While the man's voice was pleasant and even, it was just the slightest bit...off. The inflections were occasionally odd, and the emotional undercurrent was curiously flat, though not monotone. And there seemed to be just the barest hint of reverberation to it, as though he were speaking through a very short tube. Martin waited patiently, giving the four a chance to sample their drinks, even as he waved at a customer who'd called his name. Just about the same time that Martin finished pouring the four's steaming drinks, Valros felt a sudden pressure on his leg, as though something had bumped against it. Looking down, the tiefling's gaze was instantly captured by a pair of bright green eyes, their pupils huge and dark. The feral kitten that he'd helped out of the rain appeared to have followed him to the inn. Now that it was out of the drizzle, and seemed to be, at least somewhat, free of the grey mud that had adorned it earlier, he could see that it's medium length coat was a bright golden orange...at least, it would be, once it was clean. When the two locked eyes, the small feline, apparently taking acknowledgement as permission, swarmed up Valros' leg, swiftly climbing to his thigh, and thence into the tiefling's lap. The still somewhat bedraggled kitten glanced up at Valros once more then, turning its head to the side, began to give itself a bath, swiping it's rough tongue on one foreleg and rubbing said foreleg against it's mud speckled ear. With a contented sounding grunt, the little creature quickly made itself to home, grooming itself to the exclusion of all else. A moment later, a high pitched, rumbling purr began to sound in the kittens chest...and somehow, the warrior's heard the sound echo in his mind! The kitten suddenly stopped it's grooming and looked back up at Valros. Cocking it's head to the side, it stared deeply into the man's eyes, and, once again, deep in his mind, Valros heard a sound. A high pitched, childlike voice resounded through his thoughts. "horn man warm...smell good...have food?" ************* (At the stage) Lucrezia, from her new vantage standing much closer to the alluring...and rather fetching...bard, was able to get a better look at the symbols that adorned the cuffs and seams of the woman's garb. The characters formed a definite pattern and appeared to repeat several times as they wound around Ariand's body. Even as she studied the markings, Lucrezia let loose her powers, sensing many things about the area around her. Given her intense focus on the bard, she noticed the faintest of twitches in the woman's face and neck muscles when the spell was cast. Though her eyes remained closed, Ariand swiveled her head until her closed eyes were locked on Lucrezia's own, and after that, never wavered. It took Lucrezia several minutes to parse the language out...it turned out to be an extremely archaic dialect of Draconic. Combined with needing to split her mental focus to deal with the deluge of information her magical senses were bringing her, it took all the wizardess' formidable mental might to manage it all at once. But manage it she did. Lucrezia was able to parse out the words, though matching them up wasn't quite straightforward, because they would abruptly cut off as they wound around the woman's arm, her trim waist, even her full bust. But the dhampir persevered...it's not like she wasn't already staring, after all, and with a final mental splice, she was able to put the words in order. 'If you can read this, you spend far too much time with your nose buried in dusty old tomes. Go outside once in awhile, and touch grass.' OOC OOC NOTES And we're back. 😁 A couple bits of housekeeping. I'd like everyone to either create a 'Mechanics' spoiler at the end of their IC posts going forward (if you haven't already). In that spoiler, I'd like everyone to list their bonuses for Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth. Include your total bonus, including any long term buffs, but if there's anything affecting the skills, please break it down for me, including situational modifiers. While there's very little in 5E I like, Passive Perception is one of the things I find useful. I use it for all of the above skills as a sort of guideline for NPC reactions to various situations, rather than having to constantly ask for rolls, since those three skills are used all the time. Thanks! Martin If anyone wishes to try and garner any additional information about your server Martin, you can do so by making either a Knowledge: Arcana or Knowledge: Engineering check. Depending on your skill roll, open the appropriate nested spoilers below for the additional info you learn. Obviously, you're welcome to look at the rest of the spoilers, but, just as obviously, only allow your character to react to those things they actually know. Arcana 15 or Engineering 10 Martin appears to be some kind of technological construct, a highly advanced clockwork creation. While purely technological clockwork creations have been long known to exist, one in the form and function of a human being, fully interactable as Martin is, was always thought to be impossible. It is well known that Artificer Humbert, in addition to being an extremely powerful mage, is one of the most talented clockwork makers in the Empire, so it's highly likely that he created Martin. Arcana 25 or Engineering 20 It was rumoured that Humbert was working on humanlike clockwork creations with the capability to act and interact independently, rather than via simple programming. It is further speculated that Humbert was experimenting with somehow giving his clockwork creations the ability to interact emotionally. Lucrezia's Divination Results @Starhawk Going forward, please put mechanics based OOC comments in either an Inline OOC or (preferably) an OOC Spoiler at the end of your post. Thanks! 😀 Now, onto the crunchy stuff. 😁 Magical auras: Several. Ariand, Leider and the half orc bouncer all have a Moderate magical aura. Ariand's is the strongest of the three. There are a half dozen or so patrons, randomly scattered about the crowd, that have Faint magical auras, and there are a few Faint magical items scattered around. The half orc's weapon, and a torc around his neck have Moderate magical auras. He also has several other magic items with Faint auras. Leider has a belt, a ring, and an earring with Moderate auras. There's also a greataxe hidden under the bar with a Strong aura. Ariand's clothes, the two daggers at her belt, and her earrings have Moderate auras. She has several items with Faint auras as well. Her Dulcimer has a Strong aura. Aberrations, outsiders: None of either Wounds, hurts, bleeding: Ariand has healing wounds in her back/hip, and a few patrons have minor wounds...probably due to their various manual labor jobs. Incorporeals: None Who is phyically the most hale and hearty: The half orc bouncer. And the least: The androgynous stablehand, currently curled up near the stove in the stable. Who is the best armoured: The half orc bouncer Least armoured: An elderly patron, seated at the bar, wearing homespun clothing...probably a farmer. He's quite drunk, so his incapacitation makes him 'least armoured'. The presence of extreme desires (in particular those whose interest is focussed on her and those at her table): Lucrezia's various displays, both walking in as well as walking towards the stage, combined with her physical beauty and the fact that she's new in town, have drawn the attention of a number of patrons, both male and female. From Ariand specifically, Lucrezia senses interest (intellectual mostly, though there is a hint of cheerful lust as well), as well as more than a bit of amusement. From the half orc, she senses an INTENSE sense of protectiveness toward the staff of the inn, as well as a deep, almost fanatic loyalty to Leider. A generalized idea of the movement through the Tavern in the last 5 hours, not forgetting the presence of portals and signs that anyone has teleported in our out: There are no patterns to the movement within the inn. It's the typical chaos of an extremely busy night. There's constant traffic between the staff and the kitchen, as well as the bar. There are no signs of teleportation or portal effects, other than the portal that Lance summoned earlier. There are a few extradimensional spaces among the patrons, probably pouches/bags of holding and the like. There is a large extradimensional space somewhere behind the bar, probably in the kitchen. Leider, the half orc, and Ariand all have personal extradimensional spaces. Ariand's is strongest.
Arklytte October 30, 2023 At The Sign Of The Prancing Pon...err...Golden Gear ************* (Back at the bar) The barman, Leider, nods along to each of the adventurer's requests in turn and collects their various fees. His response was, essentially, the same to each of them. "Take whatever table suits you," he gestured towards the room at large, "and one of my girls will fetch your supper. Martin will be by with your Cream in a minute. In the meantime, if there's anything else I can do for you, just come back up, or call for your server." He waited politely to see if anyone had any more questions, then when they departed for their table, he turned back to the casks behind the bar, refilling mugs and sending them to various thirsty patrons. ************* ************* (At the table) The conversation flowed between the companions. Several nearby patrons glanced their way, especially amused at the antics of their various familiars. Most quickly turned back to their conversations, though a few continued to occasionally glance their way, hoping for further entertainment. At one point, a waitress arrived, bringing a pitcher of ale and several mugs. The server smiled pleasantly, but didn't stay long enough to answer any questions, being immediately called away to deliver another round of drinks to a table on the far side of the dining room. The conversation continued, and they quartet were joined by the still sopping Tiefling. Almost immediately a second waitress arrived, dropped off an empty mug in front of Valros, and just as quickly scampered away, a tray over her shoulder brimming with more mugs and pitchers. A couple of minutes after Lucrezia rose to head towards the stage and more closely observe the bard, the other four, caught up in their conversation, were interrupted by a... *THUMP* The companions were caught by surprise by the arrival of another of the serving wenches, this one bearing their supper. With a cheerful grin the woman moved the small cauldron of stew that she'd set down into the center of the table. Beside it she set a basket with several small, dark loaves of bread and a crock of what appeared to be fresh butter. Bowls, utensils, and a pitcher of cold water quickly joined them. "Sorry my lords, didn't mean to startle ye." she grinned apologetically. "Tis just so busy tonight, we ain't got time ta breathe, much less slow down." The woman glanced towards the stage before turning her attention back to her customers. "A course, that's liable ta change, come the morrow, what with Mistress Ariand taking her leave to head on to the Artificer's manor." She tucked her tray under her arm and smiled brightly. "Martin will be by in a few minutes with your Cream. He had to refill his reservoir, so you'll be getting it fresh from the hob. In the meantime, you need anything, you just call out for Bess, and I'll be here in a trice, yeah?" She waited a beat to see if any of them had any further requests for her, but, before anyone could speak, her name was bellowed from across the room. With a wry grin, she gave a small dip of her head and quickly moved into the crowd. Delicious scents were coming from the stewpot, and the steam still rising from the bread indicated that it had just come from the oven. There was even a small, covered bowl that, when opened, revealed small chunks of raw venison, just the right size for a cat...or ferret. Beside the bowl was a small shot glass, filled with water A moment later, as the four were just beginning their meal, a tall, strange-looking man approached. His limbse was slender almost to the point of looking half starved, but, strangely, he had a large, almost barrel chest. He had close cropped, dark hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin, and in most all other ways looked so completely 'average' that he could have probably blended in with any random crowd of locals. His movements were slow and careful, almost as if his limbs were somehow heavier than they should be. He smiled stiffly at the patrons at the table as he approached, bearing a tray of small earthenware mugs in one hand and a spotless white towel draped over his opposite arm. Reaching the table, he set down five of the mugs. Each was roughly the size of a balled fist and the sides were fairly thick, most likely for insulation. As he moved, all present caught the dull glint of metal under the man's sleeve, however, before they could react to that, Martin lowered his right hand, pointing his index finger directly at the first mug. With a slight hiss of released steam, the tip of his finger flipped back, exposing a metal spigot, out of which poured a slightly viscous, steaming hot white liquid. The scent of cinnamon, cardamon, and citrus, along with the sharp tang of quality alcohol immediately hit everyone's nose as the mugs were quickly and efficiently filled. When all were finished, the tip of Martin's finger flipped back into place and the man stepped back slightly. "There you are gentlemen. Please enjoy your Korova Cream. Be sure to sip, and carefully. It's very hot, and very strong. Please let me know what you think. Leider always appreciates feedback from new patrons to the Inn." While the man's voice was pleasant and even, it was just the slightest bit...off. The inflections were occasionally odd, and the emotional undercurrent was curiously flat, though not monotone. And there seemed to be just the barest hint of reverberation to it, as though he were speaking through a very short tube. Martin waited patiently, giving the four a chance to sample their drinks, even as he waved at a customer who'd called his name. Just about the same time that Martin finished pouring the four's steaming drinks, Valros felt a sudden pressure on his leg, as though something had bumped against it. Looking down, the tiefling's gaze was instantly captured by a pair of bright green eyes, their pupils huge and dark. The feral kitten that he'd helped out of the rain appeared to have followed him to the inn. Now that it was out of the drizzle, and seemed to be, at least somewhat, free of the grey mud that had adorned it earlier, he could see that it's medium length coat was a bright golden orange...at least, it would be, once it was clean. When the two locked eyes, the small feline, apparently taking acknowledgement as permission, swarmed up Valros' leg, swiftly climbing to his thigh, and thence into the tiefling's lap. The still somewhat bedraggled kitten glanced up at Valros once more then, turning its head to the side, began to give itself a bath, swiping it's rough tongue on one foreleg and rubbing said foreleg against it's mud speckled ear. With a contented sounding grunt, the little creature quickly made itself to home, grooming itself to the exclusion of all else. A moment later, a high pitched, rumbling purr began to sound in the kittens chest...and somehow, the warrior's heard the sound echo in his mind! The kitten suddenly stopped it's grooming and looked back up at Valros. Cocking it's head to the side, it stared deeply into the man's eyes, and, once again, deep in his mind, Valros heard a sound. A high pitched, childlike voice resounded through his thoughts. "horn man warm...smell good...have food?" ************* (At the stage) Lucrezia, from her new vantage standing much closer to the alluring...and rather fetching...bard, was able to get a better look at the symbols that adorned the cuffs and seams of the woman's garb. The characters formed a definite pattern and appeared to repeat several times as they wound around Ariand's body. Even as she studied the markings, Lucrezia let loose her powers, sensing many things about the area around her. Given her intense focus on the bard, she noticed the faintest of twitches in the woman's face and neck muscles when the spell was cast. Though her eyes remained closed, Ariand swiveled her head until her closed eyes were locked on Lucrezia's own, and after that, never wavered. It took Lucrezia several minutes to parse the language out...it turned out to be an extremely archaic dialect of Draconic. Combined with needing to split her mental focus to deal with the deluge of information her magical senses were bringing her, it took all the wizardess' formidable mental might to manage it all at once. But manage it she did. Lucrezia was able to parse out the words, though matching them up wasn't quite straightforward, because they would abruptly cut off as they wound around the woman's arm, her trim waist, even her full bust. But the dhampir persevered...it's not like she wasn't already staring, after all, and with a final mental splice, she was able to put the words in order. 'If you can read this, you spend far too much time with your nose buried in dusty old tomes. Go outside once in awhile, and touch grass.' OOC OOC NOTES And we're back. 😁 A couple bits of housekeeping. I'd like everyone to either create a 'Mechanics' spoiler at the end of their IC posts going forward (if you haven't already). In that spoiler, I'd like everyone to list their bonuses for Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth. Include your total bonus, including any long term buffs, but if there's anything affecting the skills, please break it down for me, including situational modifiers. While there's very little in 5E I like, Passive Perception is one of the things I find useful. I use it for all of the above skills as a sort of guideline for NPC reactions to various situations, rather than having to constantly ask for rolls, since those three skills are used all the time. Thanks! Martin If anyone wishes to try and garner any additional information about your server Martin, you can do so by making either a Knowledge: Arcana or Knowledge: Engineering check. Depending on your skill roll, open the appropriate nested spoilers below for the additional info you learn. Obviously, you're welcome to look at the rest of the spoilers, but, just as obviously, only allow your character to react to those things they actually know. Arcana 15 or Engineering 10 Martin appears to be some kind of technological construct, a highly advanced clockwork creation. While purely technological clockwork creations have been long known to exist, one in the form and function of a human being, fully interactable as Martin is, was always thought to be impossible. It is well known that Artificer Humbert, in addition to being an extremely powerful mage, is one of the most talented clockwork makers in the Empire, so it's highly likely that he created Martin. Arcana 25 or Engineering 20 It was rumoured that Humbert was working on humanlike clockwork creations with the capability to act and interact independently, rather than via simple programming. It is further speculated that Humbert was experimenting with somehow giving his clockwork creations the ability to interact emotionally. Lucrezia's Divination Results @Starhawk Going forward, please put mechanics based OOC comments in either an Inline OOC or (preferably) an OOC Spoiler at the end of your post. Thanks! 😀 Now, onto the crunchy stuff. 😁 Magical auras: Several. Ariand, Leider and the half orc bouncer all have a Moderate magical aura. Ariand's is the strongest of the three. There are a half dozen or so patrons, randomly scattered about the crowd, that have Faint magical auras, and there are a few Faint magical items scattered around. The half orc's weapon, and a torc around his neck have Moderate magical auras. He also has several other magic items with Faint auras. Leider has a belt, a ring, and an earring with Moderate auras. There's also a greataxe hidden under the bar with a Strong aura. Ariand's clothes, the two daggers at her belt, and her earrings have Moderate auras. She has several items with Faint auras as well. Her Dulcimer has a Strong aura. Aberrations, outsiders: None of either Wounds, hurts, bleeding: Ariand has healing wounds in her back/hip, and a few patrons have minor wounds...probably due to their various manual labor jobs. Incorporeals: None Who is phyically the most hale and hearty: The half orc bouncer. And the least: The androgynous stablehand, currently curled up near the stove in the stable. Who is the best armoured: The half orc bouncer Least armoured: An elderly patron, seated at the bar, wearing homespun clothing...probably a farmer. He's quite drunk, so his incapacitation makes him 'least armoured'. The presence of extreme desires (in particular those whose interest is focussed on her and those at her table): Lucrezia's various displays, both walking in as well as walking towards the stage, combined with her physical beauty and the fact that she's new in town, have drawn the attention of a number of patrons, both male and female. From Ariand specifically, Lucrezia senses interest (intellectual mostly, though there is a hint of cheerful lust as well), as well as more than a bit of amusement. From the half orc, she senses an INTENSE sense of protectiveness toward the staff of the inn, as well as a deep, almost fanatic loyalty to Leider. A generalized idea of the movement through the Tavern in the last 5 hours, not forgetting the presence of portals and signs that anyone has teleported in our out: There are no patterns to the movement within the inn. It's the typical chaos of an extremely busy night. There's constant traffic between the staff and the kitchen, as well as the bar. There are no signs of teleportation or portal effects, other than the portal that Lance summoned earlier. There are a few extradimensional spaces among the patrons, probably pouches/bags of holding and the like. There is a large extradimensional space somewhere behind the bar, probably in the kitchen. Leider, the half orc, and Ariand all have personal extradimensional spaces. Ariand's is strongest.
Arklytte October 30, 2023 At The Sign Of The Prancing Pon...err...Golden Gear ************* (Back at the bar) The barman, Leider, nods along to each of the adventurer's requests in turn and collects their various fees. His response was, essentially, the same to each of them. "Take whatever table suits you," he gestured towards the room at large, "and one of my girls will fetch your supper. Martin will be by with your Cream in a minute. In the meantime, if there's anything else I can do for you, just come back up, or call for your server." He waited politely to see if anyone had any more questions, then when they departed for their table, he turned back to the casks behind the bar, refilling mugs and sending them to various thirsty patrons. ************* ************* (At the table) The conversation flowed between the companions. Several nearby patrons glanced their way, especially amused at the antics of their various familiars. Most quickly turned back to their conversations, though a few continued to occasionally glance their way, hoping for further entertainment. At one point, a waitress arrived, bringing a pitcher of ale and several mugs. The server smiled pleasantly, but didn't stay long enough to answer any questions, being immediately called away to deliver another round of drinks to a table on the far side of the dining room. The conversation continued, and they quartet were joined by the still sopping Tiefling. Almost immediately a second waitress arrived, dropped off an empty mug in front of Valros, and just as quickly scampered away, a tray over her shoulder brimming with more mugs and pitchers. A couple of minutes after Lucrezia rose to head towards the stage and more closely observe the bard, the other four, caught up in their conversation, were interrupted by a... *THUMP* The companions were caught by surprise by the arrival of another of the serving wenches, this one bearing their supper. With a cheerful grin the woman moved the small cauldron of stew that she'd set down into the center of the table. Beside it she set a basket with several small, dark loaves of bread and a crock of what appeared to be fresh butter. Bowls, utensils, and a pitcher of cold water quickly joined them. "Sorry my lords, didn't mean to startle ye." she grinned apologetically. "Tis just so busy tonight, we ain't got time ta breathe, much less slow down." The woman glanced towards the stage before turning her attention back to her customers. "A course, that's liable ta change, come the morrow, what with Mistress Ariand taking her leave to head on to the Artificer's manor." She tucked her tray under her arm and smiled brightly. "Martin will be by in a few minutes with your Cream. He had to refill his reservoir, so you'll be getting it fresh from the hob. In the meantime, you need anything, you just call out for Bess, and I'll be here in a trice, yeah?" She waited a beat to see if any of them had any further requests for her, but, before anyone could speak, her name was bellowed from across the room. With a wry grin, she gave a small dip of her head and quickly moved into the crowd. Delicious scents were coming from the stewpot, and the steam still rising from the bread indicated that it had just come from the oven. There was even a small, covered bowl that, when opened, revealed small chunks of raw venison, just the right size for a cat...or ferret. Beside the bowl was a small shot glass, filled with water A moment later, as the four were just beginning their meal, a tall, strange-looking man approached. His limbse was slender almost to the point of looking half starved, but, strangely, he had a large, almost barrel chest. He had close cropped, dark hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin, and in most all other ways looked so completely 'average' that he could have probably blended in with any random crowd of locals. His movements were slow and careful, almost as if his limbs were somehow heavier than they should be. He smiled stiffly at the patrons at the table as he approached, bearing a tray of small earthenware mugs in one hand and a spotless white towel draped over his opposite arm. Reaching the table, he set down five of the mugs. Each was roughly the size of a balled fist and the sides were fairly thick, most likely for insulation. As he moved, all present caught the dull glint of metal under the man's sleeve, however, before they could react to that, Martin lowered his right hand, pointing his index finger directly at the first mug. With a slight hiss of released steam, the tip of his finger flipped back, exposing a metal spigot, out of which poured a slightly viscous, steaming hot white liquid. The scent of cinnamon, cardamon, and citrus, along with the sharp tang of quality alcohol immediately hit everyone's nose as the mugs were quickly and efficiently filled. When all were finished, the tip of Martin's finger flipped back into place and the man stepped back slightly. "There you are gentlemen. Please enjoy your Korova Cream. Be sure to sip, and carefully. It's very hot, and very strong. Please let me know what you think. Leider always appreciates feedback from new patrons to the Inn." While the man's voice was pleasant and even, it was just the slightest bit...off. The inflections were occasionally odd, and the emotional undercurrent was curiously flat, though not monotone. And there seemed to be just the barest hint of reverberation to it, as though he were speaking through a very short tube. Martin waited patiently, giving the four a chance to sample their drinks, even as he waved at a customer who'd called his name. Just about the same time that Martin finished pouring the four's steaming drinks, Valros felt a sudden pressure on his leg, as though something had bumped against it. Looking down, the tiefling's gaze was instantly captured by a pair of bright green eyes, their pupils huge and dark. The feral kitten that he'd helped out of the rain appeared to have followed him to the inn. Now that it was out of the drizzle, and seemed to be, at least somewhat, free of the grey mud that had adorned it earlier, he could see that it's medium length coat was a bright golden orange...at least, it would be, once it was clean. When the two locked eyes, the small feline, apparently taking acknowledgement as permission, swarmed up Valros' leg, swiftly climbing to his thigh, and thence into the tiefling's lap. The still somewhat bedraggled kitten glanced up at Valros once more then, turning its head to the side, began to give itself a bath, swiping it's rough tongue on one foreleg and rubbing said foreleg against it's mud speckled ear. With a contented sounding grunt, the little creature quickly made itself to home, grooming itself to the exclusion of all else. A moment later, a high pitched, rumbling purr began to sound in the kittens chest...and somehow, the warrior's heard the sound echo in his mind! The kitten suddenly stopped it's grooming and looked back up at Valros. Cocking it's head to the side, it stared deeply into the man's eyes, and, once again, deep in his mind, Valros heard a sound. A high pitched, childlike voice resounded through his thoughts. "horn man warm...smell good...have food?" ************* (At the stage) Lucrezia, from her new vantage standing much closer to the alluring...and rather fetching...bard, was able to get a better look at the symbols that adorned the cuffs and seams of the woman's garb. The characters formed a definite pattern and appeared to repeat several times as they wound around Ariand's body. Even as she studied the markings, Lucrezia let loose her powers, sensing many things about the area around her. Given her intense focus on the bard, she noticed the faintest of twitches in the woman's face and neck muscles when the spell was cast. Though her eyes remained closed, Ariand swiveled her head until her closed eyes were locked on Lucrezia's own, and after that, never wavered. It took Lucrezia several minutes to parse the language out...it turned out to be an extremely archaic dialect of Draconic. Combined with needing to split her mental focus to deal with the deluge of information her magical senses were bringing her, it took all the wizardess' formidable mental might to manage it all at once. But manage it she did. Lucrezia was able to parse out the words, though matching them up wasn't quite straightforward, because they would abruptly cut off as they wound around the woman's arm, her trim waist, even her full bust. But the dhampir persevered...it's not like she wasn't already staring, after all, and with a final mental splice, she was able to put the words in order. 'If you can read this, you spend far too much time with your nose buried in dusty old tomes. Go outside once in awhile, and touch grass.' OOC OOC NOTES And we're back. 😁 A couple bits of housekeeping. I'd like everyone to either create a 'Mechanics' spoiler at the end of their IC posts going forward (if you haven't already). In that spoiler, I'd like everyone to list their bonuses for Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth. Include your total bonus, including any long term buffs, but if there's anything affecting the skills, please break it down for me, including situational modifiers. Thanks! Martin If anyone wishes to try and garner any additional information about your server Martin, you can do so by making either a Knowledge: Arcana or Knowledge: Engineering check. Depending on your skill roll, open the appropriate nested spoilers below for the additional info you learn. Obviously, you're welcome to look at the rest of the spoilers, but, just as obviously, only allow your character to react to those things they actually know. Arcana 15 or Engineering 10 Martin appears to be some kind of technological construct, a highly advanced clockwork creation. While purely technological clockwork creations have been long known to exist, one in the form and function of a human being, fully interactable as Martin is, was always thought to be impossible. It is well known that Artificer Humbert, in addition to being an extremely powerful mage, is one of the most talented clockwork makers in the Empire, so it's highly likely that he created Martin. Arcana 25 or Engineering 20 It was rumoured that Humbert was working on humanlike clockwork creations with the capability to act and interact independently, rather than via simple programming. It is further speculated that Humbert was experimenting with somehow giving his clockwork creations the ability to interact emotionally. Lucrezia's Divination Results @Starhawk Going forward, please put mechanics based OOC comments in either an Inline OOC or (preferably) an OOC Spoiler at the end of your post. Thanks! 😀 Now, onto the crunchy stuff. 😁 Magical auras: Several. Ariand, Leider and the half orc bouncer all have a Moderate magical aura. Ariand's is the strongest of the three. There are a half dozen or so patrons, randomly scattered about the crowd, that have Faint magical auras, and there are a few Faint magical items scattered around. The half orc's weapon, and a torc around his neck have Moderate magical auras. He also has several other magic items with Faint auras. Leider has a belt, a ring, and an earring with Moderate auras. There's also a greataxe hidden under the bar with a Strong aura. Ariand's clothes, the two daggers at her belt, and her earrings have Moderate auras. She has several items with Faint auras as well. Her Dulcimer has a Strong aura. Aberrations, outsiders: None of either Wounds, hurts, bleeding: Ariand has healing wounds in her back/hip, and a few patrons have minor wounds...probably due to their various manual labor jobs. Incorporeals: None Who is phyically the most hale and hearty: The half orc bouncer. And the least: The androgynous stablehand, currently curled up near the stove in the stable. Who is the best armoured: The half orc bouncer Least armoured: An elderly patron, seated at the bar, wearing homespun clothing...probably a farmer. He's quite drunk, so his incapacitation makes him 'least armoured'. The presence of extreme desires (in particular those whose interest is focussed on her and those at her table): Lucrezia's various displays, both walking in as well as walking towards the stage, combined with her physical beauty and the fact that she's new in town, have drawn the attention of a number of patrons, both male and female. From Ariand specifically, Lucrezia senses interest (intellectual mostly, though there is a hint of cheerful lust as well), as well as more than a bit of amusement. From the half orc, she senses an INTENSE sense of protectiveness toward the staff of the inn, as well as a deep, almost fanatic loyalty to Leider. A generalized idea of the movement through the Tavern in the last 5 hours, not forgetting the presence of portals and signs that anyone has teleported in our out: There are no patterns to the movement within the inn. It's the typical chaos of an extremely busy night. There's constant traffic between the staff and the kitchen, as well as the bar. There are no signs of teleportation or portal effects, other than the portal that Lance summoned earlier. There are a few extradimensional spaces among the patrons, probably pouches/bags of holding and the like. There is a large extradimensional space somewhere behind the bar, probably in the kitchen. Leider, the half orc, and Ariand all have personal extradimensional spaces. Ariand's is strongest.
Arklytte October 30, 2023 At The Sign Of The Prancing Pon...err...Golden Gear ************* (Back at the bar) The barman, Leider, nods along to each of the adventurer's requests in turn and collects their various fees. His response was, essentially, the same to each of them. "Take whatever table suits you," he gestured towards the room at large, "and one of my girls will fetch your supper. Martin will be by with your Cream in a minute. In the meantime, if there's anything else I can do for you, just come back up, or call for your server." He waited politely to see if anyone had any more questions, then when they departed for their table, he turned back to the casks behind the bar, refilling mugs and sending them to various thirsty patrons. ************* ************* (At the table) The conversation flowed between the companions. Several nearby patrons glanced their way, especially amused at the antics of their various familiars. Most quickly turned back to their conversations, though a few continued to occasionally glance their way, hoping for further entertainment. At one point, a waitress arrived, bringing a pitcher of ale and several mugs. The server smiled pleasantly, but didn't stay long enough to answer any questions, being immediately called away to deliver another round of drinks to a table on the far side of the dining room. The conversation continued, and they quartet were joined by the still sopping Tiefling. Almost immediately a second waitress arrived, dropped off an empty mug in front of Valros, and just as quickly scampered away, a tray over her shoulder brimming with more mugs and pitchers. A couple of minutes after Lucrezia rose to head towards the stage and more closely observe the bard, the other four, caught up in their conversation, were interrupted by a... *THUMP* The companions were caught by surprise by the arrival of another of the serving wenches, this one bearing their supper. With a cheerful grin the woman moved the small cauldron of stew that she'd set down into the center of the table. Beside it she set a basket with several small, dark loaves of bread and a crock of what appeared to be fresh butter. Bowls, utensils, and a pitcher of cold water quickly joined them. "Sorry my lords, didn't mean to startle ye." she grinned apologetically. "Tis just so busy tonight, we ain't got time ta breathe, much less slow down." The woman glanced towards the stage before turning her attention back to her customers. "A course, that's liable ta change, come the morrow, what with Mistress Ariand taking her leave to head on to the Artificer's manor." She tucked her tray under her arm and smiled brightly. "Martin will be by in a few minutes with your Cream. He had to refill his reservoir, so you'll be getting it fresh from the hob. In the meantime, you need anything, you just call out for Bess, and I'll be here in a trice, yeah?" She waited a beat to see if any of them had any further requests for her, but, before anyone could speak, her name was bellowed from across the room. With a wry grin, she gave a small dip of her head and quickly moved into the crowd. Delicious scents were coming from the stewpot, and the steam still rising from the bread indicated that it had just come from the oven. There was even a small, covered bowl that, when opened, revealed small chunks of raw venison, just the right size for a cat...or ferret. Beside the bowl was a small shot glass, filled with water A moment later, as the four were just beginning their meal, a tall, strange-looking man approached. His limbse was slender almost to the point of looking half starved, but, strangely, he had a large, almost barrel chest. He had close cropped, dark hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin, and in most all other ways looked so completely 'average' that he could have probably blended in with any random crowd of locals. His movements were slow and careful, almost as if his limbs were somehow heavier than they should be. He smiled stiffly at the patrons at the table as he approached, bearing a tray of small earthenware mugs in one hand and a spotless white towel draped over his opposite arm. Reaching the table, he set down five of the mugs. Each was roughly the size of a balled fist and the sides were fairly thick, most likely for insulation. As he moved, all present caught the dull glint of metal under the man's sleeve, however, before they could react to that, Martin lowered his right hand, pointing his index finger directly at the first mug. With a slight hiss of released steam, the tip of his finger flipped back, exposing a metal spigot, out of which poured a slightly viscous, steaming hot white liquid. The scent of cinnamon, cardamon, and citrus, along with the sharp tang of quality alcohol immediately hit everyone's nose as the mugs were quickly and efficiently filled. When all were finished, the tip of Martin's finger flipped back into place and the man stepped back slightly. "There you are gentlemen. Please enjoy your Korova Cream. Be sure to sip, and carefully. It's very hot, and very strong. Please let me know what you think. Leider always appreciates feedback from new patrons to the Inn." While the man's voice was pleasant and even, it was just the slightest bit...off. The inflections were occasionally odd, and the emotional undercurrent was curiously flat, though not monotone. And there seemed to be just the barest hint of reverberation to it, as though he were speaking through a very short tube. Martin waited patiently, giving the four a chance to sample their drinks, even as he waved at a customer who'd called his name. Just about the same time that Martin finished pouring the four's steaming drinks, Valros felt a sudden pressure on his leg, as though something had bumped against it. Looking down, the tiefling's gaze was instantly captured by a pair of bright green eyes, their pupils huge and dark. The feral kitten that he'd helped out of the rain appeared to have followed him to the inn. Now that it was out of the drizzle, and seemed to be, at least somewhat, free of the grey mud that had adorned it earlier, he could see that it's medium length coat was a bright golden orange...at least, it would be, once it was clean. When the two locked eyes, the small feline, apparently taking acknowledgement as permission, swarmed up Valros' leg, swiftly climbing to his thigh, and thence into the tiefling's lap. The still somewhat bedraggled kitten glanced up at Valros once more then, turning its head to the side, began to give itself a bath, swiping it's rough tongue on one foreleg and rubbing said foreleg against it's mud speckled ear. With a contented sounding grunt, the little creature quickly made itself to home, grooming itself to the exclusion of all else. A moment later, a high pitched, rumbling purr began to sound in the kittens chest...and somehow, the warrior's heard the sound echo in his mind! The kitten suddenly stopped it's grooming and looked back up at Valros. Cocking it's head to the side, it stared deeply into the man's eyes, and, once again, deep in his mind, Valros heard a sound. A high pitched, childlike voice resounded through his thoughts. "horn man warm...smell good...food?" ************* (At the stage) Lucrezia, from her new vantage standing much closer to the alluring...and rather fetching...bard, was able to get a better look at the symbols that adorned the cuffs and seams of the woman's garb. The characters formed a definite pattern and appeared to repeat several times as they wound around Ariand's body. Even as she studied the markings, Lucrezia let loose her powers, sensing many things about the area around her. Given her intense focus on the bard, she noticed the faintest of twitches in the woman's face and neck muscles when the spell was cast. Though her eyes remained closed, Ariand swiveled her head until her closed eyes were locked on Lucrezia's own, and after that, never wavered. It took Lucrezia several minutes to parse the language out...it turned out to be an extremely archaic dialect of Draconic. Combined with needing to split her mental focus to deal with the deluge of information her magical senses were bringing her, it took all the wizardess' formidable mental might to manage it all at once. But manage it she did. Lucrezia was able to parse out the words, though matching them up wasn't quite straightforward, because they would abruptly cut off as they wound around the woman's arm, her trim waist, even her full bust. But the dhampir persevered...it's not like she wasn't already staring, after all, and with a final mental splice, she was able to put the words in order. 'If you can read this, you spend far too much time with your nose buried in dusty old tomes. Go outside once in awhile, and touch grass.' OOC OOC NOTES And we're back. 😁 A couple bits of housekeeping. I'd like everyone to either create a 'Mechanics' spoiler at the end of their IC posts going forward (if you haven't already). In that spoiler, I'd like everyone to list their bonuses for Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth. Include your total bonus, including any long term buffs, but if there's anything affecting the skills, please break it down for me, including situational modifiers. Thanks! Martin If anyone wishes to try and garner any additional information about your server Martin, you can do so by making either a Knowledge: Arcana or Knowledge: Engineering check. Depending on your skill roll, open the appropriate nested spoilers below for the additional info you learn. Obviously, you're welcome to look at the rest of the spoilers, but, just as obviously, only allow your character to react to those things they actually know. Arcana 15 or Engineering 10 Martin appears to be some kind of technological construct, a highly advanced clockwork creation. While purely technological clockwork creations have been long known to exist, one in the form and function of a human being, fully interactable as Martin is, was always thought to be impossible. It is well known that Artificer Humbert, in addition to being an extremely powerful mage, is one of the most talented clockwork makers in the Empire, so it's highly likely that he created Martin. Arcana 25 or Engineering 20 It was rumoured that Humbert was working on humanlike clockwork creations with the capability to act and interact independently, rather than via simple programming. It is further speculated that Humbert was experimenting with somehow giving his clockwork creations the ability to interact emotionally. Lucrezia's Divination Results @Starhawk Going forward, please put mechanics based OOC comments in either an Inline OOC or (preferably) an OOC Spoiler at the end of your post. Thanks! 😀 Now, onto the crunchy stuff. 😁 Magical auras: Several. Ariand, Leider and the half orc bouncer all have a Moderate magical aura. Ariand's is the strongest of the three. There are a half dozen or so patrons, randomly scattered about the crowd, that have Faint magical auras, and there are a few Faint magical items scattered around. The half orc's weapon, and a torc around his neck have Moderate magical auras. He also has several other magic items with Faint auras. Leider has a belt, a ring, and an earring with Moderate auras. There's also a greataxe hidden under the bar with a Strong aura. Ariand's clothes, the two daggers at her belt, and her earrings have Moderate auras. She has several items with Faint auras as well. Her Dulcimer has a Strong aura. Aberrations, outsiders: None of either Wounds, hurts, bleeding: Ariand has healing wounds in her back/hip, and a few patrons have minor wounds...probably due to their various manual labor jobs. Incorporeals: None Who is phyically the most hale and hearty: The half orc bouncer. And the least: The androgynous stablehand, currently curled up near the stove in the stable. Who is the best armoured: The half orc bouncer Least armoured: An elderly patron, seated at the bar, wearing homespun clothing...probably a farmer. He's quite drunk, so his incapacitation makes him 'least armoured'. The presence of extreme desires (in particular those whose interest is focussed on her and those at her table): Lucrezia's various displays, both walking in as well as walking towards the stage, combined with her physical beauty and the fact that she's new in town, have drawn the attention of a number of patrons, both male and female. From Ariand specifically, Lucrezia senses interest (intellectual mostly, though there is a hint of cheerful lust as well), as well as more than a bit of amusement. From the half orc, she senses an INTENSE sense of protectiveness toward the staff of the inn, as well as a deep, almost fanatic loyalty to Leider. A generalized idea of the movement through the Tavern in the last 5 hours, not forgetting the presence of portals and signs that anyone has teleported in our out: There are no patterns to the movement within the inn. It's the typical chaos of an extremely busy night. There's constant traffic between the staff and the kitchen, as well as the bar. There are no signs of teleportation or portal effects, other than the portal that Lance summoned earlier. There are a few extradimensional spaces among the patrons, probably pouches/bags of holding and the like. There is a large extradimensional space somewhere behind the bar, probably in the kitchen. Leider, the half orc, and Ariand all have personal extradimensional spaces. Ariand's is strongest.
