Red Wizard

a Tale of High Adventure!

And there we are! The woman with the auburn hair is Zaretha (if that wasn't obvious). I will be roleplaying her if/when you make her aquaintance. The bouncer is called Ozza. You can roleplay him yourself in your posts if you wish, he's just a fun addition if somebody wants to add some spice to their post. He responds positively to Vaskandars name, if your characters remembers to mention it.

a Tale of High Adventure!

The walk to the Three Tails was not a long one, and the party arrived withing not half an hour. Paupers Square was just visible down the street, sporting what looked like a market of stalls and tents, with masses of people moving in all directions. Prince Talaris street was however interesting in itself, on part of its dissonance - on one side of the street, there rose tall and well-maintained stone buildings rich with ornaments and expensive-looking stores; on the other, shacks and shanties squatted in their shadow, most built out of wood or lesser materials, with a plethora of dark and suspect alleys leading away from the main street. People of all classes mingled in the street, but there seemed almost to be an invisible line in the middle of it, which the townspeople were reluctant to cross.

The Three Tails was, to some relief, located on the wealthier side. It was a beautiful stone building with a facade of dark cross-beams and white plaster. A pretty web of rose vines climbed up the front, giving the inn an inviting and homely visage. Although the time was still around noon, there seemed to be plenty of business going on inside. People of all colors and creeds sat or stood at tables and along the walls, eating and drinking and conversing, with maids and pages scurrying to and fro as they took and delivered orders. Moving among them was an impressive woman, seemingly a matron of sorts, checking in on customers and generally overseeing things. She was tall and strong-looking with a bakers build, long flowing auburn hair, fair skin and hazel eyes. Being approached by a trio of travellers, she nodded with a smile and showed them to a room in the back of the hall, where the four of them disappeared from view.

A bouncer stood by the door, wearing a sleeveless ring mail harness and a thoughtful frown. What he lacked in hight he more than enough made up for in width, having the imposing body type that combined obesity and muscularity in the same form - his arms in particular looked like the kind of tree trunks that'd put sweat on the brow of a practiced woodsman. The well oiled and rather large cudgel hanging from his belt effectively advertised his position of bouncer, an impressive ammount of notches on the handle and all, and he seemed to be quickly but thoroughly explaining the rules of the house to potential guests before allowing them inside. Perceptive observers would notice that while he sometimes initially turned a few people down, he would sometimes relent after a few coins passed between them. He seemed to be a man used to underhandedness, as he didn't seem to be all that nervous about it, or even hide it much. He shot the party a quick gaze as they looked at him, but went about his business just as quick.

a Tale of High Adventure!

Update coming tonight or tomorrow, stay tuned!

a Tale of High Adventure!

Depends on the city, as the Vale is not a country as such. But, as penalties go in the rest of the near world, it could be anything from monetary fines to dismemberment, or even the gallows. Kari-Mar in a merchant oligarchy, so your punishment probably depends on who you are and who you know, but merchants in general aren't to keen on thieves. You could very well be hanged, if you're caught.

a Tale of High Adventure!

@Chronic You haven't posted in two weeks, and I can see you've been active in a lot of other threads. I think it's safe to assume that you will not be contributing much to the game, so you can count yourself as officially disbanded. Good luck and have fun in other games.

a Tale of High Adventure!

Vaskandar flashed a smile as the party started asking their questions. He chuckled at Harth-Kazanns comments on ale and boats and, having listened intently, replied.

"I must confess" he said, "That I do not have the time to stay and gossip, but I will answer your questions as best I can. The latest gossip is what is always is; the bickering and scheming of the merchant princes, happenings on the roads going north and east, strange new arrivals in the harbor... You will have plenty of time getting to know more in the Three Tails. It is an inn, and a pretty good one at that. Not opulent, but homely. The host is one Zaretha, merchants daughter, and I would wager you would rather get to know her yourselves than hear me prattle on about all of her virtues."

The sudden blare of a trumpet caught Vaskandars attention, and he urged the party slightly aside before continuing. Soon after, a regiment of soldiers came marching down the dock, all polished steel and hard stares. Those not alert or fortunate enough to get out of the way in time were rudely shoved aside or beaten with sticks by the vanguard. "Principal contingent" Vaskandar explained as the soldiers marched on by, leaving a scattering of grumbling or crying townspeople in their wake, "Not a good idea to get in the way of those. As for strange laws, that's the only one you really need to adhere to: do not anger the Princes, or get in the way of their business. Life in Kari-Mar is otherwise mostly live and let live... or cutthroat, depending on who you are and where you stand, I suppose."

Taking a quick look at the sun, Vaskandar smiled and nodded, as if remembering something. He then turned back to the party, clasping his hands. "And with that, I am afraid I must take my leave of you. Should you decide to visit the Three Tails, I am certain you will get most of your questions answered. Like I said, it is just down Prince Talaris street, near the Paupers square. Perhaps we will meet again. Farewell."

With that, he took a quick bow and turned to walk. He was quickly lost in the crowd, leaving the party to their business.

a Tale of High Adventure!

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay. I've been busy with family life, but I'm aiming to get something up by tomorrow!

TNT - The Nameless Tavern. (Always Open)

Somebody may have to coax him out of his hidey-hole first, though 😏

TNT - The Nameless Tavern. (Always Open)

The Red Wizard

---

Hiding under a table, the red wizard was nursing his bottle of scotch while sweating profously, his eyes nervously darting back and forth. In retrospect, his earlier deduction might have led to the wrong conclusion; he wasn't sure now that he'd rather have taken his chances with old Natharghûl, soul sucking or not. This place was a madhouse, and a bad one at that (and he knew what he was talking about - he'd seen more than a few in his time). He'd tried conjuring a protective circle around him, but had so far only succeeded in creating a cute little ring of oddly colored mushrooms around him. The sight of them made his stomach rumble, but he controlled himself. He was hungry, sure, but he'd made it a rule never to eat anything magical. Especially not magical mushrooms, and especially not if he was the one responsible for their unnatural existence.

Daring a peek from out of under the tablecloth, the red wizard immedietly wished he hadn't. There was a dead little raccoon lying there. Or, rather, there were two pieces of a dead little raccoon lying there. He ducked back inside his "panic room", breath coming quick, and gulped down more scotch. No. Nope. Don't think so. Although... he did feel some sympathy for the poor little pupper. It was just an animal. It didn't know anything about the big, scary world out there. An innocent. Hmm... Maybe he should do something about it. Maybe he would, at that. But not before finishing his scotch.

Yes. Great plan!

TNT - The Nameless Tavern. (Always Open)

He certainly knows the spell! The question is, will he remember to perform it correctly? ;)