Sigil

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Lucky@Dragoknighte@rivaan@Remipa Awesome@Rapid Reader@Martian@Lewascan2

Update is up. Introductions and the like being completed in one form or another, if you wish to wrap up any last tidbits of discussion among the party, handle it at the beginning of your upcoming post. Past this, so long as it ends with the Sheriff interaction, we'll all be on the same page.

Thanks a bunch for making it past the first go around! You deserve a scotch. But because none of you are around for me to give it to, I'll drink yours for myself. Cheers.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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The Infamous Pear

Conversations continued in ways not common to The Infamous Pear, but no one seemed to be paying much of attention to the odd and eclectic group of people in toward the corner of the room, just to the right of the stage. Even with the occasional off-duty guard here, no one wished to pry. Or even stare for too long in the direction of these potential intrepid heroes. The overall feel of the establishment was calm and accommodating, with just the slightest piece of unease tinging the air like something acrid caught in the wind.

The main hearth fire had slowed to a rolling crackle, casting less illumination about the room that it did an hour earlier. This has been supplemented by the works of Mr. Guido Laurel, the cheerful Halfling proprietor, by way of switching out a few of the burned-down tallow candles from the glass lamps which adorned the tables. He waited for a break in the conversation at hand among the party to handle theirs, darting in with the practiced dexterity of seasoned Innfolk and utilizing a chair as a step-stool to deftly make the table a little brighter. A cheerful eyebrow raise stood as the only communication he attempted, as if to ask if everything in acceptable, before darting back away.

Almost immediately afterward, a muffled kick could be heard assaulting the door which leads to the kitchen. It swung open with a sharp creak at first, announcing hinges which might require a little attention eventually, behind which was a silhouette backlit by an open woodburning stove of red-brown brick. The figure was carrying a large tray covered in plates of food in both hands, one on the bottom and one clutching the edge with a death grip. "Move it'r get it on ya!" screamed a feminine but not particularly cultured voice as the silhouette bounded into the better lighting of the main taproom. This is a lady of indeterminate background; either a larger Halfling or a less bulky Dwarf, by the looks of her. Regulars to The Infamous Pear were careful to remove themselves from her path. For good reason - she appeared to be carrying everyone's meals who already ordered. From the amount of weight on her tray, it is impressive that this woman could shuffle about as readily as she could.

After everyone else had been served, the Lady O' Kitchen made her way over to the Adventurer's Table, naught but a two plates remaining. One she placed in front of Mona Holcombe, bluntly stating, "Yah, um, 'roast' beef, we ain't got. Threw a steak in a skillet instead." She offered no apology or further explanation, simply nudging the plate closer to Mona. It contained a decently seared piece of former cow which smelled faintly of herbs and colorfully ribbed chard, wilted over flame and bearing the marks thereof. The second plate bore a large, uncut loaf of brown bread upon it and a jar of homemade butter. This one she plopped down in the center of the table. "Awright, I'm May. Here's what we got ready awready: Minced pork pie with potatoes and stuff (eight pounds o'buttah in that crust), Lamb stew with sorghum and mint, and toasted rye slices with spicy smashed beans and green-marble cheese. Whaddya want?"

May suffers no fools and answers no questions about the contents of the dishes, merely giving an impatient stare or a quick, "Don't got all night. Pots boiling and stuff," to whomever takes their time figuring out what they want. May otherwise takes orders and walks away.

It is at this moment that Alastor Shore stands and politely excuses himself, muttering something about finding an outhouse. In hindsight, the events which followed became one of the lesser mysteries of Darenby, which unfortunately will not be chronicled here.

The door to The Infamous Pear opened with a smooth push, letting in a gust of autumn's nighttime air. The room was warm enough to be able to recover quickly from this unwanted intrusion of chill wind, and so no one gave any more than a grumble concerning it. The cause of this stood just to the side of the doorway, letting the heavy wooden portal come to a resting close. It was a Human in his more venerable years.

His face bore lines which showed a roadmap of experience, resting around a facial scar that promised an interesting story. He had a thick head of hair which was steel gray at its darkest, fading to stark winter white. A dark tabard covered a suit of well-tended chain mail armor and a broad bladed sword hung at his waist. Age was upon him, though he still looked formidable enough to dissuade all but the more aggressive troublemakers. The man looked to the Adventurer's Table with an expression of confusion, then a flash of contemplation as if he was reasoning something out and keeping it to himself.

This newcomer drew the attention of many of the scattered locals and any off-duty authority figures in the room, some of whom gave him a quick wave or raised a tankard in his direction. He politely returned many of these subdued salutations and then headed to the bar to speak with Mr. Owen Hardy.

What might or might not have been said was obscured by the hushed tones of the two men and general conversation in the Inn. The older gentleman pointed at the reserved table twice during the course of this quick and dirty talk before it was over, making no attempt to hide the fact that whatever they were saying, it was about the party. Finally, he turned to look straight at the table and its inhabitants and began to stride forward, his mail clinking softly with every step. Behind him scurried up the ever mobile form of Mr. Guido Laurel, doing his best to provide replacement drinks, even though no one ordered another round. Guido looked to the tall, venerable man, who nodded his approval. The Halfling then took the occasion to exit the area.

In a clear voice carrying an accent which could not be confused as a local one, the man began to introduce himself. "Good evening, and thank you for answering my summons. I am Gregory Arbalest, the Sheriff of Avonshire. Before we begin, I would like to see everyone's invitation, please." His words were polite, if crisp, and made no illusion that his desire to see the letters was optional. "Then, we may talk about business."

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Archangel89
It might be a while, and with the knowledge that it isn't precisely "first come first serve", sure. Don't post a character in the CS until you get approval here in the OOC, don't post a character in the OOC until it's finished completely. And watch out, the character sheet is a bear. Please familiarize yourself with the rules, there's a bunch of them. You'll find them in the first post of this OOC.

Formalities out of the way, thanks for showing interest in our little corner of the forum.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

I did let him know and he threatened to boot me off the RP because I didn't wait for "permission" to fix a non consequential error. If I had just done it and not said anything this wouldn't be a situation. When the rules are this strict it stops feeling like a game and more like a job. And I already work enough in my real life. So I appreciate the effort, but I'm good. Nothing against anybody, but its just not my style.

@Su

As I said earlier, I was hoping this could be a lesson and not an example. I am disappointed to see that this decision has been made for me in the other direction. Very simply, I did receive your request in my DMs in Discord. Then, without waiting for a response, the item in question was changed. This tells me that the rules were very clearly known, agreed to, and summarily ignored. Had you waited until I got off of work to review your CS and how your request impacts it, I likely might have said yes. We will never know now.

If you had "just done it and not said anything", you would be guilty of cheating, due to the nature of your request. It might have eventually been found out, and this conversation would have taken place later instead of sooner. I don't care if it's a thing someone else finds inconsequential. It is the principle of the thing AS WELL AS the fact that you changed out equipment in the middle of a scene. I was willing to overlook the post edits for a time as no one had posted after you, and they looked to be simple error fixes, but it is a slippery slope. This was proven when, after feeling comfortable making post edits without a go-ahead you escalated to changing your CS without approval. This is a problem. One with which no one else has shown issue.

I wish you the best of luck in your present and future RPs, but you are correct, this one is probably not for you. It's a shame. You made a really good character.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Su
You are telling me that you changed an aspect of your character sheet after it was approved and play commenced, without DM permission, in direct violation of the rules agreed to in the original post. This is not encouraging.

I would rather this be a lesson rather than an example this early in the one-shot, so for all parties present:

This is not an acceptable route to take. If I see anyone making changes without approval past this point, it means removal from the RP. In a way, I am glad we're getting this out in the open early. It should save trouble down the road.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

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Victoria Belmont Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3 HP: 23 / 23 Armor Class: 15 Conditions: N/A Location: The Infamous Pear, Meeting Table Action: N/A Bonus Action: N/A Reaction: N/A

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Half giant, eh? It was a curiosity, certainly. Immaterial whether or not it was accurate; it was a snippet of a story worth the telling in the right circumstances. Victoria gave consideration to digging into her belongings and writing this little tidbit of information down. She waved it off. There would be time later. Sweetly, Victoria smiled and extended an olive branch after her bout with sarcasm, "I apologize. It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Miss Giantkin. Oh, and you seem to have acquired a fan! How lovely." The latter comment directed at the extremely forward attention being paid to Kathryn by the lady Tiefling at the table. Victoria had a very open personality (one in her profession did well with this quality) but not generally to this degree with a stranger unless she wanted something. Usually something specific. A smile remaining on her face, Victoria made it a point to surreptitiously observe this one. Still speaking to Kathryn, she concluded with an optimistic, "I'm sure we'll get along famously." She took a sip of her mulled wine and glanced around the rest of the table, trying to get an eye for others' reactions to the mounting situation.

She almost snorted that mulled wine into her sinuses when the other Tiefling (the definitely not blue one) blurted out verbal incredulity at the idea of the tall woman getting even larger. "Don't..." she started, trying to wipe the displaced droplets of spiced grape fermentation from her cheek, "...do that," she remarked with a suppressed giggle. "It almost went up my nose." Victoria recovered quickly and shook her head, then briefly looked around to see if there was anyone available to take a food order.

A newcomer, this one another distinct face from the crowd, entered and eventually made her way to the table. She introduced herself as Mona, which seemed nice enough a name. Victoria could not quite tell the significance of the pendant around her neck. She was as big a fan of unicorns as most, not that she'd ever met a unicorn personally. She did recognize the woman's Fey companion for what it was, and included it in her salutation. "Hi, Mona!" It was cheerful enough. "You look almost as lost as the rest of us, so... you must belong here." Victoria brought a single index finger up to about eye level and looked toward the Sprite with a disarming grin, wiggling said finger as a sort of tiny wave. "And who's your friend?" she asked quietly, still looking at the Sprite but speaking to Mona. Victoria was unsure whether direct engagement would be considered polite or impolite, and so hedged her bets.

A mote of surprise came with the addition of another to their group, this time from among the people already in the establishment. She had to concede the practicality of scoping out the gathering before jumping headlong into it, but just didn't see that it was worth all of that fuss. That was the point to an adventuring group, she supposed; having others fill roles or pursue angles that you would not (or could not) yourself. Hugh, as he called himself, seemed visibly less enthused than most to be here. Certainly less so than Kosara, whose bubbly nature surpassed her own without the aid of specific Gnomish mushroom cultivations.

Thoughts to the last time that she had partaken in such recreation were stifled quickly by the Cleric (for that was the profession she indicated in her present state of direct expression), in her attempt to bring the table around to business. It was a fair enough idea, Victoria decided, and gave consideration as to what she should say about herself to this gathering of strangers. The fact that Marita used the phrase "dead weight" gave Victoria a mirthful smile when it was spoken, like she was privy to an inside joke. There was a strong sense of irony to those words, as it applied to her.

Luckily, Victoria was not the first to answer. That honor went to Hugh, and boy was she glad that he spoke up first. Information is a wonderful thing. While some engaged in subterfuge to acquire it, she preferred to simply let people talk and sift out the useful words from the verbal chaff. What he said was useful. What he did not say was a trove of knowledge. Victoria maintained a polite yet inquisitive demeanor as she listened, swirling about her wine and taking the occasional small sip. One hand trailed behind her, scratching her pig's burlap-wrapped head.

"Those are some stunning qualifications," began Victoria, enunciating clearly so as to be understood by all at the table. "I cannot claim to boast such experience, but, if you all will humor me?" She looked to the rest of the people at the table, eyeing to see if anyone minded her taking a turn next. A quick nod back to Marita was followed by a supplemental comment, "Oh, I'm familiar with Pholtus. Not my cup of tea, but I do love some of his work." She nodded cheerfully, then got on with it.

"Victoria Belmont, as I said earlier, and if I wasn't too obvious about it, I am what is colloquially referred to as a Bard. Specifically, I study the Bardic College of the Grey Requiem. This can put some people off, but... people can be really intolerant sometimes." She nodded knowingly, as if contemplating an incident which might serve as example. "I am a highly socially motivated individual with a gift for speaking. I perform acts of music and oration that stirs the soul and influences the hearts of those who might listen. I inspire. I entertain. I secure the resolve of my compatriots one moment; give them peace and soothing light the next. And I have the occasional trick of magic at my disposal."

She took another sip of her wine and motioned for one of the proprietors with her goblet before continuing, "But specifically, and I say this with hesitation, mind you - the philosophy of the Grey Requiem (and my training, by extension) is influenced heavily by teachings from several deities, among them the Jasidan church, The Raven Queen, and some from Jergal, pre and post abdication." She did not delve into details of these sources, letting the names stand to see if anyone recognized them or inquired. There appeared to be no shortage of people with a bent toward religious knowledge around her. "My more lucrative ventures deal specifically with their spheres of influence, if that helps." A smile, perhaps disarming and perhaps actually arming, graced her striking yet delicate features underneath two eyes of hypnotic, crystal-blue radiance. "I'm not an epic swordfighter, nor do I channel the weight divine mandate, and I do not have the powerful bloodline of a sorcerer. I do ...what I do, and most people find it useful. I hope there's no objection to my association here. I'll try not to get in anyone's way, I promise."

A hopeful expression colored her face as she concluded with, "Sometimes a word, or a song, or a smile at the right time, can accomplish more than swords."

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Lewascan2
No problem, take care of that. Past this edit, whatever is misspelled is there to stay.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Lewascan2
Yah, good to go.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

@Sigil
Yeah, I saw those. Driving me nuts, too. You have the go-ahead. Just don't alter your content otherwise.

Avonshire - D&D Based Adventure

As an example, and so as not to be a hypocrite:

@Sigil
Hey, I caught spelling and sentence errors in the third and sixth paragraphs of my post, respectively. It's driving me nuts. Do you mind if I edit my post to fix it?