The Large Dumbo

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

What a coincidence - a friend of mine a few minutes ago said that he was interested in joining and was thinking about rolling up a fighter. He's not too sure on the specifics, but asked me to go ahead and see if you'd be willing to let him join @Lurking Krog.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Kythor

"Hold on a moment," Kythor objected, raising his hand. A small frown creased onto his face as he took note of the halfling's rather unusual mannerisms. "You presume quite a bit about both of us, 'friend.'" These were certainly some rather bold claims the halfling - Jitter Meadowbrook - was putting forth, insinuating that they would all be able and willing to hunt down a verbeeg of all things. Kythor barely knew the first thing about fighting a verbeeg! If he didn't know anything about hunting a verbeeg, he imagined these other two had knew even less than he did. Kythor's father had always told him to stray from their paths and that to fight one was to ensure one's death. The last time he checked, Kythor was quite sure that he was in no hurry to run headfirst into an early demise. He certainly wasn't about to lay his life on the line for the town of Good Mead, at any rate. He couldn't deny, however, that the offer of free room, board, and food was tempting. Was it tempting enough for him to consider their offer seriously?

Quietly, he stroked his chin, his hand gliding down a rather scraggly and unkempt beard. It certainly beat having to scrounge up for food while trying to avoid succumbing to the naturally cold climate. Besides, if he did manage to take down a verbeeg, there was a lot to gain from that. Experience, knowledge of how to take down similar foes, and even renown that could lead to bigger jobs that paid more. Again, he didn't know how long he would have to stay in town, nor how much money he would need before he could safely return to the life of an outsider.

That being said, he would be very wise to consider his company if he were to undergo this task. Jitter himself seemed to be a rather dubious choice in the tiefling's eyes. A man who was accosted by kobolds who seeks now to fight a verbeeg? The idea was laughable to Kythor. So far the most admirable trait that Jitter had displayed was his enthusiasm, but no amount of enthusiasm can kill a verbeeg. As for the half-elf, he couldn't say. She claimed to be an adventurer, but judging by her well-kept appearance, Kythor couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she had an escort traveling with her, or if she had simply been lucky in arriving here unscathed. Her having an escort already would certainly explain why she had no need of his services, despite her earlier statement that she intended on researching some ruins. Both of those thoughts aside, Kythor imagined that she had even less interest in the town than he. It sounded as if she was after research, not glory, or a sporting hunt. It was likely that once she found the ruins she was after, she would take what she needed to and leave.

"I will confess that I could use a tenday of lodging myself..." Kythor said, leaning back in his seat. Perhaps he would go after the verbeeg. With these two in tow, however? He wasn't sure. "Jitter Meadowbrook, is it? You wanna know what my plan is? My plan is to, for both of your sakes, suggest that neither of you consider the offer of hunting down a verbeeg too seriously. If I'm bein' quite honest, I imagine this task might be a bit over your heads. I've never had the pleasure of dealing with a verbeeg myself, and for good reason - they're dangerous creatures, who can..." He paused. What could they do? The tiefling cursed in orcish beneath his breath. How he wished he still had the elders to counsel for their knowledge on these things! Kythor quietly cleared his throat, continuing to speak. "That's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is an encounter with a verbeeg is most certainly too dangerous for two visitors to Icewind Dale to handle. I imagine a single verbeeg is far stronger than a group of kobolds, Jitter," he chuckled, taking a swig of mead.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

For those who would like to, roll a history check. This is to see what you know of verbeeg.

@Lurking Krog

Another history check, huh? Well, surely it can't get worse than a 5.

Intelligence (History) Check: (1d20+0=4)

It seems I stand corrected.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Kythor

Kythor quietly nodded to himself. Ruins in the nearby area? His tribe used to speak of ruins that sounded similar to what this woman was asking for. Even as a child, he knew that researcher-type people - like the half-elf before him - would be interested in the locations of such places. Whether that was to claim its discovery, to pillage and plunder it for artifacts and loot, or, as he imagined was rarely the case, to study the ruins themselves while leaving them pristine and fully intact. Regardless of what her intent was, Kythor thought back to his youth. Quite a few people within his tribe had claimed to come across ruins on their travels. Surely he could remember where they had claimed to see these ruins, no problem. He took a sip of his mead and thought to himself about where to find these ruins.

A full three seconds of silence later, it suddenly occurred to the tiefling that he could not remember the location of any of the ruins he had heard of. How had he managed to forget all of them? Maybe it was because he, himself, had found little use of ruins, let alone their location. The tribe had a few members who were interested in that sort of thing, but Kythor had no interest in the past. Life ran in cycles. People lived, died, and are eventually forgotten. What use is it to dwell upon the past of that which is dead and gone? At least, that was how he had seen it in the past. Things were different now...

With a frown, Kythor shook his head. "'fraid I can't point you to the location of any ruins," he said, "but I have heard of ruins that sound kinda like what you're looking for. I bet some of the citizens of Good Mead might've heard a thing or two about where you could find some ruins, try-"

Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes caught onto the halfling from earlier now approaching their table. "My friends and I will slay this verbeeg giant for the town, you have my word or my name isn't Frag Stumbleduck," The halfling said. "We are your humble heroes!" Upon this somewhat bold declaration, Kythor raised an eyebrow before turning to face the halfling. "...Heroes? ...Us?" With a clear expression of bemusement, he looked first to the halfling, then to the half-elf, before turning back to the halfling while he waited for an explanation.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

@Lurking Krog I assume it's a history check to recall the location of any ruins in the nearby area?

Intelligence (History) Check: (1d20+0=5)

... and on that note, I assume that a natural 5 means that Kythor has no recollection of the whereabouts of any such ruins?

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Kythor

After paying the barkeep for the mead and the stew, Kythor decided to take a seat at the table by the window. The view of the outside was a welcome sight, plus it was right next to the two humans sat beside the fire. The tiefling wanted to be sat near them so that he may be able to eavesdrop on them easier - he might be able to get a feel for what's happening in this town just by listening on their conversation. After all, one of the best ways to learn about one's surroundings is to stay quiet and listen. When you're in unfamiliar territory, it's always better to hear than be heard. He propped an arm up and rested his head on it to try and look as inconspicuous as possible, and just as he began to forlornly stare out the window...

... someone joined him at the table. The tiefling's idle expression quickly shifted to mild surprise, then intrigue as he sat upright and looked over at his new dining companion: a half-elven woman. Come to think of it, he thought he saw her walk in behind her and stand in line behind her at the bar. Seeing as how he couldn't quite eavesdrop with somebody plainly watching him, and that he was interested in what business she had with him, Kythor quietly spooned himself some stew and took a mouthful as he listened to what the half-elf had to say.

"You're a guide, you said? I'm new to these parts, trying to get my bearings. I don't need an escort, but some information would be brilliant. What do you say, few questions for a few silver?"

Kythor took a moment to consider the offer, mindlessly stirring his stew. Not that there was much to consider, of course - information was just as good a commodity he could offer as any. If somebody was willing to pay for information, he saw no reason to say no. "Questions?" He repeated. "I suppose I could answer any questions y'got, as long as you're willing to pay me." The idea of mentioning that he was actually in slightly desperate need of money crossed his mind, but ultimately he figured it best to leave that part out. That reminded him about the halfling in front of him at the bar. A dry chuckle escaped his lips and he shook his head. "Must say, traveler, it sounds like you're faring better than some I've seen today," he said, pausing to spoon up another spoonful of stew. "At least you've still got your coinpurse. Saw a halfling a couple'a minutes ago that'd had his nicked by a couple of kobolds."

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Kythor

With little else to do but listen in, Kythor couldn't help but overhear the plight of the halfling. Robbed by kobolds? One must always be careful when traveling in these parts. Many people underestimate the danger of this land, and it seems that this poor fellow was no exception. "These lands're harsh and unforgiving," Kythor said, giving the halfling a somewhat sympathetic frown. "Much like how the wolves find safety in packs, travelers unsuited to these lands oughta find their own safety in numbers. I would suggest findin' a guide if you plan on staying much longer. I'd be willin' to lend you a hand myself, but as you said, you don't have a silver to your name. Sorry." For a moment, he internally debated paying off the halfling's tab, before deciding against it... for the moment. The two had already arranged what he felt like was a fair deal. No need to intervene.

With that, he turns to the barkeep. "I'll have some of the stew as well, as well as a mug of mead," Kythor said, resting his arms on the bar. "My journey here was long. Felt like I walked about twice as far as I should've," he chuckled. "I could do with somethin' to warm me up." He'd never been one for drinking, but the chill of the outside still crept through his body. Besides, they wouldn't call the town Good Mead if the mead wasn't good, right? At the very least, if it wasn't good, he hoped it was cheap.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Looks like we managed to get somebody new in the group while I was offline last night. Welcome to the campaign @Alarielle! Only one more person until we've got ourselves a 4-player party!

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Kythor

The faint buzz of bees and the scent of honey in the air alone was enough to ease some of the tension Kythor had built up when he entered. When the warmth of the blazing hearth engulfed him, what little tension remained vanished into nothingness. A contemplative and wry smile crossed Kythor's face. This area somehow both managed to fit in with and subvert his expectations. When he was a child, he once asked the elders of the tribe what the luxuries of civilization held. Many of them talked of halls like this, filled to the brim with drunkards and thugs. So far, that image seemed to be wholly false. A quick skim of the place revealed that everybody seemed to be busying themselves with conversation or a bit of reading. The atmosphere seemed a lot calmer than what he had expected when he came in. Whether that would be soon to change, however, he could not say.

Now would be a good time to start learning about this town and the people in it, Kythor thought to himself. He didn't know how long he was going to be staying in town, but he knew that regardless of how long he planned to stay, he needed money. Perhaps a lot of it to replace what he lost. He knew the people were willing to pay for the kinds of services he could offer, skills that the common folk of the city lacked themselves. Healing, scouting, hunting... Although he mourned that few in the city possessed any degree in skill in these matters, he was content enough with the fact that their loss would be his gain.

Perhaps the barkeep could send me in the right direction. Kythor began to approach the bar. When he saw the halfling race up to the bar before him, he slowed, and when the two began to talk he halted. So as to not interrupt, he quietly took a seat beside the halfling to wait, offering the two a friendly, albeit tired smile. It wasn't until a moment later he realized he'd left his facial covering on. With a slightly embarrassed grunt, Kythor quietly pulled the cloth down from his face. He gave them another friendly, somewhat more tired smirk, before leaning back in his seat to bask in the soothing warmth of the mead hall.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Post is edited!

Should have mentioned this before but only two towns have walls, Bryn-Shander and Targos.

@The Large Dumbo is your character referring to the walls of the houses or referring to walls of the settlement? Good Mead has no perimeter walls.

@Lurking Krog

I was referring to the perimeter walls earlier. I guess when I wrote the original post, I could've talked about how the walls of the houses made him feel claustrophobic, but for some reason I guess I was just really hung up on the idea of a perimeter wall getting to him, haha.