DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Fantasy SKT: The Storm King's Thunder 3Q - A Night at the Inn

Davroar

Enjoying Sindar's performance, he is distracted from it when Jaliera gets up, and quietly asks more to himself than to anyone else, "What's going on now..."
Grumbling under his breath, he reluctantly follows.

Pavel

As soon as his message was delivered, he finished his drink and stood to head outside. He lingered at the door as the performance continues. When he starts seeing the group head outside he waits so they can lead him to where they feel comfortable and less ill at ease. No use getting into a fight when he is more just the messenger.

DM

The performance draws to a close inside, to loud applause.

Outside, the night is calm. Whisper detects no sign of threats, particularly anyone who looks like Bern. There's clearly a small armed presence making the rounds in the town, but they look like typical guards on duty keeping the peace. Since it's night, the gates have been shut but there remain a few watchmen posted to open them if needed to admit a nocturnal traveler.

The group's plans for privacy going outside is slighly disrupted when the show concludes, and many people leave the inn to return to their homes for the evening, but there are enough open areas to get away from the crowds to converse.

Zindra

As the audience starts to rise after the performance, the scout makes her way to all the others in the group and furtively lets them all know about the contact that Pavel had made with her. There was information that Pavel wanted to share in a location that was more secure than a crowded tavern.

Pavel

He sees Jaliera and the druid start to head outside. "Dav something. Davroar." he thought. "I really need to do better remembering names." He rolls his eyes then follows them thinking it would be best to be seen again waiting for the rest of the group with part of the group.

As he nears the two that did come outside to the meeting, he says, "Just me again. We met earlier. But it is something for everyone. Thought it best to be here already when they came out."

He looks to Jaliera.

Jaliera

"They'll be here."

This is said with confidence.

Kriv

The noble knew well how to make a polite exit and did so, rendezvousing with the others.

Sindar

He lingered with the crowd as some came up to make whatever comments were on their minds. He noticed his companions heading for the exit, and would follow as soon as the crowd allowed him to do so easily. For now he couldn't break away without causing too much attention. Better to play his part and distract from his friend's exit. He could always catch up later.

[OOC: Simple Answer, Sindar will join the group with the GM feels it is thematically appropriate.]

[OOC: The DM is waiting for whoever scheduled this meeting on my calendar to arrive and get it started, and is multitasking with other work until the meeting starts.]

OOC: The person that called the meeting is waiting to see if they are joined by Arus (Nem)... and incidentally Nem made a good point about Gypsy being there but not there. Is she being ghosted?

[OOC: Gypsy did say to ghost Jaliera and I'll do so if needed. I'm also waiting for y'all to actually say where exactly you're having this conversation so I can decide whether or not you may or may not need to roll for perception for various things that may or may not happen.]

Arus

Still smirking from flirting with a serving wench, Arus arrives outside to join the rest of the party.

Zindra

She makes her way out of the inn and finds the others gathered. She was curious what information Pavel had to share.

<Bern>

While they 'gathered' outside, he continued to contemplate why his 'double' wanted his 'visage'. It didn't seem to make any sense. He had nothing to do with any powers or the like. It made no sense to him.

DM

The group finds a spot off the beaten path to have a quiet conversation without lurkers nearby. That they can see, at least. The crowd scatters away from the tavern toward their homes, and even those who had been enjoying the revelry prior to the show seem to be winding down as the night grows darker.

[OOC: if anyone's looking around for anything out of the ordinary, roll for perception. I'll roll for Whisper whose job is to do exactly that. Everyone else I'll be using passive perception for something.]
Whisper Perception check
AquaDyne rolled 1d20+3 and got 13

Pavel

Pavel follows the group to the location of their choosing. As he is walking up to them he is wary of the dispersing crowd from the tavern and any of the guards. When they stop he look out around them trying to see if they are being followed or overheard.

Pavel Perception
Miales rolled 1d20+3 and got 16

He looks over the assembled group. The Heroes of Phandalin and a few others. He noticed that their bard wasn't there. Glancing at the Dragonborn he shuddered a little. He'd heard of Kriv and seen him before but never so close. To Pavel it was unsettling. Closing his eyes he calmed himself before speaking.

"I know some of your journey to here from your entertainer's song and the elf's illusions. How throughout your journey you've been running into mysterious happenings with giants. And from tales I overheard here there has been more going on with them. Underlying within that giant problem are two names of denizens who are not giants. Weevil who turned his back on his heritage and natural hatred towards the giants in the name of profit and his counterpart the doppleganger Vhalak who is doing your friend Bern a grave injustice by taking on his form and sullying his name wherever it goes."

Pavel paused briefly and took a drink looking around as he did so mostly at the group in front of him but also beyond them trying to detect any eavesdroppers.

Pavel Perception
Miales rolled 1d20+3 and got 10
Doubtful he'd notice anything so he'd continue

"I spoke with one of the waitresses, the boy Rory's mother. She imparted the following. Weevil and the doppleganger were here about a ten day ago. WHile they were here Rory's mother overheard Weevil talking about selling weapons to the giants and Rory overheard them talking about getting weapons enchanted at the blacksmith's. And that they were already selling magical weapons to hill giants. She also told me that Weevil and the doppleganger have split up but intend to meet in Everlund once their separate endeavors are completed."

"Weevil is headed North towards a town called Olostin's Hold. He was talking about being in possession of a map that led to something big that would be of great interest to the giants and that he was hoping to sell it to the "tall ones". He wouldn't go into much detail about the map except that he was wary of anybody from the Alliance or those "holier than thou" Gauntlet people. Apparently, the Alliance and these Gauntlet people would take great interest in this map because it might lead to something of significance to them or maybe he is just really scared of them. Regardless he is supposed to be trying to meet a buyer for that map near the Evermoors close to the town."

He looked around again before continuing.

"Now Vahlak is headed to the High Forest. His intention was not discussed. Only thing I know in that area though is Turlang. So he might have some business with the treant there. Regardless that is my next destination but not until after I talk to the blacksmith about these enchanted weapons I just learned about. A little late to do that today, so I guess I'll wait until tomorrow."

"That is all I have. But I can give another nugget of information. Bern is still Bern for now anyway. While we were talking in there I was thinking about how to detect if Bern was swapped out. I heard that higher level magic users can make a glyph against specific creatures. Maybe something like that would work. Glyph something common that Bern normally uses like maybe his pack or longbow against dopplegangers. He stops using the item or it goes off then you'll know it isn't Bern. Of course I don't know a glyph like that but supposedly it is possible."

Jaliera

She nods as Pavel imparts the fist part of his information, confirming what he had said, but listens intently to the rest of the information as that was new to her. She checks in with Whisper to see if she has anything to report.

"I guess we need to make some decisions about where we go from here. Maybe we need to split into 2 groups temporarily? And we might want to include Pavel too? Zhu can you cast the sort of glyph Pavel is suggesting?"

Zindra

She was intrigued by the turn of events.

"Turlang? If he looks like Bern, and knows what Bern knows..."

The doppelganger, now with a name 'Vahlak' started to make sense.

"Not everyone can find Turlang, you know. And he's not the only treant."

She glances at Bern and Davroar. If Vahlek the doppelganger was going to impersonate Bern, it was a big issue.

DM

The inn sits on a hill overlooking the rest of the town, and thus has a great vantage point even beyond the surrounding walls.

The night is clear, but Whisper alerts Jaliera to something unusual in the sky... a cloud. Hovering over that cottage everyone passed on the way in. Everyone but Pavel, that is, who happens to be looking in the opposite direction and misses it.

And not just any cloud, but in fact it looks like it's raining on that cottage, and nowhere else.

Sindar

Still smiling from the high of performing for so many people and having the enjoy it. He is paying less attention to the things going on around him.

He listens to the information that is offered.

Hey look it is a boot!

Sindar Perception
Pandemonium rolled 1d20+6 and got 7

Jaliera

"Whisper has spotted a cloud raining on the witch's cottage we passed on the way in. Weird."

Pavel

An isolated storm? He looks up and notices that the skies are clear.

"Why would that be of significance? The witch might be doing some sort of ritual. What's the big deal?"


(OOC: Just a note. Pavel has no clue about those stones the party has been collecting. I can't imagine them having come up during Sindar's song either.)

[OOC: Sindar specifically made their tales more generic and accessible, which is why I mentioned leaving the mural out of them. I should have said the same thing about the stones, but you assumed correctly. My intention was merely to tell tales of larger than life heroes, sprinkled with news, which I felt the patrons would enjoy.]

Zindra

"It seems we should check it out but let's get back to discussing what we intend to do in the long run after we deal with the cloud."

<Bern>

"Not sure why a rain cloud over a hut outside the town is of any real concern", he said with a shrug.