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[LordBucket]

Actually I was hoping you'd compose and post an original rhyming stanza or two.

But I'll settle for a youtube link.

[Doomblade187]

I'm bad at that sort of thing, I'm afraid. This is my first time playing a bard, so I suppose that I can put up a Youtube link sometime in the future. I'm kind of new at this...

[Doomblade187]

((We'll see how good I am with composing generic ballad stanzas now. I'll probably mess the format up a bit, but I'm not too worried about that. So, here we go.))

Entren Armeni

Entren started to sing.

It was is the old days,
A long time ago,
In the kingdom of Mitharys.

The orcs were invadin',
The king was a-fading,
When A hero stepped up to the challenge.

The kingdom was falling- but no more!
Their armies rose up,
The hero at point,
And drove the orcs back to their moors.

... ((ballad, ballad, ballad))

Entren finished, grinning. "And that is the tale of the hero that later founded this very kingdom, the legends say! I hope you enjoyed the song, milady."

((There. Now, let's pretend that the ballad was way better what I wrote. Ah well, it's a start.))

[mainiac]

Aldun smiled. He had an idea to get back at the halfling. "What do you say we pay him a visit when we slip back into town? We can get our revenge at the same time. We get our money and more. All I need is for you to be a lure to bring him to me. We'll split what we find even. If he wasn't stupid he hid it someplace to pick it up later, so I'll ask nicely." Aldun clicked the sword loose from the sheath as if to draw. "After we drain him of all he's worth I'll make sure he never forgets the name Aldun Sharp." Aldun finally did drew one of his blades, running his hand down the side of the blade, tracing the edge with his thumb, checking for cracks. He knew that it was a cheap blade, but it would do for now.

Jacceri grins wickedly at the suggestion.  "I certainly wouldn't mind extracting a pound of flesh from that deadbeat.  My place is wrecked and I'm a wanted man, he owes me alright.  But I'm gonna need to lay low for a bit.  Besides we don't even know when Osri will be getting out." Disappointed Jacceri kicks one of the villages decaying wooden huts.  It groans as if in pain but doesn't collapse.  "Tell you what.  I'll put you in touch with a friend... well an acquaintance of mine who used to be a Sargent of the town guard.  You stay in Narseus and he'll tell you when Orsi's getting out.  I'll stay in this dustheap where they won't look for me.  That way you will know where to find me so we can put your plan into action."

After a while longer hanging around the ghost town the pair head back into town.  They slip back in unnoticed and the commotion from earlier seems to be gone.  Jacceri leads Aldun to halfway respectable looking drinking establishment called the Screaming Viking where the former man-at-arms works as a bartender.  But apparently it's the other bartender's shift as Jacceri's acquaintance Sawyl isn't around to be seen.  Jacceri says he wants to get out of town before any of the men-at-arms see him and departs, recommending that Aldun just wait for Sawyl's shift to start.

Aldun is left to himself in the unfamiliar establishment.  Most of the crowd is on the other side of the inn where it looks like a bard has been playing some tunes for a young elvish woman in fine clothing.

((Yes that's right.  You guys just met up in a bar.))

[The Fool]

Aldun walks up to the counter of the bar, tapping at the hard surface with a Shield. "I'll have a mug of beer." He laid the coin flat and moved it towards the bartender. "If it isn't a problem could you let Sawyl know that I'm here to see him when he starts?" He waits for his change patiently while listening to the bard's music from afar. The bard wasn't half bad. He'd have to take a seat nearby once he finished talking with the bartender.

((I assume that Sawyl is a guy? It didn't say in the last post.))

[mainiac]

Apologies for the delay, peeps.  I was gonna make a summery post tonight but there was a power outage that just cleared up.

[mainiac]

Aldun walks up to the counter of the bar, tapping at the hard surface with a Shield. "I'll have a mug of beer." He laid the coin flat and moved it towards the bartender. "If it isn't a problem could you let Sawyl know that I'm here to see him when he starts?" He waits for his change patiently while listening to the bard's music from afar. The bard wasn't half bad. He'd have to take a seat nearby once he finished talking with the bartender.

((I assume that Sawyl is a guy? It didn't say in the last post.))

((Yes, Sawyl is a guy.))

Holzig says that his partner should be arriving in a half hour to help them deal with the evening rush when this place will start to fill up.  So Aldun decides to hang around the bar until then listening the bard's music.  Unfortunately for the bard he breaks a string halfway through his second song and needs to stop to restring the bow (critical failure on a perform roll).  The crowd drifts back to their seats leaving just Aldun and the elvish woman sitting near the bard.  A few minutes later Sawyl shows up to get ready for his shift and Holzig sends him over.

When Aldun mentions that Jacceri sent him Sawyl makes a face.
"Look, that Jack-y guy is no friend of mine even if I do owe him.  Next time you see him, tell him that he needs to shove off.  But uh, well I will tell you not to waste your time with that halfling.  I just heard about him and they changed their minds about him.  The Marshal's just scheduled a private execution real soon."

Aldun expresses interest about the time and location but Sawyl seems to not think he's trustworthy for some reason or other.  "Hey, buddy, that's not something I should be talking about.  Who are you anyway?"
Sawyl knows but it doesn't seem that he'd be willing to share that information with Aldun.



Recap info to this point:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Marshal Lorsen
   Marshal of the town for the past four years
   Increasingly authoritarian for the past few weeks
   Has his actions being signed off on by mayor Dailgon
   Has found evidence of deamonic cults in the city but the extent is not known
   Has arrested at least 5 halflings recently in conjunction with the cults, 1 of whom was a criminal
   
Orsi the corrupt mercant
   Hired Aldun to move cargo which seems to be highly dangerous
   Arrested very soon upon entering town
   Known to be corrupt but not previously associated with deamonic cults
   The marshal claims there is physical evidence against it which he wishes Aduial tomorrow
   Scheduled for excecution
   
Jacceri the businessman
   Was storing cargo for Orsi
   Had his businesses trashed
   Currently hiding out in a deserted elvish villian near Narseus
   Can be used to lure Orsi out of hiding if/when Orsi is released
   Has a contact retired from the guard named Sawyl at the screaming viking
   
Baron Radhan
   Human
   Was on friendly terms with the Marshal
   Being held without visitors or contact
   
The glassworker Sayad (Sayud?  Sayt?)
   Halfling
   Arrested by city watch and held since that time
   Believed by Baron Radhan to be innocent and of some importance
   
The child from the north
   said to bear markings of deamonic origin
   said to be mentally scarred
   was found near Sayad and Baron Radhan
   
Sawyl the bartender
   Knows the time and location of the excecution of Orsi the merchant
   
Leads found:
   The child from the north may reveal information about the deamonic cult (if it exists) and show whether Radhan and Sayad were involved in it
   If the Baron is released he can share whatever information they don't want known
   If Orsi is released then Jacceri can make sure Aldun get's paid and can help beat some info from him

[The Fool]

"I'm a mercenary for hire, and that's all anyone really needs to know about me." Aldun shifted his weight, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Now, you owe Jacceri. If you know something and it leads to what we're looking for I can end your debt with him. If he disagrees he'll find that me and my blades are quite insistent. You see, Orsi shorted both of us, and now we're looking to take it back from him before he dies. If you happen to mention something about his execution, maybe where he's being held, you might find yourself debt free."

[mainiac]

Aldul seems to have badly misread the man that he is talking to.  He get's as far as "If you know something and it leads to what we're looking for I can end your debt with him." when Sawyl holds up a hand.  "Hey there bud, I'm gonna stop you right here before you run too far with this."
"Few months back there was a crooked gambler who was giving the fellas at the bar a rough time.  That Jackie friend of yours helped me and the boys catch him in the act and chase him out of town.  Now I don't know what you are thinking but that's the only 'debt' that I owe him.  Now if you wanna stay and drink be my guest.  But you need to cool down if you wanna stay here."

Sawyl doesn't seem particularly riled up by what Aldul is saying at this point.  But between the bartenders military background, impressive stature and the mace he keeps hanging above the top shelf with the words "Lutzpolis Slugger" etched across it he probably won't be intimidated too easily.

[LordBucket]

Since I've spent the past four days of forum time looking like a drunk, easy target and nobody's tried to seduce or pickpocket me, I'm guessing this town is far more honest than I'd hoped. I think by this point I've given up the act and put my coinpurse back in my shirt.

That Jackie friend of yours helped me and the boys catch him in the act and chase him out of town.

Aduial
"Bartender, what's your take on the present situation with the law rounding up halflings? I've not met Jacceri, but you're the first person I've heard speak up for him. I'm new to Narseus, but many of the townsfolk seem to think the Marshal's recent actions are justified and I can't help but notice that even his business acquaintances here seem to think rather poorly of him."

[mainiac]

Since I've spent the past four days of forum time looking like a drunk, easy target and nobody's tried to seduce or pickpocket me, I'm guessing this town is far more honest than I'd hoped. I think by this point I've given up the act and put my coinpurse back in my shirt.

((I was expecting your fellow player to take that chance, not an NPC.))

"Bartender, what's your take on the present situation with the law rounding up halflings? I've not met Jacceri, but you're the first person I've heard speak up for him. I'm new to Narseus, but many of the townsfolk seem to think the Marshal's recent actions are justified and I can't help but notice that even his business acquaintances here seem to think rather poorly of him."

"Well uh, folks are saying what now?  Well look, mam, me and the Marshal used to be Sargents together back in the big one five years back.  He was really something back then, the kinda guy who would see a hundred charging orcs screaming their head off and not even blink an eye.  A lot of the men-at-arms remember what he did and how many of us owe him our bacon.  I guess hero is the word you'd use for it.  But uh..."
The tall, self-assured man standing before you looks downright sheepish as he continues.  "Well I don't really know what to make of all this stuff lately.  I never thought that Lorsen would end up arresting all these halflings and now rushing to execute one of them.  It's... well I sure don't know what would make him do that stuff."

"What Sawyl's trying to say is that the man is a dink and a moron."  A frizzy haired halfling woman interjects into the conversation as she drops a cask of beer behind the bar with a thud.  "His old pally the marshal sure looked all nice when he was one of us ordinary people.  But he gets into power and he turns out to be what all them wanna be heroes are.  A regular dink who just wanted to be all high and mighty so he could lord it over us.  And now he's going to make us all pay just because his high dinkiness don't know the difference between an evil cult and a hole in the ground."
Sawyl has nothing to say as he picks up the cask of beer and places it on the rack behind the beer silently.  The halfling woman throws him a dirty look and heads for the backroom from whence she came.

[The Fool]

((I keep forgetting the portrait I made.))



"How about we make a deal then. If you want justice you sure as Baator don't want Orsi executed without a proper trial. If I knew where he was I might be able to get him away from the block long enough to figure out what's going on. He'd probably be in more just hands if I handed him over to you." Aldun knew that this man respected the law. He was hoping that he could bend his words just right. He knew he was no sweet talker, but maybe this guy's sense of justice will get the better of him.

[mainiac]

((Diplomacy roll of 6-1=5.  The dice don't seem to want Aldun to be a trustworthy talker today.))

"Hey, look here buddy.  I might have taken a few knocks to the head in my time but I'm not a an idiot.  I don't know you but you come introduced by a fella who was up to nothing good last time I checked.  You want any drinks you better get them from Holzig because I've had enough of you for the night.  Talk to me again and you can find yourself another bar."

[Doomblade187]

((AFK week one! I'll probably. Be away until sunday, so I'd like to turn my character over to Lordbucket or you, Mainiac until I get back. I also don't really know what to do with Nestren, so that should help. Thanks.))

[The Fool]

"Sure yourself." Aldun knew he was beat. The best he could do now was look around for an unusual amount of guards, and even then that might be a needle in the haystack situation. He sat down to listen to the bard again. There wasn't anything else to do now but wait for morning. For now the night was still young, and he still had a few bits to burn.