Characters What is Your *Character's* Favorite Beverage?

[CleverNickName]

I thought it would be fun to explore a bit of character depth, and poll our characters instead of our players. Our characters need not be a two-dimensional set of stats and a plot hook, after all...they could have wants, needs, and preferences of their own.

Take a moment to "get into character," read the intro below, and think about what your character's favorite drink would be. When you are done, vote for your character's favorite beverage...and just for fun, post a reply in character.

-----

You have arrived at the Squatting Chicken, an ale house with a good reputation for food and drink. You shake the dust from your boots, hang your cloak near the door, and take a seat at the nearest empty table.

The barmaid approaches, bringing with her the scent of rich stew and hot bread. "Something to drink, good traveler?"

You think for a moment...you have not had anything to drink all day, save for a few carefully-rationed sips of the stale, lukewarm water in your canteen. The coins in your pocket are calling out to your parched, burning throat.

You decide to treat yourself to a generous portion of your favorite beverage.

-----

So...what do you ask the barmaid to bring you?

[CleverNickName]

Gaius Stormhammer: "I'll have a bottle of your best mead, with plenty of cloves and cinnamon. And I'll have a loaf of that sweet bread I am smelling."

(He's a tough guy, but he likes sweet stuff.)

[fissionessence]

Aulenir Jadetower: "Just a redberry please."
Aulenir looks warily around the room, hoping not too many bar goers overheard him. Indeed he has caught several curious glances about the man who's just ordered a children's drink. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and hunkers his head between his shoulders.
He looks back up at the barmaid who's still standing over him to see if he's serious. Aulenir gives her an awkward look and shrugs.
"That'll be two coppers," the barmaid sighs as she turns to retrieve his drink.
Aulenir digs out the coppers and sets them on the table for the barmaid's return. He glances around the room again self-consciously, but the clamor of drinking and gambling has shifted the attention back away from him . . . just as he likes it.

[From what I remember most of the order masters from L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s Magic of Reculce books prefer redberry . . . so I picked juice for my guy as well. He's no order master, but he has a similar demeanor despite being a warlock. Also I thought of it because despite that the Recluce books had a lot of detail, the amount of attention the books gave to the fact that the characters preferred redberry was oddly high.]

~

[Ed_Laprade]

I voted 'no PC'. (Its been far too long since the last time I was able to play.) Anyway, it depends on the character. Dwarves drink Dwarven Ale or Dwarven Ripple. Fighter types drink ale. Elves/Fey drink mead or wine, or brandy when they can afford/get it. (Or sometimes cider.) For Clerics, it depends on who they worship and/or their race.

[Wik]

(the last in-person PC I've played, an Eberron Wu Jen "Elementalist" with a gambling problem named Marlowe)

Marlowe: "Whatever's cheap. And weak. I've got work to do... is anyone here up for a 'friendly' game of Transmuter?"

[Trouvere]

The dwarf divine bard drinks a beer, because water would look strange for a dwarf. But he doesn't want to drink too much, or he'll start to speak his Cha 6 mind.

The transmuter has whatever everyone else is having, but he surreptitiously uses prestidigitation to make his taste like apple juice.

The rogue starts off with wine, quickly switches to some hideous clear spirit, gets blind drunk, sings songs, and asks the pretty paladin to marry him (again).



Wik! I see you. Get back over to 'Shovel' at once.

[Halivar]

Lucius Athalanisiir, half-elf paladin of Bahamut, prefers foo-foo mixed drinks.

What? He's a half-elf... it totally fits.

EDIT: Ohhhh... I'm supposed to be in character...

My name is Lucius Athalanisiir, and what I really need right now to quench my thirst is a Sex on the Beach.

[El Mahdi]

El-Mahdi al Saqir ibn Hamoud Half-Elf Ranger (Human Bedine/Wood Elf)

I prefer a very dark, rich, and strong tea, served in a small crystal and mythryl cup. I use the blend perfected by my long lost Bedine clan, taught to me by my father. I cultivate my own because the teas of the Dalelands are just too weak and flavorless. The only other place I've had a comparable tea is in Turmish (although I've heard promising stories of Zhakaran tea).

After completing a long patrol of the Border Forrest (and saving some foolish adventurers yet again), I return to my home on the edge of the Anauroch (it's covered with grass now, unbelievable), and relax with a cup of hot tea. Every sip reminds me of the desert of my youth. I close my eyes and smell the flinty dryness of the lost Anauroch. I remember the first time my father allowed me a cup of tea. I recall growing up in an Elven village on the edge of the Border Forrest and Anauroch. I learned the way of the Desert from my father and learned the way of the forrest from my mother. With every sip, I once again see their faces and hear their laughter. As I reach the bottom of the cup, I taste the bitter dregs of the crushed leaves that slipped through the filter. The bitterness reminds me how my parents and village died, and how my clan was destroyed before I was born. I taste the bitter flavor of revenge unfulfilled. The Zhents will pay dearly for what they've done. With the last sip, my vow of vengence is renewed.

[Shemeska]

Storyhour excerpt:

“What’s in a Marauder’s Mirth?” Clueless asked cautiously from behind the bar.

“THE Marauder’s Mirth.” She corrected him, punctuated with a tap of a claw on and into the table.

“It’s my favorite drink.” She explained. “The Fortune’s Wheel coined it after me and I expect that most of the upper tier inns and taverns in Sigil carry it.”

And then there was a complete non sequitur from the ‘loth, with a sudden, almost barked demand of: "Colcook! Mirror!”

Clueless just stood there patiently as she ignored him in favor of her own reflection in a small handheld mirror held up in place by the tiefling to her left. She pursed her lips as with a telepathic prompt, Colcook applied a new layer of black lipstick and then promptly started to comb out the long, coppery-blond hair she had at the moment.

And then, without any acknowledgement of the pause, she jumped back to the prior conversation.

“Don’t know my favorite drink…” She said with a bit of a sneer. “A pity really. I’d been led to believe that you were to be numbered among them… the best inns in Sigil that is.”

“We might be able to make one for you, but… and my apologies, I’m not familiar with the ingredients.” Clueless said, trying so hard to sound genuine.

“I bet the 12 Factols would have known what goes in it…” Shemeska muttered to herself.

Clueless ignored the statement.

“And even if I can’t make one for you now,” He said. “This way we’ll know in the future to have what’s needed. Just for you.”

She smiled up at him and batted her eyelashes. “Admittedly, this –is- an unannounced visit, and it’s not a formal thing to actually judge the place on. I’ll be making that visit eventually, but you’ll have advance warning of that.”

‘Peachy.’ He thought. ‘Just peachy…’

Colcook meanwhile continued to brush out his mistress’s hair, which she might have actually lengthened during the process, just to give him more to do.

“But, in any event,” She purred. “My favorite drink is a mixture of four fingers of Bytopian Brandy, honey, puréed dretch pineal gland, two fingers of Styx water, with a sprig of razorvine and some gold leaf floating on the top.”

[awayfarer]

I had an in character post typed up but for some reason Enworld logged me out when I hit "Send reply". I am not typing it up again.

Suffice to say I chose "other", by which I meant "lamp oil." I would also like to cite fire resistance as the single most entertaining trait belonging to Tieflings.

[El Mahdi]

Originally Posted by Shemeska

Storyhour excerpt:

“What’s in a Marauder’s Mirth?” Clueless asked cautiously from behind the bar.

“THE Marauder’s Mirth.” She corrected him, punctuated with a tap of a claw on and into the table.

. . .

“It’s my favorite drink.” She explained. “The Fortune’s Wheel coined it after me and I expect that most of the upper tier inns and taverns in Sigil carry it.”“Don’t know my favorite drink…” She said with a bit of a sneer. “A pity really. I’d been led to believe that you were to be numbered among them… the best inns in Sigil that is.”

“We might be able to make one for you, but… and my apologies, I’m not familiar with the ingredients.” Clueless said, trying so hard to sound genuine.

. . .

“But, in any event,” She purred. “My favorite drink is a mixture of four fingers of Bytopian Brandy, honey, puréed dretch pineal gland, two fingers of Styx water, with a sprig of razorvine and some gold leaf floating on the top.”

Damn! I'm all out of XP to give. This definitely deserved some. Very nice.

[Shemeska]

Originally Posted by El Mahdi

Damn! I'm all out of XP to give. This definitely deserved some. Very nice.

*chuckle* The recipe for that character's favorite drink changed virtually every time she dropped in on my PCs for that campaign, always doing so to ensure they had to scramble to get some ingredient on short notice if they were going to humor her. At one point they debated serving her used dishwater because they were very much not in the mood to take the abuse.

[CleverNickName]

Originally Posted by El Mahdi

Damn! I'm all out of XP to give. This definitely deserved some. Very nice.

What a great idea! (plink!)

I'll give more XP for well-written "in-character" drink orders...

[That One Guy]

Darkael stumbles into the tavern and glances around nervously. As the tavernmaid asks him about a drink he stammers, "Ah-Ah-Ah think Ah'm lost... Bu-bu-but I'll have a tea."

(I suppose it would be proper for me to describe the elf. He steps as lightly and gracefully as all the others of his kind, but he can't stop his face from twitching. His hair is a dark green, matching most of his beaten armor. At his side would be a sheathed longsword - unless he misplaced it. He's probably lost his shield, and if anyone finds it he'd be grateful. As peculiar as his demeanor is, he carefully watches and listens to every person he can.)

[Fifth Element]

Aethelred Aethelios:"Cider, please. And a quiet place to drink it."

(He's an ex-soldier duskblade/wizard, and prefers to have his full faculties at all times.)

[Merkuri]

A little blue humanoid tree frog jumps up onto a stool. She wears little in the way of clothes, but has a large necklace made of colorful, hanging parrot feathers. A shaggy dog about the same size as the frog with strangely shaped feet waddles in after her and curls up by the foot of the stool. "Kaylankuli will have ale, please, yes?" the blue frog says. "And bowl of water for Allqu is good. Stew does not have dragonfly, Kay supposes. She misses dragonfly stew. No find in cities."

(When I made this character I wanted something really different. Kaylankuli is a grippli druid in the Savage Tide campaign we just started. I decided to make her a jungle native who doesn't speak Common well and gave her a climbdog companion. I wanted Central Native American-sounding names so I found an Inca-English dictionary online. "Kaylankuli" means "frog" and "Allqu" means "dog".)

[greyscale1]

Mathias Riddly almost stumbles into the bar, exhausted. Rounding one of the far tables, he just about collapses into his chair. Following him is the shifter Nile, eyes darting about the room, the warmage Tala, and the Warforged Balista, who gingerly moves a small wooden chair aside and hunkers in its place.

A waitress approaches the table and asks for their orders.
Nile asks for a roast chicken and some mead.
Balista: "Oh... I'm not very hungry, thankyou".
Tala: (after intensely scanning the menu for several minutes) "just a water, please" the waitress sighs.
Riddly, who has been drinking from a small flask since they arrived, catches a dirty look from the waitress and sneers "Don't make that scrunched nose face at me sugarbunch. I'll have a cider and some cornbread".
Nile: "Cider Riddly?"
Riddly: "Shut your furry mouth, catman"
Balista: "Can I try some of your cornbread Riddly"
Riddly: "No"

[CleverNickName]

Originally Posted by Merkuri

I wanted Central Native American-sounding names so I found an Inca-English dictionary online. "Kaylankuli" means "frog" and "Allqu" means "dog".)

Good work...and the gripli was a nice touch!

Hmm. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to give more xp...

[Amphimir Míriel]

I have several characters with drink preferences, I'll post the preferences of both my oldtime favorite (the most talkative) and the current one (the most laconic)

Amphimir Míriel - Half-Elf bard
"GREETINGS INKEEPER!!" He yells as he opens the door, grinning a huge lunatic smile
"It is I, Amphimir Míriel, famous bard and minstrel without peer, who graces your locale. I will require a bottle of your finest wine and a clean glass while I tune my instrument! We can discuss my fees later!"

Eberk - Anthropomorphic Bear Fighter (homebrewed 4e race)
"Water, on a bowl, please" he grumbles "And a honeycomb if you could get one"

[Lord Xtheth]

Zinhald:

"I'll have 6 beer, with a side order of 6 beers, 6 beers for dessert, and a 6 beer appitizer... huh? Yeah, I DO know its 5 in the bloody morning, make with the beer!"