Adventure: Food of the Gods - Part 2 (DM: ryryguy, Judge:renau1g)

[LadyLaw]

[sblock=ooc]I am posting this in an effort to be helpful later. Hopefully I am not overstepping.

As the proposal to double time exp (and allow awarding of it on a day-by-day basis instead of in full months) will pass tomorrow if no one else jumps in and says no, I thought it might be good to put a marker here for ease, since our time exp hasn't been awarded yet at all. Since we've already crossed a level, which I would think would make figuring things out complicated enough without tossing in the fact that anything past tomorrow is doubled, I thought it might be helpful to toss this here, along with some notes from me. The DM should feel free to disregard if he chooses, as that's his perogative.

I count from the beginning of the adventure:
4 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days at level 1
3 months at level 2 (today; if you add in tomorrow that would be one extra day of course)

Again, I'm just trying to be helpful and I hope that I have not overstepped in any way.[/sblock]

 

[Mewness]

"I don't think my friends are planning to stay very long. Maybe an hour or two more, maybe less. We'll be heading back to Fulcrum and then on to Newhill."

Papolstaanas leaves the tavern. He tries to walk calmly away for a little while, but in his eagerness to rejoin his friends, he soon breaks into a run. After hunting around the market for a bit, he spots Chaku, and scurries up to the group excitedly. "Hello! I--sorry I went off like that. But that girl--no, actually, she isn't, she's not my--I just know her, you see, she's from Bacarte. But she works for Balsamae! She actually hired those obnoxious goons who--So anyway I told her what we were doing, sort of. I mean I didn't tell her everything, just that we knew a way of getting lots of zocalti but there was cooking involved. What do you think, was that bad? She said her boss would be interested and might want to contact us... I thought maybe he could help. So, you know, we should watch for people stabbing us in the gut and throwing bags over our heads and whatnot, haha!" Papolstaanas chuckles nervously.

 

[ryryguy]

[sblock=ooc]Thanks LadyLaw, that is helpful. I will probably award time exp at the next extended rest, which may be soon... though I don't really want the group to skip past level 3. So we'll see.

Waiting for other PC reactions and indications of what the group wants to do next. You can assume that Castofle is wrapping up his business at the spice shop.[/sblock]

 

[OnlytheStrong]

"Calm down friend... slow your mind. Do I misunderstand or did you say she hired our potential killers?" Jynxx tries his best to stay calm and collected, but this topic was of keen interest to him, and a close study of his body language would show it. "What else happened my friend?"

 

[Mewness]

"Those hobgoblins were no threat to us," says Papolstaanas. "Were they? I don't think so. Anyway, those are the ones she hired--you know, the ones who tried to shake us down back at the plantation. All that happened was that we, um, reminisced about Bacarte and then I asked who she works for; and she said some big shot from the Imperium; and I figured it was Balsamae, of course, and so I told her that if he still wants zocalti, then maybe there's plenty to be had, if he helps us out; and then she pretended like the zocalti wasn't really important. And I thought, well if it's not important, why send those lowlifes to shake us down? And I also thought, well if it's really not important, I'm not going to push it, I mean I'm not going to find this Balsamae and beg him to help! So I got up to leave. And then she got all worried--too funny!--and she admitted that it really was important and that her boss would be interested, but she was busy right now, and where could they find us?

"I just thought, well, Castofle seemed really curious--I mean it maybe it would help if he talked to Balsamae. That's all. So I told them where we would be going. Was that all right? Do you think it's worth waiting a bit for them to contact us?"

 

[BenBrown]

"I don't know if that's a good idea," says Kaeysari. "Balsamae might be more of a hindrance than a help. He might want to come along with us, and he's sure to have guards too. This place has been dangerous enough without having some people tagging along who might turn on us at any moment. Those hobgoblins might not have been the toughest nuts to crack, but if they caught us off guard, they could be dangerous."

 

[LadyLaw]

"Agreed," Azryah replied to Kaeysari. "Besides, there seems to be some sort of history between him and Castofle and I think it would be bad if that all blew up. They could end up both flustered and neither of them helping. That would get us nowhere. I suggest we make haste from this place before they can find us."

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Jynxx tossed a sideways glance in no particular direction. "I agree. We should be moving on."

[sblock=telepathy to Palp]

"Well done! You are quite swift of thought aren't you?" Jynxx continues the mental pat on the back for a few more seconds, then falls silent.[/sblock]

 

[Mewness]

"Oh," says Papolstaanas glumly. He shudders briefly and then shakes his head as though trying to clear it. "I--I suppose it, it wasn't such a good idea then. D-did Castofle find anything interesting?"

 

[ryryguy]

ooc: Haven't heard from Chaku, but he seems to be just following the group lead at the moment.

Castofle has indeed found a few spices and herbs to buy. Indeed, in his shopping excitement it seems he may have bought a few things that just caught his fancy, not necessarily good for zocalti. But he did at least find some sort of pungent bark that is the spice he was originally hoping to find here.

Jaronel, wandering around the market, found a group of tiefling girls to flirt with. He rejoins the group with a big grin on my face. "The one wit' the red horns, she say she gonna meet me in Fulcrum next week. Allll right!" He gives the girls a last wave, and they scurry away, giggling.

Azryah follows through on her intention to leave inconspicously. Before leaving the town proper and entering the open space of the road, she asks the sharp-eyed Jynxx to check if the coast is clear. He leans around a corner sees a group entering the front gate of the fort-like structure that lies a bit further down the road past the town. It is the group of Bacarte mercs that were encountered earlier. Papolstaanas' sister is waiting inside the gate and is speaking to them. They have a laden mule in tow. They have not seen your group (and except for the kobold, they aren't even facing your direction).