D&D 5E 5e Halcyon Academy

[tglassy]

It is a dismal morning in late fall. The sky is grey over the port town of Llast, so called because it is typically the last place on the mainland a potential student ever sees. Nestled in a cove with high mountains on every side, there are only two safe ways in and out of the city: through a well known path in the mountains, and by boat.

As you crest a ridge on this path, the town comes in to view. Or at least, it would. A mist has settled over the entire town, which is below you in altitude, obscuring just about everything except the tops of the buildings. On the far side of the town, near the water of the small cove, juts a tower high above every other building. The entire feel of the town gives a foreboding sense of the magnitude of the venture you are about to undertake.

You have been given minimal instruction, which includes the need to report to the Llast Tower by the end of the day, and little else. There is a tavern in town, named The Little Spitter, which is near the Tower. There are also shops if you would like to purchase anything, should you have the coin. You have been warned against bringing weapons of any kind.

It is mid morning when you enter the town, the mists are just starting to lift. You can see you are not the only newcomers visiting. Not by far. Dozens of people in their own wagons have entered over the last week, of every shape and size, and from every nation imaginable. A group of humans from the northern kingdom protectively guard their wagon, while making small talk with a lone Goliath on the side of the road. Elves of all types, including Drow, walk in the open, talking to the traders on the street.

Your eventual goal is the Tower, but you have some time before sunset to explore.

OOC: You are free to roam. If you would like, you may RP in a flashback how you came about your invitation to the Halcyon Academy. Just denote it as such. You are also free to bring along NPC's, such as family members or your patron. I will control them, but will build off of what you bring. While you are not late, most everyone else who is going to the Academy has already been in town for days. This means that the party will be the last ones to the Tower to "Check In", and will be a good place to meet everyone else, if you do not meet each other beforehand. Besides that, good luck! RG: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?521077-5e-Halcyon-Academy-Attendance-Sheet OOC: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?518311-5e-Halcyon-Academy-(Recruiting-OOC)

 

[Azurewraith]

Wandering round down the mountain trail mims thoughts turn to diving from the top of it and hurtling headlonng down to the ground like a stone before unfurling his wings and climbing... Mim comes to with a thud as he walks straight into the Goliath "Squeeeek" Mim apologizes with a bow before carrying his decent into town.

Arriving at the town Mim heads straight for the market, the nerve center of any town, full with sights, smells but more importantly sounds! The voices the sound of knives hitting wood as food is prepared, the bleats of sheep and other livestock.

Then Barnabus saw it a stall made from rough timber with a red and yellow striped cloth over it...... CHEESE! There is a giant wheel of cheese sitting there a flurry of squeeks emerge from the rat sitting in Mim's belt pouch that, the Kenku quickly replies in his own squeeks before the rat let's out one final sauerkraut before dropping his head below the flap of the pouch. Mim shrugs as he heads over to the stall looks at the wares he finds a suitable block of cheese he could easily lift up and conceal in his backpack, Mim knows he shouldn't but Barnabus is so convincing. Mim wanders some distance from the stall before screeching in his best damsel in distress voice"Ahhhhhhh a rat, a filthy rat ahhhhhh its after the cheese ahhhhhhh think of the children think of the children" Mim quickly dashes over and rifles around in the cheese while very slyly slipping a chunk into his belt pouch with the rat while at the same time grabbing the rat by it's tail and putting on his best hero voice"Aha I have the foul beast" as Mim wanders of carrying the rat by it's tail licking clacking his beak.

OOC: Sleight of hand to take the cheese [roll0]. Provided Mim gets away with this he will duck into the nearest ally to gently place Barnabus down with his cheese

 

[jonathonhawke]

Jordy stood outside the gate, watching the coach drive away. The driver had barely given him time to get out, he was in such a hurry to get away. Count Taneer had made it clear - no matter what happened here, Jordan Greenbottle could never return to Novis.

Hefting his sack, he turned toward the gate and an uncertain future.

 

[KahlessNestor]

Llast
Late Fall/Morning

Asherah almost bounced giddily as she peeked through the curtains of her palanquin, carried along the roads from the Tabaxi Suzerainty by minotaur slaves. The big, beefy humanoids cut a wide path through the streets as they entered the port city. Asherah’s green eyes took it all in, wide and excited, her tail lashing behind her. She pushed back her auburn hair and called for a halt.

The slaves set the palanquin down and stood at attention in place as one of the tabaxi warriors following pushed the thick curtains aside. Asherah slipped out, her light boots scraping along the cobblestone streets, and she straightened her sari as she looked around. In her hand, she idly toyed with her lucky glass eye she had one in a parcheesi game from a human trader.

“There is a tavern there. Get the slaves some water and a meal before you head back,” she told her escort. “Thank you for your kind care and concern on the trip.” She flashed them a smile before she went bounding off into the tavern herself, now free of her escort.

Asherah looked around the bustling common room at all the various races. Some she had seen as traders, but most she had only read about in books, or heard about from a wandering minstrel.

“What’ll ye ‘ave, lassie?” a short creature with a long beard asked. Asherah guessed he was a dwarf. She towered over him, and most other creatures in the tavern, her frame tall and willowy.

“Ehm...” Asherah looked around, unsure. No one seemed to be drinking milk like she was used to. “I’ll have what he’s having.” She pointed to a human down the bar.

The dwarf nodded and pulled out a mug, filling it from a keg and putting the heady drink in front of her. She tasted it and got her whiskers full of the foamy head. She sneezed, twitching her whiskers, but finally got some of the ale. It tasted strange, but not bad. It would take some getting used to.

 

[tglassy]

[sblock=Mim] The cheese vendor looked up at the Kenku's screaming, hearing something about a rat. Rats were a common enough occurance in a port town, but the cheese vendor, a halfling named Marris, hated them with a passion. Probably because they cut in to his profits.

He saw Mim raise a rat out of the cheese, and by george is it a big one!

"Thank you, kind...um...sir?" he says, uncertain if the Kenku is a male or female. Then he lifts a knife, "Bring the foul beast over here. I can use its meat for my stew. I'll even give you a free wheel of cheese for your efforts!"[/sblock]


[sblock=Asherah] The human Asherah had pointed to looked up when she spoke. He let his eyes roam down her body, especially at her flicking tail. He got up from his seat and made his way over to her.

"You obviously know taste when you see it," he said, sitting at the bar next to her. "My name's Korlin. What could bring a pretty thing like you somewhere so far from home?"[/sblock]

 

[Azurewraith]

Looking at the halfling Mim indicates to the rat then rubs his belly clacking his beak imitating the noise of chewing.

 

[tglassy]

[sblock=Mim]The halfling nods in understanding, then looks confused, "You want me to butcher it for you first?" He reaches for the rat, the knife still in his other hand.[/sblock]

[sblock=Jordy]
As Jordy walks through the streets, he hears a voice behind him.

"I wondered if you were going to make it in time," it says in a low, sensuous tone. When he turns, he sees a tall cloaked figure, obviously a woman, with the hood pulled low so only the bottom of her face is visible. Her lips are full and red, and turned up in a smirk. She reaches out a gloved hand to the halfling. "Come with me. I have a proposition for you."[/sblock]

 

[Azurewraith]

Mim makes the sound of a mouse then of cat then back to mouse then cat silence all the time he is wiggling poor Barnabus around. Mim then heads off to find a place for Barnabus to relax and eat his cheese.

 

[tglassy]

[sbock=Mim]The halfling looks at Mim with utter confusion as he watches the Kenku walk away. [/sblock]


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[jonathonhawke]

As Jordy walks through the streets, he hears a voice behind him.

"I wondered if you were going to make it in time," it says in a low, sensuous tone. When he turns, he sees a tall cloaked figure, obviously a woman, with the hood pulled low so only the bottom of her face is visible. Her lips are full and red, and turned up in a smirk. She reaches out a gloved hand to the halfling. "Come with me. I have a proposition for you."

Jordy steps back, looking up at the woman suspiciously, "Who are you?" He quickly looks around for an escape route, and to see if anyone is coming up behind him.

 

[Greenmtn]

"Zivar! We are here." Barked Tyrin, as he brought the wagon to a stop outside the city. The middle aged Dwarf looked back at his Gnome passenger. "This, boy, is where you get off. Your father paid for you to tag along and we like doing business with him but we will be a while checking in. It would be quicker for you to go on without us and our business here is complete. Go make something of yourself, maybe then your father will buy us all a round." He chuckled.

Tyrin was a member of the Stonehands clan and a supplier of precious metal, gold and silver for Zazilvar's father. Transportation the Llast had been arranged when it came up over a few drinks that Tyrin was going to be in a wagon caravan bringing supplies from the Stonehands clan to Llast for some ship builder whose name escapes Zivar at the moment. No matter.

"Thank you and should I do well it will be I that buys you a round!" Zivar smiles as he climbs down from the wagon and double checks to make sure he has all this things before heading into the city. Business first he reminds himself as he inquires directions to two places in town to a guard on his way in. The Tower, and the tavern. He feels foolish as the guard simply grunts and points when asked about the tower, "Not off to a good start now are you Zivar" he thinks to himself as he looks at the tower looming over everything. His nerves need calming, his stomach needs food, and a chance to look around at the find bobbles the city folk are wearing might help him with his sketches, since he has been suffering from a bit of a creative block since finding out his father wanted him to go to the Academy.

A few minutes later he finds himself looking up in the air at a sign hanging from a post. The Little Spitter.

Zivar heads in, finds an open seat, preferably one at an empty table, and waits to see if someone is going to come and take an order.

 

[KahlessNestor]

Llast/The Little Spitter
Late Fall/Morning

Asherah looked over at the human as he settled onto the seat next to her and introduced himself. She gave him a big smile. “Hello, Korlin,” she said. “I am Asherah. I am going to be attending the Academy.” She held out her hand to him in the way humans greeted each other. Her tail curled around behind her and her ears flicked a bit, calico fur ruffling. “This is very good. Ale, right?” She took another sip and licked the foam off her lips.

 

[Azurewraith]

Mim settles down in a nice cramped ally with some large empty kegs in, Mim pulls of the lid of one such keg and climbs in side. Setting down the rat the Kenku inclined his head and made a short squeak of apology. Before offering up the nugget of cheese. Barnabus happily devours the cheese as Mim waits his stomach begins to grumble.

 

[tglassy]

[sblock=Jordy]
Jordy is in the open, on the main street leading from the mountain, down to the cove, going right by the Tower. It is an open street, with many shops and stalls set up, and a number of people walking back and forth. There is ample opportunity to escape down alleys, or simply getting lost in a crowd.

"Who I am depends on you," the woman said with a smile. "Friend? Foe? Teacher? Lover? Murderer? All these options are technically possible, though some harder than others. Right now, I am simply offering you a proposition. How you decide once you hear it is up to you, though I think you'll be intriued.[/sblock]

[sblock=The Little Spitter Tavern]
Zivar find a booth quickly, the last empty booth in the tavern. It is fairly crowded, with many people standing at the bar. There is a group of Genasi at one table, one earth, one water and one air, playing cards and laughing loudly. A Tabaxi and a human are at the bar, chatting amiably. In another booth, a half elf is strumming lightly on a lute, a calming tune that fills the tavern with soft music, giving it an upbeat atmosphere. A number of female humans are sitting at the booth with him, listening and sipping their drinks.

The bartender, a Dwarf, sees you sit and sends one of his waiters to your table, a tall Dragonborn, looking very out of place with the waiters apron he is wearing. He must be both waiter and bouncer.

"What will you have?" he asks amiable enough.


At the bar, Korlin grins as he takes Asherah's hand, squeezing gently as he shakes it, "The best dwarven Ale this side of the Silverback Mountains, eh Dergon?" He turns to the dwarf, lifting his mug.

"Bah, it's ogre spittle," the dwarf says as he cleans a mug. "But it be good enough for ye."

Korlin laughs as he takes another swig. "He's joking," Korlin says to Asherah. Then stops and looks thoughtful. "I think. At any rate, the Academy, huh? I'm headed there myself. Came all the way from Atemial, up north if you don't know where that is. Have you made it to the Tower yet? Do you have your coin?"

*Atemial is one of the largest human kingdoms to the north. The kingdom holds great influence, as the steel made there is second only to the dwarven made steel of the Silverback Mountains. It is a land of great wealth, though the King tends to rule with a hard, if not fair, fist. That's all most people know about it unless they've been there. [/sblock]

[sblock=Mim]

While the rat eats his cheese, Mim hears some gruff voices coming down the alley.

"If we don't smuggle these on to the ship by nightfall, Korlin will have our heads," one of the voices says. "Use the empty keg. We don't want anyone cracking it open and finding them."

Before Mim can do anything, a bag appears above him, and drops down on the Kenku, with the tale tell clink of metal on metal, and the jingling of coins. He can also smell food. The owners of the voices don't seem to notice him.

"Get the lid on, and put it with the other kegs. There's a ferry to the ship in half an hour. Make sure it gets on."

Mim can either try to get out, or stay in the keg, but in about twenty seconds, he has a strong feeling the lid to the keg will be nailed back on. [/sblock]

 

[Azurewraith]

Stunned by the sudden appearance of a bag Mim doesn't quite know what to and finds himself trapped in the crate. Making the best of a bad situation Mim roots around inside his prize seeing what he can find.

 

[tglassy]

[sblock=Mim]
Inside the bag, Mim finds a virtual treasure trove. A dagger, made of strong Atemial Steel, a cloth pouch filled with gold pieces (50 in total), a signet ring that glows slightly, and a modified hand crossbow with a pearl handle. The modification allows the bow portion of the crossbow to fold inward to better conceal the crossbow, and will snap back in to place upon flipping a switch on the side. Along with the hand crossbow is a small quiver of twenty bolts made of the same Atemial Steel as the dagger.

Each item is branded with a stylized R, obviously an identifier of some kind. They would be easily recognized by their original owner, whoever that may be. They would be very...put off at loosing this cache. You do, however, also realize that almost all these items are forbidden from being taken to the academy. Whoever they belong to is trying to smuggle them in.

However, since you chose to look through the bag instead of trying to get out, you do not have much time to consider this, as the lid to the keg closes over it, and you hear the sound of a hammer nailing the lid shut. You then feel the keg lifted in the air, being taken to who knows where. [/sblock]

 

[jonathonhawke]

Jordy is in the open, on the main street leading from the mountain, down to the cove, going right by the Tower. It is an open street, with many shops and stalls set up, and a number of people walking back and forth. There is ample opportunity to escape down alleys, or simply getting lost in a crowd.

"Who I am depends on you," the woman said with a smile. "Friend? Foe? Teacher? Lover? Murderer? All these options are technically possible, though some harder than others. Right now, I am simply offering you a proposition. How you decide once you hear it is up to you, though I think you'll be intriued.

At the word "Murderer," Jordy shivers, and the smell of smoke wafts about him. "Wh-what do you want?"

 

[Azurewraith]

Mim shoves the contents into his backpack and waits for the crate to stop moving while he plots his escape.

 

[tglassy]

[sblock=Jordy]
"I wish only that you succeed," she said with a smile. She stepped closer to him. "Not all who make the long trip to the Academy make it past the entrance exams. You must pass at least one to stay. I can guarantee your entrance into at least one school."

She stepped past him. "If you are interested, meet me at the tavern tonight, after you have checked in at the Tower. Ask for Melinda. If you are not interested, don't. It is that simple. Perhaps you can pass the entrance exams on your own. Perhaps you don't need help. I'll leave that up to you."

She walked away, disappearing into the crowd. [/sblock]


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[Charwoman Gene]

Mountains Above Llast: Midday.

Dariana Stoneleaf

A young wood elf has found a quiet spot to rest along the trail. She sits in reverie with nature and her thoughts flow. Nature holds sway here. I know where I am and where I fit. That... city is full of people and I don't fit. Theriss thought I could find a path here. I wonder if this is right for me.

The elf gets up, gathering her meagre possessions and approaches Llast.