Explorers of Calemor, Chapter 1: A View from Afar

[RMcCall]

The golem has no luck learning anything new about the gem by sniffing it, though as soon as the wooden muzzle has left it alone, it seems to snuggle up against the fabric of the bag, content to remain inside. The adventurers also return inside, to the tavern they have been conspicuously standing on for the past few hours. There, they can set their plans for tomorrow, if they want to explore these ruins or not.

Inside, the atmosphere is calm but sullen, as the townsfolk still awake are nursing their drinks, dreading sleep because it means they'll have to wake up again in the morning. The bartender, on the other hand, gives a bright smile to the adventurers as they enter. After all, adventurers are basically homeless people who tend to come into lots of wealth, which makes innkeepers very happy indeed. The Cactus Bowl Tavern, while not the comfiest beds the town has to offer, certainly has the cheapest ones.

"Hello, hello! The kitchen's closed, but I can prepare beds, and..." He looks at Howl. "...a nice cushion for your, erm, friend." The man has seen his share of odd travelers, and knows not to use the word "pet" for a creature made of wood and metal. "That is," he adds, "if you'll be staying the night?"

 

[fireinthedust]

Elandra shines her optimism at the Innkeeper, and puts a few coins on the table.

"Aye, good Innkeeper, we'll be taking a room. Have you got any entertainers here tonight? I'm up for some stories with my food and drink. A warm cider and beef stew, if you would?"

Elandra tells the others "Maybe there's some stories about these ruins we can hear from a bard or sage? Find out if the Birdfolk was telling the truth?"

 

[RMcCall]

The coins go from the table to the innkeeper's hands quicker than iron to lodestone.

He points towards the hearth, where a lanky woman is slouched in a chair, her head hanging by her upper lip from an empty mug of ale. "Sinthea over there is the resident bard, but I don't know how, eh, coherent her stories would be at the moment."

At the request of food, the innkeeper shrugs and smiles. He's very used to dealing with the paradox of having to please the customer and manage the tavern at the same time. "Like I said, the kitchen is closed, so I can't get you cold cider and warm stew, but I can get you warm cider and cold stew."

Cinthia, if approached, gives an enthusiastic snort and mumble before nodding back to sleep.

 

[Shayuri]

Talashia chuckles.

"Just some bread and cheese for me. Something to keep my belly full while I try to get to sleep."

She nudges Elandra playfully from behind and says, "Ask her tomorrow morning, very loudly, and I'm sure you'll get more of a reaction."

 

[shamgar001]

Rogun walks over to the bard. Seeing that she won't wake up for normal greetings, he tries a more direct method.

"Oi!"

OOC: Intimidate check: [roll0]

 

[RMcCall]

The bard opens one eye when the wall of sound hits her, though she seems largely unfazed.

"This better be good," she says, her eyes trying to focus on Rogun's left ear. "I was having a nice, dwarf-free dream just now."

 

[fireinthedust]

"Why hello! Good bard, we were wondering if you knew anything about, um, Nunpuldrm the Green Dragon? Y'know, tales about the horde or the heroes that defeated the dragon, and so forth. We heard some travellers arguing about the tales, but they didn't tell them to us, and... well, curiosity got to me. Sorry for waking you. If you tell us some stories while we eat, I'd gladly buy you a drink."

Elandra smiles and turns on the charm as best she can.

 

[RMcCall]

Cinthia jumps up. "Forget the drink!" she says. "I love telling that story!"

She clears her throat and assumes a cross-legged sitting position, making sure she's facing everyone around the circle. "Nunpoldrn, the story goes, fell in love with the daughter of a cruel and greedy king. He spent all his gold to buy flashy jewelry, fancy food, and elegant dresses, hoping to show her father that he was worthy of her hand. The king said no. So Nunpoldrn hired hordes of musicians to write brilliant ballads about the girl, to display to the king how much he truly loved her. The king was unmoved. Finally, out of money, Nunpoldrn began to steal from other lands to bring countless piles of wealth to the kingdom, to hopefully appeal to the king's greed and convince him to offer up his only daughter. Alas, the king would not. However, he did accept the treasure, and left Nunpoldrn poor and alone.

"Nunpoldrn wasn't through, however. He had put in a failsafe into the treasure in case the king stole it. The horde was cursed, and despite the king's newfound wealth, his kingdom began to suffer. Crops died, disease and famine ran rampant through the streets, and the king was transformed into a horrible monster with scales instead of skin, a hideous face filled with rows of sharp teeth, and a long spiked tail. His daughter fled the castle in fear of her own father. The treasure began to transform the whole land around the kingdom.

"The king finally realized the error of his ways, and, using psychic abilities granted to him in his new form, communicated with the subjects of his that were still alive and loyal to find Nunpoldrn and tell him that anything he wanted was his, if he would reverse the horrible curse. However, Nunpoldrn, as well as the princess, was nowhere to be found. The king's palace became the center of the Cursed Desert, right next to where we are now! Some say he still wanders the halls of his palace, sitting on the piles of gold that no longer have any use, still trapped in his hideous form."

She smiles at the group. ​"Fun stuff, amiright?"

 

[Shayuri]

Talashia scratches her cheek, thinking, then asks, "And Nunpoldrn was a dragon? I don't know, it sounds fishy. Why would a dragon fall in love with a human? And if he was stealing money from other kingdoms, why not just steal the girl away from her father?"

She looks over at the other in the group and grouses, "And you notice how these stories never ever mention what the princess wanted? Did she want to run away with the dragon, or was Nunpoldrn just some kind of...crazy reptile stalker who wouldn't leave her alone?"

With a shrug, Talashia looked back at the bard. "So...the girl fled. Did Nunpoldrn find her? And the curse on the treasure; what has to happen to end it?"

Good old Talashia; the life of any party.

 

[fireinthedust]

Elandra nods along with her companion's points. "Not a Bechdel the Bard sort of Ballad, that's for sure! Still, isn't it great that the desert is right next door to us? We could, like, just wlak over there! And it's at the center of the desert? Does that mean we could follow a map to the middle and that would be the palace right there?"

Elandra ponders the thought, ignoring the map taken from the birdfolk patron of the party.

OOC: who grabbed it? Did Elandra take it? She was all for the map.