WIKI [IC] Eberron: The Plumbers

[Olrox17]

Liutbrand answers, whispering "I think Rotom had a good idea, Ogham could break the ice for us, start some good, casual conversation. In any case, I'm open to suggestions, Alara. Give me your input".
Meanwhile, Liutbrand positions himself nearby Ogham, so he can listen in.

OOC: Insight and perception activated. Liutbrand stays around Ogham, silently analyzing any unusual reaction to anything he might say. Like Coal's name, for instance.

 

[Leatherhead]

"Thank you." Rotom expresses her gratitude to Liutbrand for the cover charge and the compliment. "Up for some drinks, Korra?" She asks, partly curious about what kind of drinks a Warforged might like, and partly trying to provide a cover conversation should outside ears be listening in.

 

[jmucchiello]

The half-orc woman slaps Rotom on the back. "Yes, you get drinks. I get table there." Korra says pointing. She moves to the table to lay claim to it.

 

[KahlessNestor]

Upper Central/Highest Towers/Lyrander Tower
Far, 27 Rhaan, YK 998 (Early autumn)/1915
Weather: Temperature normal for the season (cool), no wind, light rain (outside the towers)

Too focused on the others, the peg-legged warforged at the door didn’t notice DePoe slipping past him and into the Cog Carnival. Once everyone had paid the entrance fee, the warforged stepped aside back to his seat by the door.

Smoky, low flames in a fireplace barely illuminated the cracked stone walls and filthy floor of the establishment. The single-room space is crowded with warforged with severed digits or limbs, scars, burns, and other wounds. Other warforged in the area are gathered around traditional dice, card, dart, and board games as well as carnival competitions such as throwing metal rings onto posts, tossing a ball at a tower of weighted iron cups hard enough to make them fall down, and striking a homemade machine hard enough with a hammer to make it ring a bell.

A small bar in the corner served cheap ale. Behind this bar, a warforged bartender shouted jeers at patrons losing games.

The warforged behind the bar was cleaning glasses. She was a scout model, more lithe than bulky, and wore a red dress with an apron over it. She’d even put on a bit of red lipstick. She nodded to Ogham as the warforged approached. She eyed the green glow in his chest and the leaves growing between his plates.

“What can I get you, stranger?” she asked. “Name’s Smelt. Welcome to the Cog Carnival.” She eyed the non-warforged that had come in with him. “Got some interestin’ friends,” she commented.

[spoilers=Loot]
[/spoilers]

[spoilers=Characters]
Liutbrand
Korra
Alara
Rotom
Ogham
DePoe
[/spoilers]

 

[JustinCase]

"Ogham," the warforged druid introduces himself to Smelt as he takes a seat by the bar. Then he ponders about what to order, perhaps there's a menu of sorts? Or maybe he should just let the barperson decide.

"What you recommend."

He looks back at his companions, then back at Smelt. Ogham shrugs dismissively, not one to speak much. Besides, in his experience most warforged do not judge each other for their friends or colleagues, as a form of companionship comes natural after their experiences with allies in the War.

"Why a bar?" he asks finally, pointedly not asking about their experiences in the War because the stories are all similar and often painful. Instead, Ogham is genuinely curious about the decision each has taken afterwards to make a living.

 

[mfloyd3]

As Ogham chats with Smelt, Alara leans back and scans the bar for other non-warforged among the clientele.

[OOC: Looking for any other patrons who are not warforged.] [url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=237800]Roll to find non-warforged around the bar: 1D20+2 = [14]+2 = 16 [/url]

 

[mips42]

DePoe quietly circulates, trying not to cause any problems and also keeping an eye out for any other exits besides the front door.

 

[Leatherhead]

Rotom makes her way over to the bar. "Two..."she pauses for a moment taking Korra's build into consideration "Make that, three, ales please."

While Smelt gets the drinks, Rotom whispers to Ogham "Don't forget to ask about Coal." Then suddenly exclaims in a normal volume "Oh my, Ogham! You should have told me about that before we got in the bar, here let me quickly make that adjustment for you!" Pulling out her tools, she performs a few quick taps on various parts of Ogham get the magic flowing: "Ekess soves wux." To guide you.

After receiving the drinks, and making a note about them in her expense ledger, she returns to the table with Korra. Handing over two of the ales while keeping one for herself.

OOC: Casting Guidance on Ogham, +1d4 to any one ability check of his choice for the next minute

 

[jmucchiello]

"Two Ales! Plan ahead. Good," Korra says as she takes a long chug from the first glass. "Now wait, right?"

 

[JustinCase]

Ogham nods to Rotom, although he feels a bit overwhelmed. First his objective was to make friends, and now to ask about Coal? His network of city animals rarely ask for more than one thing at a time, but the warforged trusts Rotom completely, so when Smelt gets back and is available to talk again, Ogham says bluntly, "You know Coal?"

He then studies the bartender carefully for her reaction.

OOC: Using Insight with that +1d4 from Guidance to see if Smelt is holding anything back. insight: 1D20+3+1D4 = [17]+3+[2] = 22

 

[KahlessNestor]

Lower Tavick’s Landing/High Walls/Cog Carnival
Far, 27 Rhaan, YK 998 (Early autumn)/1920
Weather: Temperature normal for the season (cool), no wind, light rain (outside the towers)

“The Greasy Duchess is pretty popular,” Smelt answered Ogham, gesturing to the back wall. Besides what looked like bottles of ordinary liquor were a few strange colored liquids, some that bubbled, that looked like alchemical reagents.. “Or the Flaming Lady, if you feel adventurous. Most just drink the cheap ale.” She nodded to a keg tapped at the end of the bar. Warforged didn’t need to eat or drink, and normal alcohol wasn’t going to get them drunk. “Got the usual stuff for organics, too,” She nodded to the non-warforged. “Some Lhazaar rum and Mror whiskey just came in, and got traded a couple pre-war bottles of Etrielle Red this week.”

Smelt finished a tray of glasses and pushed them to the side, leaning on the bar toward Ogham. “I opened a bar because lots of other bars don’t like ‘forged,” she said. “We deserve a safe place to relax and socialize, too.”

As Alara looked around, she didn’t notice any other organics in the bar. It was just warforged, many with obvious damage from the war. She did see a crate on a counter behind the bar with a familiar symbol on it, the seal of her noble house.

Smelt had to lean over the bar to see Rotom, but she nodded to the kobold and went over to the keg and pulled three glasses of the ale, setting them on the bar in front of the kobold and taking her coppers. (3 copper each)

When Ogham asked about Coal, Smelt’s neutral warforged face got even more...neutral, if that was possible. “Don’t know. Maybe,” the bartender replied.

OOC: Convince her with a DC 13 Persuasion check. Ogham can tell Smelt is being tight-lipped and cagey. These are beaten down warforged, and they don’t easily trust outsiders and protect their own. You also suspect a little financial incentive might grease the wheels.

[spoilers=Loot]
[/spoilers]

[spoilers=Characters]
Liutbrand
Korra
Alara
Rotom
Ogham
DePoe
[/spoilers]

 

[mfloyd3]

Alara tried not to start at the sound of her family name, but the sight of the battered crate brought a flood of memories with it.

The Aundairan decided on a strategy that would satisfy their mission objectives and allow her a personal indulgence. Carefully neutral, she faced the bartender. "A bottle of that red," the noblewoman said, "If it comes with some...conversation for my friend." She nods her head to Ogham. She pulled a handful of gold from her pouch but did not hand it over, awaiting the warforged's response.

OOC: In case it's not obvious, she's hoping an expensive order for something most of their clientele won't drink is enough of an incentive to get the warforged talking. Standard price for a bottle of fine wine should be 10 gp, yes?

Also: Can't get Coyote Code to roll Persuasion now, maybe GM can make roll? 1d20+4, plus whatever bonus she might get for buying expensive wine

 

[Leatherhead]

Rotom responds to Korra: "Looks like we might not have to wait for long." Rotom pauses to takes a drink from her ale, then continues. "Vilroy sent us down here expecting trouble, lets keep an eye out for anyone trying to make a move, we don't know who else might be after Coal right now."

 

[JustinCase]

Ogham realizes she is reluctant to talk to strangers, but hesitates about how to approach this when Alara mixes in with her expensive purchase. The warforged druid is confused; animals are so much simpler! All they need is a bit of food or attention, and that rarely helped in the interaction with the so-called sentient beings.

"Worried," he gambles, unconvincingly.

OOC: Persuasion: 1D20-1 = [6]-1 = 5 So how does that relate to mfloyd3's persuasion? Equivalent to the Help action (so advantage)?

 

[jmucchiello]

When Rotom says Coal's name aloud, Korra has her mug in her mouth. She puts it down and looks around to see if any of the warforged around them notice and have a visible reaction. Probably too late though.

OOC: rolled a 9 for perception/insight. Oh well.

 

[Olrox17]

OOC: Yeah, Liutbrand was also scanning for that. Perception check: 1D20+5+1D4 = [17]+5+[1] = 23 Insight check: 1D20+5 = [2]+5 = 7 Let's hope it's a perception check

 

[KahlessNestor]

Lower Tavick’s Landing/High Walls/Cog Carnival
Far, 27 Rhaan, YK 998 (Early autumn)/1925
Weather: Temperature normal for the season (cool), no wind, light rain (outside the towers)

Liutbrand caught a few other warforged glance over at them when Coal’s name was mentioned. They were definitely wary now.

Smelt eyed the ten gold pieces Alara put down. That was a lot of money for an establishment like this. “Bought them off a ‘forged from Thrane,” she said, taking the gold. “Can’t really move ‘em here, but thought maybe I could sell them to the Boromirs or something.” She retrieved the bottle and handed it over to Alara, along with a clean glass.

Smelt leaned in closer. “Coal’s sitting over there.” She nodded to a black, one-armed metal warforged sitting at a nearby table. “She’s good steel, so you treat her right, okay?” She leaned back and retrieved another rack of glasses to stack.

OOC: Treating the wine purchase as a bribe, so you don’t need to worry about the Persuasion check

[spoilers=Loot]
[/spoilers]

[spoilers=Characters]
Liutbrand
Korra
Alara
Rotom
Ogham
DePoe
[/spoilers]

 

[JustinCase]

Ogham nods back, gratefully, then glances at Alara as she takes the wine. What obsession non-forged have with alcohol is beyond him, but in this case it seems to have paid off.

Then he picks up the drink Smelt pours him - any of those she mentioned - and pays double the costs as a thank-you, before taking his cup and moving over to Coal.

"I sit?" he asks but already places himself in a chair at her table without waiting for an answer. An excited whistle escapes Ogham as a mouse, previously hidden beneath his plating, emerges from somewhere within the warforged druid and hurriedly runs over the table and leaping off into the gloom between the tables.

Distracted for a few moments, he remains silent and focused on where the rodent ran off to before realizing Coal would expect some sort of introduction.

"Ogham," he greets her, belatedly looking up at her. "Sent by Vilroy."

 

[KahlessNestor]

Lower Tavick’s Landing/High Walls/Cog Carnival
Far, 27 Rhaan, YK 998 (Early autumn)/1930
Weather: Temperature normal for the season (cool), no wind, light rain (outside the towers)

Smelt pours Ogham his drink. She fills a short glass halfway with Duchess vodka from a bottle with a picture of a naked human woman on the bottle. Then she grabs a couple of the alchemical reagents of the shelf and mixes them in, turning it a nice black, slightly tarry substance. “The vodka cleans ya right out, and the other keeps ya limber,” she told Ogham. It wasn’t too far off from the alchemical substance that kept warforged joints moving freely.

Coal looked up from her drink when Ogham asked to sit at her table. Her eyes dimmed and then illuminated again, like a humanoid blinking in surprise. “Uhm…” She eyed him warily, her body stiffening, as if preparing to run. When he mentioned Vilroy, though, she took a drink of her cheap ale, but didn’t really relax.

“Where’s Vilroy? Why didn’t she come?” Coal asked nervously.

Spoiler: Characters

Liutbrand
Korra
Alara
Rotom
Ogham
DePoe

 

[JustinCase]

"Scared," Ogham replies simply, waiting for her to continue while sipping from the glass. It wasn't bad, but it felt like just another cleansing rather than something very enjoyable.

OOC: How much did that drink cost?