The Key to Victory

[Sugar_Silk]

Darling perched herself gingerly on the table and let her voice greet the ears of the battle weary men like a long lost love. She hummed a few haunting bars and felt the intoxicating effect of an entire room's attention. She paused for just a moment at the high point and let the silence taunt her audience before the unseen flute picked up an effervescent tempo and several sets toes began to tap along in time.

[sblock=roll]
Attempt to entertain the troops (perform: chant/sing) (1d20+8=24)
[/sblock]

"Be dragged or be driven,
Be damned or forgiven,
Together we've striven,
Now into the fray!"

She jerked the hat out from under Far and the sleeping bird erupted in a dramatic flurry of feathers, coaxing a few excited chuckles and light applause. She held her hand up to him and put the hat to her heart to thank her new friend for his unwilling participation.

"Through hell, our men delved,
Unsure of themselves,
And routed the Elves!
Triumphant this day!"

Darling had been moving lightly around the floor, circling and smiling, her eyes sparkled as she sang. A man in the corner took up his lute and lent his strings to the song. Darling put on Cedric's hat and twirled gracefully back toward the group but pretended to stumble and sprawled herself out across Elms' lap.

"Our mettle was tested!
Our enemies? Bested!
Let the ale be ingested!
We've earned it! Let's play!"

 

[HolyMan]

[sblock=Clap/Clap/Clap] Excellent post and worth 50 bonus XP. Great use of the surrounding, npc's, and eveything. Going to go update this in the RG and thanks for the great read. [/sblock]

 

[Lughart]

Cedric clapped while trying desperately to get his hat back. "Marvelous, most marvelous!" He tried grabbing it off her head, but a hand from the cheering mass of soldiers pulled him back in his chair. "Eh, lovely song miss!" He pointed to his hat. "Quite the composition." He kept reaching for it, hesitating every time someone from the crowd gave him a stern look.

Far landed on Darlings hand, struggling to keep balance. He lent a few calls to the melody before taking off and flying clumsily around the room.

 

[HolyMan]

The revelry continues as a few villiagers take up instruments and tables a pushed from the center of the room so people can dance. But the common room feels up quickly and soon the feastivities spill out to the outside tables. Soon Malaroc, Cedirc, Elms, and Darling find themselves winded from dancing and securing their fourth table (after lossing three others). This one is outside and the cool freah air helps revive them for another round of drinks.

Sitting around the table outside they notice Lord Vance's party returning. They move in a slow measured pace as they enter the villiage. And then they all notice the slow pass is due to members of their party walking.

The proceesion moves along the street stopping in front of the way house. Lord Vance talks to a stern faced man wearing a robe and golden sash*.

Then two gaurds escort Jareth and Trinham towards the wayhouse. Shockingly they are both bound and Jareth wears a gag. The guards along with Vance and a few others enter the way house. And just as quickly the villiagers inside exit.

Upon leaving the common room the two white tabard soilders take up guard postions by the door, and Vance addresses the bewildered crowd. "I am sorry folks, truly I am." And his look and tone state that a simple truth. "But the common room is off limits for a short time. Please continue your celebration, you have all earned it."

Without another word he re-joins his entourage and walks towards the bridge and manor house. Along with the mounted blue cloak soldiers, are a few of the other "heroes of the western wood" they too are bound and the spell casting woman wears her own gag.

[sblock=Malaroc] In the young man's head a voice echoes through, "Very interesting turn of events here. Come to me. I am behind this building, the one were everyone was having fun." the dragon says sounding amused herself. [/sblock]

[sblock=OOC] Ok going to get into some serious RP/campaign advancing. Is everyone ready? This will be my "main game" and the most difficult so bear with me My post rate is everyday yours should be at least twice a week.

FtF anything you post away from the group please sblock it for me.

I am still working on alot of hooks on this end but I think I will have you all together as a group and across the river soon.

* golden sash - How about a Bardic knowledge check for that Miss Sugar_Silk it is the first campaign hook. [/sblock]

 

[ghostcat]

Trinham offers no resistance as his wrists are bound, although he does try flexing them so they are not too tight. On the way back to the village he amused himself by trying to decide what he would do to Dellex. Although Trinham is not by nature a cruel person, he really fancies

Spoiler

Self-censored due to extreme gore and ENWorld's child friendly policy

, although that would need a wand of cure-light-wounds and some kind of dimension anchor. Deciding that although satisfying, this is getting too complected he plumps for burning at the stake instead.

Once on their own in the wayhouse, Trinham makes a serious attempt at testing his bounds. He also does a trial run to see if he can cast Mage Hand while bound, without actual triggering the spell.

[sblock=OOC]Take 20 on Escape Artist +2, if allowed.[/sblock]

 

[Fangor the Fierce]

Mal had refrained from the dancing as the others spun in circles all around. He continuously moved away, until he found himself outside, sitting and working on the gift from his master.

Spotting the entourage, Mal simply shakes his head. 'A fine mess this has turned out to be... first they help save the village, then they are shackled...'

His thoughts are then interrupted by the copper dragon, as he hears her words. Knowing that she is not one to keep waiting, Mal works on putting the items away, standing to stretch, and offering a simple, "Too much ale.." as his excuse for taking his leave.

[sblock=For HM]Mal moves down the road, intent on doubling back to the rear of the building from the alley. He would make sure that he is not being followed, as most people would run in fear of a dragon, shooting first and asking questions second.

As he walks, his thoughts go back to the item he was given, as he still had some work to do. It looked to be a puzzle, that almost resembled a simple gauntlet. Yet, there was something more to this one. The copper scales were remarkable, and not dull as gauntlets often manage to get. The leather straps were superior, perhaps made from an enchanted being who unfortunately may have been a simple meal to the copper dragon...

He finds himself near the rear of the building, looking about for his master...[/sblock]

 

[Dragonwriter]

Jareth's eyes are defiant and enraged as he is walked into the common room, bound and gagged. The gag itself muffles his curses, but his intent is clear as a regular stream of muted mutterings comes from him. His hands don't move, though, making it clear he isn't casting, just swearing. He doesn't bother trying to get out of the ropes, figuring it would cause more trouble, but his mind is focused on repaying this infuriating insult. Damnable bastard! Just ask the soldiers I fought beside, if you want to know I helped! runs through his mind, even as red-tinged thoughts of revenge lurk in the corners of his mind.

He would accuse my father of conspiracy? Rich, accuse a dead man who cannot defend himself. And to insinuate my father and I are alike! It would be nice to feed that man his lying, serpent's tongue!

 

[Sugar_Silk]

Darling set her borrowed hat back on Cedric's head as she walked up behind him. It looked no worse for the wear and smelled faintly of the girl's perfume. She took a deep breath of the cool night air and put an arm each around Elms and Cedric as she sat down between them at the table. The alcohol was mostly danced out of her system, but she was still enjoying herself and the sound of the music made her feel glad to be alive.

Malaroc was sitting across from them, tinkering with a mess of items that Darling couldn't identify. He looked up as a group of men approached. Darling followed his eyes and recognized a couple of the men who had run off with the Dwarf as soon as she'd arrived at the battlefield.

"Aren't these our comrades, being paraded around in chains?"

Malaroc excused himself as Darling's attention was drawn to a robed man who seemed to be responsible for this grim arrest. More accurately, she noticed the golden sash around the man's waist. It gleamed in the light and tugged at something in her mind.

[sblock=roll]
Bardic knowledge for the sash. (1d20+2=9)
[/sblock]

 

[Lughart]

"Comrades? You're not saying these men fought in the battle? And their captors seem to count the honorable lord Valorn among them. This makes no sense, no sense I tell you!"

Cedric tilted his hat forward, hoping to look a tad more serious. "I smell corruption. Whether it's your friends or the high society that reeks, I know not, but this isn't right either way."

[sblock=Knowledge about Dellex' accessory]Arcana: 16
Local: 7
Nobility and Royalty: 13
History: 26
Religion: 15

I hope knowledge spamming like this is okay. Asking what skill I should roll seemed a little wrong.[/sblock]

[sblock=spells]Also, I remembered I haven't posted Cedrics prepared spells yet.

Lvl. 0:
Detect magic
Message
Prestidigitation

Lvl. 1:
Mage armor
Magic weapon
Expeditious retreat[/sblock]

 

[HolyMan]

[sblock=Malaroc] The young shaman keeps an eye to the woods behind the wayhouse as he walks near the building. But he doesn't see anything... and suddenly he runs into something hard. An invisible wall nocks him on his arse and he knows now exactly where the dragin is.

"Well that was one way to touch you I guess," the dragon chuckles again in his head.

As Malaroc starts to stand he looks about to make sure no one saw. And before he can get a word in, the dragon speaks, "I needed to touch you for the next aspect of this spell, and you now have to hurry and go touch everyone else you wish to be able to speak to me and you threw our thoughts. You must hurry it will not last long, and I have to try and add the others without touching them which is tricky to say the least. Hurry Malaroc and I will explain everything in a moment."

As the dragon shaman obeys he hears, "Touch only those you wish to be part of the spell if you accidently touch somone else they will be part of it too." [/sblock]

[sblock=Jareth]
His mind in turmoil the young warrior mage's thoughts still rage. "You... try for... you must... to." The thoughts are not his but are still in his head. The voice sounds femine and distant. He has never heard this voice before and it continues. "That is... little.... but you... fight inside... calm...must be...."

Note: thee is one blue cloaked guard in the room with you and Trinham and no one else.[/sblock]

[sblock=Trinham]
As he constrates on his ropes Trinham is surprised to hear a voice inside his head. "Well at least you are calmer than the other one. Please tell him to smother his hatered or the spell will not be able to penetrate. He must try and be calm tell him to just be calm." The femine voice inside Trinham's head sounds slightly amused as if it has found something funny in the man's head.

Note: escape attempt successful but will take about 10 to 15 mins. And there is one blue cloaked guard in the room with you and Jareth and no one else.[/sblock]

*********************************************

The villiagers try and start the festivites again but it seems no one wishes to celebrate with the dark cloud that now hangs over the wayhouse. And now the ale has also stopped flowing due to noone allowed inside the wayhouse.

[sblock=Cedric] From your history lesson's you know that many years ago the noble started using sashes to establish rank and prestige. Gold was normally for those who worked for royality. Looking for someone to teach you could have led to talk of Dellex as a potental teacher. So roll a knowledge nobility check for him and I'll link that post to you to see what Cedric remembers. [/sblock]

[sblock=OOC] Ready to start I think may take a few more posts but soon everyone will be RPing. And sorry Sugar_Silk that roll was to low for anything specific about the sash, and what it means. [/sblock]