(That thread was starting to get a bit full! So here's a new one!

Sarah: Do you want your new quest-buddies to accompany you as you finish things up with Peromi? If so, roll Charming to talk 'em into it!)

---

(Raga, roll Charming!)
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:46, Thu 18 May 2023.

After seeing what they've done this day, she turned to her comrades,"Alright my companions, I know I'm asking you a lot here now but my friend Peromi here is in need of heroes. Of a glorious and valorous victory. Let us assist her one more time... Also, their might be a great reward quite possibly, who's with me!" she said, in case their was a Dinkar in the party.

08:41, Today: Sarah Farwing rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,6,6.  Charming.
Heck yeah, friends for life

The four animal adventurers agree to delay their own quest in order to help Sarah and Peromi some more.

Peromi takes Sarah aside. "Um, the main reward I know is the freedom of my people..."

"shhh, they don't know that. sides, they'll be find with free food and a party so it's mine." Sarah said encouragingly, it feels just like her original crew. She wonders how their doing.

"Well, if you don't think you'll be disappointed..."

Peromi leads the way, and the six animal adventurers delve deeply into the catacombs under the city-- or rather, delve deeply within the walls of the catacombs under the city.

Finally, Peromi gets to a big door (well, you know, big for a mouse. It's more than big enough for the gopher paladin to get through easily) guarded by two mice holding spears (all right, pointy sticks. They're pretty thick sticks, though, and very pointy. "Let me through."

"Oh, it's Peromi. She's come back with a small army to try to cause trouble," says one mouse.

"No, it's-- it's not like that!" says Peromi. She starts visibly wilting emotionally. This is hard for her, to meet with such resistance from the people she's trying to help...

Charm is not Raga's strong suit.  But, when she absolutely has to be . . .

17:45, Today: Raga rolled 6 using 1d6 with rolls of 6.  Charming.

Sarah got her friend's back, she pulls out her new weapon and held's the needle aloft upon the sky/ceiling,"Behold, a weapon rivalling that of giants. Let us through, destiny awaits us to destroy evil and kick some butts."

Madame Bitterroot looks a little guilty. "I was just going to borrow a little... y'know what, never mind..." She looks down at the sand and changes one sigil. "All right! Here we go!"

She makes some magical gestures, and stomps on the sand, and lights start swirling and glowing, and there's a rising hummmmmm noise...

And then it stops.

Anthielle drops the rusty chisel. She no longer thinks it's awesome. Ew, it's gotten a rust-colored stain all over her hands. Yick!

---

"Showing us how armed you are isn't gonna let us let you through here, missy."

But the other guard isn't so sure. "Hey. That's... that's the silver needle of... she found it. Peromi used to talk about... She's really done it. Wow. Um, we better let them in, actually."

The other guard squints at his fellow, then at the needle, then at his fellow guard, then at Peromi, then back at the needle... "Um... yeah, all right..." he says in a very subdued voice.

The door is opened, and the adventurers pass through.

You pass many little mouse-dwellings, often human items turned into mouse-houses-- an old boot, a large glove, a small box... often, with the wooden items, new entrances have been chewed through...

Murmuring happens wherever you pass. Mice whisper Peromi's name and "the silver needle..."

Finally, you arrive at a sort of town square, where a mouse sits on a sort of throne next to a crystal ball. (A mouse-sized crystal ball, not a human-sized one.) Light gray vapors and mists swirl inside. "...What is this? Peromi?" says the mouse on the throne. "I thought you'd given up."

"N-never," says Peromi. "The Silver Needle of Rellis has been found and restored to us once again." She gestures to Sarah, expectantly...

Sarah raised her needle aloft to the ceiling once more,"Alright everyone, it's time for you to see that this is stupid. That your not yourselves anymore. Stop hiding behind a ghost, a giant human and this guy here, it's time to be free and be friends with Peromi." Sarah said, pointing her needle to the rat king.

"My hands!  Ick ick ick!"

Anthi wandered over to some water to clean her pretty little digits.  The old chisel was quickly forgotten (as was a thank you to Madame Bitterroot).

The mice mutter amongst themselves. They seem to be listening. Some of them kind of blink their eyes rapidly and look around, like they're waking up more.

"Stop," says the mouse on the throne. "You are confusing matters. A... a lost human item doesn't change anything, whether it's been found or is still lost..."

The mouse sort of strokes the mist-filled crystal ball on his left with one paw.

The mice all start quieting down again...

---

"C'mon, kids, let's go back to my house and I'll work up a fake gnomish club for Cap'n Smash..." says Madame Bitterroot... She seems a little sad.

Jaffa rushed over to follow her friend to the water, shooting Madame Bitterroot a smile, a thumbs up, and a mouthed "thank you".

"Are you feelin' alright, Anthi?"

"Oh no you don't!" Sarah said as she threw the needle like a javelin, aiming for the rat king. Unfortunately, her track record for hurling things is anyssmal as she strucks at the crystal ball accidentally,"AH... Ah nuts... I mean, I meant to do that. Yeah." she said, brushing off the fact that she was trying to scare him off.


10:19, Today: Sarah Farwing rolled 9 using 3d6 with rolls of 3,5,1.  Forceful Attack.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:25, Sun 18 June 2023.

The crystal ball shatters!

The mists and vapors emerge... and coalesce into the form of a ghostly woman... Who glares at Sarah-the-mouse. "Who are you, to break my hold over these mice...?!" she asks Sara angrily.

Sarah looked surprised to find a guess. Then she ran for the needle, grabbing it and pointing toward the ghost,"The name is Sarah. Sarah Farwing, remember that because I'm the strongest rat, kid, and soon enough, the greatest warrior in all the lands."

"...I will remember you, Sarah the mouse, who is also a child and a warrior-to-be..."

The ghost fades away.

"Um... Hey, there was a ghost in my crystal ball! Who knew! I, um... it put me under a spell! Ah, good thing you freed me! I'm definitely thinking clearly again now!" the mouse on the throne says very nervously and very unconvincingly. (Then it realizes it's sitting on a throne, and hops up and inches away from it...)
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:42, Sun 25 June 2023.

"Hold it buster, where do you think your going! Your not tricking me at all. Get over here and apologize to Peromi!" Sarah said, and turned to the other mice,"And you guys too for being a bunch of bullies. Say sorry."

"I'm fine, Jaffa... I just need soap."

Anthi stormed off after the crone, eager to finish business and be on her way.  She missed Sarah... and her comfy home.

"Soap? What's soap?" Dinkar scratched his head. "Is it something to eat?"

"It sounds kinda like soup to me. Maybe it's, like, a pastry you can dip in soup? That would make me feel better." Jaffa shrugged, though she was unable to match the gesture with an expression of confusion; she was far too relieved that her friend came out of this okay. Now they just had to get back home and hope Sarah was fine too.

In any case, it was time to head back with Madame Bitterroot and maybe try something to cheer the nice lady up? Jaffa wasn't really sure what she could do, but she would think on the way back!

If a fervent apology is maybe going to get the throne-mouse out of this, he'll gladly comply. He starts a stuttering, stammering, long-and-eloquent-but-vague apology to Peromi for any inconvenience she may have encountered while he was lording it over the other mice.

All the other mice apologize to Peromi much more quietly, but much more sincerely. They're as sheepish and sorry as they are bewildered. Unlike the throne-mouse, they really were under some sort of enchantment.

---

Back at Madame Bitterroot's house, Anthielle gets to wash up with some very nice floral-scented soap. It's gritty, but that's just what she needs right now to get those orange-ish stains off her hands... or as much off her hands as soap and water can manage in a hurry, anyway. (They'll wear off completely in a couple of days.)

Having supplied the soap and a sink, Madame Bitterroot gets right to work on making a fake gnomish belaying pin. Soon she's got one that looks just like the real thing. "Except my fake one has these two little scratches near the bottom, see? So you can tell the difference, and give the fake one to ol' Smash."

"Nifty! How's that Peromi! A quest resolved by yours truly. I accept praise and adoration like any good child or mice." Sarah said with pride.

The soap mollified Anthielle sufficiently that she mumbled a tiny "Thanks Madam" in return.  And while she scrubbed, Anthi talked over her shoulder.

"So how did you make the Lumberdog?  They aren't as grand as my Father's stuff... but I'm still interested in learning.  Way more fun than school homework... and three times as useful.  And just in case you're worried, I have a big garden at home.  Does it have to be a dog?  A Lumberpony would be awesome.  Not that I'm fussy or anything. With this silly war taking everyone's attention its so hard to get a decent education..."

She probably could have been asking about the gnome's ghost or other things, but given her chisel had been a bust, Anthi wanted to secure something for herself.

"Thank you for helping me and my people, Sarah... Whenever you're ready, I'll take you back up to the surface to transform you back into a human girl again..." says Peromi.

"...You're not a mouse?" Tassa, the bat, asks Sarah...

---

"It's very complicated enchantment work. There are elementals in the glass of my creation's eyes. Earth spirits, sometimes... fire, smoke... usually earth, though. Fire's a bit unstable to work with for this type of thing, usually..." says Madame Bitterroot.

"Oh, I didn't mention that. Yep, I'm a fully grown human kid. The names Sarah Farwing, the strongest kid in the street. I thank you my animal companions. I won't forget your assistance." she said, then she gives Peromi a hug,"And obviously I won't forget about you. Anyways, I'm ready to leave to find my Hoggie."

First, Peromi leads Sarah up to the surface of the city again. (What part of town do you two come out in, Sarah?)

Sarah and Peromi appeared through one of the poor districts. She thought her pig might have been captured by hungry hobos.

"All right... are you ready...?" Peromi asks (obviously meaning "ready to be changed back into a human?")

"Heh, Sarah Farwing is always ready for anything. Cast your spell, I'm going to find my Hog whether it kills me!... Or before dinner, whatever comes first."

Anthi sensed reluctance from the witch... plus some potentially boring stuff.  Maybe she could get the witch to make her a lumber-pony?  She'd have to have a think on this... find something that the witch wanted (other than her first born).

"Maybe we should get back to the ship?  I can't wait to get home for a proper meal.  And poor Sarah, she's probably stuck in class... wondering where we are.  For all that we went through, I've yet to see a sword... and I'm beginning to doubt that Captain Smash will honor his end of the deal in giving us one.  Hmph.  Oh, didn't we need some note?"

Peromi messes around with some (tiny) ingredients in a pouch on a belt at her waist...

(Sarah! Endurance test incoming! Roll Forceful!)

---

"Eh? You need a note? From me? What should it say?" asks Madame Bitterroot.

If there's anything Sarah's got above the rest is endurance.

18:19, Today: Sarah Farwing rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,4,6.  Endurance.

“That the belaying pin is authentic, of course.  I guess you’ll need some paper…”

Anthielle brushed past whatever passed as a desk and grabbed some random pages for Madam Bitterroot.  Some if them even had writing on it.  She held out a handful to the old witch.

“Will this do?”

Meanwhile her other hand palmed a black pebble thingy (probably a harmless paperweight).  It was pretty and probably wouldn’t be missed.  Plus she deserved ‘something’.

Occ:  not happening:)
21:22, Today: Anthielle rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  Agile, nicking something.

(You are about to turn back into your old human self.

However, you will retain one USEFUL/BENEFICIAL mouse-ability.

What is it?)

---

Madame Bitterroot takes the paper with one hand, and deftly smacks Anthielle's hand and retrieves the pebble with the other. "That is not something that's safe to let you wander out of here with. Keep your hands off my things unless invited, dearie."

(Anthielle takes one (deserved) non-physical Hurt.)

Dinkar snickered quietly as Anthielle's sticky fingers had consequences.

"Anthi!" Jaffa gasped, "What if that had cursed you again?! Be more careful!" Even beyond stealing from someone helping them being a very not-nice thing to do, Jaffa could scarcely believe her friend would try something so... so... silly!

Sarah has earned herself the power of easily climbing anything. Be it a building or a street lamp. Kitties hanging on a tree beware for Sarah will save you.

(Understood. Mark this new ability on your character sheet please. Sarah will not have to roll to successfully climb anything but the most sheer/smooth vertical surfaces.

For Sarah:

--Hard to climb for a human child = Sarah doesn't even have to roll

--TOO hard to climb for a human child = Sarah doesn't even have to roll

--Too hard to climb for a human adult without proper climbing equipment = Sarah doesn't even have to roll

--Impossible to climb for a human adult even with climbing equipment= Sarah can roll to attempt it

And so on.

Note: other problems, like high winds, slimy-ness, or a worse-than-90-degree angle, might still make it harder or impossible for Sarah to climb.)

"My years of being a mice has trained me to be a natural climber. Beware street that I rule, the new improved Sarah is back in action!" Sarah monologues to herself as she transform back to a human.

Done, shall I get rid of the buckler

(Keep the button. If you ever need Peromi again, it can guide you to her... Of course, she'll probably be somewhere down in the catacombs, under the city, but you never know...)

Being caught red handed didn’t allow her much in the way of excuses.

“Yawn.  Why are we bothering with this fake club again?  Captain Smash didn’t hit me, at least…”

Anthi sat down in a bit of a huff.

Soon, Madame Bitterroot has escorted you all down to the south end of the island.

She stops near the treeline-- you can just about make out the rowboat, waiting on the beach. "I'm going to stop here. I have no wish to hear Smash's voice again-- just thinking about it grates on my nerves."

"Well, so, goodbye, children. Perhaps I'll see you again someday, under less... Smash-y circumstances."

(Feel free to post any farewells to her you want. Heck, ask last-minute questions if you want. But when you're done...)

Back on the ship, Captain Smash rubs his hands together. "Well, that didn't take too long... What did we find out, me hearties...?"

"It's a ghost magnet," Dinkar said, tossing the fake belaying pin to Cap'n Smash and repeating the lie. He'd been practicing it under his breath for the last twenty minutes or so. "Attracts them like flies to poop."

"Gaaah!!!" He nearly drops it-- fumbles for it-- catches it-- starts to throw it into the ocean-- then changes his mind and turns, starting to throw it onto Madame Bitterroot's island... then he lowers his arm, thinking. "Well... Well... Well, mayhap it might be useful. If it works... someday I might find a door guarded by a ghost... Mebbe I could lead it away with this... Or if I found a haunted ship, maybe I could get someone to lead the ghosts off with this... maybe it isn' worse than useless... or maybe I kin sell it somewheres... All right, well, I'll think it over a little longer. Anyway, let's head back to the city..."

Captain Smash is completely fooled by the fake club and the explanation, and he gives orders to set sail for the city... you'll all be back there in the morning...

---

(Well, Sarah's free to go wherever she wants... but Jaffa has the shrinking-and-growing house, right? Or does Sarah have it?

If the former, then where does Sarah normally sleep? Because the sun'll be setting before long...)

Sarah continues on her quest to find her Hog. He must be around somewhere. She seems lost though as she has no clue where she's going.

I think I gave it to Jaffa. Sides, I can always sleep in my Grandparents place


09:33, Today: Sarah Farwing rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  Insightful to find my mount.

Damn you dice roller!

Anthielle coughed politely and turned on her sweetest smile for the old pirate.

“… and the matter of our reward, Captain?  I seem to remember weapons… and my absent friend really needs a birthday sword.  Sooooo….”

On this (admittedly fun) adventure she’d got cursed and hit by an old crone.  Anthi wanted a sword damnit and if she didn’t get one (for Sarah), Captain Smash would see the most terrifying tantrum imaginable!

"And, uh, if it's not too much, could we also have some supper, please? It was a long way to Madame Bitterroot..."

After all, the ship's chef had done such a tasty job with lunch! Jaffa wanted to get as much food out of this as possible!!

Yes, I have the house!

"Arrrr, sure, supper, sure, fine. Weapons... we'll talk about that when we dock. Don't want you lot mutiny'ng when me back's turned, now do we?"

The cook gives the children an acceptable supper-- fried fish, half a baked potato each, half an apple each for dessert.

---

Sarah runs into... a gang of kids. "Wot'cher doin' on our turf, girlie?"

It's a barely-teen gang...

(Roll Insightful to see if Sarah recognizes them//remembers anything about them, Sarah...)

Barely a teen, just like me. The implications are horrifying,"... Talk for another time. For now, the names Sarah Farwing. Strongest kid in the street. Anyways, have you guys seems a giant hog roaming about."

09:13, Today: Sarah Farwing rolled 3 using 1d6 with rolls of 3.  Insightful.
Lesson learn kiddos, never have Sarah roll Insightful

"Strongest kid in the street? What street? This street? Seriously? Says who? Because you sure haven't been talkin' to us Corsairs about this..."

Hm, Sarah hasn't heard about The Corsairs...

But one of the three boys standing in front of her gave another a look when she mentioned a giant hog roaming around. Feels like they know something... but then again, she seems to have gotten off on the wrong foot with these guys. Hmmm, talk or run, talk or run... Or... just try to beat some answers out of them...?

"Funny thing cause I never heard of you guys before until just this moment, therefore I don't need approval of my claim on being the strongest." she said, but then looked at one of the boys,"Hey, hey, you know of my Hoggie don't say. Say, mind telling me. Look, I know we stepped off on the wrong foot and all. But that hog means so much to me. Do you mind being gentlemen to help a lady out?" she said, using Anthi's many lady-like techniques to dupe boys. Sarah is not that confident in her charms for Dinkar was pretty immune, but surely these guys will work.

08:59, Today: Sarah Farwing rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,2,4.  Charming

They sneer. "Why should we help you, Miss Full-of-Herself?" But they're not actually refusing-- it's not a rhetorical question. They're really seeing if Sarah can give a good answer that would make it worth their time... (Maybe Sarah can pitch it that if she finds the big hog she can make some entertaining mischief?)

...And so, first thing in the morning, Captain Smash's ship arrives at the docks of the city of Vierna.

"Well, so long, mateys," says Captain Smash. "Don't forget to take yer, er, yer little stone bench, there, with ye..."

"Heh, I know your type well. If you can help me find my hog, then I'll let you join me in riding it. We can cause all sorts of havoc." Sarah said with a mischievous grin,"Why in fact just this morning I was leading an army of pigs, and we destroyed an entire street. We can do all kinds of sorts iike that!"

“Most generous of you captain… and the tiny matter of my sword?”

Anthielle didn’t budge from the deck, not until Captain Smash coughed up a weapon.

(Roll Charming again, Sarah.)

---

"Arrrrrrr. Errr. Yes. Well. Errr. Well..." Captain Smash nods at a nearby sailor. "Bring that thing we talked about."

The sailor holds up one finger. Captain Smash nods.

The sailor goes below but comes back right away... with small belaying pins (not the same as the gnomish belaying pin, nor its fake replica. Darker wood, for one thing). He gives one to each of the children.

They'll make perfectly good clubs, honestly-- they're waited well, and have been given leather-wrapped grips. But they're not exactly what Anthielle had in mind...

08:51, Today: Sarah Farwing rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,4,6.  Charming

Look who's prince charming, me.

Her frown was obvious, but as soon as Anthi picked up the club... the frown turned upside down (into a smile).  The sword was forgotten in favor of this new 'toy'... even if she was going to gift hers to Sarah.  And the others were probably happy with their clubs, so why rock the boat?

"Nice balance... and the leather handle is so comfy.  Surely Sarah will like this better.  I mean, your crew put a lot of effort into this, Captain... so lets call it fair."

She stuck out a hand to Captain Smash in a diplomatic manner.

Dinkar had suspected right from the start that there would be no sword at the end of this trip. He scowled when the belaying pins came out, but when Anthi seemed to accept them as an equivalent, he stopped. Good enough.

Besides, all the good stuff was theirs, anyway.

"Thanks, Cappy."

Jaffa gave the pin a good little swing, careful to make sure nothing was in its way, of course! Sure, it wasn't a sword, but it was probably for the best they didn't get anything sharp from the man. In any case, Jaffa was sure Sarah would like it as a mighty club! And, if Anthi was going to give her one too... then Jaffa was sure Sarah was going to like having two clubs!

"Thank you so much, Cabthin! For the food and for the mighty weapons!"

Assuming there was nothing else to do, Anthielle left the ship and surveyed the area.

"Now we just need to find Sarah.  Should we try her house, the school, or ask around?  Whatever we decide, Din can lead the way."

"Arrrrrr, yes, yes..." Captain Smash makes a little gesture once the children are off the boat, and his crew start working again... It looks like he and his men are maybe getting ready to set right out and set sail again...

---

"...Actually... I think maybe I did hear something about that..." The boy who's been talking the most turns to his fellows. "All right, let's help her find it. But should we just help her by ourselves, or get the rest of the gang involved?"

"More guys means a longer wait to ride a hog," says one.

"But more guys means actually finding it faster," says another.

They glance at Sarah, to see if she's got an opinion on this debate.

"Hmm, the more the merrier. The faster we found my hog, the better. And his quiet big, the biggest hog around. I'm sure your entire gang could ride along."

"All right then. You heard 'er. Let's take this to Darius." A boy waves to Sarah. "C'mon. We're talking this to the leader of The Corsairs."

(I presume Sarah follows?)

"The corsairs? Like the dress?" Sarah said, following along.

"Dress? What dress? No, we're The Corsairs! Like-- like a pirate! Of the streets! Darius says it means 'to run a course' like a pirate, like-- like to sail a course no one else wants to let you sail."

(Pausing because I'm curious what Sarah's response will be)

"Hmm, pirates of the streets? That doesn't make sense. Your nowhere near a body of water. Can't you just call yourself Bandana, it fits with the dress theme your going with."

Making sure to first return the gesture with a huge, wide wave back of her own, Jaffa turned to her friends. "Woo, that was a fun time! I haven't ever been on a boat before! But, uh, so, do any of you have any ideas of where Sarah might be? I can't wait to share all of this cool stuff with her!"

"What? No! I-- ugh, maybe Darius'll be able to explain it better. Dumb girl."

The boys lead Sarah to an abandoned building in the Poor Quarter.

The insides of this two-story building have mostly fallen apart, but the fallen plaster and wood and stuff has all been moved over and piled to the side.

Four more teen boys are inside, and look up with alarm until they see that more of their own have arrived. "Who's the dolly?" they ask the new arrivals, meaning Sarah.

Sarah's guides quickly explain to the rest: large hog, on the loose, big enough for Sarah to ride, could be fun for mischief.

"...Mm, sounds pretty good..." says one boy with light brown hair-- he looks a bit smarter than the rest. Must be Darius. "But if the hog gets found... what'll we do with it?" He looks challengingly at Sarah. "I have an idea... do you...?"

The challenge is clear (if you're a kid, anyway, which everyone present is)-- Darius has an idea for fun... but he wants to see if Sarah has an idea that's as good as his or better...

---

(Well? Do any of you have any guesses...? Or, if not, plans to help find her...?)

Sarah always knew something like this would come up. She gives a smirk,"Heh, you want an idea, oh I got you one. One word. Chariot. We grab ourselves a cart and some rope and we'll have my Hoggie steering us as the mount like the gladiators from the arena."

Clicking her claws together in thought, Jaffa continued, "I mean, we could try asking some people, maybe, if they've seen her? Y'know, succeed through the power of kindness! O-other people's kindness, I mean."

Darius smirks slightly. "Not bad... not bad. Okay... everyone spread out. Find that loose hog... if you can. I'll give a little reward to the first kid or kids to find it."

(Roll Insightful, Sarah-- he didn't say the first boy, so maybe you can get a little reward yourself!)

---

(If you take Jaffa's advice, start asking folks. ONE of you roll CHR, please...

If you come up with another plan, well, go with that.)

“Leave it to me, I’m a people person.”

The pretty half elf began to randomly ask people who looked like they were outside workers or bystanders.  It was a variation of the ‘have you seen my friend… I’m ever so worried about her.’

07:53, Today: Anthielle rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,5,6.  Charming: canvassing ppl for clues.

Sarah was gonna find her Hog whether she misses dinner or not. Unfortunately, she has no sense of direction and blindly wanders through the streets.



08:30, Today: Sarah Farwing rolled 4 using 1d6 with rolls of 4.  Insightful

A 3, nope, didn't find nothing.

Anthielle, you actually found a well dressed nobleman. Small, most likely a halfling, somewhat pudgy and with a cream white mustache. He looks completely identical to Me Monopoly from that boardgame you and Sarah played on your spare time,"Oh, your looking for a missing child? Hmm, well their was this one girl. Yes, yes, she certainly caused the ruckus as she let a stampede of boar destroy the marketplace. It was... A massacre of produce." he said, then notice Jaffa,"Oh... Is that a kobold. You should be careful little missy, theirs a kobold gang going about and they got the flu right not. Best you take her to the doctors."

On hearing that there was a girl who'd led a bunch of boar through the marketplace, Jaffa was filled with worry. "Oh no... If that was Sarah, I hope she's okay." At the very least, maybe then they could try to follow the trail of the piggies? They might find Sarah with them too! However, before she could really think to try out her idea, the mustache man from the game in the store windows mentioned Kobolds.

"A... A flu?!" Jaffa lost control of her hands, waving them around as they opened and closed. Maybe she could just stay in their house until the flu passed? But if there was a flu going around, wouldn't that mean lots of other people would be feeling bad? "Uhhhhhh, hmmmmm, where's the gang, Mr. Moustache Game Man?!"

A boy runs up to-- and past-- Sarah, but as he runs he calls-- "One of us found the hog over in the Work Quarter! C'mon!"

Mr Monopoly took a step back as Jaffa approached him. He pulled out a handkerchief to cover his nose,"Ah, so you are apart of that crowd of sick ones. Well you'll be happy to know that they live in the sewers as their hideout. I believe the nearest manhole would be the Work Quarter perhaps."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:26, Tue 31 Oct 2023.

"My Hoggie!" Sarah said as she gives chase for her mount. Finally, they'll reunite!

Anthielle couldn't resist a tiny dig at Jaffa as she nodded along to Monopoly Man's words.  Mean girls and all that.

"Wild kobolds eat and handle 'anything'... no wonder they've picked up a flu.  Don't worry about Jaffa, she's domesticated.  Anyway, enough talking... we have a friend to rescue.  Jaffa we'll need your snout to pick up their unwashed scent.  Good day sir!"

The sewers? Jaffa wrinkled her nose as her face tugged into a grimace. It was a decently cold and damp place, true, but the smell was just awful sometimes... She wished that the people around the city thought to put their trash and stuff elsewhere. Jaffa still didn't really wanna catch the flu, but maybe it would be good to head over and give some of the gang members a look? Being sick was awful and she wouldn't want anyone else to be going through it either... Not that she even really knew how to fix that.



Jaffa let the "wild" comments slide, even if you had to be prepared to handle a great many things out here. The "domesticated" point also seemed odd, but she supposed that she did, in fact, have a house now, so that probably made sense. But on the comment about her snout, her hands whipped up to cover her nose and took a step back. "But Anthi!" She shouted through her hand, "There's been a flu going around! What if I sniff it up?"

"I don't think you'll sniff it up," Dinkar said, with an unfamiliar tinge of sympathy in his voice. Domesticated for Gods' sakes. "We'll have to avoid sick kobolds, but I don't think you'll come up with the flu just because you're sniffing around for Sarah."

"If you're sure, Din." Jaffa wasn't completely confident, but if her friends thought it was okay, then it was probably fine. Well, Din more than Anthi on that point. Anthi could be mean sometimes and probably wouldn't see getting sick to be as bad of a thing.

In any case, Jaffa got down to work starting to sniff around the area for that vague scent of pig. A few times, she caught onto a delicious trail of pork before reminding herself that a horde of hogs would not, in fact, be pre-cooked.

(Should I go right into a Travel Elsewhere roll or is there something else I should roll first, just to see if I get on the trail at all?)

"Domesticated? Hmm, I suppose she looks more comely than those kobold riffraffle troublemakers." Mr Monopoly said before heading on his merry way.

If your heading to the market place, then you may make a Travel Elsewhere roll

Jaffa paused in her sniffing to stare at the man as he left. "Comely" was... probably a compliment, but it didn't really sound like one in his mouth. And besides, some of her best friends were troublemakers! Heck, the Scraps were basically almost all troublemakers to an extent. She stamped down the urge to look them over. Sure, Jaffa really didn't like causing trouble... but it felt weird to hear that she looked more... comely, whatever that really meant. Looking back around and down at the street, she spied her claws.

The process made her rethink that "domesticated" line. Did it not just mean that she had a house now? Had... Had Anthi meant something closer to the way the moustache man said "comely"?

She felt her claws were sharp.

"Let's go to the market," Jaffa said, stepping off towards the place, "I'll sniff around more there..." Her claws curled into her hand.



Jaffa Redspot rolled 9 using 2d6 with rolls of 4,5.  Sniff sniff, I think we should Travel Elsewhere to find Sarah. Insightful.

--On 5 or 6: You get to where you're going without anyone seeing you.

You arrived without any complications. However, as you reach to the marketplace, you find a scene of devastation. The market stalls completely destroyed, mud pits are everywhere, and a cabbage seller is lamenting upon the demise of his cabbage as he witness several boars munching them. You don't see any sign of your companon other than a wanted poster. 1 gold piece for the capture of this blonde, human girl for the disruption of business and crimes against the cabbage industry.

"Oh goodness..." Jaffa stared out at the carnage and the (very cute) large piggies munching on greens. Still... the fact that people were still looking for this blonde human meant that she was probably okay? Though it also meant that she was probably in trouble...They were sure to find Sarah soon! They had to be on the right track, after all. But... if there were still hogs here, wasn't that going to make following their scent a bit difficult?

Whatever impact they would have, Jaffa took a deep huff before she resolved to getting down to work. She would sniff, sniff, and sniff some more until she got a sense for which direction the boar horde had gone! Or until she got tired and couldn't find anything.

Though, as she stepped around, smelling mud and cabbage and pigs all around, she realized that the cabbage seller right there would probably know which direction to go from there! But talking to him would mean having to explain why they wanted to find her... As much as she felt for his slain cabbage, she didn't want to help Sarah get captured. That was a big no-no. As such, it was back to sniffing for her...

Jaffa, your nose picks up a scent. Not only that but also a faint scent of Sarah mixed in with boar musk. It seems to be heading off, to where, you have no clue.

Sniff sniff... Sweaty hog, sweaty hog, sweaty hog, sweaty hog, sweaty clothes and hog, sweaty hog, sweat– "No, wait, what..." Jaffa scrambled back over and took a deeper whiff of the scent: bubblegum and dirty slippers, it was definitely Sarah! Sure, it was hard to tell with all the hog, but unless a boar has stolen her clothes and worn them and stuff, that probably meant Sarah went... that way!

"Guys! Guys!" She dramatically waved for the others to come over. "I think I've got it!"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:11, Mon 06 Nov 2023.

Anithelle was all smugness.

"Didn't I say it?  Still a bit of dog blood in our friend... good job, Jaffa.  Lead on!"

She didn't actually know what Kobolds were descended from, but they looked doggish enough.  As for the hog damage, it was a delight to see.  And the best part was that Anthi wasn't the one getting in trouble.  She'd have to ask Sarah what exactly went down... when they found her.

Jaffa winced a little at the comment. She didn't think she had much in the way of dog blood... Still, dogs were usually pretty cute, so Anthi's pleased statement could... maybe be saying she was cute? Though she didn't think she looked that much like a dog anyways!

Jaffa moved on to lead her friends down the path the scent seemed to be leading her, deciding to just take the "our friend" and be happy that she was among friends who thought of her as such.

"Hey!" Dinkar snapped at Anthielle. Their elven comrade was sharp-tongued on a good day, but that one was just over the line. "She's not a dog!"

Well, there wasn't any more avoiding any of this for the moment now, Jaffa supposed. She swallowed her desire to let this pass and tried to give this her best 'this is definitely still light-hearted and I'm gonna tease you right back' voice. "Din's right, Anthi. A-and I don't have any dog blood either! I've got, like, scales and stuff. We've seen fluffy dogs and furry dogs and wiry dogs, but not any scaley ones. Besides, you've got lots more hair than me anyways, so a-aren't you closer to them?"

“She isn’t?  Fine.  Can we concentrate on finding Sarah?”

It was t worth the effort to argue, when they had a good lead..

Jaffa, roll a travel elsewhere roll so you don't get distracted in your tracking

"Um, okay, I guess." If this wasn't going to turn into an argument, Jaffa was fine with that. Hopefully she hadn't lost her place with the scents though...

Jaffa Redspot rolled 10 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,4.  Travelling elsewhere once more, with smells for miles! Insightful.

--On 5 or 6: You get to where you're going without anyone seeing you.

You were like a bloodhound, you sniff through the market despite the many senses and you reached the source of this musk. A massive boar, about the same height as a market stall, wades through the crowd. On its back was a rider, though you don't know if it's Sarah or not. How do you proceed?

Anthielle couldn't see a thing, so she went to find a higher vantage point.  There was a nearby stairway that offered a somewhat elevated view.  It was just a matter of getting the hog to turn at the right angle...

19:01, Today: Anthielle rolled 8 using 2d6 with rolls of 3,5.  Insightful: peeking at the boar rider.

Dinkar was less subtle than Anthielle, as a general rule. He just cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Farwing! Hey, Farwing!"

"Din!" Jaffa shouted at equal volume, "Don't just shout her name! She's a wanted criminal now, remember? You could get her in trouble!" Silly Dinkar, shouting in a public place about Sarah! Or to Sarah? If that was Sarah.

Anthielle, you noticed that the rider had blonde hair. However, the hairstyle was more of a boyish cut instead of the frilly brunette cute that your used to seeing. However, when Dinkar shouted out Farwing, the Hog Rider visibly panicked and lived the Hog into high gear. And what proceeds was once again another rampage through the market. How do you proceed in capturing this hogrider?

She called down to the rest of her companions.

"Its a boy rider... have at him!"

Anthielle however had no immediate ideas how to stop a raging hog.  Cutting insults weren't going to stop a wild animal.

A boy rider? Jaffa was quite certain that Sarah was not one of those!

However, she also wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation. Ordinarily, she might have tried to ask this rider to calm down or attempt to soothe the piggie herself or even ask someone for advice, like Omar perhaps. There was no time now, though.

Instead, she ran for the hog and tried to jump on with a shout that approached bravery. Maybe then, she could talk some sense into this boy rider!

(Should I roll Agility?)

Go ahead and roll. we'll see what happens

Jaffa Redspot rolled 10 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,4.  ...hog time? Agility.

Jaffa, you manage to jump right on the hugs bum. The blonde boy stared at you with shock,"Oh gee whiz, get off you sick weirdo. This boat is now property of the Corsairs! Git!" he said, trying to shake you off but you remain firmly in place.

"Hey, I'm not sick! I've been on a boat this whole time with perfectly healthy pirates, so I can't have caught anything!" Jaffa stuck her tongue out at the rider boy. It was so rude of him to call her sick when she hadn't come down with anything... But that wasn't important right now anyways! "Whatever though! I don't want the boar, even though they look very cute and cool and big! Just please tell me where Sarah is, and I'll leave you alone!"

"Huh, Sarah isn't that--!" the boy stopped as suddenly he was overwhelmed. Jaffa you hear a lot of pinging sounds going about along with the boy screaming. Then a peanut she'll rolls to you and you look up to see the boy getting pelted by over like a hundred shells,"Gah, I give! I give!" he said as a gang of kobold's keep firing at him with slingshots. Then this kobold kid riding a giant weasel and wearing a wide brim hat steps up in front of the squad,"Step away from the pig and the little missy. You step in the Emerald turf, pardner. I reckon you get off your high pig or else." he said, pulling out this strange wooden toy. Their was a kick and a spin of cylinders,"I-I ain't looking for trouble." the boy said, on the verge of tears as he steps down.

"Does anybody have any idea what's going on here?" Dinkar asked. It looked like it might be time to get violent, though. He found he had strangely mixed feelings on the subject. "'Cause I don't."

Jaffa made an attempt to turn back to Dinkar and shrug to show her own confusion, but as she was still holding onto the piggie for dear life, she wasn't sure if her vague wiggling got the message across. Even so, she knew she had to help him understand the situation, so that they could, like, poop their information together! "Well... the guy on the hog's not Sarah, Din. I know that, at least!"

"And... ummmm..." Jaffa stared at the giant (adorable) weasel and the kid with the very nice hat atop them. He was probably friendly, and he said 'reckon', which was a pretty fun word and likely would feel nice to say, so things had probably improved. Still, she didn't wanna assume! "Should I get off the piggie too, Mr. Cool Hat Weasel Kid? Sorry for getting into Emerald turf... We're just trying to look for our friend."

"Nah, you stay on top little lady." Mr Cool Hat said,"Your the girl in the wanted posters, right? Blonde hair. On a massive pig. Clearly folk mistook you as you flesh'um. Come on and follow us, we'll get away from these non-scalies. We'll help you find your friend." he said, it seems he doesn't like your friends.

Anthielle tried to be as quiet as possible.  There were entirely too many Kobolds here... and some might still be infectious.

Jaffa climbed up to actually be on top of the piggie, which was way more comfortable than clutching onto part of them. As thanks for being so cute and cool and big, she rubbed the hog a little on the head. "I don't think I'm on any of the wanted posters... This is actually my first time on a piggie!" She grinned at that. She'd never been so high up in the middle of the street before! "We're pretty sure the girl on the posters is our friend, though. Thank you very much anyways! We'll be happy to have your help, Mr. Cool Hat! You seem really cool! I love your weasel. Oh, and, is it okay for my friends to come along too? Din and Anthi, right down there!" Excited to be possibly making a new friend and to be on a pig and to be called a "little lady" because that meant she was a lady and that sounded pretty cool, Jaffa gestured grandly down toward her two friends. Anthi had gone weirdly silent, but she was probably just shy around the super cool weasel. Pointing her out in the conversation like this was sure to make her feel loads better!

The Hog oinks at Jaffa appreciatively. Cool Hat looked shock as you mention your not the girl on the wanted poster,"Wait, your in league with them?" he said, pointing his wooden gun at Anthi,"Sorry, little lady, but they ain't allowed in our club. Scales only, you understand. And if you refuse lady, that's fine, but your always invited... Ah, but I'll make an exception for you." he said, his gun fires off like a cannon, the ammunition. A pea! Hits the blonde Corsair right on the knee and he crumpled down, crying,"Your coming with us. Need a ransom to teach your folks that this is our playground. Hogty'em."

"Wait! Wait! I know where your friend is! I tell you where, please don't let them capture me, big bro won't hear the end of it. His reputation would be shot! Kaput! Blam-o!"

"Aww, you're a good piggie, Hog Friend." Jaffa found she couldn't really stop grinning. The huge cutie was just so... cute! She kept giving the hog rubs and scratches. "You deserve all the headrubs in the world, don't you?"



"Yup!" Jaffa used her free hand to present Dinkar and Anthielle once more, even shaking it a little for added fun! "We're the Scraps!"

"Oh! That's okay, I suppose. People can be weird about kobolds sometimes. Thank you for letting me be always invited though! You seem super cool and I'd love to be friends. Would it be okay if I visited sometime without joining the club though? I don't think I have the time to be in two clubs at the moment..." She started to pout, sad at the prospect, but once she got back into the swing of rubbing the piggie on the head and tossling their ears, she quickly brightened back up.



Jaffa looked down at the very sad Corsair kid and then back up at the Cool Hat kid. He probably wasn't lying and it would be super helpful to get more information... The trail she'd been following had kinda ended here with the (very awesome) hog anyways. But this was also a territory thingy situation deal time and Cool Hat and these Emerald people seemed really nice and probably wouldn't treat the guy too poorly... But they didn't have any other leads yet... Jaffa started to bite her lip in thought.

"Uhhhh, Cool Hat Friend? Are you gonna treat this guy okay as your hostage? I'm guessing this reputation shooting is probably gonna be enough of a punishment... I kinda wanna try to save him, so I can get that information about my friend, but you seem really cool and, as long as you're not gonna do anything mean to him, I don't really wanna do anything mean to get him free."

Hee hee, hog tie :)

Anthi didn't want to join the lizards... merely collect Sarah and get home.

"Help us get our friend and we'll get out of your hair.  AND maybe Jaffa can use some of our 'group magic' to cure some colds.  People are talking you lot down, calling you plague dogs and other things.  We normally don't use our magic on outsiders, but maybe we can make an exception... since you've been so nice to Jaffa."

She hoped Jaffa could go along with her (little) fib about the group magic.  As for the Corsair boy, Anthielle sneered at him... trying to bait the unfortunate into giving away some free info.

"You're wasting your mercy, Jaffa.  This guy doesn't know where our friend is... he's lying to save his own skin.  I bet he just found this pig wandering the street... and nowhere near Sarah."

OOC:  17:32, Today: Anthielle rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,5,6.  charming: trying to trick info out of the Corsair.

"W-w-wait! I know where she is. She's with big bro. She told us to come here for the pig, please don't abandon me!" he said. Meanwhile the Cool Hat kid rubs his chin,"Is this true... Do you magic little lady?" he said to Jaffa.

Roll Charming Jaffa. Gain a +1 die cause your a kobold

Jaffa stared at Anthi briefly before coming to an answer, returning her eyes to Cool Hat McWeasel. "Uhh, I don't actually know much about magic... Anthi's more the expert there. But I do like making people feel better! The others like getting into fights, so I mostly help out by doing that. If that's magic, then I sure do do it a bit!" After all, honesty was the best policy!

Jaffa Redspot rolled 11 using 4d6 with rolls of 1,2,6,2.  Lying is wrong. Charming +1

When Jaffa said that the others "liked getting into fights" Dinkar smacked his staff into his palm, in what he hoped was a sufficiently menacing manner.

Cool Hat thinks for a moment,"Hah, you have an honest face little lady, I like you. I think your kindness will help my boys nicely." he said, then looked to Anthi,"Hmm, your quite a liar, dollface. I don't like you at all but if the little lady is right, then I'm going to need your help. Your magic could help us a tad. Fine, your lucky little lady here is more honest, I'll help you find your missing friend."

Anthi wasn't going to lose any sleep over a bunch of smelly kobolds not liking her.  She just wanted to find Sarah.

"Whatever you say..."

Otherwise she followed along.

Jaffa smiled at Dinkar, cause he had some really nice timing there! She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised, since master assassins probably needed good timing to master their whole assassin-killing deal.

"Thank you very much, Cool Hat Weasel Kid! You really are super nice and cool! That means you'll be a good host to your hostage too, right? That's the nice thing to do, whether or not he has anything, after all." Jaffa let loose a guileless grin. Everything was going great! She was on an adorable and super awesome piggie, she was making new friends (that at least seemed to be neutral over Din... She did feel a little bad for not going along with Anthi's lie), they had held to find Sarah, and no one had to get hurt to do it!

"Oh trust me, this kid's gonna get the treatment he deserves. But please, call me Brussel, little lady, and what do they call you." he said before turning to Anthi and Din,"If your friend is with the Corsairs or worse in league with them, we might have ourselves a problem. If you haven't notice, we don't like them and they don't like us. But come now, the middle of the streets ain't no place to talk civil. Follow us into the hideout. Maybe we can form... A heist." he said.

The treatment he deserves? Well, all people deserved at least a baseline of general kindness, didn't they? So that meant this kid was gonna be okay! Probably.

"Nice to meet you, Brussel! I'm Jaffa! Like the cake!" The aforementioned kobold stuck out her hand as if for Brussel to shake it. However, she soon realized that both of them were sat atop large animals and could not realistically shake hands. Instead, she vigorously raised and lowered her arm to mime the process. "But... a heist? Oh my, that sounds fun! Sure! Lead the way, Brussel."

Brussel smiles and props upon a manhole. Leading his gang and the now hostage, blonde kid deep into the sewers. A cool breeze unexpectedly drifts out the manhole as you behold the entrance to the sewers. You eventually head down, the grimy-ridden
 ground is littered with toys, like dolls and toy shovels, some of which protrude from soft banks of sand. It seems the Emeralds converted this place as their playground. A single darkened passage leads into the depths of the sewers ahead. The stone path ahead, you can immediately notice a few pieces of which occasionally glint with the slightest hint of... rare ore that's just protruding out the walls. No light issues forth from the sewer
 tunnels, when you see in the dark it's really pointless to have torches. Behind you Brussel stands before you, "Stop dilly dalying pardners. We got a war room to attend to."

Jaffa stopped herself from reaching down to a doll. "Sorry! I'll stop dally dillying!" She hurried over to Brussel, careful to also help along the others.

Din followed. He was going to leave the leading to Jaffa, since she had the rapport with the kid called Brussel.

Anthi’s read on the situation was that two gangs wanted to scuffle and Sarah was attached to the opposite side.  She was going to say something to Din… and then realised that he probably wanted a fight.  Come to think of it, her patron probably wanted chaos.

“So who are these Corsairs and how many do we have to fight?  I just bet that they’ve sold Sarah a lie about being the good guys.  You lot won’t hold that against her, right?”

"Pfah, a bunch of bullies that proclaim themselves to be pirates of the streets. Which doesn't make any sense! Unlike our faction, we make much more sense than pirates. Cause dolly, we're a band of brothers that stick out for one another."

The sewer tunnel opens into a small, roughly rectangular chamber. Scattered chunks of silver ore surround an several overturned pair of toy wagons, the type that two kids can ride on. The blonde Corsair is stashed away behind the wagon as the Emeralds new loot. He whimpers and sobs quietly. Dried paint is smeared across the northern wall in several places. Exits lead to the west and the east.

"Welcome to the War Room. Alright, let's decide on a plan of attack. I hope Little Lady and her non-scaly friends got any ideas. If you got any questions, I'll answer the best I can."

Jaffa took a moment to give the Corsair kid a gentle pat on the head. "Don't worry! They said they were gonna treat you as you deserved and everything! That means you'll be safe."

Coming out from behind the wagon, she rejoined the "war" preparations. "I mean... Can't we just... Like... talk to them? We have this guy! They have Sarah! I mean, there's not much in that deal to help you... but we also have the giant cute piggie? Even if you don't, like, give them to them, it'll at least make you look all imposing!" Jaffa's cheer darkened slightly. "Though you already have your weasel, so it'd be kinda hard to ride both... Maybe two people could be riding them? I-In any case, I'm sure we can find something else to trade for! Maybe have them give up territory?"

Anthiella nodded along

"Talking with these Corsairs really does sound like the best approach.  That doesn't mean we can't prepare tricks of of our own... or be ready for a confrontation.  And having this Corsair hostage might get them to hear us out.  I can't imagine he's going to be of any actual use to you Emerald types... just another mouth to feed."

She suspected that Jaffa would misread her intentions as being nice and showing mercy.  If that happened, so be it.  Otherwise, Anthielle gestured to the silver ore that was scattered around the place.

"I like the silver.  Shame its still stuck in the rocks... you should do something about that."

Anthi wanted to see if these Corsairs knew the value of what they had...  and how much they cared about it.

The Corsair kid cries even harder. Meanwhile, Brussel tips his hat to Anthi,"You make an interesting proposition, Dollface. Yeah, we don't like this Corsair hanging out with us as much as I don't like non-scalies like yourselves. But talking to them, it's risky. Their leader is... Troublesome, to say the least. And sorry little lady, we can't make any compromises to our territory. Especially since those Star Kings gang started causing a ruckus to the sewers and not to mention the Tomorrows. Grabby surface jerks, the lot of them." Brussel said, and then he gives Anthi a smile as she talked about the silver,"Oh, Dollface has an interest in our decor. These shiny rocks appeared out of nowhere in our base. Thought they were just that, shiny rocks until the Corsairs wanted it for themselves. For a lot of effort, it must be downright valuable. And judging from how you look at it, this 'silver' here is worth a lot, I take it." he said, patting the ore.

Jaffa looked back at the crying Corsair kid, rubbing her claws together. It felt... wrong to just leave him there all sad and stuff. Anthi was right in that he was most useful to Brussel and the others as a way to get the Corsairs to listen. Which was why she'd suggested talking too! He was probably going to be fine. It was silly to hurt a hostage. That would only hurt the other side's feelings and damage their faith in getting their guy back. So, he was going to be okay and safe!

The ground looked very interesting today, and not just because of the silver around them. No one was going to blame her if she rubbed a little harder, right?

She snapped back up to rejoin the conversation. The best thing she could do for the kid was make sure this plan was going to work and also not unnecessarily hurt anyone. "Oh! I didn't mean to give up your own territory, sorry! Just that, well, you are in more power now, right? Since you have this guy?" Holding out a claw, she gestured to the Corsair kid crying in the corner. "I was thinking you might be able to ask the Corsairs to give up some of their territory. I understand if it might not seem very useful, since this place is already super cool... I mean, you have wagons! But that could be a decent staging ground for stuff elsewhere maybe. I suppose the silver might also be helpful to bargain with too... They might be willing to give a lot for even a little bit of the stuff, especially if they don't know how much you have." Jaffa hummed, glancing absently towards the ore-laden wall Brussel was patting. "Not sure how useful that stuff is though... Doesn't look like you can eat it..."

"I, uh, don't have any problems with being ready for them or planning around stuff though! Especially if their leader is annoying... But if you don't think they'll listen at all, then maybe we should come up with something else? How is this person... troublesome?"

Dinkar hadn't said much of late. He was feeling strangely overwhelmed by the recent developments. But something Jaffa had just said snapped him out of his ennuis. It was as though a bell had gone off. A loud bell.

A troublesome person was sort of his (intended) specialty. If they wanted another plan, he could certainly be that plan.

"Maybe you need an assassin," he said quietly.

"Hmm, not a bad thought little lady. With only one of these ores, we could gain quite the territory. I think that's enough to get those of us sick out of the sewers and get same fresh air." he mutters that last part. Then Brussel adds,"As for the Corsair's leader, I mean his troublesome as in his strong enough to knockout teenagers with one blow. Not even my peashooter got the firepower to do that." he said, shaking his head and then he gives Din a look,"A-what-tinate?... Wait, are you talking about bounty hunting? Or something like that? Can you do it though? You kinda look scrawny and no offense to short people, I'm pretty short for my age, but you know, I don't think I need to say it."

"Din's never lost a fight yet... and he had us as backup.  Of course, he doesn't work for free... but throw in some shiny rocks and maybe we'll take this guy down.  Look Brussel, these shiny rocks are a trouble magnet... you should trade them away quickly.  Let me confer with the others."

Assuming the fancy hat Kobold agreed, Anthi gestured for Din and Jaffa to huddle with her for some plan making.

"Jaffa, can you consult Omar on how to make these rocks into proper silver?  Otherwise, we could introduce these guys to Captain Smash...  but the real issue is getting Sarah back... and for all the tough talk, I don't see these guys wanting to go near the Corsairs.  Which means it comes down to us.  How about we pump that Corsair kid for more info?  Can't imagine a cry baby like that will be welcomed back."

Roll Charming Anthi

00:44, Today: Anthielle rolled 14 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,2,6.  Charming.

Jaffa happily waved at Brussel as if to say "We'll be back soon!" before joining the huddle. "Mm hmm, I can ask him if he knows anything, sure, but I'm gonna share any info we get with them, okay? I don't really know much about silver, but if it's theirs, then it's theirs. They deserve to know how to use the stuff." Jaffa was not, however, sure how to actually talk to Omar here. Maybe she could ask Brussel for some time in a private room? His hat was cool enough that he could probably be trusted with the knowledge of her other friend's existence, but that wasn't really her secret to tell in the first place. "As for Sarah... I dunno. I think the Emerald people are actually gonna be a lotta help! I agree that trying to make sure we're prepared too, in case they can't help enough, is a good idea, but we shouldn't just discount them entirely. Besides... I like having more friends. If you wanna talk to the Corsair guy kid person though, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Maybe you can do that while I try to make some of the sick Emeralds feel better? He might respond better to two people than three!"

Brussel eyes up Din before he finally said,"Fine, I'll toss you three silver rocks just to get the job done." he said, though you get the sense that his a bit afraid of these rocks. Trouble is probably something he doesn't want.

Jaffa, if you wish to consult with Omar, roll Insightful for his insights

Jaffa removed herself from the huddle and stepped off towards some random direction in the room. "Uh, don't mind me!" She raised her voice. "Just gonna go think to myself for a bit! It helps me prepare for making a larger group feel better!" She'd never actually done that for a big group before, so she had no idea what would make that easier, but having a chat with Omar would probably calm her nerves a little. In any case, she hunted around the room for some sort of vague privacy, eventually finding a place that approached that behind an unused wagon.

She got out the lamp, gently rubbing it. "Hey there, Omar! Sorry it's been a little bit... I've made another friend though! His name's Brussel and he has this really cool hat and a really big weasel and he runs — or maybe just is a big part of, I dunno — a gang, the Emeralds! And he's gonna help us find Sarah! I also got to ride on this hugely huge piggy! Or, er, a boar? Some kinda piggy. If you'd like to meet any of them, I'm sure they'd like you! Some of the others are with me too, and Anthi wanted to ask you about these rocks in the gang's walls — we're in 'Emerald turf', by the way, and the rocks're silver and she wanted to know if I could ask if you know how to make them into 'proper silver'. Kinda like a recipe, I guess? But for rocks! But also, I missed ya a little and just wanted to see how you were doing!"

The genie appears before you again,"You must leave here, child. These silver give off a terrible aura, such terror must not be a plaything for mortal children. Pluck it out from the walls and vanish them to the deepest of pits. If not, then run, leave these sewers and never turn back. That is all that I can say, child. I wish you safety." Omar said cryptically as he vanishes back to the lamp.

And that's the result of rolling a failure.

Jaffa's mouth flapped open and closed a handful of times as Omar went back into his lamp. Was this really that dangerous?! She'd thought silver was just, like, a valuable thingamagibble! Not something dangerous or terror-full! She had to warn the others! But... how would she get across that information to Brussel without revealing the whole Omar thing? If it was okay to tell her new friend about him, Omar certainly hadn't said so... So it was best to figure out some other way. But first, she whispered to the lamp. "Th-Thank you for the warning, Omar. H-Have fun in there?" He probably couldn't hear her from in there, but it was better to be polite! Even when she couldn't keep her teeth from chattering.

Stepping back out from behind the wagon noticeably paler than before, Jaffa rushed back over to Din and Anthi. "He said the silver's dangerous and we should try to bury it and run away! What do we tell Brussel?!"

Silver? Dangerous? That sounded wrong. Silver was awesome stuff. It let you buy other stuff, like food.

"I dunno," Din replied. "Dangerous is kinda what we do."

Jaffa shook her head hard enough that she now felt as discombobulated on the outside as she did on the inside. "I know it is, Din! But Omar said something about a terrible aura it has. And he sounded real urgent too! Besides, even if we can handle it, what does that mean for Brussel and the others?"

Anthi was pleased as punch for facilitating a deal.  Silver was awesome!  And then Jaffa ducked out and came back shaken.

“Sigh.  Calm down, Jaffa… silver isn’t dangerous.  If it’s cursed or something, we’ll go visit the crone.”

Cursed silver would probably explain its mysterious appearance, but Anthi didn’t voice that.

“Why don’t you check the Emeralds for illnesses, Jaffa.  Din and I can talk with the Corsair…”

She shot Din a smile, indicating that ‘talking’ could progress to threats, tricks, and other underhandedness.

"Anthi, you should know it's not that simple!" Jaffa tried very hard not to wave her arms around in frustration, as that wasn't a very nice thing to do when in a huddle. "We might never get any other proof it's cursed until it's too late. It's not like we're meeting someone who can detect that stuff soon... " This was bad! Neither of them seemed to believe her! It wasn't like she could just heed Omar's warning and get out of there without them either, and that wasn't even mentioning Brussel and the others, who she wasn't sure she could ever tell without revealing Omar. This situation was almost as scary as ghosts!

At the same time though, Anthi was right: she did need to get started on trying to make the Emeralds feel better. "Just... please be careful, at least? I don't want anyone to get hurt, but you two are some of my best friends and I don't want you to be cursed or something worse." They'd waited long enough, and even if she couldn't stop any sort of sickness, she was sure she could at least help out a little. She just had to hope that Din and Anthi would think on her words and actually trust in Omar's information!

With her piece said, Jaffa stumbled on over back to Brussel. "H-Hey, uh, Brussel. While they're talking, could I try seeing the others that're hurt? I don't wanna forget about trying to make them feel better before we leave."

"Alright, Little Lady, I'm believing you here."Brussel said, leading you to this large, square room which houses four long wooden tables you'd see in a cafeteria, each with a bench on either side. On top of the tables lie a number of wooden bowls and eating utensils. In the southeast corner of the
room, a small stewpot steams over a fireplace carved into the floor. A pungent odor hangs in the air. Their were about nine Kobolds, many of their scales has splotches of red, they remain you of rashes.

What do you wish to do Jaffa

Putting on her mean face, Anthielle strode over to the Corsair.

“Talk!  We want to know all about your leader… who he confides in, how he does business, how he leads.  He probably thinks you’ve split the beans already and if you don’t help us… we’ll tell him you are a rat.”

19:54, Today: Anthielle rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,6,4.  Anthi blackmailing Corsair.

"What! But Darius, he would never... But, oh no, if he does, his gonna string me up like a sack of potatoes. Okay, I'll talk. Just please let me go after." Blondie said and takes a deep breath, "Alright, he runs things at the Poor Quarter, being the oldest around here, his respected amongst urchins. Meaning his got plenty of kids that know the lay of the land, meaning plenty of opportunities to plunder all sorts of goodies. Were like the junior thieves guild around here. His got eyes and ears everywhere in the alleys, it's what he calls the Network. As long as he has control of all the urchins, theirs no secret that you can hide from him. And he'll resort through any means including bullying or beatings to keep everyone in line."

Jaffa gulped. These other kids didn't look like they were doing too good... And as much as she was trying to keep it out of her head, she couldn't help but be worried about this flu or rash or whatever it was passing over to her. Even so, she had a responsibility. She moved around to each of the nine kids, said, "Hey, I'm Jaffa. Just gonna try to make you feel a lil' better...", and focused a bit on doing just that, massaging and scratching the ill kobolds. She hadn't really ever tried this on people who were actually ill, just injured, but maybe it would do something for them.

Jaffa Redspot rolled 13 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,2,5.  Group Consultation for nine kobold children. Charming.

--On 6: Remove 1 Hurt from a friend.

Another thought popped into her head, looking over the other kobolds... Omar warned that the silver was dangerous, right? Could this be why? Was it making people sick and rash-y to be around? She didn't have proof, but... maybe if she could make some kinda connection, she could prove to the others that something really was wrong here!

But she wouldn't ask these kids right now. They were sick! She didn't want to make them have to answer silly questions or anything; that might disturb their rest.

The Kobolds, who were once gloomy, now were giggles and laughs, the mood becoming quite positive. And miraculously, the splotches of red rashes disappeared or lessened,"Thanks, miss Jaffa. Here, we thought we'd be stuck around here forever, saying everyone down. But thanks to you, I feel like everything's going to be okay!" one of the kobold's said.

Anthielle looked to Din with a satisfied expression.

"Taking down Darius would be good for your reputation, Din.  Do you have any questions you want to ask this Corsair kid?"

She then smiled sweetly to their captive, since he'd given them the goods.

"We'll set you loose when the opportunity arises... and don't worry, I'll mention that you didn't break when questioned.  You're going to be our secret contact in the Corsairs."

It was hard to predict what the Corsair gang would look like after the heroes vanquished/outwitted them... so Anthielle went light on the assumptions.

Din thought about the question for a moment or two. Was he really going to do this?

Yeah, he figured he might just.

"Where does he sleep?" he demanded of their prisoner. That would be where and when Darius was most vulnerable.

"P-please don't tell him I told you any of this." he said, then his face turned pale as Din ask his questions,"What? I-I don't know what your talking about. Sleep, Darius never sleeps on the job... Nor does his nap, yeah." he lies, terribly.


If you want to get that kind of information, roll Charming unless you got other ideas
This message was last edited by the player at 08:05, Wed 24 Jan.

Jaffa stared at the lessening rashes for a time, seemingly unable to close her mouth. She should not have been able to do that much with only her usual wishing and massaging, but there, right in front of her, was no rash where there had been one before. Maybe it was just a weird sickness that got better if someone took care of you? But that was silly. The other kobolds had to have already tried that!

She shook her head. Now was not the time to question a miracle! She could figure that out later. Jaffa closed her eyes and whispered a big "thank you" to Rhyse, because who else but the Goddess of Healing would provide a miracle like this, and then shot her eyes back open, slapping a grin on her face.

"You're very welcome! I'm glad you all are feeling better! Now, if I were a big medical healer woman lady, I would probably be telling you all to make sure you got some rest..." Jaffa trailed off, nodding sagely, "But I'm not! So, go wild! Just try not to get hurt, you hear?"

Dinkar rolled 3 using 1d6 ((3)).


"Everybody sleeps," Dinkar growled.

In reply to Dinkar (msg # 157):



"I said I don't know anything. His always alert. Never faltering. I don't know where he sleeps anyways!" he said quickly. His obviously lying but it seems his remaining tight-lipped about that kind of information.


In reply to Jaffa Redspot (msg # 156):



"Alright, let's go crazy in our underplayground!" they said, running like wild animals per doctor's orders. They leave the room empty, where do you wish to go. Do you return to your friends or wander about the rooms in the sewers.

Grin still wide across her face, Jaffa hopped back on over to where she last saw Brussel. She could go tell Din and Anthi, but not only were they probably still asking that other kid about stuff, Brussel probably made more sense to tell first.

The kobold wearing the cool hat tips said cool hat at your approach,"You certainly are a miracle worker little lady. Everyone is moving around and acting like their usual selves instead of moping around. I have you to thank, I take it."

After "Ooh"-ing a bit at the cool hat tipping, Jaffa clasped her hands together. "Yup, I suppose so! Honestly, I'm surprised it worked that well. I'm used to just making people feel a little better after some bumps and stuff... But this was like a miracle! I don't know if I should really take the credit, cuz I don't really know if I did anything. But if I did, then I'm happy to have done did the thing!"

If Din had had a knife, he might have brandished it, in order to scare the kid. But he didn't have a knife, and a gnomish staff just wasn't a menacing sort of weapon. Sure, he could whack the kid over the head, but knives were scary. Staffs simply weren't, especially when wielded by a halfling. Even so, it was probably his best move.

"You're lying," he growled. "And now I'll have to beat it out of you."

Anthielle sighed.  As much fun as a beating would be, they didn't really have the time...

"Look, is there any private place that Darius goes to?  A money counting room or something."

05:04, Today: Anthielle rolled 7 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,3,2.  Charming: questioning the corsair

"Okay, okay, just don't hurt me.... I know of a room. Yes, ma'am, I do. He hangs around in what we call the Candy Gutters. Despite its name, it's a candy shop just by the market. Can't miss it, got a giant candy sign and everything." he said.



"Hah, now your speaking my language. You know... The offer still stands. Ditch your friends and be with kids that understand what your going through? Do you think this Compadres know what we go through everyday? No, they don't. We're like rats to everyone up top. You and I and those kids you healed, we're just rodents." he said.

"I mean, you're not really wrong... Anthi was kinda calling me a dog earlier... But Din told her off for it! And she, uh, kinda apologized? And if I walk with them, then maybe people will see me and they'll think, 'Egh, look at those silly kids running around!' instead of singling me out. And then maybe they'll get as used to scales as they are with skin? 'Sides, they're still my friends! I wanna enjoy the time I have with them before..." Jaffa stared away from Brussel for a moment, spying her reflection in a stray chunk of silver. She wanted to close her eyes to get away from it, but that didn't seem right... "before I grow out of it..."

Anthi beamed.

“There you go, Din.  Now what’s your plan… take out Darius before or after our Corsair meeting?  Oh, what’s your name again, kid?”

Brussel stared at Jaffa with sympathy,"We all grow up one day little lady... Fine, I won't keep mouthing off the same offer. I know your answer now. And it's your choice.... But know theirs always a place in the sewers for you. I'm sure the boys would like to have you around."

Jaffa smiled back at Brussel, eyes open steadily. "Thanks, Cool Hat Brussel. I appreciate it. They can be a lil' weird — and Anthi can be mean sometimes — but they're my friends too. And... I'll remember that. I know I'm gonna grow up first, so maybe... maybe when I'm too old for them, I'll come back here? And hopefully we can hang out sometimes before then too."

"Really now? Well, I definitely would love to have you here little lady. You give me and my lads a strange sort of cheer. Really brightens up the place." he said with a smile,"But I doubt that'll happen once you grow up, nah, something tells me your going to still hangout with those... Friends of yours. That's how much their friendship means to you, right?"

"I mean... I'd love to. I admit it." Her eyes trailed to the ceiling. "I want to be with them. But they're not gonna want me when I'm a grown-up, right? They're still gonna be kids for years and I'm gonna be... different."

"I guess that depends on when he goes to the candy store. After, probably." Din was still contemplating how to do the deed (not to mention IF he could do the deed) but the time for contemplation was over. It was time for action!

He liked action, of course. All this talking was giving him a headache.

"I think I'm going to wait until he comes out of the candy store, with his hands full, and drop on him from the roof. I can jump pretty far, thanks to... reasons."

He stopped short of telling the others about his feather-falling.

"Hehe, well your gonna to ask your friends about that Little Lady. For now, we've talk for awhile. It's about time we gather up with your friends. They must have a plan by now." Brussel said rather impatiently.

"So... we meet Darius, see if he has Sarah, rescue her... and take him out later?  Good.  He's probably going to demand some of this silver.  How about we take a sack of fake rocks?"

Anthi was now thinking about the actual meeting bit.  She also had her new 'spell' to deploy, should there be trouble.

"What's taking Jaffa so long?"

"Yeah, you're right." Jaffa massaged her face a little bit, just to get it back into a smile. "You're right! It's been a a bit. Let's go!" With that, she started off to head back to the planning room.

"Bobby... My name is Bobby." the kid suddenly spoke up,"Please don't tell Darius I tattled. All I wanted was to ride that pig like the girl promise." he said, again sniffling.

Brussel tips his hat,"Looks like you got all you need from the hostage. So what's your plan? If you need any of my boys, well, we'll try our best. But we ain't risking our scales for non-scalies. Hope you understand."

When asked about the plan, Anthi puffed herself up to look all important and masterminderly.

 “If we can get a sack and some ordinary rocks, we can pretend like we’ve got silver… just need a real piece for show.  Then we take Bobby to trade for Sarah… it should at least get us a meeting.  Maybe we can find out what this Darius plans.. and how enthusiastic his goons are.  Still unsure if Din wants to play leader or sneak around.  I’m capable of leading negotiations.  And we can use the hog to charge in, if things go bad.  We just need a rider.”

She beamed like it was the greatest plan ever.

"I could try to ride the cute piggie? I don't super want anyone to get hurt, but I've ridden this one before, at least!" Jaffa clicked her claws together. "But if we can actually get a deal to happen, what do the Emeralds get?" It didn't seem right for them to get nothing, what with Bobby being their hostage.

Anthi nodded along, liking the idea of Jaffa as the rider.

"Well, I heard something about the Emerald's turf being disrespected... so we can ask the Corsairs to back off.  It'll probably end in a fight, we just need to get Sarah first.  Until the Corsairs know that we can best them, they won't take us seriously.  Boys will be boys, hehe."

She looked around to see if anybody else wanted to add something to the plan.

Brussel tips his hat,"I like this plan so far. I will of course join you in negotiations. Can't be legit if the leader of a gang ain't present, otherwise I might be called a coward. Sides, I still don't trust you folk, not yet anyway." he said, staring at you warily.

"No offense taken, Brussel!" Jaffa wanted to make sure she cut in before anyone actually had a chance to be offended. It was maybe a little manipulative, but her friends would probably speak up if they disagreed strongly enough. "Our last adventure involved lying to pirates about treasure, so we already have a track record of being untrustable." It was, after all, important to be honest about these things.

"Telling them that we can't be trusted won't make them trust us," Dinkar grumbled quietly. He couldn't help but smile, though.

"Yeah, humies got a point their little lady. Though you do get a pass, I trust you completely." he said, patting Jaffa's back. Then he turns to you,"But I'm keeping my eyes on you guys. Let's go and start off this plan already."

"I, uh, suppose that's fair." Jaffa still held out some hope that Brussel might come around to trust and even befriend her other friends, but they were probably right. Maybe it wasn't good to be honest all the time? "But yeah! Let's do the plan deal thingie! I can't wait to see Sarah again! It's been so long."

"Then we are agreed."

Anthi went about preparing a sack of fake silver.  And there was also the matter of bringing some extra muscle to the meet.

"I call thee forth... Nightbear!"

After some fancy gesturing and dropping one of her toys upon the ground (a roughed up teddy from Daddy), it 'magically' grew in size to that of a small Kid.  The sinister looking bear surveyed the area and then bowed to Anthi.  Apparently after meeting the witch (and taking a liking to her minions), 'someone' had been studying.

"Woah, uhm, that is... That's impressive. Doll face is a magician, woah." Brussel said in shock, but then shakes his head,"Alright, let's get this show rolling." he said, leading you to the Candy Gutters where you suspect the leader of the Corsairs resides.

Someone roll a travel Anywhere just to see if things go... Well

Having watched Din usually lead the party, this time Anthi had a go.

Beginner’s luck?


ooc:   00:42, Today: Anthielle rolled 8 using 2d6 with rolls of 2,6.  Insightful

You head to Candy Gutters without facing any hectic problems or such. Once you do you reach the place, you find it to be a ramshackle shop, but the glass window showcases that the owner was no joke. His candies looked almost like jewelry, to a kid anyways, they look absolutely delectable and sweet. They even got caramel apples, the Golden Apple of apples.

However, you realized the Corsairs had a guard in place in case anyone comes to their hideout. But it turns out this guard is someone you know.

Sarah lazily sleeps next to a lamp post. A half eaten caramel apple stuck to her cheek and her dress's pocket was filled to the brim with sugar and candies. Looks like your friend had a bit of a splurge in the candy shop.

"How's that for perfect navigation?"

Anthi awaited some praise from her companions... and then gestured for Nightbear to remain out of sight.

"Is that Sarah?  This is going to be the easiest rescue ever... unless its a trap.  Psst!  Sarah."

"Congrats, Anthi! We knew you could do it!" Jaffa clapped, maybe a little too loudly but that was okay. They were here to make deals, not be sneaky!

"Oh my goodness, it is Sarah!" Jaffa waved excitedly, not realizing at first that her friend was asleep and couldn't actually tell she was waving. Sure, there was also so much glorious food around as well, but... "And she's got apples! And candy!" She rushed over, hoping to prod her friend awake, not caring about things like 'traps'. This was Sarah! They were friends. "Sarah, Sarah! We made it back from the pirates! Are you okay? It's been so long! I know it's only been, like, a day, but that's a long time! We met a witch with wirey friends! And I got to ride on a big piggie! And we made friends with another gang! Their leader has the coolest hat! You've gotta see!"

"Farwing?" Din asked, his face perking up suddenly. He hadn't really thought much about their missing member, but seeing her suddenly brought an uncharacteristic smile to his face. "Here? Seriously?"

He still owed her one for hitting him in the face with her shoe, but somehow that felt like a million years ago now. So, maybe not.

"You auditioning for other gangs, or what?"

"Wah! Jaffa, slow down. I can't make any sense of what your talking about." she said, getting a sense that the kobold was hungry as always, she shoved her apple into her jaw,"Heh, sounds like you guys had one heck of an adventure. But I had one too, in my quest to find the Genie's lost owner. I was captured by evil Old Man Cold. (The nickname she came up for their crummy teacher) But i escape by destroying the bathrom and entering a c-c-catacomb, then I was, uhm, caught by bullies, their I met my beloved Hoaggie. The biggest pig in the world, and we made our getaway, I freed him, along with his bretheren and we ran away from those bullies, You should have seen us, we destroyed everything in our path. Then, uhm, I didn't get much detail on the Roamers, sorry gang. And I think I was captured by this very, very, very dangerous teen and his evil dog, Jack Nails was his name, I think. But then I was saved by a rat who turned me into a rat. Her names Peromi, we're best friends now. The I saved her people by wielding the silver needle and dethroning her tyrannical king while also meeting a great and powerful wizard, stopping the foul machinations of an evil and blind mole! Also remind me that I need to bring salmon to a cat. Then I was transformed back into a normal girl, and so I went on a different quest, to find Hoaggie, my beloved mount. Gosh, I miss him dearly." she said, oblivious to what Jaffa said.

She then turned to Din,"For your information Din, I, Sarah Farwing, am not a sellout. I'm only working with them because I promise they could ride Hoaggie if they can find him. Also, they offered free sweets. Look at all the gumdrops I got." she said, but then looked sad,"Uhh, I... also miss you guys alot.... And I'm sorry I couldn't finish the genie quest. I left you guys thinking I would solve it just as easily cause I'm the greatest warrior here, but all I accomplish amounted to nothing, and I was alone for all that time."

"Ah! Sorry, sorry! I'll try to slow down!" Jaffa waved her arms around, doing her best to calm down and failing spectacularly.

Eventually, she decided to just hold them out, as if asking for a hug. "We heard about the destroying thing! People are looking for you for something. But we're just glad you're okay! You might need to lay low for a liiiiittle bit, but people only really seem to know that there was a blonde girl doing that! And oh my goodness, a big piggie?! Named Hoaggie?! That's so cool! I rode a big piggie too and he was so cute! Maybe they were friends? Or brothers!" It appeared that Jaffa was similarly oblivious. "That adventure of yours sounds really cool too, though! You made a new friend! And you got candy! And you stopped bad guys! How was being a rat? Were you super cute?! And it's okay that you didn't learn that much about Omar's friends... I'm sure he'd understand. And who knows, maybe you learned a little bit, even if you didn't solve the case! That would still be nice! Besides, we missed you too, Sarah, and it's so nice to see you and you're not alone anymore! We're here! Even the greatestest warriors need friends. And hey, we made a new friend too! His name's Norbert and he's a g-g-ghost, but he's also nice and he lives in a bench," Jaffa turned to gesture for the bench, stopping for a moment when said bench was not, in fact, right next to her, "and... Oh no! Where's the bench?! Did we forget him on the ship?!"

Anthi gave Sarah a ‘suuuure’ look when confronted with all the adventure tales.  Was she a bit jealous?  Maybe…

“At least you learned a valuable lesson about team work… If I’m not there then things go wrong.  I wanted to bring you back a weapon and here it is, tada!”

She handed over the belaying pin to Sarah as if it was a magic sword.

“Isn’t Norbert here?  What a shame…”

Anthi was being sarcastic about the shame part.

Yeah, you definitely left the bench with the pirate once you got the pin.


"Giant piggie? What, that's my Hoaggie! Is he alright? Was he fed well." she said, then gave a proud look,"Of course, I'm cute no matter how many forms I go through!.... Wait, d-d-did you say you met a g-g-ghost? I'm starting to prefer being alone now." she said, then remains the skeleton,"Uhm, on second thought nevermind... Oho, Anthi, your so right and I miss you soooo much!"

She said, then her eyes open wide as she sees the magnificent blade showcased by a heavenly light made by a lamp post,"It's beautiful! Hehehe, I'm going to definitely whack those Emeralds with this."

"Now hold your horses their little missy." Brussel said, appearing before you, astride in his giant weasel,"I believe we were working together, not trying to backstab me. I'm guessing this is your friend." he said to Jaffa

"Oh! Sorry about riding Hoaggie without permission then, Sarah... But yeah! He's doing great! We're watching him and stuff and he's been enjoying hanging out with the Emeralds! They're really cool. He should hopefully be eating lots of good stuffs!" Jaffa grinned and gave Sarah a thumbs-up. "A-and yeah, a g-ghost... He was nice and I'm kinda scared for him now... We should try to go back for him once we're done here."



"And yeah! She's a great friend." Jaffa span between Sarah and Brussel a few times. "Sarah, this is Brussel! Look at his awesome hat! He rides this cool giant weasel! Brussel, this is Sarah! She's an amazing warrior and a really good friend and she rides a cool giant piggie!" She nodded vigorously. "We're working together, Sarah! We were trying to find you. Brussel's been a huge help and he's our friend! Please don't whack his gang..."

“And your gang deceived you, Sarah… we caught this guy riding your pig.  I don’t think they intended to give it back to you.”

It was an assumption, but Anthi didn’t let facts get in the way of things.  Speaking of which…

“If they did give him back, it would be on a plate… and you’d have to share him with the gang.”
This message was last edited by the player at 20:43, Sun 31 Mar.

"Eh, I don't know about this, Jaffa. I mean, I am Sarah Farwing, and I never go back in my word as a warrior." she said, but then looked completely shock and outrage as Anthi made her assumption,"Their planning to make bacon out of Hoaggie! Those scoundrels! Come on, let's hear subside and beat those Corsets!"

Your friend pulls out her new weapon, but Brussel looked worried,"Hey, woah, hang on now. Theirs no need to be violent, we got ourselves a plan. Right?" he looked to the party to explain what your going to do.

"The plan is we go talk... while Din gets into an ambush position.  If Darius is as big as a bully as you say, violence will happen sooner or later.  And then Sarah can test her new toy."

Anthi didn't think her fake silver ore or returning Bobby would make Darius 'reasonable'.

"Nightbear, come protect me.  Isn't he just adorable?"

A kid sized teddy bear wandered out of cover on its own volition.  Nightbear was one of Anthi's favorite teddybears (a gift from father)... and with 'magic' animating him, he cut a mean looking figure.

"Holy blood and honey!" Dinkar stared at the animated stuffed bear. It looked like something that desperately required hitting. A lot of hitting. If Anthi said it was on their side, he'd refrain... but it felt like a bad idea. "You and I have very different definitions of 'adorable'."

"Oh, hey Mr Nighty! Don't worry guys, I can vouch for him. We have tea parties sometimes, though this is the first time I've seen him move about!" Sarah said, a frequent visitor to Anthi's place.

"Tarnations!... That's creepy." Brussel said bluntly, then adds,"Alright. Seems we got a plan. Let's head in."

Do you all proceed through the candy shop or got another plan to be use.

Jaffa clapped up on seeing Mr. Nightbear again. "Awwww, look at him walking around! He seems like a good friend, Anthi!"



"Uh, yeah! Let's get inside!"

You head in the Gutter. If their was ever a kid version of a seedy bar, your in the right place. A bunch of rowdy kids drowning themselves in sugar, roughhousing each other for their most stupidest things, and a candy keeper who has seen everything a kid had to throw at him. He wipes a mug of rootbeer and pass it on to the teen who slurps it off, then he swivels his chair and take a good look at you,"Well, well, well, if it ain't Brusselsprout. Come back over here to finally give me that hat? Or are you going start to cause trouble. Cause me and my boys are itchin' for a fight."

Brussel bares his fangs at his opposing gang leader,"... Darius. Fortunately for you we're only here to talk." he said, distracting him long enough for Din to do his sneaky ambush.

Dinkar, you may roll for your sneaky stuff.

The others could give you a +1 bonus if their interested in rolling charm by offering further distractions

“I wager you some candy that one of us can beat one of your boys in an arm-wrestle.  And I’ll even stump up THIS, if you win.”

Anthi produced her silver ore rock from the bag of fakes (that she no longer needed).  She waved it around and then cleared a small table… before bringing in Nightbear as her champion.  Hopefully that was a good distraction…

Ooc:  08:28, Today: Anthielle rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,5,5.  Charming: setting a challenging distraction

Darius eyes open wide as he stared at that ore,"I'll be... Now that is an interesting proposition! We'll talk later Brusselsprout, this lady's got some moxy walking around and carrying such a prize, well, I just can't resist." he said as he gestures his boy's to circle you,"And I know just the kid to beat all you little sprouts. Sarah, show them what kind of warrior you really are."

"Huh! Me!" Sarah said in surprise.

"As I recall, you were the one to let these strangers in without my permission. I remind you that this breaks your so-called warrior's code that you swore. Plus giving you treats for free was your payment to be our bodyguard." he said.

Sarah fidgets her fingers together."Ah, d-drat. His got a point. And my grandma told me I shouldn't break a promise... Sides, I do like a challenge. Alright, who's up for some armwrestling!" your friend said, suddenly switching sides. But she whispers to you guys,"I promise this is only temporary."

Back in the shadows, Din grips his staff and waits for a better moment to do something violent with it. Farwing's fake betrayal — it better be fake — has him thrown, uncertain what to do next.

Jaffa cupped her hands over her mouth. "Come on, Mr. Nightbear! Come on, Sarah! One of you can do it!" Sure, technically, it was better for the plan if Mr. Nightbear won, but Sarah was her friend, so Jaffa was going to make sure she cheered them both on!

Anthi looked surprised when Sarah was named as the champion.  It then gave way to annoyance… if Sarah was to be ordered around, it should be by herself… not some disgusting candyman.  But on the plus side, Anthi had everyone’s attention.

“Nightbear, flex for the crowd please.”

Her animated teddy strutted around with raised arms, like a champion boxer.  That gave Anthi time to have a quick word with her friends (and Brussel).

“If Sarah wins, Darius gets his rock… maybe he’ll take it somewhere safe and give Din a chance to strike.  Should we take a dive?”

"I see, I see. I agree, we should through the fight. Give your friend a chance to take him by surprise." Brussel agrees. Though you notice Sarah looks pretty pump to do this.

"Alright Mr Bear! Show me what your really made of!" she said, looking like she'll put her all in this.

Roll forceful for Nightbear to see if he can hold back his strength

When Nightbear finished flexing, Anthi gave him a shoulder rub… like a coach giving tactics to their boxer.

“Let Sarah win, but don’t make it easy for her.”

Nightbear nodded and then sat down at the table, stretching a plush limb across the surface.

Ooc:  09:05, Today: Anthielle rolled 7 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,1,2.  Nightbear, forceful. – 7

"Alright Mr Bear, prepare for the pain tram!" Sarah said as the clash of the century happened... And it was a bit of a letdown as the two wrestler's are locked to each other at a standstill. Sarah doing her hardest to push to win and put Nightbear down for good. And the plushy combatant doing its best to hold back, but it disobeyed, suddenly pump, it went all in. Now skip an hour later and the two wrestler's are still locked at a standstill. The crowd, once pumped up, are very, very bored now.

Darius gives out a sigh,"Well, I kind of loss interest in this whole debacle. Do you just wanna flip a quarter and see who wins instead?"

"Don't listen to him! I'm gonna him! I almost have him." Sarah said despite looking very sleepy. She holds back a yawn,"A-any moment now."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:29, Mon 22 Apr.

Anthi too was yawning as the arm wrestle reached a loooooong stalemate.  This wasn't getting Darius any closer to an ambush.  She released the magic and let Nightbear revert to teddy form.

"Impossible!  She outlasted the magic."

Anthi went to scoop up her teddy and give him a consolation cuddle.  Then she tossed the bit of ore at Darius's feet with a well practiced pout.

OOC:  21:21, Today: Anthielle rolled 12 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,6,5.  Charming: bluffing about Sarah's 'win'.

"Huh, oh hey! I won! Hah, guess I'm the toughest one of the bunch!" Sarah said, looking quite smug.

Darius was a bit surprised by the suddeness of it all, but when you gave him the ore he didn't think much of it,"Hehe, thank you for being such a good sport. But just to make sure, boys, keep an eye of our guess. I'll put this in my safehouse." he said, heading off to the exit and possibly to an alley.

And probably Dinkar's cue

Dinkar stepped out of the shadows, blocking Darius' exit. He said nothing, merely acted. He swung his new gnomish staff at Darius' head, with a grin of pure delight. It had been a while since he got to hit someone, and it was about damn time.


Dinkar rolled 3d6 ((1,6,6))

Darius didn't even notice your presence. You just appeared like a true assassin. If you weren't aiming for lethal measures, he would not be here. Darius lay before you, unconscious.

Meanwhile, in the Candy Gutters,"Free root beer on the house by your champion! Huzzah!" Sarah said in quite a celebratory mood. The Corsairs clink their child-sized mugs and guzzles down their drink of rootbeers  and in some cases, colorful sugary sweets. In but a few moments, you suspect that this entire store will be a pure sugar rush frenzy. Do any of you wish to partake in such merriment?

Jaffa threw up her arms and cheered when Sarah won. Sure, it might've been better for Mr. Nightbear to win, but Sarah was also her friend! It was nice to see her get a win.

Especially since that now meant free root beer! There was no way Jaffa was going to turn that down. She nabbed as many free goodies as she could stomach! Technically, she should probably be helping out more with the plan, but hey, free drinks!

“Well, maybe just one…”

Anthi took a root beer and sipped at it, being the responsible one.  Jaffa deserved some unwinding.  But she sure as hell stuffed her pockets with free candy.

“So what do you think Brussels… reckon you can charm these boys?  Maybe they won’t attack your turf if they consider you a friend.”

"Oh my goodness, that would be so cool!" Jaffa was clutching tightly to a very large mug of root beer, but she has already drained half of it and was very much vibrating enough to threaten spilling the rest. Not that she would. Chatting at the top of her lungs, on the other hand, was perfectly acceptable. "More friends is better than less!!! That's a great idea, Anthi!"

Brussel scratch his chin,"But... We don't accept fleshies. But Tarnations, you make a good point. Though, it's embarrassing to admit it, but I don't know the first thing in making friends with... Them." he said. Seems he might need help with that regard.

You can help Brussel make new friends by rolling charm or insight (for advice)

Anthielle rolled her eyes.

“I’m not asking you to adopt them.  Just go over and let them know who you are and what you have… a cool hat and a weasel mount.  Pay attention to the ones who seem impressed and ask them what things they have.  Ignore the others for now.  Then you tell them how cool it is to be a Kobold, even if you have to fib a bit.  By then you might have found a few followers… I mean, friends.  Promise them some cool stories, hospitality, or secrets the next time you meet and bang, friends.”

It was a bit crude and simple… but probably a better fit for Brussel than complex fleshy tactics.

Ooc:  15:04, Today: Anthielle rolled 7 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,2,4.  Charming: how to make friends

Dinkar wasn't a thief, precisely, but he was an opportunist. So while Darius lay unconscious on the floor, Dinkar started going through his pockets.

Darius had a few copper quarters in him, as well as some sort of card with words scribbled on it that you can't read. On the back it's said 'Arcade'.

Brussel looked nervous, but then he sighs,"Alright, you talk me into it." he said, walking to the Corsair gangers as Sarah downs a mug of sugar,"Gah, another. Anyone feeling a-a-a rush! I feel like fighting. Anyone interested!" she said as you see Brussel laughing it off with the Corsairs. You think things are turning in smoothly. Even if it doesn't work out, it seems Brussel has made a friend amongst non-scalies.

Anthi fidgeted while waiting to hear back from Din.  Had he succeeded?  Was Darius going to come storming back in here?  Not knowing was... worrisome.

"I... might get a bit of air.  Save me a drink, Jaffa."

She went to go and look around outside.

Din wasn't a thief, he told himself, but the coins were a prize. That's right: a prize. He gathered them up. The card was curious, though. He couldn't read most of what it said, but 'Arcade' was interesting. What was that?

He stuffed everything into hidden pockets in his tunic.

He needed something else. Needed to do something else. Darius would wake up angry, and the entire gang conflict would resume as if there'd been no intermission at all. So Din stole his pants first, and then went to rejoin the others.

"You got it, Anthi!" Jaffa waved Anthielle off with many thumbs up. More than she had physically, but made up for in spirit. She rushed over to get some more delicious root beer. She was surprised such a tasty drink even existed, as creamy and fizzy and cold and tingly on her fangs and tongue as it was. Sarah was really really generous to spill all this for free! That in mind, she wanted to make sure she saved a nice big mug for Anthi, not to mention an extra one for Din (he'd done the hard part, after all). And... while she was at it...

She could have seconds, right?

Anthi, you made a turn to a dark alley just to see Din pulling down an unconscious Darius's pants. The poor teen reveals his private undergarments, a pair of rubber duck pattern briefs.

Jaffa, seconds are all for the best. Sarah happily reimburse. The candykeeper pours you another ounce of sugary goodness, and soon you feel the sugar rush entering into your veins.

Roll 2d6 to see what happens Jaffa

Anthi watched for a bit and then decided she’d wait until Din was gone… or she was noticed by him.

Then she approached the unconscious Darius and pulled forth her piece of chalk.  Anthielle quietly communed with her mysterious patron.

Dark one, help me ensure this man doesn’t bother us again.  Curse him, exile him, break his mind, do whatever you like… he is a gift to you.

Ooc: trying to lay a curse on Darius with her Patron’s magic… results may be entertaining :)
10:22, Today: Anthielle rolled 9 using 3d6 with rolls of 2,1,6.  Charming: invoking Patron for a curse on Darius

"Thank you!" Jaffa smiled at the candykeeper, arms now full of the liquid perfection, even if only one of those was hers to drink. Setting down Anthi and Din's root beers, she went for a delectable taste...

Jaffa Redspot rolled 2 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,1.  Sugar rushhhhhhhhhh

Uh oh

Sugar rush snake eyesssssssssss

Darius looked like he was having the worst nightmare. It was like the kind were he was walking around in his underwear in the middle of class kind of dream. With the way his looking right now, he may have this nightmare for weeks.

Jaffa, the next thing you know, your chugging drinks upon drinks. Your friend's mugs were all empty in an instant and you feel so energized. Like you could do anything in the world!

What does Jaffa do to have fun.

Anthielle took a moment to admire her handiwork with a smile of satisfaction.  If only she could brag about this…

Maybe later, if the others ask.  She mused.

She then headed back inside and went looking for Din, Sarah, Jaffa, and Brussel.  Things had turned out even better than planned.  Delicious drinks, lots of lollies, and the three silver rocks as payment for a successful mission.

“Sooo what did I miss?”

Oops, those weren't hers! But that was okay, she could just get more! But, instead of asking, (which would be so embarrassing!!!) she could just get more people to offer free drinks! After all, Sarah did it after winning at arm wrestling! She could wrestle people too! She just had to not win!

Jaffa marched right up to the strongest-looking person there she didn't recognize and very very politely asked, "Heydoyawannawrestle?!"

You talk to the more beefier members of the Corsairs. He stares at you and smash a plastic cup of apple juice on his forehead,"Heck yeah, fight me!" he said, grabbing Jaffa's arm.

Roll Forceful Jaffa