[Heavy Snowfall] Chapter 1: The Request

[joe-dude667]

The Trouble With Heavy Snowfall.

Chapter 1: The Request

The northern city of Gorgia is the last safe haven in Aihbien before the endless tundra of Icendine. Under normal circumstances this is a happy, wealthy city. The Dwarfs here have long ago thrown off the shackles of their Giant oppressors, but lately there has been a dark shadow hanging over the city like a giant black cloud, filling the residences with gloom and dread. The Dwarfs haven't seen the sun shine for close to 6 months now, and they believe this darkness is directly linked with the murders that are plaguing the town.

You and your companions have been here for almost a month now, you may have met each other outside the city, or only when you got here. Maybe you came to help the Dwarfs in their hour of need, maybe you came here to seek out some of the fabled gold hidden in the Dwarven mines. Only you can say. All that the residents know is there are 5 adventures sitting in the Prince's Pride inn, talking quietly over a pint of mead.

During your conversation, a human man walked up to you and your companions. His long, greasy hair hanging over his face, framing his chiselled features like a pair of dark curtains. Without an invitation, the man got a chair from the table next to yours and took seat opposite you. Eyeing the group and their weapons with a small smirk, he took a drink from the mead in his own hand.

"Would you charming people be interested in making some gold?" He asked with a slow, thick voice.  

[NayrVentess]

You see before you a Dwarf. He looks to be maybe forty years old as he shows no wrinkles or other signs of age; although his dark brown beard and hair is messy an unkempt. On the table in front of him are over a dozen empty ale glasses, and as the human walked up to the table, Kardenn the Dwarf Paladin drained another one.

Wiping his frothy beard with the back of his hand, Kardenn let out a loud burp. "Oops, 'scuse me." His voice is typical of a Dwarf being both deep and loud. All you know of Kardenn is that he has lived in Gorgia all his life and is troubled by the recent events. You have heard rumors from the city about him being a drunkard and a waste of divine power. Its true, he doesn't seem like a normal Paladin. You have also heard people saying that he is over a century old, but it doesn't look like that at all. When you arrived in the city, seemingly here to investigate the darkness and murders, Kardenn declared that he was a noble Dwarf hero and that he would also join up with you. Oh, and he likes his ale...and wine, and spirits, he isn't too fussy.

Back to the human; "Yes, is the simple answer human, I, uh I mean, we would love to earn some gold. But you can only stay at this table if you deign to buy a round." Kardenn said this with a smile and a wink, but you get the impression he would love another glass of mead.  

[lk333]

A half-elf of about 20 sits at the table with the dwarf. He runs his hands through his dark brown hair and looks at the dwarf with his dark green eyes saying "atleast you had the curtosy to escuse yourself friend dwarf."

When the man approuches Rorrick here's his request and the dwarf's responce and says to his comrade, "Kardenn this man is offering us a job now I know how much you like ale but we can't possibly expect our possible employer to buy you another round can we?" He looks at the man and with a smile on his face says, "greetings you mentioned a possible job what would you want us to do my friend."  

[joe-dude667]

The man threw the Dwarf with a curious smile.

"No bother at all my friend," He replied to the half-elf as he waved over the Tiefling bartender. Anybody that had spent more than a few minutes in this Inn could tell you that this gruff looking Tiefling was not someone you want to order around or wave over casually. Though the man seemed not to realise this fact.

"What?" The bartender asked rudely before this strange man ordered a few drinks for the entire group. The Tiefling walked back to the bar, muttering some unheard obscenities to himself as the human sat in silence for a moment, appearing to take in the group. A lock of his greasy hair had fallen over his face while he absent-mindedly scratched his stubbly chin.

"My name is Darren." He eventually said. "You may not know me, I come from a sister city in the mountains called Pilt. My brother, Joshua, and I came here a few weeks ago. We were... trying to help fix the city..."

The hesitation was obvious even to the drunken dwarf. Noticing his quick mistake, Darren pushed on.

"We tried searching some of the caves in the mountain but found nothing. That is, we found nothing initially. On our third day we found a cave that, unlike most in these mountains, didn't appear to have ever been mined. We didn't get far in when Joshua was taken. I... I didn't see what it was."

Darren was leaning his head forward, trying to hide his damp eyes with his hair. Suddenly a gruff voice came from the bar.

"If you think I'm bringing these to your table you can think again sonny!" Shouted the Tiefling. Darren got up to collect the tray. Passing the mead forward so every member got a pint, he smiled at you all.

"So what say you?" He asked as he got something out his pocket. "If you save my brother I can pay you well."

The bag he removed from his pocket was thrown onto the table. A large quantity of gold coins spilt out of it rolling around the empty tankards. Downing his drink, Darren stood up and pulled out a small piece of folded parchment.

"This is a map showing the way to the cave where I last saw Joshua." He told everyone as he flicked the parchment onto of the pile of gold. "That gold is just a good will gesture. You'll get your reward when I see my brother."

With a swirl of his cloak the man walked out of the inn into the bitterly cold wind, leaving you all alone to discuss your options.  

[iDragow]

The only other human who had been at the table, so far remaining quiet, sipped at the offered pint of mead. He brought the mug down onto a loose gold coin that was spinning in place, pinning it down.

Slowly, he turned slowly to eye each of the others in turn. "I don't trust that guy, but if someone is in trouble, I'm going to help." He hadn't known the others for longer than a few weeks, and even then not very well. No reason to assume that they would be willing to join him in this endeavor, especially if there was a chance that it was a trap.

The man then fell silent again, staring into his flagon of mead.  

[NayrVentess]

Seeing his chance to seem heroic, but really eyeing (and palming) some of the gold, Kardenn raised his new mug of ale. "Yes, let us go and rescue the damsel!" And with that Kardenn drained his mead.  

[lk333]

Rorrick Gave the dwarf a puzzled look and said "uh friend dwarf how can we save a damsel if the person we are going to save is this mans BROTHER." Rorrick tried not to laugh at the dwarfs mistake and looked at teh man saying "we would be happy to rescue your brother good sir."  

[WingedDemonVM]

A rather young male Eladrin with long silver hair that flowed down his back sat at the table, though his chair was noticeably positioned as far away from the table as it could be while still being considered at that table. His pure green eyes were fixed on his left hand, which had an ornate ring on its ring finger.

Kreil Maenys thought the matter of the missing brother over for a few moments, his eyes scanning the gold that had spilled out of the bag, then he shifted, smoothing out a wrinkle in his finely-made white clothing before answering in a smooth voice, "You have my service."

Though the man's sad little story about his missing brother meant nothing to Kreil, he had nothing better to do at the moment. He suspected that the people of this village were hiding something important from him. Perhaps they would open up if he did this favor for the human. Receiving payment for the task was a nice bonus.

((Edited some crazy typos. Damn typo gnomes!))  

[Dark Jono]

"I do think we are jumping ahead of ourselves." The aging Eladrin speaks up, from the other side of the dwarf. As he does, the ale that had been delivered to him slides towards the dwarf [Cantrip - Mage Hand]. He glances up from whatever small book he had been reading, looking at the human who first spoke up, Vince, and asks, "Why do you not trust him, my new friend?"  

[NayrVentess]

As the mug of ale slides towards him, Kardenns eyes opened wide. "Thanks be t' ye Mage." Then Kardenn proceeded to gulp down another ale enthusiastically.  

[WingedDemonVM]

((Rolling an Insight check on the NPC in the Dice Rolling Thread.))

Now that Kreil was paying close enough attention to the others at the table to realize that the human didn't trust this person asking for their aid, he decided to see if he should even be trusting the greasy-haired human. Granted, the greasy hair didn't exactly make him want to be associated with the human. He gave an unnoticed shudder at the thought of when the last time that person had bathed was.  

[lk333]

Rorrick listened to his comrades words some wanted to help the man others didn't how could he be a good leader if he couldnt decide which of his comrades advice he should take. Instead of trying to persuade the hesitant comrades he instead focused on the man offering the job seeing if maybe he was unintenionaly showing sighns of lieing by reacting to the hesitent human.

Insight check on dude offering us the job rolling in dice roll thread.
11 Insight check....I might as well be trying to tell if the nearest wall to us is lieing.  

[iDragow]

((Actually, I believe our 'employer' left us at the end of his post... ninja ))

Vince was responding to the older Eladrin's question, even though he looked as though he was talking to his drink. "He was sallow and weak of body. Not a fighter in the least. Also, he hasn't been in the city long enough to know that the bartender isn't exactly a butler. To me, that shows that he's been pampered."

He wasn't looking AT the drink, but beyond it, completely lost in his thoughts. At this point, he was more thinking out loud than answering the question. "Granted, nobility can become adventurers, but I get the suspicion that he isn't one of them. Whatever he and his brother were doing in the caves is suspect. But, despite what they were doing out there, I get the feeling that his brother really IS captured or trapped. And if that's the case, I have to help."

Finally breaking his trance, Vince lifted the pint up to his lips, and once more sipped a mouthful of the mead. This time when he placed it back on the table, a small smirk flitted across his lips, and he looked at Sovelian. "...Or, that's the impression I got. Could be just some store owner trying to find a way to improve his business by fixing this town's problem, and got in over his head. Who knows?"  

[joe-dude667]

iDragow

((Actually, I believe our 'employer' left us at the end of his post... ninja ))

[[Thank you.]]

After contemplating what the man said, Kreil couldn't think of a more trust worthy person in the entire world. Rorrick on the other hand was slightly more suspicious. He couldn't be sure if the man was lying about everything, but the obvious hesitations were clear hallmarks of a bad liar not giving away the whole truth.  

[Dark Jono]

"Who indeed." The Eladrin nods, either in agreement with Vince or perhaps giving his approval of the young human's thoughts. "Nevertheless, I agree that some good may be done in locating this man's brother. And the thought of an unmined cave, I must admit, is very interesting."