Chapter 1 - Out On The Town

[TheTick]

Walking into town from the gate, the first thing you notice is the smell of salt in the air.  The road beneath your feet is well cobbled, and leads, as Guard Captain Kern told you, in three directions.  Ahead, to the west, you see the docks in the distance, with the inn just off to the left.  The sign out front notes there are rooms to rent.  To the south are the skilled craftsmen, armorers and weaponsmiths, furniture makers, and the like.  To the north, you can see a large house with a wild garden barely held back from overtaking the road - the herbalist.  Past that is a simple cart with brightly colored pennants hawking spells and salves.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Well, this is where it's up to you - sell your loot, have a drink, explore, talk to people, what do you want to do?

[pooka]

Imfei gets out her spear fishing gear and heads down to the dock to wait for the change of tide.
Waiting is half the fun!

[TheTick]

The dock is pretty quiet for a port city.  The local fishing boats are all out in the bay within the confines of the coral reef, but there are no large ships loading or unloading.  A few youths are sitting on the dock with poles in the water, though they don't appear to have caught anything.  Their discussion is lively and vulgar, though one gets a sheepish look on his face when Imfei wanders over.

[Lotofsnow]

Yiki watches as the paladin retreats toward the docks, a puzzled expression persisting on his face for several moments after she is out of sight. Then, with a shake of his head and a grin at his companions, he stomps toward the tavern.

[TheTick]

Yiki strides into the tavern, and is immediately stifling a laugh.  The decor is as stereotypical as you can get for a bar by the sea, with ship's wheels, ropes, fishing nets, oars, signal pennants, and carved fish all over the walls.  There are about a dozen mismatched tables with chairs (including a few sized up to let Gnomes or Halflings sit with the taller races) and a long bar at the back.  Standing behind the bar is a tall, dark-skinned human with some burn scars on his arms.  There's a stairway up at one end of the bar, presumably to what rooms there are to rent.

The tavern is about half-full, with numerous sailor scattered about who seem three sheets to the wind already.

[Lotofsnow]

Perhaps Yiki takes in the scenery subconsciously, but his full attention is on dark-skinned human behind the bar. His long strides take him across the room rapidly, and slapping five gold pieces down on the bar, he grunts:

A measure of spirits and a gallon of your ale.

[TheTick]

The barkeep grins and deftly slides the coins off the bar. "Do you need a glass for the ale, or will you be knocking back the cask all at a go?"  He pours a stout glass of spirits before disappearing into a storeroom to grab the gallon of ale.

Yiki's attention wanders to the nearest corner of the tavern, where a Gnome appears to be performing some sort of vulgar ballad.  A couple of people have gathered around and are laughing at various points.  Not laughing, however, are a couple of very drunk sailors who keep glowering in that general direction.  The Gnome notices them and adds an impromptu verse to his song, trying to draw them out (and maybe entice a few coins his way).  However, this only seems to anger the drunks, and when the little bard sets the other watchers to guffawing at a rhyming comparison of their mothers to various marine mammals, the sailors slam their glasses down and round on the table where the Gnome is seated.  The nearest one roars "Little man, I'm going to feed you yerr fingers one at a time!" and draws a dagger.

Spoiler: ShowHide

You wanted it, you got it.  Roll for initiative (1d20+ whatever your initiative bonus is), and I'll get some combat going tonight.  Imfei is off fishing, Yiki is at the bar, Taggart may show up HINT HINT, and if my buddy ever posts his sheet you might have another person to help you, Steve.  Or you'll end up fighting these two alone. ;D

[SteveRogers]

In a drunken stupor, Bigsby reaches for his rapier only to grasp at the air for a few seconds before finally placing hand on steel.  Drawing the short blade, Bigsby shouts, "Have at thee," in a feint and dodges to the left.

A quick glance at the surroundings leaves Bigsby at a loss for possible environmental advantages, but he does notice an orc at the bar regaled in the dress of an adventurer.  Bigbsy calls out in orc, "By ye mother's beard, I could use a spare hand o'ev here, my frien'."

This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+5 : 20 + 5, total 25

[Lotofsnow]

Amused by the frantic gnome, Yiki calls out to the sailors.

Come, shipmates. Leave the tiny trickster to his singing. Join me in emptying this pitcher and the one to follow.

[Sputnik314]

Taggart thinks the pearl could be at the archery range as a random guess. He asks one of the guards,
Is there an archery range? If so, where is it?

[TheTick]

The dagger wielding sailor snarls over his shoulder at Yiki "Stay out of this, tusker, or I'll carve you up like the pig you are."  The unarmed one is trying to talk his friend down.  "Come on, Athelun, let's have another drink and get out of here."  Athelun pushes his friend away, and rounds on Bigsby again.

Spoiler: ShowHide

No help from your Diplomacy attempt, but you get to go first.  If you want to do anything other than a straight attack, let me know.  And if Yiki is going to do anything other than talk, let me know that too.

[TheTick]

Taggart wants to do target practice. He asks one of the guards,
Is there an archery range? If so, where is it?

"Archery range?  We usually just shoot at the wall down by the water when we need to practice.  Just pick up your arrows when you're done."

[Sputnik314]

So there's not a real archery range is there. So what I'm looking for probably isn't there. Has anyone ever found a yellow pearl with a single mark on it?

[TheTick]

"Nothing so fancy here as that.  Oysters are tough to come by in these parts."

[Lotofsnow]

Yiki sets down the jug of beer.

Initiative 1d20+2 : 19 + 2, total 21