GM Elle: So when morning arrives, everyone recovers everything you'd normally get back after a shift rest -- except Dilfriida, who wakes up feeling awful and loses -- ouch, 6 hit points. Dilfriida finds herself wracked with chills and fever, unable to keep anything down. This gives her the Sickly condition.
Sasha: Does she have the runs too?
Hettie: Sasha. Do we really need to know this?
Sasha: Hey, I'm just thinking ahead to when we get hit with an extra cleaning bill from Vagnhild.
GM Elle: Let's just say she doesn't. But she's certainly not going anywhere in her present condition.
Hettie: She won't be going anywhere except the town graveyard if she takes another hit point loss like that.
Claire: If Filvius feels better, he'll start tending her.
GM Elle: Oddly, my reading of the rules is that basically nothing happens from that until tomorrow morning when it's time for Dilfriida to roll.
Claire: Wow, so we're stuck here another 24 hours?
Ariel: Could we maybe put her in the wagon bed and have Filvius treat her while we're going?
Akane: No. A halfling befouling our wagon from all orifices will not receive Zedeja's tolerance.
Hettie: Zedeja has tolerance?
GM Elle: My reading of the rules also gives no indication that there are restrictions on the character's activities while sick, aside from the Bane on CON-based checks from being Sickly.
Akane: Excellent. Sick halfling walks, tended by elf, no inconvenience to anyone.
MSG: I think having a companion staggering along feverish and vomiting would probably make Dolora even more dour than usual.
Ariel: I know I'd get tired of hearing her being sick.
Sasha: Well, I'm betting there are monsters that can smell sick prey and will come right after it, so Quackers is fine with Zedeja's plan.
Hettie: Dilfriida refuses to go along with that plan. I'll stay here and croak before I'm forced to march across the countryside sick by a senile old crackpot.
Claire: Too bad I can't roll to learn my Heal Wound spell until the end of the session.
Ariel: Yeah, that's a crummy rule. But ... the old dude who taught you can cast it, right? What if we take her to him?
Sasha: Let's send somebody to ask him. If the price is too high, it might just be cheaper to wait and pay for the rooms again and let Filvius roll his Healing check.
Hettie: Except that if he fails his check, there's a good chance of me dying. If I hear any of this and know that the old guy can heal, I'm just going to crawl up that hill and pay whatever his rate is. Assuming I have that much.
GM Elle: Well, you'd previously been sleeping in the dormitory, and no one said they were moving into a private area for discussions, so I think it's reasonable to assume Dilfriida hears about the old man's healing abilities.
Hettie: Excellent. I'll take my 2 remaining hit points and head for that hill.
MSG: Are you really down that much?
Hettie: 6 points from the disease, and I was already missing ... wait. This is embarrassing, I seem to have subtracted the 6 points from WP, not HP. If I put it in the right place I've got 7 HP left, not 2.
GM Elle: I guess we can rewind that ...
Hettie: No, from a roleplaying perspective, Dilfriida would be pissed that everyone was even talking about making her walk behind the wagon while sick, so I think she'd head to the hermit regardless.
GM Elle: All right, then. Is anyone going to go with the thief?
MSG: Not if she's got a whole 7 hit points.
Claire: If she's well enough to get up and go, I'll let her.
Ariel: Don't look at me! You know I'm not down for unnecessary efforts.
Sasha: Quackers will go along just on the off chance another troll shows up and needs killing.
GM Elle: Then the two of you get to the hermit's place without issue. He says he charges 5 gold for Heal Wounds, or 10 or 15 if you want him to use a higher power level to heal more damage.
Sasha: Do we need that?
GM Elle: Based on the spell description, I'll say no.
Hettie: I hand the gold over, then.
GM Elle: He intones the mystical syllables of the spell, lays his hands upon your diseased flesh, and -- wow, this isn't your day, Het. He rolls a Demon. That causes a Magical Mishap.
Sasha: Is there time for me to step further away?
Hettie: If this is bad, I'm demanding my 5 gold back.
GM Elle: Hm. I roll an 18, which causes him to become one age category younger.
Sasha: Damn, then, he should pay us for that.
GM Elle: Let's see how it affects his stats, though. He gets +2 on Strength, Agility, and Con, -1 on Int and Wil. So, he's clearly surprised, but he tries to play it off by saying, "There, that was just me getting myself ready." He fails his Bluffing check, though, so you can tell it was a major magical foul-up.
Hettie: I'm calling him on that lie and saying it looks to me like he just had a big-time bit of fortune and he should cut his price in half both because of the benefit to him and to reassure me he's actually in faith a good healer.
GM Elle: You can roll Bartering, and I'll even give you a Boon because of his shock at suddenly being decades younger.
Hettie: My Bartering is terrible, though. 6 and 16 both fail.
GM Elle: He shakes off his bewilderment and says he doesn't think a discount is in order, but he will try again for no extra charge if you want him to.
Hettie: I need to be healed somehow.
GM Elle: This time he rolls an 11, which is a success. In addition to removing the disease, you're healed for 6 points.
Claire: All righty, then. Are we heading out when they get back?
MSG: Even if it's not Glinssa, we still need to hire someone to tend our donkeys while we're in dungeons, don't we?
Claire: With any luck someone who isn't a member of a cult that would kill to get its hands on our stuff.
Ariel: I really wanted to use my Insight on her though!
MSG: You know what? I'm giving a couple coppers to a town urchin to send him or her to Graminger House with a note for Glinssa. It will just say, "Heading out of town in an hour. Offer still stands." And I tell the urchin not to give it to anyone but her. They need to ask for Graminger at the door, and then ask him to get Glinssa.
GM Elle: Vagnhild probably has a quill and ink you could borrow, but she tells you parchment is a silver a sheet from Master Ulvar's.
MSG: I'll pay it, I suppose.
Claire: Can I just say, this seems like a really dubious hire to me?
Ariel: Probably to everyone.
Sasha: Out of character, sure. In-character, Sir Q doesn't know about it yet, so no opinion.
Akane: It is unsanctioned by Zedeja. Thus, illegitimate.
GM Elle: Anyone else doing anything while waiting for Dilfriida and Sir Q to return?
Claire: I think we should go looking for someone with donkey experience to hire. If we come up bust and Glinssa really shows up, I guess we'll figure out what to do about it then.
Ariel: I like that idea.
Akane: Approved. Zedeja delegates the task to the hound of silver fur and silver tongue.
Ariel: Hey, I said I liked the Idea, I didn't say I want to go out and do the legwork on it.
Akane: Your skills are mercantile. Who else would do this? Akane? Filvius? One is excellent for commanding but less motivational to outsiders. The other is brash and lacks charm.
Ariel: Okay, okay. I guess I'll ask Vagnhild where she thinks I might be able to hire a donkey handler we can trust.
GM Elle: She tells you a couple of people in town who might be willing to do it as an odd job. You can roll a Charisma check, with a Bane if you want to complete the search in less than an hour.
Ariel: I actually don't want to try very hard. It sounds like a lot of work, and anyway, I still want to try my Insight ability out.
Akane: Treachery.
GM Elle: If you try half-heartedly, roll with a Bane. If you're just faking it, don't roll at all.
Ariel: Faking it sounds best, at least until we see if Glinssa shows up.
GM Elle: Okay, MSG, roll a die. On a 5 or under, the note gets to Glinssa and she's motivated to come and talk to you in less than an hour.
MSG: 5 exactly.
Ariel: I'm kind of moseying around the town square with the statue keeping an eye out for Glinssa coming back.
GM Elle: Roll Awareness with a Boon since she's not trying to hide.
Ariel: Ooh, Dragon!
GM Elle: You definitely see her, and you also notice her looking back over her shoulder toward the stairs she just climbed from the boarding house street to the town square. There's something uncertain or hesitant in the way she does it.
MSG: Like she could be worried someone is following her.
Claire: Or like someone has been walking with her most of the way giving her advice or orders and she's checking in with them one last time.
Ariel: Ughhhh. Okay, well, I'll head back toward the inn so I get there pretty soon behind her.
GM Elle: To see who gets to the inn first, somebody draw an initiative card for Sir Q and Dilfriida. Glinssa gets the 5.
Sasha: We show up on 6.
GM Elle: In that case, Dolora, Filvius, and Zedeja are in the common room when Glinssa enters. Make an Awareness check.
MSG: 4 makes it.
Claire: 14 does not.
Akane: 16 is a failure even for the vast Awareness of Zedeja.
GM Elle: Dolora notices that as Glinssa looks around the room upon entering, she spots Annabelle helping someone at another table, and immediately casts her gaze downward. Instead of continuing to look around, she heads straight for an unoccupied table and sits down.
MSG: Hmm. That's curious. I'm going to wave Annabelle down the next time I can get her attention.
Ariel: Do I get inside before then?
GM Elle: Yes.
Ariel: Do I notice Glinssa sitting all by herself and our group sitting at another table from her?
GM Elle: Yes, no roll necessary for that. It's not too crowded in here at the moment, and the light is good.
MSG: I'll try to get Fidu's attention and gesture him to come over to us.
Ariel: So ... which table is closer to the door, Elle?
GM Elle: Glinssa's is.
Ariel: Okay, I'm going there, then, and when I sit down I'm going to say, "Wow, my feet are so tired."
MSG: I'll work to avoid doing a facepalm.
GM Elle: Ariel, roll a die. If it's odd, Annabelle notices you and Glinssa sitting awaiting service before she spots Dolora trying to wave her down.
Ariel: 1.
GM Elle: She heads your direction.
Ariel: Awesome! When she gets close, I'm going to ask Glinssa a question and use my Insight to see if she's lying.
Sasha: What are you doing?
Akane: This seems overt.
GM Elle: What's the question, Aers?
Ariel: I say, "I'm having crudzy luck finding anybody to help our group with our donkeys while we're out adventuring. Do you know anybody who'd be interested?"
GM Elle: She immediately says, "What? No!" And you know that she's lying.
MSG: Wow. That was brilliant.
Ariel: So then when Annabelle gets there, I'll ask her the same exact thing.
GM Elle: Are you using Insight on her too?
Ariel: No, Fidu doesn't care what she says.
GM Elle: She says there ought to be lots of people in town who'd be interested in good-paying work. Then she asks if the two of you want something to eat or drink.
Ariel: I say no, I just sat down at the first table I came to because my feet are tired.
GM Elle: You do need to roll Bluffing for that.
Ariel: Uh-oh, I didn't think about having to roll. Whew, I get a 13 and my Bluffing is 14.
GM Elle: Annabelle seems to buy it and looks meaningfully at Glinssa, who says, "Oh ... um ... I know it's still pretty early, but I kind of need a drink pretty bad." The serving maid replies that the time is no problem if she has the coppers. Glinssa puts a hand in her pocket and dejectedly pulls out three coppers, which is one short. Annabelle frowns.
Ariel: I'll take out a copper and put it on the table and say it seems sad for somebody in need to come up just a copper short of what they need. I don't need to roll Bluffing for that because it's true.
Sasha: I'll say it is. Why are you trying to hire this chick again, MSG?
MSG: You're not there.
Ariel: So when Annabelle goes off to get the tankard of mead, I'm going to ask Glinssa really quiet, "Quick, and this is yes or no. If we hire you, are you going to turn on us at some point?" I spend another two points on Insight.
GM Elle: She says no, but she can't be seen leaving town with you. She's telling the truth.
Ariel: Well, poop, I can't think of a solution to that right this second. Maybe we could hide her under some sleeping furs in the back of our cart? Only she'd need a reason to go out in the stables where it's parked. Is it parked in the stables?
GM Elle: Yes. Annabelle is coming back with Glinssa's tankard, though.
Ariel: I'll take one of my boots off and rub my foot. I'll kind of have to turn away from the table to do that, where it won't look like I'm talking to Glinssa.
GM Elle: Once she's dropped off the tankard, she comes over to the group's table and asks if Dolora needed something.
MSG: Fidu threw my plan there off, not that it was much of a plan. Now that she's here, I'll just ask her for another mug of mead.
Ariel: Ooh, good. When she goes to get that one, I'll tell Glinssa that when she finishes her drink, she should go out the front door but then walk around to the stable entrance and hide under the sleeping furs in our cart. Hopefully there's only one cart there. Or just one with sleeping furs anyway.
GM Elle: She looks a little dubious, but gives a nod.
Ariel: Okay, then I'll put my boot back on and go tell the group they've got time for maybe one more drink and then we should be hitting the road.
Sasha: Are Dilfriida and me back yet? Because if we're hitting the road, I could use some of that one more drink action.
GM Elle: You arrive around the same time Annabelle brings out Dolora's tankard.
Ariel: When you sit down I tell you there's time for one more drink, but you need to order it when I tell you to.
Sasha: You're telling people when to order their drinks now? Who do you think you are, Zedeja?
Akane: No thinking you are me, hound!
Hettie: What about me? Can I order a drink?
Ariel: You should order one when Annabelle gets back with Sir Quackenscrump's.
Sasha: I'm very confused.
MSG: I think I see where this is going. Dolora tells everybody to just humor Fidu.
Akane: What! Telling everyone is the responsibility of Zedeja! Stop being such assumers!
Claire: Filvius wants to know what the deal is. He feels he's being left out of some crucial knowledge.
Ariel: If Annabelle isn't nearby, Fidu will tell everyone his plan. Sir Quackenscrump will order a drink right after Glinssa gets up and goes out the door. Then when his drink comes, Dilfriida will order hers. That will keep Annabelle busy while Glinssa sneaks into our cart in the stables.
Sasha: What about Vagnhild?
Ariel: Um ... I'll go to her and ask if she needs us to pay any extra for cleaning up after Dilfriida being sick. Then I'll try to keep her chatting a while after that. Oh, and I guess I need to return the keys to the private rooms.
Sasha: You can tell her the story about the old pruney guy making himself young again.
Ariel: Well, I can't because I don't know that story.
Sasha: I'm sure we'll tell you once the drinks start flowing.
Ariel: That's too late! I need to be talking to Vagnhild while Annabelle is getting drinks and Glinssa is sneaking into our cart.
Sasha: All right, then I'll tell you now.
Akane: Zedeja insists to know why anyone is sneaking into our cart.
Claire: What about the stableboy?
Ariel: What stableboy? Is there a stableboy?
GM Elle: Odd, there's a stableboy. Even, it's a stablegirl.
Ariel: Wait, what roll means there's no stable anyone?
GM Elle: It's a 5, so, stableboy. Vagnhild runs the inn and also serves as sort of the town mayor, so I don't think she's got time to care for customers' horses and donkeys. There's a stableboy, and I'm sure there's also a cook who's been making the food you're eating while you're staying here.
Claire: Filvius will go out to the stables and give the stableboy a couple of coppers to go wherever we bought the donkeys and ask if they have a third donkey and how much it would be. I tell him to come in the common room and let me know the answer when he gets back.
Ariel: Ooh, that was good thinking.
Akane: Zedeja opposes all this planning and shenaniganning. She has so much disapproval for hiring a cultist donkey-minder.
MSG: I'll tell her -- and I'm keeping an eye out for Annabelle not being nearby for any of this, Elle -- I'll tell her Glinssa just wants to get away from the cult and is paying us to smuggle her out of town. Bluffing roll of 4.
Akane: It's believable, then. But Zedeja wants to know the smuggling price. Who negotiated without her permission?
MSG: I'll tell her it was Fidu, because we thought it should be someone old and wise and because his Bartering ability is so good.
Akane: Okay, tolerable. But next time I must know to begin with!
Hettie: Is it time for Quackers to order his drink yet? Because Dilfriida really needs it to be time for her to order her drink after that.
GM Elle: It does look like Glinssa is about to drain the last of her tankard.
Ariel: Fidu gets up to go talk to Vagnhild.
GM Elle: She's behind the bar cleaning glasses at the moment.
Ariel: Okay, I head over there.
Sasha: Say the word when Glinssa heads out the door.
GM Elle: You see her walking that direction.
Sasha: I'll wave Annabelle over, then.
GM Elle: Ariel, Vagnhild tells you she already cleaned up the dormitory area, which was where Dilfriida was sleeping, right? It wasn't too bad, because she leaves a spare bucket right outside the dormitory door in case of drunken vomiting, and Dilfriida managed mostly to get everything in the bucket. So no need for an extra fee. She does thank you for returning the keys, though.
Ariel: I'm going to ask her if the old guy on the hill has a magic trick to look young sometimes and old other times.
GM Elle: She says, "Do you mean Dranath?"
Ariel: I say I don't know if I mean Dranath. I don't think any of us got his name. He's the old hermity guy in the hut on the hill.
GM Elle: She says that's Dranath, and she's not aware of him playing any magical tricks.
Ariel: I'll tell her the story about the magical mishap, then, and if Annabelle comes over to ask her to fill up a tankard for Sir Q, I'll say, "Hang on a minute, I'm almost done with this story."
Claire: Meantime, I'm keeping an eye out for the stableboy getting back. If he comes back before we're ready to go, I'm going to figure out another errand to send him on.
GM Elle: Okay, with all this strategy coming together, I'll say it's going to come down to Fidu Bluffing with a Boon to occupy Vagnhild and Annabelle long enough that Glinssa can get in the cart -- assuming she's actually going along with this plan and trying it.
MSG: I'm going to be pretty ticked if she ditches out on us.
Ariel: All right, my Boon rolls are ... a Dragon and a 19.
Sasha: We're on fire with those Dragons tonight. That's what, two for me, two for Aers, and one for MSG?
Akane: So many bonus advancement marks. Zedeja has none.
Hettie: Maybe she needs to do less of the ordering people around and more actual utilization of her skills.
Akane: Probably it's good advice. But her weakness of "overbearing" prevents her.
GM Elle: Thanks to the Dragon, I'll say you get into your tale of Dranath's age reversal right as Annabelle shows up, and you do such a good job telling it that she willingly stands and listens in rather than trying to interrupt.
MSG: Nice job.
GM Elle: That means once you've finished all the drinks you've ordered, you can gather your stuff up, hitch the donkeys to the cart, and head out of town. Which I think is a pretty good place to end the session.
Claire: Yes! Time for some spell-learning.
GM Elle: Participation mark for everyone, and definitely a mark for solving a tricky situation without violence. I'll count the fist fight as defeating dangerous enemies for Quackers, Dilfriida, and Dolora. Weakness points for everyone, but nothing for exploring a new location. So four marks for the brawlers and three for everyone else.
MSG: Awesome. Nice game, Elle.
Ariel: I'm enjoying this town stuff even if I keep napping through most of it!
Sasha: Yeah, good times. But you know what, I think I'm going to voluntarily disqualify Quackers from the weakness mark. I don't think I mentioned monsters more than once or twice, and not even in an annoying way.
Akane: The weakness of Zedeja, impossible to dispute.
GM Elle: Whatever floats everyone's boat. All right, maybe next time you'll make it to another actual adventure!
will we, dear readers? stay tuned and find out!
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