The Quest of the Missing Quill

[Haahque]

All Players: Day 1, 8 AM, Ichabod Inn
Each of you for whatever reason decided to stay in the Ichabodd Inn last night. The inn is one of the oldest and largest buildings in the province of Trevis. Having started out as a rather large house with a couple of guest rooms owned by Mr. Ichabod, he has renovated it many times, adding more rooms, a large common area and a stables outside. (Ichabod had assured Kanock that Fluffy would do just fine in the stables, despite it being made for horses, and that he’d tell the stable hands to treat him well.)

Why Ichabodd decided to buid his inn in the middle of nowhere is something of a mystery, as it’s not in a town, near water or mountains or anything else that people might want to visit, however it is still fairly well attended, mostly due to reputation. First of all, it had a reputation of serving a good variety of fairly cheap beers. Secondly it had a reputation of serving anyone without prejudice. Although it was in Empire territory, the soldiers tended to leave it alone while on duty, while Ichabodd allowed people of all races and social standing in as equals. Benjamin and Zurgo in particular were pleased to note he didn’t mark up their room prices nearly as much as they were used to by any merchant of any good or service who was under the thumb of the Empire. Thirdly it had a reputation of serving rather capable, yet helpful folk who would solve whatever problem you had, for a price. This reputation served as a sort of protection for the inn, for anyone who was foolish enough to attack it would be confronted by quite a few angry mercenaries and bounty hunters, and perhaps even a few wizards and priests.

Each room that you wake up in is decently furnished, with a single or double bed, a desk with two chairs, a chest of drawers and a potted plant in each. Most of you even had a good sleep, although Ishan’s sleep might have been a bit better if he had stopped a couple of beers earlier yesterday and hadn’t passed out on his bed fully dressed. He’s still feeling a bit tired this morning, but he’ll manage another day, after all he’s feeling thirsty.

With orcs nearby you aren’t surprised when all of you hear yelling and wailing coming from the end of the hallway. It’s events like this which usually precede yet another boring quest which often include orc antagonists, although this yelling sounds just a bit louder than usual. Even if you wanted to continue sleeping, it would prove very difficult with all this commotion going on.

(OoC: And here we go! Feel free to post as often as you like, especially if your post is comprised of free actions such as talking, if someone doesn't post within 3 days I'm liable to NPC them for a post / until they come back.)

[JadedDM]

Gaheris awakes with a start, the yelling having interfered with his dream, turning it into a nightmare. He sits up, rubs his eyes and face and takes a moment to realize the yelling is not from the dream, but in reality. He reaches to the other side of the double bed and gently nudges Jasmin. "Get up," he mutters. "Something's going on."

He swings his legs off the bed and starts putting his clothes on, then his armor, and finally gathering up his gear. He waits for Jasmin to do the same before continuing.

[HorizonsDream]

Jasmine had been trying her hardest to ignore the yelling outside. 8AM was way too early to be up and about. With a groan, she sits up in bed and rubs at her eyes. "Aren't people suppose to fight late at night while insanely drunk?" she asks absently as she pulls herself out of bed to put on her clothing, armor, and gathering up all of her gear.

[JadedDM]

Gaheris shrugs. "Better they wake us up in the morning then keep us up all night, I guess," he says. Once Jasmin is ready, he heads out and to the common area to find out what all of the ruckus is about.

[keymeister16]

Zurgo rose from his bed reluctantly, feather beds where so hard to come by as a half orc. He listened to the commotion outside, trying to divine any meaning from it. Curious, he tidied his room and made his way downstairs, clutching his spell-book for his morning preparation. scanning for a good breakfast, a secluded seat, and the noise, in that order.

[mgbevan]

Kanock grumpily gets up and waddles out into the corridor, muttering incessantly under his breath and fiercely thumbing the iron symbol hanging from his neck. "... If I wanted to be woken at t crack o dawn I'd be on a farm with roosters... 'eese Orcs as deaf as I am short or summat?..." As he rounds the end of the corridor he musters the most unimpressed face he can manage to confront this disturbance...

[Vrindlevine]

Ishan was already up and drinking his breakfast at the bar. He eyes the other patrons as they come down looking for someone who might look like they need a guide or bodyguard, as the roads have grown dangerous as the conflict between races has flared up recently.

He is always willing to negotiate, but good help is hard to find cheap these days.......

[Just_Ice]

An hour or so earlier on a second-floor room of the cheapest variety, Benjamin had been so caught up in one of his composing dreams that he'd rolled off the bed and continued to sleep there. He wakes to the addition of an angry vocal chorus.

The stiff drowkind pulls on the dresser drawers and pushes off the floor with a coif of magnificiently puffed white hair. He rights himself, dresses hastilyand grabs his things with a nod of his head before heading into the frantic hall with a slight smile.

"It seems real life has bested my dreams again. I wonder what sorts of mischief a group that sounds like that plans to do here... And what sort of fellows goes out to meet them?"

[Haahque]

(While I divided this post up into each person’s perspective, it might be a good idea for everyone to read everyone’s section of this post, since I only describe the common area, the people there in and the details about the commotion once in detail, hidden amongst different responses).

Gaheris and Jasmine
Your room was right at a bend in the hallway, so it wasn’t completely clear from inside where the commotion was coming from. When you leave your room however it becomes apparent that the commotion is not coming from the common area to the north, but rather from a room at the east end of the hallway.
The room, as you recall, is the oldest in the building and the largest besides the common area. The room was originally Ichabodd’s, but he moved to a smaller room years ago so he could rent out the main suite for a pretty penny. The door to said room is open and coming from the room is a long line of curses interspersed with the occasional “Where is it? Where could it possibly be?”

Right beside you a dwarf waddles out of his room, muttering something about orcs and a summit.

Kannok
As you leave your room you nearly run into a human couple who decided to just stand in the hallway right outside your door. The humans, it appear, are also somewhat interested in the commotion at the east end of the hallway. The swearing and yelling you hear coming from a room that you seem to recall some sort of wizard or mage staying in. Judging by the noise he’s alone, but still able to stir up quite a ruckus.

Zurgo
As Zurgo had a second floor room, he was slightly impressed that he could hear the commotion which appeared to be coming from the end of a hallway on the first floor, however he makes his way down to the common area. After all, in the morning it’s amazing how food can be a top priority.

The common area has an a bar which Ichabodd himself stands behind, handing out breakfasts and drinks, and nearly a dozen other people sitting at the bar or around odd assortment of short and long, finished and unfinished tables. There is a large, decorative water fountain in the south east corner, an exit to outside to the east and hallways to patron’s rooms to the north and south. It’s from the south that Zurgo hears this commotion, something that sounds like a single man yelling curses rather louder then he knew humans could.

The meal Zurgo finds at the bar is your choice of bread and cheese or porridge. A secluded spot is also fairly easy to find, as the two long tables at the south end of the room are unoccupied. These tables are rather rough pieces of solid wood and don’t have tablecloths like the finished ones at the north end of the room have, and have benches instead of the chairs at the other tables. However it is a spot Zurgo could sit down and not be disturbed by the dozen people scattered around the bar or the other tables.

All of the other patrons look at least a little bit tough, many of them wearing armour and with weapons on their belts or leaning against the wall. One aged human at the bar seems to be eyeing him, although he’s not sure if it’s to strike up a conversation or to size him up.

Ishan
The best cure for a hangover is having a drink. Or something like that anyways, Ishan figures, taking a sip from the large tankard in front of him. Besides Ichabodd, there were ten others in the common area when he arrived. Four were imperial soldiers huddled around a small table in the north east corner. Most of them looked like rather standard, run of the mill soldiers enjoying a little bit of their last paycheck, but the slithzerikai with a quarterstaff isn’t exactly a common sight. Usually slith like to use spears or tridents or some sort of polearm with a pointy end.

The other six don’t have any apparent affinity, there are two human men pouring over books in the northwest corner, a pair of girls, one human one slith, both in chainmail talking at a table in the center of the room and a Nephilim with a human woman picking up breakfast from the bar.

As he watches a half orc clutching a book descends the staircase from the second floor, soon after a drow with long white hair appears at the top of the same stairs. Downstairs you can see two humans and a dwarf leave their rooms to stand in the hallway to the south, all three interested in the commotion going on at the other end of that hallway.

Benjamin
The commotion you can determine, is coming from downstairs, from a room below you and to the east. As for methods of reaching this location you could jump out a window at the end of the hallway, but the usual method for getting down would be a staircase in the common room.
From the top of this staircase you can spy the occupants of this large room. There are 13 others in total, mostly human with a couple Slithzerikai, a Nephilim and a half orc.

[Just_Ice]

Benjamin descends the staircase hurriedly, but with a rhythm. He keeps his hair still as he can, his hand crossbow hidden, and his lute in plain view as he reaches the main floor. He doesn't feel much like eating just yet, due to his elfin metabolism. He leans against the wall nearest the quarterstaff-wielding slith and begins to pluck notes, listening in order tune his instrument. His red eyes train between the more notable characters in the room, trying to read what's about to happen.

[HorizonsDream]

Jasmine looks down at the dwarf for a moment then flashes him a winning smile before she boldly walks towards the room the string of curses are coming from. "Lose something?" she asks as she peeks her head inside the room.

[JadedDM]

Gaheris tails Jasmin, curious to see what all the shouting is about. He doesn't even notice the presence of the dwarf, as he is fixated on the source of the commotion...as well as Jasmin's round bottom.

[mgbevan]

"Hear this rubbish?!" Kanock declares to the human pair as he lumbers after them. He stands in the doorway of the noisy room huffing and shaking his fist - tightly clenched around his symbol - as if his has was all that kept his own behaviour from descending into filth too.

[keymeister16]

“porridge if you may, I have my own water” Zurgo motioned to the waterskin at his waist as he collected his meal.

“well you’re mightily polite for one of them half-orcs,” Ichabodd laughed innocently, pouring a big scoop of light brown mush from the ladle. “enjoy!”

“nice enough place,” he murmered as he shuffled over to the south tables. Picking a spot that kept his back to wall, he could see the entrance and most of the floor, but he kept his ear near the south hallway to eavesdrop. He cracked open the musty, fur bound tome, taking care to keep the pressed leather sheets away from his surprisingly hearty food. He leaned back, kicked the opposing bench out another two feet, and casually traced the arcane runes as he dipped his bread, waiting for things to unfold.

[Vrindlevine]

Ishan hid his face as a few Imperial walked past he didn't really feel like dealing with his former comrades, he pushed his glass back and poured some water from his own skin into it before pulling some jerky out of his coat it was horrible, days old boar meat but he never paid for food if he could help it.

Getting up he moved further away from the bar and started watching for a prospective client. He heard the commotion but just put it down to racial tensions, seeing the orc at the table conjuring some petty spell made him think about when he saw his first orc, the drown descending from upstairs just made him angry but also curious the drow tended to stay underground he wondered if he was a spy or assassin he decided to keep a close eye on that one.