[IC] The Plague of Tamor Town

[Zergrinch]

Unable to elicit any more information from the stables, Zarron gives the mule one last pat and exits the door.

There was a heavily-armored human woman sitting very close by, apparently sighing to herself. Well, it seems like his hand was forced.

"Greetings!" he approaches Ellis, putting on the deepest voice (and probably attempting to stand on his tippy-toes without actually doing so), "My name is Zarron Gemblossom. I was sent here to help you with the situation here!" he attempts to lie.

Deception! (d20+3)[14]. Vs. Insight.

[JNAProductions]

Spoiler: Insight

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(1d20+7)[18]

Rolling dem bones.

Ellis nods and stands. She heads over to the new man, and says Greetings, stranger.

She puts an armored hand on his shoulder, with just enough force to impress on him that lying further is a bad idea. I'll let you redo your greeting-if you're honest this time, we won't have an issue. If not... she trails off, leaving the implications unsaid.

[Zergrinch]

Zarron's voice suddenly rose by an octave, and he starts squeaking like the 15 year old that he is.

"Umm. I was thinking maybe _{I could join ^{your group. I mean, if you need some help investigating this plague...}}"

[JNAProductions]

And your name? Ellis asks, letting go. Or were you telling the truth about that? My friend, we will gladly accept all the help we can get, but honesty is the best policy. If no one sent you, and you're merely here because you wish to do good... Well, I can understand that.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara wandered off from Adamas, finding Ellis with the night elf boy. She sits next to Ellis and starts to braid her hair, resting her staff nearby.

[Zergrinch]

And your name? Ellis asks, letting go. Or were you telling the truth about that? My friend, we will gladly accept all the help we can get, but honesty is the best policy. If no one sent you, and you're merely here because you wish to do good... Well, I can understand that.

"Y-y-yes Ma'am. Thank you, Ma'am," Zarron stammers (all the while internally lamenting that the first person he has to encounter was a paladin) as he points to a badge on his chest that states:

Zarron Gemblossom
Bard

Before he could say anything more, a growl escapes from the stomach. It seems that in his haste, he neglected to imbibe of any food for that day.

[JNAProductions]

Ellis nods, and sits back. She lets Taara braid her hair, and says The villagers are in the inn. They're mostly sick, with just a few tending to them. But... Why lie, Zarron? You come with good intentions-there's no need to hide that.

[Zergrinch]

"Your Lady Paladin-ship, it wasn't a lie, technically," Zarron protested, gaining a bit more bravado now that his honor was being questioned. "I met this teen who said the town of Tamor needs help. It was hard to find work in Qsen and when I went to pack up my things hoping to join you, you already left. So I sent myself here. Maybe got lost a bit on the way. So what I told you was true... from a certain point of view!"

[JNAProductions]

Don't be smartass, Ellis says with a smirk. You know full-well that's not what you meant. I just want to know-why lie? Why pretend to be anything other than you are?

You're a young man, who learned that people were in need of help. So, you went to help them. That's noble, that's heroic, that's whatever platitudes you want to lather on it, but above all, that is good. You are doing good by choosing this course of action. When you do good, there's no reason to hide-it's worse to hide it, she says, thinking back to the stories her father had told her. Let me tell you about my father. He's a man of valor, a man who never stands ashamed of what he's done. And he's an inspiration-to me. To my family. To everyone in my home. To everyone he's met. But that's because he never hid himself. Even in the darkest depths of the vilest pits of hell, he stood proud as a champion of all that's good in this world. It frightened those who would stand in opposition to him, and it gave bravery to those who felt they were too weak to truly to be good.

I can only hope to be a fraction the person he was and is, but the point, she says, realizing she's gone a little long, is that you're a good man. You've got nothing to hide.

[Zergrinch]

Zarron rolls his eyes internally at the concept of him being a "good man." He's done quite a bit of thievery in the past while a child out on the streets, and has certainly told his fair share of "white lies" and "tall tales".

But seeing as how the lady could knock him five ways into Tuesday with one strike using her gauntleted fists, he feels it safer to just humor her instead.

"I'll do my best to keep that in mind, your lady paladin-ship," he responds, obviously still unaware of her name and too intimidated to ask.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara finishes braiding Ellis's hair. It's beautiful, expert, and much better than when she braids her own hair, considering she can actually see it this way. She starts to kick her feet out, letting them fall back and hit whatever she's sitting on, as she starts to braid her own purplish hair that hangs long.

She speaks suddenly, addressing Zarron. "Are you hungry?" She says simply. Her pale blue eyes peek out from between the hair and her brown wood elf skin, staring the half-night elf in the eye. Her staff falls over with a clatter, which she doesn't react to.

[Zergrinch]

When he makes eye contact with the beautiful wood elf, Zarron fights an ultimately losing battle to meet her gaze.

Whatever was wrong with him? He'd have no issue entertaining a pub full of people, but butterflies were fluttering in his stomach. A thick lump seems to have formed in his throat, which seems to have thoroughly dried up.

The boy is first to avert his eyes, and after debating whether to look at her eyes or the rest of her, decided that looking at the floor felt the most comfortable.

He fishes out the opened pack of trail rations, and before he dug in, summoned the deepest, most baritone voice he can muster and replied (still resolutely avoiding eye contact), " Thank you for your concern, my lady. I was in such a hurry, I just forgot to eat, that's all!"

[ProudGrognard]

Trunksplitter

Adamas walks in just as the young human dugs out his rations.

"Who is this?" he booms. And then notices the rations.

"And what is this? No trail rations, I have made excellent broth!"

Without waiting for a reply, he serves a big bowl of broth to the young man, with a big chunk of bread next to it.

He addresses the others

"I cannot find where the plague started. It is everywhere. The rats are again eating the supplies and maybe the other stores also have supplies."

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara finishes braiding, and just stares forward at Zarron for a while. Not searching for eye contact, or in a disapproving sort of way. Just forward, with a neutral expression.

When Trunksplitter rounds the corner, she jumps to her feet and approaches him, turning away from him when she reaches 5 feet away.

"Yawn," She fakes, stretching her lightly muscled, sleeveless arms out over her head with cracks and pops.

[JNAProductions]

Ellis asks May I? as she goes to ladle herself some soup. With Trunksplitter's permission, she fills her bowl (slightly chipped and lumpy-it was made by one of her siblings at a young age) and takes a deep draught of it.

A fine meal indeed, Adaamas. Where'd you learn to make it this good?

[ProudGrognard]

Trunksplitter

Adamas slurps his own bowl, and makes sure that Ellis has some of the bread.

"I like to cook, that is all. I am a big man, and I need lots to eat. I learned to do it the way I like it. You liked it? Good, good. When we get some meat, you will really see the People's cooking. It is a shame I don't have yogurt, it makes excellent sauce."

[Zergrinch]

Zarron is thoroughly intimidated by the Goliath and is still reeling after the big man yanked the rations out of his hands and shoves a bowl of hot stew in his face instead. And so he says nothing, save for taking a tentative sip out of the stew. The tempo accelerates with each passing moment as the half elf finally realizes just how empty his stomach was, and how delicious the concoction was.

[JNAProductions]

Trunksplitter

Adamas slurps his own bowl, and makes sure that Ellis has some of the bread.

"I like to cook, that is all. I am a big man, and I need lots to eat. I learned to do it the way I like it. You liked it? Good, good. When we get some meat, you will really see the People's cooking. It is a shame I don't have yogurt, it makes excellent sauce."

True, a big man you are. Solid muscle, though, Ellis says, giving him a friendly slap on the back. Couldn't ask for a more solid man to work with.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara looks around at her companions, then back to Zarron. She wasn't all that smart, but what Ellis said seemed like some sort of subtle dig at this Zarron boy. She didn't know exactly what, so she doesn't say anything, and walks over to fetch her staff from the ground, and goes on to eat some of the soup. Cooked food hasn't been entirely common for her over the last 6 years, especially not cooked meat, and she enjoys it with a smile...

...Quickly turning back to a neutral expression.

[Zergrinch]

At Ellis' mention of Adamas' considerable bulk, Zarron pauses eating, casts a sideways glance at his scrawny twig of a bicep, seems to make an involuntary sigh, and then goes right back to eating, pretending that nothing was wrong.

Performance: (d20+5)[21]

[ProudGrognard]

Trunksplitter

Adamas takes a second to process what solid means, experimentally pushing his - rock hard- biceps. He then smiles and then laughs heartily.

"Har har har, thank you! I am so lucky, to meet such clever and nice people among the Lowlanders!

I will be here for you all. We are a band now. "

[Izzarra]

After a long day the light fades away to night and the stars come out.

[Zergrinch]

It having been a long day for him, Zarron mustered enough courage to thank the hulking Goliath for the soup, and briefly entertained the sick villagers at the tavern. He agreed to take the last watch, before finding himself a comfortable hayloft in the stables with the mule he befriended and going right to sleep.

[JNAProductions]

Ellis says We should set a watch, in case of animal attacks or bandits. We've enough people we can probably have two to a shift. I'll take first watch-and light plenty of torches for myself. No night vision.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Using Passive Perception 15.

If I need to roll, let me know.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara lies under the stars and goes to sleep looking at the little twinkling dots she was named after. She drifts off before voicing which watch to take.

[ProudGrognard]

Adamas


"You can rest. I will take first watch and then wake up Ellis. Then we will wake Staar and then Zarron. Done, see?"

[Izzarra]

The night passes without event with utter silence, except for the susurrus of the rats.

In the morning you discover that one of the elders passed away.

[Zergrinch]

By rights Zarron should have been shaken by the death, but the youthful bard does not appear to be in significant distress. His street upbringing has unfortunately brought him in close contact with mortality at a young age, and he has been inured to people dying in their sleep in the streets.

Of course, this is no ordinary street, and this is no ordinary street rat. While keeping a respectful distance, Gemblossom tries to wrack his mind on whether such a death was natural (aka old age) or was hastened by the plague.

Rolls
Medicine: (d20+2)[4]

[ProudGrognard]

Trunksplitter


Trunksplitter just shakes his head when he hears that an elder has died. That is what elders do. In his tribe, when elders can no longer contribute, they are left in the snow to fend for themselves.

But the Lowlanders seem to have taken this seriously. With a shrug, Trunksplitter picks up a shovel and intyerns him into the ground.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara silently watches Trunksplitter put the old man into the ground, clutching her staff, quivering.

She doesn't at all agree with Trunksplitter's apparent attitude towards the situation of the death of an elder. But she does not voice this either.

She doesn't cry, but she stands still for a long while, paralyzed in thought. Domorn's name echoes in her head, the voices of the dragonborn chasing her through the burning section of wood, Chand's beaten face as she turns and runs. Her dinner for the next three days after: A rabbit or mouse, caught by her own hand. This old one had died on her watch, in a way, though she had not declared it- she felt like she was the problem, that she had killed the elder. She tried to remember if she had had another hazy episode like she had six years ago. Her mind spiraled into single phrases: "Your fault", "Killed them", "Leave", "Loneliness", intermixed with the names of her old friends.

Then, she finally notices her stomach rumbling. She struck herself roughly across the temple, and goes off to find a rat or something to eat.

Spoiler: Perception (or Survival, if that's more appropriate)

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To find rat: (1d20+5)[16]