Offers of healing, seemingly good.  Talk of a job, seemingly good.  Of course it remains to be seen if they are the kind to try and declare healing comes out of future pay.  Which would be bad.  Because the dwarf would be too torn in half by a gnome to pay anyone after that.

  ...Nah, bandages are for your own blood!  The girl would have had to come in here covered in somebody else's blood to be that bad (probably).

  ooc: "yes, in a tragic war accident, Khuridoth lost his ability to stop casting thaumaturgy nonstop. That's why doors keep dramatically flying open when he walks past and he talks like someone turnd a megaphone to low volume"

<Nerd> The resonant frequencies of Kitau's bones are much higher than the baritone vocal range, so it would probably take a soprano to get her bones to vibrate. ;p  Her dog, on the other hand...</Nerd>

"Ruh!" the dog outside barks.

The gnome's eyes fix on the iron defender, and her fingers twitch nervously.  The fairy whispers in her ear.  She scoffs and turns her eyes to the dwarf, approaches, and nods.

The fairy folds his arms and declares, "Eren hates introductions."

Khuridoth looks down at the gnome and says, "Moradin's blessings upon ye, lass." He holds a hand up and Kitau's wounds all heal. Then he glances at Erin and grunts in response before looking at Elric while idly reaching to give Rush a bit of a head-scruffle. He wants a team for several reasons. He had just tasted adventuring only for his last team to retire. But now that he has seen the evils that plague the surface, he cannot stand by and allow it to continue. So he had made up his mind to find the most evil problems he can handle and tackle them until either he gets to old or jaded for the task... or the problems of this world amount to nothing more than a few bandits here and there. But he's not so optimistic. "Aye. Jarred the Jailer is an infamous slave trader, known for his hideous methods of subdual to those he captures. Rumor has it he is here. In this very city of Hearth Hold. I intend to find him, jail him, and give him reason to stop his evil activities forever."

A nervous waitress approaches and asks Khuridoth, "Welcome to the Pig's Delight... can I get you anything?"

Khuridoth says, "Aye. A sampling of all of your beverages, and an order of steak, please."

The waitress nods, then glances at Elric and Kitau, wondering if they will order. "...and you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:18, Thu 01 Aug 2019.

Rush wags his tail in response to Khuridoth giving him a 'head-scruffle' but remains silent.

Elric nods as he listens to Khuridoth and says, “That is assuming he'll come quietly, odds are he'll put up a fight and if lethal force is necessary I won't risk others by holding back against him. I doubt the threat of 'dynamite where the sun does not shine if he ever tries to continue such practices' would intimidate him... At least until he learned what dynamite does... then he'd probably soil himself. However, scum like him isn't worth actually following through on that threat. Dynamite isn't cheap to make. Better to just put a bullet through his eyes and be done with it.”

When Khuridoth orders food and drink, Elric turns to the waitress and politely says, “I would like a sampling of all your beverages and an order of fish,” as he places his own order.

Elric is quite pleased with the fact that while a Warforged does not need to eat or drink, they were designed to be able to eat and drink since it would make them unable to benefit from potions and other beneficial items that are ingested.

  Hmm, if they use 'hideous methods of subdual' they might be infamous for how bad at their job they are in collecting usable slaves.  Which means not only were they (probably) Immoral, but also Unprofessional!

  "That does tend to be an unmentioned until too late aspect to such jobs. It's all speeches about how much of a blight upon the land their mere existence is, then suddenly 'Whoa! We're not here to KILL the cannibal bandit!'"  Joe finishes his drink, and adds.  "I didn't get paid for that one."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:05, Fri 02 Aug 2019.

Kitau is visibly relieved upon receiving healing.  What's up with the sampling of drinks?  From both of them.

"Thanks," Kitau answers the dwarf, "Moradin's blessings back atcha."

"Eren hates ordering without a menu," the fairy grumbles.

Kitau looks at Eren, then to the waitress, expecting her to figure out they want a menu to order from.

She ponders the conversation about Jarred, but says nothing about her thoughts about, "Well technically it's not killing him if you remove his limbs before you arrest him."  What would his new name be?  Jarred the Injured?

"Yer welcome." Khuridoth answers Kitau.

The waitress points to the large menu board that is hanging over the bar. "There's the menu, hon."

The waitress gives Erin an endearing smile, showing how cute she thinks he is. That and she is admittedly pleased to see a fairy... rare sight for most.

The menu is relatively small, having about two or three choices of either soups, salads, meats, fish, or fruits. Also having eggs and such like, and about 5 selections of alcoholic beverages.

She then looks to Elric, "We have salmon or pike, do you have a preference?"

Khuridoth answers, "Just get both. Thanks." he looks at Elric. "I know ye prefer pike, so I'll have salmon."

He then turns to look at Joe. "Well if ye wanna be a part of the hunt, then c'mon over to my table!"

Khuridoth looks to Kitau. "That goes fer you too, lass. Have a seat."

Elric chuckles slightly, “You remember well, Khuridoth,” as Elric then turns to the waitress and confirms, “I do indeed prefer pike over salmon.”

  Joe expects it will be a pretty crowded table shortly, so heads on over before people of varying fractions of his size take the 3rd best seat (Clearly the 1st and 2nd best being reserved for the Dwarf and Robe Guy who obviously already know eachother).

  "Thanks, though I can wait on talking shop if you'd prefer a nice meal before elaborating on unpleasant business." The universe teeters on the brink of destruction as his player remembers to properly introduce a Darkthorne before everyone else has.  "I'm Joe, good to meet you."

The door to the tavern flies open with a loud crash. Light floods in like a tidal wave and crashes down upon any unexpected onlookers. Then, like the moon eclipsing the sun, a massive frame fills the doorway, plunging the tavern back into its original lighting.

The lumbering mass moves a bit on the spot as if adjusting something, before fully entering the establishment and shoving the door closed. As all eyes adjust to the onslaught of light changes they notice that the large being is clad in tattered tan linens. Obviously, they've seen a lot of wear and tear, and have likely not been washed in weeks. A white rope is wrapped around the hulk's waist, resting to the right (much like a pious monk). And a massive bulge splits the tunic at the top at a strange angle.

The word "sanctuary" is heard by all, as the large being pats the door apologetically.

As he turns to face the denizens of the inn all are alarmed by his unleveled gaze, misshapen head, and noticeable hump. A beaded necklace is now visible which sits awkwardly around his neck holding a holy symbol not ever seen before (a vertical and horizontal line of equal lengths intersecting like the lower case letter "t"). His toothy smile wipes away any misconceptions and it becomes clear that this giant man is more of a simpleton.

The monk ... cleric ... er ... traveler glances about the room before finding an empty table and flopping his girth onto the chair.
EDIT: As he sits there with a large goofy grin across his face as he looks about the room. When his gaze lands on the assembling group he waves his meaty hand at them, but otherwise pays zero attention to their business.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OCC: Sanctuary will not be playing in this game. Tim has allowed me to create this character to make random appearance to add color to the game.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:38, Thu 22 Aug 2019.

(( OOC: The conversation about pike or salmon reminded me of this silly song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eySRyvcyJ4o ))

---

Kitau is a little skeptical of the offer to join, but after giving it some thought she takes a seat in what might be considered the 4th best spot.  So far, the cleric and his pal haven't made a single mention of how to profit from hunting down Jarred the Jailer.  A good sign.  Compared to her last team...  Yes.  A very good sign.

"Kitau," she answers the introduction, figuring the fairy needs no introduction.

Eren may be a grumpy fairy, but he's still a fairy.  So he orders a cookie.

Kitau takes a look at the menu.  "Side of eggs."

At her size, a normal human-sized meal would take days to eat.

When the noisy hunchback bursts in, Kitau draws her weapons lightning fast.  Eren is startled, glares at the oaf, and whispers in Kitau's ear, "Eren hates sudden loud noises."

Kitau relaxes when she sees the man smile that goofy smile of his.

Khuridoth raises an eyebrow. At first glance, the guy looks like a dumb but strong oaf. A quick look around the room and based on the surprised expressions of the people in the room, Khuridoth figures out the guy isn't local.

A single cookie is brought to Eren. But its diameter is about half his height, so he has plenty to eat. Likewise, the side of eggs is brought to Kitau.

Shortly after, Khuridoth and Elric are served their fish orders and a tray of drink samples.

Khuridoth nods to Joe. Then to Kitau. Once again in that reverberating voice, Khuridoth speaks, "Well met, Joe, Kitau, and Eren. My name is Khuridoth. My companion here is Elric. Appreciate the offer, Joe. Unpleasant though it may be, I'd rather talk business. But since I already spoke of what I'm after, I don't have much else to add on the topic. Do any of you have experience or knowledge on the topic that could help us find this man sooner than later?"

He doesn't stare at Sanctuary or even look in his direction. But he keeps an eye on the man all the same, in case Sanctuary either needs help or is a threat.

Elric nods when Khuridoth introduces him and after the dwarf finishes speaking Elric points to  his Iron Defender and says, “And this faithful companion is Rush.”

The Iron Defender then speaks up, “Hello.” but otherwise remains sitting next to the table, although the Iron Defender does glance at Sanctuary for a bit when the stranger enters the inn and sits down.

Elric glances at Sanctuary for a moment upon being alerted by the noise and shifts his right arm to point at the large individual as it quickly shifts from a hand into a strange shape with three long tubes sticking out, before shaking his head as his right forearm reverts to being a hand as Elric turns back to the conversation at the table.

When he is brought his food and drink, Elric pays for his food and removes enough of his face mask to expose his mouth and chin saying, “I see no reason why we cannot discuss the mission while eating.” The exposed portion of Elric's face looks to be comprised of what seems to be wood, metal, and ceramic all melded together. As Elric begins to eat and drink he keeps an eye out to spot how people react to his face.

  Alas, Joe does not know ICly yet that someone in the party knows mending.  So the big guy's tattered look is probably going to last a bit longer.

  "Last few slavers I've gone after were of the sort that don't bother hiding.  Is he aware you are looking for them, or did they set up shop someplace where the locals don't approve but are still too scared to do anything about it?"

  Hmm, Not exactly a hidden blade, but Joe expects Elric's tube time has the same general intent... Oh and he's a golem man that likes fish.  That's entirely reasonable to Joe's wildly skewed world views.  Much like talking dogs of any variety.

If Mittens were here she'd be flipping out over the transforming hand cannon and talking metal dog.  But magical catgirl seemed a tad too fantastical for "classic D&D" story.  And well, she's got her hands full mocking an imp with her sock puppet right now anyway.

Kitau quietly noms on her eggs, listening to the men talk.  (Is that dwarf related to a grizzly?)  But she also stares in bewilderment at the transforming hand and talking dog.  She's only heard childish stories of great gnomish tinkerers of the past who made self-aware golems.  Maybe the legends were more true than she was led to believe.  But this is going beyond even the legends that the children of her home village are told at bedtime.

"I can track."

Eren's eyes go wide when he sees the huge cookie.  He'll never get used to seeing such wonders.  At last, nomming on the yummy cookie, he looks happy: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/be/2...6d784ce4b86ce982.jpg

Khuridoth answers Joe, "Slavery is technically illegal in this area. If he were brazen, the law would have to take him in themselves. But as long as he pays their fee and keeps low so that he doesn't make the law look bad, he is allowed to go free."

He nods to Kitau. "Useful skill. Wilderness tracking? Urban tracking? Or both? Come ta think of it... might need both."

The waitress glances at Kitau and then to Eren. "Can I pet you? I've never touched a fairy before..." she is intimidated by the metal dog, however, and would never ask to pet him.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:42, Thu 03 Oct 2019.

Elric glances around as he continues to eat and drink while saying, “If we have someone that can track, then all we need is a trail that would lead us to the slaver as Khuridoth is right, the local law won't be any help as either he's managed to keep below notice somehow, or he's paid off the right people to where those in local law can't or won't act against him... Although we have to be careful that corrupt guards don't try and go after us for attempting to bring the slaver to justice... Those who are corrupt tend to not like losing their meal ticket.”

Rush simply sits next to Elric while keeping alert for any possible danger.

  The waitress should probably have lead with 'More cookies' bribery, but who knows maybe Erin likes headpats?

  "I suppose it will also depend on if they are taking a break, or actively doing business.  While we should hope it isn't the case, it would be easier to close in on them without directly raising suspicion if there happen to be people with more gold and less unwanted family members." Or same end result but seemingly more sympathetic 'We lost out son to the counterfeit gravel mines because were tricked into debt' sob stories.

Mention of urban tracking has Kitau looking a bit frustrated.  "Wilderness"

Maybe it's time to learn?

Eren broods from the question.  It's perfectly fine for a fellow fairy to pet another fairy, but to be asked that from a perfect stranger titan?  Even Kitau, who had saved his life, wouldn't ask that of him.

"Eren hates being pet."

Still... she brought a cookie.  "High five is fine."

He holds up his little hand for the waitress.

Eren's gesture seems to make the waitress's day because she high-fives him with a big smile. She's not stupid, though. She takes his dislike of being pet as a sign he's the type who doesn't like being called cute either, so she keeps those comments to herself.

Khuridoth says, "Aye, Elric has the right of it. So when we begin our search, be non-threatening to the guards and don't ask them about anything that has to do with slavery 'till we know the guard we're talking to is trustworthy."

Khuridoth says to Joe, "Good idea. And a good place to start." Villains do so love their supply of puppies to kick.

He looks at Kitau. "Thank ye, lass. I now know if we flush him out of the city, he won't be able to hide from us. But even without urban tracking specifically, I've seen wilderness tracking work wonders inside a city. As a group, we will find him and catch Jarred."

Khuridoth looks at Eren. "Having eyes in the sky will also be very handy, Eren."

Khuridoth finishes up eating. "Ready when ye all are."

OOC: Does Rush have the ability to track by scent? Not that the group has Jarred's scent yet, but if Rush has that ability, could come in handy later.

Elric finishes his meal and adjusts his outfit to conceal his face once more as he stands up as he says, “I'm ready.”

Rush gets up and speaks up, “Rush is ready.”

OOC: Rush does not have the scent ability.

  Joe wonders if Kitau's bigger problem is if she was like him, and was actually a Fighter That Dresses Like A Ranger instead of an actual ranger?

  "All set. Though it does occur to me we've all agreed to find and track this guy down, but never got around to asking what he looks like." It probably would have been part of the travel exposition, but this is the sort of thing he's gotten used to double checking.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 14:28, Mon 28 Oct 2019.

Yup.  This is absolutely the right group.  Not only is it, "We're ready," instead of, "Why don't we at least look for a more lucrative quest first?" but it's also, "What does he look like?" instead of, "Paid-for guards?  Never mind!  I've got enough trouble with the honest ones to risk this."  Nothing quite like finding a good team to relieve the survivor's guilt Kitau's feeling from the last one biting the dust.

Eren hated the last group.  But that's no shocker.  They were titans, and titans are nasty monsters that love to kill your fairy friends and family.  But these new titans seem like they aren't completely horrible.  And mini-titan Kitau, the only titan to have ever proved trustworthy and almost as passionate about killing titans, seems to agree.  Either way, it's an opportunity to kill more nasty titans and this evil Jarred they're protecting, so...

"Eren loves hunting Jarred."

Kitau nods and exits with the group, Eren riding in her backpack to watch her back.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:43, Fri 01 Nov 2019.

Khuridoth begins by following Joe's suggestion: Go looking for potential victims. People who would really be defenseless and who either don't have families, or whose families wouldn't miss them.

Despite the city being, well, a city, it is surprisingly easy to get over that initial hurdle of finding such specific individuals. Khuridoth goes from one tavern to another, disguising this as him tasting the different alcoholic beverages of each to compare them. Yes, he is doing that sincerely too, but that doesn't change the fact it is a good excuse to go around listening to what amounts to the rumor mills of civilization.

In the process, the team learns the following:

1) There are one or two outcasts who live in normal areas, but there is a whole area dedicated to housing just outcasts. Nobody cares when they go missing except fellow outcasts (and even then, "at least it wasn't me" is the attitude). And by nobody, we mean nobody. The guards barely give the place a second glance.

2) There are rumors of a string of missing people among the outcasts in their district. They are now traveling in "packs" and anyone who doesn't find a group to be with when out in daylight is considered "as good as gone".

3) There are also rumors of a series of murders. The murders are consistent: A slit femoral artery and missing fingers (usually the pinky of each hand), and a removed face.

Khuridoth raises an eyebrow at this. "Well that's... interesting."

Elric glances at the group as he considers the three 'facts' the group learns and is concerned that the outcasts are more afraid of disappearing during daylight than at night. “The murders are oddly specific in how someone is killed... but it would seem that any outcast alone in daylight disappears... so that could be the bait if we can fake a lone outsider. But would that lead to a kidnapper or a murderer?”