"I don't think so," the barkeep exclaims as he moves around the counter. Now that he is out from behind the bar, you can see how big he is. His chest and arms are heavily muscled, and he appears strong enough to wrestle an ogre and probably win.
The commotion draws the attention of the others here, stopping the game of darts along with the other peripheral conversations. All eyes fall on the three strangers and the barkeep. "Look, I don't want any trouble. But I can't get a reputation for serving children, you understand?"
"I'm not a bloody child, you fish-faced nincom--
"What our son is trying to say," Allessia interrupts, steppping up between Liam and Sketch. She slides one arm around Liam's waist and pulls herself close to him, and places her free hand on Sketch's head. She shoots the bartender a wide and desperate smile, "is that we've traveled a long way tonight. He is overly tired, and hungry..."
"Say no more, ma'am," the barkeep replies, his expression softening to Allessia's words. He takes the mugs of ale from Sketch (who hangs onto them a little longer than he should) and returns behind the counter. He motions for the three of you to sit before he taps a different keg and fills a wooden cup with a different liquid. The other patrons return to their conversations and game, satisfied that the tension has passed.
"I was going to turn this into cider," he says as he offers the cup to Sketch. "But I suppose you can have a bit. I can't offer you any food right now, but the monastery is still taking refugees. They've got food and beds available, last I heard. Nibs can take you there."

Alignment Fulfillment: Liam --> Allessia
Liam's chaotic alignment has spurred a companion to significant and unplanned action.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:16, Fri 17 Apr 2020.

"I appreciate your offer, and your help. But we aren't refugees. We'll be happy to pay for our meal and lodging, and return to our own home when we're through."

"Sure thing," the barkeeper replies, offering you a conciliatory nod. He then shifts his attention to the other patrons, moving down the counter to refill mugs and speak with others.
Once he moves away, you notice Allessia staring at you. She looks anxious, as if not sure what to do next. If you return her gaze, she quickly turns away, taking a long pull from her mug.
Sketch drains his cup in between muttering angrily to himself. He obviously doesn't like attention being brought to his size. He slams the cup down on the counter before hopping off the stool. He wanders over to the game of darts being played.

What does Liam do?

"Guys, do we have any reason to stay here? Could we get back to the mine without running into the centaurs again? Even if it's a 60% chance we avoid them, I'll take it."

"I thought we were on a trading mission," Allessia says incredulously. "Wasn't it your idea to find a neighboring community to sell ore to? And we were at least a day away when Sketch walked us into those... creeps," she adds before taking another drink from her mug. Her nervousness seems to have melted away, replaced now by anger. "If we go back now, even if we avoid them, this whole thing will be a complete waste of time!"

Sketch isn't listening. Instead, he is watching the merfolk play their dart game. After a few rounds, he asks to play.

"Yes, it's true. We should stay and look for a trading partner. I had my nerves rattled a bit by those centaurs and how straightforward they were in their brutality. I suppose any bad actors here will be hiding behind smiles and open hands."

He watches Sketch to see if he's any good at darts.

Meanwhile, Liam looks to see if anyone is interested in poetry or tale-telling. Maybe this isn't that kind of bar, and such a performance would seem out of place. But if there are people looking to hear an epic or two, Liam might as well earn some coin and maybe a room for the night.

Allessia raises her mug to Liam before downing the rest of it. She then signals the barkeeper, indicating "two," one for her and one for you.
"Most of the others seem preoccupied with their own business. But I'd like to hear what you got."

At first, those playing darts don't allow Sketch to play. Like the barkeeper, they seem to think he is a human child. They all laugh wildly when he lays down a coin as if to buy his way into their game.
"What is that?" one asks in between fits of laughter.
"He's copying what he's seen his pa do," says another. "You know how humans are, anything they want they throw their coins at it!"

Angered, Sketch picks up a dart lying on a nearby table and tosses it at the board. It hits the creature perfectly between the eyes with a thud.

The merfolk stop laughing, amazed by the little guy's throw.
"Do that again," one of them says, offering him another dart.

Sketch takes the dart and again tosses it at the board, scoring another hit directly to the creature's left eye.

Liam watches Sketch hustle the dart players before turning his attention back to their newest party member.

It takes him awhile to figure out what she means, but when he realizes what she's asking, he's surprised.

"Well, I'm not going to sing to you one-on-one. That would be a little awkward. But I do know a tale of your deity."

He launches into a long tale about Iomedae, and how a devil tempted her to drink a certain kind of god-intoxicating wine. Every day Iomedae would feed the wine to a magical bird instead of drinking it herself. Finally, after a week, the devil thought Iomedae was immune and gave up trying to tempt her. However, to make sure the wine was actually intoxicating in the first place, the devil took a huge gulp of it himself. He ended up destroying himself, while Iomedae was fine. And the bird's physiology didn't let the wine affect it, so the bird became a symbol of triumph in adversity.

It takes Liam about 15 minutes to tell the story in full.

By the end of your story, Allessia appears completely enchanted. She's ordered another ale, and is sitting comfortably with her elbows on the counter, leaning toward you. Her bright blue eyes are affixed on you as you finish the tale.
"I haven't heard that story since I was a little girl," Allessia says, almost dreamily. "After entering the chantry, nearly all of the lessons and trainings are martial, or refer to Iomedae's deeds during the Shining Cru-
This message was last edited by the player at 19:43, Wed 15 Apr 2020.

A series of scuffs and sneers interrupt Allessia's thought. You turn around to find many have left their conversations to stand around you and hear your tale.
"Eeomday," one scoffs loudly before turning away. "Never heard of him..."
"Could be a Cozi trick," you hear another say.

"Is this some sort of joke?" says one of the merfolk who had been playing darts with Sketch. He is holding the coin Sketch put down in his hand, studying it closely. "I've never seen a coin like this before."
"Oh, you know humans," says another. "The faces on their beloved currency change with the tides, aye?"
"No," the original replies. "This doesn't look like it's from Sea Gate. Where did you get this?" he asks Sketch.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:43, Wed 15 Apr 2020.

"From my last employer," Sketch answers as he lines up another shot. He tosses the dart, which is then snatched out of the air by a merfolk.
"What? It's not counterfeit, I swear. Besides, you blokes owe me!" he states, thumbing his chest triumphantly.

"If that tale was not to your liking," he says as he stands up to face the crowd, "perhaps you'd like to hear how the shore-dwellers stole poetry from the sea-king's waves. Or, if you're prepared to accept our money as good, I could relate the tale of how the sharks devoured Prince Eric. But that is no tale for an unwelcome guest to relate..."

A few patrons return to their own tables and quiet conversations. The rest remain, waiting for Liam to tell another tale. Perhaps the majority wasn't as offended as the few that spoke out; or maybe there just isn't anything else more interesting going on in this little drinking hole.
"Let's hear about the poetry," a female merfolk says.

"We don't gamble with children," the merfolk closest to Sketch says. He slides the coin back to Sketch.

Liam tells the story of how the shore-dwellers stole poetry from the sea-king. However, he also tries a daring bit of improvisation.

In the original tale, the shore-dwellers were elves: lithe, long-lived, and in touch with nature. Liam changes that. He makes the shore-dwellers halflings. He tries to do it subtly, but he slips in some references to their short stature and how their appearance belies their years of wisdom -- or as the sea-king viewed it, base cunning.

He hopes to teach his audience that halflings can do anything tall folk can. But he doesn't want to make it preachy. It's a tough line to walk, even for an experienced storyteller like Liam.

He stretches the tale out to three quarters of an hour, mixing in some ballads, some blank verse, and some prose sections. He includes the 'song of the sea' that every schoolboy knows. He tries to dramatize the characters with their individual voices.

By the end of the performance, he's visibly sweating a bit, drinking plenty but still trying to keep his mind razor-focused.

Sketch returns his coin to his pocket before slinking away. While Liam is telling his story, Sketch slips outside, away from merfolk.
He wanders around for a bit, making a mental map of the village.

Allessia listens to Liam's story. She isn't as interested in shore-dwellers or sea-kings than she was in the previous story, but she enjoys Liam's performance none-the-less. He has a gift, that's for sure. And she might just be beginning to understand how to leverage it...

New Bond (Allessia)
I am working on converting _Liam_ to my faith.

The patrons love Liam's performance. They absolutely love it. A few minutes in, those playing darts stop and move closer to the performance. Nobody orders additional drinks as they are all tuned into Liam's story. Even the barkeeper doesn't mind, as he leans on the counter, as fascinated with the tale as everyone else in the tavern.
In the end, they all let out an audible and satisfactory sigh as the story ends. Some laugh, others turn away to wipe away tears from their eyes; but everyone erupts  in communal jubilance. They slap each other on the back, order each other more drinks, and talk excitedly about the events that played out over the last forty-five minutes.
A few merfolk approach Liam afterward and offer him their thanks and gratitude. In fact, one introduces herself as Demetra Wavecrest, daughter of the "Mer."
"I'd like you to meet my father," she says, her voice measured despite the air of excitement permeating the place. She is tall and thin, athletically built, like a swimmer. Her skin is light, perhaps silvery in color, but it is difficult to tell in the ever changing pastel hues of light. Patches of blue or perhaps seagreen dot her bare shoulders, arms, and back. Her hair resembles dark-colored fine seaweed, and cascades down her shoulders and back. "Are you staying at the monastery? Perhaps you would prefer more comfortable accommodation."

"Tell us another!" someone shouts. A chorus of cheers rise up, calling for another tale.

What does Liam do?

"We aren't staying anywhere, yet. My party and I just arrived here. It's no secret that we're from an outpost about a day's walk from here. We recently arrived in the area and haven't been able to leave." He makes that last sentence ambiguous. It could mean they are so enchanted they don't want to go, or it could mean they're stuck.

"Please forgive me, but I'm new to your people's customs. Is your invitation for the three of us or for me only?"

"You, your mate, and offspring of course," Demetra replies. "I know my father would love to speak with you."
The other patrons begin shouting, demanding another story. The barkeeper busies himself with refilling drinks.
"This place has never been this... buoyant," he mutters to you as he refills your mug. You can tell by the look on his face that he's not kidding. The energy in the room is something he is clearly not used to.

Does Liam go with Demetra, or tell another story?

Allessia's eyes nearly pop out of her head once she realizes the fish-lady has referred to her as Liam's "mate."
I guess I walked into that, she thinks to herself. I didn't correct them when they thought Sketch was our son--and it only stands to reason they would assume I his mother. Even in the colorful hues cast by the shifting lights, anyone can see her light complexion turn a shade or two red.
Maybe they'll think it's the ale, she tells herself as she takes another drink from her mug.
Embarrassed, and slightly inebriated, Allessia looks around the bar for Sketch. Unable to find him, she shoots Liam a worried look.