It was easy for Alleycat to tell from the color of his armor when the one who called himself "Antru" (seeing as how this was not the Dock Ward of Waterdeep, who knew whether that was his true name or not?) reversed -- dropped, cancelled . . . whate'er the proper term was -- his magicks, and all reverted back to the way it should be (at least insofar as Mekkar's appearance was concerned).

~~Well . . . I can see that is the case with with respect to my armor. I'll just have to take it on faith that the hair color and face-paint have also been put right.~~

Mekkar nodded to Antru, in recognition of the man having put things right again. There was no real warmth in the Waterdehavian's expression . . . 'twas more, perhaps, an acknowledgement of the fact that a debt had been paid in full and cancelled -- and that the two of them were now on even terms.

~~Wonder of wonders, a Dwarf with a sense of humor!~~ Alleycat thought to himself as he heard the Stout One's jest about pink smallclothes. This brought on a smile with some real warmth, and a nod acknowledging a hand well-played.

Mekkar stepped in amongst the crowd with Antru and the jolly Dwarf. Raising his voice a trifle, he called out to the gaggle of bystanders "Friends . . ."

They weren't his friends, of course. Truth be told, Mekkar didn't think that he had any real friends. Admittedly, there were some that he trusted a little more so than others. But friends?

Any way, Alleycat had learned long ago that if you named people whom you had never met before as "friends", they instinctively trusted you a little bit more than they would have otherwise. Well, most of them . . . the gullible ones, any way -- which was the great majority of people. The few sharp ones instinctively trusted you a little bit less, but that couldn't be helped.

". . . friends, it has been said to me by a man who has learned Life's lessons well,

'Life ain't nuthin' but a silly game, young-un','
'So ya gotta know when to play easy,'
'An' when to play hard.'
'But mostly, ya gotta have the stones to ante up,'
'So as to have a seat at The Game.'"

"So . . ." Mekkar added, waving a hand in the direction of the donations plate that Antru was holding,"don't none uhv ye be holdin' back when the time comes to ante up, lest ye be known as one was a-feared to play in Life's Game."

Alleycat had been trained by his handlers in The Shadows to act and speak like one of the highborn. "Birds uhv a feather," the Golem had explained to Mekkar once upon a time as he placed a fore-finger along the side of his nose, pointing upwards. '"Tis easier to move amongst 'em -- an' fleece 'em good an' proper, doncha' know -- if'n they think that ye're one of 'em."

But in this instance Mekkar suspected that there were few highborn amongst this crowd, and he easily reverted to the Dock Ward jargon of his youth . . .

---

OOC: I consider Alleycat's actions to be supportive of Antru's and Hargrin's efforts to fleece the crowd solicit donations. Thus, I would consider Mekkar's efforts to be in the nature of "Help" (p. 191, PHB). If the DM agrees, this would give Antru and Hargrin the Advantage on their related Ability checks.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:46, Fri 24 Dec 2021.

Attracted by the shouting back and forth, Melody spotted her mark.  She changed her song to one that matched the imposter Antru's words as she sidled up to him and the dwarf.

"Hey Antru!  I see you have found your long lost brother from another mother.  And at such a happy time of year too!  You didn't tell me he was soo cute."  She blew a kiss in his direction as her music switched again; this time to a classic tavern song, The Devil and the Maiden Fair

OOC: 12:40, Today: Melody rolled 18 using 1d20+5.  Performance.

Before coming to, Bross has an extremely weird dream.

[I figure "he comes to, and if nothing is missing from his stuff, he tries to move on with his day." He has no grudge/problem with what happened- he knows he literally asked for it, and GreySky got a lucky shot in. ;)

The weird dream, I'm leaving open if someone wants to foreshadow something, later, or if someone just has a fun idea.]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:53, Fri 24 Dec 2021.

Antru nods to Melody as she shows up. "Well you know how fans can be. Fickle as any of us. But the sport is done and it seems to have well pleased. Surely your music has found its mark among the hearts of the people. Perhaps embracing them as you intended?"

Venders and entertainers throughout the fairgrounds are having a stellar day. The croud is in a jubilant and generous mood. Antru's plate is spilling over with coins. A quick count reveals 31 gold, 42 silver and 63 copper. Catrina and Bross have earned the favor of the crowd as well. Revelesr pass a hat and deliver the proceeds consisting of 24 gold, 32 silver and 51 copper coins to be shared by both combatants.

The tempreture dips slightly as the sun sets toward the horizon. The food venders double their efforts. Musicians take the center stage and start the evening with a reel. couples start dancing around the stage. An announcement is made that it is the last call for entries into the beer contest. The winner will be chosen once the sun sets and the bonfire is lit.

The bashful swineherd moved through the crowded fairgrounds awkwardly greeting those he knew and avoiding the attention of those he didn't. Children from the nearby farms waved enthusiatically as he passed them by, looking for his friend. He spotted Hargrin engaged in conversation with a group of entertainers. He was about to greet him when he noticed melody for the first time. Having never seen a tiefling before, he just stood there with his mouth agape, confused by her beauty, horns and tail.

""Umm, Harhhargrin... ahh umm the beer"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:21, Sat 25 Dec 2021.

It had been a long day's ride in the Carriage. Taria had taken a few on her way from Candledeep, but this last one was special. Not because the nature of the conveyance itself, but instead, this one was the one that took her home. She had been gone for seven years or so, studying under the Masters of the Library. Now she had been sent to gather some supplies. During the ride in, she spotted the same hills that she and her siblings would play in. She had wanted to hop off of the cart and go running home, but she had a duty to do. If she did not fulfill it, the Master Mage would know and there would be consequences. She could visit them once her obligation was done.

By the time they pulled into town, it seemed that the festival was shifting gears and that she would need to buy all of the needed supplies in the morning. This evening, she could enjoy herself a little. Dropping her bag off at the room arranged for her, she begins to walk around to find festival food that would satisfy after her days of travel.

In reply to Bross Tallcut (msg # 30):

When Bross finally woken up from a peculiar dream, the masked wrestler gladly picks him right back up,"Hah, you did pretty good over their farm boy. And your punches we're no joke, but maybe next time you should use your axe on me, you know, to make things a bit more of a fairer match up." she says with a boastful smile, then reveals to him a hat filled with gold, silver, and coppers,"Here's half your pay for showing a good fight and an entertaining show. Give this to your family farm or maybe buy yourself a beer for a hard fought fight." she says, giving Bross a pat on the back as she gives him at least 12 gold, 16 silvers, and 25 coppers. She then looks toward the crowd,"Alright folks, that'll be all for the next 8 hours, our healer/ref needs a bit of time to restore some of his spells. Meanwhile, mark this day as the day Catrina of the GreySkys made her first debut battle and succeeded with glorious victory. After the eight hours are up, I'll be here to challenge anyone with the strength to defeat me, so stay tuned and have fun with the festivities." she says, then the muscular woman leaped off the stage to land next to the nameless white cloaked cleric who she hasn't bothered remembering his name. The duo then walked toward vendors to discuss some private matters and business.

"Ah- right you are, Ned. Good man!" Hargrin claps the swineherd on the shoulders cheerfully and nods at the others. "Gentlemen, my lady, I'm afraid I have to be on my way. Contest deadlines wait for no one. This is Ned- he's a good lad. Enjoy the festival!" The dwarf took up the handle of his cart again, ,making a beeline for the contest area.

Melody laughed playfully, "Oh I can think of several people I'd love to embrace... at the very least.  You dear Antru, this fine figure of a human beside me... oh so many choices."

Noticing the rather unkept man staring at her, she smiled and blew him a kiss as she  transitioned to her next song, used the notes from her violin to cast Prestidigitation on his hair; cleaning it.

Truth be told, this was not the first time Bross had been unconscious.
Getting... well, whatever-just-happened done to him, that was new.

Catrina got everything she wanted to say out, uninterrupted, as Bross unglazed his eyes. Shortly thereafter, he found himself a bit richer.

After a moment, he grabbed his stuff [and taking a brief look to see if anything's missing] and got back to work.

He managed to get his share back to the farm's caravan- they wouldn't be going til just before dawn, to avoid trouble. He wouldn't do this for everything, of course, but it got them off on a good foot.

[He contributes the silver, coppers, and 7 GP to his total. He stashes the remaining 5 GP in a separate area from his money pouch. That's for later.]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:27, Sat 25 Dec 2021.

Antru slips the collection plate and coins away once the crowd has given their share to him.  All in all he did well, and probably in no small part to the gentleman  who had heckled him. Melody, wa sin fine figure as she played and danced her way through the crowd. Much like him she seemed to have her own way about her. Something Antru found intriguing. "By your leave my good man, I would be honored to buy you a drink in thanks for the support you provided in my show." He says to Allycat. While he had used the man due to his heckling, Antru knew better than to leave an unwilling participant without some form of thanks.

"Save some for me," Alleycat called to the jolly Dwarf as that worthy spoke of needing to leave for a contest -- based upon what the smelly man had previously said, Mekkar suspected that it involved beer.

"Hello, Ned," he called out to the smelly fellow, who had been named in parting by the Dwarf, who had described him as a "good lad". Ned struck Mekkar as being either painfully shy or a bit slow -- or, mayhap a little of both. Either way, he seemed as if he was free from deviousness and guile -- something that might be worth remembering, Mekkar judged.

~~Is she flirting with me?~~ the Waterdehavian found himself wondering as the very attractive female Teifling who had sung and pranced her way up had spoken of him as "this fine figure of a Human beside me." "Well met, pretty one," he replied with an at least partially genuine smile, figuring that he could play the flirting game as well as she could. And if she happened to be serious . . . well, time would tell.

Just about then the great and wondrous Antru offered to buy Mekkar a drink and Alleycat nodded his acceptance, adding "And at least one for the fair lass, I would suggest."

Turning to the Tiefling, he sketched a bow and said "I answer to 'Alleycat'."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:20, Sun 26 Dec 2021.

Sora walked the group of people, noting all he people with a serious look on her face. She smiled at the frolicking of the children, though most other times her demeanour was that of a serious, focused woman.

She noted the I traction between Antru and the human who mocked him, and she was astounded at how the elf was so trusting. The man's comments were clearly mocking yet the elf seemed not to care - be it intentional or not.

She noted the dwarf, unusual in that he was jovial and seemed to have a fair sence of humour...rare for his kind.

She noted the two warriors, the woman who had pounded the man into unconsciousness and their light hearted comradeship.

Sora envied all these people - she herself had few people she called friends. Most were allies of mutual goals. She really had no one she trusted other than herself.

....which made her brood a little deeper.

She again saw the child who she met coming into town, running with three other children, and that snapped her from her morose thoughts. The innocence of children always made her smile, though she knew this innocence would not last, she was determined to help as many children cli g to it as long as they could.

Something she didn't have the option with.

Sighing, she walked upto the elf and smiled, nodding to him. "You done well cousin....your very skilled." she looked at alleycat and nodded, her smile, though still there, was a little reserved.

In reply to Melody (msg # 37):

Ned's eyes went wide in surpise. He felt his hair in wonder and looked around in confusion. He watched as Hargrin disappeared into the crowd. The youth took a step in that direction and then Alleycat spoke to him in a friendly tone. This was unusual from strangers. Only Hargrin, the children and the local farmers seemed to favor him with a kind word. He tended his pigs, and kept the area livestock safe from predators. The farmers appreciated his efforts. The townsfolk thought him simple and dirty. They had no use for him. He smiled at Alleycat and the entertainers.

"ah Hello..."

"Hargrin makes good beer, will win, you'll see."

He pulled at his clean hair and studied it for a moment. He smiled, liking the way it felt.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:46, Sun 26 Dec 2021.

Smiling, she brought her music to an end at the end of the refrain before replying, "And I answer to Melody, pussycat.  Lets go sample the local wares with Antru.  Dancing and playing can bring up a mighty thirst."

Ned smiled sheepishly, "ummm Hello Melody Pussycat, I will like that. Hargrin's beer is good. We find him?"

"Aye," Alleycat replied to Melody's observation that playing and dancing gave rise to a mighty thirst, "as does wearing pink armor."

Turning to Ned, he waved the local man forward and said "By all means, lead us to where we can sample Hargrin's beer."

Glancing over his shoulder at Antru, he grinned and added "At the Elf's expense, no less."

After a moment's thought, Mekkar turned his attention to the green-eyed newcomer who had named Antru as her cousin. He was unsure whether there was some actual family connection between the two, or whether the woman was referring to the fact that she shared some Elven blood with the performer. "Won't you join us?" he asked her, arching an eyebrow.

"The more who are spending Antru's coin, the merrier, I say!"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:47, Mon 27 Dec 2021.

[Question for the GM: Bross is local...ish. Might he recognize Ned from something?]

"Seems we have a merry group of drinkers tonight." Antru comments as he allows the group to lead to the way to the drinks. As they walk Antru addresses Sora. [Language unknown: "Nitic liniveove ouersa. Iv hishasdin hotra enho tioer iouromkor il ekek? Tiotedles M ortsetter tron evno dinkorntende wa somit nte rocaes e ilma red ulckilnowi. Laast areardain era whi? Ica fi m ingoervirver ec whihisrom beeve u herionill e mo ill e nceeauoer. Illma pr ng eauee t eiheus the."] Antru was polite as custom dictated. To any, who understood the words, but another Elf it might seem as though he was flirting rather than observing the social bounds he was taught.

Sora smiled at Alleycat and nodded. "I would be happy to, though ale is not for me....perhaps their is a wine vendor around."

She came in step beside Antru and smiled as he spoke. It had been a while since she heard the elven language and it somehow comforted her. She looked at the men as they walked slowly. "My name on Sora gentlemen....a pleasure to meet you."

She looked at Antru and switched to the elven language.  As she finished her smile diminished as she looked around, her green eyes clouded with some unknown thought.

Just then a group of children ran past, bringing her smile back. "...though the innocence of youth always makes me smile, I often wonder why we must lose it"

Antru listens to and watches Sora as she speaks. He gives her a bit of a smile as she seems to brighten at the sight of the children. As they walk he makes a small flower in his hand that proceeds to wither and disappear.[Language unknown: "Ioeete o ingameess eeil erehouble antainday herevelarastons. Hi retic stincetic e oumefo ur deras outepl ro resmenlatverwas. On strlinbut maes le ss m ughhouugh ca etom llcaad n wh erestriou ortareess niei tha. Ithartint resi roofin trngel ou, e beio seng al ore, wital prope rest stran an teany iveicacom t wil. Ilunth ivevwh ous oulwasant ro tedonsstayinect. Pais ritiwe a utic lawhni itoer hatal beweai ectiveers n. Watono iopr ta u ate ro wawh fo ti."] They were much the same words his father had spoken to him years ago. Before he had left home on his own adventure.

The half elf smiled at the elven words. [Language unknown: "Et romuresta acers der Ectromear K ill nde la eiweunri strsonble....ol chtrthul miort lintedsan ev il. Fofor alha'alle as notsonshe e venastwer, uscon forortwit ndela i ivroio."]

Ned habitually scratched his head trying to recall where Hargrin usually set up his stall.

Somewhere near town, along the edge of the fairgrounds closest to the stream.

He pointed north.

"Hargrin likes the edge near the stream. I will show you"

He walked slowly, being careful not to bump into anyone.

During the long (well . . . it had certainly seemed long to Alleycat) journey southwards from Waterdeep, Mekkar had learned the importance of having a good supply of clean water. He had never thought much about it whilst in Waterdeep -- in that city, no one who could afford to do otherwise drank the water.

But out in the Wilds (and Alleycat came to think of anything outside of Waterdeep as being the Wilds), Master Oakmont had been careful to always camp near a water supply when settling his caravan down for the evening.

So while it arguably made sense that Hargrin would choose a spot near to a stream to set up his stall, Mekkar wasn't sure that the same rules would apply to someone who had a ready supply of beer and ale available.

~~I suppose that if nothing else, Hargrin can stroll over and dunk his head in the water if he gets overheated,~~ the Waterdehavian thought to himself.

For the moment, Alleycat simply followed along behind Ned, since the local man seemed to know the way. ~~Well -- certainly more so than I do . . . although I daresay that I could find Hargrin's stall if I wandered around for long enough.~~

Since Antru and Sora were busily chattering away to each other in a language that Mekkar did not understand (he assumed that it was most likely Elvish, given the circumstances), he turned his attention elsewhere.

He couldn't have put his finger on any one particular reason, but his eye seemed to be drawn to a nondescript Human lass who seemed to be strolling about the grounds. She was not especially tall, her clothing did not mark her as a person of high station, she was attractive, but not remarkably so . . .

After a moment's thought, he decided ~~I do believe that, given the way she carries herself and her expression, she has a goodly supply of wits about her. Certainly more so than most of the farm lasses who seem to sprout up like weeds hereabouts. Ah, well -- I suppose that all the bumpkin brats have to come from somewhere, and slow-witted lasses presumably breed slow-witted stock. But this one -- she seems somehow . . . different.~~

When the opportunity presented itself, he stepped near to the green-eyed lass. He decided to paste on an expression of amiable neutrality rather than an outright smile -- to his way of thinking he had been smiling much too much today, and he feared that it made him look like a simpleton. ~~Although now that I think on it, that might be just the thing in a place like this, amongst all these dull rustics.~~

"If you are in the mood for a little liquid refreshment, please do join us," he said to her.

"The Elf, there," (here he waved his hand in Antru's general direction) "is buying, and I am most eager to spend as much of his coin as possible."

---

OOC: In case it is not obvious, Alleycat is addressing Taria. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:25, Wed 29 Dec 2021.