CAMPAIGN: Queen Arkwyn's Crown (D&D5e)

[Newbie Newtype]

"It's only morning so.." With a smirk he smiles then playfully asks, "Don't tell anybody I'm ordering the almond drink." Despite his reasoning, he would likely take anything made of almond any day, being one of his favorite forest finds.

When informed of the best way to gain the information he seeks he asks as long as he is present, "Know of any good word of mouth?"

[Bob the Hamster]

The almond beer is excellent.

After serving it, the Server leans on the bar near Hyne. "Back when I was a kid, I used to go hop on a ship anytime things felt too hot at home. I would just walk up and down the docks and ask if anybody needed any work done, and if they said 'Yes' I would ask where they were going. Worked every time, but it was always the hardest most dangerous work, so I gave that up when I learned some sense." He frowns a little as if remembering a displeasing memory.

The well-dressed man at the end of the bar puts down his whiskey "That's the fools way of doing it" he sneers.

"I was a fool indeed!" says the Server amicably.

"You need to specialize", the man continues, "Get an education, cultivate a talent. That's what I do when I'm hiring for my crew, I tell them to impress me, and I see if they can." He has a haughty voice.

[Newbie Newtype]

Hyne lets out a soft snicker and brags, "Well.. I'm a pretty good knife throw, as straight as a dart! I'd say that's pretty talented."

He slurps a small amount of the beer. Once he sets the drink down again, he asks, "I'm sure findin' work is easy, but what if I was looking for a sailor that could take me somewhere across the sea, what with the war and all?"

[Bob the Hamster]

At mention of knife throwing, the server starts to look thoughtful.

"No, Absolutely not!" says the bartender to him sternly. "We put that dart board away for a reason!"

"The war?" scoffs the well-dressed man. "What does that have do do with anything? That's Gnur frontier business. Captains chart our courses by the winds and the tides, not by troop marches 5 days inland"

[Newbie Newtype]

Hyne is a bit frustrated that the man would rather downplay the war than just answer his question. "But.. wouldn't you agree that any reason is a good reason to go out and see the world?"

[Bob the Hamster]

The Server nods in agreement.

"Haha!" laughs the well-dressed man, his tone softening a little bit. "So, a thirst for adventure, and a talent with knife throwing. You best take up with one of the pirate crews. If you joined my crew, I reckon you wouldn't like the discipline, and you'd jump ship first port we came to."

The server chuckles, and tops off the man's Umbarlee Whiskey. The bottle's label has curled black tentacles all over it.

[Newbie Newtype]

Hyne glances at the sinister design of the beverage's bottle, then to the man. If I get a chance to jump ship, he thinks to himself.

Still, he decides to act like that's a challenge, "Not if I gut a fish well enough," he claims with a bit of truth to his survival training. "Where's a good place to find one of these pirate crews you know of?"

[Bob the Hamster]

"I like Captain Rylan" says the well-dressed man. "He's done escort for me to The Walruses. Runs a tight ship."

"I think Rylan's ship has been out at sea since last month." Offers the Server. He makes a face with one side of his face so Hyne can see but the well-dressed man can't.

"One of the mates from Wizard Crawford's crew comes in here pretty often." says the Bartender. "They get up to a fair bit of adventure and exploration... if the stories are half true."

The dragonborn woman lifts her head. She pushes her glasses up her snout, and speaks up for the first time "I did a year as ship's cook for Captain LeBleu. It was a very positive experience, and helped pay for my schooling."

The well dressed man slams down his whiskey and whirls around in his chair. "Scorpion LeBleu breaks the King's Truce!" he shouts angrily. He turns to Hyne. "Don't fall in with that lot! She is all hooks and anchors into the Lockean Temple. Everybody knows she attack ships associated with Umbarlee any time she thinks can get away with it without getting caught."

"I've heard some say that LeBleu took the Vicious Shade last summer." says the Server

"No need to spread rumors, they just ran aground" says the Bartender.

"Rumors!? Everyone knows that was LeBleu's work!" snarls the well dressed man. "You're lucky I like your whisky, you bunch of oathbreaking traitors." he settles back to his seat, hunching over his drink.

The dragonborn woman doesn't react to any of this, she just picks her pen back up, and turns her eyes back to her paperwork.

[Newbie Newtype]

His gaze shifts between the various patrons as they give their testimony and gossip on matters of the sailing world. It is good insight indeed.

When they begin talking about LeBrau, he fronts a cheerful face and quickly teases the patrician, "Aye, but what if a woman like that started taking a fancy to me, maybe I should consider the lot?"

Regardless of how they take that joke, he asks the tender, "Do you think the men from Wizard's Crawford are still coming to the place? Maybe they're still docked this day?" Considering even the most munedane options left him almost forgetting, "What of these half-tales, by the way?"

[Bob the Hamster]

Oops! I must have clicked preview without actually clicking "Submit" the other day... gotta remember what I said before...

The well dressed man scoffs. "You're not her type"

The Server raises his eyebrows "I heard that she gets married to some lucky fool for a month once every year on the day her ship goes into dry-dock, and after it is finished being re-fit and ready to sail again, she divorces him."

The Bartender adds "That was on the word of a man who claimed to have attended a secret wedding party. I think he was three sheets to the wind."

The well-dressed man sneers between sips of whiskey "The rest of the year, LeBleu belongs to High Priestess Tancred"

The dragonborn woman shifts uncomfortably, puts away her pen and inkwell, and starts to pack papers back into her folio.

At Hyne's query about Wizard Crawford, the bartender seems happy for a change of subject, and expounds;

"Captain Crawford is the captain of both the Yanorin and the Flying Eye Goddess. I have heard from people who have fought them, that they are formidable and deadly on the open sea, but inside Truce Waters, old Wizard Crawford is everyones friend--"

"He would turn a battleship around to save a drowning kitten" interrupts the Server.

"Right," continues the Bartender, "If the kitten was drowning in Truce Waters. Anyway, they are known for taking long adventures and coming back laden with exotic treasures. One of he gunners from the Flying Eye comes in here fairly often. She tells stories of coastlines where the trees will eat you, sea serpents with elven voices, vortexes, ghost ships, cloud witches, who knows how much of it is tall tales."

[Newbie Newtype]

Somehow Hyne doesn't seem disappointed at the news that he has no chance. He did what he wanted, fire up a bit of gossip on a lighter note. Though that lighter note soon plays out of tune when he notices the dragonborn that had worked under the pirate becoming perturbed over what everyone is saying about her former boss. Looking back to the bartender, Hyne quickly shakes his head and apologizes by offering, "I'll pay extra to cover a lost customer."

Once the subject shifts to a new captain, Hyne grows very interested, "I'm lookin' to find some tall tales and fairy tale disappointments myself. Seems like the captain for me. I'm not sure I can stay for long though, do you know which ship I should look for to meet the Captain himself or his crew on station?"

[Bob the Hamster]

As the dragonborn woman leaves, The bartender shakes her head to Hyne.

"Don't worry about it, you didn't say anything wrong." She discreetly rolls her eyes to indicate the well dressed man, muttering into his whiskey.

The server goes over to one of the windows, opens it wide, and leans a bit out.

"See that big sky-blue sail over there?" he points out to the harbor. "That is the Flying Eye Goddess, Crawford's Corvette. His flagship Yanorin will be one of the smaller ones next to it."

The ship the Server is pointing to is not right at the shore, it is several rows out into the harbor, reachable by a network of floating docks that laces much of the harbor like a giant wooden spider-web.

[Newbie Newtype]

Hyne looks outside to the docks. After seeing the ship, he looks for any way he might get to it and avoid LeBlau's watch at the same time.

"How much do I owe for the drink?" He asks.

[Bob the Hamster]

"Just half a silver, friend" says the Bartender.

The docks seem like a maze with many entry points and many exits. There must be drawbridges build into it or something like that to let the ships in and out.

The ships are often close enough together that if Hyne was cornered on the docks, it might be possible to escape by jumping from deck to deck without resorting to diving in the sea.

[Newbie Newtype]

"Thank you." He has a platinum split to pay the billing, and once he is finished paying, heads out to look for the ship with the sky blue sail. He plans on moving through the maze-like layout of the buildings to avoid the parade and possible scouts looking for him the best he can.

Stealth: 1D20+3+2 => (2 + 3 + 2) = 7