Hustus snapped out of his reverie. How long had he been staring into the fire, replaying that scene? Given the ongoing flurry of activity that Akmong's announcement had brought, it had likely only been moments, but to some it felt like 25 hours. He vowed not to drift off like that again! No, not when one of a kind items were at stake... Stake! A stake would be good to defend himself with now. But no, there were no stakes. Sure, some had armed themselves with staves, or bar stools (nice one, Marnu!), but his hesitation left him with few choices. He stared down at his empty fists, their well-manicured nails. These hands are for loving, not fighting.
"I hashtag-hashtag claim the Longbow!" Hustus declared as he claimed the Longbow.
He quickly took inventory of the situation. Vandal was also staring blankly down at his own fists, as Hustus had a moment before. "Better him than me," he thought. Marnu was already brandishing the only stool in the whole tavern. All the other patrons patiently queuing up for their turn to sit at the bar would be furious, but it's a giggle dog eat dog world.
Not confident in his ability to use this longbow (Hustus skips arm day in favor of goat leg day) he cried out, "Surely we can talk this out, right? The rules pretty clearly state we shouldn't fight each other!"
Hustus snapped out of his reverie. How long had he been staring into the fire, replaying that scene? Given the ongoing flurry of activity that Akmong's announcement had brought, it had likely only been moments, but to some it felt like 25 hours. He vowed not to drift off like that again! No, not when one of a kind items were at stake... Stake! A stake would be good to defend himself with now. But no, there were no stakes. Sure, some had armed themselves with staves, or bar stools (nice one, Marnu!), but his hesitation left him with few choices. He stared down at his empty fists, their well-manicured nails. These hands are for loving, not fighting.
"I hashtag-hashtag claim the Longbow!" Hustus declared as he claimed the Longbow.
He quickly took inventory of the situation. Vandal was also staring blankly down at his own fists, as Hustus had a moment before. "Better him than me," he thought. Marnu was already brandishing the only stool in the whole tavern. All the other patrons patiently queuing up for their turn to sit at the bar would be furious, but it's a giggle dog eat dog world.
Not confident in his ability to use this longbow (Hustus skips arm day in favor of goat leg day) he cried out, "Surely we can talk this out, right? The rules pretty clearly state we shouldn't fight each other!"
Not confident in his ability to use this longbow (Hustus skips arm day in favor of goat leg day) he cried out, "Surely we can talk this out, right? The rules pretty clearly state we shouldn't fight each other!"
And yet, as Hustus gripped the longbow with those well manicured nails of his, something washed over him. He scanned the crowd and watched as the different trios armed up and began to brawl. From his position on the second floor balcony, it would be so easy to just...
Hustus notched an arrow, drew it back, and aimed the bow downwards at a 45 degree angle. So many choices...
For choosing the longbow, Hustus must now choose any single party to fire upon. Each member of that party will lose 1 hp. Choose wisely...and publicly! You have until the deadline or else you will fire upon your own party
Hey Priggat and Booberella, since most of us come from the northern regions, should are name reflect that? I’m not the most creative with names but the first couple that come to mind are ‘The Northerners’ or ‘Team Tundra’. I’m definitely open to suggestions.
We also need to finalize if we are fighting together, fighting separately, or trying for peace. I’d rather not fight if we don’t have too, but I’ll protect the group in whatever you both want.
"We begin our journey in the Prime Material Plane. The Plane consisted of an infinite expanse filled with a fluid known as phlogiston, within which floated immense crystal spheres, each enclosing an entire system of one or more worlds. Specific conditions varied greatly from one crystal sphere to another, but they were all considered to be part of the same plane. It is here where a young Goblinoid named Greaseface is about to begin a journey the likes of wish he could never even dream."
"You see, Greaseface has only known one thing: pain. The typical goblinoid was lewd, cruel, sadistic, power-hungry (or in the case of goblins just plain hungry), extremely lacking in any intelligence or sophistication, and proud of it. Known for their habit of abusing those (at least by their reckoning) lesser than them, and worshiping those greater than them, goblinoids were not popular amongst other races. While exceptions did exist (though none are noted, as an atypical goblinoid rarely makes it out of its clan alive), most goblinoids in the Realms matched this ethical description."
"Graseface was determined to be different! He caught word of a pair of merry folks looking to take up an adventure the likes of which no goblinoid had ever seen! A robot paladin? A human wizard? Greaseface had only heard about these races in his textbooks. Now he has a chance to be up close to them and assist on an adventure!"
"The only question is will Graseface return to the Plane to share the tales of victory and splendor?"
Ever since he was a tadpole, Marnu had always been lucky. When he was born, he had 84 sisters and 126 brothers. By human standards, Marnu knew this would constitute a rather large family, but Frog society worked differently. Frogfolk frequently laid 1000 to 2000 eggs at a time, though it was rare that many of them would survive to adult hood. The world was not a friendly place to frogs - they were seen as easy prey by some, and seen as a component for a spell or potion by others. Few in the world even knew that some Frogs could grow into full fledged sentient should they survive long enough.
His parents, Charlow and Schmorna had to always look out for him. He loved being the center of attention and was constantly swimming ahead of his family to greet the cohabitants of their bog. Fortunately for Marnu, the bog's creatures came to find Marnu adorable rather than annoying. Despite multiple instances of interacting with otters, ducks, storks and even a heron, not one of the swamp's frog-predators had ever eaten him. Marnu was one of only 35 in his family to live long enough to sprout legs, and one of 9 that lived long enough to become an actual frogfolk.
As an fully grown Frogfolk, Marnu began to find the bog confining. He felt as though he had explored every inch, discovered every secret, and met all the animals that lived there. His days were spent foraging for sustenance, and he knew in his heart that there was more to life. Whenever he expressed these grievances to his parents, they would reminded him of the dangers associated with the larger world. These warnings fell on deaf ears, and Marnu began to find himself feeling resentful.
One day, Marnu decided he wanted something different from his normal dinner, and he made his way to the outer perimeter of the marsh where the berries were plentiful (he didn't like to kill innocent bugs when other sources of nutrients were available). As he was searching, he heard something he had never heard before - something serene that brought him a strong feeling of peace. He followed the sound until he could see what it was. A young maiden was sitting on a log, holding some sort of wooden device with strings, and she was speaking. But instead of speaking normally, her words had an inflection to them that made them sound beautiful to him.
He knew that he would get in trouble for it later, but he worked up the confidence to introduce himself to this pretty girl with the mesmerizing voice. At first, she was startled, and she regarded him with wide eyes and an expression of terror. Fortunately, Marnu was quick thinking and offered her the berries he had been collecting, and she began to realize that he was no threat to her. After briefly contemplating her circumstance, the girl tried communicate with Marnu and explain that the wooden device was a harp, and that instead of speaking she had been singing. Her attempts were unsuccessful at first because the language barrier proved to be too significant, so the girl began to sing again and Marnu sat and listened.
When Marnu returned home that evening, his parents asked where he had been and he lied to them. He claimed that he had spent his day collecting berries and their suspicion quickly faded. The next day, Marnu decided to return to the clearing where he had found the girl, and she was there again very happy to see him. This became a ritual that the two engaged with on a daily basis, and before long, she was teaching Marnu how to speak the common tongue.
He learned that she was a Princess named Cilanna, and that his marsh existed on the border of her kingdom. The clearing was a secret place where she could truly be alone from both her family and their servants. She explained that her family had never understood her, and that she had bigger aspirations than a political marriage - she wanted to marry for love. Marnu could very much understand her frustration, as he too felt he was being led by his parents into a life that he didn't want. The two became fast friends, and Cilanna taught Marnu how to play the harp, sing, dance, and read. Marnu taught Ciilanna how to forage, and showed her all the secrets of the swamp that he knew of. Marnu truly felt as though he had found someone that he could spend the rest of his life with.
But one day, he returned to their secret clearing and she wasn't there. Resting beside their log, was her harp, and an envelope. Marnu hastily opened the envelope and to his horror he read that after returning home the previous evening, Princess Cilanna's father informed her that he was no longer willing to wait on her to grow up and that he was sending her to the court to find a suitable husband that could offer stability to the realm. She wrote to Marnu that her heart was broken by her father's decision and that she would never forgive him. The harp was left as a parting gift to remember her by, as she would not and could not ever forget Marnu.
Marnu returned home that night feeling defeated and dejected, and he decided it was time to come clean to his parents. He expected them to be furious, and for them to disown him on the spot. But both Charlow and Schmorna knew what it was like to be in a loving relationship. Rather than scorn, he was met with empathy and curiosity. They wanted to hear more of this 'music' that had brought Marnu and Cilanna together, and they were overwhelmed with delight when he pulled out his harp and began to sing.
For the first time in his life, Charlow and Schmorna encouraged Marnu to live to his potential. The only way that he was going to win her over was if he ventured outside their home and found her. Marnu decided that he may not come from a noble background, but if he were to become the world's greatest performer and tell the world's greatest story, even the King would be unable to keep him and Cilanna apart. The very next day he set out into the larger world, unsure of what to expect, but ready to meet the challenges life threw at him. Within a few weeks, he found himself in a very crowded tavern standing next to an armored bear and a magical faun...
It is said that ever since Marnu departed from his swamp, the frogs that live there can be heard croaking in harmony.
Vandal's giggles were back in full force today at the turn of events and at the sight of Hustus and his struggle with the long bow. So much for diplomacy.
"Hehehe, we're going to be so popular. 'Here's three arrows, now be our fucking friends.'"
The giggle dog rolled his neck with a pop and pounded a closed fist into an open palm. The weapons were gone, they were all that remained.
