(Sorry for the delay in the mini-update folks, I felt rough the last half of the week. Still not 100% but it's the weekend so I don't have to worry about planning to be okay tomorrow
)
In the Tavern:
Lance pays for his new purchases and retreats to the corner of the room out of the way to do a little packing. He finds the bedroll rather large to put inside the backpack, but the whole thing is tied together with two big leather straps, like belt buckles, and those loop nicely onto the bottom of the pack - so he puts it there instead. The rest of his packing goes to plan! Then he heads off upstairs to pack the rest of his belongings [which will take the remainder of the turn] - the old mutt follows him, unless he's told to stay behind. For reference, the tavern floor's well dried by now, so he won't be traipsing muddy paws all over nice fresh mopping.
-
Remy does a little non-conventional bartering; Ethan seems slightly surprised that he wasn't offered a counter-price, but nods along with Remy's reasoning for wanting a better deal.
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1D20+1D5 = [9]+[5] = 14
He seems to buy the idea that Remy will be back at any time in the future to be able to provide a free remedy, when in fact everyone else in the room is planning to hightail it out of this podunk town at the soonest opportunity and never look back. Poor old man.
"Well, aye, you've helped me plenty... and I tell you what, if you can rustle up another batch of that cream for my *ahem* problem with me chair bein' uncomfortable before you go, I'd much appreciate it..." he thumbs his chin in thought and nods again. "
Twenty even, with the ointment?"
-
When B.J. takes her turn in the queue, Ethan takes the retractable knife from her with a smile.
"Ah, my dear. Of course we can work out some kind of a deal - I wouldn't see you travel without so much as a tot of water. But if you're thinking that this thing'll be good for defense, I'm afraid you've found no more than another cruel trick... A curiosity, this is, one that I've kept out of interest rather than any real expectation o'profit... look!"
He stabs himself in the stomach.
► Show Spoiler
Everyone still in the room gets a Perception roll to see the trick before he explains it:
Nearest to farthest are B.J., Remy, and Rene. B.J. gets a +5 for being point blank, Remy a +2 for being close by haggling, Rene +0 for being in the room looking at other stuff.
B.J. 1D20+5 = [6]+5 = 11
Remy 1D20+2 = [3]+2 = 5
Rene 1D20 = [11] = 11
You all fail. Heh. You needed a 15 to see the blade retract. Sorry guys.
I will normally not tell you how you react, I'd let you play your characters, but this is just a split second thing and he goes on to explain the trick before you can be too stressed out - even though you knew it was a trick, it was still scary to see him get "realistically" stabbed.
Despite the warning, the three people still in the room all flinch and start forward as it genuinely looks like the short dagger's blade sinks entirely to the hilt into the old man's abdomen - but then he pulls it out again, with a faint
shing sound, and there is no blood on his belly or the blade, nor puncture wound in his tunic or his skin. The initial surprise soon wears off when he continues talking, but it was quite a shock for a second, and had he not pulled the knife straight back out, you're all sure you would have been fooled had he keeled over and played dead.
"It's a silly thing. Some kind of an actor or charlatan's item. See here, a tiny clasp locks the blade out so that if it's tested by some poor fool in an audience it feels sharp and true, but the whole thing's on a spring inside the handle. It feels no worse than being poked by a finger, and does no more harm. Ridiculous, to me, that someone'd spend such time making a quality item like this that has no real use. Look at the craftsmanship! The edge on it's as sharp now as the day I took the damn thing in, and it's near impossible to see that it's fake. It'd be ten gold... guess it's funny the first time, but I'd call it a waste of money."
"The canteen and that little bag there, though - they're a gold a piece. Being as how you did such a good job in my tavern... if you can do the same in here, tidy up a bit and put everything straight like you said, then you may have them both."
--
Meanwhile, Rene is appraising his little pile of potential purchases. He's interrupted briefly by what seemed for a moment like an attempted suicide by a crazy old man, but once the shock wears off, he gets back to it. He picks up each item, has a brief look-over it for obvious holes, missing parts, sub-standard materials, wear and tear, or unusual components.
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(Untrained) 1D20 = [16] = 16
Good success, gains 0.2SP in Appraise.
He finds the following:
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he finds that he is the second player to qualify for Jammy Git status, just like chuck!
he rolls nothing "damaged" on a d100, and along with some average rolls, got 84, 89, 97, 97, 98... and has therefore picked up two fine quality things and three exceptional things... in this shitty backwater shop...
The bedroll is above average in quality, made from two stitched together woolen sheets, the bottom thicker than the top, and lined on the bottom with waterproofed canvas. There's a thin sheet and a pillow inside. It comes with an oilcloth bag to roll it up and store it inside when not in use; the bag has loops built in so that it can be carried or attached to a pack.
The medium belt pouch looks plain and quite threadbare, but on closer inspection, seems larger on the outside than what space is available on the inside. When he pokes around at it, he finds that it is in fact a smaller pouch inside a larger pouch; to access the bottom bit you have to go via a secret buttoned hole at the back. It is obviously for hiding extra money or sneaking secret items around.
The smaller belt pouch is good quality and made of waterproof canvas.
The ankle boots are old and worn out, and don't look very well made, but are not damaged and will hold together. They could do with new heels, a good coat of boot polish and some TLC.
The clockwork soldier toy is beautifully made from hammered sheets of tin which have been painted and oiled to a shine. It is about forearm-length. The mechanism inside is fully functional but quite rudimentary; all it does when wound up is prime the soldier ready to salute by raising and bending its arm to smack its hand against its forehead when a button on its hat is pressed (there is a small ding in the paint on both hand and head where it has obviously repeatedly done this.) The toy does not walk along; its legs are one tube of tin painted to look like two legs. The only separate and moveable part is the saluting arm. The other arm, head and hat are all just painted onto a shaped tube that contains the mechanism, onto which the legs-tube has been welded.
The rucksack is made entirely of grey waterproof hide and features two sizeable side pockets, each stitched and glued carefully so as not to compromise the integrity of the construction. Each pocket, and the main compartment, has a drawstring top as well as a closing and buckling flap; Rene gets the impression that when closed correctly, the bag would keep its contents dry even in a monsoon, and possibly even for brief periods of complete submersion, such as being hit by a wave or falling out of a canoe. It smells funny, like it has been here for a long time.
The waterskin is brand new and has never been used (based on smell and texture).
The tarot deck is incomplete; there are no Minor Arcana (suit cards) such as the four of swords or the ten of cups. There are only the twenty-two Major Arcana cards. Each has been hand-painted onto soft white rectangles of hide using only black ink. They are stored together in a velvet pouch. The artwork is beautiful and features an incredible amount of detail and symbology; more than Rene can comprehend with only a cursory glance. It is clear that old Ethan does not know anything about these cards, or they would not have been buried under a pile of other crap. Sadly, because they HAVE been buried under a pile of other crap, most of the cards are bent or folded in some way or another. They are legible and can be straightened/flattened back out, but they are currently just a hodgepodge of crinkly painted bits of skin in a fancy bag.
[His appraisals took several minutes, but there's still time this turn to make a purchase, pick up some other stuff, appraise something else, leave etc. No time for a proper 'full' action.]
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Note: This list includes the items people have picked up but not yet taken away ÔÇô I am trying to keep track of whoÔÇÖs grabbed what but I may lose track as we go along, please check too!
Backpack, medium, leather x3 (Lance has taken away 1) (Remy has picked up 1)
Barrels, with lids
Bedroll x4 (Lance has taken away 1) (Remy has picked up 1) (Rene has picked up 1)
Beeswax, large stick x2
Belt Pouches (medium) x2 (Rene has picked up 1)
Belt Pouches (small) x2 (Rene has picked up 1)
Belt x2
Blank Book (25 Pages) (Remy has picked this up)
Blanket (winter) x2
Bolt of clothing-cloth
Bolt of sack cloth
Bone Whistle
Boots, men's, ankle (Rene has picked this up)
Boots, men's, knee
Bottle, ceramic, swing-top x4 (beer-size)
Bow Drill set
Brooch, shell and metal
Broom
Bucket, iron
Bucket, leather, x2
Bucket, oiled canvas x3
Canteen x2 (BJ has picked up 1)
Cap, leather
Carved Bone Cow (decorative) (Remy has picked this up)
Chamber Pot
Child's Breeches
Child's Smock
Clockwork Soldier Toy (Rene has picked this up)
Cloth needle x4
Comb (bone)
Cow leather, small pieces x4
Cowhide, fur on, complete
Dice, wooden, pair
Doll, fabric (dressed as a mage)
Door Hinges, 4
Drinking Horn, decorative
Drum, small
Flask of oil (half empty)
Flint and Steel x3 (Lance has taken away 1)
Flour Sacks x8 (Lance has taken away 2)
Gloves, canvas
Gloves, leather
Gloves, waterproof
Gorget, leather
Graphite Pencil x2 (Remy has picked up 1)
Hairbrush (bristle) (matches comb)
Hemp Rope, 20ft
Horseshoes, 24
Hurricane Lamp (no wick) (Remy has picked this up)
Incense, three sticks, patchouli
Knapsack, small, canvas x3
Large button
Large scissors
Leather needle
Leatherworking Awl
Magnifying Glass
Men's Pants
Men's Workshirt
Natural Sponge, small
Neatsfoot Oil (1 vial)
Offcuts of cloth
Offcuts of leather
Patchwork quilt
Pitchfork
Pot of wood glue
Provisions Bag, oiled cloth (BJ has picked this up)
Rabbit (or similar) hides, fur on x4
Raw Wool (large bag)
Retractable Knife (BJ has picked this up)
Roll of gauze bandages
Rucksack, waterproof, large x1 (Rene has picked this up)
Scarf
Scythe blade
Scythe handle x2
Sealing Wax and Seal-Ring
Set of matching buttons x6
Set of Vials in Rack (6)
Shears
Shoes, women's
Slippers, child's
Small magnet
Small metalworking pliers
Small steel mirror
Spell Component Pouch (depleted)
Spool of Tin Wire
Spun wool x5
Suede, dyed red, half-size
Tarot deck (incomplete) (Rene has picked this up)
Tarpaulin
Tent, six person
Thread x4 (Remy has picked up 1)
Tiny bell
Vest, wool
Waterskin, large (Lance has taken this away)
Waterskin, medium, x2 (Remy has picked up 1) (Rene has picked up 1)
White Pearl
Wolf Pelt, complete, white
Women's Dress
Woven Baskets x5 (assorted sizes) (Remy has picked up 1)
Note: Where it says "so and so has taken away 1", the quantity is the original quantity and has not been edited to reflect this.
So, e.g., "Bedrolls x4, Lance bought one, Remy and Rene are holding one": there were 4, there's one left not spoken for in the shop right now. (This is because I just copy-paste the shop inventory into the thread from my Excel spreadsheet, and the spreadsheet has it written like that partly so I remember to add one to people's inventory when they actually buy it, and partly so I remember that the shop had X quantity and where they all currently are.) When people have stopped wandering around with stuff and have paid and left, I'll change the shop stock to reflect what can be found there when people go back later.
To assess the condition of any of the items (easy-ish) or get a feel for their value (harder, given the merge) you will need to spend a short action having a look at them. You can do a whole bunch all in one go, it wonÔÇÖt take an entire turn.
--
Outside:
Timothy tries to convey to the bird that he wants her to fly up to the window and wait for him.
► Show Spoiler
1D20+2 = [10]+2 = 12
+2 stays until you piss her off (awful roll) or something spooks her.
Finding no luck in telepathically communicating with her, nor discovering that she speaks Common, he gestures up to the window with his arm a few times, hoping she gets the idea. She flaps about when the perch she was resting on is moved - after a few tries of almost launching her with his arm-movements, she flies up to the window and back down again, looking at him with that blank birdy stare.
(Not trying to be unnecessarily awkward, but there isn't a sill - that's why he couldn't climb up. Hint: she will probably stick around if he leaves her outside with something to occupy her and runs up to open the window, given that it'll take him less than a minute to rush up there; the initial critical success means she won't just fly off as soon as he's not looking.)
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[As some people are actually buying stuff and/or picking up their stored belongings now, I'm going to edit sheets with the next main update. I am keeping track of who has what in the background, but if you think I've missed something, PM me and I'll check or update.]