Chapter 1: Breakfast in Gryffonese

Chapter 1: Breakfast in Gryffonese

For all the talk of artisinal ciders and bespoke morning meals, the House of Angry Pancakes did not have a lot going on inside. Five evenly-spaced wooden tables with bench seating would be the first thing our party would see as they entered the establishment, two of which were occupied by lone diners lost in their own thoughts. To the left of the entrance was a bar, where a half-orc male conversed casually with an elven female bartender, polishing glassware with a crimson red cloth. A door to the right swung open as two kobolds--dressed similarly in aprons and fetching shorts--emerged from the kitchen and delivered plates of pancakes to Tables 3 & 5's waiting patrons.

To the untrained eye, this would be the last place to expect adventure. But after the glassing of Fandolin, and other assorted stories on the winds that told of train robberies, battle wagon racing, and extra moons in the skies above Faerun, our party knew better. The TAZ job board in Neverwinter--nicknamed affectionately for Taz Kasto, the human overseer coordinating regional mercenary contracts--spoke of a need for "highly versatile individuals that can work collaboratively", to complete a task for one Krusk the 2nd, owner of the ol' House of Angry Pancakes. Since the other contracts on the board had been difficulty-stamped with two stars or more (or in one case, three skulls and the phrase "I'm offering a ton of money because I know you'll probably die before you could collect it, narf"), our adventurers decided to cut their teeth on simpler work.

The party sat at the first table, and waited patiently for some rustic hospitality from the kobold waitstaff.

[This is about the time I would have you all introduce yourselves to each other, and get a sense of what you're bringing to the game. An interruption is scheduled, but feel free to LOOK around and see what everyone else in the House of Angry Pancakes is up to. -Dungeon Master]

Beyond the sound of rustling leaves outside, and two sets of mouth-on-flapjacks noshing, there is a noticeable end of the conversation between the elven barmaid and her half-orc patron. Both turn their heads to look at the seated party, and greet them with simple smiles. It's almost as though the two are waiting to hear what the group will say...

Ezythyr looked around the room, nodding cordially at the elf and half-orc. He turned to the rest of the party.

"Should we order somethin'? I dinnae ken how to bring up the job without bein' rude."

"Yer a pansy. Swing yer axe and demand an ale!"

Ezythyr politely ignored the voice that no one else could hear.

---

OOC: In case anyone doesn't know 'ken' means 'know'.

Thokk stared at the other half-orc out of the corner of his eye. He had met few others like him, and often felt at a loss for how to introduce himself, or whether he should at all. So many of them had been raised around Orcs and were a little the worse for wear because of it. He looked down at his hands, feeling guilty and conflicted. He didn't particularly want pancakes. They grew cold, the syrup made them soggy. Ordering them without syrup brought on strange looks. Thokk's mood was getting sour. He became aware of the coarse hair on his arms, which he had tried to shave as a kid. He could feel where his prominent bottom teeth, not quite tusks, met his upper lip. He ached for adventure, he was desperate for greatness.

He looked at Ezythyr and put on a smile. "Never hurts to ask, I don't think." He clasped the Dwarf on the back. "Besides, a Paladin, a Bard, and a Necromancer all together? We're infinitely hirable! I can ask the guy at the bar if he knows about anything, if you want to grab a table."

Ezythyr nods to Akira. "Dinnae forget about the sorceress, Thokk." He grinned and turned toward the other two. "Lead on, lasses." He gestured to an empty table.

A flush of red colored Thokk's pale green cheeks. "Of course, I uh. . . I'm sorry about that Akira." He placed his thumb through his belt. "But with a Dragonborn sorceress, there's no one wouldn't hire us." Thokk turns toward the bar, trying to decide if he'll go talk to the half orc.

OOC: Apologies for the omission Georgie, I had the backstories fresh in my mind, and miscounted our folks.

The party sits at what appears to be Table 1, directly adjacent to the barstools and under the watchful eyes of barmaiden and customer. The elven female continued to polish beer steins and highball glasses, but motioned to her kobold co-workers with a nod towards the recently occupied table.

One of the kobolds disappeared into the kitchen, and quickly emerged from the doorway with a tray of  four mugs, filled with a black steaming liquid. It didn't take a lot of perception for anyone to immediately recognize Old Marsh Coffee when they smelled it, and sure enough this establishment was serving it wholesale. Known for its earthy yet silky finish, it was as good as beverages got.

The party's kobold server looked to Thokk as it cleared his plate and smiled, and in an unexpected female-sounding voice, whispered to him in Common,

"I think our 'cakes are better pipin' hot and without syrup too."

She looks over to the rest of the group and says, "If you need anything else, call out for Lark. Tha's me name, Lark Voorhees."

"Thanks, Lark! We'll be sure to let you know." Eledriar beamed in her direction, then turned to the party. "Seems like a friendly bunch of folks, I'm sure they wouldn't mind us getting straight to the point. Not that I'm not enjoying the service," she added, raising her steaming mug up. "Haven't had a cup of joe like this for many a month. There's not many places know how to make it right, but this is certainly one of 'em." She takes a long swig, then wipes her mouth on the back of her arm.

Ezythyr eyed the coffee, wondering if it would be rude to ask them to make it dwarven for him.

"Pansy!"

"Excuse me, lass. Would it trouble ye to throw in a splash of spirits in me mug?" He asked the kobold.

Thokk's smile dipped but he regained his composure, and said to the kobold, "a plate sounds wonderful, thank you Lark."

He turned to Eledriar and took a sip of his own. "Oh, it is good! Don't know a lot about coffee myself, never had it before going to the university." He glanced at the bar out of the corner of his eye.

As Lark nods to Ezythyr and heads back into the kitchen, the second kobold server walks over with a dark brown glass bottle. It points to the label, and also speaking in Common, says quietly:

"This is from the last shipment we have from Redcheek Farms, should bring the heat you're looking for."

As you begin to meld the bottle's contents with your coffee, Ezythyr, another party walks into the House of Angry Pancakes. Four men in green leather armor emerge in the doorway, and call out across the dining area:

"We're here for the contract work, which one of you is Krusk the 2nd?"

Think leaned back and turned to face the newcomers, taking interest. He looked over at Ezythyr. "Will you hand that off when you're done? Might do me good."

Ezythyr sipped his coffee, enjoying the pleasant burn. He eyed the other party.

---

OOC: What should I roll to see if I know anything about them? Matching armor might mean something.

Ooc: that seems like a good call

"No apology needed, Thokk. Takes more than that to offend me" Akira says breezily. *Under her breath* "But I will remember this."

Akira lowers her eyes and surveys the new party. Her fingers start to drum on her staff; she does not trust these people.

OOC: howdy folks, got some bad news today so won't be able to play tonight or probably tomorrow. feel free to continue! its early days yet so i trust y'all so far hehe. will join back in in a couple of days i expect. sorry!

[Roll Perception if you'd like to know more about matching vestments, general surroundings, etcetera. Please indicate what you're "perceiving" so I can adjust descriptions accordingly. - DM]

Overhead map updated with party and NPC locations:

"Who's asking," Lark responds from the far end of the restaurant. "Take a seat, and maybe order something first."

The second kobold calls out to Lark. "Um, Lark, you shouldn't speak for the boss, he's---"

"I know, I know, Skeeter, he's in the kitchen cooking up some 'Angry Cakes', shut up and I'll go get him. Sit our new guests down at an open table and we'll be out in a bit."

Skeeter walks towards the four human men, but stops in his tracks as one of them draws a shortbow and points an arrow at his head. The man grunts, "Disgusting, I didn't know these scaly freaks could even talk, much less serve food that's safe to eat!"

One of the other men places his hand on the bowman's shoulder. "Stand down, Archie. Hey Axel, Daggard, let's keep calm," he said as his hand drifted away from the handle of his sheathed longsword. "My name is Sord, and rest assured, we're only here for contract work with your master."

OOC: I'll roll for perception on the group of men and then I'll post my reaction.

Perception +3 on the men to see if they're a group with a reputation.

The member 'Ezythyr Coalthane' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'd20' : 9

[Perception roll of 12 does it, and you can even hear kobold utterances in low volume]

The four men stand a disturbingly-precise distance from each other, awaiting the arrival of Krusk the 2nd. On closer inspection of their green leather armors, you notice the telltale hart emblem of the Emerald Enclave. As a traveler in the Sword Coast, one can't even take wayward piss without running into these agents of nature, who fight to protect the balance of the natural world from all threats (particularly those of the lycanthropic genre). At times, the Emerald Enclave seemed to impede civilization and expansion into untouched corners of the world and gained more notoriety as "tree-huggers"; Skeeter returned back to the kitchen after being threatened with bow and arrow, and could be heard muttering "stupid treef*ckers" as he crossed the doorway.

The men appeared to be traveling lightly, with no additional gear apart from their attire and armaments, so it is fair to assume that they were Springwarden rank, fresh initiates to the Enclave that wanted to make their presence known in this part of Amn. Of the four, Sord appeared to be the leader of this group, as his stance--shoulders back, hands at his waist and sword hilt--was markedly more rigid and awkward than the others.

Ezythyr whispers to the others. "Emerald Enclave. Seem to be new recruits. We might have an edge if it comes to negotiatin' for the job. Especially considerin' how they're treatin' the staff."

"Ye should teach 'em a thing or two."

Ezythyr found himself nodding at the advice.

From the kitchen, a tall orc male emerges. He is wearing a chef's hat that can barely contain his black hair, and a flour-dusted apron with fetching shorts (that appear to match Lark's and Skeeter's uniform, in cut and drape). This is one of the more scraggly-looking orcs the party has even seen, despite having gainful employ and a presumed-adequate wage as the Angry Pancakes' cook. "Who's looking for Krusk," he says, "and why did you have to upset poor Skeeter?"

As the orc walked out towards the group, you see Sord twitch and suddenly his longsword is drawn and pointed at the orc male. The other three Springwardens draw their weapons in kind. "Back, beast!" Sord yelps out. "We respect the heroic tales of your father and sought to serve his kin, but we did not know his son was of the blackest blood!"

"But I'm wearing a hat, and I always wash my hands during food prep," the orc quips sarcastically. "Can I politely ask that you boys leave, you're really taking the classy out of our joint."

Daggard chimes in, "Boss, forget the contract, we can make our bones by outing this nightwalker and collecting a bounty!!!" Axel and Archie nod in agreement, though Sord doesn't appear convinced just yet...

[This is a good time to decide--as a group or not--what you want to do; is this a situation you want to watch play out, diffuse, or directly intervene on behalf of the cook? Additional perception/insight/DM questions/other checks are welcome as always. - DM]

Ezythyr watches with interest. He hasn't seen this before type of contract negotiation before.

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OOC: Waiting to see what everyone else will do. I'm all for a fight, personally.