[Pathfinder] Unlikely Heroes [Game Thread]

[Raganui Minamoto]

It is a world of war. Countries attempt to expand and others fight to keep their borders. Every day, town defenses dwindle as more supplies and soldiers are sent to the borders. It is a time of banditry, a world with no heroes. But as such, magic users are also pushed to the borders and so others have taken the field. This has given rise to the 'common man's' magic, though it is actually more of a spreading of alchemical interest. As such, industry has grown as artifice and alchemy become more widely used. Thus starts the Industrial Age. Bows and crossbows are still common use, because the gun is expensive to make, as well as it's munitions.

Magic still exists, do not get me wrong. But it is a hard craft to learn. Years of expensive schooling and even then only a few actually graduate with the ability to do more than the most basic of spells. They are all given over to the government after that, for war. Priests who are granted spells and paladins as well, are also normally sent to the border. However, some can keep their power secret or are of such low power they can only mend the basic hurts of a small town.

Adventurers are also rare, and those that are out are never of the skill of the great legends of old.

And so into this world of gray, where good and evil are determined by the victor, we go to a small town called Rosewood. A place in a country that was wanting to stay out of the war, but war came to it. The people of this town are frightened to leave their houses for all but the most urgent of things. Their guard is barely any and of that half are barely off their mother's apron strings. This town is where a group of unlikely visitors would meet. But what would become of them? Let us watch, as they come, one by one.  

[serketcity]

Sabin frowned as he walked into town. He usually frowned, there was nothing unique about that. Nor was there anything unusual in particular about the town, as it resembled the last few he'd been to. What was odd was the walking. Paladins don't just wander, they're supposed to have purpose. And yet wandering is what he was doing. Just sort of moving from place to place without so much as a clear purpose in his head. He pulled a cigarette out of a pocket in his pack, and lit it from a nearby torch. He took a drag, then kept walking. Smoking was a good way to deal with thinking too much. Being a Paladin had perks, he supposed. And yet.
Sabin looked up from his feet and surveyed the street, wondering how he was going to pay for lodging tonight. The last time he slept on the street some thief took his stuff, so he needed at least to pay someone to make sure that didn't happen. Maybe he could get a job? He frowned deeper.  

[jennibert]

Sapphire stood on a street corner, looking like an innocent human child as she peered around. There's not very many people here. How am I going to make any money if this adventurey thing doesn't work out? Probably I should have picked a different town to go to....I wonder if there's anywhere I can get something to eat? She wanders down the street, looking in windows to see what's there.  

[serketcity]

Sabin noticed the little girl looking around the windows of the local stores. His frown twitched out of place a bit around the corners. He tossed what was left of his cigarette to the ground and walked over near her, trying his best to smile and ending up with what can only be described as a terrible imitation of a happy face. "Are you lost, little girl?" He winced when he heard his own voice. Hoarse from days of smoking and not talking out loud to anyone. Ah well. With a little luck she wouldn't run away screaming.  

[jennibert]

Sapphire looks up at the man, her eyes wide. He's pretty ugly. But maybe he has money. Or something to eat. "I was looking for my brother. But I can't seem to find him," she says, her voice high and playing up her innocence. "He's been missing for a while. Maybe you could help me?"

{I'm going to roll a bluff check, just to see how convincing her innocent act is. +10 to the roll.}  

[serketcity]

(I for one think that was a masterful performance.)
Sabin frowned again, then looked around, as if the girl wouldn't be able to see the brother nearby. "Well, I'll help you find him, I guess. If I can. Here." Sabin lifted Sapphire up onto his shoulders, carefully maneuvering her around the scythe that was slung on his back, and began looking around again. "My name is Sabin. What's yours? ... and what does your brother look like, anyway?"  

[Emerald the Crow]

Stumbling towards town, hunched over and laden down with a bag that make loud clanking sounds, Kivenna was unhappy. Not only had her damn horse keeled over and forced her to lug the rest of this crap here all by herself, she was now sweaty and miserable. If she felt like taking some time out, she mused, she could let herself get stupid and musclebound, but she'd make better time just walking with this crappy weight on her back than sitting around concocting stuff. And she hated feeling stupid anyway. The clinking of simple vials in her coat made her smile. At least she still had all her stuff, and the town was finally in view. Lousy, out of the way burg. Sometimes the rubes in such a place would pay her good money to whip up some simple unguents and potions, and that was pretty much the whole reason she was even on her way here. That, and it was the only place around at all. Stupid hayseed town...

She finally arrived, even more disheveled than before, her glasses crooked and her black hair matted, thoroughly dirty with dust, and her feet a little calloused. Stupid walking. Stupid horse. At least it had made a satisfying crater... She looked around the town, trying to get a bead on any place to stay. Gods, she needed a bath in the worst way. She'd kill a man for a bath right now. Did this stupid hayseed town even have an inn? Or maybe some gullible kind couple to show her some hospitality? She continued on, dragging a sack full of noxious chemicals with her.  

[jennibert]

Sapphire settles comfortably onto Sabin's shoulders. "Hello, Sabin. I'm Sapphire. My brother's name is Cade. He's a little taller than me, since he's older, and he has short red hair and blue eyes like mine." She kicks her feet idly, though she tries not to connect with Sabin while doing so. "I bet he's gone into the inn, looking at the fire. He likes fire."

{FWIW, that is an accurate description of her brother...she just doesn't actually think he's in town.}  

[Raganui Minamoto]

The town has a general store, a blacksmith, and an inn. The place looks bleak, mostly because no one is out in the town and the few faces you see are staring your way through windows. The few guardsmen you've met are nervous. The buildings look like they have been hacked at and he sign at the inn, which once seemed to depicted a beautiful budding rose, was worn and full or arrow holes, as if someone used it for target practice.  

[serketcity]

"Well then, I suppose we'll start our search at the inn. Sound good, Sapphire?" Without really waiting for confirmation of any kind, Sabin headed towards the inn with the little girl still on his back. He shook his head at the worn-down sign, seeing how poor the town was, and then gently pushed the door open, ducking under the doorframe so Sapphire's head wouldn't get hit. He stood uneasily near the door, looking around, when he realized most people don't like an armored man staring at the group looking for someone. So he opened his mouth to announce his reason for being here.
"Hmm. I, ah, was wondering if you'd seen a boy a few inches taller than the girl I've got, with red hair and blue eyes? The girl's lost her brother, see, and I was wondering if any of you had seen him around?" Sabin was blushing bright red, but kept his ground, waiting for a reply.

((I'm going to roll perception and diplomacy (search and gather information) in the same post, if that's allright, to show that he's looking while he's asking. +1 to Perception and +5 to diplomacy, and I'm rolling those in order.))  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Only a few townsfolk were in, most looking as if they're trying to get sloshed, despite the fact that it's barely afternoon.

The bartender looks at you warily, one hand on the coutnter, with another below it. "A-a boy? No one here aside from men. Any child that young would be kept on his mother's apron strings." He doesn't move. "Wha... what do you want here?"  

[serketcity]

"Er, not much, really, a place to stay would be nice but I don't have any money on me at the moment so I won't bother you with that right now. Is there any source of fire around here that's permanent? It's about the only other thing we have to look for." Oblivious to how nervous the man was, Sabin continued his line of questioning. The lines on his face furrowed as he frowned at the bartender.  

[Disciple of Sakura]

Riding into town on the palamino horse that had once belonged to Theresa, Bianca admired the town for how well it had so far avoided the worst of the wars. Though the streets were bare, and there were clearly some signs of conflict and damage, it still stood, resolute against the forces of destruction. She always liked it when she saw things like that. They were much more reassuring than that horrible vision of a blown-up horse she had seen on her way in. What kind of person did that to a horse, anyway?

She wasn't necessarily going to be here long - she wanted to get in, see about resupplying and maybe sleeping in a bed, and then move on. She had to find Mlaka, and maybe someone to help her train. She wasn't strong enough to fight her. She never had been. Her still being alive was a continuous reminder that she wasn't even remotely a threat to the Ebon Eye. But she had to try and do something. You didn't just get to kill someone as good and wonderful and kind as Theresa and get away with it. Absolutely not. Maybe she'd find something or someone here who could lead her to real strength.

She rode up to the blacksmith and dismounted expertly. Tying the horse's reins to the post outside she surveyed the street once more before entering. "Hello?" she called out in a quiet voice.  

[jennibert]

"Yes, Cade likes fire." Sapphire looks around the bar and addresses one of the patrons at random. "Is that good? Can I have some?"  

[Mongooseh]

He could feel the dirt and stones between his toes as he walked steadily and assuredly on the road and he was a confident dwarf in an environment where there was earth readily available but like all dwarves knew it didn't stand up to the grandness of a mountain. Now his entering of the town of rosewood would of gone un noticed if he looked like any normal dwarf. There were certain details missing, firstly a lack of chainmail (what do you call a dwarf without some kind of metal armour? Not a dwarf certainly.), then the lack of a dwarven waraxe even a ceremonial one passed down from generations and lastly why isn't he weaing any boots isn't that bad for ones feet?

Maybe he did go unnoticed but Stoney did not care for he was mostly here out of interest and of a possibility of per-chancing on some fine dwarven ale. The stuff he had to brew in the caves he hid in wasn't the same as good ol' dwarven ale.So his immediate destination would be the tavern.

Wait was this not expected?
Remember one thing people in all taverns there's at the minimum of one dwarf trying to get drunk on the pisswater humans call beer. Then there is the second point of the cliché that all adventures start in a tavern and Stoney wishes to carry on this cliché to its fullest.