Search for Tavin

When we last left our intrepid adventurers they had decided they needed to find the local layabout Tavin. They know he likes to frequent the shadiest "tavern" in town, the Crossed Swords. Rue Eris, the Pixie Fairy Chosen One, and Jace, the Elven Archer, headed on off to the establishment to find Tavin.

Standing guard outside the Crossed Swords is a pair of Half-Ogre guards. Not exactly the talkative type, they simply demand "two gold". The PC duo keep asking for information on Tavin and if he's inside. "Two gold" is about all they get out of the brutes. I do let it "slip" that Half-Ogres don't exactly get along with Pixie Fairies, and the pair think the guards are asking for a bribe, which they are very reluctant to do....


So they leave empty-handed and return to the comfort of the Shady Oak Inn. They relate the story of the guards to Amara, Halfling Thief, and Alehandro, a Pixie Fairy Magic User. These two PCs decide to check out the place themselves. Upon confronting the gaurds they also get the "two gold" bit, which they pay. The guards open the door and they walk on in.

The Crossed Swords is a pretty run-down place. The walls and ceiling have shoddy repairs, the furniture is "functional" at best, and the bar is little more than a couple of boxes and racks off to one side. The main feature of the Crossed Swords is a roped off bare knuckle boxing ring pretty much in the middle of the place. Patrons sit about, drinking or watching/wagering on the bouts. Amara and Alehandro belly up to the bar and get a big mug of watered down ale. They are offerred mead or 'devilsblood' for an additional fee. They ask how much the ale is and the server gives them an odd look....the ale is all you can drink for two gold. The guards at the front door weren't exacting a bribe, but gathering the cover charge.

D'oh!

It takes some asking around, but Tavin is quickly located. He's pretty pissed and drowning in what's left of his current ale. They chat him up a bit and ask why he was in stocks when everyone came into town on market day. It ends up that Tavin had rang the alarm bell on the nearby guard tower on a bet (I deviated from the adventure a bit here, because it made sense and I wanted to). In his drunken stupor he gets a flash of recognition...."that bastard still owes me money!" and he lumbers off to find this "guy". His target is in another corner, pretty drunk also, and they begin to argue about the bet and money.

Pretty soon a massive half-orc grabs the two beligerent drunks and announces that they can work out their differences in the ring. The whole bar cheers in the excitement of a new challenge and the two boxers are stipped to the waist and shoved into the ring. The two boxer start to slug it out in a ham-fisted mockery of boxing. It was pathetics, like two monkey's trying to hump a football. Eventually they get to the bloody "I love you man" phase and pretty much pass out. The pair is tossed out back into a muddy patch just beyond the back door. Amara and Alehandro follow them out and try to revive Tavin. Failing that they see if they can drag him off. A halfling and pixie fairy (a Magic User, no less) trying to carry a passed-out human? Nope....all they manage so to make a lot of noise and mess.

The local church is just across the way, actually the closes building to the back of the Crossed Swords. They PCs see a light as the church's front door opens to reveal Brother Rothsby's and his glaring, dissapproving stare. The duo (led by Alehandro) looks up and waves "hi". They made a good friend that night!


Next update: Off into the woods!