Fruity Rumpus Asshole Party - D&D Edition [Closed RP]

["So." Rose leans forward. "Is everyone ready to begin our adventure?" It seemed like a wise choice to direct attention toward the table before any interpersonal conflicts could develop. Of course, she had the utmost faith that everyone would cooperate and there would be no problems at all. The same amount of faith she placed in believing that her mother's enjoyment of wizards was sincere. Which was none.]

 

[Tension drains from Dave's body when Gamzee proves himself to be super chill right now. He sort of wishes Karkat were here, but that might get awkward in its own special way. It's an... interesting group that Rose has put together. Hopefully Rose knows what she's doing. His eyes skim down his serious business character sheet, half excited and half embarrassed about the whole thing.

"Yeah, let's do this thing."]

 

[Terezi laughs, lower jaw bouncing up and down like it's on a spring rather than a hinge joint. It will be... interesting to see if Gamzee keeps his cool while they play, but if he freaks out they have a Knight of Time, a Seer of Light, and Terezi ready to stop him from doing something they'd make him regret. She holds her hand out sideways to Dave, silently requesting a fist bump as she says, "Let's make this happen."]

 

[Gamzee thrusts both fists in the air. "Let's motherfuckin KICK IT!!!!"]

 

[Rose claps her hands together and bounces a little on her beanbag. She passes her hand over her face, and it changes from animated and excited to composed and serious. "Alright. Let's get this party fucking started."]

Snow crunches underfoot as the three of you trudge forward through the night. The half-moon casts a dim, diffused light on your surroundings through the thick clouds, and your breath puffs with each exhale. Nocturnal birds call to each other every now and then, and you startle every time.

You have been walking together for the past five hours. A motley band formed from convenience - you were all going the same way, and the cover of darkness is the safest way to travel when the roads aren't patrolled as well as they should be. You met in a noisy inn common-room in the city of Nestoc, the largest city in the country and a gem of civilization in a largely untamed land. Your destination is the small village of Tyran. It is a moderately wealthy farming settlement, notable for its exports of fine wines and preserves, and often the first port of call for people travelling too and from Nestoc.

Your feet are sore, and those of you sensitive to cold are feeling it settle deep in your bones. The snowfall is light, but constant, and it becomes harder to make out the road with every passing hour. You have another two hours walking before you will see the lights of Tyran through the darkness.

 

When setting out earlier that evening Lei was grateful to find traveling companions headed the same way, both for safety and for company. The first four hours or so of the trip saw him chattering almost nonstop; telling stories, making conversation, and practicing a new form of spoken word poetry he'd made up. The tiefling he'd taken up with for the journey seemed happy to listen and join in on occasion, so it was a pleasant way to spend the night.

By the time true night started to happen around them, Lei lost the thread of what he was saying more often, hummed or sang quietly to himself under his breath, and even, occasionally, fell into silence. It was really fucking cold and about two hours from Tyran he was starting to have serious, bitter regrets about a wide variety of his life decisions. Foremost among them being his lack of outdoor winter clothing.

He trudged through the snow heavily; tired and sore from walking with a heavy backpack he wasn't used to, but unwilling to stop for rest in case he got too cold to move again.

((Slightly controlling @rainbowbarnacle's character in her absence with her permission.))

 

As far as Pyralspite is aware, she's travelling with the elf and the tiefling not for safety of numbers but in order to protect them because neither of them look like they're capable of travelling safely by themselves. She's surprised to discover that she likes the company, despite being used to solitude when travelling. The elf is the most entertaining of the two in that regard, and his chatter is very charming to listen to. She replies to him now and then, when she has something she feels she can add to his mostly one-sided conversation with her and the tiefling, but mostly is happy just to let the chatter wash over her.

The snowfall gives everything around them a mild, sweet taste, and although she's used to walking for long periods of time, Pyralspite is looking forward to reaching their destination. About half an hour into their walk she'd pulled her quarterstaff free from the strap holding it to her large pack, and has been using it to walk with since then, striding through the snow that's settled on the road.

 

Your next hour proceeds without incident, and the night deepens. By the position of the moon above them, the tiefling remarks that it must be just past midnight. He pulls his winter blanket tighter around his shoulders, and you all forge onward.

Finally, you see lights in the distance, smell smoke from many chimneys working hard to warm houses against the deep chill in the air. The path into town leads between two large fields, and a spring enters your steps as you hurry toward the welcoming shelter of a tavern.

[I'd like everyone to roll perception, please.]

 

[15]

 

[I rolled a 13 plus... something. ...Ahaha, plus zero. 13.]

 

((Rolling on behalf of @rainbowbarnacle))
[NAT 20 MOTHERFUCKERS. Plus, uh, 4]

 

Your tiefling companion stops, and then points out into the eastern field. Following the line of his finger, you see a dark figure kneeling in the snow, arms thrust up to the elbow into the powder and presumably the earth below. You can't make out any details, and before you can step forward to investigate the figure's hooded head jerks up. It is staring directly at you all. For a moment, all is still.

In a blur of unnatural speed, it jerks its arms free and sprints away into the darkness.

 

[What the fuck?! I mean...]

Lei's eyes follow where the tiefling's pointing, but seeing it doesn't actually help him understand anything. "What the fuck?"

 

Pyralspite's free hand moves up to the locket hung around her neck, fingers tracing along the raised draconic word on its surface. The figure moved off far too quickly for her to have a hope of chasing it, but she decides to take a look at what it was doing. She slings her quarterstaff back into place on her pack, and instead removes her shield, just in case whatever the figure was messing with was dangerous. Thus readied, she turns to her travelling companions.

"I'm going to investigate whatever was going on over there. You're both welcome to join me, but I'll understand if you want to go on to the village and safety instead."

 

"Leaving the road and going through even deeper snow in the dark toward whatever spooky bullshit that weirdo was hiding sounds like a great idea. Let's just do that."

...staying on the road alone in the dark sounds like an even worse idea. Lei trudges after the dragon lady, hand nervously hovering over his pan flute.

["... oh my god. I'm the one who has fuckin' thieves tools and can disarm traps, but I don't have a high enough perception to ever actually find traps. Amazing. I check for traps when we get there anyway.

5. Plus zero. Yes, good. Perfect. That's exactly what I wanted. Here look Terezi, it's me."]

 

The tiefling follows, club raised and ready.

Lei's examination of the area finds it devoid of traps. As far as you can tell, there are just two deep holes in the snow.

 

Rather pleased that the two were brave enough to follow her after all, Pyralspite walks confidently up to where the mysterious stranger had been. Spotting the holes in the snow as their rich, dark colour easily gives them away, she kneels to examine the area carefully.

[A six in investigation! This result fills me with confidence, as does the unfortunate man who ain't found shit.]

Pyralspite sticks her free arm down one of the holes.

 

The earth is cold, even to you. That registers as odd - it's colder than the snow.

 

Pyralspite pulls her arm free, and tries to use the bottom of her shield as a scoop to dig the snow and earth out of the way, to discover what's making the ground so cold.

 

You scoop the snow aside. Bare dirt is revealed.