Twisted Tavern Group 3

Somehow, Adeline found herself early to an event for once. Perhaps it was the nerves, the excitement, or maybe the threat of being left behind; whatever it was that had motivated her to be timely, the young Ravenclaw was not used to being the first to the party. Adeline's time at the Garden of Eden event had been enjoyable, but ultimately quite short lived. While she attempted to distract herself with dancing and drinks, the young girl's mind had been occupied with thoughts of the tavern, and what, and who could be waiting for her inside. It was only her nature to be drawn to mystery, challenge, and the possibility of danger.

Upon stepping into the empty space, nothing seemed too terribly off. Adeline took a moment to survey her surroundings, taking note of a large bar fashioned with various bottles that reflected the nearby fire's flames. Resting on the bar, was a lonely gramophone. In another corner of the room, a stage sat completely empty apart from a wooden stool, and a Lute, begging to be played. To her left, various potions swirled about in their vials, their contents undisclosed. Temptation pulled the girl in multiple directions, if it weren't for the eerie quiet within the tavern, Adeline would assume that this was the perfect set up for a memorable night. This all seems about right... the young girl smiled to herself, stepping further into the room, doing a 180 to face the side of the tavern that she hadn't yet examined. Upon doing so, she noticed something she could not believed she had initially missed.

Nailed into the door at about head-height, was a note. Curiosity piqued, Adeline made her way back to the large door, plucking the note from the wall carefully as not to rip it. She unfolded the parchment, and muttered it's contents under her breath.
"We are in a favourite place for bards,
and I can be found in a pile of shards.
I’m in need of a quick repair,
and then I’ll be out of your hair."
The young girl traced her thumbs over the letters one by one. What could it mean? What was in need of a repair? Adeline sat the open note down on a nearby table and began to pace back and forth across the tavern, the riddle repeating endlessly in her head.

Reducio

this is my first ever moderated thread, pls owl me if i need to fix anything for whatever reason. thank you guys!!!

She shouldn’t have been here. And she kept telling herself that she didn’t want to be here. But Costanza knew that it was a lie. She was freshened up and in her casual clothes early despite grumbling about not attending the ball just yesterday. The letter dropped in front of her breakfast that morning had come as a complete surprise and she spent a maximum of one minute on deciding if to follow through. But if the sender asked, she would obviously tell him she took the entire day.

Most people gave Costanza a wide berth and she was convinced that she liked it that way. No one to make small talk with, no one to justify herself too. It was just easier to exist when people didn’t bother. So when she received a letter that requested her presence at what was apparently a biannual escape room, Costanza jumped at the chance.

Pyxis was out here making an effort to connect with her and while she would die rather than admit it, she was decidedly not annoyed by him. Their last escape room attempt was cut short just as Costanza was beginning to have fun, so if he did start being weird then at least she would have her second run to keep her going.

“Hi.” She was early, entering with only a younger girl present. In another circumstance, Costanza would not have bothered with acknowledging the girl, yet something about the night had lifted her spirits somewhat. But saying more was a step she was not ready for, so she focused on the contents of the room and scoffed at the lack of Pyxis. Was the owl a joke? Was he standing her up? It would destroy what little faith she had in herself being likable.

The room felt like it was one of her dad’s D&D taverns come to life and she almost wished that she’d lugged a tiefling costume to Hogwarts. After taking a walk around the setting, tracing her finger on the gramophone and noting the lute and the mess behind it on the stage, Costanza intended to check out those potions. But by now, everyone who had bothered to show up was already in and the door clicked shut, allowing the first girl to catch sight of their clue.

Costanza picked up the clue from the table after the girl had set it down. She read through the thing and immediately dropped it back on the table before hurrying over to the stage again. Pulling the lute forward a bit, she inspected the instrument while imagining herself as a half-elf bard who was about to play a tune for an audience. Yeah, that wasn’t happening. Instead, Costanza returned the lute to its position and decided that the mess behind the lute was the shards mentioned in the clue. And if it needed repairing, she would be happy to do it.

Interactions: @Costanza Jewelweed + @Adeline Spinks

Outfit

Pyxis was dressed casually for this one. His formal attire - a new set owled by his parents - sat at the bottom of his trunk in its unopened packaging. The young wizard had no interest in attending the spring ball this year because his heart was dead set on beating an escape room. Last autumn, there was an attempt at it by the ball organizers, but Pyxis and his group were unceremoniously chased out by sounds of opera and the disintegration of the event room. They’d barely begun solving clues, though Pyxis didn’t really try his hand at it. He was too busy following Cranky around.

And while we’re on the topic of Costanza, I hope she didn’t destroy my owl when she saw my name attached. He had taken some time to get into the puzzle-solving, but by the time the event ended last year, he was left disappointed that he hadn’t even touched one of the clues. Redemption came to him in the form of the Twisted Tavern and Pyxis wanted his good ol’ partner in crime at his side. Okay, maybe partner was a stretch since he spent his days living in fear of Costanza’s anger. Still, whenever he thought back to the fall ball, he always remembered her proactive approach to solving the clues in front of her. That was the energy he needed, so Pyxis asked her to attend the Small Hall event with him. In a letter, because he was absolutely still scared of her.

Stepping into the event room, he was relieved to find that she decided to attend but felt guilty for arriving after her. Another girl was there too, pacing. Before saying hello, Pyxis took a good look around the room. It definitely felt like a real tavern and reminded him of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, just lacking the ever-rowdy patrons. Costanza was checking out the stage and there seemed to be nothing behind the bar other than that gramophone, so Pyxis made his way over to the potions. He would obviously not pass up getting a chance to look at the pretty colors of the liquids. Taking a seat on the stool, he picked up a potion and swirled it around, inspecting its contents and then placing it back with the rest.

“Hey Firstie! And Costanza! Do any of these potions look familiar to you guys?” he asked the present occupants of the room, turning to face them for the greeting before gazing back at the bottles.

Action: Inspecting the potions, trying to recognize them from class.
STA: 10 | EVA: 5 | STR: 3 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 8 | ACC: 7
Prodigal DADA

This group of players seems to have gotten straight to the point, with Costanza especially. While the most of the players were pacing around the room or engaging in conversation she went and solved the clue. Upon finding the white shards behind the lute on the stage she casted a mending spell that would make any teacher proud and received a simple white mug in return. The white mug was plain save for a number 2 engraved on the side, if she or anyone else looked inside of the mug they would find not one but two pieces of paper on it. One said:

it appears your wit needs to be enhanced,
look for the potion where you entranced.

The other, not as plainly written, said:

By max tglpxk mh max vhwx rhn lxxd,
Maxg max gxqm wbzbm rhn gxxw bl makxx,
Hger hgx fhkx tgw rhn'ee ux ykxx
Max gxqm bl ghm xtlber yhngw,
T lmkbgz hy fxfhkbxl tehnw,
Fnlbv matm pbee ftdx rhn ikhnw.

In the meantime, Pyxis had his attention occupied by the selection of potions near the now locked door from which they entered. Don't know where he knows them from but after some thinking he manged to recognise the potions to be two different kinds. Some being the Wit-Sharpening Potion and the other kind being Barfuffio’s Brain Elixir. Surely they will find a use for them soon enough.

Group #3 players: @Costanza Jewelweed, @Pyxis Hellebore, @Adeline Spinks, @Mamori Anezaki, @Aurelia Valentine, and @Hikari Takahashi
Rolls:

Reducio

Costanza mending spell WDC:
[d20 : 14] + 8= 22 WDC=9
22>9, success
Pyxis identifying the potions
[d20 : 12] + 9=21 WDC=20
21>20, success

She originally thought that the pieces behind the lute were bits of paper that would reconnect to provide the team of three with their next clue. However, as each piece snapped back into place, they began looking more like shards to Costanza which went perfectly with the clue. Once the light from her wand had faded, a mug was on the floor of the stage.

A familiar voice called out to her and she turned around to see Pyxis seated at the potions table like he had materialized out of nowhere. He wasn’t in a fancy getup this time and suddenly, she wasn’t self-conscious of her casual fit anymore. So the letter wasn’t a ruse? She couldn’t be sure yet. Grabbing the mug, Costanza walked over to the potions table while brushing her thumb over the number inscribed on it. She assumed that the ‘two’ was their clue, and then she looked inside to see paper.

“Nice of you to show up,” Costanza grumbled at Pyxis as she turned the mug over and watched as two new clues floated down next to the potion bottles. “Could’ve said hi.” She sat on another stool at the table and read over the shorter of the two clues first. “Your wit needs to be enhanced? Look for the potion…” she trailed off, handing the slip to Pyxis and reading the next clue. Well, not reading but skimming. “Yikes, this hurts my eyes,” she complained as she dropped the paper in front of her and blinked rapidly.

“So potions expert,” Costanza addressed Pyxis, placing her elbow on the table and propping up her chin, “Got any ideas?” She herself surely did not. Paying attention in class wasn’t in her interest, so the badger had no idea how to differentiate the potions on the table. She craned her neck to get a good look at the other girl in the room. “Hey, uh… firstie. Over here. We’ve got the next clue. I don’t suppose you’re a potions prodigy?”

Interactions: @Costanza Jewelweed + @Adeline Spinks

Outfit

Last term, Pyxis had participated in a Potions competition along with some of his classmates. They weren’t the best team out there, but he did have a lot of fun. More importantly, the event sparked an interest in potions for him and the lad could confidently say that it was the first time he ever picked up a Potions textbook in earnest. He spent about a week reading ahead, even hanging out in the library to look for information on the potions that his upperclassmen learned. At the end of those seven days, the hyperfixation waned and Pyxis was back to ignoring one of his least favorite subjects. Never thought that short-lived obsession would be useful. By the time Costanza had taken the seat next to him, he was already separating the two types of potions.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” he apologized to the Hufflepuff, his eyes not meeting hers out of shame. If his parents were here, he would have been due for a scolding. They had trained him endlessly in proper etiquette and expected him to be on his best behavior at school, but he was immediately caught up in the escape room and forgot to be polite. “I’m glad you could make it. Thank you for coming,” he corrected himself, saying what he should have said from the start. Pyxis wasn’t exactly interested in being his parents’ perfect little boy anymore and had largely done away with his formal speech. Even so, he felt like Costanza deserved better from him.

While she read off one of the clues out loud, he picked up the other and made a face at the gibberish that was littered across the paper. Costanza handed him the shorter clue so he passed her the nonsense one. After confirming that they would indeed need a potion to enhance their wits and help them read the longer clue, Pyxis would hand off the shorter slip to the first year if she joined them. If not, he would place the paper back on the table with their first clue for easy viewing in case anyone new came in. Next was his time to shine so he finished sorting the potions and turned to Costanza, though he spoke loud enough for the first year to hear him.

“Uh,” he paused, momentarily losing his words when he noticed that Costanza’s gaze was fixed right on him. Only when she called for the first year did he regain his senses. “Um… these are… er, Wit-Sharpening Potions,” he divulged, motioning to the left side of the sorted bottles. “They help… Well, it’s in the name, innit? …And these are Buffalo’s Brain Elixirs,” he motioned to the other side, unknowingly getting the name wrong and gaining a sudden craving for buffalo wings. “I think they’re a more powerful version of the Wit-Sharpening Potion, but there’s a chance that it could make us sick instead of doing what it’s supposed to.” He gave consideration to the clue for a second. “It says that we need to ‘enhance our wits’. Do you guys think the Wit-Sharpening Potions will be enough or are we supposed to test our luck with the Brain Elixirs?”

No moderated action yet.
STA: 10 | EVA: 5 | STR: 3 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 8 | ACC: 7
Prodigal DADA

“I think we should play it safe.” She presented her choice immediately. “At least, I will.” The Costanza of old would say the same thing and a part of her resented the path, but there was no way she was risking puking in front of Pyxis just to be different from who she used to be.

She took one of the potions from the side that Pyxis indicated as the Wit-Sharpening Potions pressed her palms against it, warming the cool glass. There was absolutely no knowledge of potions stored in her brain, so the only thing she could do was trust that Pyxis knew what he was taking about. Though, she did recall that he zoned out often in class. Not that she was paying attention.

“I wasn’t going to come.” It was a lie. Costanza made up her mind before she even finished reading his letter. “But I was a bit disappointed that last year’s event didn’t work out. We didn’t make it far either, did we?” Something like a chuckle escaped through her breath, but she covered it with a cough. “At least you’re useful this time around, Hellebore,” she said, remembering that he didn’t really do much to help her with the lock combination.

“Well… bottoms up, I guess.” Pulling the cork out of the bottle after realizing that she was stalling, Costanza paused for just a moment to prepare herself and followed up by gulping down the potion in one shot. “You better be right about this Hellebore, or I’m going to hex you into next week.”

Interactions: @Costanza Jewelweed

Outfit

At first, Pyxis thought it would be better to risk it. There was no real threat here and he was sure that someone would wheel him off to the Hospital Wing if he had a bad reaction to the Brain Elixir. But the more he thought about it, he realized he didn’t know what ‘sick’ meant in the context of Buffalo’s creation. It can’t be nausea, right? He imagined himself going green in the face, spewing his lunch across the tavern floor. It wouldn’t be the first time he threw up on the school premises and he was not looking to have a repeat of his first summer camp, especially in the presence of someone like Costanza. She seemed like the type to spread the information around school to humiliate him or keep it to herself and never let him forget it, and Pyxis didn’t know which one was worse.

“I-I’m not wrong,” he faltered, a little less confident than before. But I know my stuff… the stuff I bother to learn, anyways. He reached for one of the Wit-Sharpening Potions in the same color that Costanza took. “I’m right behind you,” he assured but paused while watching her fearlessly down the contents of the bottle in one go with the skill of someone practiced. Pyxis was a little more cautious, pinching the bridge of his nose to prevent himself from inhaling the potion’s aroma before tipping the liquid down his throat. Bottoms up, indeed… Please gods, save me from being hexed.

Action: Drinking the Wit-Sharpening Potion.
STA: 10 | EVA: 5 | STR: 3 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 8 | ACC: 7
Prodigal DADA

Despite the debate the pair did seem to have made the right choice in the end, going for the wit sharpening potion instead of the brain elixirs. The wit sharpening potion proved to be enough as they were able to decipher the clue. As it turns out the code is coded as such that T=A, U=B, V=C, W=D and so on and so fourth, so for this case the first two words in the clue "By max" would be "If the". Hopefully this boost from the wit sharping potion will be enough for the pair to decipher the clue.

Now with some of the potions gone the only drinks are what's behind the bar, though if anyone walked behind and looked at the bottles they would find that there weren't alcohol in any of them, in fact the bottles are empty, it being one of the few inaccuracies in tavern. The back of the bar seemed to be almost fully stocked, with everything one would need to actually run this room as a tavern. Cups, napkins, even some cleaning supplies, it was all there. The ball planners did go through the effort to get an actual lute for the game so perhaps this was hardly surprising. Well, lets hope the players won't get too thirsty anything soon.

Group #3 players: @Costanza Jewelweed, @Pyxis Hellebore, @Adeline Spinks, @Mamori Anezaki, @Aurelia Valentine, and @Hikari Takahashi
Rolls:
N/A