The Quality of Gold

Part 4: Side Quest: The Celebration

Comments in Blue have been added after publishing.

Details

The Celebration

The day of the celebration for the newlyweds, Tolin has pulled out all the stops and hired a few locals to set up tents and pavilions in the field next to the Lower Village. He has dug a pit for roasted pig and has employed local farmers and carpenters to fashion tables, chairs and even a stage for a small band. He has had this occasion in his mind for months, so he is elated to see if come to fruition.

The party will start at sunset and Tolin does his best to shoo away anyone wanting to hang out or ‘assist’. He has a good reason for this security (see later). Eventually, his guests will arrive and even the fortune teller, Farrah has set up a small tent for entertainment. She will charge whatever the people can afford, even if it is just some good gossip. However, when she gives the fortunes (she is not really a magic using diviner), which consist of most glib feel-good advice, her face will go blank and she will intone a more serious/confusing fortune. Then she will go back to normal and bid them farewell and happiness. People leaving her tent consistently have a puzzled expression of their faces.

By the time Marissa and Pavel arrive, Tolin has ensured that the majority of his guests are present and having a good time. All will stand upon their arrival and applaud the young couple as they take their seats in positions of honor at the main table. During the course of the night, the food and drinks include:

Drink –

1	Andoren Beer	15	Bellis Mead
2	Blackpeak Ale	16	Bloodhammer Reserve
3	Wyrm’s Breath Bitter	17	Hardroot Cider
4	Luglurch Ale	18	Qadiran Cider
5	Thileu Lager	19	Three Devil Ale
6	Ulseberry Ale	20	Alkenstar Ice Wine
7	Bubble Wine	21	Drumish wine
8	Sangwine	22	Syrinelle
9	Whiterose Abbey Wine	23	Bog Grog
10	Pesh Brandy	24	Daggermark Drip
11	Bloodberry gin	25	Kill-devil rum
12	Two Knight Brewery rum	26	Black Hill Whiskey
13	Dragon Punch Whiskey	27	Janderhoff Whiskey
14	Winteryew Moonshine

Food –

Blackened Wolverine – Blackened wolverine doused with a light cilantro vinaigrette

Stewed Black-eyed Peas – Stewed black-eyed peas smothered in a light cheese sauce served with a slice of bleu cheese

Breaded Eel – Breaded giant eel doused with a smooth cilantro vinaigrette served with a slab of applewood cheese

Pan Fried Pigfish – Pan fried pigfish covered in a sweet anchovy paste served with a piece of sourdough bread

Brown Bear Stew – Brown bear stew with chopped pumpkin and asparagus served with a slab of cornbread bread

Stewed Rust Monster – Stewed rust monster served with roasted green beans and a piece of potato bread

Roasted Pumpkin – Roasted pumpkin served with marinated black beans

Steamed Carrion Crawler – Steamed carrion crawler cooked in an avocado sauce

Wild Boar Tenderloin – Wild boar tenderloin served with stewed snap peas and green beans

The Changing Game – about 2 hours into the festivities, a few random people will begin to slowly exhibit traits of the main course that they just ate! When the first person notices, Tolin will try to calm the crowd with a charming smile and a wink.

“Please be calm, there is nothing to be worried about. I have added a little mystery into the fun tonight. As each of you is starting to resemble your meal, haha, there is also a remedy to the “change”. It will be up to you to find the correct drink from our wide assortment of beverages from all over the world. If my humor has offended you or you are not ‘in the mood’, please come see me for a counter-agent which will remove it right away. But, if you decide to continue with my little game, there is a prize to the first 5 people who successfully find their correct remedy.”

He will pull out a polished wooden box and open it to reveal a set of 5 potion bottles, all identical. Although he will not disclose what they are yet, each one contains a Potion of Lesser Disguise.

The game will be to choose the correct remedy from the selection of drinks above.

Each character will pick a main course from the ones above
Assign a drink to each character

Skratte 23 win

Tuck 3

Tempest 5 win

Fitz 25

Plink 9

Guest win

Each round they can try a drink at random or they can try to figure it out from what they know of these drinks. They can attempt a DC16 Society roll to choose 2 drinks in one turn.

At the same time, the other guests are also trying out different drinks. Several guests are freaked out enough to get the remedy from Tolin at the start, leaving 17 players (under the main tents). Each round, a number is randomly rolled from 1d27 and then 17d27 to see if someone gets their drink to match.

Once the first 5 remedies have been discovered, Tolin will stop the contest and hand out the prizes:

Gecko Potion
Effervescent Ampule
Oil of Potency
Life-Boosting Oil (Lesser)
Oil of Mending