- City of Talon (Temple, Market, Alleys)
- Tenth day of the waning moon, late in the spring, clear weather
- Branwyn, Dart, Prexi
- Unnamed townsfolk and acolytes
Dart, disguised as a human, is busking in a corner of Talon’s market square, down by the Temple. Their wild magic started acting up and weakened the illusion, allowing Dart’s tail and horns to show through.
A child in the crowd saw this, and screamed, “Demon!” The adults reacted to the sound of a frightened child with protective belligerence. Dart was able to evade most of the crowd (who didn’t quite know what was going on anyway), but was pursued down an alley by two angry townsfolk.
Branwyn saw the panicked crowd, and headed down the alley after the two townsfolk, with running patter about illusions and using them in the wrong part of the act, hoping that Dart’s pursuers would be convinced that the horns and tail were the illusion.
Meanwhile, Prexi is in the Temple, talking to the priests and acolytes, when someone comes in shouting about demons in the market square. The high priest dispatched two acolytes to investigate, and Prexi followed along.
So Dart fled down an alley, hiding among some empty crates around a left turn. Two men of the town followed close behind, then Branwyn, the two acolytes, and Prexi.
Branwyn tripped on some garbage, falling headlong into the townsfolk. They went down on their faces in the muck, Branwyn on their backs, and slid several feet forward to the stack of crates where Dart was hiding.
Branwyn got up, as did the townsfolk, who were wet and stinking as well as angry and frightened. They began to argue with the bard as the acolytes came down the alley. The acolytes asked reasonable questions, trying to discern if there were actual demons involved.
Dart came out of hiding then, and played along with Branwyn’s spiel about her apprentice and their bad timing. The acolytes were convinced, but by that point the townsfolk didn’t care. They had filth all over them, and someone was going to hurt for it.
That was when Prexi showed up, looming behind the acolytes and suggested that everyone calm down. The townsfolk, awed by the presence of a dragonborn, made their apologies and quickly exited the scene. Shortly thereafter, the acolytes went back to the Temple.
Branwyn and Prexi found that they were staying at the same inn, and invited Dart back to keep him out of trouble until the hubbub died down.
Overthinking Roleplaying Games 