Vinnie Vice | Tales of Tavern Town

Main article on Vinnie
After his adventures in Lothal, Vinnie begged a ride off The Goose to get to Tavern Town for their yearly festival. Due to an incident along the way, Vinnie found himself with a new skillset (though it's unclear whether he remembered this clearly) by the time they arrived. Now a raging barbarian touched with wild magic (due to The Goose's shenanigans), Vinnie was assisting a local dwarf to clear some property damage debts until he ran afoul of Noxidus, the Green Shadow Dragon, who killed and devoured him.
Table of Contents

History

In Sindri's Debt (for Property Damage)

Coming to Tavern Town for their yearly festival, Vinnie stopped by a tavern called the Fine Mend for all their drinks and found himself involved in a bar fight. When the dust settled, only himself, Kaylin, and All Smite were still standing. It was only then that the barkeep and owner, Sindri, came up from the basement and saw the mess the fight had made of his bar. As he was chastising the group for the damages (and Vinnie for hopping behind the bar to grab drinks), Kaylin tried to leave the establishment to avoid paying damage. Rushing out the door, she very nearly collided with the arriving Amon T. Lado, who promptly ignored Kaylin and began politely mocking Sindri.
There seemed to be some bad blood between Sindri and Mr. Lado, who stated he was head judge of this year's brewmaster competition and would disqualify Sindri if he couldn't get his bar in tip-top shape on top of preparing his brew for entry. He left with a false smile and Vinnie immediately commented, "What a dick!". Sindri told Vinnie and the other tavern brawlers that they were going to gather the ingredients he needed while he fixed up the bar to cover the debt they owed him for the damages. He made it very clear that this would only cover the debt for the property damage, not Vinnie's tab. Their first stop was the Underdark, which they could access through the old, abandoned Brag Mine, to capture a cave fisher for its naturally alcoholic blood.

Underground Escapades

The group traveled north into the mountains, using a map Sindri had given them marked with the rough location of the mine entrance. They eventually found it but the entrance was sealed, blocked off by a large wooden wall put in place to stop anything from coming out of the Underdark and into the local woods. All Smite found a series of small cliffs the group was able to climb up, but there was no easy way down into the entrance area. He tried to cross the top of the wooden wall, slipping and nearly falling before Vinnie provided a quick rescue. On the other side, the two managed to find a way down and then Vinnie helped All Smite make a makeshift staircase of crates and barrels so Kaylin could get down without having to traverse the wall.
Venturing into the mine, the group was quickly noticed by a group of grimlocks who could hear them coming, particularly the clopping of Kaylin's hooves. The starving creatures attacked but proved to be no match for the seasoned warriors, their makeshift bone clubs striking Vinnie several times but doing little more than annoy his wild magic enhanced physique. With the creatures dealt with, Kaylin took time to meditate while Vinnie and All Smite explored the mine.
They found several zircon gemstones embedded in a wall across a gorge and managed to extract them. Further in, they discovered the main area that was being excavated when the mine was abandoned. Extracting more gemstones, All Smite was surprised when one of the zircons crumbled to dust in his hand. In the hole left by the extraction, he noticed a glint and found a strange white coin with a feather on one side and "GP" on the other. Though it was the size and shape of a standard coin, it didn't seem to be any kind of currency the group recognized. While continuing to mine, Vinnie also found some of these coins and between the two of them they managed to collect several white coins and two green ones. Curious but still focused on finding a cave fisher, the group continued into the Underdark.
Following a winding tunnel, the group spotted a little kobold cutting at an old web. It bolted screaming, "Bad guys!" when they said hello and the group pursued, hoping it may know where to find a cave fisher. They were interrupted by a group of steeders that seemed to want the adventurers to stay out of their territory, though the kobold had somehow made it passed them. With no way forward but through the giant arachnids, All Smite decided to move the creatures himself. They did not respond well to this and Kaylin jumped in to help him while Vinnie covered the group's rear from approaching, and now aggressive, monsters. The deaths of the smaller male steeders attracted a large female, which put up a much tougher fight that the males attempting to court it. It's legs proved to be adhesive as it stuck itself to All Smite's armor and began to drag him away. Vinnie and Kaylin were able to slay the remaining smaller steeders and rejoin him just as he freed himself and together they finished off the larger female.
Unfortunately, they were less successful in picking up the kobold's trail. Vinnie searched the area and found several tunnels going off in many different directions, but could see no sign of the kobold's passage anywhere nearby. With that lead seemingly lost, the group picked a tunnel that echoed with the sound of running water as they pressed on to continue their search.
Following a stream that soon turned into a small river, the group came to an enormous cavern containing an underground lake. The river waterfalled into the lake over several ledges and a cliff. At the edge of that cliff they spotted a cave fisher just as it reeled in a fish with its adhesive filament and gobbled it up. They were able to creep up behind the creature, noticing a second one sleeping nearby, thanks to their steps being silent behind the noise of the running water. With surprise on their side, Vinnie threw a javelin that stuck fast in the creature's side through a weak spot in its exoskeleton. Piling up on their surprised opponent, they were able to knock the first cave fisher unconscious quickly. Unfortunately, this made far more noise than mere footsteps and roused the second creature, which was angry that its mate had been attacked. It put up a much tougher fight than its partner but was equally subdued by the adventurers, who tied it up and took their prizes back to the surface.

Meeting the Goose & Sneaking Around Town

After getting the cave fishers over the wall blocking the mine entrance, Vinnie heard some nearby bushes rustling. He rushed forward demanding whoever was there should come out, thinking it was the kobold from earlier. Much to his surprise it was his old acquaintance, The Goose, who was wearing a knapsack. The Goose trotted up to All Smite and began pecking at his pack, which All Smite took as The Goose wanting food. While it did take bread from the food he offered, what it really wanted was the strange white & green coins Vinnie and All Smite had found earlier. The Goose took a white coin that All Smite offered but couldn't fit it into its full knapsack, discarding a suit of magical armor to make space. It then collected the remaining coins from the rest of the group, throwing various items out of its pack to make room for them before trotting off somewhere.
After stowing The Goose's abandoned items, the party used abandoned mine carts to start pushing the tied up cave fishers back to town. As they got closer, Kaylin realized that pushing a pair of creatures highly sought after by brewers through a town full of brewers right before a brewmaster competition might not be the best idea. She ran ahead while the others hid in the woods to speak with Sindri on how to proceed. Kaylin returned a few hours later, stating Sindri would meet them after dark to get the creatures into town without being seen. The group met Sindri late in the evening and saw him bribing a guard to smuggle the cave fishers into town. Carting them silently through the quiet streets, they managed to get to the Fine Mend unimpeded and shoved the bound monsters into the basement. Sindri stated he would look after them and gave the group instructions on their next destination, telling them to head out the following morning.

Impressing the Orcs

After restocking their supplies, the party headed for an orc camp hoping to trade for some of their sacred herbs. Knowing orcs respect strength, Vinnie suggested the party hunt down a strong animal and bring it to the orcs in tribute to make a good first impression. He managed to find a game trail, sneak up on a buck, and kill it instantly with a strike from a magic hammer he had taken from The Goose's discarded treasures. He then used the carcass as bait to lure out an owlbear, which put up a tough fight but was subdued by the adventurers. After taking a little time to bandage their wounds and tie up the owlbear, they returned to the road and continued towards the orc camp.
Telling the guards at the gate they were traders that brought the owlbear as a gift, they were let inside the camp and quickly met by the orc chieftain Gagh. Kaylin got to the heart of the matter quick, saying they had come to trade for orc herbs. Realizing they ment the sacred herbs, Gagh said they couldn't simply trade for them but instead prove themselves to the orc people. The quick option was for one of them to pluck out an eye and offer it to the orc god Gruumsh. The other option would be for the party to participate in a raid against the elvish camp on the opposite side of the lake the orc camp was situated on.
With no hesitation or mentioning his plan to do it, Vinnie ripped out one of his eyes and asked Gagh, "Ok, what next?" While his friends were clearly surprised, even the orcs seemed taken aback by Vinnie's willingness to maim himself for their goal. After taking a moment to recompose himself, Gagh instructed Vinnie to offer the plucked eye to Gruumsh. Vinnie said a prayer to the orc god (to the best of his ability) and the eye vanished from his hand at the same moment Gruumsh's holy symbol appeared on his warhammer, making the weapon magical so long as he was the one to wield it. Kaylin then tended to his wound to ensure it would not become infected as an orc boy brought a bag of the sacred herbs to Vinnie.
Though their mission was already accomplished, Vinnie still wished to participate in the orc raid. All Smite, having made some orc friends during a contest of strength, was down for it and the pair were able to strongarm Kaylin into coming along. They waited until night and joined several orcs in a pair of rowboats as they silently made their way across the lake. Along the way, one of the orcs described their objectives and the party realized that the orc and elf camps were in fact summer camps, and that the "raid" was a series of pranks to be played on the elves.
Arriving on the opposite shore, the group split up with Vinnie given the task of carving Gruumsh's holy symbol into the elves' sacred tree. Distracting a patrolling camp counselor by throwing a rock, Vinnie found a second elf praying beneath the tree in the moonlight. He threw his hammer at a branch of the tree, breaking it and causing the tree limb to fall & knock the elf unconscious. Vinnie set to work carving Gruumsh's symbol into the bark and finished just as the raid party was noticed and an alarm was raised. He put the knife into the unconscious elf's hand and ran back for the boat.
The group (sans Kaylin) were able to flee in their boats before the elves could organize and retreated across the lake, getting a warm welcome on their arrival back at the orc camp. Vinnie and All Smite kicked back and relaxed with the orcs for a day while waiting for Kaylin to walk around the lake and rejoin them. They noticed The Goose riding on her back when he finally arrived, something Kaylin herself seemed unaware of. And with that they bid their new orc friends goodbye before heading back to Sindri.
A few hours down the road, The Goose let out a loud, "Honk!" and startled Kaylin. It wanted the Goose Coins that All Smite had won by besting an orc in an arm wrestling contest and once again emptied its pack of various magic items to make room for them before stowing the coins and flying off. While putting away these new magic items, Vinnie suddenly recalled one of The Goose's previous discarded items was a prosthetic magic eye and promptly popped it in to once again see in three dimensions.
Arriving back at the Fine Mend the next day, Vinnie handed the herbs over to Sindri, stating "Anything for the alcohol," when Sindri asked what happened to his eye. Sindri then gave the group their next task, acquiring some top-quality grain that had been purchased by the Baker's Guild for their bread baking competition.

Burgling the Bakers

Heading to a nearby village where the Baker's Guild HQ was located, Vinnie and friends got directions from a local gardener and entered the shop area of the guild. All Smite took the lead in the conversation with the clerk, finding out that all the local golden grain had been bought up already. Purchasing a few macaroons for himself and Kaylin to ease any possible tensions, he convinced the clerk to ask the guildmaster if there was any trade that could be made for the grain. The clerk went into the back and much yelling could be heard before he returned and made clear, in no uncertain terms, that the guildmaster would not part with any grain under any circumstances.
Vinnie was not dissuaded by this statement and told the clerk he had some magic grain he'd be willing to trade for some golden grain. Skeptical, the clerk decided to humor him and took a sample of Vinnie’s grain (really just normal grain soaked in whiskey) into the back to bake test cookies. Meanwhile, a senior member of the Baker's Guild approached the party and revealed the paranoid guildmaster had hidden his stocks of golden grain away at a hunting lodge he owned. All Smite asked just what he was suggesting and the gentleman stated he wasn't suggesting anything. He just overheard the party needed grain and told them where some was. And if it happened to turn up missing the unliked guildmaster would likely be booted from the guild, leaving his seat open for some new blood.
Taking the hint, the party decided to investigate the hunting lodge near the western mountains. A group of huntsmen were eating before an evening hunt while a tortle bartender wiped down the bar. Vinnie and All Smite both purchased some magical drinks from the bar before renting rooms for the night. After determining the golden grain was nowhere upstairs or on the main level, they concluded the building must have a basement. Waiting until night, they snuck out and Vinnie picked the lock to the kitchen. Finding another door in there with a sturdier lock, he started to saw through the door when something grabbed his saw from the other side.
Deciding stealth was no longer an option, Vinnie broke down the door and found himself face-to-face with a gingerbread man as big as a person. He chopped his way through the cookie guard before running down the stairs to the basement, finding the tortle bartender, a tabaxi who was the lodge's cook, and more gingerbread men. While All Smite and Kaylin were hesitant to burgle this place, Vinnie had no such qualms. He cut through the gingerbread men and knocked out the tabaxi while All Smite struggled to restrain and tie up the tortle bartender. Though All Smite tried to convince the tortle to surrender, the barkeep refused to give into the demands of thieves. As the group secured the golden grain and departed, the tied up tortle promised he would alert the authorities of their theft.
Heading out, the group saw the severely banged up evening hunting party limping back towards the lodge. Evidentially, they had made the mistake of trying to hunt The Goose and ran screaming into the woods when it appeared behind them. The Goose more Goose Coins the party had collected (having fallen out of the crumbled gingerbread men) before waddling off into the woods in the direction the panicked hunters had ran in. With another ingredient collected, the group returned to Sindri with Vinnie happy with a job well done while All Smite and Kaylin grew concerned about the moral implications of their actions.

A Wizard & Warriors

Sindri next sent the party off to see a wizard that he said could help them collect heavenly honey. Arriving at the wizard's tower, Kaylin knocked at the door with a very large door knocker shaped like a gargoyle's head. It promptly came to life, asking for their business and as to why it should allow them inside. The door knocker wanted to know what was in it for him and accepted Vinnie’s offer of booze, the knocker's cheeks turning red like steel being forged as it hiccupped and swung open.
The wizard was coming out of a trapdoor carrying an armload of books and looked surprised to see visitors, as if he hadn't heard the door knocking banging. Kaylin took the lead introducing the group and found out fairly quickly that the wizard was hard of hearing. After several failed attempts to speak with him, she finally gave up and used a piece of chalk to write on the tower's walls. Now knowing why the group was there, the wizard invited them in and they began walking up the tower. Along the way, Vinnie attempted to feed booze to several live badgers in a cage but gave up when they kept attempting to bite him. The wizard told the group he could send them somewhere they'd find heavenly honey in exchange for a small favor. He provided them with three tuning forks and asked them to attune the forks while they were there so he could sell the forks later.
Promptly agreeing, the wizard directed them to the tower roof that could only be accessed via ladder. Vinnie and All Smite had to work together to get Kaylin's centaur self up the ladder before hopping into a portal. They arrived on a stone path leading through an endless field. Before them was a massive wooden wall, marked only with a gate where two guards stood. Though Vinnie had no idea where they were, All Smite instantly recognized the gate to Valhalla. The gate keepers stated that mortals could only pass after proving their strength, summoning spirits of viking warriors for each of the adventurers to fight.
Though Vinnie thought this battle would be quick and easy at first, the guards had stated that the test would be of their strength. The group suddenly found their magic items disabled. Despite this, Vinnie's power over wild magic still worked fine as he became enraged, though it did take longer for him to beat his opponent than it took Kaylin or All Smite. In the end, all three adventurers defeated their opponents and were given golden armbands that would allow passage through the gates. They walked to a nearby dock on the shore of a lake and began rowing towards a light at the top of a cliff face, hearing the sounds of music, laughter, and merriment coming from the top.
Vinnie scrambled up the cliff far more quickly than his companions, knowing free booze awaited at the top. By the time his exhausted friends pulled themselves over the top of the cliff, he was already several rounds in. After enjoying a bit of merrymaking, the group explained the reason for their visit. Seeing an opportunity at entertainment, the spirits of Valhalla stated they would award honey to the mortals if they could complete whatever challenges the spirits thought up on the spot. Vinnie defeated the spirit of Kiri in a wrestling match, outdrunk several spirits, and offered his cookies made with whiskey-soaked grain as a dish worthy of Valhalla's feast hall. After a time, the group's still living bodies began to fade and they left Valhalla behind them, returning to the wizard's tower and leaving him his tuning forks before departing back to Sindri.

In the House of Madness

After giving Sindri the heavenly honey, he sent the adventurers out to House Forst to acquire special tree sap sold exclusively by this family. As the group walked over a hill, they could see that a massive purple line had been painted around the Forst family holdings with another line going right down the middle of the property. Talking to a pair of bickering guards standing on either side of the line, the group learned that Mr. Forst had died and his two children were fighting over his estate. They had literally divided the property in two during their bickering forbid anyone who entered one half of the property from entering the other. Vinnie and Kaylin decided to go speak with the sister, Syl Forst, while All Smite attempted to negotiate with Syl's brother.
Knocking on a door on the west end of the house, Kaylin was greeted by a maid who asked what their business was. Informing them they sought to purchase some Forst family sap, the maid returned inside to make preparations. After a few minutes, Vinnie and Kaylin were ushered inside to meet Syl Forst. It became quickly apparent that Syl was not the most stable of individuals, believing that someone was attempting to assassinate her on her brother's behalf. She wished to hire Vinnie and Kaylin to investigate this matter, convinced some of her own staff were in on it and not sure who to trust. Syl encouraged them to speak to her staff and gave them a crystal rod that could electrocute people to "encourage" anyone who didn't want to talk. She assured the adventurers that shocking someone with the rod "wasn't fatal, usually".
Speaking with several maids and servants, the pair learned that the conflict between the siblings had been going on for 3 years. One of the maids confessed that a tabaxi in town had tried to bribe her for a floorplan of the house, which she declined to provide due to her fear of Syl. The maid also panicked and quickly shut a window that Vinnie tried to open due to her allergies, though Vinnie and Kaylin suspected a nefarious motive behind this action. Vinnie left Kaylin after talking to a few more people, deciding to investigate the area outside while Kaylin continued to question the house staff.
Searching outside the window the maid had slammed shut, Vinnie was disappointed to find no footprints but his own. He continued looking through windows as he walked towards the south end of the house, discovering many rooms that appeared abandoned. Vinnie tapped on one of the windows and got no reply, so he decided to break it to get into the house. Though Vinnie himself didn't realize it, this part of the house became inaccessible after it was divided in two. While it was on Syl Forst's half of the house, the only halls leading there began on her brother's side of the manor. Looking through several dusty rooms, Vinnie smashed open a locked chest in the late Lord Forst's study and found documents indicating Syl's brother was the rightful heir.
Continuing through the house, he came across a locked room and broke the door down. Inside was a large but roughly made humanoid-shaped statue, its arms out and palms up holding a sword. Wanting the sword for himself, Vinnie tried to take it only for the statue's hand to close around the hilt as the entrance bricked up behind him. The statue then spoke, informing Vinnie he could only claim the sword if he could answer the statue's three questions. While the first two questions were easily answered ("What is your name?" and "What is your favorite color?"), Vinnie did not know the answer to the third question ("What is the name of the city in the nation of Lothal where their Adventurer's Guild is headquartered?"). Unable to answer it, a magical force threw him out of the room as the entrance unbricked itself, which promptly rebricked itself as Vinnie pulled himself off the floor.
Continuing down the hall, Vinnie flagged down a servant from Syl's brother's side of the house. He drunkenly offered to sell the documents he'd found in exchange for a wagon full of the Forst sap. Reading over the documents, the servant realized what Vinnie had and promptly agreed to the deal while rushing off to tell the new Lord Forst the good news. Vinnie continued to hang out in the manor until the next morning, informing a strangely shell-shocked looking Kaylin the good news when she returned to the manor.
Taking a donkey-pulled wagon filled with barrels of sap with them, the group then returned to Tavern Town. Sindri was happy to see the group return successfully once again and informed them there were only two more items on his list, dwellberries for fermenting and special crystal to make fancy serving glasses for the drink competition. Figuring it would be better for Sindri if they got the berries first, Vinnie and co. headed to the Pin Ruins to do just that.

Death by Dragon

The Pin Ruins were once a thriving dwarven community before an accident flooded the area and the citizens were forced to evacuate. Vinnie hopped into the water right away and discovered that the berry bushes outside the ruins cave had been picked clean by a large animal. Meanwhile, All Smite and Kaylin removed their usual armor and switched to some of the magical mariner's armor they had acquired from The Goose. With no berries here, the group decided to enter the cave in search of berries only to be greeted by a low, echoing moan.
Vinnie went into the cave first, taking a few cautious steps forward as a sorrowsworn emerged from behind a statue. The creature moaned, slowly stepping forward and asking Vinnie for a hug as it stretched out long arms that ended in spear-like points. Kaylin rushed in to attack the creature, attracting its attention and being the one "hugged" as its piercing arms dug into her skin. Vinnie attacked the creature as more, albeit smaller, sorrowsworn ran into the room. Vinnie kept the big one busy while All Smite and Kaylin focused on these new, smaller enemies with the group eventually emerging victorious despite Kaylin's injuries.
Continuing into the next room, they saw four cracked pillars holding up an ancient ceiling. Through a massive hole in the southern wall laid a massive pool of water that stretched further than they would see in the dark cave. Suddenly, a voice echoed through the tunnels and chambers. It greeted the adventurers as visitors, asking that they stay a while and keep it company. Unable to locate the source of the voice, the group pressed on. Vinnie entered the next room alone and saw several dwarven corpses floating facedown in a pool of water. His adventurer senses tingling, Vinnie picked up a rock and threw it at one of the "corpses", which rose along with its fellows as the disturbed ghasts moved to attack Vinnie. All Smite ran in, hearing the sounds of combat, and the pair began to fight the undead while Kaylin hung back due to her injuries in the previous fight. It was then that the source of the voice from earlier revealed itself: Noxidus, the Green Shadow Dragon.
Emerging from the large pool of water, Noxidus used his breath weapon to leave Kaylin near death before retreating back into the water. Not wanting to leave the ghasts at their backs, Vinnie and All Smite kept their attention on the undead. As they did, Noxidus emerged yet again the used his breath weapon a second time, this time hitting the two of them and several of the ghasts (even killing a ghast in the process). Despite the dragon's attacks, the pair was determined to deal with the ghasts first, until Noxidus emerged from the water fully and began to drag Kaylin towards it with the intention of drowning her.
Vinnie ran to help her while All Smite stayed behind to hold off the ghasts. He ran straight towards the dragon's head, grappling it by the horns with his great strength. Eyeing the cracked pillar next to him, Vinnie began smashing it with his warhammer in hopes of bringing the ceiling down on both himself and the dragon. During this time, All Smite used his divine magic to grant magical healing energies to the party, but it did little to deter Noxidus. The slightly renewed Kaylin began to retreat just as Vinnie succeeded in smashing the pillar, injuring both himself and Noxidus but not enough to kill the dragon. Seeing this, Vinnie and All Smite decided it was time to follow Kaylin's example and retreat, heading for the exit just as Noxidus himself (who was pursuing Kaylin) was doing. But the two men waited just a smidge too late and still within striking distance of the dragon. Desperate, Vinnie attempted to challenge Noxidus to a drinking contest in a bid to save himself and his friend. As Noxidus scoffed at the notion, it was only then that Vinnie realized Noxidus was a green dragon and therefore could not get drunk due to his species immunity to poisons. Despite the death staring him in the face, Vinnie felt pity for the dragon.
Negotiations failed, Vinnie and All Smite were both grievously injured by Noxidus as they tried to flee the cave. Though the blows did not kill them outright, they were easy prey for the dragon once they could not fight back. He struck them where they lay, ending both their lives before attempting (and failing) to also catch Kaylin. After his death, Vinnie's body was stripped of coin and magic items that were added to Noxidus' horde while his corpse was placed in the dragon's pool to soften the meat, which Noxidus devoured not long after.

Circumstances of Death

Mauled and devoured by Noxidus, the Green Shadow Dragon

Related Plots

• Campaign 04: Tales of Tavern Town

Blessings
Blessing of Weapon Enhancement
Magic Items (taken by Noxidus)
+1 Light Hammer
+1 Warhammer
Gauntlets of Ogre Power