Seawal was a small, poor fishing village of muddy hovels, the largest of which was the local tavern the Moist Oyster, which also doubled as an inn for the occasional merchant who went out of their way to stock up on cheap fish. The last boat had returned and those villagers who weren't mending nets or hanging the catch of the day to dry were gathered at the local watering hole. As the witcher rode up to the Moist Oyster, his presence caught the attention of the fishermen, who made little secret of their unwelcome by looking away from him or pausing conversation when he passed by, while a few of the braver or more foolish souls spat in his direction.<br/><br/>Inside the tavern things were little different for Nial, being greeted by indifference at best. Certainly nobody invited him to join them. As he made his way to the bar at the back end, again talk hushed as he passed by... but beer loosened tongues and raised voices, so he could pick up bits of conversation about monsters near the shipwreck from one group... a fisherman bragging about ploughing a sea nymph to his mates in another group... and then he was at the bar.<br/><br/>"Evening, stranger," the barkeep greeted him warily. "Beer's half a silver dime a mug. We'll fill your belly with the catch of the day for half a gold dollar. If you're planning to stay the night, you can have a spot on the common room floor for a gold dollar or your own room for three." These prices were obviously highway robbery, especially for being out at the end of nowhere with nary a highway in sight!<br/><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Mechanics Corner!</strong><br/>NPCs have Attitudes towards Nial for Diplomacy, Intimidate, Bluff, and Seduction (DIBS), each with five possible steps (Hostile -2, Unfriendly -1, Indifferent 0, Friendly +1, Helpful +2), indicating what they think about various aspects of his character.<br/><br/>Diplomacy Attitude (Diplomacy check vs Cha-based DC): general friendliness towards Nial<br/>Intimidate Attitude (Intimidate check vs Wis-based to DC): how competent Nial is at his job<br/>Bluff Attitude (Bluff check vs Int-based to DC): how convincing Nial's lies are<br/>Seduction Attitude (Perform check vs Cha-based DC): how much they want to get into Nial's pants, applies to females only  :P<br/><br/>Starting Attitudes towards Nial have the following modifiers: being a witcher (-1 Diplomacy Attitude due to general dislike of witchers). As Nial gets more accomplishments under his belt, he can gain additional modifiers. Nial's starting DIBS with a stranger is -1/-0/0/0 (unfriendly/ indifferent / indifferent / indifferent). During conversation, an opportunity can come up to make an Attitude Check. To do so, pick one of the DIBS skills and make a check against the given DC to attempt to improve the Attitude in that area, which can open up new options.<br/><br/>For example, right now the barkeep is overcharging Nial due to having a poor attitude towards him. Make an Attitude Check to improve one aspect of his opinion towards Nial, with luck he'll have a neutral opinion of the witcher then and charge fair prices.<br/><br/>Barkeep DIBS: -1/0/0/NA(to improve: DC 10/15/15)<br/><br/><hr/><br/>As Nial's negotations with the barkeep drew to a close, he heard unsteady footsteps approaching him from behind. It was a pair of drunkards filled with liquid courage to finally do the right thing. "This 'ere's a deeshent village, we don't need no mutants here!" One of them slurred, still clutching an empty mug. The other drunk raised his fists in a mockery of a martial stance, the alcohol having given them an overly optimistic estimation of their combat prowess despite their inability to stand in one place without swaying like a sapling in the wind.<br/><br/>Drunks DIBS: -2/-1/0/NA (to improve: DC 5/10/15); Hostile! If nothing is done they will start fighting.