Quest: Gumbuckle Shindig
Rewards:
Upgrade: Party Antennae
Age Requirement: Adult
Other Requirements: Must be depicted in the Gumbuckle Estate somewhere.
Prerequisites: Wyngro must have Last Notch Residency
Briefing: Your reputation precedes you, earning you a once and a lifetime chance to attend a party at the Gumbuckle Manor, hosted by Barney Gumbuckle! You’d be a fool to not show up.
Steps: 1
Sticker:
You hear a thud at the front of your door. Curious, you open it to find a wibble stuck to the other side. Oh. Realizing it must be here on delivery, you promptly peel the creature off the door and find a letter addressed to you under its wing. You remove the letter and help the creature take off before going inside.
To say the letter is fancy-looking is an understatement. The elaborate swirls and raised paper around the edges, the smell of fresh parchment and expensive ink... And that symbol in the middle pressed into the dried wax… is that the Gumbuckle crest??
You question at first if this is a mistake. Did the wibble arrive at the wrong house? No, it couldn't be! Your name is right there, hand-written and everything! You carefully open it, feeling as if just ripping it open would be a sin to such a fancy envelope.
“ Dear Sir / Madam.
You are cordially invited to attend a small shindig at the Gumbuckle Manor. Barney Gumbuckle has heard of your doings within the town and has seen to it that you be invited as a special guest.
Attire is formal casual. The party begins before sundown. Please be punctual in your arrival and bring this invitation to gain access beyond the main gates.
Looking forward to your arrival.
~The Gumbuckle Estate Staff“
You're floored. THE Gumbuckle Manor! Holy crap! You’d be a fool for not attending, so you waste no time to get yourself prepared for the shindig.
You arrive at the manor. A railed walkway, lined with bushes and paved with tight-fitting stones guides your way up to the door. The wind rustles through the foliage of ori pastures, collecting stray bits of desert flowers and leaves. The building itself is nestled in a grotto of lush trees, lit from within by dancing lights. Sunlight speckles the pale manor through the boughs of the trees, making it quite the spectacle in the fading light of the valley. As you draw closer to the entry gate, dozens upon dozens of sharply dressed wyngrew come into view. Damn, how many gros did Barney invite anyway?
You wave your letter to the guards, who nod and grant you entry. You pass through the gates, glittering gold in the light, and turn your head as you perk to the sound of lively music. Following the sound, you spot others dancing jauntily in the main entrance, the music itself played by a live band-- Barney really went all out here. In the center of it all, you see a round, stout, yellow wyngro that everyone has given a wide berth. They are clapping to the beat as this gro does an outrageous maneuver that you can scarcely believe. Is that King Huepoe? No... much too short. It must be…!
Barney: YEEEE get them toes a-tappin’ ery'one! I wanna see those epic moves before supper!
Yep. Barney Gumbuckle in the flesh… er, feathers. He's a lot shorter than you imagined, but lively nonetheless. As the youngest Gumbuckle, you've always heard stories of Barney hosting these types of parties during the weekends. He sure knows how to have fun! You contemplate for a second how you could get in on this fun without feeling too awkward or outcast. Everyone here seems to know each other….
Barney: Aye! You, over there!
You look around to see who Barney is calling out, but no one is responsive. Your heart comes to a quick stop as you realize Barney is pointing squarely at you! (It's just hard to see where he's looking due to that cool guy haircut of his covering his eyes) You point to yourself and he nods, confirming he's speaking to you.
Barney: Yeah, you! Come on over buddy!
A little nervous, a little excited, you make your way through the crowd and approach Barney. He sure seems less intimidating as you clearly out-match him in the height department.
Barney: Howdy, now there's my special guest! Been hearin' lots about ya around town! (He wraps a friendly arm around your back) You sounded pretty cool, and only cool folks get invited to my shindigs! Glad you could make it, partner!
He slaps your back with a heavy hand and it nearly knocks the wind out of you. Oof, he may be small, but this little man packs a punch!
Barney: Well what are you standing around for? C'mon, lemme introduce you to some of my friends! Oh, and help yourself to the treats getting passed around, as you can see!
Servants dressed in full formal attire wander through the room offering delicate hors d'oeuvres on toothpicks to the dancing patrons. Wow. You can't wait to try some.
Before you can reach for a snack, however, you're ushered along by Barney as he takes you around, introducing you to some of the other party goers.
Everyone seems to be having a great time, and you're happy to be so welcomed in! You look around, curious to see if any of the other Gumbuckles are around and partying.
Barney: You lookin' fer my ma and paw? Haha, good luck. During the weekends, this place is MINE to spread the love with! Sometimes paw will stop by, though. And that's when things get REAL wild!
You laugh with Barney, happy to have made a friend in such a high place. Feeling pretty good about everything, you ask him if his other brother and sisters will show up.
Barney: Hmm? My sisters are in Wynsiph. What'er ya, new? An' Tarma well, he's busy, ya see? Too much of a stiff fer MY parties anyways. His loss, I say! Oh and Bull? Pffft, he's not allowed to these anymore. (he winks playfully) Too many drunken fights that ended poorly.
Oooh, hot gossip. You wonder what to ask about next.