Naru looks surprised at Barkas' reaction. "Really? You don't know them? That's surprising, you look well-versed in stars.
By the warrior, I assume you're talking about Kolrak Ironfist, the undefeated dwarven gladiator of Daggerford. Legends say he's a direct descendant of Jekk Ironfist, the Shield Hero, but don't take my word on that.
And then the archer would be the wood elf Kailee Yv'Nae, master archer. She used to win every competition until she retired because no one wanted to compete anymore. They say she learned directly from Alinar Le'Quella. No idea how accurate that is. I hear she's teaching children now.
Finally the Bunny Rabbit has to be the famously flexible harengon in the... well.. you know... adult scene. *ahem*
Of course, the stars I previously mentioned are much harder to see than normal ones. You need the right conditions. First, you need to be in Waterdeep, otherwise it's impossible to see them. And you need to find the correct location in the city, too, they change places often. And you might need special apparatus, they can be quite small depending on how far they are during their appearance. But they are all well worth gazing upon."
"Well I'd advise to take the tab out of your pay, but my lord insisted to avoid that. Yet, I do ask that you keep your lunch lite as the operation shall be held after you meet with him." Vertheg says, "If you wish, you may bring your meal with you as well. While I ask my master to avoid such actions, that is only with other known nobles. I can lead you all to the parlor to finish your meal there until my master arrives."
Trying to listen to all the conversations at the table, chuckling at Naru’s seeming obliviousness,
”While I am certain Waterdeep is an excellent place to see stars of the stage, I do believe Barkas is attempting to explain the correlation between the stars in the night sky, and how they can be used to chart our voyage through the unending glory of time, from what I understand of each of our unique skillsets, we each seem to be versed in a manner of manipulating the energy around us. Perhaps this energy, in addition to the promise of coin, is the strings with which we have been pulled together. My clan has long believed in destiny, and each of our individual roles as a greater part of the tapestry, I am honored to have been weaved alongside each of you, whatever purpose our meeting has,”
You can tell he means each word, while not quite friends, he holds each of you in a regard much higher than he would hold most (while not too thrilled with the dwarf’s aroma)
Alabaster quirks the corner of his lips as Naru goes rattling on about the Waterdeep celebrities, though he’d never seen or heard of any of them.
“Well said.” Alabaster raises his stein at Craice’s toast, throwing back the last bit of his drink, and sets it down heavily. He finished a loaf of bread, not too much, full stomach makes people drowsy. He looks around to see others finishing up their meal as well. “Shall we get this thing started?”
"Yes lets find out what the job is. I rather be earning coin right now." says Shafir in a truly thick accent. He has an uncomfortable look as he did not like how that sounded.
Craice blinks a couple of times in mild surprise, a blank expression of fascinated shock on his face, caught off-guard by the Triton’s voice. He shakes himself out of his stupor after a moment and nods in agreement,
”Yes, perhaps it is time to move onwards, to learn what we are here for, and to finally meet our very secretive employer, can you still stand Dwarf? I don’t understand how such a small stature can contain such quantities of alcohol, and somehow still retain coherent speech,”
Naru isn't deterred the slightest by the apparent lack of knowledge of the True Stars of this world. He is excited at the prospect of getting some much needed coin and maybe some renown as a bonus.
"I'm ready as well, let's go!" he says, standing and heading for the door.
The half-orc lead you all to an estate on the outer part of town, more inland than the coastal town. Yet it boasts more fertile soil as Vertheg has to lead you all through the front garden first. And it is neatly pruned and groomed to a uniform state. The lawn is immaculate and hedges themselves are fashioned in a tasteful array of fish. With the centerpiece being a mermaid statue with a tree above it. Yet it would be more of a beautiful visage if the estate matched. The mansion seemed to be in various states of disrepair, fading paint, growing mold, and even the roof having some patches.
Vertheg opens the doors and you can see the foyer is in a somewhat similar state. While the room is free of dust and dirt, the furniture and decor are showing age as they fray and start to peel. The half-orc leads you to an lounge room of sorts,
"Please wait here, I shall inform my master of your arrival."
The couches here have started to fade from their original color and the wear and tear of it is evident. The table fares better as it seems to be made with marble. It has a bowl of fresh apples as its center.
Barkas says “Great place! Nice and cozy. I’d be right at home in here. If I was the settlin down type.” He walks over the the bowl and takes an apple, biting heartily into it. He sits down and manspreads on a couch, making himself comfortable.
Naru slowly walks around the room, looking at the furniture and decoration.
"A little bit too wear-and-teary for someone of my stature, but I guess it's still beautiful in its own way," he says. "I did like the garden though, very well maintained. I wonder why the discrepancy."
After a moment of waiting, the door opens once more and you see Vertheg letting in a jovial human man. He gives a wide grin and opens his arms out,
"Welcome to my estate adventurers! I do apologize for the state of my home but that is why I've asked for you all! I'm here to tell you of my wonderful plan to acquire the funds for both me, you all, and this mansion! But I am getting ahead of myself, I am lord Aubreck, was a bit of an adventurer in a time long past now, used those spoils to claim a title for myself and start a business venture...But I'm afraid my most recent venture has failed to return, in both ways."
The man is well clothed, but the fashion is not up to date. He kept his hair well groomed into a small pony tail and has a well tended mustache. His physique shows some signs of fitness yet it seems to fading away as the years start to grow upon him. But the man still keeps a wide smile as he takes a seat on one of the couches.
Barkas stops picking his teeth and says “Do tell about this recent adventure, is this why we are being brought in? If this can keep me financed on my trip to Chult, I’m in.”
Alabaster finds a seat on one of the couches. Hands clasped between his knees, body leaning forward, his open fur coat falling to his side. Keen brown eyes look attentively at Lord Aubreck, he listens intently as he waits for him to tell them the details of the mission.
Once Lord Aubreck finishes introducing himself and Barkas mentions the job, Naru springs forward. On his way to Lord Aubreck, you can hear him whisper: "Too quick to money talk. Manners!"
Then he offers a hand to Lord Aubreck before speaking in his usual tone: "A pleasure to meet you Mr. Aubreck. Naru Silvertongue. You may recognize me from famous Waterdeep extravaganzas such as "Pirates of the Caravans" and "Who Framed Bunny Rabbit", featuring none other than Bunny Rabbit, the famed adult entertainer. The flexibility on that harengon is phenomenal... Barkas here is a big fan of hers."
"Your gardens are fantastically well maintained. Beautiful! And your mansion is impressive, though I can see how someone of your obvious distinction would like to improve a few areas. How may we help you achieve that goal?" Naru is all smiles and is trying to naturally invite Aubreck to confide in him (and the group by extension).
Craice remains standing, quite agreeing with Naru on the subject of how it’s not quite time to discuss coin. Well aware of the difficulties of taking in too much information at once, he hangs back, not bothering to get comfortable on one of the couches. Instead he remains standing, a small smile playing upon his lips as he lets the others get out their questions, assuming that with their experience they may ask all the questions for him allowing Craice to study the answers and mannerisms.
"Ah, don't worry about it. I understand, less talk more action. My kind of people. Now then, financed a friend of mine's ship, Emperor of the Seas, for some trade. It went fantastic and they were coming back...but it's already been more than a month since they were supposed to arrive. Vertheg heard some talk from the fishermen here about a ship out yonder that looks like the Emperor."
He explains, taking a moment to set a map onto the table. It is a rough map of sea near the coastal village. He points to a spot marked on the map.
"So that's where you all come in. I want you all to head out there and get a box of mine, magic one. Its made out of this shiny blue iron, helps keep the stuff inside from getting wet. You can probably also find it in a cargo box with a big A on it. The box holds some deeds and IOUs that'll get me around 100,000 gold. And to sweeten the deal, my friend sent a ledger to me, says it had some treasures on board as well. I ain't a young stallion anymore so I wasn't going to use them. You all can take any magic items you find."
He pauses for a moment to set a bag onto the table.
"And don't worry about getting there, managed to get a ship to ferry you all near there. Called in a couple favors to get some supplies and equipment too, you'll find them on board. Anyway, just to show a some good faith in you all, a forward payment of 200 gold. Incase you all need some other equipment than the ones I got."
Craice walks over to the table, and takes a look at the map,studying intently as he listens to Aubrek's explanation of the situation. He remains silent, waiting for the others to offer up opinions and questions, although in his mind he's already accepted the task and is currently pondering what he may need before heading out to sea.
Naru listens to the older gentleman and his eyes grow bigger at the mention of 100,000 gold. That is a lot of money. He also watches the man drop a bag of 200 gold pieces on the table. The sight of so much gold in one place distracts him for a second, but he soon comes back to reality.
"So if I understand correctly, you have sent a ship called the Emperor of the Seas to trade on your behalf. You know that the trade went well and that they were on their way back, but you lost contact and it's more than one month overdue. You have heard rumors that there is a ship out there still at large that looks like the Emperor, and you want us to go over and have a look. If it is the Emperor, you want us to get on, find a shiny blue box with a big A on it, and bring that back. We can also help ourselves to any other item we find on the ship."
"Now, I have two questions, but I'll start with just one. What do we do if it is NOT the Emperor?"
Naru looks surprised at Barkas' reaction.
"Really? You don't know them? That's surprising, you look well-versed in stars.
By the warrior, I assume you're talking about Kolrak Ironfist, the undefeated dwarven gladiator of Daggerford. Legends say he's a direct descendant of Jekk Ironfist, the Shield Hero, but don't take my word on that.
And then the archer would be the wood elf Kailee Yv'Nae, master archer. She used to win every competition until she retired because no one wanted to compete anymore. They say she learned directly from Alinar Le'Quella. No idea how accurate that is. I hear she's teaching children now.
Finally the Bunny Rabbit has to be the famously flexible harengon in the... well.. you know... adult scene. *ahem*
Of course, the stars I previously mentioned are much harder to see than normal ones. You need the right conditions. First, you need to be in Waterdeep, otherwise it's impossible to see them. And you need to find the correct location in the city, too, they change places often. And you might need special apparatus, they can be quite small depending on how far they are during their appearance. But they are all well worth gazing upon."
"Well I'd advise to take the tab out of your pay, but my lord insisted to avoid that. Yet, I do ask that you keep your lunch lite as the operation shall be held after you meet with him." Vertheg says, "If you wish, you may bring your meal with you as well. While I ask my master to avoid such actions, that is only with other known nobles. I can lead you all to the parlor to finish your meal there until my master arrives."
Trying to listen to all the conversations at the table, chuckling at Naru’s seeming obliviousness,
”While I am certain Waterdeep is an excellent place to see stars of the stage, I do believe Barkas is attempting to explain the correlation between the stars in the night sky, and how they can be used to chart our voyage through the unending glory of time, from what I understand of each of our unique skillsets, we each seem to be versed in a manner of manipulating the energy around us. Perhaps this energy, in addition to the promise of coin, is the strings with which we have been pulled together. My clan has long believed in destiny, and each of our individual roles as a greater part of the tapestry, I am honored to have been weaved alongside each of you, whatever purpose our meeting has,”
You can tell he means each word, while not quite friends, he holds each of you in a regard much higher than he would hold most (while not too thrilled with the dwarf’s aroma)
Farewell.
Alabaster quirks the corner of his lips as Naru goes rattling on about the Waterdeep celebrities, though he’d never seen or heard of any of them.
“Well said.” Alabaster raises his stein at Craice’s toast, throwing back the last bit of his drink, and sets it down heavily. He finished a loaf of bread, not too much, full stomach makes people drowsy. He looks around to see others finishing up their meal as well. “Shall we get this thing started?”
"Yes lets find out what the job is. I rather be earning coin right now." says Shafir in a truly thick accent. He has an uncomfortable look as he did not like how that sounded.
Craice blinks a couple of times in mild surprise, a blank expression of fascinated shock on his face, caught off-guard by the Triton’s voice. He shakes himself out of his stupor after a moment and nods in agreement,
”Yes, perhaps it is time to move onwards, to learn what we are here for, and to finally meet our very secretive employer, can you still stand Dwarf? I don’t understand how such a small stature can contain such quantities of alcohol, and somehow still retain coherent speech,”
Farewell.
Naru isn't deterred the slightest by the apparent lack of knowledge of the True Stars of this world. He is excited at the prospect of getting some much needed coin and maybe some renown as a bonus.
"I'm ready as well, let's go!" he says, standing and heading for the door.
The half-orc lead you all to an estate on the outer part of town, more inland than the coastal town. Yet it boasts more fertile soil as Vertheg has to lead you all through the front garden first. And it is neatly pruned and groomed to a uniform state. The lawn is immaculate and hedges themselves are fashioned in a tasteful array of fish. With the centerpiece being a mermaid statue with a tree above it. Yet it would be more of a beautiful visage if the estate matched. The mansion seemed to be in various states of disrepair, fading paint, growing mold, and even the roof having some patches.
Vertheg opens the doors and you can see the foyer is in a somewhat similar state. While the room is free of dust and dirt, the furniture and decor are showing age as they fray and start to peel. The half-orc leads you to an lounge room of sorts,
"Please wait here, I shall inform my master of your arrival."
The couches here have started to fade from their original color and the wear and tear of it is evident. The table fares better as it seems to be made with marble. It has a bowl of fresh apples as its center.
Barkas says “Great place! Nice and cozy. I’d be right at home in here. If I was the settlin down type.” He walks over the the bowl and takes an apple, biting heartily into it. He sits down and manspreads on a couch, making himself comfortable.
Shafir stands and wait. He wonders why the immaculate garden when the house needed repairs.
Naru slowly walks around the room, looking at the furniture and decoration.
"A little bit too wear-and-teary for someone of my stature, but I guess it's still beautiful in its own way," he says.
"I did like the garden though, very well maintained. I wonder why the discrepancy."
After a moment of waiting, the door opens once more and you see Vertheg letting in a jovial human man. He gives a wide grin and opens his arms out,
"Welcome to my estate adventurers! I do apologize for the state of my home but that is why I've asked for you all! I'm here to tell you of my wonderful plan to acquire the funds for both me, you all, and this mansion! But I am getting ahead of myself, I am lord Aubreck, was a bit of an adventurer in a time long past now, used those spoils to claim a title for myself and start a business venture...But I'm afraid my most recent venture has failed to return, in both ways."
The man is well clothed, but the fashion is not up to date. He kept his hair well groomed into a small pony tail and has a well tended mustache. His physique shows some signs of fitness yet it seems to fading away as the years start to grow upon him. But the man still keeps a wide smile as he takes a seat on one of the couches.
Barkas stops picking his teeth and says “Do tell about this recent adventure, is this why we are being brought in? If this can keep me financed on my trip to Chult, I’m in.”
Alabaster finds a seat on one of the couches. Hands clasped between his knees, body leaning forward, his open fur coat falling to his side. Keen brown eyes look attentively at Lord Aubreck, he listens intently as he waits for him to tell them the details of the mission.
Once Lord Aubreck finishes introducing himself and Barkas mentions the job, Naru springs forward. On his way to Lord Aubreck, you can hear him whisper: "Too quick to money talk. Manners!"
Then he offers a hand to Lord Aubreck before speaking in his usual tone:
"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Aubreck. Naru Silvertongue. You may recognize me from famous Waterdeep extravaganzas such as "Pirates of the Caravans" and "Who Framed Bunny Rabbit", featuring none other than Bunny Rabbit, the famed adult entertainer. The flexibility on that harengon is phenomenal... Barkas here is a big fan of hers."
"Your gardens are fantastically well maintained. Beautiful! And your mansion is impressive, though I can see how someone of your obvious distinction would like to improve a few areas. How may we help you achieve that goal?"
Naru is all smiles and is trying to naturally invite Aubreck to confide in him (and the group by extension).
"If there is decent coin to be made then I am interested. Please tell us more of your request" says Shafir telepathically to Aubreck
Craice remains standing, quite agreeing with Naru on the subject of how it’s not quite time to discuss coin. Well aware of the difficulties of taking in too much information at once, he hangs back, not bothering to get comfortable on one of the couches. Instead he remains standing, a small smile playing upon his lips as he lets the others get out their questions, assuming that with their experience they may ask all the questions for him allowing Craice to study the answers and mannerisms.
Farewell.
Aubreck gives a chuckle,
"Ah, don't worry about it. I understand, less talk more action. My kind of people. Now then, financed a friend of mine's ship, Emperor of the Seas, for some trade. It went fantastic and they were coming back...but it's already been more than a month since they were supposed to arrive. Vertheg heard some talk from the fishermen here about a ship out yonder that looks like the Emperor."
He explains, taking a moment to set a map onto the table. It is a rough map of sea near the coastal village. He points to a spot marked on the map.
"So that's where you all come in. I want you all to head out there and get a box of mine, magic one. Its made out of this shiny blue iron, helps keep the stuff inside from getting wet. You can probably also find it in a cargo box with a big A on it. The box holds some deeds and IOUs that'll get me around 100,000 gold. And to sweeten the deal, my friend sent a ledger to me, says it had some treasures on board as well. I ain't a young stallion anymore so I wasn't going to use them. You all can take any magic items you find."
He pauses for a moment to set a bag onto the table.
"And don't worry about getting there, managed to get a ship to ferry you all near there. Called in a couple favors to get some supplies and equipment too, you'll find them on board. Anyway, just to show a some good faith in you all, a forward payment of 200 gold. Incase you all need some other equipment than the ones I got."
Craice walks over to the table, and takes a look at the map,studying intently as he listens to Aubrek's explanation of the situation. He remains silent, waiting for the others to offer up opinions and questions, although in his mind he's already accepted the task and is currently pondering what he may need before heading out to sea.
Farewell.
Naru listens to the older gentleman and his eyes grow bigger at the mention of 100,000 gold. That is a lot of money. He also watches the man drop a bag of 200 gold pieces on the table. The sight of so much gold in one place distracts him for a second, but he soon comes back to reality.
"So if I understand correctly, you have sent a ship called the Emperor of the Seas to trade on your behalf. You know that the trade went well and that they were on their way back, but you lost contact and it's more than one month overdue. You have heard rumors that there is a ship out there still at large that looks like the Emperor, and you want us to go over and have a look. If it is the Emperor, you want us to get on, find a shiny blue box with a big A on it, and bring that back. We can also help ourselves to any other item we find on the ship."
"Now, I have two questions, but I'll start with just one.
What do we do if it is NOT the Emperor?"