To Josh: Chen wants to visit the Genasi blacksmiths. He is looking for 3 things: a set of throwing knives that are re-skinned daggers, a bandolier for storing those knives, and a chain ladder, like this:
Chen: They can easily make all of that. They will suggest a rope ladder of the same design because it would be quite a bit cheaper and lighter. They can make a bandolier that can hold up to 8 throwing knives. It will cost 5gd for the bandoleir and 2g per throwing knife and 3gd for a 50ft rope ladder. It will take them 1 day to make them.
Nijal gets a thoughtful look on his face and seems to stare off into nothing until he finally speaks up but his gaze never moves or seems to focus,
"From the sounds of things you're practically on the run from your own ghost. They don't even know you are alive. They must have been some real bastards if even in "death" you fear them. I sailed a bit under a black flag myself. It was more of a way to pay for passage aboard than anything. Oddly enough my crew turned out to be more honest and trustworthy than most clergy I've run into, no offense to you Romulus. It is not the title of Pirate or Captain that makes a man evil. It is what he does with the title."
Nijal snaps his focused, intense gaze up to make eye contact with Chen.
"It sounds to me like you have the perfect opportunity to stop losing sleep over this. You're dead. Men don't usually expect dead men to come calling. And not with friends either. It's up to you Chen but with a little gold spread around we could find out the next time that ship comes into port. Then we use the element of surprise and send those dogs to the depths of the ocean. The ship too if that's what you want. Or hell you could Captain it yourself. Like I said it is your call but living on the run.....after awhile you too will realize it's not living. Oh and Silvermane is one of the fellows at The Yawning Portal. I can't remember the other fella's name but I believe he works for ole' Blackstaff herself."
Nijal would give a slight nod to Chen and leave him to his thoughts.
At the Tavern with Lucian pouring drinks-
"Power, understanding, and money. With those three things anyone in this room could accomplish whatever it is they want. Money makes things happen. Nobody can deny that. Power, if welded properly, keeps smarter foes just out of arms reach leaving you to only have to deal with fools and zealots. And the understanding of things far reaching and far greater than ourselves. Such as, the understanding that there must be a check in place to balance said power. To keep one honest in the event the thought to abuse said power crept into one's mind. The understanding that one might not always have the favor of others when doing what must be done, but having the power to go forward alone if need be. And if that were to happen, if one had the money, you would never be far from someone willing to part you from your coin in exchange for company. Which in a way would increase your power. Imagine yourself, Lucian, with the power to protect your orphanage from any threat imaginable, the understanding to raise those children well, and the money to keep the whole thing running. I think this tavern can help us with the money part at least. Hell it might even help us with the other two if we let it."
Nijal throws back what is remaining of his drink and slams the glass upside down on the table and stands up.
"Lif should be an inspiration to us all. Even in death he holds on to his dreams stronger than most men who are alive. Am I right Lif?"
Nijal looks towards the bar for a response as he pulls his pipe out and heads out the door into the crisp evening air.
Kherek was thankful Nijal seemed to be on his team in this. It was good to have someone who could appeal to the heartstrings of the others. He might just be able to bring around Chen and Lucien.
Even if he couldn't he thought he might have a chance with Romulus. He was a paladin, sure. He was prone to noble intentions, but being a weird robot guy he might be capable of allowing logic to take over. That would put the pro-tavern vote in the majority if Lucien and Chen couldn't be won over.
The way Kherek saw it, there was still time to turn this place into neutral ground, even if they had started by unwittingly appealing to some of the more ruthless organizations. There were a lot of big fish in this pond, and this tavern got a reputation for not picking favorites, it could be a hub of useful, fair arbitration and negotiation.
Kherek thought it might be good for the next job to be about saving some puppies or some other such warm-fuzzy-feel-good gig even if the risk wasn't necessarily worth the monetary reward. Might help the hold-outs feel more comfortable.
"So, uh, Lucien. WE know the Xentharim and Xanathar aren't really the most savory of institutions around here. Who might we get some work from that might be more... karma positive?"
Nijal gets a thoughtful look on his face and seems to stare off into nothing until he finally speaks up but his gaze never moves or seems to focus,
"From the sounds of things you're practically on the run from your own ghost. They don't even know you are alive. They must have been some real bastards if even in "death" you fear them. I sailed a bit under a black flag myself. It was more of a way to pay for passage aboard than anything. Oddly enough my crew turned out to be more honest and trustworthy than most clergy I've run into, no offense to you Romulus. It is not the title of Pirate or Captain that makes a man evil. It is what he does with the title."
Nijal snaps his focused, intense gaze up to make eye contact with Chen.
"It sounds to me like you have the perfect opportunity to stop losing sleep over this. You're dead. Men don't usually expect dead men to come calling. And not with friends either. It's up to you Chen but with a little gold spread around we could find out the next time that ship comes into port. Then we use the element of surprise and send those dogs to the depths of the ocean. The ship too if that's what you want. Or hell you could Captain it yourself. Like I said it is your call but living on the run.....after awhile you too will realize it's not living. Oh and Silvermane is one of the fellows at The Yawning Portal. I can't remember the other fella's name but I believe he works for ole' Blackstaff herself."
Nijal would give a slight nod to Chen and leave him to his thoughts.
"When Capt. Whitecap goes on raids, he kills without mercy and with no regard for whether a people are a threat to him. He gathers the blood of whoever his sick mind thinks is worthy, and he pours it over the ship's figurehead as a sacrifice to The ***** Queen. What do you think, Nijal? Is that enough to put him on the evil side of the logbook? If I thought we were capable of taking out the Blushing Bride and her Captain, I would have suggested it already. We aren't ready for that. But, yeah, when we are ready, I'd love to take over that boat. Maybe turn it into a force for good, if we can."
Kherek was different from most other goblins in a lot of ways. The fact he actively pursued arcane arts for one. But there was something he had in common that came naturally to him.
Kherek had always been an opportunist. And helping Chen take control of a pirate ship... that could be a real asset.
"Chen.. this Whitecap fellow. Sounds like a bad, bad guy... What do you think it'd take to, as you say, be ready for him?"
You enter a small shop in the Trades Ward named McGuffin's MacGuffins and behind the counter you see a middle aged gnome with multi-lens spectacles on. When he looks up, his eyes bulge out towards you. He greets you with a scruffy high pitched voice, "Hello and welcome to my shop."
Common
Clockwork Amulet-70gd Instrument of Scribing- 40gd Pot of Awakening-70gd Wand of Pyrotechnics-30gd Pole of Collapsing-20gd
Uncommon
Dust of Dryness-600gd Keoghtom's Ointment-600gd Wand of Secrets-500gd Bag of Holding-300gd
As the conversation flows Lucian pipes in intermittently.
Looking at Chen
"Those red strings you carry... they're from The Broken God right? Did your Master give you those?"
To Nijal
"Money and power seem like the easier of those 3 to obtain. From my experience, understanding comes with a lot blood, sweat and tears"
"Kherek. As for the bar, I'm am more than willing to chip in. I'm fairly talented with the violin, fiddle, and a few other instruments, so I can play to help with the atmosphere.
I definitely think we should avoid provoking the Xanathar's and Zhents for awhile.
Of all of our options, that person who works for Blackstaff piqued my interest. If I recall, Blackstaff is a wizard. Maybe his group would be able to provide you with some new scrolls to use."
You enter a small shop in the Trades Ward named McGuffin's MacGuffins and behind the counter you see a middle aged gnome with multi-lens spectacles on. When he looks up, his eyes bulge out towards you. He greets you with a scruffy high pitched voice, "Hello and welcome to my shop."
Common
Clockwork Amulet-70gd Instrument of Scribing- 40gd Pot of Awakening-70gd Wand of Pyrotechnics-30gd Pole of Collapsing-20gd
Uncommon
Dust of Dryness-600gd Keoghtom's Ointment-600gd Wand of Secrets-500gd Bag of Holding-300gd
Chen points at the Bag of Holding, and asks the gnome what it does, and assuming that he tells me what I, OOC, expect him to, then Chen will say, "Do you think you could make something like this, but instead of a satchel, you could make a utility kilt with pockets that could work like that?
Kherek tried to hide his immediate interest in working for a fellow wizard. This Lucien guy had been... too human so far. It made Kherek uneasy to be around someone who wouldn't allow the youngest members of it's society to be able to defend or better themselves. Something goblin society considered inextricable from the maturation process.
"Well if a man of your.. uh... character thinks it's a good idea, I'm on board. Blackstaff sounds promising."
"Getting this place going is top priority for me. Even better if we can get a reputation as a no bias, all-business bunch and have this place be known as neutral ground. But I know I'm probably in the minority on that and probably going to get roped into working almost exclusively with whatever you fellas deem as The Good Guys.
Beyond that... Finding a good heist or three is going to be necessary I think to get this loan paid back and keep Mirt from having a nearly controlling interest. So if we can find somebody to rob blind that'll let you guys sleep at night I'm all for it."
As the conversation flows Lucian pipes in intermittently.
Looking at Chen
"Those red strings you carry... they're from The Broken God right? Did your Master give you those?"
"Huh? Oh, I hadn't realized. Yes, they are a reminder of sorts. They help me center myself sometimes. Grandmaster Kane gave them to all of us, I guess. He's not my Master, though. Not anymore, anyway."
"Getting this place going is top priority for me. Even better if we can get a reputation as a no bias, all-business bunch and have this place be known as neutral ground. But I know I'm probably in the minority on that and probably going to get roped into working almost exclusively with whatever you fellas deem as The Good Guys.
Beyond that... Finding a good heist or three is going to be necessary I think to get this loan paid back and keep Mirt from having a nearly controlling interest. So if we can find somebody to rob blind that'll let you guys sleep at night I'm all for it."
That's understandable. Sometimes you have to sully yourself for the sake of the ones you care about. If the Silvermane or Blackstaff options don't get us what we need financially we can look into other options.
As the conversation flows Lucian pipes in intermittently.
Looking at Chen
"Those red strings you carry... they're from The Broken God right? Did your Master give you those?"
"Huh? Oh, I hadn't realized. Yes, they are a reminder of sorts. They help me center myself sometimes. Grandmaster Kane gave them to all of us, I guess. He's not my Master, though. Not anymore, anyway."
From how Chen is talking do I get the sense that Grandmaster Kane died, or something else?
"Chen.. this Whitecap fellow. Sounds like a bad, bad guy... What do you think it'd take to, as you say, be ready for him?"
OOC, I don't actually know the answer to that question. Josh? What can I say about ole Whitecap?
You know that the entire crew feared him. You have also seen him manipulate the weather. He claims he gains power from his devotion to The ***** Queen.
As the conversation flows Lucian pipes in intermittently.
Looking at Chen
"Those red strings you carry... they're from The Broken God right? Did your Master give you those?"
"Huh? Oh, I hadn't realized. Yes, they are a reminder of sorts. They help me center myself sometimes. Grandmaster Kane gave them to all of us, I guess. He's not my Master, though. Not anymore, anyway."
From how Chen is talking do I get the sense that Grandmaster Kane died, or something else?
Insight: 17
You can't tell what happened to Grandmaster Kane if anything but you definitely sense that it upsets Chen Pow to think about it. You will have to discuss it with Chen Pow to get any certainty.
"I want to work toward a world where there is no suffering, and I want to do that in whatever small part of the world I happen to be at the moment."
Chen: They can easily make all of that. They will suggest a rope ladder of the same design because it would be quite a bit cheaper and lighter. They can make a bandolier that can hold up to 8 throwing knives. It will cost 5gd for the bandoleir and 2g per throwing knife and 3gd for a 50ft rope ladder. It will take them 1 day to make them.
To Chen after his pirating admission-
Nijal gets a thoughtful look on his face and seems to stare off into nothing until he finally speaks up but his gaze never moves or seems to focus,
"From the sounds of things you're practically on the run from your own ghost. They don't even know you are alive. They must have been some real bastards if even in "death" you fear them. I sailed a bit under a black flag myself. It was more of a way to pay for passage aboard than anything. Oddly enough my crew turned out to be more honest and trustworthy than most clergy I've run into, no offense to you Romulus. It is not the title of Pirate or Captain that makes a man evil. It is what he does with the title."
Nijal snaps his focused, intense gaze up to make eye contact with Chen.
"It sounds to me like you have the perfect opportunity to stop losing sleep over this. You're dead. Men don't usually expect dead men to come calling. And not with friends either. It's up to you Chen but with a little gold spread around we could find out the next time that ship comes into port. Then we use the element of surprise and send those dogs to the depths of the ocean. The ship too if that's what you want. Or hell you could Captain it yourself. Like I said it is your call but living on the run.....after awhile you too will realize it's not living. Oh and Silvermane is one of the fellows at The Yawning Portal. I can't remember the other fella's name but I believe he works for ole' Blackstaff herself."
Nijal would give a slight nod to Chen and leave him to his thoughts.
At the Tavern with Lucian pouring drinks-
"Power, understanding, and money. With those three things anyone in this room could accomplish whatever it is they want. Money makes things happen. Nobody can deny that. Power, if welded properly, keeps smarter foes just out of arms reach leaving you to only have to deal with fools and zealots. And the understanding of things far reaching and far greater than ourselves. Such as, the understanding that there must be a check in place to balance said power. To keep one honest in the event the thought to abuse said power crept into one's mind. The understanding that one might not always have the favor of others when doing what must be done, but having the power to go forward alone if need be. And if that were to happen, if one had the money, you would never be far from someone willing to part you from your coin in exchange for company. Which in a way would increase your power. Imagine yourself, Lucian, with the power to protect your orphanage from any threat imaginable, the understanding to raise those children well, and the money to keep the whole thing running. I think this tavern can help us with the money part at least. Hell it might even help us with the other two if we let it."
Nijal throws back what is remaining of his drink and slams the glass upside down on the table and stands up.
"Lif should be an inspiration to us all. Even in death he holds on to his dreams stronger than most men who are alive. Am I right Lif?"
Nijal looks towards the bar for a response as he pulls his pipe out and heads out the door into the crisp evening air.
Kherek was thankful Nijal seemed to be on his team in this. It was good to have someone who could appeal to the heartstrings of the others. He might just be able to bring around Chen and Lucien.
Even if he couldn't he thought he might have a chance with Romulus. He was a paladin, sure. He was prone to noble intentions, but being a weird robot guy he might be capable of allowing logic to take over. That would put the pro-tavern vote in the majority if Lucien and Chen couldn't be won over.
The way Kherek saw it, there was still time to turn this place into neutral ground, even if they had started by unwittingly appealing to some of the more ruthless organizations. There were a lot of big fish in this pond, and this tavern got a reputation for not picking favorites, it could be a hub of useful, fair arbitration and negotiation.
Kherek thought it might be good for the next job to be about saving some puppies or some other such warm-fuzzy-feel-good gig even if the risk wasn't necessarily worth the monetary reward. Might help the hold-outs feel more comfortable.
"So, uh, Lucien. WE know the Xentharim and Xanathar aren't really the most savory of institutions around here. Who might we get some work from that might be more... karma positive?"
"When Capt. Whitecap goes on raids, he kills without mercy and with no regard for whether a people are a threat to him. He gathers the blood of whoever his sick mind thinks is worthy, and he pours it over the ship's figurehead as a sacrifice to The ***** Queen. What do you think, Nijal? Is that enough to put him on the evil side of the logbook? If I thought we were capable of taking out the Blushing Bride and her Captain, I would have suggested it already. We aren't ready for that. But, yeah, when we are ready, I'd love to take over that boat. Maybe turn it into a force for good, if we can."
Kherek was different from most other goblins in a lot of ways. The fact he actively pursued arcane arts for one. But there was something he had in common that came naturally to him.
Kherek had always been an opportunist. And helping Chen take control of a pirate ship... that could be a real asset.
"Chen.. this Whitecap fellow. Sounds like a bad, bad guy... What do you think it'd take to, as you say, be ready for him?"
You enter a small shop in the Trades Ward named McGuffin's MacGuffins and behind the counter you see a middle aged gnome with multi-lens spectacles on. When he looks up, his eyes bulge out towards you. He greets you with a scruffy high pitched voice, "Hello and welcome to my shop."
Common
Clockwork Amulet-70gd Instrument of Scribing- 40gd Pot of Awakening-70gd Wand of Pyrotechnics-30gd Pole of Collapsing-20gd
Uncommon
Dust of Dryness-600gd Keoghtom's Ointment-600gd Wand of Secrets-500gd Bag of Holding-300gd
As the conversation flows Lucian pipes in intermittently.
Looking at Chen
"Those red strings you carry... they're from The Broken God right? Did your Master give you those?"
To Nijal
"Money and power seem like the easier of those 3 to obtain. From my experience, understanding comes with a lot blood, sweat and tears"
"Kherek. As for the bar, I'm am more than willing to chip in. I'm fairly talented with the violin, fiddle, and a few other instruments, so I can play to help with the atmosphere.
I definitely think we should avoid provoking the Xanathar's and Zhents for awhile.
Of all of our options, that person who works for Blackstaff piqued my interest. If I recall, Blackstaff is a wizard. Maybe his group would be able to provide you with some new scrolls to use."
OOC, I don't actually know the answer to that question. Josh? What can I say about ole Whitecap?
Chen points at the Bag of Holding, and asks the gnome what it does, and assuming that he tells me what I, OOC, expect him to, then Chen will say, "Do you think you could make something like this, but instead of a satchel, you could make a utility kilt with pockets that could work like that?
Kherek tried to hide his immediate interest in working for a fellow wizard. This Lucien guy had been... too human so far. It made Kherek uneasy to be around someone who wouldn't allow the youngest members of it's society to be able to defend or better themselves. Something goblin society considered inextricable from the maturation process.
"Well if a man of your.. uh... character thinks it's a good idea, I'm on board. Blackstaff sounds promising."
Kherek
"What are you looking for in Waterdeep? You mentioned you did mercenary work, are you wanting to start up a mercenary band for hire in town?"
I ask McGuffin how much it would cost to get a bracelet capable of using the Message cantrip.
"Getting this place going is top priority for me. Even better if we can get a reputation as a no bias, all-business bunch and have this place be known as neutral ground. But I know I'm probably in the minority on that and probably going to get roped into working almost exclusively with whatever you fellas deem as The Good Guys.
Beyond that... Finding a good heist or three is going to be necessary I think to get this loan paid back and keep Mirt from having a nearly controlling interest. So if we can find somebody to rob blind that'll let you guys sleep at night I'm all for it."
"Huh? Oh, I hadn't realized. Yes, they are a reminder of sorts. They help me center myself sometimes. Grandmaster Kane gave them to all of us, I guess. He's not my Master, though. Not anymore, anyway."
That's understandable. Sometimes you have to sully yourself for the sake of the ones you care about. If the Silvermane or Blackstaff options don't get us what we need financially we can look into other options.
From how Chen is talking do I get the sense that Grandmaster Kane died, or something else?
Insight: 8
You know that the entire crew feared him. You have also seen him manipulate the weather. He claims he gains power from his devotion to The ***** Queen.
You can't tell what happened to Grandmaster Kane if anything but you definitely sense that it upsets Chen Pow to think about it. You will have to discuss it with Chen Pow to get any certainty.
Lucian would probably just leave it at that for now. A lot has happened, and I don't want to press it and make him feel uncomfortable