(It is all a factor of 10 for the four main types of currency. 1 platinum piece = 10 gold pieces = 100 silver pieces = 1000 copper pieces. Feel free to exchange currencies in your wallets as needed.)
Adrasteia pays 1 silver piece for her "milk," Sim pays 3 silver pieces for her "ale," and Mokiakia comes back into the room to a cup of "tea," for which she pays 2 silver pieces. Again, there is no actual liquid inside the cups.
Mokiakia: You surmise that Lif is a specter. Unless necessary, like when they become angry and begin attacking the living, they are invisible. Nothing leads you to believe that Lif is the angry type of specter, though.
Adrasteia: When alive, Lif was not the kind of character about whom a lot of history would be recorded or even passed on through word-of-mouth. You are not surprised that you have not heard of him. You deduce that most people that come to "meet" him simply run away scared, which would explain why this otherwise great mansion is empty. You also guess that Lif must have been here for quite a long while, including when he was still alive.
Your dues paid, Lif then begins to tell a tale, his voice becoming clearer and his speech mannerisms disappearing momentarily. It is as if Lif is putting on his presenter voice: "Most Waterdhavians today will know only that the North Ward alley has “always” been called that, and may guess it’s named for Trollskull Manor, when the truth is the other way around. Even…"
The story in interrupted by louder knocks on the front door: "Hey there! Anyone home? It's important.... Volo sent me!"
LORE BOX (THE CITY'S SPLENDORS: THE WALKING STATUES - PART 6 OF 9 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
The Lady Dreaming
This fair lady caused much chaos when she was active. The statue has the appearance of a female elf, whose hair and clothing appeared to flow naturally as it walked through the city during the Spellplague. When the walking statues stopped, this one toppled onto its side, taking on the appearance of a titanic sculpture of a noble lady asleep in her garden.
Sim opens the door, closely followed by Adrasteia. On the other side, a tall and handsome red-skinned tiefling opens his mouth wide in a pleasant smile. He is accompanied by three humans, two male and one female, driving a cart and holding heavy objects in place with care: "Hello, my name is Barçin Oznon. I'm the owner of the Red Paint's Brush. Volo sent me here to deliver your goods, but I suspect he knew I'd be interested in them. I'll cut to the chase: I would like to make you an offer for the four paintings and the box full of corroded silver bars. I'll make a fair offer and we don't even need to unload the cart or charge you for the delivery. My associates and I will simply drive it back to my shop."
He gives you a moment to take the straight-to-business talk in. Then, he continues: "You have here four wood-framed paintings wrapped in leather. The paintings depict the cities of Luskan, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, and Baldur’s Gate. I am willing to make a fair offer of 300 gold pieces for all four of them. If you accept, I am also willing to buy the crate containing fifteen 10-pound silver trade bars. However, since they are all black from corrosion, I am only able to offer 50 gold pieces per bar. That comes up to 750 gold pieces for the crate."
He gives you another moment to consider and then wraps up the offer: "I have a large leather purse in the cart with the exact amount of 1050 gold pieces in it. What do you say, Ladies of Trollskull Manor?"
I think this sounds like a fair price, Oznon--it would certainly keep me content with all the milk I can drink. What do you say, Sim? Insight Check to see if I know this to be a fair price? 9
I smile in approval since I don't want be caught with them in my hands, if the bad guys come knocking. Plus, this should allow Adra to continue her milk drinking habits for a while.
Adrasteia's insight: It is unfortunate you did not find valuable tomes. About that, you'd have been better informed. These paintings are outside your realm of expertise. However, the gold this Barçin Oznon is offering sounds like a handsome amount. Your new property being in the state it is in, it would be hard to refuse the influx of gold.
Sim's insight: You have witnessed trades like this before. One of your noble family's acquaintances used to deal in art. You realize that Barçin Oznon is truly an arts dealer and that he is likely to seek turning a profit on these items. It is how he makes a living after all. So, considering you are selling to a middleman, you deduce that the amount offered is indeed fair. Searching for the end-consumer in this case could reward you with a higher offer, but that is no guarantee. It could just as easily prove an impossibly arduous and time-consuming task. Auction houses could do the trick, but they are also middlemen, and their rates might be worse.
Barçin Oznon then adds: "I can see that one of you lovely ladies has already agreed to my offer (referring to Mokiakia), and another one is considering it (referring to Adrasteia). I think I smell a deal here. What is your final word?"
I murmur in a jingle tune "Ca$h money...". Then, I say assertively, "I mean, pleasure doing business with you. Should we have other things to sell in the future, how do we contact you?"
"It is a deal then! And yes, you can always find me at my store, the Red Paint's Brush in the Castle Ward. It is not very far from the Yawning Portal."
Barçin then gestures to his associates to bring him a sack from the cart. One of the men brings it over and, asking permission to enter the home, leaves the sack on one of the tavern tables. Barçin explains: "There is your gold. A pleasure doing business with you!"
He then unceremoniously leaves. After a moment, Lif speaks up: "Shall I continue my tale then?"
LORE BOX (THE CITY'S SPLENDORS: THE WALKING STATUES - PART 7 OF 9 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
The Honorable Knight
The Honorable Knight is a statue of a male warrior in plate armor with a shield and longsword. When the walking statues stopped, it bowed to those opposing it, straightened, sheathed its sword, and doffed its shield, setting it point down on the ground and upright by its side. It then ceased motion in this position, facing southwest toward the harbor, and looking for all the world like a castle guard standing at ease. The pose it assumed led to its naming, and it is viewed with respect by the citizens of the southerly wards.
"Certainly, Lif. I would love to hear what you wish to tell. Also, my friends, I suggest we make it rain and purchase some furnishings for our home, and potentially buy some new equipment for ourselves."
Lif restarts his tale from the beginning after clearing his invisible throat. Once again, his distinct speech patterns disappears as he uses his best announcer-voice: "Most Waterdhavians today will know only that the North Ward alley has “always” been called that, and may guess it’s named for Trollskull Manor, when the truth is the other way around. Even the Palace clerks can’t help, because it’s called that on their oldest surviving deeds and city plans, meaning it was already called that when their records begun. I can do better, if we can trust the oldest wizards in Waterdeep, the usual primary source for almost all we know of the Realms in the first place (they've been known to bend the truth), the true derivation of the name is as follows: in 1298 DR, during the bloody collapse of the Shadow Thieves guild, some of its desperate members sought to cover their escapes from the city (that is, giving themselves time to grab all the riches they could take with them) by working with evil wizards and their acquaintances to teleport and release various monsters to maraud in the city, to keep the Watch and the Lords’ agents who were hunting them busy. One mage translocated a foraging band of trolls from the Evermoors to North Ward, and they stalked this alley, then known as Lormaundeir’s Skulk thanks to an unsavory local smuggler, Lormaundeir, who lived on it in the 1270s and owned many properties along it that he rented out; the tenants were initially unaware that he used secret passages built into the walls of these rented rooms to eavesdrop on them, and learn much, but learned the truth when he died in a secret passage, was found by his reek and local tales of his haunting the passages developed."
As you can tell, Lif goes on many confusing tangents, perhaps on purpose. Lif then pauses, to makes sure you are all listening and asks if you need a refill before he continues. You can tell he means you have to buy another round if you want to hear the rest.
I take my share of 350GP and add them to my inventory. Then, I listen to Lif for a bit but since I am quite tried after all the fighting, I excuse myself and go to my room (hoping for a long rest to replenish my slots and continue adventuring after.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
I find myself fighting off yawns as I listen to Lif, too. I'm ready to retire for the evening...and hopefully not dream of dead men inside the walls of our new home...tomorrow, I want to investigate and see if I can find any secret passages in this house. Investigation: 18
(That's right. Each of you should add 350 gold pieces to your inventory. Also, regarding time of the day, it is now dusk.)
Mokiakia is the first to retire to her abode. Sim follows shortly after that. Adrasteia stays behind for the rest of the story. Lif serves her another glass of "milk" (please deduct another silver piece from your wallet) and continues his tale: "The trolls slew some citizens along the alley but soon they perished in flaming spheres hurled at them by the wizard Tazhara Lurael, of Turmish. She was racing about the city dealing with many released-by-Shadow-Thieves monsters, and lacked the time to “clean up” properly, so some local youths ended up playing with scorched troll bones, bowling with the skulls for some years until they all disintegrated under the rigors of such handling. By then, the rest of the city had dubbed the way “Trollskull Alley,” the name stuck, and many of the locals didn’t mind—because it transformed their reputations, from folk living with the ghost of a creepy smuggler to folk who’d survived battling fearsome monsters. So there you have it. And yes, many locals have reported seeing the phantom apparitions of skulking Lormaundeir and a trio of trolls proceeding silently down the alley. Not to mention the inquisitive ghost of a tressym (a winged cat), though no one knows where it came from. But not me... I don't believe in ghosts!"
Regarding Adrasteia's question, Lif answers, reverting back to his vocal mannerisms: "For many a year, lass. Many a year..."
Adrasteia then "finishes" her drink and joins her companions in calling it a night (you may all complete a long rest in your character sheets.) In the morning, Sim is the first to wake up. She spends some time looking for secret passages around the house, but finds none.
(It is all a factor of 10 for the four main types of currency. 1 platinum piece = 10 gold pieces = 100 silver pieces = 1000 copper pieces. Feel free to exchange currencies in your wallets as needed.)
Adrasteia pays 1 silver piece for her "milk," Sim pays 3 silver pieces for her "ale," and Mokiakia comes back into the room to a cup of "tea," for which she pays 2 silver pieces. Again, there is no actual liquid inside the cups.
Mokiakia: You surmise that Lif is a specter. Unless necessary, like when they become angry and begin attacking the living, they are invisible. Nothing leads you to believe that Lif is the angry type of specter, though.
Adrasteia: When alive, Lif was not the kind of character about whom a lot of history would be recorded or even passed on through word-of-mouth. You are not surprised that you have not heard of him. You deduce that most people that come to "meet" him simply run away scared, which would explain why this otherwise great mansion is empty. You also guess that Lif must have been here for quite a long while, including when he was still alive.
Your dues paid, Lif then begins to tell a tale, his voice becoming clearer and his speech mannerisms disappearing momentarily. It is as if Lif is putting on his presenter voice: "Most Waterdhavians today will know only that the North Ward alley has “always” been called that, and may guess it’s named for Trollskull Manor, when the truth is the other way around. Even…"
The story in interrupted by louder knocks on the front door: "Hey there! Anyone home? It's important.... Volo sent me!"
LORE BOX (THE CITY'S SPLENDORS: THE WALKING STATUES - PART 6 OF 9 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
The Lady Dreaming
This fair lady caused much chaos when she was active. The statue has the appearance of a female elf, whose hair and clothing appeared to flow naturally as it walked through the city during the Spellplague. When the walking statues stopped, this one toppled onto its side, taking on the appearance of a titanic sculpture of a noble lady asleep in her garden.
"Sorry Lif, just a minute while we see who this is..." I go over to the door and answer, expecting this is probably our art delivery.
I wipe off my milk mustache and head towards Sim and the door.
Sim opens the door, closely followed by Adrasteia. On the other side, a tall and handsome red-skinned tiefling opens his mouth wide in a pleasant smile. He is accompanied by three humans, two male and one female, driving a cart and holding heavy objects in place with care: "Hello, my name is Barçin Oznon. I'm the owner of the Red Paint's Brush. Volo sent me here to deliver your goods, but I suspect he knew I'd be interested in them. I'll cut to the chase: I would like to make you an offer for the four paintings and the box full of corroded silver bars. I'll make a fair offer and we don't even need to unload the cart or charge you for the delivery. My associates and I will simply drive it back to my shop."
He gives you a moment to take the straight-to-business talk in. Then, he continues: "You have here four wood-framed paintings wrapped in leather. The paintings depict the cities of Luskan, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, and Baldur’s Gate. I am willing to make a fair offer of 300 gold pieces for all four of them. If you accept, I am also willing to buy the crate containing fifteen 10-pound silver trade bars. However, since they are all black from corrosion, I am only able to offer 50 gold pieces per bar. That comes up to 750 gold pieces for the crate."
He gives you another moment to consider and then wraps up the offer: "I have a large leather purse in the cart with the exact amount of 1050 gold pieces in it. What do you say, Ladies of Trollskull Manor?"
I think this sounds like a fair price, Oznon--it would certainly keep me content with all the milk I can drink. What do you say, Sim? Insight Check to see if I know this to be a fair price? 9
I want to make an insight check, too: 15
I smile in approval since I don't want be caught with them in my hands, if the bad guys come knocking. Plus, this should allow Adra to continue her milk drinking habits for a while.
Adrasteia's insight: It is unfortunate you did not find valuable tomes. About that, you'd have been better informed. These paintings are outside your realm of expertise. However, the gold this Barçin Oznon is offering sounds like a handsome amount. Your new property being in the state it is in, it would be hard to refuse the influx of gold.
Sim's insight: You have witnessed trades like this before. One of your noble family's acquaintances used to deal in art. You realize that Barçin Oznon is truly an arts dealer and that he is likely to seek turning a profit on these items. It is how he makes a living after all. So, considering you are selling to a middleman, you deduce that the amount offered is indeed fair. Searching for the end-consumer in this case could reward you with a higher offer, but that is no guarantee. It could just as easily prove an impossibly arduous and time-consuming task. Auction houses could do the trick, but they are also middlemen, and their rates might be worse.
Barçin Oznon then adds: "I can see that one of you lovely ladies has already agreed to my offer (referring to Mokiakia), and another one is considering it (referring to Adrasteia). I think I smell a deal here. What is your final word?"
I agree to the deal and look to Adra for her response. With this money we can spruce up our mansion.
I think this is a fair deal--if we're all in agreement. "I accept the terms you propose."
I murmur in a jingle tune "Ca$h money...". Then, I say assertively, "I mean, pleasure doing business with you. Should we have other things to sell in the future, how do we contact you?"
"It is a deal then! And yes, you can always find me at my store, the Red Paint's Brush in the Castle Ward. It is not very far from the Yawning Portal."
Barçin then gestures to his associates to bring him a sack from the cart. One of the men brings it over and, asking permission to enter the home, leaves the sack on one of the tavern tables. Barçin explains: "There is your gold. A pleasure doing business with you!"
He then unceremoniously leaves. After a moment, Lif speaks up: "Shall I continue my tale then?"
LORE BOX (THE CITY'S SPLENDORS: THE WALKING STATUES - PART 7 OF 9 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
The Honorable Knight
The Honorable Knight is a statue of a male warrior in plate armor with a shield and longsword. When the walking statues stopped, it bowed to those opposing it, straightened, sheathed its sword, and doffed its shield, setting it point down on the ground and upright by its side. It then ceased motion in this position, facing southwest toward the harbor, and looking for all the world like a castle guard standing at ease. The pose it assumed led to its naming, and it is viewed with respect by the citizens of the southerly wards.
"Certainly, Lif. I would love to hear what you wish to tell. Also, my friends, I suggest we make it rain and purchase some furnishings for our home, and potentially buy some new equipment for ourselves."
I agree Adra. Since I dont have much use for weaponry, I would like to take a long rest to replenish my slots.
Lif restarts his tale from the beginning after clearing his invisible throat. Once again, his distinct speech patterns disappears as he uses his best announcer-voice: "Most Waterdhavians today will know only that the North Ward alley has “always” been called that, and may guess it’s named for Trollskull Manor, when the truth is the other way around. Even the Palace clerks can’t help, because it’s called that on their oldest surviving deeds and city plans, meaning it was already called that when their records begun. I can do better, if we can trust the oldest wizards in Waterdeep, the usual primary source for almost all we know of the Realms in the first place (they've been known to bend the truth), the true derivation of the name is as follows: in 1298 DR, during the bloody collapse of the Shadow Thieves guild, some of its desperate members sought to cover their escapes from the city (that is, giving themselves time to grab all the riches they could take with them) by working with evil wizards and their acquaintances to teleport and release various monsters to maraud in the city, to keep the Watch and the Lords’ agents who were hunting them busy. One mage translocated a foraging band of trolls from the Evermoors to North Ward, and they stalked this alley, then known as Lormaundeir’s Skulk thanks to an unsavory local smuggler, Lormaundeir, who lived on it in the 1270s and owned many properties along it that he rented out; the tenants were initially unaware that he used secret passages built into the walls of these rented rooms to eavesdrop on them, and learn much, but learned the truth when he died in a secret passage, was found by his reek and local tales of his haunting the passages developed."
As you can tell, Lif goes on many confusing tangents, perhaps on purpose. Lif then pauses, to makes sure you are all listening and asks if you need a refill before he continues. You can tell he means you have to buy another round if you want to hear the rest.
I take my share of 350GP and add them to my inventory. Then, I listen to Lif for a bit but since I am quite tried after all the fighting, I excuse myself and go to my room (hoping for a long rest to replenish my slots and continue adventuring after.
"I'll have three fingers of your finest whole milk, Lif, my friend. How long have you been serving here, Lif?"
What time of day is it?
I find myself fighting off yawns as I listen to Lif, too. I'm ready to retire for the evening...and hopefully not dream of dead men inside the walls of our new home...tomorrow, I want to investigate and see if I can find any secret passages in this house. Investigation: 18
(That's right. Each of you should add 350 gold pieces to your inventory. Also, regarding time of the day, it is now dusk.)
Mokiakia is the first to retire to her abode. Sim follows shortly after that. Adrasteia stays behind for the rest of the story. Lif serves her another glass of "milk" (please deduct another silver piece from your wallet) and continues his tale: "The trolls slew some citizens along the alley but soon they perished in flaming spheres hurled at them by the wizard Tazhara Lurael, of Turmish. She was racing about the city dealing with many released-by-Shadow-Thieves monsters, and lacked the time to “clean up” properly, so some local youths ended up playing with scorched troll bones, bowling with the skulls for some years until they all disintegrated under the rigors of such handling. By then, the rest of the city had dubbed the way “Trollskull Alley,” the name stuck, and many of the locals didn’t mind—because it transformed their reputations, from folk living with the ghost of a creepy smuggler to folk who’d survived battling fearsome monsters. So there you have it. And yes, many locals have reported seeing the phantom apparitions of skulking Lormaundeir and a trio of trolls proceeding silently down the alley. Not to mention the inquisitive ghost of a tressym (a winged cat), though no one knows where it came from. But not me... I don't believe in ghosts!"
Regarding Adrasteia's question, Lif answers, reverting back to his vocal mannerisms: "For many a year, lass. Many a year..."
Adrasteia then "finishes" her drink and joins her companions in calling it a night (you may all complete a long rest in your character sheets.) In the morning, Sim is the first to wake up. She spends some time looking for secret passages around the house, but finds none.
"Fascinating, Lif. Do me a favor and wake me if anything should arise while I get some rest."
I retire to my room for a long rest. I plan on looking for a bed, some other furnishings, and some new weapons when I awake.
Would I have a good knowledge of the area surrounding the city or would it be a good idea for me to purchase a map?