The Long Road - Game Thread

Jorin is growing restless buit calms himself and adds to Quillary's offer, "Tell us what we want to know, and we will make it worth more than our good feelings."  He puts a stack of 10 gold pieces on the counter. Persuasion: 21

Quote from Mingofaust >>

Smiling at the shopkeeper, Quillary speaks up. “What would it take for you to let us know who purchased that key?”

"I sell goods, not my customer's information. Only a mentally unhinged piece of scum would make a living that way."

Quote from Guiltysparc >>

Jorin is growing restless buit calms himself and adds to Quillary's offer, "Tell us what we want to know, and we will make it worth more than our good feelings."  He puts a stack of 10 gold pieces on the counter. Persuasion: 24

(Jorin should subtract 10 GP from his inventory.)

"Customers would stop shopping here if they thought they felt they lost their privacy." While she is saying this, she picks out a coin at random, flipping it and tapping it on the counter to test if it is counterfeit.

Drusk, although he doesn't have quite as much Insight as Quillary, notices the change in Krystaleen's behavior. Drusk takes out 20 GP, and puts them next to the 10 from Jorin.

"You people are not listening. I don't show people my shop ledger, like it is a bed-time storybook. " She is now taking Jorin's stack of coins, making two stacks and riffling them together (like a poker player toying with chips).

Drusk now takes out another 20 GP and places them on the counter. He (deliberately) hesitates, then slides them forward. (I have subtracted 40 GP from Drusk's inventory.)

Krystaleen stops, and takes a deep breath. She opens up her lock box, sliding the 50 coins into it, while lecturing the party. "It seems like I have to be very direct. You are mistaken if you think I will open this ledger to my left, and show you the 3rd entry on the 2nd page. Do you understand? I don't want you even thinking about looking at the 3rd entry on the 2nd page while in my presence... Now, I have to get tins from storage to replace the ones you purchased. When I return after 3 minutes, I expect all of you will be gone. And think about your manners the next time you shop." She closes the lockbox, and goes through a door to another part of the shop, closing the door behind her.

Jorin looks extremely confused as she walks off...

Quillary immediately goes to the ledger.

Pascal blinks, clearly confused, but then gets it, “Oh! I get it. She was flirtin’ with Hildi, right?”

Cue the long pause

Quillary rolls her eyes. (She’s got Insight!) “What page?!”

“I think she said second,” Pascal leans over Quillary’s shoulder

Third entry on the second page:

• Client: Mugrub
• Residence: Skull Square
• Item Purchased: golden key with gold dragon on handle
• Price: 300 gp paid in full with cash

Drusk points out that it is almost 2 minutes since the gnome left. "Maybe put the ledger back the way it was, and continue our talk outside?"

Some tidbits that you would know:

• The description of the key matches the drawing Volo made.
• Skull Square is 120 yards to the east.
• The housing around that area is on the poor side. Why would this Mugrub have 300 gp in hand?

"Perhaps we should pay this Mudgrub a visit." Jorin says and then begins to head out the door.

Quillary spins the book around and steps out of the shop, but not before leaving a frog behind the counter. (1 charge from her hat)

Pascal waits for everyone to turn around before quickly eating the frog and following!

Hildi casts message a second time, pointing at the door Krystaleen stepped through. Though they can't hear him, anyone reading his lips can easily make out, "Thank you."

Outside, he gawks at Jorin and Drusk. "Was that 50 gold?!"

Quote from JcAndD >>

Pascal waits for everyone to turn around before quickly eating the frog and following!

LOL!

Jorin shrugs at Hildigrim, "My end was only 10g, and besides, " he claps the halfling on the back, "Untold riches in this tower, no?"

Quote from DirtyDogP >>

Hildi casts message a second time, pointing at the door Krystaleen stepped through. Though they can't hear him, anyone reading his lips can easily make out, "Thank you."

Outside, he gawks at Jorin and Drusk. "Was that 50 gold?!"

For Hildigrim:

Dursk: "If we finish this mission, that note to the nobleman by Volo is worth more than that. A few expenses early, for a payout later."

(OOC: Let me know if you want to discuss plans some more, or head to Skull Square.)

Quillary is feeling pretty confident that we can handle whatever might come. She sidles up to Pascal as they walk to the square. “I left a frog for the gnome! I wish I could see her trying to deal with it...” she pauses. “I hope the frog will be okay.” She glanced back at the shop, then shrugs. “Even frogs have to cross the veil.”

Hildi squirms a little. "I don't know that we get to keep said riches." He sighs.

I'm fine with heading there.

Quote from Mingofaust >>

Quillary is feeling pretty confident that we can handle whatever might come. She sidles up to Pascal as they walk to the square. “I left a frog for the gnome! I wish I could see her trying to deal with it...” she pauses. “I hope the frog will be okay.” She glanced back at the shop, then shrugs. “Even frogs have to cross the veil.”

 Pascal pauses: 

Then laughs loud and nervously, “Oh ho, man, that’s a good joke right there. Yep. Ha. Haha...”

"Skull Square is an open plaza that is about 50-by-50 feet. Rusted iron cages hang from old, wooden posts - several of which contain gristly, mostly-decayed corpses. Sets of rotting wooden stocks are featured in the center of the square surrounding a well secured by a grate that is rusted shut. Buildings face the square on three sides while the fourth side faces a massive stone outcrop. A broad set of stone stairs climb up to Middle Skullport to the north.

"One home on the northwest side of the square has a lamp hung above the door, which casts bright light in a 15-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. This lights up most of the square. The rest of the square is dark."

The party is approaching from the SE corner, heading north then west towards the house with a lamp.

A female halfling is cleaning the door and wall of house B on the map. (She’s older, with lined deep brown skin, and dark curly hair with streaks of gray.) When she sees the party approaching (Jorin's sword glowing in the dark), she hustles to the north house (A) and bangs on the door. She then moves south to house D, and bangs on that door. She does that a second time, as there were sounds of sawing and hammering (carpentry) going on inside.

She steps to the center of the dim-lit area, and waits for the party to also enter the light. At that time, the doors to the north and south open. From house A, an (a-gender) orc (greying hair, wears several earrings, and has a gravelly voice) scampers out. From house D, a hobgoblin struts out, brushing sawdust off his clothes (very urbane, very well dressed, and very large; wears a nice suit and has a ring on every finger).

The halfling hails the party: "Greetings strangers. What brings you to Skull Square?"

Hildigrim adopts the accent of the bugbears. As I don't think he's done this before (change his accent), it might be a surprise to the rest of the party. He gives a quick bow, smiling congenially. "Morning. We looking for Mugrub. Where is he?"