Dog and the party (I'm pretty sure Bulwark is with them, since he spoke to Viviora) spend hours walking from one temple to the next. It is their first temple that gives them a near taste of success. Milil's high cleric actually resides in Masa, leading the church from this very city. Though there is a very good chance he could help, and no doubt would be humbled to meet Gentoa, he has traveled to Alciondria and Delphendria for business and is not expected back for almost a ten-day.
The temples of Lathander and Waukeen have no cleric high enough, basing their churches out of the capital. The temple of Oghma is small and has no high level clerics available either. Savras happens to have an extremely high level cleric in town visiting their temple and meeting with some important donors. However, he is not available at the moment and likely does not have the necessary spells available. The temple of Torm likewise has no high level cleric.
Finally, Althus suggests visiting the temple of his patron, Helm. They do have a powerful enough cleric that resides in Masa. He even greets them after entering the temple. Unfortunately, he has not the magicks they require and must turn them away. Before that, he does spend a lot of time talking with Dog and the party about their time in Masa. "I've heard nothing of this Passalwyck," he says. It is not a surprise at this point. That is what they have heard all night, no matter what names of devas they drop into the conversation. "Or these...Accords, for that matter.
"If I might offer some advice," he says, stroking his bare chin. "I know you are worried about your friend...the girl's mother. But, well, how can I put this delicately? She is not in immediate danger, nor can she help you with what you have been tasked to do. I understand she may not be herself, but you have a divine task and one you ought not to take lightly. If you pursue your purpose, it may lead to the answer to saving your friend."
Dog, looking hopeless after a long night of fruitless searching, can barely even say thank you before starting to leave. "Young man," the cleric says. "The gods are forbidden from giving you aid. It sounds like you must help yourself to what you need."
The old cleric steps forward, placing a hand on Dog's arm. "Helm's bless..." he says, then stops, realizing the implications of what he is about to say. "Good luck."
Dog nods in thanks when Helm's cleric offers some guidance. "The problem is, sir, that the only people still alive that know anything about what we've been told to investigate are barred from telling us anything or helping at all. We have two divine sets of instructions and they conflict. We have to seek mortals who might be able to help with the first set, which we received through a herald, secondhand. The other set, about protecting, well... it's been pretty vague if we're being honest. If they want us to do something, it would be really helpful if they came out and said it."
If he has no reply, Dog will return to the temple of Tymora and download everything that's happened.
“Maybe Gargus can help us... he’s my teacher, and he’s here in the city. He isn’t beholden to the god, and is no friend to fiends. If this woman needs help, I’m sure he’d give whatever aid he could.” Martin is wracking his brain for solutions to a problem he doesn’t fully understand.
“Sir, do you think a simple dispel magic spell would work? One like this?” Gash produces the scroll, “If not then we might just have to take your wise advice”
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Gash- Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
“Sir, do you think a simple dispel magic spell would work? One like this?” Gash produces the scroll, “If not then we might just have to take your wise advice”
The old cleric of Helm furrows his brow. "I don't have the magicks needed for such a thing but that would not be my first choice. It sounds to me like you need to remove a curse."
(Are we back at the Temple of Tymora?) If not, and actually even if so, Dog's game for asking Martin's teacher what to do.
He'd also like to swing by the estate the minotaur was staying at, disguised again as that human merchant from earlier. Do people seem to be inside? Any city watch? Guards?
If Gash wants to try teleporting to Merxina's cavern, Dog is fine with it, as long as he can teleport back. When Tock talks about teleporting the whole group, he reminds him about teleporting Genny which nearly got her killed, so the idea of the group continuing on while pairs teleport away seems like a good one. He tries to find a satchel or a box with a few compartments to try to organize the things they have from different places that allow them to teleport there. He labels the stone he grabbed from Taur and anything else he can think of along with Tock's baubles.
He talks through their options (copied below) and suggests they see if there are any other options for Keep At It before trying Wait For It:
-Come Clean And Hope For The Best: tell Nev everything and try to rationally explain that the amulet might be changing her thinking and maybe we should have it looked at, and risk her going all Bilbo-trying-to-retake-the-ring-from-Frodo on us -Wait For It: not tell Nev our suspicions and play it off like we're going along with it and hope we come up with something smart along the way to Aucasia or we get a Deus Ex Machina Get Out Of Jail Free Card -Keep At It: try to convince Nev to stay another day in Masa and come across some way of finding out more that doesn't rely on the divine... like finding a scribe that had notes like Ritter did, or finding a library that could give us more information, or secretly connecting with the heavens, or potentially contacting someone else with the hells that could give us more information, or trying some divination magic to get answers -Try Out The Evil Lady: just go to Aucasia and see what all the fuss is about -Seek The Absent King: try to get in touch with the king, who is the heavens' choice of stewards, and see if it would be surprising to him that Gentoa's not going to him -Break The Curse And Have RealTalk: break the curse on Nev's amulet or take her to an antimagic field, and see what she's like without any mind control -Go To Hell(Or Heaven): find a way to go to heaven or hell to read the original accords and also come back -Babytalk: ask... Genny what she thinks about this? -The Big Third Offer: try to get in touch with the dryad or the cloud giant's people (and find out who he is) and see if he or they know more about the accords since he was a third offer that seemed to be unknown to the heavens and hells -Break The Wheel: figure out a way to hide from heaven, hell, and the cloud giant and get a new solution, because when Nev had all three options set before her, she was not super excited about any of them -Drafts: find the drafts in Masa and read them and hope they reflect the final outcome -Telescouting: teleport around to new cities trying to get more information
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
((ooc: did my homework, and maybe i did this already. but I want to pull out the scroll Merxina left for us. I want to check the names on the scroll, to see if they have changed.))
Gash to the cleric, "Thank you. You have been a big help. I'll have to check back in at the magic shop. I think I can probably work with that one..."
If there is time before the night takes the town Gash will pop in for the remove curse scroll. 8
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Gash- Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
(Are we back at the Temple of Tymora?) If not, and actually even if so, Dog's game for asking Martin's teacher what to do.
He'd also like to swing by the estate the minotaur was staying at, disguised again as that human merchant from earlier. Do people seem to be inside? Any city watch? Guards?
(Sure!)
At the Minotaur's estate, the bodies of the devils are gone but there is nobody else there. It is the middle of the night, after all.
((ooc: did my homework, and maybe i did this already. but I want to pull out the scroll Merxina left for us. I want to check the names on the scroll, to see if they have changed.))
Already exhausted, the party ventures out (Tock included?) to find some place that might serve food. One place by one of the western gates is named Bounty, displaying a cornucopia on one side of the name and a chest overflowing with gold coins on the other. It appears to cater to adventurers, with a bounty board outside and notes from adventurers seeking others of like mind. The place is almost empty, except for an oddly mixed group in a serious discussion with an old woman in wizard robes. The younger people at the table include a gnome, dressed completely in black with knives sheathed all over his body, a large half-orc wielding a battleaxe, a human with an unstrung longbow on his back, and a dwarf, decked out completely in ring mail armor with a two-handed sword at his side. The group finds a table and wearily orders from a quiet barman. Shields and hunting trophies and filigreed weapons line the walls, but nothing of value, probably.
After their meal, they head back to the temple of Tymora. "Mother Gyllis has informed me that you will need to find lodging elsewhere in the city tomorrow night," says the acolyte on duty. "We are preparing for an important service. I...I'm sorry." She shuffles away quickly.
Come morning...late morning...the party rise to a chilly autumn day in Masa. Clouds have obscured the sky but not in a threatening manner. It is simply gray out today. The wind picks up once in a while but otherwise it is a pleasant enough morning. Noon is not far off, but can probably wait for a task or two before finding some lunch or breakfast or...food of any kind.
Gash suggests going back to Bounty for brunch and planning. Assuming the party is on board with that. Gash will take some time to read the bounty board. when the food arrives he will finish up reading the board and sit with the group.
“the days have been crazy. Thank you new companions. Normally, I’d introduce myself as Gregory but we will skip the formalities. My name is Gash. It’s good to have you all working with us. I appreciate you both taking to our cause so quickly without even being charmed by Genny yet. Speaking of which, Dog, you better go check on Nev today. She likely doesn’t want to see me right now.”
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Gash- Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
(Before Dog goes to sleep, he ritually casts find familiar and conjures a smallish, soft, furry grey spider. In the morning he tries to seek out Mother Gyllis or Muna to ask about Ritter's funeral arrangements, and also about the herald. He'll try to come clean with Mother Gyllis and say that he's not sure they'll be able to comply with Tymora's instructions to not leave Masa without finding out more. He asks her for advice on how to follow Tymora's instructions along with the rest of the pantheon's.)
In the morning at the Bounty...
"Yes, apologies for the hurried introductions and general insanity, Martin and Althus. Thank you for stepping in and joining the effort. Where do you hail from? What are your stories? I feel like I have been explaining our stories for so long that people are tired of them."
Dog has now eaten the equivalent of three breakfasts, and slept like a log overnight.
When Gash suggests he go to Nev, Dog nods. "I think you're right. I should check in with her and Genny. I think I will play along with her and not set off any alarm bells she might feel. One thing I could do is tell her and Genny that we can leave, but we're just trying to find Keyrie and Stones and the others before we do and I'm so sorry to delay her, but can she give me a few more hours to try to find them. That might work for a while, but we will need to get going sooner or later."
He pauses and looks around, hoping their voices are quiet enough to not be overheard. Is that adventuring party that was there the night before back again by any chance?
"So if we get some extra time, what do we want to try doing? That fancy estate house where the minotaur -- I keep forgetting his name -- and the bearded devils lived seemed to be empty last night. Do we want to try it out once more to see if the hells left some paperwork behind? I'd love to talk to another spy or scribe but honestly that seems unlikely. We haven't had any luck finding out who killed Ritter, either. Did any of you get a good look at them?"
He'll go over to the quiet barman, or whoever's on duty that morning, and try to fall back into the easy chatter of a mercenary getting local news from a barkeep between jobs. He'll ask if anything weird's happened, angels and devils sighted in the city, spies or odd scribes/messengers, anything about the fiend army in the east, any word about the king, that sort of thing. He'll use up to 2 gold worth of smaller coins to purchase a breakfast beer and tip well to see if he can get them to open up a bit.
“Martin, nice to meet you. You seem a man of few words... that’s good if you’re going to be hanging out with Dogear over here” Gash cracks his first joke in a while and his stutter has been noticeably better this morning.
“if you like adventure and all that goes with it. We have it in spades and you’ll fall in love with young Genny. She is truly a gem.”
Gash looks to Dogs new familiar, “Got a new pal? Does the little fella have a name?” Gash turns to the two new crew members, “Speaking of which,” Gash summons his owl familiar from inter dimensional space, “this here is Friend. He’s been a big help for us.”
”let’s see... a town this big I bet has some sort of thieves guild or mercenaries or something. A little greasing of the palms and they might be able to tell us more about Ritter and what happened or at least give us a lead...” (can Gash recall any specific symbol on Ritter or in his house that seemed unusual?)
Gash gets up semi abruptly and goes to the barkeep he returns with a server with a full mug of mead and a couple of pitchers. “It’s going to be a long day... I don’t think we’re going to tussle with anyone so maybe this will help us start the day loose and relax our minds a bit.”
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Gash- Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Tocklistens to the plans and offers to go and do a solid once-over at the estate, possibly with one of the new guys joining in.
"If I understand correctly then Nev wants to leave Masa today? If so we should be quick with our tasks and decisions. Lets split up, get our things done and meet up here in couple of hours. Dog, you'll be heading over to her, would you bring her here so we can set off together or whatever the plan will become at that point?"
“We should have asked the cleric at the temple of helm how to get to the poetry circle to view the accords... do you think you’d be up for that Althus? Maybe he can give us a clue at least.”
he takes a long drink, “maybe I can see about a remove curse scroll”
(Before Dog goes to sleep, he ritually casts find familiar and conjures a smallish, soft, furry grey spider. In the morning he tries to seek out Mother Gyllis or Muna to ask about Ritter's funeral arrangements, and also about the herald. He'll try to come clean with Mother Gyllis and say that he's not sure they'll be able to comply with Tymora's instructions to not leave Masa without finding out more. He asks her for advice on how to follow Tymora's instructions along with the rest of the pantheon's.)
(Nice! Does it have a name?) Gyllis is very busy but the sister in charge, an older woman, listens intently, clearly already familiar with much of the story so far. "When I was an acolyte at this very temple, the temple Mother was extremely strict and demanding. There were days," she says and sighs, "when we just wanted a break. I tell you, on those days, everything seemed to go wrong." The old sister laughs. "'Tymora has forsaken us!' Mother Kel would say. Maybe...well, let's just say that it wasn't Tymora who kept the Mother running around putting out fires all day."
He pauses and looks around, hoping their voices are quiet enough to not be overheard. Is that adventuring party that was there the night before back again by any chance?
They are gone but the place has plenty of customers now that it is daytime.
He'll go over to the quiet barman, or whoever's on duty that morning, and try to fall back into the easy chatter of a mercenary getting local news from a barkeep between jobs. He'll ask if anything weird's happened, angels and devils sighted in the city, spies or odd scribes/messengers, anything about the fiend army in the east, any word about the king, that sort of thing. He'll use up to 2 gold worth of smaller coins to purchase a breakfast beer and tip well to see if he can get them to open up a bit.
DM shield:
Investigation: 23
This barman is almost the opposite. He is older, barrel-chested, and extremely talkative. He clearly loves a good tale and has plenty of his own to share, if given the chance. "I just heard about a couple of devils found slain somewhere on the northside. Just yesterday, in fact," he says as he flings a rag over his shoulder.
He is clearly used to this kind of question, and thinks carefully about recent gossip before continuing. "I've definitely heard about the demons and devils to the east, although that chatter has died down quite a bit. Many were talking about heading that way in the hopes of rescuing a town for some kind of prize. But, nobody really thought they would make it unless the threat grew. Seems things have died down a bit."
He scratches at the stubble under is large, handlebar mustache. "I don't post the assassin jobs but a fella was around looking for someone with a skill set like that, someone who wouldn't ask too many questions. I didn't feel too comfortable around the guy, so I told him to scram. That was...four days ago? He was a little weasel of a man. Kept his face away from the light. Smelled like...I don't know...tar."
Nothing else springs to mind, but he promises to come over with anything else he can think of if that changes.
"Stitches" is the name of the spider, when Gash and the others ask. "I was thinking about having her hide on the ceiling of a room before I went in, or after I left, to spy a bit. It would feel wrong to spy on Nev, even with her potentially compromised mind, but to be honest, I don't think we'd really learn anything new. She seems to outwardly display genuine excitement about going to Aucasia. But it might be worth a look. Tock would you want Stitches to help scout the estate to see if it's occupied? Or do you have it handled? The devils' bodies were gone, and I think you all took the overtly valuable things. Gash, have you tried to detect any magic on that stuff to make sure it's not cursed or able to track us somehow? Either way, that estate house seems like a good option."
Talking to the barkeep:
"Where would someone like that weasel of a man be able to post an assassin 'help wanted' listing here in Masa? Is there a less-savory bar that wouldn't have your scruples? We're trying to solve a mystery, which I'm sure isn't the first time you've heard that."
Back at the table, Dog tries to tick through the different tasks that could occupy their morning:
-check out the devils' estate house to see if there are any leftover copies or drafts of the notes that were missed in the first hurried search (Tock and someone else?) -go to a thieves guild or unsavory bar that the barkeep might know of to try to get some answers about the assassin or Ritter/Gideus (maybe this could be good for Tock? someone else? Dog could also do this) -purchase a curse breaking scroll (guessing Gash will want to do this, and might be able to use some help in the investigation) -go to Nev and say hello and perhaps get some additional time (Dog can this, potentially after another task) -someone could go to a library or a scribe's.... place of employ (scrivener? something?) and just ask if anyone's worked with angels, devas, and devils recently, and would be willing to talk -- or perhaps go about it more sneakily than that (Dog could stop by to do this -- along with Martin or Althus perhaps, if nothing else strikes you as interesting?)
Just wanted to outline some options for everyone given Tock's suggestion to be quick about things for Nev. Dog will volunteer to go to the library, trying to remember everything his bookish father ever tried to teach him about books, and ask about scribes' recent activities/big contracts/associations with the divine. Assuming this is not a long stop, he'll then go to Nev's Inn.
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Dog and the party (I'm pretty sure Bulwark is with them, since he spoke to Viviora) spend hours walking from one temple to the next. It is their first temple that gives them a near taste of success. Milil's high cleric actually resides in Masa, leading the church from this very city. Though there is a very good chance he could help, and no doubt would be humbled to meet Gentoa, he has traveled to Alciondria and Delphendria for business and is not expected back for almost a ten-day.
The temples of Lathander and Waukeen have no cleric high enough, basing their churches out of the capital. The temple of Oghma is small and has no high level clerics available either. Savras happens to have an extremely high level cleric in town visiting their temple and meeting with some important donors. However, he is not available at the moment and likely does not have the necessary spells available. The temple of Torm likewise has no high level cleric.
Finally, Althus suggests visiting the temple of his patron, Helm. They do have a powerful enough cleric that resides in Masa. He even greets them after entering the temple. Unfortunately, he has not the magicks they require and must turn them away. Before that, he does spend a lot of time talking with Dog and the party about their time in Masa. "I've heard nothing of this Passalwyck," he says. It is not a surprise at this point. That is what they have heard all night, no matter what names of devas they drop into the conversation. "Or these...Accords, for that matter.
"If I might offer some advice," he says, stroking his bare chin. "I know you are worried about your friend...the girl's mother. But, well, how can I put this delicately? She is not in immediate danger, nor can she help you with what you have been tasked to do. I understand she may not be herself, but you have a divine task and one you ought not to take lightly. If you pursue your purpose, it may lead to the answer to saving your friend."
Dog, looking hopeless after a long night of fruitless searching, can barely even say thank you before starting to leave. "Young man," the cleric says. "The gods are forbidden from giving you aid. It sounds like you must help yourself to what you need."
The old cleric steps forward, placing a hand on Dog's arm. "Helm's bless..." he says, then stops, realizing the implications of what he is about to say. "Good luck."
Dog nods in thanks when Helm's cleric offers some guidance. "The problem is, sir, that the only people still alive that know anything about what we've been told to investigate are barred from telling us anything or helping at all. We have two divine sets of instructions and they conflict. We have to seek mortals who might be able to help with the first set, which we received through a herald, secondhand. The other set, about protecting, well... it's been pretty vague if we're being honest. If they want us to do something, it would be really helpful if they came out and said it."
If he has no reply, Dog will return to the temple of Tymora and download everything that's happened.
“Maybe Gargus can help us... he’s my teacher, and he’s here in the city. He isn’t beholden to the god, and is no friend to fiends. If this woman needs help, I’m sure he’d give whatever aid he could.” Martin is wracking his brain for solutions to a problem he doesn’t fully understand.
Paladin - warforged - orange
(Gargus.)
“Sir, do you think a simple dispel magic spell would work? One like this?” Gash produces the scroll, “If not then we might just have to take your wise advice”
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
The old cleric of Helm furrows his brow. "I don't have the magicks needed for such a thing but that would not be my first choice. It sounds to me like you need to remove a curse."
(Are we back at the Temple of Tymora?) If not, and actually even if so, Dog's game for asking Martin's teacher what to do.
He'd also like to swing by the estate the minotaur was staying at, disguised again as that human merchant from earlier. Do people seem to be inside? Any city watch? Guards?
If Gash wants to try teleporting to Merxina's cavern, Dog is fine with it, as long as he can teleport back. When Tock talks about teleporting the whole group, he reminds him about teleporting Genny which nearly got her killed, so the idea of the group continuing on while pairs teleport away seems like a good one. He tries to find a satchel or a box with a few compartments to try to organize the things they have from different places that allow them to teleport there. He labels the stone he grabbed from Taur and anything else he can think of along with Tock's baubles.
He talks through their options (copied below) and suggests they see if there are any other options for Keep At It before trying Wait For It:
-Come Clean And Hope For The Best: tell Nev everything and try to rationally explain that the amulet might be changing her thinking and maybe we should have it looked at, and risk her going all Bilbo-trying-to-retake-the-ring-from-Frodo on us
-Wait For It: not tell Nev our suspicions and play it off like we're going along with it and hope we come up with something smart along the way to Aucasia or we get a Deus Ex Machina Get Out Of Jail Free Card
-Keep At It: try to convince Nev to stay another day in Masa and come across some way of finding out more that doesn't rely on the divine... like finding a scribe that had notes like Ritter did, or finding a library that could give us more information, or secretly connecting with the heavens, or potentially contacting someone else with the hells that could give us more information, or trying some divination magic to get answers
-Try Out The Evil Lady: just go to Aucasia and see what all the fuss is about
-Seek The Absent King: try to get in touch with the king, who is the heavens' choice of stewards, and see if it would be surprising to him that Gentoa's not going to him
-Break The Curse And Have RealTalk: break the curse on Nev's amulet or take her to an antimagic field, and see what she's like without any mind control
-Go To Hell(Or Heaven): find a way to go to heaven or hell to read the original accords and also come back
-Babytalk: ask... Genny what she thinks about this?
-The Big Third Offer: try to get in touch with the dryad or the cloud giant's people (and find out who he is) and see if he or they know more about the accords since he was a third offer that seemed to be unknown to the heavens and hells
-Break The Wheel: figure out a way to hide from heaven, hell, and the cloud giant and get a new solution, because when Nev had all three options set before her, she was not super excited about any of them
-Drafts: find the drafts in Masa and read them and hope they reflect the final outcome
-Telescouting: teleport around to new cities trying to get more information
((ooc: did my homework, and maybe i did this already. but I want to pull out the scroll Merxina left for us. I want to check the names on the scroll, to see if they have changed.))
Gash to the cleric, "Thank you. You have been a big help. I'll have to check back in at the magic shop. I think I can probably work with that one..."
If there is time before the night takes the town Gash will pop in for the remove curse scroll. 8
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
(Sure!)
At the Minotaur's estate, the bodies of the devils are gone but there is nobody else there. It is the middle of the night, after all.
The names have not changed.
It is the middle of the night right now, so no shops are open. It is after 3 in the morning at the moment. Hunger and tiredness are mounting.
“It’s been a long day. Let’s see about some food and some sleep. And maybe I can properly meet your new friends Dog”
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Already exhausted, the party ventures out (Tock included?) to find some place that might serve food. One place by one of the western gates is named Bounty, displaying a cornucopia on one side of the name and a chest overflowing with gold coins on the other. It appears to cater to adventurers, with a bounty board outside and notes from adventurers seeking others of like mind. The place is almost empty, except for an oddly mixed group in a serious discussion with an old woman in wizard robes. The younger people at the table include a gnome, dressed completely in black with knives sheathed all over his body, a large half-orc wielding a battleaxe, a human with an unstrung longbow on his back, and a dwarf, decked out completely in ring mail armor with a two-handed sword at his side. The group finds a table and wearily orders from a quiet barman. Shields and hunting trophies and filigreed weapons line the walls, but nothing of value, probably.
After their meal, they head back to the temple of Tymora. "Mother Gyllis has informed me that you will need to find lodging elsewhere in the city tomorrow night," says the acolyte on duty. "We are preparing for an important service. I...I'm sorry." She shuffles away quickly.
Come morning...late morning...the party rise to a chilly autumn day in Masa. Clouds have obscured the sky but not in a threatening manner. It is simply gray out today. The wind picks up once in a while but otherwise it is a pleasant enough morning. Noon is not far off, but can probably wait for a task or two before finding some lunch or breakfast or...food of any kind.
Gash suggests going back to Bounty for brunch and planning. Assuming the party is on board with that. Gash will take some time to read the bounty board. when the food arrives he will finish up reading the board and sit with the group.
“the days have been crazy. Thank you new companions. Normally, I’d introduce myself as Gregory but we will skip the formalities. My name is Gash. It’s good to have you all working with us. I appreciate you both taking to our cause so quickly without even being charmed by Genny yet. Speaking of which, Dog, you better go check on Nev today. She likely doesn’t want to see me right now.”
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
"Martin," the shifter says offering his hand to Gash.
Paladin - warforged - orange
(Before Dog goes to sleep, he ritually casts find familiar and conjures a smallish, soft, furry grey spider. In the morning he tries to seek out Mother Gyllis or Muna to ask about Ritter's funeral arrangements, and also about the herald. He'll try to come clean with Mother Gyllis and say that he's not sure they'll be able to comply with Tymora's instructions to not leave Masa without finding out more. He asks her for advice on how to follow Tymora's instructions along with the rest of the pantheon's.)
In the morning at the Bounty...
"Yes, apologies for the hurried introductions and general insanity, Martin and Althus. Thank you for stepping in and joining the effort. Where do you hail from? What are your stories? I feel like I have been explaining our stories for so long that people are tired of them."
Dog has now eaten the equivalent of three breakfasts, and slept like a log overnight.
When Gash suggests he go to Nev, Dog nods. "I think you're right. I should check in with her and Genny. I think I will play along with her and not set off any alarm bells she might feel. One thing I could do is tell her and Genny that we can leave, but we're just trying to find Keyrie and Stones and the others before we do and I'm so sorry to delay her, but can she give me a few more hours to try to find them. That might work for a while, but we will need to get going sooner or later."
He pauses and looks around, hoping their voices are quiet enough to not be overheard. Is that adventuring party that was there the night before back again by any chance?
"So if we get some extra time, what do we want to try doing? That fancy estate house where the minotaur -- I keep forgetting his name -- and the bearded devils lived seemed to be empty last night. Do we want to try it out once more to see if the hells left some paperwork behind? I'd love to talk to another spy or scribe but honestly that seems unlikely. We haven't had any luck finding out who killed Ritter, either. Did any of you get a good look at them?"
He'll go over to the quiet barman, or whoever's on duty that morning, and try to fall back into the easy chatter of a mercenary getting local news from a barkeep between jobs. He'll ask if anything weird's happened, angels and devils sighted in the city, spies or odd scribes/messengers, anything about the fiend army in the east, any word about the king, that sort of thing. He'll use up to 2 gold worth of smaller coins to purchase a breakfast beer and tip well to see if he can get them to open up a bit.
“Martin, nice to meet you. You seem a man of few words... that’s good if you’re going to be hanging out with Dogear over here” Gash cracks his first joke in a while and his stutter has been noticeably better this morning.
“if you like adventure and all that goes with it. We have it in spades and you’ll fall in love with young Genny. She is truly a gem.”
Gash looks to Dogs new familiar, “Got a new pal? Does the little fella have a name?” Gash turns to the two new crew members, “Speaking of which,” Gash summons his owl familiar from inter dimensional space, “this here is Friend. He’s been a big help for us.”
”let’s see... a town this big I bet has some sort of thieves guild or mercenaries or something. A little greasing of the palms and they might be able to tell us more about Ritter and what happened or at least give us a lead...” (can Gash recall any specific symbol on Ritter or in his house that seemed unusual?)
Gash gets up semi abruptly and goes to the barkeep he returns with a server with a full mug of mead and a couple of pitchers. “It’s going to be a long day... I don’t think we’re going to tussle with anyone so maybe this will help us start the day loose and relax our minds a bit.”
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Tock listens to the plans and offers to go and do a solid once-over at the estate, possibly with one of the new guys joining in.
"If I understand correctly then Nev wants to leave Masa today? If so we should be quick with our tasks and decisions. Lets split up, get our things done and meet up here in couple of hours. Dog, you'll be heading over to her, would you bring her here so we can set off together or whatever the plan will become at that point?"
“We should have asked the cleric at the temple of helm how to get to the poetry circle to view the accords... do you think you’d be up for that Althus? Maybe he can give us a clue at least.”
he takes a long drink, “maybe I can see about a remove curse scroll”
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Everyone has paid 1 gp for their meals (5 sp for dinner and 5 for breakfast).
(Nice! Does it have a name?) Gyllis is very busy but the sister in charge, an older woman, listens intently, clearly already familiar with much of the story so far. "When I was an acolyte at this very temple, the temple Mother was extremely strict and demanding. There were days," she says and sighs, "when we just wanted a break. I tell you, on those days, everything seemed to go wrong." The old sister laughs. "'Tymora has forsaken us!' Mother Kel would say. Maybe...well, let's just say that it wasn't Tymora who kept the Mother running around putting out fires all day."
They are gone but the place has plenty of customers now that it is daytime.
DM shield:
Investigation: 23
This barman is almost the opposite. He is older, barrel-chested, and extremely talkative. He clearly loves a good tale and has plenty of his own to share, if given the chance. "I just heard about a couple of devils found slain somewhere on the northside. Just yesterday, in fact," he says as he flings a rag over his shoulder.
He is clearly used to this kind of question, and thinks carefully about recent gossip before continuing. "I've definitely heard about the demons and devils to the east, although that chatter has died down quite a bit. Many were talking about heading that way in the hopes of rescuing a town for some kind of prize. But, nobody really thought they would make it unless the threat grew. Seems things have died down a bit."
He scratches at the stubble under is large, handlebar mustache. "I don't post the assassin jobs but a fella was around looking for someone with a skill set like that, someone who wouldn't ask too many questions. I didn't feel too comfortable around the guy, so I told him to scram. That was...four days ago? He was a little weasel of a man. Kept his face away from the light. Smelled like...I don't know...tar."
Nothing else springs to mind, but he promises to come over with anything else he can think of if that changes.
Only his devotion to Lathander.
"Stitches" is the name of the spider, when Gash and the others ask. "I was thinking about having her hide on the ceiling of a room before I went in, or after I left, to spy a bit. It would feel wrong to spy on Nev, even with her potentially compromised mind, but to be honest, I don't think we'd really learn anything new. She seems to outwardly display genuine excitement about going to Aucasia. But it might be worth a look. Tock would you want Stitches to help scout the estate to see if it's occupied? Or do you have it handled? The devils' bodies were gone, and I think you all took the overtly valuable things. Gash, have you tried to detect any magic on that stuff to make sure it's not cursed or able to track us somehow? Either way, that estate house seems like a good option."
Talking to the barkeep:
"Where would someone like that weasel of a man be able to post an assassin 'help wanted' listing here in Masa? Is there a less-savory bar that wouldn't have your scruples? We're trying to solve a mystery, which I'm sure isn't the first time you've heard that."
Back at the table, Dog tries to tick through the different tasks that could occupy their morning:
-check out the devils' estate house to see if there are any leftover copies or drafts of the notes that were missed in the first hurried search (Tock and someone else?)
-go to a thieves guild or unsavory bar that the barkeep might know of to try to get some answers about the assassin or Ritter/Gideus (maybe this could be good for Tock? someone else? Dog could also do this)
-purchase a curse breaking scroll (guessing Gash will want to do this, and might be able to use some help in the investigation)
-go to Nev and say hello and perhaps get some additional time (Dog can this, potentially after another task)
-someone could go to a library or a scribe's.... place of employ (scrivener? something?) and just ask if anyone's worked with angels, devas, and devils recently, and would be willing to talk -- or perhaps go about it more sneakily than that (Dog could stop by to do this -- along with Martin or Althus perhaps, if nothing else strikes you as interesting?)
Just wanted to outline some options for everyone given Tock's suggestion to be quick about things for Nev. Dog will volunteer to go to the library, trying to remember everything his bookish father ever tried to teach him about books, and ask about scribes' recent activities/big contracts/associations with the divine. Assuming this is not a long stop, he'll then go to Nev's Inn.