"Dejan before you leave do you have or can you supply a map of the Imperial Warehouse so as we can plan the, what did Ophelia call it - that's right - the heist better?"Kai asks.
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DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond DM - Four bards walk into a bar... Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
"I will need time, I have a few sites in mind, to my knowledge no great repository exists, but there are numerous collections on display throughout the city, we need one which contains suitable artifacts. I remember seeing wondrous suits of armour in one but the difficulty in walking out with half a dozen suits of plate might be too great a challenge even for you. There is a collection of rare books and scrolls which might prove more profitable right here in the Valias, and some interesting jewellery on display opposite from the high temple of Pholtus in the Hall of Conquest. Leave it with me and I will give you a range of choices tomorrow morning."
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Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
After Dejan leaves, Gryffenwaits for about a minute, and then opens the door to check on their privacy.
"Well," he says, once they are confirmed to be alone. "We need a list. Let's not get too greedy but let's make sure we can do this job properly too. Obviously we will need a variety of mundane items, like thieves tools, as well as a ship and crew."
Pulling a piece of chalk from his pocket, he climbs onto the ledge at the base of the fireplace and begins writing out a list of possibly useful items right on the brick. "But there might be some useful enchanted items we could acquire to help us navigate the dangers of the city as well as stay in contact with each other."
"Til the morning then." The half-elf nods as Dejan bids them goodnight.
She listens as Gryffen rattles off a list of useful items, sighing as he does so. "I wouldn't get my hopes up for seeing even half that stuff, but seen as you asked..." Ophelia dictates a few more items to be added to the list. (Spoiler Below)
"I will give Dejan a list of people to man our ship, and it would be worth asking for hidden compartments to be installed on board, perhaps along with some trick barrels to stash items in. Might also be a good time to ask for some better quality weapons and armor."
The half-elf yawns, clearly getting bored now the meat of the plan has been decided. "My apologies, but I suddenly feel the need to catch up on my beauty sleep. Sleep tight, boys."
With that, Ophelia walks over to the self service bar, grabs two bottles of the most expensive wine on display, and departs for her room.
Kai looks incredulously at the list and says "you know in the valleys we just depend on our skills and experience to get into places we aren't really supposed to be. That said I'll take any kind of help we can get!"
The next morning the party assemble back in their private room for breakfast with Dejan waiting for them, a map case slung over the back of his chair and a large plate of breakfast demolished in front of him. Sipping from a glass of water he is looking over a book filled with what looks like a series of lists.
As you decide what, if anything, you will eat or drink he greets you all, inquires after your health, whether you found the rooms to your satisfaction (you would have had to be royalty to have not!) and then waits until you seem comfortable before speaking again.
"I have been busy, while you rested, at least I hope you rested, there is work to be done after all. I was intrigued by your idea of staging a heist here in Dzendalin to give credibility to your arrival in Ameni and I believe I have identified three potential sites of interest to you. I mentioned two of them last night, one is a collection of rare jewelry, it is small, but the items are extremely valuable and there are two items in particular which could be of great interest. One is an Ioun stone, you may not have heard of them but they are stones of great power, which when you take control of it will give you some manner of power or protection. The stone on display is reported to grant great intelligence to the wielder of it, it would be an extremely valuable prize, although it would also be valuable enough to kill over. The other gem is in comparison a bauble but it is capable of summoning light of varying intensity, interesting but not extremely so. The rest of the collection is apparently just valuable and extremely ancient jewelry, undoubtedly very collectible, but very distinctive. The Museum it resides in will be guarded both by guards and by simple mechanical alarms, we can plan to avoid or incapacitate them if that is what you want."
Sipping from his water he continues "The second site is a private collection and our information is good but possibly lacking, although we do not believe so. Venca Kzanic is an Ambassador who has fallen out of favour as the Mindo Kingdom has shifted it's stance politically, the Empire would not grieve for Kzanic to suffer a robbery and he has the finest private collection of ancient texts outside of the Empress herself - the standout piece is a text on the construction of a golem, a servant of great power. Apparently this item would be worth a considerable sum and it is one of a veritable horde of old texts, most of which are not from the Cities of Dust, but there are a few undecipherable items that are, which would be a great curiosity to anyone keen on the area. There are also a selection of maps and other texts which hold great value. I suppose the risk is they are considerably more fragile, you couldn't just through them in a sack and run off over the rooftops without damaging them. The defenses are several well trained guards and at least one magical defense."
"Finally, the Dzendalin Blades keep a collection of ancient weaponry found in the Cities of Dust in the Officer's Hall in the Main Barracks - only the most audacious plot would get you in and out without detection and the soldiers are very well trained - I will be able to do little to influence that outcome there although I can tell you every inch of the layout. The pieces on display are very fine, the best weaponry I have ever encountered although many of the items are unusual, a bow which you can attune to a particular enemy making it extremely hard to miss, strange curved daggers and several arrows that are enchanted to cause great harm, as well as other non-magical items, they are all ancient, all very desirable to many collectors and all quite distinctive."
Sitting back he smiles "I would hear your thoughts.."
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Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Finally, the Dzendalin Blades keep a collection of ancient weaponry found in the Cities of Dust in the Officer's Hall in the Main Barracks - only the most audacious plot would get you in and out without detection and the soldiers are very well trained - I will be able to do little to influence that outcome there although I can tell you every inch of the layout. The pieces on display are very fine, the best weaponry I have ever encountered although many of the items are unusual, a bow which you can attune to a particular enemy making it extremely hard to miss, strange curved daggers and several arrows that are enchanted to cause great harm, as well as other non-magical items, they are all ancient, all very desirable to many collectors and all quite distinctive," Dejan says to the group.
"Of the three I am most in favour of the Dzendalin Blades Armoury"Kai says. "It would good to see if these city-type soldiers in their fancy gear are as good as they say and for that matter as good as a clan member from the Western Valleys"he continues "Oh yes and a magic bow and or arrows would go amiss either"he finishes with.
(OOC: Would Kai having already visited the Barracks (?) of the Dzendalin Blades be able to shed any light (Perception roll 22) on the layout, etc.)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond DM - Four bards walk into a bar... Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
Gryffennods along as Dejan describes each possible site. "The first seems like the easiest with some highly desirable items. I don't like the second one. The great book thieves? I don't think it will get the job done for us. That last one sounds risky, but the notoriety it will generate might be exactly what we need."
Gideon listens intently pondering the outcomes of each "I have to agree 'The Book Thieves' is not a very exciting handle, although it would be the easier of the two. The blade may not even notice a few ornamental weapons going missing from the mess hall, but a Dzendalin noble would kick up quite a stink. We don't just have to rob his books you know" A thought suddenly occured to him the others may think it stupid but he aired his opinion nonetheless "What if we blamed the roberry on Dembargi left a calling card, he may want to talk, to seek us out then, or is that too dangerous a thing too early?"
"Exciting is irrelevant when it comes to picking a mark." The half-elf yawns loudly and stretches her long arms to their full extent, before starting on her own breakfast.
"I would expect that the head of a powerful guild would see value in people who could obtain valuable items regardless of what they were, more so if we can acquire items that are difficult to handle, such as fragile documents. It shows expertise."
"That being said, the first option appeals to me the most. The last option is far too flashy for a bunch of nobodies to pull off and not have a few suspicious eyebrows raised. Plus, I'm not particularly enamoured with the thought of going toe to toe with elite soldiers, should one of you mess things up. We don't need to perform the heist of the century, just be successful enough to have a good cover story and items we can use to make inroads with the Vipers."
"And Gideon, we have been led to believe that Dambargi is carefully cultivating his image to gain legitimate power. Whether a 'calling card' is believed or not doesn't matter, his name being associated with something outside his control or knowledge, that could affect his image, would almost certainly not put us in good standing with him."
In between mouthfuls of food, she passes Dejan a sheet of paper with a list of items on it "I need all of this, and maybe some pocket money in case we need to bribe anyone."
I've adjusted my equipment on my character sheet to reflect Ophelia's demands, let me know if there are any issues.
"should one of you mess things up?" Gideon scoffs, this one obviously has a very high opinion of herself he thought.
"Too early to rouse his attention in that way then" he mused thinking about the calling card and how, yes she was right, it was a bad idea. Best to keep your opinions to yourself Gideon, no one takes you seriously anymore. Who's going to listen to a knight of a long forgotten order anyway, washed up fool. "I think the first job would be sufficient to get a rumour out about our" he paused briefly "proficiency as a group"
"An interesting choice, I think it will prove to be a wise one though." Dejan smiles at the group "You will be given n a detailed map but to summarise the situation the area you will be targeting will be in a newly built annexe on the second floor. The distance to the main area means many of the guards will be far enough away to be no trouble to you. There are a dedicated group of four in the area, reasonably well trained, nothing special. I think the only real issue will be the extraction, getting out should be easy enough but you are going to be in the middle of the Valias with all the Watchmen and temple guards nearby. If you are undetected this shouldn't be a problem but if you are.." Dejan's face tells you what he thinks of your chances then.
Gryffeneats his breakfast as if it will be his last, listening to Dejan lay out the job they have chosen. The look of concern on the man's face when he finishes talking suggests it might be one of his last, at least. "Very well," he says, after a long silence falls over the group. "Get us the map and our supplies and we will get this conspiracy started."
Rising from his chair Gideon helps himself to more food and returns to his seat, taking a rather relaxed position he watches the so called professionals pour over the map. He never was a good thief and never thought of himself as an assassin, but everyone in this room has been selected for a reason, his would surely become evident as time went by, for now however he would just have to try and figure it out.
"Relax Gryffen, he said if, not when..." Ophelia chuckles and looks towards Dejan. "What more can you tell us about the guards? Do they work shifts? How are they armed? Do you know any of them personally? And can we go for a look round before we perform this heist?"
I would certainly recommend looking around first, it will give you a chance to look for ways to improve on the plan. There are several teams of guards, the shift rotation is every eight hours, there are periods of time when they are undermanned for brief periods while they take short breaks but the area is never completely unguarded. Obviously during the day time the museum is visited by people all the time so the numbers can vary considerably. The standard armament is mace and small shield, chainmail armour. The men are mostly veterans and we'll trained but older, they may not be as quick as they were but they know the drill and probably won't be easily fooled by deception. They are also likely to risk their wellbeing to defend the exhibits, it is their only job and they will not wish to fail at it, I do not know these men directly but I know their type, I also know the commander of the guards as a whole, I will speak with him later today, we served together for many years and my meeting him will not seem out of place." He puts two maps in front of the group, they are fairly well detailed, one of the museum itself the other a street map of the Valias district. "Become familiar with these places, even if you assume you won't be detected we will need a way out and we wil also need a contingency plan for if things go awry."
"Dejan before you leave do you have or can you supply a map of the Imperial Warehouse so as we can plan the, what did Ophelia call it - that's right - the heist better?" Kai asks.
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
"I will need time, I have a few sites in mind, to my knowledge no great repository exists, but there are numerous collections on display throughout the city, we need one which contains suitable artifacts. I remember seeing wondrous suits of armour in one but the difficulty in walking out with half a dozen suits of plate might be too great a challenge even for you. There is a collection of rare books and scrolls which might prove more profitable right here in the Valias, and some interesting jewellery on display opposite from the high temple of Pholtus in the Hall of Conquest. Leave it with me and I will give you a range of choices tomorrow morning."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
After Dejan leaves, Gryffen waits for about a minute, and then opens the door to check on their privacy.
"Well," he says, once they are confirmed to be alone. "We need a list. Let's not get too greedy but let's make sure we can do this job properly too. Obviously we will need a variety of mundane items, like thieves tools, as well as a ship and crew."
Pulling a piece of chalk from his pocket, he climbs onto the ledge at the base of the fireplace and begins writing out a list of possibly useful items right on the brick. "But there might be some useful enchanted items we could acquire to help us navigate the dangers of the city as well as stay in contact with each other."
"Does anything else spring to mind?"
Ophelia
"Til the morning then." The half-elf nods as Dejan bids them goodnight.
She listens as Gryffen rattles off a list of useful items, sighing as he does so. "I wouldn't get my hopes up for seeing even half that stuff, but seen as you asked..." Ophelia dictates a few more items to be added to the list. (Spoiler Below)
"I will give Dejan a list of people to man our ship, and it would be worth asking for hidden compartments to be installed on board, perhaps along with some trick barrels to stash items in. Might also be a good time to ask for some better quality weapons and armor."
The half-elf yawns, clearly getting bored now the meat of the plan has been decided. "My apologies, but I suddenly feel the need to catch up on my beauty sleep. Sleep tight, boys."
With that, Ophelia walks over to the self service bar, grabs two bottles of the most expensive wine on display, and departs for her room.
Gloves of Thievery
Boots of Elvenkind
Ring of Mind Shielding
Slippers of Spider Climbing
Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location
Rope of Climbing
Dagger of Warning
"Hmph," the halfling says. "I'm not sure there is enough hours in the week for her to sleep her way down to an attractive size, for me."
Kai looks incredulously at the list and says "you know in the valleys we just depend on our skills and experience to get into places we aren't really supposed to be. That said I'll take any kind of help we can get!"
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
The next morning the party assemble back in their private room for breakfast with Dejan waiting for them, a map case slung over the back of his chair and a large plate of breakfast demolished in front of him. Sipping from a glass of water he is looking over a book filled with what looks like a series of lists.
As you decide what, if anything, you will eat or drink he greets you all, inquires after your health, whether you found the rooms to your satisfaction (you would have had to be royalty to have not!) and then waits until you seem comfortable before speaking again.
"I have been busy, while you rested, at least I hope you rested, there is work to be done after all. I was intrigued by your idea of staging a heist here in Dzendalin to give credibility to your arrival in Ameni and I believe I have identified three potential sites of interest to you. I mentioned two of them last night, one is a collection of rare jewelry, it is small, but the items are extremely valuable and there are two items in particular which could be of great interest. One is an Ioun stone, you may not have heard of them but they are stones of great power, which when you take control of it will give you some manner of power or protection. The stone on display is reported to grant great intelligence to the wielder of it, it would be an extremely valuable prize, although it would also be valuable enough to kill over. The other gem is in comparison a bauble but it is capable of summoning light of varying intensity, interesting but not extremely so. The rest of the collection is apparently just valuable and extremely ancient jewelry, undoubtedly very collectible, but very distinctive. The Museum it resides in will be guarded both by guards and by simple mechanical alarms, we can plan to avoid or incapacitate them if that is what you want."
Sipping from his water he continues "The second site is a private collection and our information is good but possibly lacking, although we do not believe so. Venca Kzanic is an Ambassador who has fallen out of favour as the Mindo Kingdom has shifted it's stance politically, the Empire would not grieve for Kzanic to suffer a robbery and he has the finest private collection of ancient texts outside of the Empress herself - the standout piece is a text on the construction of a golem, a servant of great power. Apparently this item would be worth a considerable sum and it is one of a veritable horde of old texts, most of which are not from the Cities of Dust, but there are a few undecipherable items that are, which would be a great curiosity to anyone keen on the area. There are also a selection of maps and other texts which hold great value. I suppose the risk is they are considerably more fragile, you couldn't just through them in a sack and run off over the rooftops without damaging them. The defenses are several well trained guards and at least one magical defense."
"Finally, the Dzendalin Blades keep a collection of ancient weaponry found in the Cities of Dust in the Officer's Hall in the Main Barracks - only the most audacious plot would get you in and out without detection and the soldiers are very well trained - I will be able to do little to influence that outcome there although I can tell you every inch of the layout. The pieces on display are very fine, the best weaponry I have ever encountered although many of the items are unusual, a bow which you can attune to a particular enemy making it extremely hard to miss, strange curved daggers and several arrows that are enchanted to cause great harm, as well as other non-magical items, they are all ancient, all very desirable to many collectors and all quite distinctive."
Sitting back he smiles "I would hear your thoughts.."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
"Of the three I am most in favour of the Dzendalin Blades Armoury" Kai says. "It would good to see if these city-type soldiers in their fancy gear are as good as they say and for that matter as good as a clan member from the Western Valleys" he continues "Oh yes and a magic bow and or arrows would go amiss either" he finishes with.
(OOC: Would Kai having already visited the Barracks (?) of the Dzendalin Blades be able to shed any light (Perception roll 22) on the layout, etc.)
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
Gryffen nods along as Dejan describes each possible site. "The first seems like the easiest with some highly desirable items. I don't like the second one. The great book thieves? I don't think it will get the job done for us. That last one sounds risky, but the notoriety it will generate might be exactly what we need."
Gideon listens intently pondering the outcomes of each "I have to agree 'The Book Thieves' is not a very exciting handle, although it would be the easier of the two. The blade may not even notice a few ornamental weapons going missing from the mess hall, but a Dzendalin noble would kick up quite a stink. We don't just have to rob his books you know" A thought suddenly occured to him the others may think it stupid but he aired his opinion nonetheless "What if we blamed the roberry on Dembargi left a calling card, he may want to talk, to seek us out then, or is that too dangerous a thing too early?"
Ophelia
"Exciting is irrelevant when it comes to picking a mark." The half-elf yawns loudly and stretches her long arms to their full extent, before starting on her own breakfast.
"I would expect that the head of a powerful guild would see value in people who could obtain valuable items regardless of what they were, more so if we can acquire items that are difficult to handle, such as fragile documents. It shows expertise."
"That being said, the first option appeals to me the most. The last option is far too flashy for a bunch of nobodies to pull off and not have a few suspicious eyebrows raised. Plus, I'm not particularly enamoured with the thought of going toe to toe with elite soldiers, should one of you mess things up. We don't need to perform the heist of the century, just be successful enough to have a good cover story and items we can use to make inroads with the Vipers."
"And Gideon, we have been led to believe that Dambargi is carefully cultivating his image to gain legitimate power. Whether a 'calling card' is believed or not doesn't matter, his name being associated with something outside his control or knowledge, that could affect his image, would almost certainly not put us in good standing with him."
In between mouthfuls of food, she passes Dejan a sheet of paper with a list of items on it "I need all of this, and maybe some pocket money in case we need to bribe anyone."
I've adjusted my equipment on my character sheet to reflect Ophelia's demands, let me know if there are any issues.
Gryffen nods. "I'm convinced. Let's go with option one."
"should one of you mess things up?" Gideon scoffs, this one obviously has a very high opinion of herself he thought.
"Too early to rouse his attention in that way then" he mused thinking about the calling card and how, yes she was right, it was a bad idea. Best to keep your opinions to yourself Gideon, no one takes you seriously anymore. Who's going to listen to a knight of a long forgotten order anyway, washed up fool. "I think the first job would be sufficient to get a rumour out about our" he paused briefly "proficiency as a group"
"The jewelry and the stones it is then" Kai says.
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
"An interesting choice, I think it will prove to be a wise one though." Dejan smiles at the group "You will be given n a detailed map but to summarise the situation the area you will be targeting will be in a newly built annexe on the second floor. The distance to the main area means many of the guards will be far enough away to be no trouble to you. There are a dedicated group of four in the area, reasonably well trained, nothing special. I think the only real issue will be the extraction, getting out should be easy enough but you are going to be in the middle of the Valias with all the Watchmen and temple guards nearby. If you are undetected this shouldn't be a problem but if you are.." Dejan's face tells you what he thinks of your chances then.
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
Gryffen eats his breakfast as if it will be his last, listening to Dejan lay out the job they have chosen. The look of concern on the man's face when he finishes talking suggests it might be one of his last, at least. "Very well," he says, after a long silence falls over the group. "Get us the map and our supplies and we will get this conspiracy started."
Kai nibbles sparingly on some of the fruit and nuts as he looks at the map (once it is supplied).
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
Rising from his chair Gideon helps himself to more food and returns to his seat, taking a rather relaxed position he watches the so called professionals pour over the map. He never was a good thief and never thought of himself as an assassin, but everyone in this room has been selected for a reason, his would surely become evident as time went by, for now however he would just have to try and figure it out.
Ophelia
"Relax Gryffen, he said if, not when..." Ophelia chuckles and looks towards Dejan. "What more can you tell us about the guards? Do they work shifts? How are they armed? Do you know any of them personally? And can we go for a look round before we perform this heist?"
I would certainly recommend looking around first, it will give you a chance to look for ways to improve on the plan. There are several teams of guards, the shift rotation is every eight hours, there are periods of time when they are undermanned for brief periods while they take short breaks but the area is never completely unguarded. Obviously during the day time the museum is visited by people all the time so the numbers can vary considerably. The standard armament is mace and small shield, chainmail armour. The men are mostly veterans and we'll trained but older, they may not be as quick as they were but they know the drill and probably won't be easily fooled by deception. They are also likely to risk their wellbeing to defend the exhibits, it is their only job and they will not wish to fail at it, I do not know these men directly but I know their type, I also know the commander of the guards as a whole, I will speak with him later today, we served together for many years and my meeting him will not seem out of place." He puts two maps in front of the group, they are fairly well detailed, one of the museum itself the other a street map of the Valias district. "Become familiar with these places, even if you assume you won't be detected we will need a way out and we wil also need a contingency plan for if things go awry."
(Maps to follow)
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales