f you’re reading this, good. That’s really good. Because I’m about to write a bunch more stuff, and if you can actually read it, I won’t be wasting my time. That’s really the optimal scenario.
However you come by this document — nailed to your door in the night, stomped into the mud beneath a horse’s hooves, or at one of our inviting recruitment drives – I’m glad. In fact, we’re all glad – the entire Acquisitions Incorporated family welcomes you! This is the first step of the first part of a long trip to a distant land called Opportunity.
That’s a metaphor for the kind of success you’ll see while hitched up to our organization. There isn’t really a place called Opportunity. Unless. . . there is. If Opportunity is a real place and you know how to get there, please let me know.
— Ominifus Hereward Dran
The adventure begins with the characters seeking franchise opportunities or internships at the Recruitment offices of Acquisitions Incorporated in Baldur’s Gate.
Sure, I get it. Your first time meeting Omin Dran can be intimidating. But just remember, under all that armor is a merciless psychopath infused with the power of a god.— Jim Darkmagic
For a nervously long length of time, the characters are kept waiting in a conference room at the Recruitment Office in Baldur’s Gate. Your inquiries into internships and franchise opportunities at Acquisitions Incorporated have gone even better than you’d hoped. Ridiculous rumors talk about how prospective interns of Acq Inc aren’t always treated with respect, dignity, or care. Even more ridiculous tales of interns dying at an alarming rate are told throughout the region. Thankfully, you don’t believe a word of any of that.
So far, everyone at the Recruitment Office has treated you with kindness, and even a bit of deference. You were shown into this elegant conference room, given fine food and drink, and asked to wait to speak with none other than Omin Dran — founder and CEO of this august organization.
It isn’t long before the door to the conference room opens, and an intense-looking half-elf in plate armor enters. He wears a holy symbol of Tymora, the goddess of fortune, around his neck. It’s Omin Dran! With no introduction, the CEO of Acquisitions Incorporated speaks. “Thank you for answering my call so quickly. I am visiting Baldur’s Gate and we are expanding in this region. You have been approved. A new franchise location has been acquired here in the city and it’s waiting for a group just like you. I’ll have someone show you to the location. It already has some staff and cleanup is underway, you’ll meet them when you get there. There is also a job ready to go. We normally only give new franchisee’s a 10 mile area and expand as you get acclimated but you seem a bit more experienced so we are making an exception. Plus we don’t want to pass up this job, we have a brand to maintain. The customer is always right and we can do! So get settled and then take care of the mission. As an experienced adventuring group, I have no doubt that you can handle the task.”
Before you have any chance to respond, Omin drops a hefty bag of coins onto the table. “The pay is 500 gold dragons for the group, with a 20 percent commission going to Acquisitions Incorporated as the broker. Your Majordomo will have the details of the mission.”
Then without another word, Omin Dran turns and leaves the room.
As you stand there looking at each there,a little breathless and the speed in which that just happened another man enters the room. He is a no descript human and a little feigning in his manners to you. “I am here to show you to the new location. Please follow me.”
He leads you through the city until you approach a run down building in the Outer City. The sign hanging from a tall post out front lets you know that you’ve arrived at what was once the Green Briar Tavern. It was once a fine-looking building with glass windows, wood shingles, and plastered brick walls. The walls are decorated with a patterned, painted belt of red triangles that would be only slightly out of fashion in the south.
There’s a tall barn on the east side of the property that’s connected to the tavern by a low wooden fence. The space between the two buildings forms an open yard that is rutted with the tracks of wagon wheels and marked by the prints of horses. Most of these lead to the double doors on the side of the barn.
The man then leaves you. “This is the place.” is all he says.
You enter the main doors of the tavern and find the tavern’s main room. It contains the bar, tables, stage, and fireplace. Grand murals of rolling hills, forested valleys, and serpentine rivers cover every wall of the tavern’s main room. The large room is lit by paper-paned wooden lanterns hanging at intervals from the rafters, and is warmed by a huge stone fireplace that takes up most of the wall on the west side of the room. Long tables lined with benches fill the center of the room, while booths and smaller tables line the walls. The east wall is dominated by a long bar lined with stools. Mugs, bottles, and tankards are stacked high on a shelf behind the bar. There is a small stage in the northeast corner with a door beside it, and a seat with a red rope on it in the southeast corner. You also spot a pair of potted plants—small trees, actually. One is by the entrance, and another is next to the roped chair. In addition to the door by the stage, there is the main entrance, a door behind the bar, and a fourth door on the south wall near the fire. 3 people are in the main room, seemingly awaiting you. They introduce themselves.
“I am Issen Zirlo (male human baker, 65). Are you hungry? You must be hungry from your trip here!” He says in a very cheerful manner. “I am your Majordomo and I run the franchise for you. Allow me to introduce the cook, Bavil Elgenkett (male dwarf craftsperson, 65).”
The dwarf bows but remains silent.
“And this is Brace Athas(male human teen, 15). He maintains the grounds and cares for the horses.”
The young man waves but also remains silent.
“I can tell you that you are authorized to hire a skilled worker as well. I will leave that up to you. Are you sure you don’t need something to eat?”
Everything he says is with a cheerful smile. He then shows you around the place, giving the grand tour.
1. STREET VIEW
The sign hanging from a tall post out front lets you know that you’ve arrived at what was once the Green Briar Tavern. It was once a fine-looking building with glass windows, wood shingles, and plastered brick walls. The walls are decorated with a patterned, painted belt of red triangles that would be only slightly out of fashion in the south.
There’s a tall barn on the east side of the property that’s connected to the tavern by a low wooden fence. The space between the two buildings forms an open yard that is rutted with the tracks of wagon wheels and marked by the prints of horses. Most of these lead to the double doors on the side of the barn
2. FRONT YARD
A short dirt track leads from the gates to the barn, while a second track leads up to the tavern. The tavern has a long porch in front with some benches and chairs on it. A second short fence connects the barn to the tavern in back. Through the gap between the buildings you see a second yard, some outbuildings, and a well. An open yard stands between the tavern and the barn.
3. BARN
A barn with stalls to stable up to six animals. It also has space to park two wagons. The front half of the barn is an open space large enough to house at least two wagons. There are shelves and worktables against the walls, a pile of crates in one corner, and a short pyramid of hay bales. The room smells of warm straw, oiled leather, and animals. There is very little manure smell, and the floor is amazingly clean. Whoever manages the stables is clearly a stickler for cleanliness. The back half of the barn has six stalls for stabling horses, mules, draft animals, or donkeys. There are barn doors on the north, south, and west sides of the building. Tunnel entrances in the barn have clearly been bricked over, and no one’s quite sure where they all lead.
• NPCs
One of your hirelings is Brace Athas (male human teen, 15). He maintains the grounds and cares for the horses.
4. MAIN ROOM
This is the tavern’s main room. It contains the bar, tables, stage, and fireplace. Grand murals of rolling hills, forested valleys, and serpentine rivers cover every wall of the tavern’s main room. The large room is lit by paper-paned wooden lanterns hanging at intervals from the rafters, and is warmed by a huge stone fireplace that takes up most of the wall on the west side of the room. Long tables lined with benches fill the center of the room, while booths and smaller tables line the walls. The east wall is dominated by a long bar lined with stools. Mugs, bottles, and tankards are stacked high on a shelf behind the bar. There is a small stage in the northeast corner with a door beside it, and a seat with a red rope on it in the southeast corner. You also spot a pair of potted plants—small trees, actually. One is by the entrance, and another is next to the roped chair. In addition to the door by the stage, there is the main entrance, a door behind the bar, and a fourth door on the south wall near the fire.
Every Friday, the colors of the walls change to a different festive theme.
5. PRIVATE ROOMS
A fanciful animal is painted on the outside of each room’s door. Inside, you find a clean, private room. There is a bed in one corner with a small table next to it, a desk and chair, and a chest with a lock. The room has a glass window, and you can see from the hinges that it opens to let in fresh air. These are your rooms.
6. BUNK ROOMS
This large room has three sets of bunk beds and a small table with a few chairs around it. The room looks like it was cleaned recently, and a window between two of the bunks lets in light and fresh air. This is where your hirelings live. The Majordomo, Issen, has one room to himself. The Majordomo is Issen Zirlo (male human baker, 65), an incredibly cheerful chef, who insists that no business is more pressing than a full belly. He also runs the kitchen, keeping you all fed. Bavil and Brace share the other.
7. STOREROOM
An empty room at the end of the hallway is used as a storeroom.
8. BACK YARD
A fenced, open space between the barn and the tavern that contains the kitchen, animal pens, and well. A small, stone building that appears to be quite old sits behind the barn. The areas in between the buildings are fenced in, creating an enclosed yard. There is a rabbit hutch built against the wall of the barn and next to it is a chicken coop. Nestled between the barn and the stone building is a small pig sty, and in the center of the yard is a stone well.
9. KITCHEN This is the tavern’s kitchen, where Bavil the cook and Issen the baker work. The smell of fresh bread, roasted meat, and onions fills the space inside the stone building. In the northeast corner is a small bread oven, and on the east wall is a stove. Every other exposed wall is covered by shelves, tables, and piles of crates and barrels. The center of the room is dominated by a table, and strings of onions, sides of dried meat, pots, pans, and utensils hang from the ceiling.
• NPCs
Another of your hirelings is Bavil Elgenkett (male dwarf craftsperson, 65) who is your cook. Additionally Issen Zirlo is usually found in the kitchen.
The Majordomo leaves you after showing you the whole place to get settled in your rooms. "When you are ready for your mission head for the common room. I'll have dinner ready and give you the details."
During your time in Candlekeep you learn about the Nine Hells as well as researching devils to learn everything that’s said about them in the “Devils” entry of the Monster Manual.
Nine Hells:
The Nine Hells
The Nine Hells of Baator inflame the imaginations of travelers, the greed of treasure seekers, and the battle fury of all moral creatures. It is the ultimate plane of law and evil and the epitome of premeditated cruelty. The devils of the Nine Hells are bound to obey the laws of their superiors, but they rebel within their individual castes. Most undertake any plot, no matter how foul, to advance themselves. At the very top of the hierarchy is Asmodeus, who has yet to be bested. If he were to be vanquished, the victor would rule the plane in turn. Such is the law of the Nine Hells.
The Nine Layers
The Nine Hells has nine layers. The first eight are each ruled by archdevils that answer to Asmodeus, the Archduke of Nessus, the ninth layer. To reach the deepest layer of the Nine Hells, one must descend through all eight of the layers above it, in order. The most expeditious means of doing so is the River Styx, which plunges ever deeper as it flows from one layer to the next. Only the most courageous adventurers can withstand the torment and horror of that journey.
Avernus. No planar portals connect directly to the lower layers of the Nine Hells, by Asmodeus’s orders. As such, the first layer of Avernus is the arrival point for visitors to the plane. Avernus is a rocky wasteland with rivers of blood and clouds of biting flies. Fiery comets occasionally fall from the darkened sky and leave fuming impact craters behind. Empty battlefields are littered with weapons and bones, showing where the legions of the Nine Hells met enemies on their native soil and prevailed.
The archduchess Zariel rules Avernus, supplanting her rival, Bel, who has fallen out of Asmodeus’s favor and is forced to serve as Zariel’s advisor. Tiamat, the Queen of Evil Dragons, is a prisoner on this layer, ruling her own domain but confined to the Nine Hells by Asmodeus in accordance with some ancient contract (the terms of which are known only to Tiamat and the Lords of the Nine).
Zariel’s seat of power is a soaring basalt citadel festooned with the partially incinerated corpses of guests who failed to earn the archduchess’s favor. Zariel appears as an angel whose once-beautiful skin and wings have been ruined by fire. Her eyes burn with a furious white light that can cause creatures looking upon her to burst into flame.
Dis. Dis, the second layer of the Nine Hells, is a labyrinth of canyons wedged between sheer mountains rich with iron ore. Iron roads span and wend through the canyons, watched over by the garrisons of iron fortresses perched atop jagged pinnacles.
The second layer takes its name from its current lord, Dispater. A manipulator and deceiver, the archduke is devilishly handsome, bearing only small horns, a tail, and a cloven left hoof to distinguish him from a human. His crimson throne stands in the heart of the Iron City of Dis, a hideous metropolis that is the largest in the Nine Hells. Planar travelers come here to conspire with devils and to close deals with night hags, rakshasas, incubi, succubi, and other fiends. Dispater collects a piece of every deal through special provisions that are added to contracts signed on his layer of the Nine Hells.
Dispater is one of Asmodeus’s most loyal and resourceful vassals, and few beings in the multiverse can outwit him. He is more obsessed than most devils with striking deals with mortals in exchange for their souls, and his emissaries work tirelessly to foster evil schemes in the Material Plane.
Minauros. The third layer of the Nine Hells is a stench-ridden bog. Acidic rain spills from the layer’s brown skies, thick layers of scum cover its putrid surface, and yawning pits lie in wait beneath the murk to engulf careless wanderers. Cyclopean cities of ornately carved stone rise up from the bog, including the great city of Minauros for which the layer is named.
The slimy walls of the city rise hundreds of feet into the air, protecting the flooded halls of Mammon. The Archduke of Minauros resembles a massive serpent with the upper torso and head of a hairless, horned humanoid. Mammon’s greed is legendary, and he is one of the few archdevils who will trade favors for gold instead of souls. His lair is piled high with treasures left behind by those who tried — and failed — to best him in a deal.
Phlegethos. Phlegethos, the fourth layer, is a fiery landscape whose seas of molten magma brew hurricanes of hot wind, choking smoke, and pyroclastic ash. Within the fire-filled caldera of Phlegethos’s largest volcano rises Abriymoch, a fortress city cast of obsidian and dark glass. With rivers of molten lava pouring down its outer walls, the city resembles the sculpted centerpiece of a gigantic, hellish fountain.
Abriymoch is the seat of power for the two archdevils who rule Phlegethos in tandem: Archduke Belial and Archduchess Fierna, Belial’s daughter. Belial is a handsome, powerfully built devil who exudes civility, even as his words carry an undercurrent of threat. His daughter is a statuesque devil whose beauty encases the blackest heart in the Nine Hells. The alliance of Belial and Fierna is unbreakable, for both are aware that their mutual survival hinges on it.
Stygia. The fifth layer of the Nine Hells is a freezing realm of ice within which cold flames burn. A frozen sea surrounds the layer, and its gloomy sky crackles with lightning.
Archduke Levistus once betrayed Asmodeus and is now encased deep in the ice of Stygia as punishment. He rules this layer all the same, communicating telepathically with his followers and servants, both in the Nine Hells and on the Material Plane.
Stygia is also home to its previous ruler, the serpentine archdevil Geryon, who was dismissed by Asmodeus to allow the imprisoned Levistus to regain his rule. Geryon’s fall from grace has spurred much debate within the infernal courts. No one is certain whether Asmodeus had some secret cause to dismiss the archdevil or whether he is testing Geryon’s allegiance for some greater purpose.
Malbolge. Malbolge, the sixth layer, has outlasted many rulers, among them Malagard the Hag Countess and the archdevil Moloch. Malagard fell out of favor and was struck down by Asmodeus in a fit of pique, while her predecessor, Moloch, still lingers somewhere on the sixth layer as an imp, plotting to regain Asmodeus’s favor. Malbolge is a seemingly endless slope, like the sides of an impossibly huge mountain. Parts of the layer break off from time to time, creating deadly and deafening avalanches of stone. The inhabitants of Malbolge live in crumbling fortresses and great caves carved into the mountainside.
Malbolge’s current archduchess is Asmodeus’s daughter, Glasya. She resembles a succubus with her small horns, leathery wings, and forked tail. She inherited her cruelty and love of dark schemes from her father. The citadel that serves as her domicile on the slopes of Malbolge is supported by cracked pillars and buttresses that are sturdy yet seem on the verge of collapse. Beneath the palace is a labyrinth lined with cells and torture chambers, where Glasya confines and torments those who displease her.
Maladomini. The seventh layer, Maladomini, is ruin-covered wasteland. Dead cities form a desolate urban landscape, and between them lie empty quarries, crumbling roads, slag heaps, the hollow shells of empty fortresses, and swarms of hungry flies.
The Archduke of Maladomini is Baalzebul, the Lord of Flies. A bloated fiend with the lower body of an enormous slug, Baalzebul’s form was inflicted on him by Asmodeus as punishment for wavering loyalty. Baalzebul is a miserable and degenerate monstrosity who has long conspired to usurp Asmodeus, yet has failed at every turn. He carries a curse that causes any deal made with him to lead to calamity. Asmodeus occasionally shows Baalzebul favor for reasons no other archduke can fathom, though some suspect that the Archduke of Nessus still respects the worthiness of this fallen adversary.
Cania. Cania, the eighth layer of the Nine Hells, is an icy hellscape, whose ice storms can tear flesh from bone. Cities embedded in the ice provide shelter for guests and prisoners of Cania’s ruler, the brilliant and conniving archdevil Mephistopheles.
Mephistopheles dwells in the ice citadel of Mephistar, where he plots to seize the Throne of Baator and conquer the planes. He is Asmodeus’s greatest enemy and ally, and the Archduke of Nessus appears to trust Mephistopheles’s counsel when it is offered. Mephistopheles knows he can’t depose Asmodeus until his adversary makes a grave miscalculation, and so both wait to see what circumstances might turn them against each other. Mephistopheles is also a godfather of sorts to Glasya, further complicating the relationship.
Mephistopheles is a tall, striking devil with impressive horns and a cool demeanor. He trades in souls, as do other archdevils, but he rarely gives his time to any creatures not worthy of his personal attention. His instincts are as razor sharp as Cania’s frigid winds, and it is said that only Asmodeus has ever deceived or thwarted him.
Nessus. The lowest layer of the Nine Hells, Nessus is a realm of dark pits whose walls are set with fortresses. There, pit fiend generals loyal to Asmodeus garrison their diabolical legions and plot the conquest of the multiverse. At the center of the layer stands a vast rift of unknown depth, out of which rises the great citadel-spire of Malsheem, home to Asmodeus and his infernal court.
Malsheem resembles a gigantic hollowed-out stalagmite. The citadel is also a prison for souls that Asmodeus has locked away for safekeeping. Convincing him to release even one of those souls comes at a steep price, and it is rumored that the Archduke of Nessus has claimed whole kingdoms in the past for such favors.
Asmodeus most often appears as a handsome, bearded humanoid with small horns protruding from his forehead, piercing red eyes, and flowing robes. He can also assume other forms and is seldom seen without his ruby-tipped scepter in hand. Asmodeus is the most cunning and well-mannered of archdevils. The ultimate evil he represents can be seen only when he wills it so, or if he forgets himself and flies into a rage.
"Hello! You can call me Gil" The Verdan would say with a smile as he makes his way towards the men and offers them a handshake. The small goblin-like creature stands about three feet tall and extends his Aqua colored hand up as high as he can meet theirs. As he turns his head to take in all the new sights while making their tour around the property, his long ears will flap and flip as they dangle around his shoulders. "This place seems great! This might be my favorite inn I have ever seen!" He would say excitedly as they finish their tour. He would snap his fingers after a moment while holding his staff our sideways. In an instant a white misty bat would appear hanging from the end. "Go pick out a nice room for us... pick out whichever one is your favorite" before sending the bat fluttering off towards the private rooms with a faint trail of frost following behind.
"Well this is just... Yes. I think this will do nicely," Darvin says, with a slightly frenetic energy as he looks around the new base of operations, darting from room to room. The half-elf has short, clean-cut brown hair resting tidily behind slightly pointed ears and framing his angular face which seems to permanently bear a genial expression that naturally puts others at ease. He wears a red tunic with elaborate gold trim beneath a long forest green hoodless cloak. Close inspection by someone well-acquainted with fashion would reveal the outfit to consist of imitation pieces of the region's foremost designers, but the fakes are good enough that most people would not be able to tell the difference between them and the genuine articles.
After peeking in each of the four private rooms, he unceremoniously tosses a heavy bag down on the bed in the northwest room, the door of which depicts a peryton, wings spread wide and antlers held high. "This one for me, I think," he says, with the clear implication that he does not intend for it to be a discussion. Heading back to the common room, once the others have deposited their belongings, he says, "Well, I believe our friend said something about dinner, did he not? I'm famished."
Gil would follow behind the kenku and his familiar before tossing his bags on to the bed of the room that was picked for him. "Good job friend" He would say as the bat flies back into The sleeve of his fine shirt with a puff of blue and white mist. Looking across the hall to the kenku, Gil would smile. "What is your name? I have never met a creature like you before! You know.. I could change the form of my familiar to a raven and then it would be like there are two of you... although one might be a bit smaller" He would say excitedly holding his hands only a few inches apart as if trying to gauge the size of a raven. "So where are you from? I am from the underdark I guess.. but most of my life has been spent interacting with dwarves and elves.. are you friends with the other bird man? My parents said that our bodies change all the time.. maybe I will get wings some day too!" The Verdan would say with child-like excitement as he spreads his arms and gives them a few quick flaps. When Darvin mentions food, Gil would quickly turn to the half-elf and smile. "You are right!" he would quickly exclaim before heading towards the common room in a flash.
Whistler is about 5ft tall and has a presence as if in harmony with the environment. He walks with grace, a flowing gait where he does not walk anymore or less steps than required. He stands with perfect posture and at times is perfectly still that you forget he is there. Covered in jet black plumage, and dressed in simple yet elegant robes.
The Kenku raises an eye at the small green creature's enthusiasm, and in response to the question about his name he lets out a delicate whistle. After a moment, realising that this may not work with all the questions and sighs before gesturing for Gil to follow him as he leads the way into the common area. Whistler sits down and motions for Gil (and anyone else with them) to do the same. He then pulls out a black board from his satchel and a small white rock, in which starts to write in delicate handwriting.
My name is whistler but I cannot speak due to an ancient curse cast upon my race. I used to work in Aquisition Inc.'s problem-solving department, before deciding that I had enough and wanted to franchise out.
"Wow, an ancient curse! Maybe i'll find a spell some day to help you talk if you wanted.. in the meantime I might have a way that the two of us could talk together if you want.. I am not great at it but sometimes I can talk to people in their minds!" The moment Gil finishes his sentence, He will begin flooding the kenku's mind with simple images of food and eating before patting his own belly. "I can even sometimes read the simple ideas and concepts floating around in the front of peoples minds too... so we can talk... not very well... but better than nothing!" He would say with a smile. "Anyway, it is nice to meet you ppffffftttttt. pfttsspppppttttt.... " Gill will say as he tries to whistle and ends up spitting all over the table. "Nice to meet you Whistle? Whistler! Sorry I am not good at whistling.... My name is Gil!"
Verdan
Limited Telepathy
You can telepathically speak to any creature you can see within 30 feet of you. You don’t need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathy, but it must be able to understand at least one language. This process of communication is slow and limited, allowing you to transmit and receive only simple ideas and straightforward concepts.
As the party is standing around in the Main Room they hear a whistling that sounded like somebody had captured the early morning sunlight in the back of their throat and was rolling it around. Suddenly there is a soft susurration of feathers and the click of claws on the flagstones at the entrance to the Inn and a voice yells out "I say is anybody home?"
As Issen opens the door he sees a five foot tall winged humanoid, dressed in very fancy clothes, and wearing a broad brimmed hat which has what appears to be a green dragon scale tucked into the band, carrying two handcrossbows in holsters at his belt and with bolts in bandoleers that criss-cross his chest, while a rapier with a large moonstone in its pommel is scabbarded at his belt.
His plummage is immaculate and a striking black and white and the figure is casually tossing a large coin with the Acquisitions Incorporated sigil on one side and what appears to be a coin on the obverse that glints as it catches the morning sun. "Sorry I'm a bit late got caught up in the arms of a lovely young lady last night" he bows to Issen introducing himself "my name is Cracticus Tibicen, but please call me Tibi! I was told I was to meet the other members of my franchise here - yes?"
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]
Issen smiles as he ushers Cracticus Tibicen into the room.
As the party gathers in the common room you see that Issen and Bavil have set a large amount of food on a table. While Bavil has a sour look on his face and remains quiet, Issen is bubbly and cheerful. "Eat, please eat. You need a full belly while we discuss company business!" He encourages you, "The meeting will begin in a moment. We have a few things on the agenda that we must take care of. Positions must be selected, so I hope you reviewed the relevant chapter and know the role you wish to have with the organization."
With the table set Bavil stands by the bar. You also notice that Brace waits in a corner. A look of awe is on his face.
As you each get some food and take a seat Issen stands at the head of the table.
"I call the first meeting of the Baldur's Gate franchise of Aquisitions Inc to order!" He claps cheerfully.
"First order or business, has everyone received their orientation and policy book?"
You look at him with puzzled expressions on your faces.
Cheerfully he continues, "No matter, no matter. They must be on backorder. Ok then, please fill out these beneficiary forms in case you are killed while on a job. We need to know who your personal effects go to. You'll also see the generous life insurance policy and funeral expense benefit. If, of course, you body is recovered." Again cheerful laughter as Issen collects the completed forms.
"Now, moving on, positions within the franchise must be determined. Think carefully which roll you wish to fulfill. You each must take a spot. This is a team effort!"
He continues
"Accepting a company position with Acquisitions Incorporated means more than just a title and hopes of a paycheck. With it comes access to trade secrets, best practices, and corporate shortcuts central to fulfilling one’s role within the franchise. When you take a specific company position, you gain proficiency in the tools and skills associated with that position. Such proficiency also extends to a variety of business practices, day-to-day tasks, and hazard mitigations that are all part of the job."
He looks at a sheet of paper.
"Hmm, yes, yes. OK! This looks to be in order. Alright."
Issen lifts a large chest up off of the floor and sets it on the table.
"Looks like applications for the relevant positions have been completed and home office has reviewed the paperwork and has approved the positions. Efficient as always."
He reaches into the chest and removes the cartographer’s supplies (quill, ink, parchment, a pair of compasses, calipers, and a ruler), a waterproof leather map case, a spyglass, and a supply of colored inks. He sets them before Cracticus Tibicen.
"Cracticus will be your cartographer. He is also the decisionist."
He removes a voting kit (ballots, a ballot box, an “I Voted” sticker set).
"I see Home Office has already sent you the coin of decisionry. Good! Moving along."
In front of Gilbert he sets jeweler’s tools (a small saw and hammer, files, pliers, and tweezers) and an account ledger.
"Gilbert is the hoardsperson. Remember Gilbert, you can also requisition up to 5 gp worth of equipment from the following options: barrel, basket, block and tackle, bucket, chest, flask or tankard, jug or pitcher, iron pot, pouch, sack, saddlebags, vial, and waterskin. Complete the appropriate paperwork and submit it to me by the end of the day and it will be delivered to your room."
Looking to Whistler
"Whistler is the Oviator. Head office grants you the use of alchemist’s supplies (two glass beakers, a metal frame to hold a beaker in place over an open flame, a glass stirring rod, a small mortar and pestle, and a pouch of common alchemical ingredients including salt, powdered iron, and purified water); your choice of a vial of acid, a flask of alchemist’s fire, or a vial of antitoxin; and a hunting trap. Please make your choice soon and file the paperwork so the item can be delivered. There is work to be done and you will all be traveling for business very soon."
"Last, but not least, Darvin as a rank 1 secretarian, you gain proficiency with one of the following of your choice: gaming set, musical instrument, or disguise kit. Head office also grants you the use of a tool kit for your chosen proficiency, a collection of sales brochures, a set of business cards, a metal bell, and a set of fine clothes. So same for you. Make a choice and requisition the tool kit. Also at rank 1, you are given use of an Acquisitions Incorporated sending stone."
He looks around the table.
"That should cover it then. Remember, its your job to keep track of and maintain the skills and equipment of your positions. Home Office doesn't do that for you. You have been provided the starting equipment but double check you are not missing anything. And if you have choices to make get that requisition order filed today to get the needed gear. Home Office will keep track of your progress and if you qualify for a rank promotion you will be notified."
"There are a couple of other positions that could be filled. If anyone is interested submit your application and Home Office will review it. Until then we only have a couple more items in the agenda. You are authorized to hire a skilled worker if you choose. No hurry at the moment, just something to consider. Also a franchise logo needs to be chosen. Give it some thought."
"I know there is a lot of information covered here. You will each get a written transcript of the meeting to refer back to."
"And now, the mission! We have a new client that has allowed us to expand into the Baldur's Gate region. We have received written authorization to take care of this new client."
"The new client is Sir Tristan, the ruler of a small domain in a lonely stretch of mountains 3 days east of here. A terrible monster called a thessalhydra has been attacking his realm. It is a strange and dreadful creature with eight heads surrounding a large circular mouth rimmed with jagged teeth. Its maw drips with acid, and its tail ends in a pair of sharp pincers. Tristan has hired Acquisition's Inc to get rid of this menace. Let's keep the good name of AI up and meet the needs of the client."
As he dismisses you from the meeting he suddenly stops,
"Oh, and don't forget that we're putting new coversheets on all the TPS reports *before* they go out now. So if you could just remember to do that from now on, that'd be great. All right!"
"Well gentlemen, I trust I am not using the term too loosely, shall we go see this Sir Tristan and offer our services to address this little, well maybe its not really so little, problem he has. I do not need to ride or walk but what is you preference for transport? Shall I ask young Brace to hitch up a cart and horse or is your preference for riding horses?" Tibi asks of the other franchisees.
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]
(Ooc: I had started a message where gil introduced himself and was suprised to see a bird that could talk after hearing about the kenku not being able to talk. I am leaving on vacation and will try to keep up but you might have to post for me)
Sorry for the delay, I am getting into the rush of exams and will be a little sporadic for the next week or so.
Whistler stumbles a bit as the images are forced into his mind but he composes himself quickly before quickly scribbling down on the board, I will keep that in mind but a little more warning would be great.
He will collect the paperwork so he has access to all the alchemist supplies including a vial of anti-toxin.
He then writes down, "I will have a list of additional supplies that I require shortly. Additionally where would be best to set up my workshop?
Gil would grin excitedly when given his position. "I think a new Chest would be extremely helpful" Gil would way as he pulls out the necessary paperwork and begins filling it out. "I am fine with a cart, it is easier to talk to eachother that way" He would say with a smile.
"A disguise kit! Perfect!" Darvin says cheerfully. "I'll begin the paperwork straight away! Once all of our administrative business is in order, will this Sir Tristan be meeting us here to brief us further, or are we simply meant to be off on our way?"
Whistler disappears to the storeroom where he starts setting everything up and writing a list of things he will need. (If required i can take it out of my starting 150 GP).
DM:
What limitations, guides, rules, etc do you have about what I would be able to craft?
Once he is done, he heads downstairs, where he quickly hands a note to the Majordomo, with his supply list before regrouping in the common area ready to set out.
Note:
Would you be able to arrange for one of the beds to be moved to the storeroom? I will use it as my lab and quarters.
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f you’re reading this, good. That’s really good. Because I’m about to write a bunch more stuff, and if you can actually read it, I won’t be wasting my time. That’s really the optimal scenario.
However you come by this document — nailed to your door in the night, stomped into the mud beneath a horse’s hooves, or at one of our inviting recruitment drives – I’m glad. In fact, we’re all glad – the entire Acquisitions Incorporated family welcomes you! This is the first step of the first part of a long trip to a distant land called Opportunity.
That’s a metaphor for the kind of success you’ll see while hitched up to our organization. There isn’t really a place called Opportunity. Unless. . . there is. If Opportunity is a real place and you know how to get there, please let me know.
— Ominifus Hereward Dran
The adventure begins with the characters seeking franchise opportunities or internships at the Recruitment offices of Acquisitions Incorporated in Baldur’s Gate.
Sure, I get it. Your first time meeting Omin Dran can be intimidating. But just remember, under all that armor is a merciless psychopath infused with the power of a god.— Jim Darkmagic
For a nervously long length of time, the characters are kept waiting in a conference room at the Recruitment Office in Baldur’s Gate. Your inquiries into internships and franchise opportunities at Acquisitions Incorporated have gone even better than you’d hoped. Ridiculous rumors talk about how prospective interns of Acq Inc aren’t always treated with respect, dignity, or care. Even more ridiculous tales of interns dying at an alarming rate are told throughout the region. Thankfully, you don’t believe a word of any of that.
So far, everyone at the Recruitment Office has treated you with kindness, and even a bit of deference. You were shown into this elegant conference room, given fine food and drink, and asked to wait to speak with none other than Omin Dran — founder and CEO of this august organization.
It isn’t long before the door to the conference room opens, and an intense-looking half-elf in plate armor enters. He wears a holy symbol of Tymora, the goddess of fortune, around his neck. It’s Omin Dran! With no introduction, the CEO of Acquisitions Incorporated speaks. “Thank you for answering my call so quickly. I am visiting Baldur’s Gate and we are expanding in this region. You have been approved. A new franchise location has been acquired here in the city and it’s waiting for a group just like you. I’ll have someone show you to the location. It already has some staff and cleanup is underway, you’ll meet them when you get there. There is also a job ready to go. We normally only give new franchisee’s a 10 mile area and expand as you get acclimated but you seem a bit more experienced so we are making an exception. Plus we don’t want to pass up this job, we have a brand to maintain. The customer is always right and we can do! So get settled and then take care of the mission. As an experienced adventuring group, I have no doubt that you can handle the task.”
Before you have any chance to respond, Omin drops a hefty bag of coins onto the table. “The pay is 500 gold dragons for the group, with a 20 percent commission going to Acquisitions Incorporated as the broker. Your Majordomo will have the details of the mission.”
Then without another word, Omin Dran turns and leaves the room.
As you stand there looking at each there,a little breathless and the speed in which that just happened another man enters the room. He is a no descript human and a little feigning in his manners to you. “I am here to show you to the new location. Please follow me.”
He leads you through the city until you approach a run down building in the Outer City. The sign hanging from a tall post out front lets you know that you’ve arrived at what was once the Green Briar Tavern. It was once a fine-looking building with glass windows, wood shingles, and plastered brick walls. The walls are decorated with a patterned, painted belt of red triangles that would be only slightly out of fashion in the south.
There’s a tall barn on the east side of the property that’s connected to the tavern by a low wooden fence. The space between the two buildings forms an open yard that is rutted with the tracks of wagon wheels and marked by the prints of horses. Most of these lead to the double doors on the side of the barn.
The man then leaves you. “This is the place.” is all he says.
You enter the main doors of the tavern and find the tavern’s main room. It contains the bar, tables, stage, and fireplace. Grand murals of rolling hills, forested valleys, and serpentine rivers cover every wall of the tavern’s main room. The large room is lit by paper-paned wooden lanterns hanging at intervals from the rafters, and is warmed by a huge stone fireplace that takes up most of the wall on the west side of the room. Long tables lined with benches fill the center of the room, while booths and smaller tables line the walls. The east wall is dominated by a long bar lined with stools. Mugs, bottles, and tankards are stacked high on a shelf behind the bar. There is a small stage in the northeast corner with a door beside it, and a seat with a red rope on it in the southeast corner. You also spot a pair of potted plants—small trees, actually. One is by the entrance, and another is next to the roped chair. In addition to the door by the stage, there is the main entrance, a door behind the bar, and a fourth door on the south wall near the fire.
3 people are in the main room, seemingly awaiting you. They introduce themselves.
“I am Issen Zirlo (male human baker, 65). Are you hungry? You must be hungry from your trip here!” He says in a very cheerful manner. “I am your Majordomo and I run the franchise for you. Allow me to introduce the cook, Bavil Elgenkett (male dwarf craftsperson, 65).”
The dwarf bows but remains silent.
“And this is Brace Athas (male human teen, 15). He maintains the grounds and cares for the horses.”
The young man waves but also remains silent.
“I can tell you that you are authorized to hire a skilled worker as well. I will leave that up to you. Are you sure you don’t need something to eat?”
Everything he says is with a cheerful smile. He then shows you around the place, giving the grand tour.
1. STREET VIEW
The sign hanging from a tall post out front lets you know that you’ve arrived at what was once the Green Briar Tavern. It was once a fine-looking building with glass windows, wood shingles, and plastered brick walls. The walls are decorated with a patterned, painted belt of red triangles that would be only slightly out of fashion in the south.
There’s a tall barn on the east side of the property that’s connected to the tavern by a low wooden fence. The space between the two buildings forms an open yard that is rutted with the tracks of wagon wheels and marked by the prints of horses. Most of these lead to the double doors on the side of the barn
2. FRONT YARD
A short dirt track leads from the gates to the barn, while a second track leads up to the tavern. The tavern has a long porch in front with some benches and chairs on it. A second short fence connects the barn to the tavern in back. Through the gap between the buildings you see a second yard, some outbuildings, and a well. An open yard stands between the tavern and the barn.
3. BARN
A barn with stalls to stable up to six animals. It also has space to park two wagons. The front half of the barn is an open space large enough to house at least two wagons. There are shelves and worktables against the walls, a pile of crates in one corner, and a short pyramid of hay bales. The room smells of warm straw, oiled leather, and animals. There is very little manure smell, and the floor is amazingly clean. Whoever manages the stables is clearly a stickler for cleanliness. The back half of the barn has six stalls for stabling horses, mules, draft animals, or donkeys. There are barn doors on the north, south, and west sides of the building. Tunnel entrances in the barn have clearly been bricked over, and no one’s quite sure where they all lead.
• NPCs
One of your hirelings is Brace Athas (male human teen, 15). He maintains the grounds and cares for the horses.
4. MAIN ROOM
This is the tavern’s main room. It contains the bar, tables, stage, and fireplace. Grand murals of rolling hills, forested valleys, and serpentine rivers cover every wall of the tavern’s main room. The large room is lit by paper-paned wooden lanterns hanging at intervals from the rafters, and is warmed by a huge stone fireplace that takes up most of the wall on the west side of the room. Long tables lined with benches fill the center of the room, while booths and smaller tables line the walls. The east wall is dominated by a long bar lined with stools. Mugs, bottles, and tankards are stacked high on a shelf behind the bar. There is a small stage in the northeast corner with a door beside it, and a seat with a red rope on it in the southeast corner. You also spot a pair of potted plants—small trees, actually. One is by the entrance, and another is next to the roped chair. In addition to the door by the stage, there is the main entrance, a door behind the bar, and a fourth door on the south wall near the fire.
Every Friday, the colors of the walls change to a different festive theme.
5. PRIVATE ROOMS
A fanciful animal is painted on the outside of each room’s door. Inside, you find a clean, private room. There is a bed in one corner with a small table next to it, a desk and chair, and a chest with a lock. The room has a glass window, and you can see from the hinges that it opens to let in fresh air. These are your rooms.
6. BUNK ROOMS
This large room has three sets of bunk beds and a small table with a few chairs around it. The room looks like it was cleaned recently, and a window between two of the bunks lets in light and fresh air. This is where your hirelings live. The Majordomo, Issen, has one room to himself. The Majordomo is Issen Zirlo (male human baker, 65), an incredibly cheerful chef, who insists that no business is more pressing than a full belly. He also runs the kitchen, keeping you all fed. Bavil and Brace share the other.
7. STOREROOM
An empty room at the end of the hallway is used as a storeroom.
8. BACK YARD
A fenced, open space between the barn and the tavern that contains the kitchen, animal pens, and well. A small, stone building that appears to be quite old sits behind the barn. The areas in between the buildings are fenced in, creating an enclosed yard. There is a rabbit hutch built against the wall of the barn and next to it is a chicken coop. Nestled between the barn and the stone building is a small pig sty, and in the center of the yard is a stone well.
9. KITCHEN
This is the tavern’s kitchen, where Bavil the cook and Issen the baker work. The smell of fresh bread, roasted meat, and onions fills the space inside the stone building. In the northeast corner is a small bread oven, and on the east wall is a stove. Every other exposed wall is covered by shelves, tables, and piles of crates and barrels. The center of the room is dominated by a table, and strings of onions, sides of dried meat, pots, pans, and utensils hang from the ceiling.
• NPCs
Another of your hirelings is Bavil Elgenkett (male dwarf craftsperson, 65) who is your cook. Additionally Issen Zirlo is usually found in the kitchen.
The Majordomo leaves you after showing you the whole place to get settled in your rooms. "When you are ready for your mission head for the common room. I'll have dinner ready and give you the details."
Maps
Large version of this map
During your time in Candlekeep you learn about the Nine Hells as well as researching devils to learn everything that’s said about them in the “Devils” entry of the Monster Manual.
Nine Hells:
The Nine Hells
The Nine Hells of Baator inflame the imaginations of travelers, the greed of treasure seekers, and the battle fury of all moral creatures. It is the ultimate plane of law and evil and the epitome of premeditated cruelty. The devils of the Nine Hells are bound to obey the laws of their superiors, but they rebel within their individual castes. Most undertake any plot, no matter how foul, to advance themselves. At the very top of the hierarchy is Asmodeus, who has yet to be bested. If he were to be vanquished, the victor would rule the plane in turn. Such is the law of the Nine Hells.
The Nine Layers
The Nine Hells has nine layers. The first eight are each ruled by archdevils that answer to Asmodeus, the Archduke of Nessus, the ninth layer. To reach the deepest layer of the Nine Hells, one must descend through all eight of the layers above it, in order. The most expeditious means of doing so is the River Styx, which plunges ever deeper as it flows from one layer to the next. Only the most courageous adventurers can withstand the torment and horror of that journey.
Avernus. No planar portals connect directly to the lower layers of the Nine Hells, by Asmodeus’s orders. As such, the first layer of Avernus is the arrival point for visitors to the plane. Avernus is a rocky wasteland with rivers of blood and clouds of biting flies. Fiery comets occasionally fall from the darkened sky and leave fuming impact craters behind. Empty battlefields are littered with weapons and bones, showing where the legions of the Nine Hells met enemies on their native soil and prevailed.
The archduchess Zariel rules Avernus, supplanting her rival, Bel, who has fallen out of Asmodeus’s favor and is forced to serve as Zariel’s advisor. Tiamat, the Queen of Evil Dragons, is a prisoner on this layer, ruling her own domain but confined to the Nine Hells by Asmodeus in accordance with some ancient contract (the terms of which are known only to Tiamat and the Lords of the Nine).
Zariel’s seat of power is a soaring basalt citadel festooned with the partially incinerated corpses of guests who failed to earn the archduchess’s favor. Zariel appears as an angel whose once-beautiful skin and wings have been ruined by fire. Her eyes burn with a furious white light that can cause creatures looking upon her to burst into flame.
Dis. Dis, the second layer of the Nine Hells, is a labyrinth of canyons wedged between sheer mountains rich with iron ore. Iron roads span and wend through the canyons, watched over by the garrisons of iron fortresses perched atop jagged pinnacles.
The second layer takes its name from its current lord, Dispater. A manipulator and deceiver, the archduke is devilishly handsome, bearing only small horns, a tail, and a cloven left hoof to distinguish him from a human. His crimson throne stands in the heart of the Iron City of Dis, a hideous metropolis that is the largest in the Nine Hells. Planar travelers come here to conspire with devils and to close deals with night hags, rakshasas, incubi, succubi, and other fiends. Dispater collects a piece of every deal through special provisions that are added to contracts signed on his layer of the Nine Hells.
Dispater is one of Asmodeus’s most loyal and resourceful vassals, and few beings in the multiverse can outwit him. He is more obsessed than most devils with striking deals with mortals in exchange for their souls, and his emissaries work tirelessly to foster evil schemes in the Material Plane.
Minauros. The third layer of the Nine Hells is a stench-ridden bog. Acidic rain spills from the layer’s brown skies, thick layers of scum cover its putrid surface, and yawning pits lie in wait beneath the murk to engulf careless wanderers. Cyclopean cities of ornately carved stone rise up from the bog, including the great city of Minauros for which the layer is named.
The slimy walls of the city rise hundreds of feet into the air, protecting the flooded halls of Mammon. The Archduke of Minauros resembles a massive serpent with the upper torso and head of a hairless, horned humanoid. Mammon’s greed is legendary, and he is one of the few archdevils who will trade favors for gold instead of souls. His lair is piled high with treasures left behind by those who tried — and failed — to best him in a deal.
Phlegethos. Phlegethos, the fourth layer, is a fiery landscape whose seas of molten magma brew hurricanes of hot wind, choking smoke, and pyroclastic ash. Within the fire-filled caldera of Phlegethos’s largest volcano rises Abriymoch, a fortress city cast of obsidian and dark glass. With rivers of molten lava pouring down its outer walls, the city resembles the sculpted centerpiece of a gigantic, hellish fountain.
Abriymoch is the seat of power for the two archdevils who rule Phlegethos in tandem: Archduke Belial and Archduchess Fierna, Belial’s daughter. Belial is a handsome, powerfully built devil who exudes civility, even as his words carry an undercurrent of threat. His daughter is a statuesque devil whose beauty encases the blackest heart in the Nine Hells. The alliance of Belial and Fierna is unbreakable, for both are aware that their mutual survival hinges on it.
Stygia. The fifth layer of the Nine Hells is a freezing realm of ice within which cold flames burn. A frozen sea surrounds the layer, and its gloomy sky crackles with lightning.
Archduke Levistus once betrayed Asmodeus and is now encased deep in the ice of Stygia as punishment. He rules this layer all the same, communicating telepathically with his followers and servants, both in the Nine Hells and on the Material Plane.
Stygia is also home to its previous ruler, the serpentine archdevil Geryon, who was dismissed by Asmodeus to allow the imprisoned Levistus to regain his rule. Geryon’s fall from grace has spurred much debate within the infernal courts. No one is certain whether Asmodeus had some secret cause to dismiss the archdevil or whether he is testing Geryon’s allegiance for some greater purpose.
Malbolge. Malbolge, the sixth layer, has outlasted many rulers, among them Malagard the Hag Countess and the archdevil Moloch. Malagard fell out of favor and was struck down by Asmodeus in a fit of pique, while her predecessor, Moloch, still lingers somewhere on the sixth layer as an imp, plotting to regain Asmodeus’s favor. Malbolge is a seemingly endless slope, like the sides of an impossibly huge mountain. Parts of the layer break off from time to time, creating deadly and deafening avalanches of stone. The inhabitants of Malbolge live in crumbling fortresses and great caves carved into the mountainside.
Malbolge’s current archduchess is Asmodeus’s daughter, Glasya. She resembles a succubus with her small horns, leathery wings, and forked tail. She inherited her cruelty and love of dark schemes from her father. The citadel that serves as her domicile on the slopes of Malbolge is supported by cracked pillars and buttresses that are sturdy yet seem on the verge of collapse. Beneath the palace is a labyrinth lined with cells and torture chambers, where Glasya confines and torments those who displease her.
Maladomini. The seventh layer, Maladomini, is ruin-covered wasteland. Dead cities form a desolate urban landscape, and between them lie empty quarries, crumbling roads, slag heaps, the hollow shells of empty fortresses, and swarms of hungry flies.
The Archduke of Maladomini is Baalzebul, the Lord of Flies. A bloated fiend with the lower body of an enormous slug, Baalzebul’s form was inflicted on him by Asmodeus as punishment for wavering loyalty. Baalzebul is a miserable and degenerate monstrosity who has long conspired to usurp Asmodeus, yet has failed at every turn. He carries a curse that causes any deal made with him to lead to calamity. Asmodeus occasionally shows Baalzebul favor for reasons no other archduke can fathom, though some suspect that the Archduke of Nessus still respects the worthiness of this fallen adversary.
Cania. Cania, the eighth layer of the Nine Hells, is an icy hellscape, whose ice storms can tear flesh from bone. Cities embedded in the ice provide shelter for guests and prisoners of Cania’s ruler, the brilliant and conniving archdevil Mephistopheles.
Mephistopheles dwells in the ice citadel of Mephistar, where he plots to seize the Throne of Baator and conquer the planes. He is Asmodeus’s greatest enemy and ally, and the Archduke of Nessus appears to trust Mephistopheles’s counsel when it is offered. Mephistopheles knows he can’t depose Asmodeus until his adversary makes a grave miscalculation, and so both wait to see what circumstances might turn them against each other. Mephistopheles is also a godfather of sorts to Glasya, further complicating the relationship.
Mephistopheles is a tall, striking devil with impressive horns and a cool demeanor. He trades in souls, as do other archdevils, but he rarely gives his time to any creatures not worthy of his personal attention. His instincts are as razor sharp as Cania’s frigid winds, and it is said that only Asmodeus has ever deceived or thwarted him.
Nessus. The lowest layer of the Nine Hells, Nessus is a realm of dark pits whose walls are set with fortresses. There, pit fiend generals loyal to Asmodeus garrison their diabolical legions and plot the conquest of the multiverse. At the center of the layer stands a vast rift of unknown depth, out of which rises the great citadel-spire of Malsheem, home to Asmodeus and his infernal court.
Malsheem resembles a gigantic hollowed-out stalagmite. The citadel is also a prison for souls that Asmodeus has locked away for safekeeping. Convincing him to release even one of those souls comes at a steep price, and it is rumored that the Archduke of Nessus has claimed whole kingdoms in the past for such favors.
Asmodeus most often appears as a handsome, bearded humanoid with small horns protruding from his forehead, piercing red eyes, and flowing robes. He can also assume other forms and is seldom seen without his ruby-tipped scepter in hand. Asmodeus is the most cunning and well-mannered of archdevils. The ultimate evil he represents can be seen only when he wills it so, or if he forgets himself and flies into a rage.
"Hello! You can call me Gil" The Verdan would say with a smile as he makes his way towards the men and offers them a handshake. The small goblin-like creature stands about three feet tall and extends his Aqua colored hand up as high as he can meet theirs. As he turns his head to take in all the new sights while making their tour around the property, his long ears will flap and flip as they dangle around his shoulders. "This place seems great! This might be my favorite inn I have ever seen!" He would say excitedly as they finish their tour. He would snap his fingers after a moment while holding his staff our sideways. In an instant a white misty bat would appear hanging from the end. "Go pick out a nice room for us... pick out whichever one is your favorite" before sending the bat fluttering off towards the private rooms with a faint trail of frost following behind.
Whistler just follows the group and looks around silently, observing each aspect of the tavern as it is pointed out.
When Gil excitedly introduces himself, Whistler just smiles (It looks like a smile with his big beak) and nods politely.
He will then head upstairs and pick a room to put his bag before heading down to the common room.
"Well this is just... Yes. I think this will do nicely," Darvin says, with a slightly frenetic energy as he looks around the new base of operations, darting from room to room. The half-elf has short, clean-cut brown hair resting tidily behind slightly pointed ears and framing his angular face which seems to permanently bear a genial expression that naturally puts others at ease. He wears a red tunic with elaborate gold trim beneath a long forest green hoodless cloak. Close inspection by someone well-acquainted with fashion would reveal the outfit to consist of imitation pieces of the region's foremost designers, but the fakes are good enough that most people would not be able to tell the difference between them and the genuine articles.
After peeking in each of the four private rooms, he unceremoniously tosses a heavy bag down on the bed in the northwest room, the door of which depicts a peryton, wings spread wide and antlers held high. "This one for me, I think," he says, with the clear implication that he does not intend for it to be a discussion. Heading back to the common room, once the others have deposited their belongings, he says, "Well, I believe our friend said something about dinner, did he not? I'm famished."
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
Gil would follow behind the kenku and his familiar before tossing his bags on to the bed of the room that was picked for him. "Good job friend" He would say as the bat flies back into The sleeve of his fine shirt with a puff of blue and white mist. Looking across the hall to the kenku, Gil would smile. "What is your name? I have never met a creature like you before! You know.. I could change the form of my familiar to a raven and then it would be like there are two of you... although one might be a bit smaller" He would say excitedly holding his hands only a few inches apart as if trying to gauge the size of a raven. "So where are you from? I am from the underdark I guess.. but most of my life has been spent interacting with dwarves and elves.. are you friends with the other bird man? My parents said that our bodies change all the time.. maybe I will get wings some day too!" The Verdan would say with child-like excitement as he spreads his arms and gives them a few quick flaps. When Darvin mentions food, Gil would quickly turn to the half-elf and smile. "You are right!" he would quickly exclaim before heading towards the common room in a flash.
Whistler is about 5ft tall and has a presence as if in harmony with the environment. He walks with grace, a flowing gait where he does not walk anymore or less steps than required. He stands with perfect posture and at times is perfectly still that you forget he is there. Covered in jet black plumage, and dressed in simple yet elegant robes.
The Kenku raises an eye at the small green creature's enthusiasm, and in response to the question about his name he lets out a delicate whistle. After a moment, realising that this may not work with all the questions and sighs before gesturing for Gil to follow him as he leads the way into the common area. Whistler sits down and motions for Gil (and anyone else with them) to do the same. He then pulls out a black board from his satchel and a small white rock, in which starts to write in delicate handwriting.
My name is whistler but I cannot speak due to an ancient curse cast upon my race. I used to work in Aquisition Inc.'s problem-solving department, before deciding that I had enough and wanted to franchise out.
"Wow, an ancient curse! Maybe i'll find a spell some day to help you talk if you wanted.. in the meantime I might have a way that the two of us could talk together if you want.. I am not great at it but sometimes I can talk to people in their minds!" The moment Gil finishes his sentence, He will begin flooding the kenku's mind with simple images of food and eating before patting his own belly. "I can even sometimes read the simple ideas and concepts floating around in the front of peoples minds too... so we can talk... not very well... but better than nothing!" He would say with a smile. "Anyway, it is nice to meet you ppffffftttttt. pfttsspppppttttt.... " Gill will say as he tries to whistle and ends up spitting all over the table. "Nice to meet you Whistle? Whistler! Sorry I am not good at whistling.... My name is Gil!"
You can telepathically speak to any creature you can see within 30 feet of you. You don’t need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathy, but it must be able to understand at least one language. This process of communication is slow and limited, allowing you to transmit and receive only simple ideas and straightforward concepts.
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
Issen smiles as he ushers Cracticus Tibicen into the room.
As the party gathers in the common room you see that Issen and Bavil have set a large amount of food on a table. While Bavil has a sour look on his face and remains quiet, Issen is bubbly and cheerful. "Eat, please eat. You need a full belly while we discuss company business!" He encourages you, "The meeting will begin in a moment. We have a few things on the agenda that we must take care of. Positions must be selected, so I hope you reviewed the relevant chapter and know the role you wish to have with the organization."
With the table set Bavil stands by the bar. You also notice that Brace waits in a corner. A look of awe is on his face.
As you each get some food and take a seat Issen stands at the head of the table.
"I call the first meeting of the Baldur's Gate franchise of Aquisitions Inc to order!" He claps cheerfully.
"First order or business, has everyone received their orientation and policy book?"
You look at him with puzzled expressions on your faces.
Cheerfully he continues, "No matter, no matter. They must be on backorder. Ok then, please fill out these beneficiary forms in case you are killed while on a job. We need to know who your personal effects go to. You'll also see the generous life insurance policy and funeral expense benefit. If, of course, you body is recovered." Again cheerful laughter as Issen collects the completed forms.
"Now, moving on, positions within the franchise must be determined. Think carefully which roll you wish to fulfill. You each must take a spot. This is a team effort!"
He continues
"Accepting a company position with Acquisitions Incorporated means more than just a title and hopes of a paycheck. With it comes access to trade secrets, best practices, and corporate shortcuts central to fulfilling one’s role within the franchise. When you take a specific company position, you gain proficiency in the tools and skills associated with that position. Such proficiency also extends to a variety of business practices, day-to-day tasks, and hazard mitigations that are all part of the job."
He looks at a sheet of paper.
"Hmm, yes, yes. OK! This looks to be in order. Alright."
Issen lifts a large chest up off of the floor and sets it on the table.
"Looks like applications for the relevant positions have been completed and home office has reviewed the paperwork and has approved the positions. Efficient as always."
He reaches into the chest and removes the cartographer’s supplies (quill, ink, parchment, a pair of compasses, calipers, and a ruler), a waterproof leather map case, a spyglass, and a supply of colored inks. He sets them before Cracticus Tibicen.
"Cracticus will be your cartographer. He is also the decisionist."
He removes a voting kit (ballots, a ballot box, an “I Voted” sticker set).
"I see Home Office has already sent you the coin of decisionry. Good! Moving along."
In front of Gilbert he sets jeweler’s tools (a small saw and hammer, files, pliers, and tweezers) and an account ledger.
"Gilbert is the hoardsperson. Remember Gilbert, you can also requisition up to 5 gp worth of equipment from the following options: barrel, basket, block and tackle, bucket, chest, flask or tankard, jug or pitcher, iron pot, pouch, sack, saddlebags, vial, and waterskin. Complete the appropriate paperwork and submit it to me by the end of the day and it will be delivered to your room."
Looking to Whistler
"Whistler is the Oviator. Head office grants you the use of alchemist’s supplies (two glass beakers, a metal frame to hold a beaker in place over an open flame, a glass stirring rod, a small mortar and pestle, and a pouch of common alchemical ingredients including salt, powdered iron, and purified water); your choice of a vial of acid, a flask of alchemist’s fire, or a vial of antitoxin; and a hunting trap. Please make your choice soon and file the paperwork so the item can be delivered. There is work to be done and you will all be traveling for business very soon."
"Last, but not least, Darvin as a rank 1 secretarian, you gain proficiency with one of the following of your choice: gaming set, musical instrument, or disguise kit. Head office also grants you the use of a tool kit for your chosen proficiency, a collection of sales brochures, a set of business cards, a metal bell, and a set of fine clothes. So same for you. Make a choice and requisition the tool kit. Also at rank 1, you are given use of an Acquisitions Incorporated sending stone."
He looks around the table.
"That should cover it then. Remember, its your job to keep track of and maintain the skills and equipment of your positions. Home Office doesn't do that for you. You have been provided the starting equipment but double check you are not missing anything. And if you have choices to make get that requisition order filed today to get the needed gear. Home Office will keep track of your progress and if you qualify for a rank promotion you will be notified."
"There are a couple of other positions that could be filled. If anyone is interested submit your application and Home Office will review it. Until then we only have a couple more items in the agenda. You are authorized to hire a skilled worker if you choose. No hurry at the moment, just something to consider. Also a franchise logo needs to be chosen. Give it some thought."
"I know there is a lot of information covered here. You will each get a written transcript of the meeting to refer back to."
"And now, the mission! We have a new client that has allowed us to expand into the Baldur's Gate region. We have received written authorization to take care of this new client."
"The new client is Sir Tristan, the ruler of a small domain in a lonely stretch of mountains 3 days east of here. A terrible monster called a thessalhydra has been attacking his realm. It is a strange and dreadful creature with eight heads surrounding a large circular mouth rimmed with jagged teeth. Its maw drips with acid, and its tail ends in a pair of sharp pincers. Tristan has hired Acquisition's Inc to get rid of this menace. Let's keep the good name of AI up and meet the needs of the client."
As he dismisses you from the meeting he suddenly stops,
"Oh, and don't forget that we're putting new coversheets on all the TPS reports *before* they go out now. So if you could just remember to do that from now on, that'd be great. All right!"
"Well gentlemen, I trust I am not using the term too loosely, shall we go see this Sir Tristan and offer our services to address this little, well maybe its not really so little, problem he has. I do not need to ride or walk but what is you preference for transport? Shall I ask young Brace to hitch up a cart and horse or is your preference for riding horses?" Tibi asks of the other franchisees.
DM - Storm King's Thunder - The Gods Respond
DM - Four bards walk into a bar...
Cracitus Tibicen (Tibi) - Aarokocra - Rogue [Swashbuckler] / Fighter [Battlemaster]
(Ooc: I had started a message where gil introduced himself and was suprised to see a bird that could talk after hearing about the kenku not being able to talk. I am leaving on vacation and will try to keep up but you might have to post for me)
Sorry for the delay, I am getting into the rush of exams and will be a little sporadic for the next week or so.
Whistler stumbles a bit as the images are forced into his mind but he composes himself quickly before quickly scribbling down on the board, I will keep that in mind but a little more warning would be great.
He will collect the paperwork so he has access to all the alchemist supplies including a vial of anti-toxin.
He then writes down, "I will have a list of additional supplies that I require shortly. Additionally where would be best to set up my workshop?
"The storeroom at the end of the hallway past the bedrooms, or your own room. Your choice." Issen advises.
(Ooc: If I am being given a jewelers kit, Can I get the gold back I spent on one in character creation?)
Gil would grin excitedly when given his position. "I think a new Chest would be extremely helpful" Gil would way as he pulls out the necessary paperwork and begins filling it out. "I am fine with a cart, it is easier to talk to eachother that way" He would say with a smile.
yes
"A disguise kit! Perfect!" Darvin says cheerfully. "I'll begin the paperwork straight away! Once all of our administrative business is in order, will this Sir Tristan be meeting us here to brief us further, or are we simply meant to be off on our way?"
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
"He is at his castle. You will travel to him. Tibi here can requisition horses or a cart for your travel needs. " Issen answers.
"Excellent," Darvin replies. "I'm craving a bit of fresh wilderness air, myself."
"Darvin" | Changeling | Hexblade 1 / Swords Bard 6 | Descent Into Avernus (AC 19; PP 14; 52/52 HP)
Anton Chergoba | Human | Battlemaster 4 | Lost Mines of Phandelver (AC 20; PP 14; 36/36 HP)
Whistler disappears to the storeroom where he starts setting everything up and writing a list of things he will need. (If required i can take it out of my starting 150 GP).
DM:
What limitations, guides, rules, etc do you have about what I would be able to craft?
Once he is done, he heads downstairs, where he quickly hands a note to the Majordomo, with his supply list before regrouping in the common area ready to set out.
Note:
Would you be able to arrange for one of the beds to be moved to the storeroom? I will use it as my lab and quarters.