"None taken, sweet thing."Nirzeg replied through gritted teeth. He follows, if but grudgingly, though if there's some sort of wine glass to snatch up in transit, he does so unconcerned of any social problems. "They were well before my time, but I've heard of this Force Grey. Hard to imagine that a giant of things worked for waterdeep of all places, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Waterdhavian's rarely bat an eye at anything that isn't actively trying to kill them."He said, shaking his head and smiling after over some memory.
"But the Nether Mountains... we would have to check a map again, but that's... eastward?"He looks to the others for brief confirmation, then presses on, interjecting if need be. "A promising lead, if nothing else. Though, I do have one inquiry. For you see, after the assault I... *ahem*... and Alus here did some literal digging into the Fire Giant attack. Recovered something rather interesting that they seemed to be able to track somehow. I do not suppose you have any resources here to see to its removal to a more secure location? Perhaps even back to waterdeep? Otherwise, you're looking at maybe a few days to a week 'fore that pair comes stomping through looking for it, or so I imagine. Possibly with greater numbers at that."He states.
If Mythiri asks for further details about the object, he'll relate the basic details alongside a theory of it possibly being a 'key' to something bigger.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Mythiri confirms the eastward direction. "Keep in mind that this was months ago, and Harshnag is an able ranger, so he really could be anywhere. I simply wanted you to have the most recent lead. But as to the question of whether Harshnag has joined his giant kin on their raiding and pillaging, I would simply say this: I have faith that he has remained true to his character, and that he would readily give his aid to the small folk, even if it meant killing his own kind." He musical voice is measured, but reassuring.
When Nirzeg mentions the broken band of adamantine to Mythiri, her eyes brighten with a keenness one usually sees in the most skilled merchants. She smiles, as if rising to a great challenge. "A great find! What a treasure. Let me see if I can find a buyer for you. You surely don't want to be lugging such a heavy piece of metal around the countryside with you. The Evermoor Way is well paved with stones between here and Yartar, but it is dirt and gravel after that. I will have a buyer ready by tomorrow morn."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Alus talks through a mouthful of food, unaware of the etiquette and oblivious to the crumbs tumbling from his lips
"Hold on. If the giants are bad, and they were looking for this thing, isn't it possible..." Alus swallows "...isn't possible this thing is dangerous? Shouldn't we be careful about just selling it to the highest bidder before we know what it actually does?"
Alus eyes Mithyri closely as he takes another loud, large bite of his meal, curious why she seems so eager to sell the strange adamantine band.
Nirzeg steeples fingers together before a growing smile. It is only as he notices Alus out of the corner of his eyes that it diminishes, but only ever so much. "Sweet-... Lady Mythiri. Are you some sort of sorceress? For I do believe you said some mighty magical words there." He chuckles. "Where shall I--*cough* I mean, should meet this buyer. Personally, I prefer my room to conserve strength for rest of the day, /but/ I defer to you."
Turning to the Alus, Nirzeg adds, "To assuage your concern, Alus, we'll give them their due warning. But frankly speaking, we already have a great deal on our plate. And it is -- or so I have gathered in my examination -- only a piece of something. Not the whole thing. What pretell who can say by the giants. But anyone willing to purchase admantine of all things will have no simple security measures in place to protect investments." He says casually.
"I hate to admit it. But certainly far better measures than anything we can muster on a whim as we are. And we can always advise leaving Triboar as a precaution as well."He looks to the others. "In any case, it seems a many a things are pointing us eastward at the very least. One of you should make contact with Mr. Narth 'fore the night is over. Let him know we'll in fact be taking the job, seeing as its on the way. A shame the other bounty will be put on hold. But a 5,000 gold man is not likely to be captured easily by our lessers while we handle things elsewhere. Wouldn't you all agree? Not that many of you care gold compared to a blade of course, but.. you get my general meaning."
To Alus, Mythiri's motives seem inscrutable. However, she replies to his questions in due course, "I am assuming that when you say you studied it, Master Nirzeg, you used a means of magical identification? The way you described it, it seems like a simple piece of adamantine—rare and valuable, to be sure, which is likely why the giants wanted it. Fire giants are forgemasters, you see, and are always looking for ways to build better weapons and armor. But if this is not the case, then I should examine it myself to assuage any concerns."
After paying for your dinner, Mythiri makes to excuse herself. "I will leave you to your planning, and will return early tomorrow morning with news of a buyer."
You are free to carouse and hobnob to your hearts' content here at Everwyvern House, or return to your chosen sleeping place. (as a reminder, there is the rundown Six Windows, the stately Northshield House, or the free camping under the stars for the nature types in the ever-autumnal tree grove, Gwaeron's Slumber. If you are of noble lineage or a member of the Lords' Alliance, you can find lodging at Everwyvern House.)
Olive will ask Urgala for details about the giant-slaying sword before heading back to Northshield House.
Urgala, who can be found waiting for you at Northshield House, smiles as if fondly remembering. “I remember it being quite large, a two-hander if memory serves. It was good for killing more than just giants, in any case! The last time I saw it was ...the night my wife was killed.” She says sadly, “A pair of hill giants had taken up residence in a troll den.”
A sad smile plays on her face for a moment. “I stopped adventuring after that. Had a brief fling here in town...and even though that didn’t work out, I fell in love with Triboar and decided to put down stakes at this crossroads.”
After reminiscing, she apologizes. “I’m sorry, you don’t want to hear about my old relationships! The sword had a knack for killing giants, always seemed to find their weak spots with ease. It had a fancy hilt, very decorative, with electrum inlay, though the blade itself was still incredibly strong and sharp. Zymorven said it was a family heirloom, but that he wasn’t going to be passing it on to his son, so that’s why I figure he would be willing to part with it.”
Nirzeg looked about ready to correct Mythiri on his methods, only to shrug it off. "It's been a pleasure, Lady Mythiri. Truly. Until the morn." He says,waving and unabashedly watching her leave. "They always leave to soon." He says more or less to himself once she's out of earshot, then returns to dinner. In an effort to get to the bar sooner than later, he hurries through dinner and bids the everyone a passing "adieu".
Presumably if nothing untoward happened while away, Wickerman is tossed a bone to gnaw and melt on as the githyanki settles in to continue examining the bar. Sleep was a luxury the man was more than willing to sacrifice that evening to further examine the bar, and put more pieces together about its possible purpose in a way only an arificer like himself could...
Though at some point he remembers to Zeek in the night. With a few short snaps of his fingers, the monkey, if still alive would explode into being before him. Then using hastily construed map, errant pictures from a personal book, and thensome try to piece together how far and where the fire giants fled. For both projects he makes a point of slapping on some performance enhancing salve brewed from within Wickerman.
Investigation: 20. (If able/allowed. Adv. is form Wickerman's Salve. If able to use Smith's tool proficiency, then add and other +3 to roll instead)
(@DM: Check is in short to examine the bar further, and try to place its original use.)
Alchemical Salve (3/Day). The homunculus produces a salve and touches one creature you designate. The target receives one of the following magical benefits of your choice:
Inspiration. The target feels giddy and effective, gaining advantage on certain ability checks in the next hour. The target chooses the checks before or after rolling. The magic runs out after the target has used it on a number of checks equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1).
After studying the broken ring of adamantine into the night, Nirzeg is able to use his knowledge of smithing and magic to good effect. Nirzeg works out that the piece was once part of some kind of enormous construct, likely something prehistoric judging by its apparent age, and the fact that he has never heard of any construct so big as this one.
// Please roll a Dexterity (stealth) check for Zeek! Success will determine if he needs to be re-summoned with a spell. DC 16. //
Genevieve had been staying mostly quiet throughout the night, feeling particularly intimidated at the location in which they met with Mythiri. Clothes weren't much of a concern to her, at most she switched out her normal red sash with one of a deep royal blue color and put on a beret to match. She only hoped the people were observing her because of the fact that she was a construct with a sentient mind and not because she looked a beaten up piece of tin can (although she didn't suffer any wounds from the battle, her leg plates were caked in dirt and soot and she was too preoccupied helping the town to really freshen up before the meeting).
She tried to pay attention to the conversation they were having, sitting down and watching the others eat while her mind ran with thoughts of performing here of all places. They wouldn't let me, I haven't made a name of myself yet, but... I need to start somewhere? No! Not here, not when you look like this! Later! When you've cleaned up and done your mission! You come back and ask-- no -- demand that you play here!
XJ9 was so engulfed in her mind she barely noticed that everyone was slowly taking their leave as she remained sitting there giving herself pep talks. Idiot robot! She lagged behind Astra and waited for the opportune moment to ask, "What are we going to be doing now?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Aeydof the Dragons || Wood Elf / Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk Demetrios Zalaoras || Protector Aasimar / Paladin of Torm Hawke || Kalashtar / Circle of the Moon Druid Morticia || Half-Aasimar Rogue Yvan || Goliath / Path of the Wild Soul Barbarian | Paladin of Helm /ᐠ。ꞈ。ᐟ\
"I'm sorry for your loss, but thank you for telling us about the sword. I promise to use it well."
Now:
"Mythiri says that we need to find a Frost Giant named Harshnag. Apparently he cares for the small folk. He was last seen in the Nether Mountains, which is close to where a friend of Urgala's lives and he has a giant-slaying sword that we should be able to get if we tell him about what's going on. But first, I have to go to bed." She takes a look at Genevieve. "Do you want me to polish you down before bed tonight?"
Zeek pops back into existence, reporting to Nirzeg that the fire giants eventually fled into the hills miles north of Triboar, though he lost them after that.
The sun rises red early next morning, greeted by a heavy cloud cover.
Lady Mythiri comes to you with good news at sunrise—there are two merchants willing to purchase the adamantine from you, and she was able to negotiate a price of 5,000 gold pieces, paid in gems. Narth Tezrin’s partner at the Lionshield Coster, Alaestra, is one of the merchants. The other is Urlam Stockpool, the crusty old man who runs the Triboar Travelers expedition company.
“I will leave it to you to choose, as I am due elsewhere, but either of these merchants should be able to quickly offload the merchandise, as you requested. It will not remain in Triboar overlong.”
Mythiri takes her leave, pausing only briefly if there are any other questions for her, insisting politely that she must be off.
Narth Tezrin, an industrious man, has already hitched an old draft horse to the wagon for you, and loaded it with the fine leather harnesses. “Fortunate travels to you, friends! This here is Boris. He’s still got some spring in his step, and should get you to Noanar’s Hold just fine. I’ve taken him to Yartar, Daggerford, and Neverwinter before, and he’s a reliable old boy.”
There is a hide covering stretched over the low cart. “For the rain,” explains Narth.
Alus will find Othovir’s corpse ready for internment at the graveyard. The gravekeeper pipes up as Alus arrives, “Very unorthodox, this! What are you playing at, elf?”
The sun rises red early next morning, greeted by a heavy cloud cover.
Lady Mythiri comes to you with good news at sunrise—there are two merchants willing to purchase the adamantine from you, and she was able to negotiate a price of 5,000 gold pieces, paid in gems. Narth Tezrin’s partner at the Lionshield Coster, Alaestra, is one of the merchants. The other is Urlam Stockpool, the crusty old man who runs the Triboar Travelers expedition company.
“I will leave it to you to choose, as I am due elsewhere, but either of these merchants should be able to quickly offload the merchandise, as you requested. It will not remain in Triboar overlong.”
Mythiri takes her leave, pausing only briefly if there are any other questions for her, insisting politely that she must be off.
Narth Tezrin, an industrious man, has already hitched an old draft horse to the wagon for you, and loaded it with the fine leather harnesses. “Fortunate travels to you, friends! This here is Boris. He’s still got some spring in his step, and should get you to Noanar’s Hold just fine. I’ve taken him to Yartar, Daggerford, and Neverwinter before, and he’s a reliable old boy.”
There is a hide covering stretched over the low cart. “For the rain,” explains Narth.
Alus will find Othovir’s corpse ready for internment at the graveyard. The gravekeeper pipes up as Alus arrives, “Very unorthodox, this! What are you playing at, elf?”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Evening Prior:
Still wired by the salve Nirzeg adjusts his plans to send Zeek in the morning with a note for the Lord Protector, warning of the giants last known location alongside a cheeky 'for your peace of mind' at the end. The rest of the evening is spent locked away, polishing up the details of his findings until sleep inevitably finds him.
When Morning Comes:
Following some crack of dawn preparations that left Nirzeg that much more bedraggled state, the Gith's eyes practically exploded out of his eyes at the news. "5,000 dragons..." He mumbes to himself. Excitement dims a tad remembering the others, but he manages a smile all the same for Mythiri's sake. "I must say that you are more reliable than I originally gave credit, Lady. If you haven't already extracted one, remind me that I owe you somethings of a finder's fee to be paid at some later date, mm? 'till then, may Tymora continuing blessing that sexy ass of yours."He says, smirking toothily.
Aside from clearing up any minor details about payment, Nirzeg bids Mythiri goodbye on a final bow, then makes ready to finalize the deal. Short of any complaints or counterpoints from the party, Narth Tezrin's partner is entrusted with the item along with an added bonus: hints at possibly up-selling to Gondonites given the history and purpose of it. "Figured every good deed occasionally deserves a reward." He would say if questioned on the subject, and no more.
Once the deal has been settled he only holds onto the other 4 shares(1,000gp worth each) until their met in person again. The last being Alus, if only due to misadventure at the graveyard.
Morning Prep:
Infusions for the day changed to: Bag of Holding and Goggles of Night. Nirzeg liberally applies resilience salve from Wickerman. Zeek is sent off with a written message to the Lord Protector about the giants. If at all possible, he stops by the Lioncoster shop and Ghelren's smithy for the following: Purchases: 50gp Smith's Tools 50gp Alchemist Supplies 5gp - Herbalism Kit 5gp - Healer's Kit 400gp - Breast Plate 1gp - 10 Oil Flasks 25gp - 1 Blank Book -- Buy 1 Healing Potion or 75gp worth of assorted material for Healing Potion creation(preferred) 50gp Worth of material for 5 find familiar summoning --- Sell: Used Scale Mail
(With exception of material/items that call out worth, everything is the base value without accounting for under or overvalue for Nirzeg's Share(1,000gp worth of assorted gems).
Resilience Temp HP:8.
Alchemical Salve (3/Day). (2 of 3 left) The homunculus produces a salve and touches one creature you designate. The target receives one of the following magical benefits of your choice:
Resilience. The target gains a number of temporary hit points equal to 2d6 + your Intelligence modifier.
(S/N: Lasts until depleted or next long rest as per general Temp HP rules when time limit is unspecified.)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"That will be okay, Astra," Genevieve declines gently. "I tend to like to do it myself. We've had a long day, go rest." She shoo's the aasimar off to bed then heads to the washroom to get to polishing her armor plating, humming a tune to herself as she does so.
--
XJ9 is the first to rise between the two, the construct not needing to rest as much as a normal being needed to. It was comparable to an elf in their meditative slumber, except she stood there almost creepily watching over Astra, her body and face drained of their usual colors. The robot readies herself for the day while she waited for the other to wake up.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Aeydof the Dragons || Wood Elf / Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk Demetrios Zalaoras || Protector Aasimar / Paladin of Torm Hawke || Kalashtar / Circle of the Moon Druid Morticia || Half-Aasimar Rogue Yvan || Goliath / Path of the Wild Soul Barbarian | Paladin of Helm /ᐠ。ꞈ。ᐟ\
Mythiri freezes momentarily at “sexy ass,” and her cold blue eyes shoot icy daggers at Nirzeg’s presumptuous line, but she seems to think better of replying, and otherwise does not delay. She quickly regains her composure and makes for the Long Road on horseback, in the company of two bodyguards whom you hadn’t noticed until now.
At Foehammer’s Forge, the dwarf smith smiles at Nirzeg’s request. “I’ve got some smithing tools on hand, aye. I’ll get a right good set together for ye. Let me take yer measurements and I’ll make ye the finest breastplate ye’v ever laid eyes on.”
Once you are measured, Foehammer says, “I’ll rush the order for the armor. Check back in a tenday, and it’ll be ready for ye by then for sure. Likely less than that, but I don’t like to overpromise. If I had me an apprentice, it’d be a matter of two days...but with just me at the smithy, things take a bit longer. Yeah...”
Ghelryn sighs, but then smiles again. “Do let me know if there’s anything special ye’d like done with it. Oh, and here; these tools will do ye right. Now all you’ll need is a heat source to melt yet metal down, and something hard to hammer against.
The rest of Nirzeg’s shopping list is more or less easy to acquire at the Lionshield Coster. For the Herbalism Kit, they point you toward Triboar’s Apothecary, run by a rather eccentric, middle aged half elf who also tries to sell you radiant skin poultice, tooth whitening powder, and tired-eye ointment (in addition to your request). “So, you want to be an herbalist! It’s a rewarding trade, good sir, rewarding indeed. You get yourself a nice shop like this, sit in on top of a natural sweetwater spring like I’ve got going on here, you can set yourself up for life! No need for all that messy adventuring.” While you wait for the herbalism kit, he offers you a glass of crystal-clear sweetwater “on the house,” and then tries to sell you a case of it as you leave. “1 gold piece for a crate of 10 bottles, better than the upcharge at the local pubs!” He winks.
If anyone tastes the sweetwater, you’ll note that it has a pleasant fizziness that hits the roof of your mouth, in combination with a full flavor that tastes of sweet roots.
Astra slowly wakes up and notices that her companion appears to have been up for awhile now. "You must not need a lot of sleep. What is it that you do during those extra hours of the day?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Non-plussed by either look or the appearance of bodyguards detaching from procurement, Nirzeg carries on his merry business, whistling a happy tune. If Astra and XJ9 stayed at the Northshield House (for surely they had good taste!), they are the first to receive their cut of the gems alongside a disturbingly polite smile on the way out; a knock on their door announcing the Gith's arrival. "I'd probably rent a spare horse, if I were either of you. Just in case. At least until we drop off the saddles. Won't be all too comfortable ride otherwise, I imagine! Just think on it." He parts on those words.
With Ghelryn:
Nirzeg rolls his eyes at the end. "I think I can manage something for the heat, time consuming though it may be."As he says that, Wickerman belches a small gout of flame off to the side as it rested atop the Gith's shoulder. "And... /if/ I come across another with far less pressing matters as I on their shoulders with potential, I'll be sure to send them your way -- But. No promises. If there's one thing your people and I have certainly in common, it is a high standard when it comes to the craft.. Perhaps the Citadel might have someone."The corner of Nirzeg's lips twitch upward in a smile after that.
"Here's the preliminary payment. We may be on the road for longer than a ten day, so consider it a hold charge if gone a little too long." He hands over 480gp worth of gems. More than the typical price for both smith tools and armor. "I'm not particular vain. But, if you can somehow tone it black, and include some braces and a closed helmet that can be flipped open to this project, it would be appreciated. Anything more you think might be useful and practical, I'll leave to your discretion Mr. Ghelren."Realizing he would need to hold on to his scale mail for the time being, Nirzeg leaves on that note after collecting his tools, lingering only for any last words from the dwarf.
With the Apothecary:
Although skeptical of the offer, Nirzeg takes a tentative sip of the sample while the half-elf wasn't looking. Then another... then before he knows it, he has to hurriedly pull the glass away to hide the fact he started licking the inner sides of the glass. "... One moment."He says, holding up a hand. Stepping away long enough to make sure no familiar faces were watching the exchange at the moment, he steps forth and leans in for more conspiratorial whispers. "I'll a crate of water, some of your skin poultice, and a batch of that tooth whitening powder of yours too."
So long as the price of all three "items" are kept below the 50gp cap for him, he takes the whole lot, and secrets as much as he can into a seemingly endless black pouch at his side. "Pleasure doing business with you good sir. I will be certain to point more business your way in the future."As he starts to turn to carry out other business, Nirzeg hesitates, then quickly scribbles some Zhentarim contact in Waterdeep that could help spread the business beyond town, if the half-elf would be inclined to get contact with him.
Later On:
His business thus concluded, he waits by the saddle laddened cart, spending what spare time is available to changeZeek into Smart Zeek!
"None taken, sweet thing." Nirzeg replied through gritted teeth. He follows, if but grudgingly, though if there's some sort of wine glass to snatch up in transit, he does so unconcerned of any social problems. "They were well before my time, but I've heard of this Force Grey. Hard to imagine that a giant of things worked for waterdeep of all places, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Waterdhavian's rarely bat an eye at anything that isn't actively trying to kill them." He said, shaking his head and smiling after over some memory.
"But the Nether Mountains... we would have to check a map again, but that's... eastward?" He looks to the others for brief confirmation, then presses on, interjecting if need be. "A promising lead, if nothing else. Though, I do have one inquiry. For you see, after the assault I... *ahem*... and Alus here did some literal digging into the Fire Giant attack. Recovered something rather interesting that they seemed to be able to track somehow. I do not suppose you have any resources here to see to its removal to a more secure location? Perhaps even back to waterdeep? Otherwise, you're looking at maybe a few days to a week 'fore that pair comes stomping through looking for it, or so I imagine. Possibly with greater numbers at that." He states.
If Mythiri asks for further details about the object, he'll relate the basic details alongside a theory of it possibly being a 'key' to something bigger.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"If the Giants of Faerun have suddenly gone on a rampage, how do we know that this Harshnag hasn't gone wild as well?"
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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Mythiri confirms the eastward direction. "Keep in mind that this was months ago, and Harshnag is an able ranger, so he really could be anywhere. I simply wanted you to have the most recent lead. But as to the question of whether Harshnag has joined his giant kin on their raiding and pillaging, I would simply say this: I have faith that he has remained true to his character, and that he would readily give his aid to the small folk, even if it meant killing his own kind." He musical voice is measured, but reassuring.
When Nirzeg mentions the broken band of adamantine to Mythiri, her eyes brighten with a keenness one usually sees in the most skilled merchants. She smiles, as if rising to a great challenge. "A great find! What a treasure. Let me see if I can find a buyer for you. You surely don't want to be lugging such a heavy piece of metal around the countryside with you. The Evermoor Way is well paved with stones between here and Yartar, but it is dirt and gravel after that. I will have a buyer ready by tomorrow morn."
DM - Storm King's Thunder PbP | Yet Another Storm King's Thunder PbP
Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
Alus talks through a mouthful of food, unaware of the etiquette and oblivious to the crumbs tumbling from his lips
"Hold on. If the giants are bad, and they were looking for this thing, isn't it possible..." Alus swallows "...isn't possible this thing is dangerous? Shouldn't we be careful about just selling it to the highest bidder before we know what it actually does?"
Alus eyes Mithyri closely as he takes another loud, large bite of his meal, curious why she seems so eager to sell the strange adamantine band.
Insight Check: 8
Long live the PCs of the Past:
Puck of the Shivering Summit -- Tabaxi Bard, College of Lore -- Lyrel's Lost Mines of Phandelver
Alus -- High Elf Cleric of Valkur, Tempest Domain -- Yet Another Storm King's Thunder
Ah'brasar -- Aarakocra Druid, Circle of Wildfire -- Yet Another Storm King's Thunder
Furlong J. Rosewood -- Human Monk, Way of the Open Hand -- The Exploits of Misfit Company
Nirzeg steeples fingers together before a growing smile. It is only as he notices Alus out of the corner of his eyes that it diminishes, but only ever so much. "Sweet-... Lady Mythiri. Are you some sort of sorceress? For I do believe you said some mighty magical words there." He chuckles. "Where shall I--*cough* I mean, should meet this buyer. Personally, I prefer my room to conserve strength for rest of the day, /but/ I defer to you."
Turning to the Alus, Nirzeg adds, "To assuage your concern, Alus, we'll give them their due warning. But frankly speaking, we already have a great deal on our plate. And it is -- or so I have gathered in my examination -- only a piece of something. Not the whole thing. What pretell who can say by the giants. But anyone willing to purchase admantine of all things will have no simple security measures in place to protect investments." He says casually.
"I hate to admit it. But certainly far better measures than anything we can muster on a whim as we are. And we can always advise leaving Triboar as a precaution as well." He looks to the others. "In any case, it seems a many a things are pointing us eastward at the very least. One of you should make contact with Mr. Narth 'fore the night is over. Let him know we'll in fact be taking the job, seeing as its on the way. A shame the other bounty will be put on hold. But a 5,000 gold man is not likely to be captured easily by our lessers while we handle things elsewhere. Wouldn't you all agree? Not that many of you care gold compared to a blade of course, but.. you get my general meaning."
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
To Alus, Mythiri's motives seem inscrutable. However, she replies to his questions in due course, "I am assuming that when you say you studied it, Master Nirzeg, you used a means of magical identification? The way you described it, it seems like a simple piece of adamantine—rare and valuable, to be sure, which is likely why the giants wanted it. Fire giants are forgemasters, you see, and are always looking for ways to build better weapons and armor. But if this is not the case, then I should examine it myself to assuage any concerns."
After paying for your dinner, Mythiri makes to excuse herself. "I will leave you to your planning, and will return early tomorrow morning with news of a buyer."
You are free to carouse and hobnob to your hearts' content here at Everwyvern House, or return to your chosen sleeping place. (as a reminder, there is the rundown Six Windows, the stately Northshield House, or the free camping under the stars for the nature types in the ever-autumnal tree grove, Gwaeron's Slumber. If you are of noble lineage or a member of the Lords' Alliance, you can find lodging at Everwyvern House.)
DM - Storm King's Thunder PbP | Yet Another Storm King's Thunder PbP
Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
Olive will ask Urgala for details about the giant-slaying sword before heading back to Northshield House.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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Urgala, who can be found waiting for you at Northshield House, smiles as if fondly remembering. “I remember it being quite large, a two-hander if memory serves. It was good for killing more than just giants, in any case! The last time I saw it was ...the night my wife was killed.” She says sadly, “A pair of hill giants had taken up residence in a troll den.”
A sad smile plays on her face for a moment. “I stopped adventuring after that. Had a brief fling here in town...and even though that didn’t work out, I fell in love with Triboar and decided to put down stakes at this crossroads.”
After reminiscing, she apologizes. “I’m sorry, you don’t want to hear about my old relationships! The sword had a knack for killing giants, always seemed to find their weak spots with ease. It had a fancy hilt, very decorative, with electrum inlay, though the blade itself was still incredibly strong and sharp. Zymorven said it was a family heirloom, but that he wasn’t going to be passing it on to his son, so that’s why I figure he would be willing to part with it.”
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Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
Nirzeg looked about ready to correct Mythiri on his methods, only to shrug it off. "It's been a pleasure, Lady Mythiri. Truly. Until the morn." He says,waving and unabashedly watching her leave. "They always leave to soon." He says more or less to himself once she's out of earshot, then returns to dinner. In an effort to get to the bar sooner than later, he hurries through dinner and bids the everyone a passing "adieu".
Presumably if nothing untoward happened while away, Wickerman is tossed a bone to gnaw and melt on as the githyanki settles in to continue examining the bar. Sleep was a luxury the man was more than willing to sacrifice that evening to further examine the bar, and put more pieces together about its possible purpose in a way only an arificer like himself could...
Though at some point he remembers to Zeek in the night. With a few short snaps of his fingers, the monkey, if still alive would explode into being before him. Then using hastily construed map, errant pictures from a personal book, and thensome try to piece together how far and where the fire giants fled. For both projects he makes a point of slapping on some performance enhancing salve brewed from within Wickerman.
Investigation: 20. (If able/allowed. Adv. is form Wickerman's Salve. If able to use Smith's tool proficiency, then add and other +3 to roll instead)
(If able to add Guidance: 4.)
(@DM: Check is in short to examine the bar further, and try to place its original use.)
Alchemical Salve (3/Day). The homunculus produces a salve and touches one creature you designate. The target receives one of the following magical benefits of your choice:
Inspiration. The target feels giddy and effective, gaining advantage on certain ability checks in the next hour. The target chooses the checks before or after rolling. The magic runs out after the target has used it on a number of checks equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1).
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
After studying the broken ring of adamantine into the night, Nirzeg is able to use his knowledge of smithing and magic to good effect. Nirzeg works out that the piece was once part of some kind of enormous construct, likely something prehistoric judging by its apparent age, and the fact that he has never heard of any construct so big as this one.
// Please roll a Dexterity (stealth) check for Zeek! Success will determine if he needs to be re-summoned with a spell. DC 16. //
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Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
Genevieve had been staying mostly quiet throughout the night, feeling particularly intimidated at the location in which they met with Mythiri. Clothes weren't much of a concern to her, at most she switched out her normal red sash with one of a deep royal blue color and put on a beret to match. She only hoped the people were observing her because of the fact that she was a construct with a sentient mind and not because she looked a beaten up piece of tin can (although she didn't suffer any wounds from the battle, her leg plates were caked in dirt and soot and she was too preoccupied helping the town to really freshen up before the meeting).
She tried to pay attention to the conversation they were having, sitting down and watching the others eat while her mind ran with thoughts of performing here of all places. They wouldn't let me, I haven't made a name of myself yet, but... I need to start somewhere? No! Not here, not when you look like this! Later! When you've cleaned up and done your mission! You come back and ask-- no -- demand that you play here!
XJ9 was so engulfed in her mind she barely noticed that everyone was slowly taking their leave as she remained sitting there giving herself pep talks. Idiot robot! She lagged behind Astra and waited for the opportune moment to ask, "What are we going to be doing now?"
Aeyd of the Dragons || Wood Elf / Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk
Demetrios Zalaoras || Protector Aasimar / Paladin of Torm
Hawke || Kalashtar / Circle of the Moon Druid
Morticia || Half-Aasimar Rogue
Yvan || Goliath / Path of the Wild Soul Barbarian | Paladin of Helm
/ᐠ。ꞈ。ᐟ\
Earlier:
"I'm sorry for your loss, but thank you for telling us about the sword. I promise to use it well."
Now:
"Mythiri says that we need to find a Frost Giant named Harshnag. Apparently he cares for the small folk. He was last seen in the Nether Mountains, which is close to where a friend of Urgala's lives and he has a giant-slaying sword that we should be able to get if we tell him about what's going on. But first, I have to go to bed." She takes a look at Genevieve. "Do you want me to polish you down before bed tonight?"
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Zeek pops back into existence, reporting to Nirzeg that the fire giants eventually fled into the hills miles north of Triboar, though he lost them after that.
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Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
!It is a quiet sleep after a long day.
The sun rises red early next morning, greeted by a heavy cloud cover.
Lady Mythiri comes to you with good news at sunrise—there are two merchants willing to purchase the adamantine from you, and she was able to negotiate a price of 5,000 gold pieces, paid in gems. Narth Tezrin’s partner at the Lionshield Coster, Alaestra, is one of the merchants. The other is Urlam Stockpool, the crusty old man who runs the Triboar Travelers expedition company.
“I will leave it to you to choose, as I am due elsewhere, but either of these merchants should be able to quickly offload the merchandise, as you requested. It will not remain in Triboar overlong.”
Mythiri takes her leave, pausing only briefly if there are any other questions for her, insisting politely that she must be off.
Narth Tezrin, an industrious man, has already hitched an old draft horse to the wagon for you, and loaded it with the fine leather harnesses. “Fortunate travels to you, friends! This here is Boris. He’s still got some spring in his step, and should get you to Noanar’s Hold just fine. I’ve taken him to Yartar, Daggerford, and Neverwinter before, and he’s a reliable old boy.”
There is a hide covering stretched over the low cart. “For the rain,” explains Narth.
Alus will find Othovir’s corpse ready for internment at the graveyard. The gravekeeper pipes up as Alus arrives, “Very unorthodox, this! What are you playing at, elf?”
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Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
!It is a quiet sleep after a long day.
The sun rises red early next morning, greeted by a heavy cloud cover.
Lady Mythiri comes to you with good news at sunrise—there are two merchants willing to purchase the adamantine from you, and she was able to negotiate a price of 5,000 gold pieces, paid in gems. Narth Tezrin’s partner at the Lionshield Coster, Alaestra, is one of the merchants. The other is Urlam Stockpool, the crusty old man who runs the Triboar Travelers expedition company.
“I will leave it to you to choose, as I am due elsewhere, but either of these merchants should be able to quickly offload the merchandise, as you requested. It will not remain in Triboar overlong.”
Mythiri takes her leave, pausing only briefly if there are any other questions for her, insisting politely that she must be off.
Narth Tezrin, an industrious man, has already hitched an old draft horse to the wagon for you, and loaded it with the fine leather harnesses. “Fortunate travels to you, friends! This here is Boris. He’s still got some spring in his step, and should get you to Noanar’s Hold just fine. I’ve taken him to Yartar, Daggerford, and Neverwinter before, and he’s a reliable old boy.”
There is a hide covering stretched over the low cart. “For the rain,” explains Narth.
Alus will find Othovir’s corpse ready for internment at the graveyard. The gravekeeper pipes up as Alus arrives, “Very unorthodox, this! What are you playing at, elf?”
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Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
Evening Prior:
Still wired by the salve Nirzeg adjusts his plans to send Zeek in the morning with a note for the Lord Protector, warning of the giants last known location alongside a cheeky 'for your peace of mind' at the end. The rest of the evening is spent locked away, polishing up the details of his findings until sleep inevitably finds him.
When Morning Comes:
Following some crack of dawn preparations that left Nirzeg that much more bedraggled state, the Gith's eyes practically exploded out of his eyes at the news. "5,000 dragons..." He mumbes to himself. Excitement dims a tad remembering the others, but he manages a smile all the same for Mythiri's sake. "I must say that you are more reliable than I originally gave credit, Lady. If you haven't already extracted one, remind me that I owe you somethings of a finder's fee to be paid at some later date, mm? 'till then, may Tymora continuing blessing that sexy ass of yours." He says, smirking toothily.
Aside from clearing up any minor details about payment, Nirzeg bids Mythiri goodbye on a final bow, then makes ready to finalize the deal. Short of any complaints or counterpoints from the party, Narth Tezrin's partner is entrusted with the item along with an added bonus: hints at possibly up-selling to Gondonites given the history and purpose of it. "Figured every good deed occasionally deserves a reward." He would say if questioned on the subject, and no more.
Once the deal has been settled he only holds onto the other 4 shares(1,000gp worth each) until their met in person again. The last being Alus, if only due to misadventure at the graveyard.
Morning Prep:
Infusions for the day changed to: Bag of Holding and Goggles of Night.
Nirzeg liberally applies resilience salve from Wickerman.
Zeek is sent off with a written message to the Lord Protector about the giants.
If at all possible, he stops by the Lioncoster shop and Ghelren's smithy for the following:
Purchases:
50gp Smith's Tools
50gp Alchemist Supplies
5gp - Herbalism Kit
5gp - Healer's Kit
400gp - Breast Plate
1gp - 10 Oil Flasks
25gp - 1 Blank Book
--
Buy 1 Healing Potion or 75gp worth of assorted material for Healing Potion creation(preferred)
50gp Worth of material for 5 find familiar summoning
---
Sell:
Used Scale Mail
(With exception of material/items that call out worth, everything is the base value without accounting for under or overvalue for Nirzeg's Share(1,000gp worth of assorted gems).
Resilience Temp HP: 8.
Alchemical Salve (3/Day). (2 of 3 left) The homunculus produces a salve and touches one creature you designate. The target receives one of the following magical benefits of your choice:
Resilience. The target gains a number of temporary hit points equal to 2d6 + your Intelligence modifier.
(S/N: Lasts until depleted or next long rest as per general Temp HP rules when time limit is unspecified.)
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"That will be okay, Astra," Genevieve declines gently. "I tend to like to do it myself. We've had a long day, go rest." She shoo's the aasimar off to bed then heads to the washroom to get to polishing her armor plating, humming a tune to herself as she does so.
--
XJ9 is the first to rise between the two, the construct not needing to rest as much as a normal being needed to. It was comparable to an elf in their meditative slumber, except she stood there almost creepily watching over Astra, her body and face drained of their usual colors. The robot readies herself for the day while she waited for the other to wake up.
Aeyd of the Dragons || Wood Elf / Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk
Demetrios Zalaoras || Protector Aasimar / Paladin of Torm
Hawke || Kalashtar / Circle of the Moon Druid
Morticia || Half-Aasimar Rogue
Yvan || Goliath / Path of the Wild Soul Barbarian | Paladin of Helm
/ᐠ。ꞈ。ᐟ\
Mythiri freezes momentarily at “sexy ass,” and her cold blue eyes shoot icy daggers at Nirzeg’s presumptuous line, but she seems to think better of replying, and otherwise does not delay. She quickly regains her composure and makes for the Long Road on horseback, in the company of two bodyguards whom you hadn’t noticed until now.
At Foehammer’s Forge, the dwarf smith smiles at Nirzeg’s request. “I’ve got some smithing tools on hand, aye. I’ll get a right good set together for ye. Let me take yer measurements and I’ll make ye the finest breastplate ye’v ever laid eyes on.”
Once you are measured, Foehammer says, “I’ll rush the order for the armor. Check back in a tenday, and it’ll be ready for ye by then for sure. Likely less than that, but I don’t like to overpromise. If I had me an apprentice, it’d be a matter of two days...but with just me at the smithy, things take a bit longer. Yeah...”
Ghelryn sighs, but then smiles again. “Do let me know if there’s anything special ye’d like done with it. Oh, and here; these tools will do ye right. Now all you’ll need is a heat source to melt yet metal down, and something hard to hammer against.
The rest of Nirzeg’s shopping list is more or less easy to acquire at the Lionshield Coster. For the Herbalism Kit, they point you toward Triboar’s Apothecary, run by a rather eccentric, middle aged half elf who also tries to sell you radiant skin poultice, tooth whitening powder, and tired-eye ointment (in addition to your request). “So, you want to be an herbalist! It’s a rewarding trade, good sir, rewarding indeed. You get yourself a nice shop like this, sit in on top of a natural sweetwater spring like I’ve got going on here, you can set yourself up for life! No need for all that messy adventuring.” While you wait for the herbalism kit, he offers you a glass of crystal-clear sweetwater “on the house,” and then tries to sell you a case of it as you leave. “1 gold piece for a crate of 10 bottles, better than the upcharge at the local pubs!” He winks.
If anyone tastes the sweetwater, you’ll note that it has a pleasant fizziness that hits the roof of your mouth, in combination with a full flavor that tastes of sweet roots.
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Current: Eogard Duramastar, Human Twilight Cleric/Star Druid | Eiren Lathrana, Shadar-Kai Eldritch Knight/Bladesinger | Arugula, Rabbitfolk Armorer
Survivor: CrispyDM's Saltmarsh as Syltra | SarcasticFury's Strahd as Hadrian Frozenspark | Forge of Fury as The DM
Astra slowly wakes up and notices that her companion appears to have been up for awhile now. "You must not need a lot of sleep. What is it that you do during those extra hours of the day?"
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
With Mythiri:
Non-plussed by either look or the appearance of bodyguards detaching from procurement, Nirzeg carries on his merry business, whistling a happy tune. If Astra and XJ9 stayed at the Northshield House (for surely they had good taste!), they are the first to receive their cut of the gems alongside a disturbingly polite smile on the way out; a knock on their door announcing the Gith's arrival. "I'd probably rent a spare horse, if I were either of you. Just in case. At least until we drop off the saddles. Won't be all too comfortable ride otherwise, I imagine! Just think on it." He parts on those words.
With Ghelryn:
Nirzeg rolls his eyes at the end. "I think I can manage something for the heat, time consuming though it may be." As he says that, Wickerman belches a small gout of flame off to the side as it rested atop the Gith's shoulder. "And... /if/ I come across another with far less pressing matters as I on their shoulders with potential, I'll be sure to send them your way -- But. No promises. If there's one thing your people and I have certainly in common, it is a high standard when it comes to the craft.. Perhaps the Citadel might have someone." The corner of Nirzeg's lips twitch upward in a smile after that.
"Here's the preliminary payment. We may be on the road for longer than a ten day, so consider it a hold charge if gone a little too long." He hands over 480gp worth of gems. More than the typical price for both smith tools and armor. "I'm not particular vain. But, if you can somehow tone it black, and include some braces and a closed helmet that can be flipped open to this project, it would be appreciated. Anything more you think might be useful and practical, I'll leave to your discretion Mr. Ghelren." Realizing he would need to hold on to his scale mail for the time being, Nirzeg leaves on that note after collecting his tools, lingering only for any last words from the dwarf.
With the Apothecary:
Although skeptical of the offer, Nirzeg takes a tentative sip of the sample while the half-elf wasn't looking. Then another... then before he knows it, he has to hurriedly pull the glass away to hide the fact he started licking the inner sides of the glass. "... One moment." He says, holding up a hand. Stepping away long enough to make sure no familiar faces were watching the exchange at the moment, he steps forth and leans in for more conspiratorial whispers. "I'll a crate of water, some of your skin poultice, and a batch of that tooth whitening powder of yours too."
So long as the price of all three "items" are kept below the 50gp cap for him, he takes the whole lot, and secrets as much as he can into a seemingly endless black pouch at his side. "Pleasure doing business with you good sir. I will be certain to point more business your way in the future." As he starts to turn to carry out other business, Nirzeg hesitates, then quickly scribbles some Zhentarim contact in Waterdeep that could help spread the business beyond town, if the half-elf would be inclined to get contact with him.
Later On:
His business thus concluded, he waits by the saddle laddened cart, spending what spare time is available to change Zeek into Smart Zeek!
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.