Aubrey shares what he learned at Reed Castle on the way to Sunrise Hall. Considering his knowledge of the Shelleys, could Aubrey make an educated guess on who this friend might have been? History check if needed: 15
"Thank you for your explanation father. The knowledge alone goes a long way toward stilling the worries of my heart. I'm terribly sorry about the upset I caused and I hope that this donation of rations for the needy of Shelley can go some small way toward ameliorating my wrong. I hope to fully redeem myself in your eyes by assisting Bishop Cleghorn to the best of my ability." He then leaves a sizable amount of rations ((Again, 100? depending on group acceptance)) with the church and departs to the inn to catch up with his compatriots.
Once Grugga arrives at the inn, he shares a revelation with his group away from the ears of other patrons. "I visited the church of Ord," he starts, "and they were able to confirm that none of our rations were spoiled. I've left a good amount with Dr. Barr and a smaller amount with the church for the needy of Shelley. But get this," he pokes his finger into the table to accentuate his coming point, "they recognized the symbol that was carved into Malia's forehead. The priest said it was nearly identical to a symbol used by some ancient god called 'Leviticus.' AND the bishop of the church of Ord in Bluffton is going after the cult that's risen up around this power... the people who kidnapped Malia."
He leans back in his chair and lets it sink in. "I'll head to Bluffton while we're between jobs to speak to this bishop, if anyone'd like to join me."
He doesn't stay up too late that night and wakes up early. He can be found just outside the inn exercising when everyone's ready to head to Shelley's manor.
Guilim will wait at the inn as the others go about their business, making sure to keep to himself as he waits for them to return. To save himself as much money as possible he will simply eat some of the rations they use procured. If he has been given any money he will divide it only keeping a small amount of it in his own coin purse.
With Grugga and Aubrey in tow, Leelan goes to meet with Lady Shelley, accompanied by the owl-man, Sixteen. As they arrive at the Shelley’s noble house, he seems impressed by the highborn’s home. He tries to retain his composure as the gnome reminds himself that the circumstances of Lady Shelley’s presence are all but joyous.
Once inside the courtyard, Leelan follows the direction to the tower where the Lady is waiting for them. He climbs up the stairs and tries to make Sixteen as presentable as possible.
As they arrive in the study room, Leelan removes his beret, revealing a thinning hairline, and does a courtly bow in presence of Lady Shelley.
"Lady Shelley. Thank you for agreeing to an audience with us today. It is an honor to meet with you again. Though, from what we’ve heard, I regret that this meeting is not under better circumstances. I am sincerely sorry for your loss, and offer you my deepest condolences. I would only ask for a moment of your time to present you with an interesting discovery we believed might have relevance to your work."
Grugga stands faithfully behind Leelan and Aubrey, expecting that they are better equipped for the situation than he. He reiterates Leelan's sentiments, though, expressing his condolences.
He's torn between his interest in the results of her experiments - it was magic, no doubt, the created Sixteen... but what could the creation of life tell us about life itself? - and the wellbeing of the strange creature. He didn't seem to be evil, just mislead by an evil force. You can't blame someone for that if it's the only thing they know, and Sixteen hadn't even tried to injure them. He's just a courier. What a conundrum. He hopes that the research can be done humanely; maybe this birdman could be rehabilitated after the fact.
Lady Shelley is waiting in her offices at the top of the tower. She is dressed in black and her eyes give the appearance she may have recently been crying. On a padded sofa across the room, a young, thin elven woman, also dressed in black, is talking softly with the Orc from the other Red Band crew you met last night. Lady Shelley calls you all away from them and towards her desk.
She marvels at the appearance of Sixteen, he sorrows seemingly forgotten. The owl-man is apprehensive at first, his large eyes looking out at her with suspicion. But in a very short time she seems to win him over, and soon Sixteen is sharing with her all of the details he had told Leelan. Perhaps she has a way with strange creatures, or perhaps spilling secrets comes easier the second time around for the owl-man.
Eventually, Lady Shelley turns her attentions back to your group. She is fascinated by Sixteen, but her primary interest is lost or hidden populations, not magically engineered beings. Still, the implications of the creation of - what could be - a new race of people cannot be simply ignored. If she can convince him to stay, she would like to keep Sixteen here with her in Shelley, at least for a little while. She has a correspondent at one of the magical colleges in Lonesome Light who could help her conduct some research and will write to her immediately.
She appreciates that you thought of her in this matter, and arranges for you to be paid 25gp to cover any expenses in coming to Shelley. Other than that, she has to excuse herself as she has urgent matters to attend to.
Rohuzar:
Before you depart, she quietly asks if you know the other Orc, and what his team’s reputation is within the Red Band? She is hiring them to assist with a sensitive matter and she wants to make sure this person doesn’t have a checkered past (FYI you’ve never seen or heard of this cleric before last night… so far you haven’t met many other Red Band)
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Before excusing himself and leaving Sixteen with Lady Shelley, Leelan would ask more about this correspondant. A name perhaps, as Lonesome Light is his hometown.
Leelan: Lady Shelley's contact is Abigail Craft, a transmutation specialist and research colleague. The name isn't familiar to you, though you recall one of the magical colleges that resides in Lonesome Light is the Schola Transmogrificus, a finishing school for transmuters.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
“I don’t. I have not had much reason to meet others in the guild. But I can interview him. Check in at the guild to ask after him, and write to you of vhat I learn. Do you have particular question?”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Aubrey would stand with Rohuzar and Grugga, also expressing his deepest condolences to Lady Shelley, but letting Leelan take care of presenting the Owl-man. If given the opportunity he would ask Gregory Steelsong about what tragedy that has befallen his mistress. Persuasion if needed: 14 He would then return to his family's estate outside Shelley.
Once the group leaves Lady Shelley's manor, Grugga has no more reason to stay in Shelley. He says farewell to Dr. Barr, and wishes Aubrey success in his dealings at home. He then suggests that the rest of the group make some progress on the trip back to Bardstown. (I don't have anything I want to do in Northbridge, so I'm good skipping the travel if everyone else is). Assuming Grugga has purchased the rations out of his share, he donates 100 to Malvern's Town church, 100 to Shelley's church of Ord, 200 to Dr. Barr, 100 to a good-aligned church in Northbridge, 100 to a good-aligned church in Midway, 200 to a good-aligned church in Bardstown, and will save the rest to donate to the church of Ord in Bluffton (100-150 or so). As the packs get lighter, they may even be able to ride their horses.
Guilim will continue his vigil in the bar, simply looking around the place to see if there is anything interesting enough to hold his attention for a bit of time. After a few hours of this he will meet with the others to see what is their next destination.
Gregory is polite but holds you at civil arms-length. He doesn't regard you with dislike, necessarily, but he does not take pains to hide the fact he sees your family as a rival to his lord, and divulges only what he sees fit to share. He tells you that an old and dear friend of the Shelley family was killed while on an expedition. Lady Shelley will remain here in town for the foreseeable future while she sees that the man's widow is taken care of and she investigates the circumstances of his death. Your condolences are appreciated.
Before you leave, Gregory asks if you will be visiting your family while in town, and then asks you to pass along a message. Lady Shelley will be gathering the local lords for a meeting, likely to be held around the first of next month. Gregory would have you advise your father in advance of this as a courtesy. He is not able to share the itinerary of the meeting at this time, other than that it is to address some 'local events of concern.'
Guilim:
Something interesting happens while you are sitting alone at the tavern, enjoying a drink and wondering how long it will be before the rest of the team wraps up their business and you can all get back on the road.
A commotion erupts inside the tavern with guest screaming and jumping up from their tables. The cause is soon revealed... an abnormally large spider. Not a giant spider, per se, but one about the size of a housecat. The spider is quickly dealt with [It is up to you whether Guilimassisted. If not, the staff were able to squash it before anyone was bitten] but when Guilimlooks back to the bar, there is a folded note tucked under his mug.
Most Honorable Nimbletoes,
My mistress has identified you as someone with no love for the old elves who so ruthlessly oppress the peoples of the east. There is always work available for those who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty in service to the cause. Ask for the 'garden ghost' around Southbank in Bardstown if you decide you want to hear us out.
- A friend
With additional matters in Shelley to deal with, Aubreyparts ways with his team while he remains to meet with his family and the rest resume the trip back to Bardstown.
The travel seems to pass more quickly with the horses and cart, though the conversations recapping your adventure and musing on what you will all spend coin on likely help to make the road shorter as well. In what feels like no time, you hit Northbridge and make the turn east toward Bardstown.
In the village of Midway, you encounter the fourth member of the Screaming Banshees, the young man Custer. A passing magistrate judged him guilty of stealing John the tavernkeepers liquor and sentenced him to labor helping to repair the fire damage to the tavern. He is devastated to learn the fate of his companions. After making an initial ugly scene in the street, he later calms and agrees to take possession of his friends' corpses and see to their proper and respectful burial.
It is the middle of the day on 20 May 2105 when you cross on the ferry across the main branch of the Breitvasser and set foot back in Bardstown.
[We will assume items were turned over as discussed for salvage sale by the guild. Per the breakdown of items already covered here and in the OOC thread, each PC can take 847gp, 3sp and 6cp and add it to their sheets. There is also a 'slush fund' for the team with another 847gp, 4sp at present. The party also has the following items which were not sold or given away:
5 potions of healing
a greataxe
a book - Michter’s Humanoid Anatomy
a book - Human Souls: A Hypothesis Most Remarkable
an herbalism kit
a vial of antitoxin
2 climber’s kits
2 tents, two-person
These items are available on a first claimed basis, otherwise we will assume they are kept in storage with the party slush fund. DM recalls there were also spell scrolls for Invisibility and Arms of Hadar that were taken by Gruggaand Aubrey, respectively. We also need to clarify what becomes of the minor magic item: gloves. If Gruggakeeps them he can deduct 50gp from his take. But that also involves not turning over a magic item to the Red Band. Its not clear how they would ever find out, but it is something they warned Rohuzarnot to do.
Soon, Leelan'sarmor is ready, and he is able to pick up a set of Blue Hydra Leather Armor. In additional to sporting a bright blue, crocodile-like pattern, it is sharply tailored with a lapelled vest and pocketed pants. There was enough material left over for a matching wide-brimmed leather hat.
The city has not been idle while you've been away and we will soon discuss recent events upon your return. But first, let's assume a week of downtime to unwind and bask in the success of your first 'big' adventure. How do you all spend your time? DM the DM with sensitive topics but otherwise summarize here how your PC spends the next week.]
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Day1: Grugga will finish creating his Steel Defender. It's a metal spinning top shaped creation, about 3 feet tall, which fits nicely in the cage on his back. To start it up, he reaches over his shoulder and pulls on a cord connected to a flywheel that spins "Zap's" gyroscope. Zap then pops out of the cage and follows Grugga's commands. The outer ring of Zap has some of those worthless purple crystals that Grugga uses for all his spells, which can transfer power from the gyroscope to create a short-ranged magical blast.
Day 2: Grugga will head to the Red Band in town (Lieutenant Falstaff?) and declare that he'd like to keep these slightly-magical gloves to send to his father, who has arthritis. If that's acceptable, he'll include them in the mail that he's about to send... Later that day he sends express mail to his parents warning his mother that he heard there's a plague that affects only Dwarves moving through the south of Pentwater. It's already affecting the countries to the east, and Dunngenor has closed it's borders - no word on if there are already cases there. He says no to worry and that she'll be getting a letter from Dr. Barr soon(ish) who will be on the front lines fighting the disease. He'll keep her updated.
Later that day he goes to the Lady Miranda Memorial Library to research both symbols, and Leviticus. On the way there he stops by the Basilicae Universalis and talks to the priests of Ord, asking them if they know anything about Leviticus or the cult that's using its symbol. He wisely does not draw the symbol in their temple.
Day 3: He'll head to Bluffton. (I seem to recall Malia lived around here... I wrote down she's from Worden, but don't see it on the map? Is Worden around Bluffton, or am I completely misremembering?) If it's nearby, he'll visit Malia just to check in on her and her family. Then he'll visit the Bishop Cleghorn and introduce himself as Grugga - the priest in Shelley said he'd send word of his arrival. He's being hunted by the entity using Leviticus' mark, and he wants to help destroy the cult. He's with a group of new but moderately-successful mercenaries who will help him, but probably wouldn't be willing to fight a prolonged war without promise of some sort of monetary payoff at the end.
Day 4-5: Any travel required between Bluffton and back. If he has time, he'd like to craft himself something. On my shortlist is a versatile weapon (longsword) and a breastplate. Am I able to craft either in time or do I need to purchase it? I also shop for Smith's Tools and Jeweler's Tools (20 and 25g a piece, respectively) and use my [Tooltip Not Found] to create a set of Tinker's Tools
Day-7: Assuming Aubrey is back, I travel with him to the Midway fishing village and visit the family of the sailors who died (or worse). I'd like to RP this out with Aubrey, but I plan on leaving them some money.
Any left over time will be spent reading those books we found with the necromancers
During his week off, Leelan would spend some time compiling the various notes he has taken during their mission and add them to his manuscript. He would also accompany Grugga when he goes to the Lady Miranda Memorial Library to research Fey creatures, as they have had some encounter with such creatures and this part of his manuscript seems to be lacking.
He would also try to find a place to "doll up" his trusty mule Dandelion. She has been through a lot during this trip and deserves a rest as much as anyone else in the party.
Upon receiving his new stylish armor (for which I can’t remember if we had paid in advance), he wonders if it would be possible to dye it in red. He realizes that wearing blue while being part of the Red Band is rather counter-productive. If not possible, he would look into purchasing a red coat to go over his armor.
Finally, he would write some letters to his family and step-family back in the NTF to tell them of his adventures.
Rohuzar is satisfied with the handing of the bodies over to the fourth member of the Banshees, and puts it out of his mind for now.
He writes a letter for Rare Earth Materials to inform them of the outcome of the job. He’ll withhold the info about getting paid by Dawntreader, simply stating that there had been a battle prior to their arrival. He’ll describe a possible cooperation between the Banshees and another force based on what he could observe. The artifact is gone, as are the Carcerimon rangers. The storms made tracking nearly impossible, and the trail is gone. Unable to locate, for now.
Rohuzar will also visit Lt Falstaff. He’ll advocate for Grugga’s virtues, and his assistance to the Red Band, sliding the ring across the table at the same time, but he won’t argue for Grugga to receive the gloves. He’ll also talk about the work they did with assisting another group near Maggie’s Wood with the ogre who used magic.
Then he’ll submit a report on the failed job for Rare Earth. He’ll elaborate on the signs of battle there, and an encounter with an unknown quantity named “Dawntreader.” He will say they retrieved a large amount of the supplies left therein by a cult of necromancers, including 600 platinum pieces (submitted to the guild for their cut). His report will include all of the coin/things they found.
He’d like to ask after Bor bin Saleh, an Orcish cleric of Kryptos working for Lady Shelley. Looking for what Lt Falstaff might know of him.
He’ll then see about banking a chunk of his money. Looking for a retirement fund. 500 gold pieces.
After that, he’s headed to deliver the Bark, inviting Leelan - or anyone else - on the trip if he’s interested.
Grugga, Worden is south of Bluffton, but it is across the border in Fidelis. Its not shown on any of the maps, being a tiny hamlet, but it would be somewhere within the white circle.
For now, anyone doing research at a library, select one topic and give me one History skill check for every day you spend researching.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
I think I'll start with Leviticus, expecting that the priests will give me the "holy canon" answer. Looking for scholarly work on this old god, preferably pre St. Christopher. Though I realize how old that would be.
History:12 Just the 1 day for now, unless it turns out I can't craft anything and would therefore have more time to research.
[DM will post responses to some of the downtime stuff as he gets the chance over the next few days.]
Red Band:
Lt. Falstaff is over the moon with the results of this mission. When Rohuzarand Gruggago to see him, he was in the middle of dressing down another Red Band team leader. Its an older human man with long gray hair pulled back in a pony tail. You don't pick up any details other than apparently this man's crew is not earning enough. "This! This is how you do it. Rohuzar has earned more in two weeks than your team has in over a year. Get out of my office and go get to work!" He basically throws the man out before he has you sit down to get a full report.
He listens close to talk of both the Carcerimon rangers and the Dawntreader. Ultimately he doesn't seem too concerned about any of it. He handwaves away the failure on the contract with Rare Earth Materials. "Yeah, you hate to drop a contract, but would that all our failures turn out to be so profitable. Besides, it sounds like everyone else failed too, and died in the process. So don't beat yourselves up over it. You did good."
He nods his head at Grugga'srequest, and he unlocks one of his desk drawers and pulls out a tiny tuning fork. He strikes it against the side of his own skull and then holds it over the gloves as it vibrates. Then he nods again, locks the tuning fork back up and considers for a moment. "You have to understand, magical items and material are sensitive. Its an ordeal to get these things processed, registered with the Empire, cleared for resale, etc. etc. However... the enchantment on these gloves is so minor, and your team has excelled so much... I will pull some strings and get this taken care of. Consider it a bonus for big score." [Grugga can keep the gloves.]
Falstaff also makes arrangements for the five of you to receive tailored capes, black with a wide red stripe. It is presented as a gift, but Rohuzar,you get the impression it has a little to do with your groups struggles with getting a consistent uniform down.
Rohuzar:
Falstaff listens to your questions on bin Saleh. "They're a newer crew. But they all had good credentials. A few former legionnaires like yourself. But don't worry about it. We all work together here in the Red Band, but this is a tough business. Part of why we all work so well together is because we don't step on each other's toes. So just trust that those guys know what they're doing."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
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Aubrey shares what he learned at Reed Castle on the way to Sunrise Hall.
Considering his knowledge of the Shelleys, could Aubrey make an educated guess on who this friend might have been?
History check if needed: 15
Grugga
"Thank you for your explanation father. The knowledge alone goes a long way toward stilling the worries of my heart. I'm terribly sorry about the upset I caused and I hope that this donation of rations for the needy of Shelley can go some small way toward ameliorating my wrong. I hope to fully redeem myself in your eyes by assisting Bishop Cleghorn to the best of my ability." He then leaves a sizable amount of rations ((Again, 100? depending on group acceptance)) with the church and departs to the inn to catch up with his compatriots.
Once Grugga arrives at the inn, he shares a revelation with his group away from the ears of other patrons. "I visited the church of Ord," he starts, "and they were able to confirm that none of our rations were spoiled. I've left a good amount with Dr. Barr and a smaller amount with the church for the needy of Shelley. But get this," he pokes his finger into the table to accentuate his coming point, "they recognized the symbol that was carved into Malia's forehead. The priest said it was nearly identical to a symbol used by some ancient god called 'Leviticus.' AND the bishop of the church of Ord in Bluffton is going after the cult that's risen up around this power... the people who kidnapped Malia."
He leans back in his chair and lets it sink in. "I'll head to Bluffton while we're between jobs to speak to this bishop, if anyone'd like to join me."
He doesn't stay up too late that night and wakes up early. He can be found just outside the inn exercising when everyone's ready to head to Shelley's manor.
Guilim will wait at the inn as the others go about their business, making sure to keep to himself as he waits for them to return. To save himself as much money as possible he will simply eat some of the rations they use procured. If he has been given any money he will divide it only keeping a small amount of it in his own coin purse.
With Grugga and Aubrey in tow, Leelan goes to meet with Lady Shelley, accompanied by the owl-man, Sixteen. As they arrive at the Shelley’s noble house, he seems impressed by the highborn’s home. He tries to retain his composure as the gnome reminds himself that the circumstances of Lady Shelley’s presence are all but joyous.
Once inside the courtyard, Leelan follows the direction to the tower where the Lady is waiting for them. He climbs up the stairs and tries to make Sixteen as presentable as possible.
As they arrive in the study room, Leelan removes his beret, revealing a thinning hairline, and does a courtly bow in presence of Lady Shelley.
"Lady Shelley. Thank you for agreeing to an audience with us today. It is an honor to meet with you again. Though, from what we’ve heard, I regret that this meeting is not under better circumstances. I am sincerely sorry for your loss, and offer you my deepest condolences. I would only ask for a moment of your time to present you with an interesting discovery we believed might have relevance to your work."
Grugga stands faithfully behind Leelan and Aubrey, expecting that they are better equipped for the situation than he. He reiterates Leelan's sentiments, though, expressing his condolences.
He's torn between his interest in the results of her experiments - it was magic, no doubt, the created Sixteen... but what could the creation of life tell us about life itself? - and the wellbeing of the strange creature. He didn't seem to be evil, just mislead by an evil force. You can't blame someone for that if it's the only thing they know, and Sixteen hadn't even tried to injure them. He's just a courier. What a conundrum. He hopes that the research can be done humanely; maybe this birdman could be rehabilitated after the fact.
Lady Shelley is waiting in her offices at the top of the tower. She is dressed in black and her eyes give the appearance she may have recently been crying. On a padded sofa across the room, a young, thin elven woman, also dressed in black, is talking softly with the Orc from the other Red Band crew you met last night. Lady Shelley calls you all away from them and towards her desk.
She marvels at the appearance of Sixteen, he sorrows seemingly forgotten. The owl-man is apprehensive at first, his large eyes looking out at her with suspicion. But in a very short time she seems to win him over, and soon Sixteen is sharing with her all of the details he had told Leelan. Perhaps she has a way with strange creatures, or perhaps spilling secrets comes easier the second time around for the owl-man.
Eventually, Lady Shelley turns her attentions back to your group. She is fascinated by Sixteen, but her primary interest is lost or hidden populations, not magically engineered beings. Still, the implications of the creation of - what could be - a new race of people cannot be simply ignored. If she can convince him to stay, she would like to keep Sixteen here with her in Shelley, at least for a little while. She has a correspondent at one of the magical colleges in Lonesome Light who could help her conduct some research and will write to her immediately.
She appreciates that you thought of her in this matter, and arranges for you to be paid 25gp to cover any expenses in coming to Shelley. Other than that, she has to excuse herself as she has urgent matters to attend to.
Rohuzar:
Before you depart, she quietly asks if you know the other Orc, and what his team’s reputation is within the Red Band? She is hiring them to assist with a sensitive matter and she wants to make sure this person doesn’t have a checkered past (FYI you’ve never seen or heard of this cleric before last night… so far you haven’t met many other Red Band)
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Before excusing himself and leaving Sixteen with Lady Shelley, Leelan would ask more about this correspondant. A name perhaps, as Lonesome Light is his hometown.
Leelan: Lady Shelley's contact is Abigail Craft, a transmutation specialist and research colleague. The name isn't familiar to you, though you recall one of the magical colleges that resides in Lonesome Light is the Schola Transmogrificus, a finishing school for transmuters.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Rohuzar to Lady Shelley
“I don’t. I have not had much reason to meet others in the guild. But I can interview him. Check in at the guild to ask after him, and write to you of vhat I learn. Do you have particular question?”
Paladin - warforged - orange
Aubrey would stand with Rohuzar and Grugga, also expressing his deepest condolences to Lady Shelley, but letting Leelan take care of presenting the Owl-man.
If given the opportunity he would ask Gregory Steelsong about what tragedy that has befallen his mistress.
Persuasion if needed: 14
He would then return to his family's estate outside Shelley.
Once the group leaves Lady Shelley's manor, Grugga has no more reason to stay in Shelley. He says farewell to Dr. Barr, and wishes Aubrey success in his dealings at home. He then suggests that the rest of the group make some progress on the trip back to Bardstown. (I don't have anything I want to do in Northbridge, so I'm good skipping the travel if everyone else is). Assuming Grugga has purchased the rations out of his share, he donates 100 to Malvern's Town church, 100 to Shelley's church of Ord, 200 to Dr. Barr, 100 to a good-aligned church in Northbridge, 100 to a good-aligned church in Midway, 200 to a good-aligned church in Bardstown, and will save the rest to donate to the church of Ord in Bluffton (100-150 or so). As the packs get lighter, they may even be able to ride their horses.
Guilim will continue his vigil in the bar, simply looking around the place to see if there is anything interesting enough to hold his attention for a bit of time. After a few hours of this he will meet with the others to see what is their next destination.
Aubrey:
Gregory is polite but holds you at civil arms-length. He doesn't regard you with dislike, necessarily, but he does not take pains to hide the fact he sees your family as a rival to his lord, and divulges only what he sees fit to share. He tells you that an old and dear friend of the Shelley family was killed while on an expedition. Lady Shelley will remain here in town for the foreseeable future while she sees that the man's widow is taken care of and she investigates the circumstances of his death. Your condolences are appreciated.
Before you leave, Gregory asks if you will be visiting your family while in town, and then asks you to pass along a message. Lady Shelley will be gathering the local lords for a meeting, likely to be held around the first of next month. Gregory would have you advise your father in advance of this as a courtesy. He is not able to share the itinerary of the meeting at this time, other than that it is to address some 'local events of concern.'
Guilim:
Something interesting happens while you are sitting alone at the tavern, enjoying a drink and wondering how long it will be before the rest of the team wraps up their business and you can all get back on the road.
A commotion erupts inside the tavern with guest screaming and jumping up from their tables. The cause is soon revealed... an abnormally large spider. Not a giant spider, per se, but one about the size of a housecat. The spider is quickly dealt with [It is up to you whether Guilim assisted. If not, the staff were able to squash it before anyone was bitten] but when Guilim looks back to the bar, there is a folded note tucked under his mug.
Most Honorable Nimbletoes,
My mistress has identified you as someone with no love for the old elves who so ruthlessly oppress the peoples of the east. There is always work available for those who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty in service to the cause. Ask for the 'garden ghost' around Southbank in Bardstown if you decide you want to hear us out.
- A friend
With additional matters in Shelley to deal with, Aubrey parts ways with his team while he remains to meet with his family and the rest resume the trip back to Bardstown.
The travel seems to pass more quickly with the horses and cart, though the conversations recapping your adventure and musing on what you will all spend coin on likely help to make the road shorter as well. In what feels like no time, you hit Northbridge and make the turn east toward Bardstown.
In the village of Midway, you encounter the fourth member of the Screaming Banshees, the young man Custer. A passing magistrate judged him guilty of stealing John the tavernkeepers liquor and sentenced him to labor helping to repair the fire damage to the tavern. He is devastated to learn the fate of his companions. After making an initial ugly scene in the street, he later calms and agrees to take possession of his friends' corpses and see to their proper and respectful burial.
It is the middle of the day on 20 May 2105 when you cross on the ferry across the main branch of the Breitvasser and set foot back in Bardstown.
[We will assume items were turned over as discussed for salvage sale by the guild. Per the breakdown of items already covered here and in the OOC thread, each PC can take 847gp, 3sp and 6cp and add it to their sheets. There is also a 'slush fund' for the team with another 847gp, 4sp at present. The party also has the following items which were not sold or given away:
These items are available on a first claimed basis, otherwise we will assume they are kept in storage with the party slush fund. DM recalls there were also spell scrolls for Invisibility and Arms of Hadar that were taken by Grugga and Aubrey, respectively. We also need to clarify what becomes of the minor magic item: gloves. If Grugga keeps them he can deduct 50gp from his take. But that also involves not turning over a magic item to the Red Band. Its not clear how they would ever find out, but it is something they warned Rohuzar not to do.
Soon, Leelan's armor is ready, and he is able to pick up a set of Blue Hydra Leather Armor. In additional to sporting a bright blue, crocodile-like pattern, it is sharply tailored with a lapelled vest and pocketed pants. There was enough material left over for a matching wide-brimmed leather hat.
The city has not been idle while you've been away and we will soon discuss recent events upon your return. But first, let's assume a week of downtime to unwind and bask in the success of your first 'big' adventure. How do you all spend your time? DM the DM with sensitive topics but otherwise summarize here how your PC spends the next week.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
As Aubrey's business possibly could be lengthy, he will keep it in DM in order to not clog up the main thread :-)
Day1: Grugga will finish creating his Steel Defender. It's a metal spinning top shaped creation, about 3 feet tall, which fits nicely in the cage on his back. To start it up, he reaches over his shoulder and pulls on a cord connected to a flywheel that spins "Zap's" gyroscope. Zap then pops out of the cage and follows Grugga's commands. The outer ring of Zap has some of those worthless purple crystals that Grugga uses for all his spells, which can transfer power from the gyroscope to create a short-ranged magical blast.
Day 2: Grugga will head to the Red Band in town (Lieutenant Falstaff?) and declare that he'd like to keep these slightly-magical gloves to send to his father, who has arthritis. If that's acceptable, he'll include them in the mail that he's about to send... Later that day he sends express mail to his parents warning his mother that he heard there's a plague that affects only Dwarves moving through the south of Pentwater. It's already affecting the countries to the east, and Dunngenor has closed it's borders - no word on if there are already cases there. He says no to worry and that she'll be getting a letter from Dr. Barr soon(ish) who will be on the front lines fighting the disease. He'll keep her updated.
Later that day he goes to the Lady Miranda Memorial Library to research both symbols, and Leviticus. On the way there he stops by the Basilicae Universalis and talks to the priests of Ord, asking them if they know anything about Leviticus or the cult that's using its symbol. He wisely does not draw the symbol in their temple.
Day 3: He'll head to Bluffton. (I seem to recall Malia lived around here... I wrote down she's from Worden, but don't see it on the map? Is Worden around Bluffton, or am I completely misremembering?) If it's nearby, he'll visit Malia just to check in on her and her family. Then he'll visit the Bishop Cleghorn and introduce himself as Grugga - the priest in Shelley said he'd send word of his arrival. He's being hunted by the entity using Leviticus' mark, and he wants to help destroy the cult. He's with a group of new but moderately-successful mercenaries who will help him, but probably wouldn't be willing to fight a prolonged war without promise of some sort of monetary payoff at the end.
Day 4-5: Any travel required between Bluffton and back. If he has time, he'd like to craft himself something. On my shortlist is a versatile weapon (longsword) and a breastplate. Am I able to craft either in time or do I need to purchase it? I also shop for Smith's Tools and Jeweler's Tools (20 and 25g a piece, respectively) and use my [Tooltip Not Found] to create a set of Tinker's Tools
Day-7: Assuming Aubrey is back, I travel with him to the Midway fishing village and visit the family of the sailors who died (or worse). I'd like to RP this out with Aubrey, but I plan on leaving them some money.
Any left over time will be spent reading those books we found with the necromancers
My plans are public, but long. Feel free to read.
During his week off, Leelan would spend some time compiling the various notes he has taken during their mission and add them to his manuscript. He would also accompany Grugga when he goes to the Lady Miranda Memorial Library to research Fey creatures, as they have had some encounter with such creatures and this part of his manuscript seems to be lacking.
He would also try to find a place to "doll up" his trusty mule Dandelion. She has been through a lot during this trip and deserves a rest as much as anyone else in the party.
Upon receiving his new stylish armor (for which I can’t remember if we had paid in advance), he wonders if it would be possible to dye it in red. He realizes that wearing blue while being part of the Red Band is rather counter-productive. If not possible, he would look into purchasing a red coat to go over his armor.
Finally, he would write some letters to his family and step-family back in the NTF to tell them of his adventures.
Rohuzar’s plans (public but long as well)
Rohuzar is satisfied with the handing of the bodies over to the fourth member of the Banshees, and puts it out of his mind for now.
He writes a letter for Rare Earth Materials to inform them of the outcome of the job. He’ll withhold the info about getting paid by Dawntreader, simply stating that there had been a battle prior to their arrival. He’ll describe a possible cooperation between the Banshees and another force based on what he could observe. The artifact is gone, as are the Carcerimon rangers. The storms made tracking nearly impossible, and the trail is gone. Unable to locate, for now.
Rohuzar will also visit Lt Falstaff. He’ll advocate for Grugga’s virtues, and his assistance to the Red Band, sliding the ring across the table at the same time, but he won’t argue for Grugga to receive the gloves. He’ll also talk about the work they did with assisting another group near Maggie’s Wood with the ogre who used magic.
Then he’ll submit a report on the failed job for Rare Earth. He’ll elaborate on the signs of battle there, and an encounter with an unknown quantity named “Dawntreader.” He will say they retrieved a large amount of the supplies left therein by a cult of necromancers, including 600 platinum pieces (submitted to the guild for their cut). His report will include all of the coin/things they found.
He’d like to ask after Bor bin Saleh, an Orcish cleric of Kryptos working for Lady Shelley. Looking for what Lt Falstaff might know of him.
He’ll then see about banking a chunk of his money. Looking for a retirement fund. 500 gold pieces.
After that, he’s headed to deliver the Bark, inviting Leelan - or anyone else - on the trip if he’s interested.
Paladin - warforged - orange
Grugga, Worden is south of Bluffton, but it is across the border in Fidelis. Its not shown on any of the maps, being a tiny hamlet, but it would be somewhere within the white circle.
For now, anyone doing research at a library, select one topic and give me one History skill check for every day you spend researching.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
I think I'll start with Leviticus, expecting that the priests will give me the "holy canon" answer. Looking for scholarly work on this old god, preferably pre St. Christopher. Though I realize how old that would be.
History:12
Just the 1 day for now, unless it turns out I can't craft anything and would therefore have more time to research.
[DM will post responses to some of the downtime stuff as he gets the chance over the next few days.]
Red Band:
Lt. Falstaff is over the moon with the results of this mission. When Rohuzar and Grugga go to see him, he was in the middle of dressing down another Red Band team leader. Its an older human man with long gray hair pulled back in a pony tail. You don't pick up any details other than apparently this man's crew is not earning enough. "This! This is how you do it. Rohuzar has earned more in two weeks than your team has in over a year. Get out of my office and go get to work!" He basically throws the man out before he has you sit down to get a full report.
He listens close to talk of both the Carcerimon rangers and the Dawntreader. Ultimately he doesn't seem too concerned about any of it. He handwaves away the failure on the contract with Rare Earth Materials. "Yeah, you hate to drop a contract, but would that all our failures turn out to be so profitable. Besides, it sounds like everyone else failed too, and died in the process. So don't beat yourselves up over it. You did good."
He nods his head at Grugga's request, and he unlocks one of his desk drawers and pulls out a tiny tuning fork. He strikes it against the side of his own skull and then holds it over the gloves as it vibrates. Then he nods again, locks the tuning fork back up and considers for a moment. "You have to understand, magical items and material are sensitive. Its an ordeal to get these things processed, registered with the Empire, cleared for resale, etc. etc. However... the enchantment on these gloves is so minor, and your team has excelled so much... I will pull some strings and get this taken care of. Consider it a bonus for big score." [Grugga can keep the gloves.]
Falstaff also makes arrangements for the five of you to receive tailored capes, black with a wide red stripe. It is presented as a gift, but Rohuzar, you get the impression it has a little to do with your groups struggles with getting a consistent uniform down.
Rohuzar:
Falstaff listens to your questions on bin Saleh. "They're a newer crew. But they all had good credentials. A few former legionnaires like yourself. But don't worry about it. We all work together here in the Red Band, but this is a tough business. Part of why we all work so well together is because we don't step on each other's toes. So just trust that those guys know what they're doing."
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War