"So, this is Varkenbluff, not quite a city of wonders but quite likely a city of opportunities if I may say so." Luci says confidently, showing the others in his crew the local landmarks and regaling them with some anecdotes on different bars and taverns where he used to perform and entertain, being particularly popular with the ladies altough quite a few men too were part of his fan base. He fails to mention Lux yet though as this is something of a sensetive issue for him, having lost his home to a local crime boss. "So, anything you need and I will take you there." He says as the crew saunters through Varkenbluff towards their rendezvous point.

Windarë walks along quietly, not paying a lot of attention to the tour as she was familiar with Varkenbluff from past visits. The smell of baked goods does draw her attention though. Her stomach rumbles a bit. "I could use a small bit of baked bread Luci. Since you're offering. I did mention missing breakfast, and we left before I had anything."

     Dubh follows and half listens to their tour guide.  The city is not totally unfamiliar and he is sure he would learn more prowling through it alone some, or many, nights but for now he just serenely walks along.  

"Dr Dannell did imply in their letter that their need to meet was urgent.  And if they are the professor that I am thinking of, they were not one for unwarranted hyperbole.  I would rather not make any stops unless we must.  Here,"  Joorin pulls at a tie around his belt and underhands the half-elf a small pouch.  Inside is a trail mix, a mixture of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.  Its size appears to be a hearty snack for a being of Joorin's stature, but for someone of a more "normal" size it is just below what some might consider meager. "Can that tide you over until we meet with the professor?  Once we know the reason for their urgency we can make more informed decisions on if we have time for a full repast."

Joorin pauses at an intersection...looking up and down the cross street with an expression of perplexity.  "Oh bother.  Its been too long since my semester visiting the university here.  Luci, do you know the way to the Sage's Quill?  I'm getting turned around.  Many of the streets look the same from this angle, not a proper fair folk road to be found."

Windarë nods, smiling at Joorin. "Thank you, this will be fine. Let's keep moving." 

"The Sage's Quill? That dreary place, just a lot of bookish..." Luci starts, then glancing at Joorin and Windarë. "Anyway, I suppose it could do for recieving a contract." Luci says with a smile while casually offering Windarë something that turns out to be a fresh apple and cinnamon sweet roll. "There you go Ms. Treynori, something sweet for something sweet." He says with a confident smile. "The Sage's Quill should be right over here I think." He adds to the lucky halfling, motioning down the street while walking.

Parramatta followed along quietly, why did everyone talk so much...

Because of Lucifer’s familiarity with Varkenbluff, you manage to find your way to the University District fairly easily. The Sage's Quill is a quiet, plush tavern that caters to the city's academics and intellectuals. It is located next to the Varkenbluff Museum of Natural History, less than a mile from Varkenbluff University.

As you enter the Sage's Quill, soft light reveals mahogany furniture and luxurious carpets. A few genteel patrons murmur in the lounge. You soon notice a purple-hooded figure tucked into a corner booth.

Dr. Dannell gestures for you to sit. You notice lines of worry etched into her face.

"I assume you are the one our esteemed scholarly halfling is supposed to meet here." Luci says as he takes a seat opposite the purple-hooded figure in the booth, flashing the waitress  a smile to make her take his order of a glass of wine. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lucifer Morningstar, yes the performer, but also a friend of Joorin's." He continues, offering his hand in a handshake. "I hope you don't mind him bringing us along, his close friends and companions. I'm sure we can make something about that worry etched into your face." He says with with a confident smile, tilting his head slightly. "Well, as long as it pays well that is."

Seeing Dr. Dannell in person clicked the pieces together in Joorin's brain. A dusty lecture hall with tools and weapons from ancient cultures hanging in the walls.  Study and erudition is part and parcel of becoming a Mage, but weren't they supposed to be studying magic?  Why did they have to know about the political machinations of some empire that burned itself down before the start of the previous age?

It was a true testament to his lucky nature that he made it through the class with not only a passing grade, but the favorable impression of the professor. 

"Dr. Dannell, it's nice to see you again." Joorin clambers up onto the booth and afterwards seeing his options decides to stand on the cushion rather than having his head barely peek above the table. As an added benefit, for a short time he is the tallest among those seated at the table, if only by an inch or two. 

"Your missive sounded rather urgent. Shall we presume the normal pleasantries have been dispensed and move directly to the reason for your summons?  If you prefer we could start with introductions, but to be frank I am not sure I know everyone's name perfectly myself quite yet. I have sort of fallen into a crowd of problem solvers...and it seemed interesting enough to pursue for the time being."

Windarë accepted the sweet roll from Luci with a faint smile, although she tried hard to keep her expression neutral. "Thanks," she says in an almost whisper. The rest of the seeds and dried fruit she sticks in her pack.

Walking along with the others, she holds the sweet roll carefully with her fingers to avoid getting sticky. She quickly finishes it off before they arrive at the Sage's Quill.

Stepping inside she looks around at the fine decor of the place. She listens and as Luci and then Joorin greets the purple-hooded woman. She remains standing, waiting to see what Dr. Danelle's response is.

     Dubh finds a wall to lean against near the door.  His aim is to ge close enough in case of trouble but to allow the halfling to conduct his business without interference.  At least not by himself.  Joorin can divulge details later, if he wished.

“Mr. Quickstep, thank you for coming so quickly," she says. With a nod to Luci she responds, “Not at all, in fact I was counting on more than just Mr. Quickstep here. Lucky as he may be, the task at hand is not a one person job as I recently learned the hard way. You see, a few weeks ago I attended a dig in the Murkmire that unearthed a furrowed, light-green stone that has become known as the Murkmire Stone. I can elaborate if you insist, but the bottom line is that it isn't a stone at all—it's the egg of an eldritch horror. Moreover, my research indicates it'll hatch at midnight tonight.

"Trouble is, no one will listen to me. The university ignored me. I have not told them of my extracurricular studies into the occult and so they think me a simple anthropologist. I tried to take matters into my own hands but I was caught trying to steal the egg from the museum and I almost ended up in prison. Now I've been fired, the Murkmire Stone display at the museum opens tomorrow, and the egg is about to hatch!”

”I need someone to obtain the Murkmire Stone by any means necessary and bring it back so I can try to save the city!"

"A museum? Well I'm afraid that will cost you extra to make me visit such a dreary place." Luci says with some indignation, only half-joking it seems. "We will of course see to that the acquiring of this still to be made eldritch omelette is taken care of, assuming of course we can agree on a price for our services." He says, leaning back and smiling confidently, waiting for a really good offer before discussing the job any further.

Persuasion if needed to negotiate for the best price possible: 11

Joorin smiled somewhat apologetically to the professor.  "As I said, I have fallen in with a group of...problem solvers.  And since they solve problems professionally, they are wont to be compensated for their skills.  I of course would be happy to look into the matter on the basis of a professional courtesy...but unfortunately I am finding my own research to be rather draining on the money pouch.  And now that I am a graduate of my fair school, they don't see fit to provide me with a stipend.  Apparently I have to be willing to work for them to continue getting housing and allowance.  Slavery I say.

From what I have seen of our erstwhile spokesperson here, they won't let us be guided  too far down the road of logistics without having the matter of  recompense settled.  So we should probably start there.  Did the university provide you with any kind of severance that could help retain our aid?"

(I will assist Lucifer with his persuasion and cast guidance as well.  Since I am not at all skilled at persuasion though I will opt to let Lucifer take the assistance as advantage on his roll.  Oberon, reroll to see if you get a higher d20 and then also add a d4 to your end result.)

Parr nodded, " Egg. Museum. Time sensitive."

" Do you have means to destroy or contain the egg?"

" Got a map?  This seems pretty simple."

(Thanks Bounces, will do. Another persuasion roll for Luci then: 18 And a guidance roll: 4 :-) 

Dr. Dannell looks only mildly annoyed at the crew’s immediate negotiation. She had been planning to offer 20gp each but she now sees that she will have to up the offer to 30gp each.

”In addition,” she says as she produces a vintage leather handbag, “this bag of holding has been in my family for generations. You can have it and everything inside.”

Slightly startled by the strange looking birdperson she recovers her composure quickly and elaborates, “There is a map in the bag. I made it myself by wandering the museum’s public spaces. My research indicates that the egg cannot be damaged or destroyed, but I have found a way to construct a containment device that I believe will put the egg back into a dormant state. If you bring it to me in time that is.”

”There is sure to be security systems after regular business hours that are not on my map. They definitely have alarms and I counted 12 guards. The best chance for you to see the museum for yourselves is the gala planned for this evening to celebrate the opening of the Murkmire Stone exhibit. I took the liberty of procuring five tickets and five sets of formal attire, one of them Halfling size,” she adds with a gesture toward the heirloom bag of holding and a halfhearted smile at Joorin.

”The curator is an elf named Alda. She will surely have details of the museum’s security, probably in her office.”

     "The guards," Dubh inquires.  "Do you know where any live? Could be found?"

“I don’t know any of the guards and I don’t know when they change shifts.”