(thanks. Somehow missed that I hadn't responded to this thread).

"I would much prefer the whole payment up front. Otherwise what is to stop you from just stopping your payments after receiving a few months of income and abandoning the city. That being said, I will go back and check our guild ledgers in full, and I can probably get some terms drawn up to allow the fee to be spread over some length of time. Though obviously with your example, it would need to be 40 dragons per tenday to cover the standard payments on top of the debt payments. And I believe the previous owner was called Biff. No, Cliff? Let me check." and he pulls out a ledger which you can see has the address of Trollskull Manor on the front as he flicks to the last written page. "Ahh. Lif. And I was not privy to how he died, just that he did die. Nothing suspicious about the death based on what I heard."

Oriace listens attentively to Broxley’s response, then nods in agreement. "I understand your concerns, Mr. Fairkettle. We are determined to make this venture a success and to be reliable members of the Fellowship of Innkeepers. We can agree to the payment plan of 40 dragons per tenday to cover the standard payments and the debt payments."

He pauses for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I believe this arrangement would be beneficial for both parties. With this plan, the guild ensures a steady stream of income from us right from the start, rather than waiting for us to gather the full sum by other means which may as well never happen. Your credit allows us to get the inn up and running more quickly, which means we can start contributing to the community and the guild sooner. We are committed to making this work and fulfilling all our obligations. We are a very capable group of performers and surely you know how easily ale flows when the mind is distracted with delighted."

Oriace glances at his companions, seeing their supportive nods, then continues, "But of course, this decision rests with you and your superiors. We are prepared to comply with the terms you set, and we appreciate your understanding and willingness to work with us on this matter."

He smiles warmly at Broxley. "Thank you again for coming to see us, Mr. Fairkettle. We look forward to working closely with the guild and making Trollskull Manor a thriving establishment once more."

"I will return once I have managed to look through for any prior history of this method of loans, and the contract is drafted. Should be in a tenday at most. If I can make this work, I will bring two contracts with me, one for if you have the full sum on hand by then, and one with this proposal we have discussed. Is that satisfactory?"

Sterling instinctively nodded, but remained silent as to not step over Oriace. Now that the business, to his mind, had been concluded, he couldn't help but return to thinking about the mysterious happenings within this "Trollskull Manor." If it wasn't the guilds, and in fact, given Fairkettle's reaction... the possibility of the place being haunted was starting to sound reasonable.

Toser stays in the back and listens quietly to the conclusion of the conversation and then looks around warily again.

Oriace listens attentively to Broxley's proposal, nodding in approval. "Thank you, Mr. Fairkettle. That sounds more than satisfactory. We appreciate your willingness to work with us and look forward to receiving the contract."

As Broxley prepares to leave, Oriace adds, "Before you go, one last question, if I may. In the meantime, while we await the contract, are we allowed to perform for an audience here at the manor? Or would that require membership in a different guild altogether?"

Once Broxley provides his answer and takes his leave, Oriace turns to his companions, his demeanor shifting to one of concern and determination. "All right, everyone. We need to get to the bottom of these disturbances. Does anyone here know a ritual to detect magic or see invisible creatures? We need to ensure there's nothing supernatural causing these issues."

He then joins Toser in examining the area more closely. "Let's see if we can find any tracks or signs of what might be behind these strange happenings," Oriace says, his voice steady and resolute. He begins methodically checking the surroundings, looking for any clues or evidence that might explain the mysterious events at Trollskull Manor (Investigation: 18).

"You do not have to join a guild at all, but the Council of Musicians, Instrument-Makers, & Choristers would be the relevant one. This is more for people who want the high end clients as they will make bookings through the guild. So if you are just looking at performing here, you can get away not joining. If you wanted to hire other people to perform however, and want them to be good, then you should go through the guild, and if they know you also perform without joining them, they might refuse to have their members come here. There are plenty of entertainers not part of the guild, but most of the best are." 

Oriace finds no clues around to explain anything.

 (( Presuming business has concluded and Broxley has left... ))

"Well, we have ten days to try to get the full amount, else we have our payment plan to fall back on." Sterling turned to Oriace and nodded. "Not bad."

Quote from cyreon >>

 "All right, everyone. We need to get to the bottom of these disturbances. Does anyone here know a ritual to detect magic or see invisible creatures? We need to ensure there's nothing supernatural causing these issues."

"Let's see if we can find any tracks or signs of what might be behind these strange happenings,"

Quote from Swiftgale >>

Oriace finds no clues around to explain anything.

The would-be jeweler sighed. "Well, it was worth a look." His eyes then narrowed as he continued, "And that said, just in case..."

Without warning, Sterling quickly turned to the largest empty space in the room and cast Faerie Fire.

(( DC 14 DEX Save. If nothing gets revealed, Sterling will simply dismiss the spell and mutter under his breath, "Hmph. I'll catch him next time." ))

Nothing hidden is revealed. The furniture around there glows a lovely colour of your choice until you dismiss it though 

"I'm telling you,  this place is haunted.  There is no evidence someone is here.  There is a ghost or some other spirit hanging around this place."

He pauses for a moment and looks around again warily.

"We either have it forcibly removed which we would need a priest and money.  Or we figure what it wants and try and placate it so it leaves us alone."

“Maybe there’s some unfinished business this ghost can’t finish. Maybe if we complete its task, it can pass on. I have no idea how we’d communicate, though.”

Mana scratches the side of his bald head and nervously scans the shadows throughout the room.

"We should work this out. Have we noticed anything amiss upstairs? We could try really hands and knees searching down here and upstairs if necessary to see if anything gives us a clue as to the nature of what is happening."

"I don't think we've given the place a thorough, top-to-bottom search; just a walk-through, really. I'm up for that, of course; but if we don't find anything by nightfall, we may just have to find a priest to exorcise the place."

Sterling looked down in thought. "And THAT will probably cost us, too," he murmured. "We're definitely going to need to look for jobs or setup a performance tomorrow."

Putting on a determined face, he stood straight. "I'll head to the attic and start working my way down, if anyone wants to join me."

(( Sterling will head to the attic and search for any clues of a hidden presence, a secret door/passage, or covert entry. Investigation: 12 ))

While you are searching around (and finding nothing at all out of the ordinary), a paper bird, the same type that failed to lead you to Floon, flies through an open window and lands by Wagner. Upon opening it, it reads “Renaer tells us you are a good bet. He bought you tickets to the opera tonight at the Lightsinger Theater in the Sea Ward. If you are interested, meet Mirt at intermission. Private Box C. Formal attire is required for admittance.” Enclosed are tickets for the entire party (seems word has got around of the two new people saying at the Trollskull Manor) to The Fall of Tiamat, an opera sung in Giant describing the evil dragon queen’s defeat at the Well of Dragons.

Quote from Swiftgale >>

While you are searching around (and finding nothing at all out of the ordinary), a paper bird, the same type that failed to lead you to Floon, flies through an open window and lands by Wagner. Upon opening it, it reads “Renaer tells us you are a good bet. He bought you tickets to the opera tonight at the Lightsinger Theater in the Sea Ward. If you are interested, meet Mirt at intermission. Private Box C. Formal attire is required for admittance.” Enclosed are tickets for the entire party (seems word has got around of the two new people saying at the Trollskull Manor) to The Fall of Tiamat, an opera sung in Giant describing the evil dragon queen’s defeat at the Well of Dragons.

 Mana definitely joins in the top to bottom investigation of the Manor, looking especially for damage in any other room(s). Does this ‘ghost’ only have it out for the taproom or is it indiscriminate?

Mana’s face fell at the reading of the last sentence in the invitation.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you all. Even with my costumes and disguise kit, I can’t muster up formal attire. And I’m pretty sure the 10 dragons to my name can’t get me fitted into clothes, fine by tonight.”

Oriace listens carefully to Broxley and thanks him for the information and clarification about the guilds. Once Broxley leaves, Oriace turns to his companions. "We've got a plan in place for the guild payments, which is a good start," he says.

When the paper bird arrives with opera tickets, Oriace reads the message. "It seems we have an invitation to the opera tonight, courtesy of Renaer. This could be a valuable opportunity for us."

Turning to Mana, who expressed concerns about formal attire, Oriace's eyes light up. "Mana, I have an idea. How about we share the expense of a large outfit and disguise ourselves as one larger guest? It could be a fun challenge, and it might just work. What do you say?"

Wagner responds to Mana, "Ooh Mr. Fancypants McGee over here has 10 gold to his name.  I've got 8, and no clothes. Just a costume, and that period military look is NOT in fashion this season. Anyone want to pool funds, buy clothes, keep them clean and then return them tomorrow? This could be key to getting more jobs and getting real money!" 

Quote from cyreon >>

Turning to Mana, who expressed concerns about formal attire, Oriace's eyes light up. "Mana, I have an idea. How about we share the expense of a large outfit and disguise ourselves as one larger guest? It could be a fun challenge, and it might just work. What do you say?"

 Mana lets out an uncontrollable guffaw at the suggestion. He smiles broadly as he contemplates the spectacle. He then tries to size up which of us looks sturdier to carry the other on their shoulders.

”I love it! But when it comes time to sit, how are we going to manage that?”

Quote from Charwoman_Gene >>

Wagner responds to Mana, "Ooh Mr. Fancypants McGee over here has 10 gold to his name.  I've got 8, and no clothes. Just a costume, and that period military look is NOT in fashion this season. Anyone want to pool funds, buy clothes, keep them clean and then return them tomorrow? This could be key to getting more jobs and getting real money!" 

 Mana looks at the party. Seems only Sterling is ‘dressed for success’.

“Has anyone ever negotiated this kind of return? Obviously we’d have to buy ‘off the rack’, because surely the shop would reject a return on anything that has been tailored. And, if I’m not mistaken, we’d have to dip deeply into the ‘tavern fund’ to make this work. Is everyone onboard with giving this a try?”

 "To make what work?" said Sterling as he came back down the stairs. It wasn't clear whether he'd simply not been close enough to hear the prior discussion, or if specifically it was talk of money that had caught his attention.

Seeing the message, he walked over and read it. "What? Oh. Oh, my! An opera! Yes!! Finally!!!" The smile on his face was bigger than any that his companions had ever seen. He almost seemed giddy as he gushed on for a moment about seeing the performance.

"And... formal attire, eh?" he finally said as he regained a bit of composure. "Hmm. I had actually thought about getting some fabrics, but... ah well, I wouldn't have had time to make the clothes by tonight, anyhow. But we can't miss this, this could change everything! So..."

He turned towards Mana. "Yes. Yes, this is worth it. I've got a spare outfit that I can fit for someone, and I'll even chip in from my own purse. And even if we still don't have enough for everyone, hopefully--" he looked at the rest questioningly--"we have enough magic between us all that we can create an illusory outfit? I can design something absolutely impeccable if we need to go that route."