Djoser does not hide or make himself less conspicuous. Nay. For he has never felt more in his natural element than he has in these last few minutes. Djoser stands still, hands folded before him, golden script from Waukeen’s Tenets still faintly glowing at the cuffs of his sleeves.
He does not protest. He acknowledges. “Audit is a sacred function,” he says calmly, reverently. “Where gold moves, so too must light be shed. I welcome your scrutiny.”
His voice does not waver, but his eyes are sharp—watching the glyphs that flicker like minnows across the ledgers, trying to discern what spells are woven into the papers: compulsions meant to confuse, rewrite, or even geas unsuspecting traders into signing away autonomy in the name of compliance.
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
Vic attempts to turn tables on her stealthy follower, slipping into a display of fine tapestries, she uses her invisible mage hand to make it appear as shes moving off in one direction by rustling the fabric, while she finds cover and circles behind her pursuer, using all her stealthy skills to follow and to see what happens next...
Archael, curious as to what spells are being wrought, draws out one of the contracts they were just in the process of completing, when all of a sudden a red line appear across it marking it "Under Review".
Fortunately, this was one of the lesser contracts so only 5 Trade Points are lost when Djoser leans over to study it. Subtle wording in the prohibitions and statements made by the self-proclaimed auditors catch his attention as not having sufficient legal standing - or at least there is enough questionable about their magical audit to cast doubt as he vociferously raises his concerns. These are then quickly taken up by other merchants objecting to the review. In the chaos, the two slip out of the Registrar with the rest of their negotiated papers intact.
Vic, already low and moving, slips into shadow, circling wide. She scales a shallow alcove, waits, and watches. The tail, frustrated, mutters something she can't catch. Two more figures emerge from separate alleys—same subtle garb, same too-smooth gait. The three confer in hushed tones, then disappear down a corridor wrapped in illusory fog.
Timing her movement like a verse between beats, Vic glides from cover and threads through merchant shadows, past levitating spice shelves and whispering walls. She slips under a curtain drawn with sigils of silence, through a creaking hatch left ajar, and finally emerges into the filtered moonlight of the Main Thoroughfare—color, noise, and bustle washing over her like surf.
She’s clear. For now. But someone in the Shadow Market was watching her—closely. Too closely.
((Possible percentage profit set to 39%. Trade HP 93/98))
As the echo of the Audit-Magi’s retreat fades behind them, Djoserlingers just past the registrar's golden threshold, trade documents clutched to his chest like sacred scripture. Though he looks pleased, he doesn't look satisfied. There is always the next negotiation.
He turns to Archael, beside him. Djosersmiles faintly.
He raises a hand in benediction and says: “A merchant once found a phoenix egg in the ash of a burned caravan. He wrapped it in velvet, displayed it in a golden cage, and charged a fortune to glimpse it. When Waukeen passed through his stall in disguise, she asked: ‘Why is it caged?’ The merchant answered, ‘So if it hatches, it won’t fly away.’ Waukeen replied, ‘Wrapped and bound that way, it will never hatch at all.’”
He looks meaningfully at Archael. "Fear of loss can kill growth. Be careful, but do not be afraid of a good opportunity if you see it." With that, he presses a thumb gently to the edge of Archael’s shoulder in a rare, physical gesture of blessing.
Then Djoserturns—robes swaying with deliberate poise—and strides toward the Trade Exchange. He doesn't invite Archael to follow, nor does he reject companionship should Archael decide to accompany him.
Here, Djoserseeks to explore in bulk contract acquisition—not to buy perishable goods or flashy wares, but to secure future rights and routing privileges. He wants to corner small but stable contracts in undervalued or mismanaged sectors—port tariffs, overland -or overrealmspace - caravan routes, even docking priority with third-tier shipping guilds.
He’s not gambling. He’s looking to invest. His eyes and ears search for scan for:
Small contracts nearing expiration or renegotiation
Goods stuck in logistical quagmires that could potentially be freed with divine mediation or legal maneuvering
Franchises in danger of folding under market pressure
And most of all: opportunities others have overlooked because they lack patience. Djoser suspects that in this grand bazaar of planes, profit will not be loud. It whispers in fine print.
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
The young white-haired waterdhavian noble listens attetively to Djoser's lesson on trade and smiles. He knew now he couldn't find a better mentor to teach him about economics and the trading business, and he wouldn't want to miss the chance of being blessed with more lessons, following the waukeenan to Trade Exchange, hoping to contribute by being attentive to fine prints and using his bright mind to calculate the best possible deals for the franchise. His family had been built on generations of conservative trading, what Djoser suggested was something else and the young noble immediately took to the idea of investing with a greater risk for a higher reward.
Keeping a wary eye out, Vic blends into the crowds of the main market and seeks out her companions, to give a report on her progress, and the recent concern, when the time is right.
The young white-haired waterdhavian noble listens attetively to Djoser's lesson on trade and smiles. He knew now he couldn't find a better mentor to teach him about economics and the trading business, and he wouldn't want to miss the chance of being blessed with more lessons, following the waukeenan to Trade Exchange, hoping to contribute by being attentive to fine prints and using his bright mind to calculate the best possible deals for the franchise. His family had been built on generations of conservative trading, what Djoser suggested was something else and the young noble immediately took to the idea of investing with a greater risk for a higher reward.
( History/Investigation: 17 + Guidance: 1 )
The Trade Exchange buzzes with constant motion, but one area thrums louder, sharper—like a hive vibrating around its queen. Archael’s eyes are drawn to the Speculation Pit, a sunken arena of floating ledgers, arcane tickers, and merchants shouting in tongues older than gold. Prices shift mid-sentence, illusions flicker with commodity futures, and magical contracts flash into existence, signed mid-air. It's chaos made ritual, a frenzy of risk and reward. Here, fortunes are forged—or lost—on whispers, winks, and well-timed wagers. Archael steps closer, sensing this is where the market's pulse beats fastest… and where its secrets may be loudest.
High-Risk Speculation Opportunity
How it works:
Choose your investment amount (potential damage) starting at 20TP increasable in 10TP increments.
Make 3 skills rolls (1 of each: Deception, Persuasion & Insight). DC for each is 13.
3 successes: 3x the investment amount damage against the Market
2 successes: 1.5x the investment amount damage against the Market
1 success: break even
0 successes: Your party takes the investment damage you wagered.
If you happen to exceed the Market's Trade Points in the first two cases, the overage will be added to your own TP before assessing profit.
Being primarily an analyst himself, the young white-haired waterdhavian noble realizes that the others in the franchise are most likely much better suited to take on the challenges of the Speculation Pit and hence hurries to collect them all.
Tahlia was on her way to the Trade Exchange next, so she would be easy to find. She'll join you, but as you start to explain things, her eyes might start to glaze over....
Seeing the elf's eyes glaze over, Archael tries to explain again, comparing what happens in the Speculation Pit with simple gambling, trying to read the market as you would an opponent in a game of cards, hoping this will make the technicalities more comprehensible.
catching up to the group, Vic studies the goings on. "Perhaps if we combine our talents, we can have more success? Part of this relies on skill with deception, I can perhaps help there.."
lets try a modest wager (20) to see what comes..
deception 12 in log (does our +2 count here?- if so, 14...
If Archael uses his turn to get the rest back to the pit, then the current initiative order is:
Initiative: Vic -> Tahlia -> MARKET -> Djoser -> Archael (yes, the MARKET will have a turn before you complete all three rolls, when split across the team).
Vic flashes a counterfeit trade sigil with practiced ease, weaving a tale of secret buyers and urgent trades. The merchant listens, expression flat, then softly chuckles. "Wrong circle, wrong sigil." Shadows shift nearby. The deal evaporates like mist, leaving Vic to slip away under watchful eyes and a lesson learned.
((One Failure))
With a radiant smile and a melody in her voice, Tahlia charms a merchant effortlessly. She speaks not just to profit, but to pride, weaving their wares into her tale. By the end, they’re nodding eagerly, offering her better terms than posted—and a gift “for the inspiration.”
((One Success))
Now the MARKET acts.
As the ever-shifting prices ripple through the Speculation Pit, a surge of whispers and sudden buys disturbs the pattern—sharp, synchronized moves, too precise for chance. Archael, standing apart, is noted. A well-dressed elf with ink-stained gloves approaches, flanked by a smirking halfling with mirrored lenses.
“Ah a lordly newcomer. You’ve the mind of a pattern-seer, and we’ve... a window. A brief one. High risk. Higher reward.”
They slide forward a contract etched in shimmering ink, alive with moving numbers.
“A side trade. Private. Unregistered. But profitable—if you’re clever.”
Behind the civility, Archael feels the weave itself twitch. The Market is watching.
Your team's current Trade Point score is: 93/98
MARKET: Archael must make a Wisdom save - DC 13 -> on fail he must then make a straight d20 roll against MARKET (14). Highest number wins, same number is a draw. If Market wins the side trade - the party loses 30 TP. If Archael wins the side trade - the MARKET loses 60TP.
(Archael Arcana: 24)
Arcana: 17
Djoser does not hide or make himself less conspicuous. Nay. For he has never felt more in his natural element than he has in these last few minutes. Djoser stands still, hands folded before him, golden script from Waukeen’s Tenets still faintly glowing at the cuffs of his sleeves.
He does not protest. He acknowledges. “Audit is a sacred function,” he says calmly, reverently. “Where gold moves, so too must light be shed. I welcome your scrutiny.”
His voice does not waver, but his eyes are sharp—watching the glyphs that flicker like minnows across the ledgers, trying to discern what spells are woven into the papers: compulsions meant to confuse, rewrite, or even geas unsuspecting traders into signing away autonomy in the name of compliance.
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
Vic stealth check in log 27!
Vic attempts to turn tables on her stealthy follower, slipping into a display of fine tapestries, she uses her invisible mage hand to make it appear as shes moving off in one direction by rustling the fabric, while she finds cover and circles behind her pursuer, using all her stealthy skills to follow and to see what happens next...
Archael, curious as to what spells are being wrought, draws out one of the contracts they were just in the process of completing, when all of a sudden a red line appear across it marking it "Under Review".
Fortunately, this was one of the lesser contracts so only 5 Trade Points are lost when Djoser leans over to study it. Subtle wording in the prohibitions and statements made by the self-proclaimed auditors catch his attention as not having sufficient legal standing - or at least there is enough questionable about their magical audit to cast doubt as he vociferously raises his concerns. These are then quickly taken up by other merchants objecting to the review. In the chaos, the two slip out of the Registrar with the rest of their negotiated papers intact.
Vic, already low and moving, slips into shadow, circling wide. She scales a shallow alcove, waits, and watches. The tail, frustrated, mutters something she can't catch. Two more figures emerge from separate alleys—same subtle garb, same too-smooth gait. The three confer in hushed tones, then disappear down a corridor wrapped in illusory fog.
Timing her movement like a verse between beats, Vic glides from cover and threads through merchant shadows, past levitating spice shelves and whispering walls. She slips under a curtain drawn with sigils of silence, through a creaking hatch left ajar, and finally emerges into the filtered moonlight of the Main Thoroughfare—color, noise, and bustle washing over her like surf.
She’s clear. For now. But someone in the Shadow Market was watching her—closely. Too closely.
((Possible percentage profit set to 39%. Trade HP 93/98))
Up Next: Djoser -> Archael -> Vic _> Tahlia -> MARKET
Eryndor - Red Dead Annihilation | GM - Volo's Trade Franchise - PF2e Adventures set in the Forgotten Realms
As the echo of the Audit-Magi’s retreat fades behind them, Djoser lingers just past the registrar's golden threshold, trade documents clutched to his chest like sacred scripture. Though he looks pleased, he doesn't look satisfied. There is always the next negotiation.
He turns to Archael, beside him. Djoser smiles faintly.
He raises a hand in benediction and says: “A merchant once found a phoenix egg in the ash of a burned caravan. He wrapped it in velvet, displayed it in a golden cage, and charged a fortune to glimpse it. When Waukeen passed through his stall in disguise, she asked: ‘Why is it caged?’ The merchant answered, ‘So if it hatches, it won’t fly away.’ Waukeen replied, ‘Wrapped and bound that way, it will never hatch at all.’”
He looks meaningfully at Archael. "Fear of loss can kill growth. Be careful, but do not be afraid of a good opportunity if you see it." With that, he presses a thumb gently to the edge of Archael’s shoulder in a rare, physical gesture of blessing.
Then Djoser turns—robes swaying with deliberate poise—and strides toward the Trade Exchange. He doesn't invite Archael to follow, nor does he reject companionship should Archael decide to accompany him.
Here, Djoser seeks to explore in bulk contract acquisition—not to buy perishable goods or flashy wares, but to secure future rights and routing privileges. He wants to corner small but stable contracts in undervalued or mismanaged sectors—port tariffs, overland -or overrealmspace - caravan routes, even docking priority with third-tier shipping guilds.
He’s not gambling. He’s looking to invest. His eyes and ears search for scan for:
And most of all: opportunities others have overlooked because they lack patience. Djoser suspects that in this grand bazaar of planes, profit will not be loud. It whispers in fine print.
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
((don't know what happened to the part about Vic initially, but I fixed the formatting and it should be visible now))
Eryndor - Red Dead Annihilation | GM - Volo's Trade Franchise - PF2e Adventures set in the Forgotten Realms
The young white-haired waterdhavian noble listens attetively to Djoser's lesson on trade and smiles. He knew now he couldn't find a better mentor to teach him about economics and the trading business, and he wouldn't want to miss the chance of being blessed with more lessons, following the waukeenan to Trade Exchange, hoping to contribute by being attentive to fine prints and using his bright mind to calculate the best possible deals for the franchise. His family had been built on generations of conservative trading, what Djoser suggested was something else and the young noble immediately took to the idea of investing with a greater risk for a higher reward.
( History/Investigation: 25 + Guidance: 4 )
Keeping a wary eye out, Vic blends into the crowds of the main market and seeks out her companions, to give a report on her progress, and the recent concern, when the time is right.
The Trade Exchange buzzes with constant motion, but one area thrums louder, sharper—like a hive vibrating around its queen. Archael’s eyes are drawn to the Speculation Pit, a sunken arena of floating ledgers, arcane tickers, and merchants shouting in tongues older than gold. Prices shift mid-sentence, illusions flicker with commodity futures, and magical contracts flash into existence, signed mid-air. It's chaos made ritual, a frenzy of risk and reward. Here, fortunes are forged—or lost—on whispers, winks, and well-timed wagers. Archael steps closer, sensing this is where the market's pulse beats fastest… and where its secrets may be loudest.
High-Risk Speculation Opportunity
How it works:
Choose your investment amount (potential damage) starting at 20TP increasable in 10TP increments.
Make 3 skills rolls (1 of each: Deception, Persuasion & Insight). DC for each is 13.
If you happen to exceed the Market's Trade Points in the first two cases, the overage will be added to your own TP before assessing profit.
Your team's current Trade Point score is: 93/98
Eryndor - Red Dead Annihilation | GM - Volo's Trade Franchise - PF2e Adventures set in the Forgotten Realms
Being primarily an analyst himself, the young white-haired waterdhavian noble realizes that the others in the franchise are most likely much better suited to take on the challenges of the Speculation Pit and hence hurries to collect them all.
Tahlia was on her way to the Trade Exchange next, so she would be easy to find. She'll join you, but as you start to explain things, her eyes might start to glaze over....
Seeing the elf's eyes glaze over, Archael tries to explain again, comparing what happens in the Speculation Pit with simple gambling, trying to read the market as you would an opponent in a game of cards, hoping this will make the technicalities more comprehensible.
catching up to the group, Vic studies the goings on. "Perhaps if we combine our talents, we can have more success? Part of this relies on skill with deception, I can perhaps help there.."
lets try a modest wager (20) to see what comes..
deception 12 in log (does our +2 count here?- if so, 14...
((I believe Vic already used up her +2 on a previous check?))
Eryndor - Red Dead Annihilation | GM - Volo's Trade Franchise - PF2e Adventures set in the Forgotten Realms
(we did, but we decided not to have Vic lead this effort. i posted too soon)
If Archael uses his turn to get the rest back to the pit, then the current initiative order is:
Initiative: Vic -> Tahlia -> MARKET -> Djoser -> Archael (yes, the MARKET will have a turn before you complete all three rolls, when split across the team).
Eryndor - Red Dead Annihilation | GM - Volo's Trade Franchise - PF2e Adventures set in the Forgotten Realms
(I'm not sure where we are with this, so I'm going to roll for Tahlia)
Persuasion: 22
Vic - first check:
Vic flashes a counterfeit trade sigil with practiced ease, weaving a tale of secret buyers and urgent trades. The merchant listens, expression flat, then softly chuckles. "Wrong circle, wrong sigil." Shadows shift nearby. The deal evaporates like mist, leaving Vic to slip away under watchful eyes and a lesson learned.
((One Failure))
With a radiant smile and a melody in her voice, Tahlia charms a merchant effortlessly. She speaks not just to profit, but to pride, weaving their wares into her tale. By the end, they’re nodding eagerly, offering her better terms than posted—and a gift “for the inspiration.”
((One Success))
Now the MARKET acts.
As the ever-shifting prices ripple through the Speculation Pit, a surge of whispers and sudden buys disturbs the pattern—sharp, synchronized moves, too precise for chance. Archael, standing apart, is noted. A well-dressed elf with ink-stained gloves approaches, flanked by a smirking halfling with mirrored lenses.
“Ah a lordly newcomer. You’ve the mind of a pattern-seer, and we’ve... a window. A brief one. High risk. Higher reward.”
They slide forward a contract etched in shimmering ink, alive with moving numbers.
“A side trade. Private. Unregistered. But profitable—if you’re clever.”
Behind the civility, Archael feels the weave itself twitch. The Market is watching.
Your team's current Trade Point score is: 93/98
MARKET: Archael must make a Wisdom save - DC 13 -> on fail he must then make a straight d20 roll against MARKET (14). Highest number wins, same number is a draw. If Market wins the side trade - the party loses 30 TP. If Archael wins the side trade - the MARKET loses 60TP.
Eryndor - Red Dead Annihilation | GM - Volo's Trade Franchise - PF2e Adventures set in the Forgotten Realms
Archael Wis save: 4