You all meet in a tavern. The Tavern of Laom, to be specific. It’s small- what can you expect from a tiny hamlet of barely triple digits?- but has been kept in immaculate form. It’s rather crowded, and you aren’t the only fledgling adventurers here. You’re not here because you’re about to be drawn into a bar fight (probably), or because you are about to meet a mysterious benefactor (you already have). Taross of Eldewick has sponsored you, fledgling dungeoneers, and he needs to send you a few documents.
That’s what the man sitting in front of you is here for. He is a short-haired elf clad in light brown garb and has turquoise skin dappled with sea-green freckles. “I’m Agrix”, he says, “I work for the lord of Eldewick. Please, take a seat and introduce yourselves to me.”
“Lyssa Silvershield of the Fallowfield village watch.”
A tall, broad-shouldered woman steps forward, her raven-dark hair tumbling past her shoulders in thick, wind-swept waves. She presents herself with a crisp salute. Her armor gleams with a polished brilliance, catching the light as though it held a glow of its own.
A shield rests across her back, emblazoned with a sunburst emblem, while a longsword hangs at her hip in a well-worn sheath.
“And these two are with me,” she says officiously, casting a sharp glance toward Stonecutter and Corgan as she gestures to them.
A small, around 3' tall, young (17ish) male halfling walks in Lyssa. He introduces himself "My name is Howard Stonecutter. I am a wizard by trade, and I'm not a crook." He adds even though no one mentioned anything about it so he blushes with a bit of embarrassment. He sits himself down, ready to discuss the next steps, and to put this all behind him.
"Ah, yes. I believe I'm aware of your predicament." He pulls a metal rod emblazoned with a crest on one end, seemingly too long to fit into a small bag resting on the floor next to him. "This is a branding rod" he says, "This one is magical, so it won't physically mark you, and I may dispel it should the need arise." After showing it off, he stows it back in the sack.
Agrix turns to Lyssa. "It's standard procedure to offer it in circumstances like these. If you wish, I can apply it to those two. You'll be able to sense their general location while it is active. There will also be a few more unusual wrinkles in the nature of what both you and they need to sign, but we'll get there when we get there."
"Would you and your friend", he nods towards Myrrion, "Like something to eat while we discuss matters?"
The silver dragonborn in heavy armor answers, "I am Myrrhion Silvervein, but you can call me Myr. I'm a wondering Paladin, looking for good deeds that need doing. At the moment I'm helping Lyssa keep an eye of the two suspects that profess their innocence. A bit to eat sounds wonderful."
"A common answer to that procedure. If you would kindly give me a second..."
Agrix rises, his brown robe swishing. He takes only a few steps across the tiny tavern to reach the equally small bar. He exchanges a few words and a few coins with the barkeep before returning.
"Unfortunately, this village is too small for the restaurant to have much on the menu, but they do have alcohol and Pot-au-Feu. It should come for us in only a few minutes. Now... the matter at hand. There are essentially three items for us to talk about."
He pulls a pair of papers out of the bag. "These are your contracts. In short, you're paid on commission. You find a relic, you bring it to me, and you get a reward. You don't bring it to me and you get your contract voided," he starts, "There are exceptions, of course, for if you're forced to consume an item, and there are a few other things you can earn money from, but those are rare."
"These two,"Agrix says, nodding to Howard and Corgan in turn, "Don't get contracts. Due to them being here as a punishment, they're dependent on your contracts. If you two don't have questions, you can just sign, but I expect that you do."He pauses for an ever-so-brief moment before addressing the convicts. "Oh! And you two as well, of course. Even if you aren't signing the contract, you still have a right to understand its contents."
(OOC: Pot-au-Feu is a French food, cooked slowly over hours if not days. It is basically a thick stew with extremely tender meat.)
Lyssa isn't sure what it is and her pronunciation of it is terrible, but she's starving and will take just about anything.
"My father assigned me to this duty. I don't need to know anything else about the contracts," she waves a dismissive hand, trusting that her father has done his due diligence.
Myr is happy with anything, she wasn't a picky eater. As she looks over the contract, she asks,, "For that matter, how do we know if we've found a relic?"
Howard's eyes go wide with a look of horror when Agrix pulls and announces the 'brading rod', but settles down when Lyssa says it won't be necessary. He also nods in appreciation for the food.
Agrix answers Lyssa first. "Any sort, really. Helps if it's magical, but as long as it's interesting, there'll be someone willing to buy it."
He shifts his attention to Myr. "And, Myrrion, it should be obvious when you find an artifact. Magic items, the occasional book, deactivated constructs... As long as someone will buy it, it'll count."
After finishing his meal and giving a polite burp, Corgan pushes away his plate and leans back in his chair. "That was pretty good. So...where do we go now?"
When there is a break in conversation he will whisper to Lyssa, "Thank you for saving us from the branding," shivering, "that would have been awful."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
Lyssa gives a subtle nod to Corgan. Though her expression is still stern, she replies in an understanding whisper, "You are here to serve a sentence and redeem yourself. You are not a slave to be tagged."
To Agrix and the group, she says, "How long is each expedition into the dungeon?"
”Really, how long the trips are are dependent on how long you want them to be… some groups will stay a dungeon for months, some barely spend a night in one. In a larger dungeon like this that has some built up infrastructure, I might come down to you at a waystop or other safe point instead of you coming up if you ask. I’d say most groups spend a week or two at most in a dungeon before surfacing to resupply.”
Myr asks, "Travel rations will work for food, but what about water? Will we be able to refill water skins? After all, water for a day is heavier than food for a day."
"A good question", Agrix replies, "Those waystops I mentioned earlier will ease the burden there. It's a bit pricey, but they usually haveAlchemy Jugs to produce water for you there. This dungeon is small enough that you all should be able to get back to one of the waypoints in a day, even if you venture pretty far out."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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You all meet in a tavern. The Tavern of Laom, to be specific. It’s small- what can you expect from a tiny hamlet of barely triple digits?- but has been kept in immaculate form. It’s rather crowded, and you aren’t the only fledgling adventurers here. You’re not here because you’re about to be drawn into a bar fight (probably), or because you are about to meet a mysterious benefactor (you already have). Taross of Eldewick has sponsored you, fledgling dungeoneers, and he needs to send you a few documents.
That’s what the man sitting in front of you is here for. He is a short-haired elf clad in light brown garb and has turquoise skin dappled with sea-green freckles. “I’m Agrix”, he says, “I work for the lord of Eldewick. Please, take a seat and introduce yourselves to me.”
“Lyssa Silvershield of the Fallowfield village watch.”
A tall, broad-shouldered woman steps forward, her raven-dark hair tumbling past her shoulders in thick, wind-swept waves. She presents herself with a crisp salute. Her armor gleams with a polished brilliance, catching the light as though it held a glow of its own.
A shield rests across her back, emblazoned with a sunburst emblem, while a longsword hangs at her hip in a well-worn sheath.
“And these two are with me,” she says officiously, casting a sharp glance toward Stonecutter and Corgan as she gestures to them.
A small, around 3' tall, young (17ish) male halfling walks in Lyssa. He introduces himself "My name is Howard Stonecutter. I am a wizard by trade, and I'm not a crook." He adds even though no one mentioned anything about it so he blushes with a bit of embarrassment. He sits himself down, ready to discuss the next steps, and to put this all behind him.
D&D since 1984
"Ah, yes. I believe I'm aware of your predicament." He pulls a metal rod emblazoned with a crest on one end, seemingly too long to fit into a small bag resting on the floor next to him. "This is a branding rod" he says, "This one is magical, so it won't physically mark you, and I may dispel it should the need arise." After showing it off, he stows it back in the sack.
Agrix turns to Lyssa. "It's standard procedure to offer it in circumstances like these. If you wish, I can apply it to those two. You'll be able to sense their general location while it is active. There will also be a few more unusual wrinkles in the nature of what both you and they need to sign, but we'll get there when we get there."
"Would you and your friend", he nods towards Myrrion, "Like something to eat while we discuss matters?"
The silver dragonborn in heavy armor answers, "I am Myrrhion Silvervein, but you can call me Myr. I'm a wondering Paladin, looking for good deeds that need doing. At the moment I'm helping Lyssa keep an eye of the two suspects that profess their innocence. A bit to eat sounds wonderful."
Lyssa appears to weigh the brand for a moment, her stern features sharpened further by a contemplative frown. At length, she shakes her head.
“That won’t be necessary. We can keep an eye on them.”
She unfastens the shield from her back and sets it down beside the chair before easing herself into it.
“Food would be welcome. Thank you. For Stonecutter and Corgan as well.”
They may be criminals, but even those who stray from the light deserve to eat.
"A common answer to that procedure. If you would kindly give me a second..."
Agrix rises, his brown robe swishing. He takes only a few steps across the tiny tavern to reach the equally small bar. He exchanges a few words and a few coins with the barkeep before returning.
"Unfortunately, this village is too small for the restaurant to have much on the menu, but they do have alcohol and Pot-au-Feu. It should come for us in only a few minutes. Now... the matter at hand. There are essentially three items for us to talk about."
He pulls a pair of papers out of the bag. "These are your contracts. In short, you're paid on commission. You find a relic, you bring it to me, and you get a reward. You don't bring it to me and you get your contract voided," he starts, "There are exceptions, of course, for if you're forced to consume an item, and there are a few other things you can earn money from, but those are rare."
"These two," Agrix says, nodding to Howard and Corgan in turn, "Don't get contracts. Due to them being here as a punishment, they're dependent on your contracts. If you two don't have questions, you can just sign, but I expect that you do." He pauses for an ever-so-brief moment before addressing the convicts. "Oh! And you two as well, of course. Even if you aren't signing the contract, you still have a right to understand its contents."
(OOC: Pot-au-Feu is a French food, cooked slowly over hours if not days. It is basically a thick stew with extremely tender meat.)
A blue skinned frogman plops gumpily near Lyssa, "Hey I even have a witness, him", pointing at Harold "I'm no sneak thief."
"Yeah I WAS following the girl, and yeah I DID enter the house, but I swear I didn't take anything." he holds his hand up.
---
"Anyway, yeah, I'll sign up. That beefy lady won't let me out of her sight. She's so rough! I have tender skin you know..."
---
At least the food is decent. Better than anything i could make.
----
"Pleasure to meet you all." Not exactly but what am I supposed to say?
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
"I'll have some of the Pot-au-Feu."
Lyssa isn't sure what it is and her pronunciation of it is terrible, but she's starving and will take just about anything.
"My father assigned me to this duty. I don't need to know anything else about the contracts," she waves a dismissive hand, trusting that her father has done his due diligence.
"What sort of relics are we looking for?"
Myr is happy with anything, she wasn't a picky eater. As she looks over the contract, she asks,, "For that matter, how do we know if we've found a relic?"
Howard's eyes go wide with a look of horror when Agrix pulls and announces the 'brading rod', but settles down when Lyssa says it won't be necessary. He also nods in appreciation for the food.
D&D since 1984
Agrix answers Lyssa first. "Any sort, really. Helps if it's magical, but as long as it's interesting, there'll be someone willing to buy it."
He shifts his attention to Myr. "And, Myrrion, it should be obvious when you find an artifact. Magic items, the occasional book, deactivated constructs... As long as someone will buy it, it'll count."
After finishing his meal and giving a polite burp, Corgan pushes away his plate and leans back in his chair. "That was pretty good. So...where do we go now?"
When there is a break in conversation he will whisper to Lyssa, "Thank you for saving us from the branding," shivering, "that would have been awful."
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Lyssa gives a subtle nod to Corgan. Though her expression is still stern, she replies in an understanding whisper, "You are here to serve a sentence and redeem yourself. You are not a slave to be tagged."
To Agrix and the group, she says, "How long is each expedition into the dungeon?"
”Really, how long the trips are are dependent on how long you want them to be… some groups will stay a dungeon for months, some barely spend a night in one. In a larger dungeon like this that has some built up infrastructure, I might come down to you at a waystop or other safe point instead of you coming up if you ask. I’d say most groups spend a week or two at most in a dungeon before surfacing to resupply.”
"Very well. We should stock up enough provisions for a week at least then," Lyssa suggests, nudging her pack with her foot.
"I assume there's no guarantee we'll be able to find suitable food in there?"
"No guarantees but I'm sure we can work something out."
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
"Unless you want to hunt for your food, no, you aren't going to find much to eat inside a dungeon."
Myr asks, "Travel rations will work for food, but what about water? Will we be able to refill water skins? After all, water for a day is heavier than food for a day."
"A good question", Agrix replies, "Those waystops I mentioned earlier will ease the burden there. It's a bit pricey, but they usually have Alchemy Jugs to produce water for you there. This dungeon is small enough that you all should be able to get back to one of the waypoints in a day, even if you venture pretty far out."