DM: Give me a Persuasion Check. 

Ylis Persuasion check 2

OOC: NONononon I got that 2 fair and square!

"Yeah, I figured as much. Hard times here. We get it. And… you’re doing an incredible job."

Morgan studies the map, puzzled.
"I couldn’t help but notice the 'Sacrifice Engines' marked on the map. What the heck is a Sacrifice Engine?!"

He then turns to the others.
"I’d suggest we head to the Taskhand to get a better sense of the situation. He mentioned something like 'mercenary' work, which… yeah, rubs me the wrong way. Still, we might be able to help people while we wait for more information about our dear Jewel of Three Prayers. Things could be connected."

He shrugs.
"And working with (not for...) the military might mean a 'safer' place to sleep, maybe access to equipment. I don’t know. On the way, we could also check out this Ioun Yu Novelties shop. What do you think?"

(OOC: Do we know where the Taskhand’s office is on the map?)

Jacaranda shrugged, " I've got some time to kill before I head back here.......we could combine some light shopping and demon killing...."

Foghome frowns at Ylis. “I wish I could, but the Aurora Watch has their own potion makers and I do not want anything traced to me that would be seen as skirting the law. I love my head exactly where it is and would not enjoy being separated from it.”

“Oh, those.” Foghome says with an air of inevitability. “The Sacrifice Engines are where the Aurora Watch try to herd the demons when the city is flush with fiends. Sometimes, they come in such strong waves, that they cannot easily be contained. So the Watch tries to force them into one of these pits and they pull the lever. Each pit is about 30ft deep and lined with rows of blades. You do not want to be in that pit when it is operational. It is meant to chew up any living thing in it. They were here when the city was taken by ancient heroes. Whatever the servants of the Betrayer Gods used them for, I am certain it was horrible.”

Maggie stiffens and puffs her chest. “The profession of mercenary work is often shrouded in stigma, which I find rather offensive. Many of us who embrace this mantle are, beneath the surface, fundamentally good people shaped by the complexities of our circumstances. While I have participated in numerous assignments that might not be the most palatable to discuss openly, I have also dedicated considerable effort to creating a positive impact, or at the very least, enhancing individual lives.

“For instance, I once undertook the perilous mission of rescuing a nobleman's daughter from a band of ruthless kidnappers who had held her for ransom in a desolate mountain stronghold. Her absence cast a shadow of despair over her family, who were well-respected in their community. After days of meticulous planning and intelligence-gathering, I navigated treacherous terrain, infiltrated the kidnappers' lair under the cover of darkness, and successfully brought her back to her family, restoring hope and joy to their lives.

“On another occasion, I was commissioned to safeguard a troupe of performers traveling through a war-torn region where their artistry had become a rare bright spot amid the chaos. These artists brought joy and laughter to countless souls, often performing unpaid in makeshift venues amidst ruins in addition to their standard performances in grand theaters. My role was to ensure their safety from nomadic banditry that sought to disrupt their tour and empty their coffers. As we traveled together, I not only protected them but also engaged with local communities, helping to establish temporary shelters for those displaced by unforseen circumstances.

“Though the nature of our work can indeed necessitate the taking of lives in the defense of ourselves or others, it does not inherently make us ruthless. Rather, it underscores the nuanced reality that we, too, walk a fine line in a world where morality is often ambiguous. In our quest to fulfill contracts, we grapple with ethical dilemmas that challenge our own principles, reminding us that the concept of good and evil is rarely black and white.

“So you see, mercenary work in itself is not a profession to look down one’s nose at. It is hardly noble on the surface, but it has many parallels to ‘adventuring work’”.

DM: You do not know, but after asking Foghome, he pointed it out to you off panel.

Foghome's mouth hangs open in light of Maggie's mounted defense of her profession, but he shakes his head and composes himself. "Well, if you don't mind, I must attend to my work. Please return at evening, or any evening if you find yourself occupied later today. I commune every evening." He then gestures to the door politely.

Ylis nods in understanding while walking out with the others, "I think that leader dude said he'd be at the Gatehold Barracks. There are soldiers all over, we can ask them for directions when the time comes. And Maggie, if I never said it before you are the epitome of class and necessary violence."

"Since we're sort of exploring, how about we follow the road and see where it takes us?" she gestures toward the left road going north east.

“Foghome, is there a library here? Or some kind of repository of knowledge? If not, can you point us to anyone who might know more about this artifact and its purpose? I also wonder if there are any experts on demonic curses.”

"My experience with mercenaries is a bit different, Maggie. The ones I had the misfortune to meet mostly cared about gold. And don’t get me wrong, for many of them, it wasn’t greed. It was necessity. Fighting was the only thing they knew how to do, so that’s what they kept doing."

He shrugs lightly.

"They fought whoever they were paid to fight. No questions asked. Some couldn’t ask questions. Some chose not to. Others forgot they even could."

Morgan's expression darkens for a moment.

"The idea of letting someone buy my freedom of choice, one piece at a time… that’s what rubs me the wrong way. One of my mothers once told me: if you sell your soul once, the next time it’s just a matter of negotiation."

He laughs and waves it off.
"But don’t take me too seriously. My brain’s weird. Sometimes I feel more righteous stealing from rich people than working for them."

Quote from TeethAgatha >>

"My experience with mercenaries is a bit different, Maggie. The ones I had the misfortune to meet mostly cared about gold. And don’t get me wrong, for many of them, it wasn’t greed. It was necessity. Fighting was the only thing they knew how to do, so that’s what they kept doing."

He shrugs lightly.

"They fought whoever they were paid to fight. No questions asked. Some couldn’t ask questions. Some chose not to. Others forgot they even could."

Morgan's expression darkens for a moment.

"The idea of letting someone buy my freedom of choice, one piece at a time… that’s what rubs me the wrong way. One of my mothers once told me: if you sell your soul once, the next time it’s just a matter of negotiation."

He laughs and waves it off.
"But don’t take me too seriously. My brain’s weird. Sometimes I feel more righteous stealing from rich people than working for them."

Frekor shared some of Morgan's thoughts about mercenaries. And taking in consideration his multiple lifes of experiences, he wanted to chime in.

-You aren't fully wrong on many mercenaries selling their freedom for money and that some view it as a necessity. However, when someone says their decisions were made out of necessity, it only means that they value their life more than morality.- says in a reflexionate tone. He then takes a small breath and continues.

-I'm not saying that mercenaries don't have morals, far from it. What I'm saying is mercenaries, just like every living being, have their own idea on what is morally acceptable and what isn't. It might differ from person to person, but you can't think less of them for that.- adds trying to clarify his idea.

-I've lived long enough to realize that you can live a happy life without bending your morals, even if that costs you having a place to live or die of famine. It is up to you who wins in the battle of your morality against your circumstances. And whoever wins, you'll have to learn to accept it and keep moving foward trying to not lose yourself in the process.- he finishes his deep thought.

The ranger then streches and walks toward the door that leads to the city.

-Anyways. Why don't we look around the city to see what we can find? We can help the people in need and find supplies for the rest of the travel, before coming back to meditate with Foghome to learn more about the necklace.- says with a kind smile so that there wouldn't be animosity in the group for the "mercenary talk".

Jacaranda listened to the treatises on the fundamental aspects of mercenary work with a slightly amused expression, noted the mention of libraries or repositories and added it to the list.

" Shop, library, barracks, slaughter of any demons we come across......and then back here."

" Food in there somewhere......I'm sure the local cuisine is...interesting."

Maggie offers a rare smile to Ylis in response. She nods slightly in respect as well, though her expression becomes flat as stone as Morgan continues to press the issue, though it becomes thoughtful as Frekor chimes in.

Foghome’s brow pinches. “I’m afraid not. At least not one that I am aware of. This is a military outpost more than a city. However, there may be some place of military study. I would ask the Taskhand about that. If he is unavailable, I might check The Ready Room. It’s a bar and kitchen. You would be surprised at what you can learn in a place like that. It is a military and civilian hot spot.”

Ayo and her group nod to Foghome and join Frekor.

DM: Nudging the party along in a group so the wheels find the road.

The party bids farewell to Foghome for now and leave the ruined temple. Not having anything better to do, the party follows Ylis’ suggestion to head up the road northeast. This is the road to the first market Foghome identified for the party. Passing by some spartan looking housing units and a small pig farm, the party comes to the raised, circular dais. The dais has a low wall, enough for a small bit of Cover in a fight. Standing on the platform are three Kryn soldiers, all armed with crossbows and spears. Interestingly, the dais has a path of stairs leading down below. There are nine deep pools of water in shaped stone wells on the outside of the short wall.

One of the soldiers notes the party approaching. He dips a censor in one of the wells of water and flicks it at the party. “Just checking.” He says with a satisfied grunt. “Well water is blessed today. We have a cleric below performing a ritual that will turn it into holy water. You are free to drink at your leisure or take some with you. Please keep your hands where I can see them though. The Abyss is not above using mortal agents to poison our well.”

People around the dais can be seen approaching slowly to gather water in buckets. Some take note of the party, making murmurs about how they recognize you as the people who came to help earlier today and that you have the Hell Horse.

The market here is mostly perishable foodstuff with import dates. None of the dates are older than a couple days and those older than today are marked at a steep discount. Some other vendors are selling laborer tools, a craftsman near the soldiers is selling wooden shields and clubs; weapons too mundane to be of interest to the Dynasty here. Likely deeply ineffective against demons, but business for this vendor seems to be good so it might just be that the vendor is selling peace of mind more than the functionality.

DM: This is but one market. If you have anything in mind you seek, please state so and give a Perception Check.

Ylis takes it all in with a look of mild curiosity. Every market has its own vibe - the people here are resilient. She approaches the well and bows in respect while signing a hand gesture to the Moonweaver. "Thank you kindly for sharing this wonderful resource." she calls to the guards. She fills her water skin with the holy water and from the skin fills her ink pots with a small portion as well. With a few drops she then blesses everybody's knees and Bombur's shoulder.

She keeps her eyes open for a vendor selling inks, parchment, and such. "Self! also look for a flask vendor!", you never know when you might want a flask of holy water. Oh and the jug of booze needs to be divvied up as well.

"And carrots!"

Ylis Perception check if needed 19

Morgan thanks with a nod the soldier and follows Ylis' example. He fills his water skin with holy water. Then, he moves to the side and leaves the place for the next one.

Ylis easily finds a book vendor here. A middle-aged halfling woman with a permanently furrowed brow sits on a stool at a podium in front of her open tent, which displays all her wares and shields them from any weather. Her dark curls roll off her shoulder and she does little to flag down buyers. Rather, she sits and reads at the podium, her hairy feet lightly swing from her stool. Behind her, Ylis can see various books. Many non-fiction covering history, nature, arcane textbooks, and politics. She also has some fiction. A fresh copy of Tusk Love sits high on a shelf, where it can be seen but not touched. There are also an assortment of paper, of high weight and low, parchment of high quality and low, and a variety of pens and quills. Large jugs of ink for refilling small customer bottles, along with small bottles can also be seen for sale. She seems enraptured in a book of some kind and based on the flushed cheeks, it may very well be another copy of the infamous romance novel.

Several vendors are selling foodstuff. Meats hang in one stall, while fruits and vegetables can easily be found, along with carrots. These are cheap and most are being sold in bulk to move the produce quickly. A single silver will provide enough carrots for everyone for a day. If you are willing to chance the food past a day old, three times as much can be bought for the same price. 

"Hello there!" the bunny girl waves. "I am looking for special inks to do some scribing of spells. Do you have such?"

OOC: I don't know what exactly she needs to scribe the Shield spell onto the tortoise amulet. Enough supplies to do it three times and a Cure Wounds scroll also. According to the PHB it's 100 gp. But I'll go with current market price.

Jacaranda buys a large amount of fruit and veg that's a few days old.....she's eaten worse and the stewpot hides a multitude of sins.

Also a bunch of carrots for the horse.....and Ylis.....

She gives the novel a long slow considered look....then turns to the woman, " What other...novels....do you have?"

Not particularly interested in steamy romance, Morgan sticks close to Ylis. When he hears the bunny girl mention ink, something clicks in his head.

"Incense! Uh... I mean…" He clears his throat and turns to the vendor. "Do you have any incense? The kind used for rituals. I guess all incense is used for rituals, technically… but arcane rituals. Or do you know where I could get some?"

Quote from Erik_Soong >>

 

One of the soldiers notes the party approaching. He dips a censor in one of the wells of water and flicks it at the party. “Just checking.” He says with a satisfied grunt. “Well water is blessed today. We have a cleric below performing a ritual that will turn it into holy water. You are free to drink at your leisure or take some with you. Please keep your hands where I can see them though. The Abyss is not above using mortal agents to poison our well.”

People around the dais can be seen approaching slowly to gather water in buckets. Some take note of the party, making murmurs about how they recognize you as the people who came to help earlier today and that you have the Hell Horse.

 

Frekor closes his now wet eye in reflex.

-No problem, I get it.- tells the guard while wiping his eye.

Frekor fills his water skin just like his companions.

-Thank you sir for the water. I'll make sure to use it wisely.- says to the guard before stepping to the side to let the civilians can take holy water to their homes.

-Take only the amount you'll need so that everyone has their share.- says to the people with a smile while moving away.

Quote from Damian_May >>

Jacaranda buys a large amount of fruit and veg that's a few days old.....she's eaten worse and the stewpot hides a multitude of sins.

Also a bunch of carrots for the horse.....and Ylis.....

She gives the novel a long slow considered look....then turns to the woman, " What other...novels....do you have?"

 Frekor follows Jaracanda's sight to the novel and smirks.

-"Tusk Love", I remember when it came out. Almost every girl was reading it, in secret or not, and the boys and adults didn't fall behind either. It was those books everyone read, but few wanted to admit to it. Ha! those were the good all days.- says while looking to the distance remembering the past.

Jacaranda nodded to Frekor, " Yes.....I read it when I first left home.  But I'm looking for something a little more Ophelia than Oskar......"