Nijal walks into the tavern and heads to the bar. After pouring himself a pint he heads over to the rest of the party.
"Gents, I've commissioned an interesting piece from our neighbors here in Trollskull Alley. It is a chest with a false bottom. It is filled with extremely heavy weights but appears to be filled with gold ingots. The ingots are actually just gold plated iron bars. The idea is that it serves as a bit of a lure and a bit of a trap. Opening it, the would be thief will be awe struck at their good fortune as they gaze upon a chest full of gold bars. Upon trying to move this chest or unload it, the thief has opened themselves up to be caught as they either try to unload the gold or move the entire chest. You then use that opening to grab the culprit. It seems overly simple but it is surprisingly effective. I learned it during my time abroad from a traveling companion. His methods were.....different but effective. They will be able to deliver it the day before The Battle of the Bards. I figured we might be able to use it to catch the Black Viper since Lady Esvele is under the impression there is a chest full of gold in our cellar. It is an option we can use now, later or never, if that is what we want to do."
Nijal takes a long drink from his pint and looks around at this party members one by one as he does. He comes to Lucian last and stops,
"Good job by the way. I'll admit, I had a different plan in mind but it's hard to find fault with the outcome. By the time I realized you were up to something it was too late. I had already gotten....irritated and let it get the best of me. Next time we should put our heads together beforehand if possible. Just being on the same page would make us that much more formidable in those situations. Maybe we could agree upon a phrase that easily fits into any conversation, it would need to be unique enough not to be mistaken, to let the other person know that there was some sort of ruse or play at hand. Or maybe your bardic knowledge has taught you a way to communicate without alerting others around us. Maybe a reference to Our Smiling Lady. If I recall, you've mentioned her in passing before."
A look of bewilderment comes across Nijal's face suddenly as if he had almost forgot something important and he turns to Chen,
"No one has seen this Blushing Bride in port here. There is no sign of it at all. No sightings, signs, or anything. Where the hell is this unmistakable ship anchored at if the crew is here watching you? Is there anything you can tell us about how old Whitecaps runs his boat when at port? Have you seen anymore of these bastards around the city lately or have they moved on already?"
"Can do. When a game is afoot, and there is time to clue you in, I will. Fortune favors the bold, and often the best way to play the hand is to keep it close to your chest. You know that well as a gambling man. Don't take my impulsivity as mistrust, just playing the game.
In terms of the Viper. I think we need to build a strong case before we bring anything against her. Trying to put ourselves against a noble woman with such little evidence sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."
Pulling aside Nijal and talking in private.
"I know what this may sound like, but I feel it is wise to bring up the possibility. Could it be Chen is hallucinating these images? I've heard of traumatic experiences bringing about all sorts of delusions. He may need help in a different way than we believe"
"The thing I would like to address next is the 7 murders that have happened in the field ward over the last 7 days. If we let them keep it up, it could be Cailyn or one of the kids next"
"The thing I would like to address next is the 7 murders that have happened in the field ward over the last 7 days. If we let them keep it up, it could be Cailyn or one of the kids next"
Chen is 100% behind that. He doesn't really communicate it verbally, but he is nodding his head the whole time you are talking.
"Can do. When a game is afoot, and there is time to clue you in, I will. Fortune favors the bold, and often the best way to play the hand is to keep it close to your chest. You know that well as a gambling man. Don't take my impulsivity as mistrust, just playing the game.
In terms of the Viper. I think we need to build a strong case before we bring anything against her. Trying to put ourselves against a noble woman with such little evidence sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."
Pulling aside Nijal and talking in private.
"I know what this may sound like, but I feel it is wise to bring up the possibility. Could it be Chen is hallucinating these images? I've heard of traumatic experiences bringing about all sorts of delusions. He may need help in a different way than we believe"
"That will work fine. It wasn't a trust issue, just to be clear. We were just playing the game two different ways and your play was good enough it took me too long to notice that it was even a play at all. If anything take it as a compliment towards your ability. We won't always have the time to clue each other in but it would seem that these sort of situations are coming up all too often in this city. As for the Black Viper, her nobility is why I think we have to catch her in the act as the Black Viper. She will definitely conceal her identity when she takes to the streets to pursue her criminal desires. Revealing her to be none other than Esvelle once caught, if done in front of the right witnesses of power and status, should be the best way to prove we hold nothing against any noble house. And we may not be able to be patient on this one. Considering I boasted about a chest full of gold in our cellar. She may come here looking for it..."
After thinking for a few seconds Nijal glances in Chen's direction and then back to Lucian,
"I suppose its not out of the question. It almost makes more sense at this point than the ship and its crew being here in Waterdeep. He is the only one who has seen or heard anything of either of them. And not for lack of looking either trust me. Whatever it is we need to try and sort it out because he has always been a bit odd but this..."
Nijal subtly nods towards Chen,
"This is too much even for him. I wonder if there is more to this whole thing than we really know though. It could be a whole mix up between the crew, the ship, the Captain, the ***** Queen, hell maybe even his old master. Either way, can you think of anyone in town that might be able to help him out and shed some light onto the situation for us? You know the most out of all of us about Waterdeep."
"The thing I would like to address next is the 7 murders that have happened in the field ward over the last 7 days. If we let them keep it up, it could be Cailyn or one of the kids next"
Nijal's gaze snaps over to Lucian. Nijal starts to speak softly but with every syllable his volume and intensity increases,
"That is unacceptable. Those damn guards or City Watch or whatever in the Nine Hells they want to call themselves can't be bothered to walk outside the walls to ensure those folk of the field ward can at least try to sleep on their empty stomachs without the fear of being butchered in their sleep. PATHETIC!"
Almost as if to drive the point further home Nijal jumps up from his chair knocking it over and hurls his half full pint across the room. Not missing a single step, he shoots out an arcane burst of magic and the temperature in the room drops a few degrees for a split second. The arcane energy takes on the shape of icy crystals as it hurtles towards the in flight pint. As the ice connects with the pint it appears to freeze solid in an instant. Just as the pint freezes solid, it hits the wall and shatters into tiny ice crystals. A fraction of a second later and a slam is heard as Nijal barges out the front door.
"Alright, In light of last night's incident I went around the tavern and noted how many windows we have.
We have 42.
forty
two
windows."
Kherek slams a scroll down on the table showing a layout of each floor of the tavern
"The red marks are windows. A fortress this place ain't. We need to take a day sometime very soon and board up every last one of these bad boys, except arguably the ground floor for aesthetic purposes and one in my tower for Iris.
Magubliyet himself would struggle to fortify this place..."
Maybe our blacksmith friends can work up some iron bars that are aesthetically pleasing. With some sort of lock built in that you could unlock from inside only. That way if we need to use Chen’s escape ladder, we could.
"Fine, whatever. I was thinking some heavy wooden shutters with a big wood log to lock them in place. Kinda like this"
Kherek draws a crude depiction of a defense shutter made of two swinging wooden flaps and locked in place by a large wooden beam laid horizontally across them
"but whatever. Whichever's cheapest or significantly more effective"
"This place might as well be renamed The Money Pit... or The Dragon's Outhouse"
"Fine, whatever. I was thinking some heavy wooden shutters with a big wood log to lock them in place. Kinda like this"
Kherek draws a crude depiction of a defense shutter made of two swinging wooden flaps and locked in place by a large wooden beam laid horizontally across them
"but whatever. Whichever's cheapest or significantly more effective"
"This place might as well be renamed The Money Pit... or The Dragon's Outhouse"
Nijal's eyes narrow for a few moments as he contemplates everyone's suggestions,
"The other option is to not put any money into turning the tavern into a fortress. I don't think we can expect to keep the Reputable Fellows separate from the tavern if we are living here too. Maybe we put our gold towards a roof for that tower outside of town and start living out there. It would hopefully take some focus off of the tavern as the best place to attack us. Not to mention the more the tavern looks like a fortress and less like a tavern, we might have a hard time attracting customers. Its an hour walk to get there but we could buy some horses and a cart or something. At a bare minimum I think we should definitely come up with some way to get back and forth from the first floor to the second floor that doesn't have us having to run outside and around the building. Some sort of stairs we can pull down once the tavern closes, like the kind you use to get into an attic. I'll go get a quote for all the above and maybe that will help us make up our minds."
Nijal heads out the door to get quotes from their neighbors.
What did we decide to do after the Pirate attack? Were we going directly out to the Pirate ship and resolve things? Were we waiting and planning more? What's the plan?
"I'm not sure that's a viable option, Nijal. Because some of us are going to be here and some of us are going to be there, and people are going to find us either way. If they're going to find us, I want them finding all of us. I do think that there is a lot of value in getting that tower outside of town in order, though.
And the majority of our defenses that may affect the aesthetics of the tavern are in our private areas. and on the inside, so street traffic wouldn't notice anything I don't think. The windows downstairs in the bar area could have the wooden shutters so they can be open during business hours. The iron bars would give sort of a low class vibe if put on the ground floor."
(we went back to bed and decided to check out the pirate ship in the morning. This whole sort of discussion I think is happening at an indistinct place in time, haha)
(we went back to bed and decided to check out the pirate ship in the morning. This whole sort of discussion I think is happening at an indistinct place in time, haha)
If it is arcane, then you would know the Watchful Order would have someone capable of helping.
Maybe animate suits of armor or swords that attack on command...
That would be sweet.
Kherek sets aside some time to go visit the Watchful Order, and see what sort of home defense subscriptions they may offer.
18
14
21
Nijal walks into the tavern and heads to the bar. After pouring himself a pint he heads over to the rest of the party.
"Gents, I've commissioned an interesting piece from our neighbors here in Trollskull Alley. It is a chest with a false bottom. It is filled with extremely heavy weights but appears to be filled with gold ingots. The ingots are actually just gold plated iron bars. The idea is that it serves as a bit of a lure and a bit of a trap. Opening it, the would be thief will be awe struck at their good fortune as they gaze upon a chest full of gold bars. Upon trying to move this chest or unload it, the thief has opened themselves up to be caught as they either try to unload the gold or move the entire chest. You then use that opening to grab the culprit. It seems overly simple but it is surprisingly effective. I learned it during my time abroad from a traveling companion. His methods were.....different but effective. They will be able to deliver it the day before The Battle of the Bards. I figured we might be able to use it to catch the Black Viper since Lady Esvele is under the impression there is a chest full of gold in our cellar. It is an option we can use now, later or never, if that is what we want to do."
Nijal takes a long drink from his pint and looks around at this party members one by one as he does. He comes to Lucian last and stops,
"Good job by the way. I'll admit, I had a different plan in mind but it's hard to find fault with the outcome. By the time I realized you were up to something it was too late. I had already gotten....irritated and let it get the best of me. Next time we should put our heads together beforehand if possible. Just being on the same page would make us that much more formidable in those situations. Maybe we could agree upon a phrase that easily fits into any conversation, it would need to be unique enough not to be mistaken, to let the other person know that there was some sort of ruse or play at hand. Or maybe your bardic knowledge has taught you a way to communicate without alerting others around us. Maybe a reference to Our Smiling Lady. If I recall, you've mentioned her in passing before."
A look of bewilderment comes across Nijal's face suddenly as if he had almost forgot something important and he turns to Chen,
"No one has seen this Blushing Bride in port here. There is no sign of it at all. No sightings, signs, or anything. Where the hell is this unmistakable ship anchored at if the crew is here watching you? Is there anything you can tell us about how old Whitecaps runs his boat when at port? Have you seen anymore of these bastards around the city lately or have they moved on already?"
Lucian gives a gentle nod of acknowledgment.
"Can do. When a game is afoot, and there is time to clue you in, I will. Fortune favors the bold, and often the best way to play the hand is to keep it close to your chest. You know that well as a gambling man. Don't take my impulsivity as mistrust, just playing the game.
In terms of the Viper. I think we need to build a strong case before we bring anything against her. Trying to put ourselves against a noble woman with such little evidence sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."
Pulling aside Nijal and talking in private.
"I know what this may sound like, but I feel it is wise to bring up the possibility. Could it be Chen is hallucinating these images? I've heard of traumatic experiences bringing about all sorts of delusions. He may need help in a different way than we believe"
Lucian would also pull everyone together
"The thing I would like to address next is the 7 murders that have happened in the field ward over the last 7 days. If we let them keep it up, it could be Cailyn or one of the kids next"
Chen is 100% behind that. He doesn't really communicate it verbally, but he is nodding his head the whole time you are talking.
"That will work fine. It wasn't a trust issue, just to be clear. We were just playing the game two different ways and your play was good enough it took me too long to notice that it was even a play at all. If anything take it as a compliment towards your ability. We won't always have the time to clue each other in but it would seem that these sort of situations are coming up all too often in this city. As for the Black Viper, her nobility is why I think we have to catch her in the act as the Black Viper. She will definitely conceal her identity when she takes to the streets to pursue her criminal desires. Revealing her to be none other than Esvelle once caught, if done in front of the right witnesses of power and status, should be the best way to prove we hold nothing against any noble house. And we may not be able to be patient on this one. Considering I boasted about a chest full of gold in our cellar. She may come here looking for it..."
After thinking for a few seconds Nijal glances in Chen's direction and then back to Lucian,
"I suppose its not out of the question. It almost makes more sense at this point than the ship and its crew being here in Waterdeep. He is the only one who has seen or heard anything of either of them. And not for lack of looking either trust me. Whatever it is we need to try and sort it out because he has always been a bit odd but this..."
Nijal subtly nods towards Chen,
"This is too much even for him. I wonder if there is more to this whole thing than we really know though. It could be a whole mix up between the crew, the ship, the Captain, the ***** Queen, hell maybe even his old master. Either way, can you think of anyone in town that might be able to help him out and shed some light onto the situation for us? You know the most out of all of us about Waterdeep."
Nijal's gaze snaps over to Lucian. Nijal starts to speak softly but with every syllable his volume and intensity increases,
"That is unacceptable. Those damn guards or City Watch or whatever in the Nine Hells they want to call themselves can't be bothered to walk outside the walls to ensure those folk of the field ward can at least try to sleep on their empty stomachs without the fear of being butchered in their sleep. PATHETIC!"
Almost as if to drive the point further home Nijal jumps up from his chair knocking it over and hurls his half full pint across the room. Not missing a single step, he shoots out an arcane burst of magic and the temperature in the room drops a few degrees for a split second. The arcane energy takes on the shape of icy crystals as it hurtles towards the in flight pint. As the ice connects with the pint it appears to freeze solid in an instant. Just as the pint freezes solid, it hits the wall and shatters into tiny ice crystals. A fraction of a second later and a slam is heard as Nijal barges out the front door.
"Alright, In light of last night's incident I went around the tavern and noted how many windows we have.
We have 42.
forty
two
windows."
Kherek slams a scroll down on the table showing a layout of each floor of the tavern
"The red marks are windows. A fortress this place ain't. We need to take a day sometime very soon and board up every last one of these bad boys, except arguably the ground floor for aesthetic purposes and one in my tower for Iris.
Magubliyet himself would struggle to fortify this place..."
Yeah...
You're right, we have to do something. We could also get some guards, and maybe even a guard dog or two.
Maybe our blacksmith friends can work up some iron bars that are aesthetically pleasing. With some sort of lock built in that you could unlock from inside only. That way if we need to use Chen’s escape ladder, we could.
I like that idea. It would stop most nonmagical interlopers
"Fine, whatever. I was thinking some heavy wooden shutters with a big wood log to lock them in place. Kinda like this"
Kherek draws a crude depiction of a defense shutter made of two swinging wooden flaps and locked in place by a large wooden beam laid horizontally across them
"but whatever. Whichever's cheapest or significantly more effective"
"This place might as well be renamed The Money Pit... or The Dragon's Outhouse"
I vote Dragon's Outhouse!
Nijal's eyes narrow for a few moments as he contemplates everyone's suggestions,
"The other option is to not put any money into turning the tavern into a fortress. I don't think we can expect to keep the Reputable Fellows separate from the tavern if we are living here too. Maybe we put our gold towards a roof for that tower outside of town and start living out there. It would hopefully take some focus off of the tavern as the best place to attack us. Not to mention the more the tavern looks like a fortress and less like a tavern, we might have a hard time attracting customers. Its an hour walk to get there but we could buy some horses and a cart or something. At a bare minimum I think we should definitely come up with some way to get back and forth from the first floor to the second floor that doesn't have us having to run outside and around the building. Some sort of stairs we can pull down once the tavern closes, like the kind you use to get into an attic. I'll go get a quote for all the above and maybe that will help us make up our minds."
Nijal heads out the door to get quotes from their neighbors.
So this is Kevin asking,
What did we decide to do after the Pirate attack? Were we going directly out to the Pirate ship and resolve things? Were we waiting and planning more? What's the plan?
"I'm not sure that's a viable option, Nijal. Because some of us are going to be here and some of us are going to be there, and people are going to find us either way. If they're going to find us, I want them finding all of us. I do think that there is a lot of value in getting that tower outside of town in order, though.
And the majority of our defenses that may affect the aesthetics of the tavern are in our private areas. and on the inside, so street traffic wouldn't notice anything I don't think. The windows downstairs in the bar area could have the wooden shutters so they can be open during business hours. The iron bars would give sort of a low class vibe if put on the ground floor."
(we went back to bed and decided to check out the pirate ship in the morning. This whole sort of discussion I think is happening at an indistinct place in time, haha)
ok, making sure I didn't miss something. Lol
Would we as a party have told the guards everything? Would that help us or hurt us? Do we know if the Captain is a wanted man?