The barman, after catching his breathe, turns to Dorstaer.
"You know what, we haven't, have we? My name is Zackary, and of course you've met Annie."
Annie looks up toward Ellayne, and smiles sweetly. "I'm ok now, thank you miss. Are you ok?"
Zackary ponders for a second while you walk. "I'm afraid I don't know of anywhere 'safe'. As I said before, I've never really had reason to hide before this night."
Ellayne
You open the scroll to find a map of the city. Circled in ink is Rift-Hall, and the following text.
The Dwarf walks up to the bar for a drink
He raises his glass to his fellow soldiers
"Don't let your hearts sink, our battle was well fought."
"Let us down our ale, for our fallen friends."
"There are enough of us left, to finish our task."
"We will claim victory, for the righteous, and the worthy"
Wander seems to be thoughtful, keeping quiet when he felt the urge to point out that he and other warforged had gone beyond being constructs when created. To him that would be the same as if he began refering to the rest of them as fleshbags. "For now then we should find somplace where we could do so. We may be saved by them not knowing exactly who we are but Zachary and young Annine are not so fortunate."
Ellayne smiles at Annie and nods as a reply. ”Of course, I’m okay. I’m glad you are okay with your father.” After a pat on the girl’s head, she looks at Wander and listens to his opinion. ”I agree. We need to find a place for good and we might need to see the way of keeping Zachary and his daughter safe. But I’m sure the Baroness could find us anywhere in this New Waterdeep.” As she speaks, she looks into the scroll she got from a secret compartment along her walking with the companions.
Soon, her mismatched eyes skim through of the words and then finds that out an interesting poem in this scroll. A map of this city, Rift-hall is marked with an inked circle, and then the words... Looks like it was some kind of codes or puzzle for her. Ellayne hums in an interest as she tries to understand the context. Perhaps it is telling her where they could stay safe for good?
(Should I roll Investigation or history check to understand what this text is telling her?)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Reverie Forestgleam—Human Paladin Level 5 in Frontier City of Nunkreet Extremely busy and busy as ever recently, but I will trying to catch up as much as I can
Jebben flicks the brim of his hat with his fingers to knock the water loose from it. "Well, I think there is little choice given to us in this precipitous predicament: we must go to another of the three inns or taverns, lest we catch a cold standing in this bothersome rain, especially young Ms. Annie, here." He looks to the barman, "Mr. Zackary, of the two remaining recommendations Minister Trask provided -- that is Ysdrayl's and The Blue Kraken -- which is the furthest away from your own fine establishment (oh, my, I suppose I shan't see my change from that gold tonight!) or which lodging do you think would be our safest stay for the night for other reasons--or perhaps you know of a third public option where news travels a bit on the slow side?"
The bard bows to the girl and the barman. "Incidentally, My given name is Jebben, but you're welcome to consider me a friend and/or close acquaintance by calling me Tipplewhiskers or even some other creatively endearing monicker you feel apposite to my person."
“I’m not sure we’ll be safe at either of the other inns. I have to imagine he same list is given to everyone who shows up here. So they’d know the inns that were recommended to us. That’s probably the first place they’ll look for us.”
he looks to zackary. “Are there any other inns or places to stay in town besides the ones we were told about? Or what’s the area around the city like. Any caves or the like we could hide out in?”
"I somehow suspect Trask might have given us some sort of preferential treatment, but one can't be entirely sure given the chaos we've seen today," says Jebben, who then pats his leg pocket where his identification papers are stored, "and the recordkeeping seems fairly thorough, so you're likely correct: inns, especially those on the list provided, may not be a good overnight option considering our dual predicaments in which we've found ourselves."
You can roll a History check to see if you've heard of or seen anything like this before.
"There is one that's not on that list, though, it's pretty... dingy. You thought my place was bad? Just be prepared for a lively night. It's called The Doppelganger's Demise, I know the way. I don't think the type in there are in for hurting children, so Annie will be fine, it's you lot I'm worried about."
Zackary hesitates a little bit, and then starts walking East. Annie now walks beside him, hand in hand.
After around 20 minutes walking in the pouring rain, you reach a large building. From the outside, it looks well looked after, and is bustling with people inside. Some have even flooded into the street outside, tankards in hand. Most look like farm hands or general labourers enjoying a drink after hours. Zackary guides you through the crowd inside. Large beams carve into the ceiling with animal skulls hanging from them. The bar is circular and sits in the middle of the room. The fireplace is warm and is a welcome feeling after spending so long in the cold and wet. Annie is shivering, and Zackary sits her on a table next to the fire.
"Now, there is something I should say about this place. It's.. haunted. Now, you may laugh, but I've seen them. The ghosts of dead workers flock here in the dead of night when all is quiet. The rooms haven't been slept in for some time as many wind up joining 'the choir invisible'. On the bright side, it's cheap, but we will be left alone here, not even the owner stays here after closing."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
History - 18
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Reverie Forestgleam—Human Paladin Level 5 in Frontier City of Nunkreet Extremely busy and busy as ever recently, but I will trying to catch up as much as I can
You know that secret societies have been known to use these kind of riddles before. Once deciphered, they usually unlock doors, give directions or something of that nature. This particular one you have not heard before, though, with a bit of time, you believe you and your team can decipher it.
Dorstaer shrugs when Zackary tells them about the bar. "As long as they won't hurt the girl, the rest of us should be able to take care of ourselves," he says.
He grabs a chair at the table near the fire when they arrive at the bar. "Well, if no one stays here after dark, this probably won't be the first place they'll think to look for us, so we might be okay for the night. At least as far as the baroness and the guard go."
Ellayne takes a seat nearby the fireplace, warming herself up a little before she opens a scroll once again. She gets the idea that this scroll can be the one that would lead us somewhere important. Minister Trask must have something on this scroll since she decided to hide a scroll into a secret compartment; however, why is it so crucial for her to hide it anyway? Then, her ears perk up to listen to Zachary and Dorstaer's conversation about the bar. A haunted place... "Just like Mr Jebben says, this place can be safer than any inns or places that provided by Minister Trask. After all, they won't hurt children; then it should be good enough for you two to stay here for awhile." Then she smiles at Annie before pats on her head.
Watching the bartender leaves the table, her mismatched gaze fixates onto her companions as she takes out an inscribed button on a scroll she opened to read. She speaks quietly so only her companions can hear her words. "These two are the evidence that I found. I do not know much about this Tabatha's Terrific Tailor, but this unknown is probably a well-known guest to this tailor's shop. Also, I think this scroll would take us somewhere important. I need help to decipher this scroll. Could anyone help me to decipher this scroll?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Reverie Forestgleam—Human Paladin Level 5 in Frontier City of Nunkreet Extremely busy and busy as ever recently, but I will trying to catch up as much as I can
As the group heads east through the rain, Jebben looks up at Annie, who is shivering in Dorstaer’s arms. He pulls off his plain jungle hat, gives it a shake to loose the water on it, and holds it up to the little girl. “Here you are, Ms. Annie, put this on and keep your head dry, for I don’t mind a little water; I wear this more to keep the sun off while I’m out in the field.”
When Zackary warns the group about the rowdy atmosphere of the Doppleganger’s Demise, the gnome looks at Barnum, then back to the barman. “Well if everyone else here is as incredibly tired as I am presently, I shouldn’t think it an issue; we’ve had a day that just won’t seem to end, try as we might to make it do so. And I’ll take ghosts any day to any of the three encounters we’ve already had.”
Jebben stands next to Ellayne as she shows them the items retrieved from Minister Trask's office. "I'll have a crack at it, Ms. Ellayne, if you like, for research is my forte, though my subject is typically people and culture, the same basic method works in other applications." Jebben pulls out a notebook from a pants pocket, and a small pencil. He then flips through about half the pages, and creases one page into a makeshift bookmark. "Hmmm, Tabatha's Terrific Tailor," he says, his speech slowing and becoming deliberate. "I wonder if Zackary can help us with that?" He looks up to the massive throngs of people in the tavern. "If not, I might be able to ask around this lot for information. I do want to find out more about these ghosts, as well, while there are people present. Tired as I am right now, I'll make a round or two to see what I can learn of The New World. Despite today's hardships, I do still have a duty to The Stage as a field researcher."
The bard peers at the scroll. "Now that's interesting. Why would Trask have a map with the Rift Hall circled? Certainly she knows where it is--she worked there! I wonder if the dwarf in the verses is of any relation to her?"
Jebben jots a few notes into his book, humming and hawing from time to time.
You can make an Intelligence check, but ideally this would be best discussed as a group. (Takes the fun out of deciphering riddles / challenges otherwise!) If you do get stuck, make an Intelligence check and i'll give you another clue as I did Ellayne.
Unlike the others, Wander does not seemed to be all that bothered by the rain since he does not seem to feel the cold. The most it gets out of him is a a few squeaks from his joints that already needed to be oiled. Once inside the tavern he goes to sit with Annine at the table by firem listening to the story of the haunting with curiosity. He nod finding more and more that the likes the idea of using the local superstition to hide in almost plain sight. "This is a wise plan. Now let us hope that we fcn make it through the rest of the evening without more trouble finding us."
Vostaria makes herself comfortable by the fire, pleased to regain some warmth and to have a good vantage of the various merry-makers at the tavern. "I should very much like to see a specter," she says off-handedly as she watches a pair of male elves grasp forearms and dance a little jig with each other. A dwarf rudely jostles her chair. "If the city watch do come this way, there is plenty of people to get lost in the crowd, at least."
The barman, after catching his breathe, turns to Dorstaer.
"You know what, we haven't, have we? My name is Zackary, and of course you've met Annie."
Annie looks up toward Ellayne, and smiles sweetly. "I'm ok now, thank you miss. Are you ok?"
Zackary ponders for a second while you walk. "I'm afraid I don't know of anywhere 'safe'. As I said before, I've never really had reason to hide before this night."
Ellayne
You open the scroll to find a map of the city. Circled in ink is Rift-Hall, and the following text.
The Dwarf walks up to the bar for a drink
He raises his glass to his fellow soldiers
"Don't let your hearts sink, our battle was well fought."
"Let us down our ale, for our fallen friends."
"There are enough of us left, to finish our task."
"We will claim victory, for the righteous, and the worthy"
"In the past, we would have left this alone."
"But now, we must do what is right."
Wander seems to be thoughtful, keeping quiet when he felt the urge to point out that he and other warforged had gone beyond being constructs when created. To him that would be the same as if he began refering to the rest of them as fleshbags. "For now then we should find somplace where we could do so. We may be saved by them not knowing exactly who we are but Zachary and young Annine are not so fortunate."
(That won't be the last time Vostaria is insensitive towards anyone not Yuan-ti!)
Ellayne smiles at Annie and nods as a reply. ”Of course, I’m okay. I’m glad you are okay with your father.” After a pat on the girl’s head, she looks at Wander and listens to his opinion. ”I agree. We need to find a place for good and we might need to see the way of keeping Zachary and his daughter safe. But I’m sure the Baroness could find us anywhere in this New Waterdeep.” As she speaks, she looks into the scroll she got from a secret compartment along her walking with the companions.
Soon, her mismatched eyes skim through of the words and then finds that out an interesting poem in this scroll. A map of this city, Rift-hall is marked with an inked circle, and then the words... Looks like it was some kind of codes or puzzle for her. Ellayne hums in an interest as she tries to understand the context. Perhaps it is telling her where they could stay safe for good?
(Should I roll Investigation or history check to understand what this text is telling her?)
Reverie Forestgleam—Human Paladin Level 5 in Frontier City of Nunkreet
Extremely busy and busy as ever recently, but I will trying to catch up as much as I can
Jebben flicks the brim of his hat with his fingers to knock the water loose from it. "Well, I think there is little choice given to us in this precipitous predicament: we must go to another of the three inns or taverns, lest we catch a cold standing in this bothersome rain, especially young Ms. Annie, here." He looks to the barman, "Mr. Zackary, of the two remaining recommendations Minister Trask provided -- that is Ysdrayl's and The Blue Kraken -- which is the furthest away from your own fine establishment (oh, my, I suppose I shan't see my change from that gold tonight!) or which lodging do you think would be our safest stay for the night for other reasons--or perhaps you know of a third public option where news travels a bit on the slow side?"
The bard bows to the girl and the barman. "Incidentally, My given name is Jebben, but you're welcome to consider me a friend and/or close acquaintance by calling me Tipplewhiskers or even some other creatively endearing monicker you feel apposite to my person."
Current Roles:
GM - Fata Morgana: The Ghosts of Saltmarsh
“I’m not sure we’ll be safe at either of the other inns. I have to imagine he same list is given to everyone who shows up here. So they’d know the inns that were recommended to us. That’s probably the first place they’ll look for us.”
he looks to zackary. “Are there any other inns or places to stay in town besides the ones we were told about? Or what’s the area around the city like. Any caves or the like we could hide out in?”
"I somehow suspect Trask might have given us some sort of preferential treatment, but one can't be entirely sure given the chaos we've seen today," says Jebben, who then pats his leg pocket where his identification papers are stored, "and the recordkeeping seems fairly thorough, so you're likely correct: inns, especially those on the list provided, may not be a good overnight option considering our dual predicaments in which we've found ourselves."
Current Roles:
GM - Fata Morgana: The Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Ellayne
You can roll a History check to see if you've heard of or seen anything like this before.
"There is one that's not on that list, though, it's pretty... dingy. You thought my place was bad? Just be prepared for a lively night. It's called The Doppelganger's Demise, I know the way. I don't think the type in there are in for hurting children, so Annie will be fine, it's you lot I'm worried about."
Zackary hesitates a little bit, and then starts walking East. Annie now walks beside him, hand in hand.
After around 20 minutes walking in the pouring rain, you reach a large building. From the outside, it looks well looked after, and is bustling with people inside. Some have even flooded into the street outside, tankards in hand. Most look like farm hands or general labourers enjoying a drink after hours. Zackary guides you through the crowd inside. Large beams carve into the ceiling with animal skulls hanging from them. The bar is circular and sits in the middle of the room. The fireplace is warm and is a welcome feeling after spending so long in the cold and wet. Annie is shivering, and Zackary sits her on a table next to the fire.
"Now, there is something I should say about this place. It's.. haunted. Now, you may laugh, but I've seen them. The ghosts of dead workers flock here in the dead of night when all is quiet. The rooms haven't been slept in for some time as many wind up joining 'the choir invisible'. On the bright side, it's cheap, but we will be left alone here, not even the owner stays here after closing."
History - 18
Reverie Forestgleam—Human Paladin Level 5 in Frontier City of Nunkreet
Extremely busy and busy as ever recently, but I will trying to catch up as much as I can
Ellayne
You know that secret societies have been known to use these kind of riddles before. Once deciphered, they usually unlock doors, give directions or something of that nature. This particular one you have not heard before, though, with a bit of time, you believe you and your team can decipher it.
Dorstaer shrugs when Zackary tells them about the bar. "As long as they won't hurt the girl, the rest of us should be able to take care of ourselves," he says.
He grabs a chair at the table near the fire when they arrive at the bar. "Well, if no one stays here after dark, this probably won't be the first place they'll think to look for us, so we might be okay for the night. At least as far as the baroness and the guard go."
"Aye, that's probably true. Let me get our drink and board."
Zackary darts off to the bar to speak with the owner.
Ellayne takes a seat nearby the fireplace, warming herself up a little before she opens a scroll once again. She gets the idea that this scroll can be the one that would lead us somewhere important. Minister Trask must have something on this scroll since she decided to hide a scroll into a secret compartment; however, why is it so crucial for her to hide it anyway? Then, her ears perk up to listen to Zachary and Dorstaer's conversation about the bar. A haunted place... "Just like Mr Jebben says, this place can be safer than any inns or places that provided by Minister Trask. After all, they won't hurt children; then it should be good enough for you two to stay here for awhile." Then she smiles at Annie before pats on her head.
Watching the bartender leaves the table, her mismatched gaze fixates onto her companions as she takes out an inscribed button on a scroll she opened to read. She speaks quietly so only her companions can hear her words. "These two are the evidence that I found. I do not know much about this Tabatha's Terrific Tailor, but this unknown is probably a well-known guest to this tailor's shop. Also, I think this scroll would take us somewhere important. I need help to decipher this scroll. Could anyone help me to decipher this scroll?"
Reverie Forestgleam—Human Paladin Level 5 in Frontier City of Nunkreet
Extremely busy and busy as ever recently, but I will trying to catch up as much as I can
As the group heads east through the rain, Jebben looks up at Annie, who is shivering in Dorstaer’s arms. He pulls off his plain jungle hat, gives it a shake to loose the water on it, and holds it up to the little girl. “Here you are, Ms. Annie, put this on and keep your head dry, for I don’t mind a little water; I wear this more to keep the sun off while I’m out in the field.”
When Zackary warns the group about the rowdy atmosphere of the Doppleganger’s Demise, the gnome looks at Barnum, then back to the barman. “Well if everyone else here is as incredibly tired as I am presently, I shouldn’t think it an issue; we’ve had a day that just won’t seem to end, try as we might to make it do so. And I’ll take ghosts any day to any of the three encounters we’ve already had.”
Current Roles:
GM - Fata Morgana: The Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Jebben stands next to Ellayne as she shows them the items retrieved from Minister Trask's office. "I'll have a crack at it, Ms. Ellayne, if you like, for research is my forte, though my subject is typically people and culture, the same basic method works in other applications." Jebben pulls out a notebook from a pants pocket, and a small pencil. He then flips through about half the pages, and creases one page into a makeshift bookmark. "Hmmm, Tabatha's Terrific Tailor," he says, his speech slowing and becoming deliberate. "I wonder if Zackary can help us with that?" He looks up to the massive throngs of people in the tavern. "If not, I might be able to ask around this lot for information. I do want to find out more about these ghosts, as well, while there are people present. Tired as I am right now, I'll make a round or two to see what I can learn of The New World. Despite today's hardships, I do still have a duty to The Stage as a field researcher."
The bard peers at the scroll. "Now that's interesting. Why would Trask have a map with the Rift Hall circled? Certainly she knows where it is--she worked there! I wonder if the dwarf in the verses is of any relation to her?"
Jebben jots a few notes into his book, humming and hawing from time to time.
Current Roles:
GM - Fata Morgana: The Ghosts of Saltmarsh
SNViolent:
Is there anything Jebben might be able to glean from the scroll that Ellayne missed, if I were to roll something?
Current Roles:
GM - Fata Morgana: The Ghosts of Saltmarsh
You can make an Intelligence check, but ideally this would be best discussed as a group. (Takes the fun out of deciphering riddles / challenges otherwise!) If you do get stuck, make an Intelligence check and i'll give you another clue as I did Ellayne.
Unlike the others, Wander does not seemed to be all that bothered by the rain since he does not seem to feel the cold. The most it gets out of him is a a few squeaks from his joints that already needed to be oiled. Once inside the tavern he goes to sit with Annine at the table by firem listening to the story of the haunting with curiosity. He nod finding more and more that the likes the idea of using the local superstition to hide in almost plain sight. "This is a wise plan. Now let us hope that we fcn make it through the rest of the evening without more trouble finding us."
Vostaria makes herself comfortable by the fire, pleased to regain some warmth and to have a good vantage of the various merry-makers at the tavern. "I should very much like to see a specter," she says off-handedly as she watches a pair of male elves grasp forearms and dance a little jig with each other. A dwarf rudely jostles her chair. "If the city watch do come this way, there is plenty of people to get lost in the crowd, at least."
"I'm actually a bit surprised the place is so busy if it's supposed to be haunted," Dorstaer observes.