Waterdeep: Camel Heist (2020)

 Incantis stares mutely at the woman for a moment, unsure of what to say of how to respond. He's quite surprised. "Your Papa.." he says to Nena "he could sing with his mind? I've never heard of anyone else..." He pauses, absorbing the ramifications that telepathic song is not a capability exclusive to his people. "Your husband," he continues finally to the woman, "who was he?"

Incantis, the mother smiles, and releases her daughter who resumes her seat nearby, listening intently.

Not my husband.  I was a little wild in my youth, she says.

Nena grins proudly.  Most folk would say you still are, mama.  I think Hester Groff has actually started hiding from you.

None of that, child, says the mother, though she doesn't look displeased.  Nena's father was a... traveller.  An adventurer like you, I suppose.  He spent a few months here while he and his friends were recovering from a battle in the Neverwinter Wood.  We got... close.  He was a very different sort of halfling.  She smiles, remembering.  From the east.  The kind most of us have only heard tales of, and many don't believe are real.  He... sang to me, like you did.  He was very serious, very intense, not like most halflings at all.  And then he left with his friends.  For a few weeks after he was gone, I wondered if I'd just imagined the whole thing - it was like a romance story in one of those books.  But after a while, Nena came along to remind me what's real and what's not.

She pauses for a long while, thinking, and then says:  Nena can do... a little... of what her father did.  Of what you can do.  

Nena bursts into the conversation.  I can't do it when I think about it, it only happens by accident.  Sometimes when mama tells me off I think a rude thought about her and she hears it.  

The mother continues, and she begins to get a bit agitated.  I don't know what it is, or how to control it, or what's supposed to happen.  If it's something that she's inherited from him, which I suppose it must be, then I want to help her learn it.  It's part of her, after all.  But I don't know how.

Strix gives chase, shouting  "Come back! Not hurt! No, I only promised I wouldn't kill! NO, Not hurt! Oh you're no fun any more."

"Gambling for entertainment is good, as long as it doesn't go overboard, I've seen a great deal of people at my table at I took...I mean after their money was taken keep playing and playing." She listens to Sildar. "Building relationships. Exactly my purpose! In more ways than one. However, you have heard of my love for coin. Why is this? It's because people have discussed it. It's not every day you see a centaur, let alone one that behaves in this way. If others discuss my oddities, "love of coin" being one, then it distracts them from bad parts of their day. That conversation, however long, is minutes that they aren't thinking about where their next meal is coming from, or if a family member won't be coming home due to the Redbrands." Zoria puffs her chest and smile. "Of course, me and my compatriots took care of that little problem, you're welcome again by the way." She looks around the table, listening to Sildar's final statements. "As much as I wish I could stay in rebuild, I don't quite see it happening. As I've said before, I want to be talked about, I want people to hear of the greedy centaur travelling from town to town. I want them to seek me out and test my love for coin in a variety of ways. The more this happens, the more coin I will acquire in the end which all leads to my endgame." Zoria stops. She looks around as everyone is listening to her. Her pause continues. "Anyways, Sildar." Another pause. "To answer your question, no. The centaur are meant to roam free, and Zoria Rada is one of them. A proud centaur."

Strix, you are able to catch up very easily with the elf; he's clearly not trained in combat or athletics, as far as you can tell.  As soon as you put a hand on him, he yelps, stumbles and falls to the ground.  You are able to drag him back to the crossroads easily.  

As you are dragging him, he starts to plead with you.  No, please, let me go.  It wasn't me.  I swear it wasn't me.  

Zoria, the others nod along as you answer their question, but you don't feel that the conversation has helped you gain any special insight into the others.  Make a straight Insight check, no advantage or disadvantage.

And what of that endgame, Lady Zoria,?asks Tolben, curiously.  What need could a centaur have for such coin?

Dragging the elf with his left arm, Strix raises the hatchet in his right, crying "Hobble his legs!". He shoots the arm a hard, narrowed stare and it slowly lowers. "Not long to go now, chum. You'll be in the dark soon enough, see how you like it, oh yes we will."

He hangs the axe back on his belt to avoid any potential misunderstandings. "No hobbing, no chopping, no boning. .... uh.... Either kind. Play nice" he chides himself. To the elf he says "Sorry. Not jury. Not 'scusnor. Jailor. No know crime. No know pun'ment."

After a short while, realising that Vaz isn't faking the snoring any more, his curiosity gets the better of him.

"OK, what not do?"

"See now lad, Dekhan...he's a Knight o' the Light...which is a bit o' hilarity if'n you're aware o' synonyms, which I imagine yer not. He has all manner o' duty-bound honor and charity, which is why he finds himself in the thick o' shit more times'n most."

Strix, the elf is in tears.  Please, it wasn't me.  It was...  He looks panicked, afraid to continue.  It was someone else.  A lord's son.  They have to protect him, so they have to find someone to blame it on.  Please, please let me go.  I'll promise, I'll just disappear.  Go south, to Amn or somewhere.  No-one will ever hear from me again.  Please, they'll kill me, I know they will.

Scupper, Nars looks at you, nods and whispers: He said he's a paladin.  I've read about them.  They're the finest knights, the greatest champions of the light.  He grins.  Dekhan didn't say that, he's too modest.  But he's a great hero, I know.  How long have you been travelling with him?

Insight: 15

"I'm sorry, but I'm really not supposed to say." Zoria looks around almost as if to see if anyone is listening. "Alls I can tell you right now, is there's a reason why you haven't seen many centaur around these parts. It's all because of the curse. That damn curse." Zoria eyes widen. "Oh, I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that." She looks around frantically. "Look, alls I can tell you, is there was once a centaur by the name of King Emiaj who had a son. Emiaj was given a prophecy that he would die at the hands of his son, so Emiaj took his son to the mountainside, binding his hands and feet, hooves and all, leaving him to die. However, the son was rescued by a shepherd and brought him to his nearby kingdom, giving him to King Rajah, who named the young centaur after himself. After Rajah grew up to adulthood, he set off. Rajah met a man and his servants at a crossroads and they argued over a financial dispute. Rajah killed the man and all four of his servants. The old man, turned out to be Emiaj, but Rajah did not learn this for many years."

Assuming, we're in the middle of cards, Zoria looks at her hand, then pauses. "Should I continue?"

"Ha! Strix is they. Strix not kill. Want elf live. Prolly need elf. Trial? Ah well. Can't help. Strix let elf go, elf die, Strix die."

He stares off into the distance a while, looking to see if the pickup is coming.

"Who is lord son? What do? Mebbe Strix meet. Mebbe Strix find truth, elf released, or elf ghost rest easy? **** it, kill the whining coward now. Trial be damned! Cage make beast mean! No, not kill. Gave word. So elf, what elf not do?"

Zoria, Sildar responds Please do continue, lady Zoria.  All of them seem engrossed in your story, except Halia.  I hope you won't get into trouble revealing such secrets so openly, she comments. Tolben looks at her, and then back at you.

Strix, the elf looks increasingly afraid.  Please Sir, I... it's Lord Kaminster's son.  Hans.  He... he took the money.  I don't know how he did it, but I know he did.  I don't know why.  But he's the heir, the family won't let a scandal like that get out.  I heard from a friend in the watch, they've got some evidence that points to me.  They'll send me to the block.  Please, sir, I'm just a clerk, I don't have any connections, I can't tell anyone who'd believe me.  Please, just let me go.

"Well here's the thing "Halia"", she says with air quotes. "It seems as though my big mouth has already widened too far. Seeing as how you guys could get into some serious dark things by your own curiosities in searching for answers, I will conclude the story for you. You're welcome." She looks straight at Halia. "Anyways, Rajah travels to his old kingdom, where he was born by Emiaj, not knowing of his true origin. Bewildered by the amount of centaur to be found. He slayed a large storm giant of legendary status that was assaulting the kingdom. The centaur kingdom, not knowing that Rajah had slayed their king, Emiaj, reward him for stopping the storm giant assault, with marriage to the recently widowed queen, which no one knew was his mother." Zoria makes a disgusted face. "Gross, right? Anyways, it gets worse. Rajah and the queen have 4 children." Zoria pretends to gag, placing her fist over her mouth with bloated cheeks. "Soon, more storm giants come down and assault the city demanding to know who killed King Emiaj, as he had an agreement with the storm giants to provide them with a wealth of gold every year, as a form of tax. No taxation without representation, I always say. So the new King Rajah began diligently looking for the murderer of Emiaj, eventually learning that it was he who killed Emiaj, also learning that was his father. When he and the queen realized what they had done, the queen killed herself, knowing she bore the children of her son. Rajah was distraught as the storm giants took him. They made an example of him, by pulling his eyes out, pronouncing that all gold that belonged to the centaur, now was owned by the storm giants."

Zoria looks around once more. "And that's known as the Curse of Rajah. It's said that ever since that day, all centaur have innately had a love for gold." She pauses. "If only to give it to the storm giants. Never seeing any happiness earned from their gold."

Zoria, Elmer and Tolben seem enthralled by the story, and even Sildar and Halia enjoy listening to the telling, even though you suspect they don't believe it, and it does the job of distracting them from the game. 

Make a Deception check with advantage, and remember that you can use your proficiency modifier instead of your charisma modifier because you are proficient with cards.

The conversation moves onto other things.  I suspect, says Halia, that we will be paying taxes to fund Qelline's new militia soon enough.  I wonder how much more this town can bear.  She sighs, somewhat theatrically.

Elmer nods along, but Sildar and Tolben seem unconvinced.  Tolben comments:  And would you have us vulnerable to the next roving band of thugs and bastards that wanders by?

Aye, the finest o' knights...I've known the man not long...jest since we saved his arse from a half dozen gobos outside a cave days past. His sense o' duty had him going it alone against terrible odds. Brave aye...none braver...that daft feck of friend.

He tries te keep me from going too deep in the shadows...'n I try to keep him from killing himself wit that honor o' his.

Strix frowns.

"Not know Lord Kaminster. Where elf from?"

Strix, the elf replies.  Triboar.  Not far.  You notice that he has no supplies, no backpack, and has probably slept rough last night, possibly for the first time in his life.

Scupper, Nars looks at you curiously.  The shadows?  What, um, what do you mean, Mr. Scupper?

A gambler with low charisma lol what was I thinking XD

Deception: 14

"Yeah, taxes can be a fickle thing. Though a militia may not be such a bad thing. You know it protects you from predators, enemy territories, thugs and bastards as you say Tolben." Zoria looks at him with a smile. "If only there were a group of adventurers that you could keep around so that you wouldn't need to fund any militia. Of course adventurers like myself and The Spicy Seven as we like to call ourselves, don't come cheap either. But from what I see, I know that this table has quite the amount of gold. If only we could be persuaded to stay in town for a bit, and just but a hold onto the militia. Surely it would save the town a great deal of money, no?"

Zoria, Elmer gives a loud snort.  You lot?  You've pretty much cleaned us out!  Not that we're complaining, you understand - he moves to put his hands up but then remembers that he's holding cards - but this, and he gestures to the card table - is the rest of my money for the next three months.  We'll be glad to welcome you back, any time you should choose to make a brief visit in the future, of course.  The others laugh.