“Gladly” says Titus as he pulls his share of the gold from his bag.
He scratches his head as he examines the artwork “It is surely a fine painting... but, ah, I can’t imagine how this will help us. What are we suppose to do with it anyway?”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Vercinius Thrax: Lizardfolk Cleric - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
L’Ouverture Zinn: Kobold Sorcerer - Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Titus Vorenus: Dragonborn Paladin - Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Nemean Goldenmane: Tabaxi Fighter - Lost Mine of Phandelver (Retired)
The shopkeep eyes Mal, screwing his mouth up as he considers Mal's bargain. Finally, he nods. "Alright, 96 gold. Sold." They exchange pearl for coin. Mal thanks the shopkeep and departs for the Manor.
While purchasing the supplies, it occurs to Rethan that it would be useful to have extra in case something happens to Midnightagain, so he buys double what he needs for the ritual. As soon as he has the supplies in hand, Rethanheads back to the manor to his room and begins the ritual. An hour later, Midnightreappears in the circle in front of him. The 'cat' is clearly displeased when it first appears, not appreciating having been eaten, but warms up shortly and rubs up against Rethan's legs.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Morphplaces his hand over the pouch where Golorris hidden away.
"Its ok, we are both sentient creatures, neither of us are anyone else's pets."
"I would certainly, never dream of treating you that way."
"He isn't a pet rock, Lanial, at this moment, he is one of our associates, even if reluctantly."
"I was going to ask Golorrsome more questions to try and clarify what we will be up against, and how to use the 3 items."
"I just want to be sure about how I ask them, to get the most out of each one. I think I can get up to 3 questions a day out of the magic, but there is no guaranty that the magic won't fail."
Morph's expression changes, to one of concern.
"Now, how are we going to get a pair of bugbear ears? It is certainly a gruesome acquisition."
Morphtries to search his memory, for anything he might know that could help, like if there are any shops that sell such items, etc
History check to try and recall anything that might help finding a pair of bugbear ears: 8
Morphknows they are often found in forests, grasslands, and in the underdark. They are not known for coming to the cities, but Morphhas heard reports of them being used by gangs as muscle sometimes.
"Wow," Laniel says as he accepts the cloth-wrapped painting from the clerk. "Coin in Waterdeep disappears faster than water in the desert. Let's get this back to the manor."
The next day, a new set of orphanages receive attention from the heroes. The kids are a joy, pestering the 5 of them about their various quirks. It doesn't feel like punishment at all and Laniel, at least, vows to visit the orphanages of his own volition more frequently.
The sun is directly overhead when the party arrives back at the manor. The new painting has been hung over the fireplace while they were away, causing a few chuckles. "Might as well leave it until we know what to do with it," Laniel says.
They all dig in for lunch, discussing how to proceed with the other elements needed for this puzzling vault of Neverember's.
Morphprepares himself for bed and then pulls out Golorr.
"Golorr, I'm sorry for having to do this, but I am going to try and get a little more information out of you."
"Understand, I wouldn't choose to do this to you, if I didn't have to, but we cannot let this treasure fall into the hands of unscrupulous individuals."
"Ok, so first question: Where exactly, in the Sea Ward, is the wizard tower that gives access to Neverember's secret vault?"
"Second Question: Where can we acquire a pair of bugbear ears?"
"And....last question: Can you tell me everything you know about the gold dragon that guards Neverember's secret vault?"
After some time looking at Golorr, Morphputs the stone back in his pouch, and turns in for the night.
Golorr huffs. "Of course you're sorry. You are a squishy mortal who must worry about what others think of you."
The the first question, he responds, "You will find the old tower at the northwest corner of Shark Street and The Street of the Singing Dolphin."The latter street is one Morph knows well and the former one he vaguely remembers.
To the second question, Golorr smugly replies, "On a bugbear, of course. I'm sure if you ask around, you'll catch wind of something more like what you are after."
To the third question, Golorr says, "His actual name is Aurinax, althoug he often takes other forms. I know not what his current form would be. He lives in Neverember's vault to watch over the former Open Lord's treasure in exchange for possessing the Dragonstaff of Ahghairon and a stash of fine gems to consume as he likes. Dagult Neverember has entrusted a scant few of his vassals to withdraw treasure from the vault, all of whom have fled the city upon the Open Lord's dismissal. He is a dragon known to possess a generally good moral compass, but stubborn. He is also said to be reasonable and does not suffer fools."
Morphnods agreement at Laniels suggestion to leave the painting on display.
"So I asked Golorra few more questions last night."
"I got the location of the wizard tower in the Sea Ward."
"He says it is on the north west corner of the intersection of Shark Street and The Street of the Singing Dolphin."
"I know the Singing Dolphin, its the main road to the Troll Gate at the north end of the city."
"I have this feeling I know Shark Street as well, but..."
Morphracks his mind trying to remember where he has heard the name.
"Ah, House of Inspired Hands, I have this feeling one of the streets around there may have been called Shark Street...I'm not sure..."
"Anyway, so we can go and find it, and check it out, see what we can about it."
"I also asked him about where we could find a pair of bugbear ears, and got a sarcastic "On a bugbear" as an answer."
"I really need to be more careful with my questions."
"Lastly I asked for more information about the dragonand got a bunch of information."
"Firstly his name if Aurinaxand Golorrsays, he has a generally good moral compass and is often reasonable, but that he can be stubborn and doesn't suffer fools."
"Golorrsays he lives in the vault and watches over the treasure, in exchange for a staff called the "Dragonstaff of Ahghairon" and a stash of gems."
"Golorralso says that Neveremberentrusted a few of his people to make withdrawals from the vault, but that they have all fled the city since Neverembersdismissal."
"So I was thinking...if Aurinaxis a good dragon, maybe we just go with the truth when talking to him."
"I mean, Neveremberhas been dismissed from Waterdeep for some reason, and we know that we must stop at least, three evil groups from getting it."
"Maybe the dragon will agree to allow us to recover the treasure, to stop a devil cult from getting their hands on it?"
Titusis leaning against the wall and shaking his head, quietly looking at the ground as he thought, after a few moments he steps forward.
"We can't walk up to dragon and tell him that he should let us have 500,000 gold just to keep someone else from getting it. We would need to convince him that he should give it to us, and that would be a hard sell! Sure he would rightly think himself much more capable than of fending off the devil cult than the likes of us."
"And another thing... I'm not clear what it is we plan to do with this gold once we've recovered it. Surely we cannot plan to keep it. It's embezzled from the city right? Then are we not honor bound as former guards, and as friends of the Grey Hands and friends of the Lord's Alliance, and as proud citizens of Waterdeep to return this gold to the city's coffers? And if that is so, then why not use their help now to recover the stolen money?"
"I think Titus has the right of it," Laniel says. "There is no way that the City of Waterdeep will let this money go to anyone but the city it was intended for. But...there may be some reward for recovering it. Bringing some of the Lord's Alliance or the Gray Hands along might not be a bad idea."
Rethan sighs as well. It's SO much gold to just...give away. "I'm sure we can negotiate some kind of finders fee or reward for the return of half a million gold."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Morph, Laniel, and Rethan:
The trio of Gray Hands find themselves once more at Blackstaff Tower. Lady Blackstaff, unfortunately, has not returned. Only her assistant Grentario is available. "How can I help you, gentlemen?" he says.
Titus:
Titusfinds Jalester Silvermane at his favorite spot: The Yawning Portal. He is feasting on a giant roasted leg of some creature, perhaps boar. "Titus!" he says boisterously, patting the table with his hand. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Mal:
Maldrifts through a few taverns on his way to Mirt's manor. He is ushered in quickly and finds that Mirt is (10) not at home. Renaer Neverember, however, is sitting in Mirt's parlor, also waiting for him. "Well, hello, Mal!" the young Lord says in surprise. "What brings you to call on Mirt this afternoon?"
"We...were looking for some advice." Rethan begins slowly, debating what they should say. He'd really been hoping to discuss it with blackstaff herself.
“Gladly” says Titus as he pulls his share of the gold from his bag.
He scratches his head as he examines the artwork “It is surely a fine painting... but, ah, I can’t imagine how this will help us. What are we suppose to do with it anyway?”
Vercinius Thrax: Lizardfolk Cleric - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
L’Ouverture Zinn: Kobold Sorcerer - Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Titus Vorenus: Dragonborn Paladin - Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Nemean Goldenmane: Tabaxi Fighter - Lost Mine of Phandelver (Retired)
Laniel shrugs. "That's Morph's department. He's got the pet rock."
Morph:
Golorr's voice bristles with offence. "I'm not a pet! If anything, you're MY pet!"
Persuasion: 20
The shopkeep eyes Mal, screwing his mouth up as he considers Mal's bargain. Finally, he nods. "Alright, 96 gold. Sold." They exchange pearl for coin. Mal thanks the shopkeep and departs for the Manor.
While purchasing the supplies, it occurs to Rethan that it would be useful to have extra in case something happens to Midnight again, so he buys double what he needs for the ritual. As soon as he has the supplies in hand, Rethan heads back to the manor to his room and begins the ritual. An hour later, Midnight reappears in the circle in front of him. The 'cat' is clearly displeased when it first appears, not appreciating having been eaten, but warms up shortly and rubs up against Rethan's legs.
Morph places his hand over the pouch where Golorr is hidden away.
"Its ok, we are both sentient creatures, neither of us are anyone else's pets."
"I would certainly, never dream of treating you that way."
"He isn't a pet rock, Lanial, at this moment, he is one of our associates, even if reluctantly."
"I was going to ask Golorr some more questions to try and clarify what we will be up against, and how to use the 3 items."
"I just want to be sure about how I ask them, to get the most out of each one. I think I can get up to 3 questions a day out of the magic, but there is no guaranty that the magic won't fail."
Morph's expression changes, to one of concern.
"Now, how are we going to get a pair of bugbear ears? It is certainly a gruesome acquisition."
Morph tries to search his memory, for anything he might know that could help, like if there are any shops that sell such items, etc
History check to try and recall anything that might help finding a pair of bugbear ears: 8
David Gearlock | Human | Artificer | Revenge Heist
Knox | Warforged | Cleric | Shadowthorn's Out of the Abyss
Morph knows they are often found in forests, grasslands, and in the underdark. They are not known for coming to the cities, but Morph has heard reports of them being used by gangs as muscle sometimes.
"Wow," Laniel says as he accepts the cloth-wrapped painting from the clerk. "Coin in Waterdeep disappears faster than water in the desert. Let's get this back to the manor."
The next day, a new set of orphanages receive attention from the heroes. The kids are a joy, pestering the 5 of them about their various quirks. It doesn't feel like punishment at all and Laniel, at least, vows to visit the orphanages of his own volition more frequently.
The sun is directly overhead when the party arrives back at the manor. The new painting has been hung over the fireplace while they were away, causing a few chuckles. "Might as well leave it until we know what to do with it," Laniel says.
They all dig in for lunch, discussing how to proceed with the other elements needed for this puzzling vault of Neverember's.
-- The night before --
Morph prepares himself for bed and then pulls out Golorr.
"Golorr, I'm sorry for having to do this, but I am going to try and get a little more information out of you."
"Understand, I wouldn't choose to do this to you, if I didn't have to, but we cannot let this treasure fall into the hands of unscrupulous individuals."
"Ok, so first question: Where exactly, in the Sea Ward, is the wizard tower that gives access to Neverember's secret vault?"
"Second Question: Where can we acquire a pair of bugbear ears?"
"And....last question: Can you tell me everything you know about the gold dragon that guards Neverember's secret vault?"
After some time looking at Golorr, Morph puts the stone back in his pouch, and turns in for the night.
David Gearlock | Human | Artificer | Revenge Heist
Knox | Warforged | Cleric | Shadowthorn's Out of the Abyss
Morph:
Golorr huffs. "Of course you're sorry. You are a squishy mortal who must worry about what others think of you."
The the first question, he responds, "You will find the old tower at the northwest corner of Shark Street and The Street of the Singing Dolphin." The latter street is one Morph knows well and the former one he vaguely remembers.
To the second question, Golorr smugly replies, "On a bugbear, of course. I'm sure if you ask around, you'll catch wind of something more like what you are after."
To the third question, Golorr says, "His actual name is Aurinax, althoug he often takes other forms. I know not what his current form would be. He lives in Neverember's vault to watch over the former Open Lord's treasure in exchange for possessing the Dragonstaff of Ahghairon and a stash of fine gems to consume as he likes. Dagult Neverember has entrusted a scant few of his vassals to withdraw treasure from the vault, all of whom have fled the city upon the Open Lord's dismissal. He is a dragon known to possess a generally good moral compass, but stubborn. He is also said to be reasonable and does not suffer fools."
The next day, the stone regenerates 2 charges.
Morph nods agreement at Laniels suggestion to leave the painting on display.
"So I asked Golorr a few more questions last night."
"I got the location of the wizard tower in the Sea Ward."
"He says it is on the north west corner of the intersection of Shark Street and The Street of the Singing Dolphin."
"I know the Singing Dolphin, its the main road to the Troll Gate at the north end of the city."
"I have this feeling I know Shark Street as well, but..."
Morph racks his mind trying to remember where he has heard the name.
"Ah, House of Inspired Hands, I have this feeling one of the streets around there may have been called Shark Street...I'm not sure..."
"Anyway, so we can go and find it, and check it out, see what we can about it."
"I also asked him about where we could find a pair of bugbear ears, and got a sarcastic "On a bugbear" as an answer."
"I really need to be more careful with my questions."
"Lastly I asked for more information about the dragon and got a bunch of information."
"Firstly his name if Aurinax and Golorr says, he has a generally good moral compass and is often reasonable, but that he can be stubborn and doesn't suffer fools."
"Golorr says he lives in the vault and watches over the treasure, in exchange for a staff called the "Dragonstaff of Ahghairon" and a stash of gems."
"Golorr also says that Neverember entrusted a few of his people to make withdrawals from the vault, but that they have all fled the city since Neverembers dismissal."
"So I was thinking...if Aurinax is a good dragon, maybe we just go with the truth when talking to him."
"I mean, Neverember has been dismissed from Waterdeep for some reason, and we know that we must stop at least, three evil groups from getting it."
"Maybe the dragon will agree to allow us to recover the treasure, to stop a devil cult from getting their hands on it?"
David Gearlock | Human | Artificer | Revenge Heist
Knox | Warforged | Cleric | Shadowthorn's Out of the Abyss
Titus is leaning against the wall and shaking his head, quietly looking at the ground as he thought, after a few moments he steps forward.
"We can't walk up to dragon and tell him that he should let us have 500,000 gold just to keep someone else from getting it. We would need to convince him that he should give it to us, and that would be a hard sell! Sure he would rightly think himself much more capable than of fending off the devil cult than the likes of us."
"And another thing... I'm not clear what it is we plan to do with this gold once we've recovered it. Surely we cannot plan to keep it. It's embezzled from the city right? Then are we not honor bound as former guards, and as friends of the Grey Hands and friends of the Lord's Alliance, and as proud citizens of Waterdeep to return this gold to the city's coffers? And if that is so, then why not use their help now to recover the stolen money?"
Vercinius Thrax: Lizardfolk Cleric - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
L’Ouverture Zinn: Kobold Sorcerer - Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Titus Vorenus: Dragonborn Paladin - Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Nemean Goldenmane: Tabaxi Fighter - Lost Mine of Phandelver (Retired)
"I think Titus has the right of it," Laniel says. "There is no way that the City of Waterdeep will let this money go to anyone but the city it was intended for. But...there may be some reward for recovering it. Bringing some of the Lord's Alliance or the Gray Hands along might not be a bad idea."
Morph gives a sigh,
"Deep down I know you are right Titus, but the idea of 100,000 gold was just so appealing."
"Should we head out to our various factions then, see what they want us to do?"
"We can ask for help in regards the dragon and getting our hands on a pair of bugbear ears, while we are at it."
David Gearlock | Human | Artificer | Revenge Heist
Knox | Warforged | Cleric | Shadowthorn's Out of the Abyss
Rethan sighs as well. It's SO much gold to just...give away. "I'm sure we can negotiate some kind of finders fee or reward for the return of half a million gold."
Morph, Laniel, and Rethan:
The trio of Gray Hands find themselves once more at Blackstaff Tower. Lady Blackstaff, unfortunately, has not returned. Only her assistant Grentario is available. "How can I help you, gentlemen?" he says.
Titus:
Titus finds Jalester Silvermane at his favorite spot: The Yawning Portal. He is feasting on a giant roasted leg of some creature, perhaps boar. "Titus!" he says boisterously, patting the table with his hand. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Mal:
Mal drifts through a few taverns on his way to Mirt's manor. He is ushered in quickly and finds that Mirt is (10) not at home. Renaer Neverember, however, is sitting in Mirt's parlor, also waiting for him. "Well, hello, Mal!" the young Lord says in surprise. "What brings you to call on Mirt this afternoon?"
"We...were looking for some advice." Rethan begins slowly, debating what they should say. He'd really been hoping to discuss it with blackstaff herself.
"Well, if you must see Lady Blackstaff, she will be back in 2 to 3 days," Grentario says.
Morph steps forward, looking at Rethan, before turning to Grentario,
"Actually, we have more than one matter to discuss, do you know where or how we could acquire a pair of bugbear ears?"
David Gearlock | Human | Artificer | Revenge Heist
Knox | Warforged | Cleric | Shadowthorn's Out of the Abyss