"Where would someone like that weasel of a man be able to post an assassin 'help wanted' listing here in Masa? Is there a less-savory bar that wouldn't have your scruples? We're trying to solve a mystery, which I'm sure isn't the first time you've heard that."
DM shield:
Insight: 7
The barkeep eyes Dog for a moment, as if trying to see the physical manifestation of his intentions. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable sending you towards work like that. For the same reason I don't post those kinds of jobs around here. It don't feel right..."
Althus turns to Gash, thinking for a moment before responding, "Ah, well, if the gods can't offer us much assistance then I don't think we'll be able to find answers in a temple, but if you think it's worth a shot I'll go ahead and ask!"
Althus heads back to the temple, looking for the priest.
"Sir priest! Do you know of any way to gain access to the Heaven of Music and Poetry? Or barring that, a way to get into the Hell of Darkness?"
"None of this feels right," Dog says with a sigh. He tries to level with the barkeep. "If you can keep things close to the vest, we're not at all looking for that kind of work. We're looking to ask some hard questions of someone who just did that kind of work. I was supposed to meet a man in the gardens yesterday. Ritter. Nice man. Devoted to Lathander. Before we could even exchange words, someone shot him dead with a crossbow, and though we chased after them at speed, they got away and disappeared. Made me... cross. So I wanted to find out perhaps who wanted to pay someone to do that, and why, and tell them what I thought about that. If I ran into the person who shot Ritter, I'd bring them to the temple of Tymora and make them explain to Ritter's cousin, a lovely woman named Muna, why they did it."
Althus heads back to the temple, looking for the priest.
"Sir priest! Do you know of any way to gain access to the Heaven of Music and Poetry? Or barring that, a way to get into the Hell of Darkness?"
Althus:
The older priest is just getting into his clerical robes when Althus arrives. He responds first with a surprised expression. "I...I...I..." he says. "You wish to travel to the heavens. Aside from being summoned there after death, I don't...no, wait. That's not true. There are legends of powerful magicks that allow one to communicate directly with a being in another plane. And I do recall one fantastic story of a mage using similar magic to travel to the Heavenic realm of Knowledge. It was a heroic tale...you know, like the bards tell. But such magicks...I'm not even sure that the mage king himself could conjure such powerful spells.
Dog:
DM roll: 19
"Ritter, huh? Nah, that name doesn't ring any bells. Look, I deal with a lot of the adventuring sort but that's mainly to help the farmers get rid of some carrion crawlers or to escort them into some old ruins. This kind of political intrigue is not really in my wheelhouse. Good luck, though. I hope you find what you're looking for."
Dog comes back from the bar and tells the group he struck out with the barkeep in trying to find out where unsavory types go to get assassins for hire.
He is ready to head to a library or some other place he'd know that scribes congregate, or a place where people would know about scribes, to ask about anyone who might have worked with an angel, a deva, a devil, or something similar.
Dog comes back from the bar and tells the group he struck out with the barkeep in trying to find out where unsavory types go to get assassins for hire.
He is ready to head to a library or some other place he'd know that scribes congregate, or a place where people would know about scribes, to ask about anyone who might have worked with an angel, a deva, a devil, or something similar.
(Is this an action or are you communicating to the group? It is hard to tell, the way you worded it.)
I was pitching it as a communication to the group, in and out of game. I also didn't want to just assign people tasks. But if no one else has anything to say in either context, Dog will just go ahead and do that. He'll go to the library (or wherever he would know that scribes hang out, given his upbringing in the home of a nerdy goliath father who worked for a powerful mage dealing with a lot of books). He'll ask around, try to charm or intimidate people into chatting, and not spend too too much time there.
He'll then head over to Nev's Inn to touch base and chat (and hopefully not be forced to leave right away).
The library turns out to be a good choice. Dropping Viviora's name garners the right kind of attention. Dog ends up talking with a scribe that knows her. "I hope she is doing well," he says. "I haven't seen her in a ten-day."
The scribe is a little cagey about details, since Dog is a stranger, but he relaxes a little as Dog proves to be a congenial conversationalist. "Yes, I contracted some work with...Viviora. I was tasked with rescribing a document to make a clean draft of it. From what I understand, it was a draft as well, but one intended for presentation to a higher authority."
The scribe, Methus, refuses to give details about the document, including the language it was scribed in. But he does add, "I know it was important because, upon completion, it was locked in a personal vault."
(I will post an encounter with Nev when Dog leaves the library.)
Does Dog get the sense that if he made a generous contribution to the scribe's future career, or the library itself, that he could convince the scribe to say where the personal vault was? Or even better, to get access to any notes or versions Methus worked on that didn't go into the vault? If Dog gets the sense that could be at all effective he will put up to 100 gold into the donation.
Does Dog get the sense that if he made a generous contribution to the scribe's future career, or the library itself, that he could convince the scribe to say where the personal vault was? Or even better, to get access to any notes or versions Methus worked on that didn't go into the vault? If Dog gets the sense that could be at all effective he will put up to 100 gold into the donation.
He will also, if it seems like the scribe starts to get suspicious of Dog's intentions, start to talk about how the hells are interfering with the result of the Accords (and misleading people's understanding of what is written in them, including attempting mind control) and all Dog is trying to do is get an accurate sense of what was written to he can play a legitimate part in effecting what was decided.
Observing the scribe while they talk, he notices that Methus wears a finely tailored shirt. He probably his not without coin already. He also has a penchant for jewelry, with 3 rings on one hand and two on the other and a gold chain under his shirt. It is possible that Methus came about the coin for such things dishonestly, it is unlikely he did so considering he was highly trusted by Viviora and Axonia. Suggesting a bribe might be uncouth, but purchasing his services might not.
As for accessing any drafts or work he may have saved, his choice of words and manner make it clear that this contract work stayed entirely with his employers. It is hard to say how bringing up the hells and the Accords will land, so Dog holds back with that tidbit for later.
"Hello there, I'm so sorry I've been in and our of here so often without as much as a hello."
Gash:
"Oh!" says Barratan when Gash enters the shop again. "Hello again, Master Gregory. No trouble at all."
Indeed, repeated exposure seems to have allowed the shopkeeper to relax in the presence of the goblin in a way that many previously have not. "What can I do for you today?" he says, picking up an ink-stained rag and wiping whatever wet ink he has off of his fingertips. It did not really look like he made his fingers any cleaner or the rag any dirtier by the action. The human mage looks down at Gash over his brass-rimmed half-spectacles that he needs to scribing with a smile.
With Althus, Dog, and Gash off on their own errands, Tock, Martin, and Bulwark are left at the tavern Bounty deciding what they will do during this time.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Magic shop:
“I was hoping for a bit of a favor, do you think you could do an exchange for me? Turns out I still have this dispel magic scroll, and I was hoping you had a remove curse scroll for me. In addition could you check your stock for a ring of spell storing Id like to give it to Friend here to have him help me out even more than he already does.”
scroll: 9
ring: 8
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gash- Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
As Dog talks to Methus, he has Stiches crawl down Dog's back to the floor, over to an out-of-sight wall corner or column to crawl to the ceiling. The tiny, furry, pale turquoise spider makes no sound as she tries to find a spot to look and listen.
Dog thanks Methus for his time and says "well if you should be interested in entering into a new, more lucrative contract with me, wherein your only task would be to refashion segments of the Accords you worked on with Axonia or Viviora for myself to review, untranslated, after which the copies would be destroyed, I would pay very well."
Assuming the answer is no, Dog walks off with a polite thank you and goodbye and exits his line of sight, turning and waving goodbye as he walks out of view. He will then pause at a place where he is out of the way and take off his pack and root through it slowly. His vision and hearing shifts to Stiches and he'll look through his familiar's eyes and listen through her ears for a while, following the scribe across the ceiling and trying to pick up anything the man says or does, looking at what he grabs or looks at for a few minutes after Dog left. If it's boring then Dog will leave and call Stitches back to her pocket dimension but if he does anything of note that might give Dog another clue, he'll stay and track and listen, until someone bothers him, upon which he will snap back and make his apologies and leave with Stiches in her pocket dimension.
He will then head to Nev's Inn and actually send Stitches into their room before him, or if they are outside, Dog will stay out of sight and Stitches will slowly get closer and look and listen for a while, scouting what they are saying and doing before Dog enters the scene.
“Folks, I’m headed to Gargus. He’s my old teacher and he might just know what direction to point us in, he seemed to know about these angels and fiends meeting. He may know where to look. You’re welcome to come along.”
Martin goes to find Gargus.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Paladin - warforged - orange
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DM shield:
Insight: 7
The barkeep eyes Dog for a moment, as if trying to see the physical manifestation of his intentions. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable sending you towards work like that. For the same reason I don't post those kinds of jobs around here. It don't feel right..."
Althus turns to Gash, thinking for a moment before responding, "Ah, well, if the gods can't offer us much assistance then I don't think we'll be able to find answers in a temple, but if you think it's worth a shot I'll go ahead and ask!"
Althus heads back to the temple, looking for the priest.
"Sir priest! Do you know of any way to gain access to the Heaven of Music and Poetry? Or barring that, a way to get into the Hell of Darkness?"
"None of this feels right," Dog says with a sigh. He tries to level with the barkeep. "If you can keep things close to the vest, we're not at all looking for that kind of work. We're looking to ask some hard questions of someone who just did that kind of work. I was supposed to meet a man in the gardens yesterday. Ritter. Nice man. Devoted to Lathander. Before we could even exchange words, someone shot him dead with a crossbow, and though we chased after them at speed, they got away and disappeared. Made me... cross. So I wanted to find out perhaps who wanted to pay someone to do that, and why, and tell them what I thought about that. If I ran into the person who shot Ritter, I'd bring them to the temple of Tymora and make them explain to Ritter's cousin, a lovely woman named Muna, why they did it."
Althus:
The older priest is just getting into his clerical robes when Althus arrives. He responds first with a surprised expression. "I...I...I..." he says. "You wish to travel to the heavens. Aside from being summoned there after death, I don't...no, wait. That's not true. There are legends of powerful magicks that allow one to communicate directly with a being in another plane. And I do recall one fantastic story of a mage using similar magic to travel to the Heavenic realm of Knowledge. It was a heroic tale...you know, like the bards tell. But such magicks...I'm not even sure that the mage king himself could conjure such powerful spells.
Dog:
DM roll: 19
"Ritter, huh? Nah, that name doesn't ring any bells. Look, I deal with a lot of the adventuring sort but that's mainly to help the farmers get rid of some carrion crawlers or to escort them into some old ruins. This kind of political intrigue is not really in my wheelhouse. Good luck, though. I hope you find what you're looking for."
Dog comes back from the bar and tells the group he struck out with the barkeep in trying to find out where unsavory types go to get assassins for hire.
He is ready to head to a library or some other place he'd know that scribes congregate, or a place where people would know about scribes, to ask about anyone who might have worked with an angel, a deva, a devil, or something similar.
(Is this an action or are you communicating to the group? It is hard to tell, the way you worded it.)
I was pitching it as a communication to the group, in and out of game. I also didn't want to just assign people tasks. But if no one else has anything to say in either context, Dog will just go ahead and do that. He'll go to the library (or wherever he would know that scribes hang out, given his upbringing in the home of a nerdy goliath father who worked for a powerful mage dealing with a lot of books). He'll ask around, try to charm or intimidate people into chatting, and not spend too too much time there.
He'll then head over to Nev's Inn to touch base and chat (and hopefully not be forced to leave right away).
Dog:
The library turns out to be a good choice. Dropping Viviora's name garners the right kind of attention. Dog ends up talking with a scribe that knows her. "I hope she is doing well," he says. "I haven't seen her in a ten-day."
The scribe is a little cagey about details, since Dog is a stranger, but he relaxes a little as Dog proves to be a congenial conversationalist. "Yes, I contracted some work with...Viviora. I was tasked with rescribing a document to make a clean draft of it. From what I understand, it was a draft as well, but one intended for presentation to a higher authority."
The scribe, Methus, refuses to give details about the document, including the language it was scribed in. But he does add, "I know it was important because, upon completion, it was locked in a personal vault."
(I will post an encounter with Nev when Dog leaves the library.)
Does Dog get the sense that if he made a generous contribution to the scribe's future career, or the library itself, that he could convince the scribe to say where the personal vault was? Or even better, to get access to any notes or versions Methus worked on that didn't go into the vault? If Dog gets the sense that could be at all effective he will put up to 100 gold into the donation.
Dog, roll insight to answer that.
He will also, if it seems like the scribe starts to get suspicious of Dog's intentions, start to talk about how the hells are interfering with the result of the Accords (and misleading people's understanding of what is written in them, including attempting mind control) and all Dog is trying to do is get an accurate sense of what was written to he can play a legitimate part in effecting what was decided.
Insight: 21
Dog:
Observing the scribe while they talk, he notices that Methus wears a finely tailored shirt. He probably his not without coin already. He also has a penchant for jewelry, with 3 rings on one hand and two on the other and a gold chain under his shirt. It is possible that Methus came about the coin for such things dishonestly, it is unlikely he did so considering he was highly trusted by Viviora and Axonia. Suggesting a bribe might be uncouth, but purchasing his services might not.
As for accessing any drafts or work he may have saved, his choice of words and manner make it clear that this contract work stayed entirely with his employers. It is hard to say how bringing up the hells and the Accords will land, so Dog holds back with that tidbit for later.
Gash will head back into the magic shop.
"Hello there, I'm so sorry I've been in and our of here so often without as much as a hello."
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Gash:
"Oh!" says Barratan when Gash enters the shop again. "Hello again, Master Gregory. No trouble at all."
Indeed, repeated exposure seems to have allowed the shopkeeper to relax in the presence of the goblin in a way that many previously have not. "What can I do for you today?" he says, picking up an ink-stained rag and wiping whatever wet ink he has off of his fingertips. It did not really look like he made his fingers any cleaner or the rag any dirtier by the action. The human mage looks down at Gash over his brass-rimmed half-spectacles that he needs to scribing with a smile.
Martin is simply following along to remain useful and informed as needed
Paladin - warforged - orange
With Althus, Dog, and Gash off on their own errands, Tock, Martin, and Bulwark are left at the tavern Bounty deciding what they will do during this time.
Magic shop:
“I was hoping for a bit of a favor, do you think you could do an exchange for me? Turns out I still have this dispel magic scroll, and I was hoping you had a remove curse scroll for me. In addition could you check your stock for a ring of spell storing Id like to give it to Friend here to have him help me out even more than he already does.”
scroll: 9
ring: 8
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
As Dog talks to Methus, he has Stiches crawl down Dog's back to the floor, over to an out-of-sight wall corner or column to crawl to the ceiling. The tiny, furry, pale turquoise spider makes no sound as she tries to find a spot to look and listen.
Dog thanks Methus for his time and says "well if you should be interested in entering into a new, more lucrative contract with me, wherein your only task would be to refashion segments of the Accords you worked on with Axonia or Viviora for myself to review, untranslated, after which the copies would be destroyed, I would pay very well."
Assuming the answer is no, Dog walks off with a polite thank you and goodbye and exits his line of sight, turning and waving goodbye as he walks out of view. He will then pause at a place where he is out of the way and take off his pack and root through it slowly. His vision and hearing shifts to Stiches and he'll look through his familiar's eyes and listen through her ears for a while, following the scribe across the ceiling and trying to pick up anything the man says or does, looking at what he grabs or looks at for a few minutes after Dog left. If it's boring then Dog will leave and call Stitches back to her pocket dimension but if he does anything of note that might give Dog another clue, he'll stay and track and listen, until someone bothers him, upon which he will snap back and make his apologies and leave with Stiches in her pocket dimension.
He will then head to Nev's Inn and actually send Stitches into their room before him, or if they are outside, Dog will stay out of sight and Stitches will slowly get closer and look and listen for a while, scouting what they are saying and doing before Dog enters the scene.
“Folks, I’m headed to Gargus. He’s my old teacher and he might just know what direction to point us in, he seemed to know about these angels and fiends meeting. He may know where to look. You’re welcome to come along.”
Martin goes to find Gargus.
Paladin - warforged - orange