(for continuity sake the barlgura hung out for approx 59 more minutes where Gash tried to make friends with him and learn his name. Even bonding over the fact that Gash uses is a fake name as well. Gash tells him to be cool while they wait for the spell to end.)
"I wonder if we could buy Gerielle's old place. How in tact is it? At this point, it seems like we cleared out the threats to Nev and Genny which is probably how those things got here in the first place. I should be safe now. If we hadn't lied about our intentions back in Masa... I'd suggest we go back there to buy a home. I could go check if they're still cross with us."
Gash will put some time in at the magic shop talking to the owner, seeing if he could use an extra hand. Maybe he could scribe some scrolls for him to sell.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gash- Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
"BulwarkandI bothhad the same thought, but itseemed too complicatedand no one really followed up with the authorities. Might be worth asking again. Though it's likely out of our price range, unless the city gives us a big discount for, well, cleansing it."
(So are we doing this downtime? Thanks for providing the option, MD!)
"BulwarkandI bothhad the same thought, but itseemed too complicatedand no one really followed up with the authorities. Might be worth asking again. Though it's likely out of our price range, unless the city gives us a big discount for, well, cleansing it."
(So are we doing this downtime? Thanks for providing the option, MD!)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Over the next 12 days, the party settles in as winter arrives in full force. Despite the chill, Martin heads out to celebrate their successes in the city and capitalize on his minor fame.
DM shield:
83
He finds a very comfortable gambling den where he is able to regale others with his tales and even manages to walk away with extra coin (+1 gp)
On the second night, the first snow arrives and a quiet stillness falls on Tinosa for the next day and a half. The city becomes serene, pillars or gray smoke wafting up from chimneys all over the city. The bustle begins to slowly return on the afternoon of the third day and Dog and Bulwark see about trying to purchase Garielle's house.
DM shield:
DC 12: 12
DC 15: 21
DC 18: 11
Dog is loathe to navigate the bureaucracy of Tinosa but Bulwark has a certain way with words that appeals to the bureaucrats of Tinosa. With a modest payment to the clerk, they discover the house has been assessed recently by the Land-Use clerk and is valued at 3000 gold. The contents of the house have yet to be assessed, however, and likely won't be for several ten-days. It is much trickier trying to determine if they can buy the house in advance of the expected auction, a date for which has not been set yet. In fact, Bulwark is able to draw a grudging affirmative from the clerk overseeing city auctions.
"There is precedent for it," he says. "In my experience, people pay well above the expected auction price for the property in those situations."
Dog suggests that the former owner may scare away most buyers and Bulwark adds that the city will save a lot of money by forgoing the assessment of the house's contents and setting up the auction, presale viewing, and assorted paperwork involved.
"Well..." the clerk says hesitantly, "You are not wrong on those points."
He pulls out an abacus and quickly makes some calculations. "We expect it would cost 107 gold to prepare the house for sale."
He navigates the beads on his abacus some more. "I estimate the house will come in under value by 300 gold."
He slides the beads around further. "And we typically receive a markup of 67% on houses purchased ahead of auction. That puts it at about 4200 gold to purchase in advance of auction."
With winter in full swing, the nefarious elements of Tinosa have holed up for a couple of days. Tock and Martin spend some time with Neventi and Gentoa, often from afar, as they play in the snow, visit the temple, and volunteer at one of the hospitals. In all that time, there is no sign whatsoever of any interest in Gentoa or her mother.
As the streets turn to slush and mud and the city finds it cannot be quiet any longer, Tock begins in earnest to seek out the elements of crime in Tinosa.
DM shield:
DC 12: 8
DC 15: 20
54
Tock is unable to find any leads towards criminal enterprises in Tinosa, so he changes tactics and encourages Martin to go out for another night on the town. They return to the gambling den, where Tock is able to play a convincing sot in search of a good time. Martin walks away a winner again (+1 more gold) while Tock is granted access to a clearly illegal opium den...
At the enchanter's shop, Gash meets with a gruff, middle-aged human man. "Not many mages coming through here this time of year," he says. "I haven't much use for an extra hand right now. You going to guy anything?"
Dog brings this real estate option back to the group to see what they think.
Also did he get a chance to stop by a library to see what the city has to offer on that front? He would really like to do some research on heavens, hells, and the giant.
Dog brings this real estate option back to the group to see what they think.
Also did he get a chance to stop by a library to see what the city has to offer on that front? He would really like to do some research on heavens, hells, and the giant.
On the way back from the City Property Clerk's office, Dog stops at the library, found in the Temple District of Tinosa. It is not a very big library but it is in good order and, fortunately for Dog's interests, is mostly stocked with books on religious topics.
A rather stiff-backed librarian slides up behind Dog and says in a hushed tone, "What may I help you find today?"
Dog's mind flashes back to the hours, days, weeks, months he spent stuck in the library his parents worked at for the arcanist, and though he hated being there as a kid, he's come to understand that books can be weapons. His demeanor upon walking in is as close to what he remembers of his very bookish father as he can make it: reserved, calm, contemplative. He goes to push glasses up his nose that are not there.
"Thank you, my name is Doggear Brakespine, from the library of[insert name of the arcanist Dog's family worked at -- I don't think we've established this!]. I'm staying in town for a while, my friends and I got here about a week ago and cleansed the place of that vampire and also the infernal engine. I'm looking for some downtime and to increase my understanding of the heavens and hells. I'd also be curious if you have any books on cloud giants. I'd be happy to pay for your time and resources with money or with work. I'm familiar with more cataloguing systems, and spent a decent amount of my childhood bookbinding, if you have need."
Tock is very excited to finally have a lead. He will prepare well the next day by casting protection from poison before heading in there. He will also discuss with others and try to find some coins from as far east as they have come across. The plan is to locate object to either follow the money or to follow the equipment or something he can see in there. He doesn't have a plan for what to do with the information, but he'll be able to busy himself with just trying to very carefully track down the source of the drugs.
But head in there he will and buy something as mild as possible and fake using it, keeping his eyes and ears open, especially about the source of the opium.
Dog's mind flashes back to the hours, days, weeks, months he spent stuck in the library his parents worked at for the arcanist, and though he hated being there as a kid, he's come to understand that books can be weapons. His demeanor upon walking in is as close to what he remembers of his very bookish father as he can make it: reserved, calm, contemplative. He goes to push glasses up his nose that are not there.
"Thank you, my name is Doggear Brakespine, from the library of[insert name of the arcanist Dog's family worked at -- I don't think we've established this!]. I'm staying in town for a while, my friends and I got here about a week ago and cleansed the place of that vampire and also the infernal engine. I'm looking for some downtime and to increase my understanding of the heavens and hells. I'd also be curious if you have any books on cloud giants. I'd be happy to pay for your time and resources with money or with work. I'm familiar with more cataloguing systems, and spent a decent amount of my childhood bookbinding, if you have need."
"Oh!" the librarian says. "I heard about that. Terribly shocking! A vampire! Well done. I admit to some surprise to seeing a goliath in a library. Your kind are not known for their...literacy."
He begins leading Dog towards a series of shelves that instantly evoke a ton of memories of his youth. "We do not need any volunteers, but thank you for the offer. Donations are always welcome. And any book you check out requires a deposit of 2 sp, unless it is a very special book, which requires more. You do receive your deposit back upon returning the book in a timely fashion."
"Here," he says sweeping an arm across a shelf full of tomes, "are the books on the heavens. There are numerous books on each heaven, books on the gods that inhabit each heaven, books describing the gods messengers and how and when and where they have visited the mortal plane, a fabulous new book speculating on the creation of the heavens, a history of the writings about the heavens, a meticulous catalog of divine knowledge about the heavens...you'll note it is quite thin...and a second volume with suspected divine knowledge....note its size."
He turns to the opposite bookcase. "This contains the books on the hells." It easily has 1/10th the books as its opposite. "There are a smattering of books about each hell and their gods. There is very little about the creation of the hells or their messengers. It is not a popular topic for writers, I'm afraid."
"We have three or four books on giants," the librarion says, leading Dog to another section of the library. "Most of them are descriptive catalogs of the creatures. There is one about political dealings with giants. We have..." he selects a dusty tome from a low shelf "...just this one on Cloud Giants specifically. I've not read it myself, so I could not tell you of its informational value."
He hands the book to Dog and clasps his hands in front of him. "That's the orientation. If you require further assistance, please do no hesitate to ask for it."
Tock is very excited to finally have a lead. He will prepare well the next day by casting protection from poison before heading in there. He will also discuss with others and try to find some coins from as far east as they have come across. The plan is to locate object to either follow the money or to follow the equipment or something he can see in there. He doesn't have a plan for what to do with the information, but he'll be able to busy himself with just trying to very carefully track down the source of the drugs.
But head in there he will and buy something as mild as possible and fake using it, keeping his eyes and ears open, especially about the source of the opium.
DM shield:
DC 16: 11
Tock spends most of the day in the opium den but finds the dealers there tight lipped about their operation. They find him convincing as a customer but place no trust in him beyond that. He leaves with no more knowledge of the establishment than he had when her arrived and is now out 4 gp for his efforts.
"Thank you very, very much for the tour, and the introduction,"Dog says, handing him 5 gold for a deposit, and settling into the stacks. He spends the rest of the time that day the library is open skimming through volumes in the areas the librarian showed him. He's looking for books that might have useful knowledge of how the heavens and the hells have dealt with mortals, other contracts that may have been signed or broken, anything on the capabilities of the hells and their subterfuge, anything on Milil, anything on divine progeny, and then definitely the books on the giants, especially the cloud giant one.
He'll borrow the most promising 20 books (he's leaving an extra gold as a sign of good faith) and bring them back to where they're staying and begin reading and analyzing for useful information. Dog's been in the dark on this whole endeavor for so long and his mind's itching to get smarter so he can help make a better decision, know what threats are likely out there, what assets and allies they might have, and if there's any precedent to learn from. He's happy to share books with others (making sure they are treated well and returned on time), to increase the general understanding of what they know.
(What does the rest of the group think about buying the vampire house?)
Regarding Mardek, there is only a short passage saying that he is a powerful magic user who cast his city into the sky. He prefers to remain neutral in all affairs political and divine and generally watches events from afar from his cloud castle over the Great Sea to the west of Alciondria.
Neventi relaxes by the fire in The White Crane common room drinking a glass of red wine. "I do not miss nursing," she says to nobody in particular. "The devas warned me not to drink wine and listed many other things while I was with child and after."
She seems relaxed, smiling as Gentoa growls like an angry dog and chases Martin in a loop around the chairs and tables of the common room. He periodically picks up a stray crust of bread or a cushion and tosses it at the little girl, who giggles with delight as it bounces off her forehead every time.
Outside a winter gale blows, howling over the chimneys and whipping snow off the ground to make it look like a fresh fall. "I am also glad we are not camping on the Long Road tonight," she says and takes another sip of the wine. She closes her eyes, memorizing this moment, and sighs.
"Okay," she says at last. "I have to know." She stands, obviously a little tipsy and swishing the glass of wine with flair. "Imagine Gentoa is your queen. You are her advisers. I suppose that makes me the Queen Mother. Anyhow, what is your advice to her majesty on the matter of continuing along the Long Road or staying for a time in Tinosa. She requires your very best advice, gentlemen." She adopts a haughty regal tone, but one that is a caricature of the real thing. "I care not for your willingness, good sirs. You are all loyal to her majesty, I know. Tell her majesty what must be done, in your expert opinions."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
(for continuity sake the barlgura hung out for approx 59 more minutes where Gash tried to make friends with him and learn his name. Even bonding over the fact that Gash uses is a fake name as well. Gash tells him to be cool while they wait for the spell to end.)
"I wonder if we could buy Gerielle's old place. How in tact is it? At this point, it seems like we cleared out the threats to Nev and Genny which is probably how those things got here in the first place. I should be safe now. If we hadn't lied about our intentions back in Masa... I'd suggest we go back there to buy a home. I could go check if they're still cross with us."
Gash will put some time in at the magic shop talking to the owner, seeing if he could use an extra hand. Maybe he could scribe some scrolls for him to sell.
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
"Bulwark and I both had the same thought, but it seemed too complicated and no one really followed up with the authorities. Might be worth asking again. Though it's likely out of our price range, unless the city gives us a big discount for, well, cleansing it."
(So are we doing this downtime? Thanks for providing the option, MD!)
(Yup...heeere it comes!)
Over the next 12 days, the party settles in as winter arrives in full force. Despite the chill, Martin heads out to celebrate their successes in the city and capitalize on his minor fame.
DM shield:
83
He finds a very comfortable gambling den where he is able to regale others with his tales and even manages to walk away with extra coin (+1 gp)
On the second night, the first snow arrives and a quiet stillness falls on Tinosa for the next day and a half. The city becomes serene, pillars or gray smoke wafting up from chimneys all over the city. The bustle begins to slowly return on the afternoon of the third day and Dog and Bulwark see about trying to purchase Garielle's house.
DM shield:
DC 12: 12
DC 15: 21
DC 18: 11
Dog is loathe to navigate the bureaucracy of Tinosa but Bulwark has a certain way with words that appeals to the bureaucrats of Tinosa. With a modest payment to the clerk, they discover the house has been assessed recently by the Land-Use clerk and is valued at 3000 gold. The contents of the house have yet to be assessed, however, and likely won't be for several ten-days. It is much trickier trying to determine if they can buy the house in advance of the expected auction, a date for which has not been set yet. In fact, Bulwark is able to draw a grudging affirmative from the clerk overseeing city auctions.
"There is precedent for it," he says. "In my experience, people pay well above the expected auction price for the property in those situations."
Dog suggests that the former owner may scare away most buyers and Bulwark adds that the city will save a lot of money by forgoing the assessment of the house's contents and setting up the auction, presale viewing, and assorted paperwork involved.
"Well..." the clerk says hesitantly, "You are not wrong on those points."
He pulls out an abacus and quickly makes some calculations. "We expect it would cost 107 gold to prepare the house for sale."
He navigates the beads on his abacus some more. "I estimate the house will come in under value by 300 gold."
He slides the beads around further. "And we typically receive a markup of 67% on houses purchased ahead of auction. That puts it at about 4200 gold to purchase in advance of auction."
With winter in full swing, the nefarious elements of Tinosa have holed up for a couple of days. Tock and Martin spend some time with Neventi and Gentoa, often from afar, as they play in the snow, visit the temple, and volunteer at one of the hospitals. In all that time, there is no sign whatsoever of any interest in Gentoa or her mother.
As the streets turn to slush and mud and the city finds it cannot be quiet any longer, Tock begins in earnest to seek out the elements of crime in Tinosa.
DM shield:
DC 12: 8
DC 15: 20
54
Tock is unable to find any leads towards criminal enterprises in Tinosa, so he changes tactics and encourages Martin to go out for another night on the town. They return to the gambling den, where Tock is able to play a convincing sot in search of a good time. Martin walks away a winner again (+1 more gold) while Tock is granted access to a clearly illegal opium den...
At the enchanter's shop, Gash meets with a gruff, middle-aged human man. "Not many mages coming through here this time of year," he says. "I haven't much use for an extra hand right now. You going to guy anything?"
"No sir, just looking for work. Perhaps I'll just try crafting my own items... thank you for your time."
Gash leaves the magic shop, and heads out to find some wood to try his hands at crafting wands. (is this a thing I can do? lol)
Gash - Lvl14 Goblin Wizard - The High Court of the Aasimar Queen
Yup! Take a look: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/between-adventures#CraftingaMagicItem
Dog brings this real estate option back to the group to see what they think.
Also did he get a chance to stop by a library to see what the city has to offer on that front? He would really like to do some research on heavens, hells, and the giant.
On the way back from the City Property Clerk's office, Dog stops at the library, found in the Temple District of Tinosa. It is not a very big library but it is in good order and, fortunately for Dog's interests, is mostly stocked with books on religious topics.
A rather stiff-backed librarian slides up behind Dog and says in a hushed tone, "What may I help you find today?"
Dog's mind flashes back to the hours, days, weeks, months he spent stuck in the library his parents worked at for the arcanist, and though he hated being there as a kid, he's come to understand that books can be weapons. His demeanor upon walking in is as close to what he remembers of his very bookish father as he can make it: reserved, calm, contemplative. He goes to push glasses up his nose that are not there.
"Thank you, my name is Doggear Brakespine, from the library of [insert name of the arcanist Dog's family worked at -- I don't think we've established this!]. I'm staying in town for a while, my friends and I got here about a week ago and cleansed the place of that vampire and also the infernal engine. I'm looking for some downtime and to increase my understanding of the heavens and hells. I'd also be curious if you have any books on cloud giants. I'd be happy to pay for your time and resources with money or with work. I'm familiar with more cataloguing systems, and spent a decent amount of my childhood bookbinding, if you have need."
Tock is very excited to finally have a lead. He will prepare well the next day by casting protection from poison before heading in there. He will also discuss with others and try to find some coins from as far east as they have come across. The plan is to locate object to either follow the money or to follow the equipment or something he can see in there. He doesn't have a plan for what to do with the information, but he'll be able to busy himself with just trying to very carefully track down the source of the drugs.
But head in there he will and buy something as mild as possible and fake using it, keeping his eyes and ears open, especially about the source of the opium.
"Oh!" the librarian says. "I heard about that. Terribly shocking! A vampire! Well done. I admit to some surprise to seeing a goliath in a library. Your kind are not known for their...literacy."
He begins leading Dog towards a series of shelves that instantly evoke a ton of memories of his youth. "We do not need any volunteers, but thank you for the offer. Donations are always welcome. And any book you check out requires a deposit of 2 sp, unless it is a very special book, which requires more. You do receive your deposit back upon returning the book in a timely fashion."
"Here," he says sweeping an arm across a shelf full of tomes, "are the books on the heavens. There are numerous books on each heaven, books on the gods that inhabit each heaven, books describing the gods messengers and how and when and where they have visited the mortal plane, a fabulous new book speculating on the creation of the heavens, a history of the writings about the heavens, a meticulous catalog of divine knowledge about the heavens...you'll note it is quite thin...and a second volume with suspected divine knowledge....note its size."
He turns to the opposite bookcase. "This contains the books on the hells." It easily has 1/10th the books as its opposite. "There are a smattering of books about each hell and their gods. There is very little about the creation of the hells or their messengers. It is not a popular topic for writers, I'm afraid."
"We have three or four books on giants," the librarion says, leading Dog to another section of the library. "Most of them are descriptive catalogs of the creatures. There is one about political dealings with giants. We have..." he selects a dusty tome from a low shelf "...just this one on Cloud Giants specifically. I've not read it myself, so I could not tell you of its informational value."
He hands the book to Dog and clasps his hands in front of him. "That's the orientation. If you require further assistance, please do no hesitate to ask for it."
DM shield:
DC 16: 11
Tock spends most of the day in the opium den but finds the dealers there tight lipped about their operation. They find him convincing as a customer but place no trust in him beyond that. He leaves with no more knowledge of the establishment than he had when her arrived and is now out 4 gp for his efforts.
"Thank you very, very much for the tour, and the introduction," Dog says, handing him 5 gold for a deposit, and settling into the stacks. He spends the rest of the time that day the library is open skimming through volumes in the areas the librarian showed him. He's looking for books that might have useful knowledge of how the heavens and the hells have dealt with mortals, other contracts that may have been signed or broken, anything on the capabilities of the hells and their subterfuge, anything on Milil, anything on divine progeny, and then definitely the books on the giants, especially the cloud giant one.
He'll borrow the most promising 20 books (he's leaving an extra gold as a sign of good faith) and bring them back to where they're staying and begin reading and analyzing for useful information. Dog's been in the dark on this whole endeavor for so long and his mind's itching to get smarter so he can help make a better decision, know what threats are likely out there, what assets and allies they might have, and if there's any precedent to learn from. He's happy to share books with others (making sure they are treated well and returned on time), to increase the general understanding of what they know.
(What does the rest of the group think about buying the vampire house?)
Martin thinks this city is bad news. Setting up to live here isn’t high on his list of things he’d want to do
Paladin - warforged - orange
Bulwark is fine with staying, fine with leaving.
Dog's crash course in the heavens and hells:
The Heavens:
The Hells:
The mortal plane:
Everything Dog gleans about Milil can be found here: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Milil but with the following caveats:
Dog's crash course on cloud giants:
Everything here: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Cloud_giant (ignore the two notable Cloud Giants links)
And here: Cloud Giant
Regarding Mardek, there is only a short passage saying that he is a powerful magic user who cast his city into the sky. He prefers to remain neutral in all affairs political and divine and generally watches events from afar from his cloud castle over the Great Sea to the west of Alciondria.
Neventi relaxes by the fire in The White Crane common room drinking a glass of red wine. "I do not miss nursing," she says to nobody in particular. "The devas warned me not to drink wine and listed many other things while I was with child and after."
She seems relaxed, smiling as Gentoa growls like an angry dog and chases Martin in a loop around the chairs and tables of the common room. He periodically picks up a stray crust of bread or a cushion and tosses it at the little girl, who giggles with delight as it bounces off her forehead every time.
Outside a winter gale blows, howling over the chimneys and whipping snow off the ground to make it look like a fresh fall. "I am also glad we are not camping on the Long Road tonight," she says and takes another sip of the wine. She closes her eyes, memorizing this moment, and sighs.
"Okay," she says at last. "I have to know." She stands, obviously a little tipsy and swishing the glass of wine with flair. "Imagine Gentoa is your queen. You are her advisers. I suppose that makes me the Queen Mother. Anyhow, what is your advice to her majesty on the matter of continuing along the Long Road or staying for a time in Tinosa. She requires your very best advice, gentlemen." She adopts a haughty regal tone, but one that is a caricature of the real thing. "I care not for your willingness, good sirs. You are all loyal to her majesty, I know. Tell her majesty what must be done, in your expert opinions."