Quote from AlaricBrand>>

 [[ Hope all is well with the horrific weather; Yass *looks* relatively clear. ]]

[[Yesterday was the least smokey day for a while, but that all changed with the southerly wind change; this morning's the worst I've seen it. They were giving us the chance of a few showers today. Here's hoping.]]

[[Andrew decided discretion was the better part of valour and had Guilliame make a run for it. Which was probably for the best because the numbers were against him.]]

 "What have you heard about last night, Mikkel?"

Mikkel gives a chuckle and says, "Abrams is getting a bit testy, what with everything that's been happening, and the local staff are starting to look a bit harried. Still, things will get better today. Cobb has headed back to the estate with the new guards in tow, so at least there will be fewer mouths to feed."

"What, if anything, is know of my role?"

[[ Wait for answer ]]

"And did your night with iMad reveal any interesting information about anything?"

[[ Also, how did Brand go with remembering the basics shops etc]]

[[ Btw, calendar sounds good, but don't get distracted from the map...that said, I'd like to know what season we are in ?]]

[[ Re Andrew: sounds like he had a good idea. The risk of a stray critical hit is just too high at low levels imo, especially when fighting more than one enemy. ]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[ Btw, calendar sounds good, but don't get distracted from the map...that said, I'd like to know what season we are in ?]]

[[Implemented as far as I can at the moment, I believe. You should find your month on the home page and Khorhalas is the last month of summer.]]

[[ Re Andrew: sounds like he had a good idea. The risk of a stray critical hit is just too high at low levels imo, especially when fighting more than one enemy. ]]

[[Agreed.]]

"What, if anything, is know of my role?"

[[Please write the above question again, it is unclear what you mean.]]

[[ Also, how did Brand go with remembering the basics shops etc]]

[[Brand does know of a tailor that he believes will be able to provide him with the style of coat he wants. Is that where he is going to go first?]]

"And did your night with iMad reveal any interesting information about anything?" asks Brand.

Mikkel shakes his head and says, "Not much, Master Alaric. The man was asleep by the time I got to bed and up seeing to his horse at daybreak... I would try to get him talking, but he's gone with Cobb now."

[[Sorry for the delay in replying, but D&D Beyond did not give me any notifications about your posts and was agonisingly slow this morning.]]

[[ Good to have a calendar! ]]

"What, if anything, is know of my role?"

[[Please write the above question again, it is unclear what you mean.]]

"What do you, and the household in general, know of my role last night?"

[[Brand does know of a tailor that he believes will be able to provide him with the style of coat he wants. Is that where he is going to go first?]]

[[ I actually ended up with a longer list (after one of my habitual edits):

Shopping:

- Tailor, or army(?) outfitter, for Trench Coat (link to general discussion): basic idea is a coat with internal and external pockets, a knife sheath or two (like Rawl's), and oiled? soft leather? so that it can be waterproof using oil/wax (and worn over his armour).

- Armorer for a 'standard issue' studded leather set, and for a less obtrusive/obvious set (ie. two sets).

- Weaponsmith for a new dagger

- Purveyor of Stink of Life to replace used one

I assume he won't get all this done today!

If he does not know the location of any of the above, he will ask Mikkel if he knows, or who he should ask (Abrams?) ]]

[[ And yes, re delay, initially I thought my internet was going down. My vote for the two worst features in BeyondDND: Notifications and Search...both are trult abysmal. ]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[ Good to have a calendar! ]]

"What, if anything, is know of my role?"

[[Please write the above question again, it is unclear what you mean.]]

"What do you, and the household in general, know of my role last night?"

[[Thanks. It wasn't clear. See below.]]

[[Brand does know of a tailor that he believes will be able to provide him with the style of coat he wants. Is that where he is going to go first?]]

 

[[ I actually ended up with a longer list (after one of my habitual edits):

Shopping:

- Tailor, or army(?) outfitter, for Trench Coat (link to general discussion): basic idea is a coat with internal and external pockets, a knife sheath or two (like Rawl's), and oiled? soft leather? so that it can be waterproof using oil/wax (and worn over his armour).

- Armorer for a 'standard issue' studded leather set, and for a less obtrusive/obvious set (ie. two sets).

[[The above will need to be custom made and he knows a number of places who can do the first, but not the second. He also doesn't believe Mikkel or Abrams will be able to help with the second.]]

- Weaponsmith for a new dagger

[[This one is easy.]]

- Purveyor of Stink of Life to replace used one

[[Despite their usefulness, these are not common items and quite expensive. He will probably need to go to the Scholar's Ward to find someone who sells this. Mikkel and Abrams won't be able to help with this.]]

I assume he won't get all this done today!

If he does not know the location of any of the above, he will ask Mikkel if he knows, or who he should ask (Abrams?) ]]

[[ And yes, re delay, initially I thought my internet was going down. My vote for the two worst features in BeyondDND: Notifications and Search...both are trult abysmal. ]]

[[The above was based on your original Wisdom check.]]

"I don't understand what you mean. You were helping your father with his business," replies Mikkel looking confused. 

[[ Confused....Mikkel shouldn't be. He advised Brand not to go, then when brand refused to stay, offered to bring his dagger.... Have I missed something....? ]]

[[ Edit: ok, is mikkel being straight faced super cool dude? ]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[ Confused....Mikkel shouldn't be. He advised Brand not to go, then when brand refused to stay, offered to bring his dagger.... Have I missed something....? ]]

[[He's confused as to why Brand would think the others on the staff would know anything different from himself. They all know what Koric does for a living and Brand turned up on the night of an operation wearing armour and carrying many weapons and was not seen for long periods of time. They know the sort of thing that does on in this house and tend not to gossip or find things unusual.]]

[[ Ah, OK. I wasn't clear how much the entire house knew. ]]

[[ In that case, coat first. He will leave cloak behind. ]]

[[ In answer to Mikkel's question: ]]

"Thank you Mikkel, please take the day for yourself. I know yesterday did not go as planned. Anything you might hear could be valuable, but don't pry."

Brand pauses, "Do you have a sense of what todays weather may hold?"

[[ Brand will head to outfitter...leaving the cloak behind... ]]

 Brand turned up on the night of an operation wearing armour and carrying many weapons

[[ From recollection, the only person who saw Brand in such a state was Abrams: he left and returned invisibly, and when in the kitchen area the only staff he encountered was Abrams, Jon, Bacchi and Tomas.

Does that mean the entire town staff are as above? For some reason I thought there would be more. A small staff makes sense, just wasn't sure. ]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

 Brand turned up on the night of an operation wearing armour and carrying many weapons

[[ From recollection, the only person who saw Brand in such a state was Abrams: he left and returned invisibly, and when in the kitchen area the only staff he encountered was Abrams, Jon, Bacchi and Tomas.

Does that mean the entire town staff are as above? For some reason I thought there would be more. A small staff makes sense, just wasn't sure. ]]

[[There are probably at least that many again (including some women; see here), but they haven't had speaking parts—yet. I have an algorithm for determining the sex of NPCs who don't have a pre-determined gender. It is slightly skewed towards maleness because it is slightly skewed towards adventurous and dangerous activities. Coincidentally, Guilliame seems to have been interacting with more random women than men, surprisingly enough.]]

[[ Double-post due to performance issues; kept for later notes ]]

 Brand turned up on the night of an operation wearing armour and carrying many weapons

[[ From recollection, the only person who saw Brand in such a state was Abrams: he left and returned invisibly, and when in the kitchen area the only staff he encountered was Abrams, Jon, Bacchi and Tomas.

Does that mean the entire town staff are as above? For some reason I thought there would be more. A small staff makes sense, just wasn't sure. ]]

[[There are probably at least that many again (including some women; see here), but they haven't had speaking parts

[[ Sadly that hasn't clarified things ;-) !

I have no particular preference with respect to the openness of Koric's operation, or Brand's involvement, but Brand was skulking in the house (1) on the assumption (probably incorrect) that all of the household was not in on the business, and (2) to minimize knowledge of his involvement. In this context, here is how I *thought* things went:

- During the day, Brand left house at lunchtime wearing armour and some daggers (not in bandolier, iirc). This is his standard city gear.
- After dinner, brand announces he's going to bed.
- Brand leaves and returns undetected on Rawl (Part 1)
- Brand leaves and returns undetected on Rawl (Part 2)
- at 5 candles (11pm? ish) he comes down to the kitchen and asks for some food and announces he might go for a walk.
- he listens to conversation, not participating much, then goes to bed apparently because rain is probably once again imminent (Bom)
- based on interactions in the evening, at least the following know of Brand's involvement: Tomas, Jon, Bacchi, Fazel, Mikkel.

At no point did he see other servants milling about etc. If he had he would have probably been more circumspect, mainly making sure he was not muddy etc.

To be clear: I am quite happy to accept that the house may have servants about all the time, and that they are not mentioned in narrative, but in the past you have mentioned them in narrative (eg. the busy kitchen back at the estate).

I am also very happy if everyone is in on "the business" (this would make a lot more sense than Koric trying to keep it secret), and that the natural assumption would be that Brand was involved. This would also be good because it would involve much less skulking. But that then leads to why Mikkel warned Brand to stay away, and why his mind seems to have now changed about the need to protect Brand.

So...what I think has happened is that we have been operating with considerably different world views for almost the entire day, and they have only now come into conflict. A synchronization would be good!

...It also seems DNDB is performing abysmally again...

In the interests of collecting everything together, I have also added the 'move' from earlier, below:]]

[[ In answer to Mikkel's question: ]]

"Thank you Mikkel, please take the day for yourself. I know yesterday did not go as planned. Anything you might hear could be valuable, but don't pry."

Brand pauses, "Do you have a sense of what todays weather may hold?"

[[ Contrary to my earlier pronouncement, Brand will wear his cloak the other way round today. It's the only thing that covers some of his daggers... ]]

[[ lol. Love the photo of Koric! Though, he never ends well. Should I be worried? ]]

[[I suspect D&D Beyond are either having exceptionally high traffic or a Denial of Service attack. Response seems to be better at night, the US daytime, which suggests the former rather than the latter.]]

[[With regard to Brand's 'secret' identity: The household all know what Koric does and likely assume that Brand is in on it. They also don't talk about such things when people they aren't completely sure of are around (this would include Mikkel, as he is not part of the city residence staff). With regard to Mikkel: He saw part of his responsibilities as protecting Brand, something he now realises is not really necessary.]]

Mikkel's response to Brand's question about the weather is that his injury is still playing up and so he expects the rain hasn't gone away yet. He might therefore head out to see the city sights later in the day, depending on the weather.

Donning his cloak, Brand heads out into the city under the overcast skies. This time, he is headed east and slightly north into the main mercantile sector, heading for an establishment he knows called Rafael's Ruffles (They have royal sanction to use the name). As he walks through the streets he hears the candle callers calling out the news of the robbery of the Bank of Sorenden and a warning about some of the robbers still being at large.

Twenty minutes of leisurely walking later, Brand is now at the entrance to Rafael's Ruffles; it is just as he remembers it. Its clientele is normally those of the upper class and its fashion similar, but as far as Brand is aware, they are the best custom tailors in Constantine.

[[Can you provide me with an image similar to what Brand is looking for.]]

[[Sorry. Today was busier than I expected.]]

[[ Not sure he needs best custom tailors, but perhaps best military outfitter...then again, I assume that might be the same thing in the middle ages analogue.

3 pictures:

- 2x Hero Forge 'Swashbuckler coat, split at back, and about 3/4 length (otherwise, horse becomes difficult, I think).
- 1x Van Helsing coat (for the waterproof leather look or similar)

I do NOT want this thing to be deeply distinctive (perhaps like a military officers coat); hence the military outfitter concept, but I DO want it to have abnormal features like internal pockets and knife scabbards, and water proofing. It is also intended to fit over his leather armour; bandolier and belt underneath.

If they seem to be the sort of establishment that offers a built-in cleaning cantrip....then that might be nice, for the right price....

Edit: Looking at the HeroForge stuff, I expect the daggers are on the belt and inside the coat, as per western gunslingers...HF is not the most realistic.

[[Thanks for the images. With regard to whether this is the right establishment, Brand will need to enquire inside. What Brand does know is that this place probably has the most skilled tailors in Constantine, for a price. He would also know that coats like he is after aren't common and he would probably need to get one made rather than buy off the rack, as it were.]]

Brand is able to look in the windows—a sign of opulence in its own right, glass being expensive—of the shop and can see the quality of the workmanship on display, though he doesn't really approve of the delicate nature of the clothing he can see.

[[ 1. Main deal:  Does he know where army commanders  go to buy field gear? 2. Now he's here, no point in leaving. ]]

Brand enters the establishment, with a look of mild disdain mingled with resignation on his face [[he's bought cool stuff in NN after all]].

He has no interest in fine silks or exuberant colours, so makes only a cursory assessment of such items, and spends his time looking for the more robust items they might have for sale.

[[ If anyone asks what he is after, then he will say: ]]

"Thank you. Perhaps I am in the wrong place, but I was hoping for well-crafted items for those who live more...robust...lives. Is that the kind of thing you make,

[[ If he's seen none: ]]

"...or do you only specialise in courtly garb?"

[[ If he's seem something that looks almost right: ]]

"...I noticed these...but they are not quite what I was looking for --  perhaps you have others?"

[[ End If ]]

[[ Else: ]]

Brand leaves, and goes to the army outfitter.

[[ End If]]

[[ Where do temple guards buy their gear? They are readily identifiable, so must have some source. ]]

[[ Edit: the way you described Rawl's coat, it was over his armour and long...where would that have come from? How did it differ from the above images? ]]

[[ Edit 2: Does anyone wear long coats? Sailors? Candle-callers? Guards ? Clearly Rawl did...was he just really odd, like Brand? ]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[ 1. Main deal:  Does he know where army commanders  go to buy field gear? 2. Now he's here, no point in leaving. ]]

[[Army commanders don't buy their own gear, it is generally provided as part of their uniform by the army.]]

Brand enters the establishment, with a look of mild disdain mingled with resignation on his face [[he's bought cool stuff in NN after all]].

He has no interest in fine silks or exuberant colours, so makes only a cursory assessment of such items, and spends his time looking for the more robust items they might have for sale.

[[The fine silks and exuberant colours fill the front part of the shop, however, towards the back of the shop, Brand finds some of the more robust items he is looking for.]]

[[ If anyone asks what he is after, then he will say: ]]

"Thank you. Perhaps I am in the wrong place, but I was hoping for well-crafted items for those who live more...robust...lives. Is that the kind of thing you make,

[[ If he's seen none: ]]

"...or do you only specialise in courtly garb?"

[[ If he's seem something that looks almost right: ]]

"...I noticed these...but they are not quite what I was looking for --  perhaps you have others?"

[[ End If ]]

[[ Else: ]]

Brand leaves, and goes to the army outfitter.

[[ End If]]

[[ Where do temple guards buy their gear? They are readily identifiable, so must have some source. ]]

[[Temple guards also have their uniforms and armour provided by the temple.]]

[[ Edit: the way you described Rawl's coat, it was over his armour and long...where would that have come from? How did it differ from the above images? ]]

[[When Rawl entered the cistern tunnel, he was not wearing the coat you are talking about. He was wearing it when Brand saw him in the street after he left the Temple District, so he must have picked it up somewhere in between those two points.]]

[[ Edit 2: Does anyone wear long coats? Sailors? Candle-callers? Guards ? Clearly Rawl did...was he just really odd, like Brand? ]]

[[What Rawl was wearing was similar to some of the coats Brand remembers being worn by the captains of his uncle's sailing ships, though he doesn't remember them being suitable for riding a horse.]]

A tall, pale-skinned man appears from out of a backroom and approaches Brand. He is wearing fine-cut clothes with no frills and has a measuring tape draped around his shoulders and a thin ring of black iron around his throat.

"Hello, good sir," he says, sizing Brand up and down. "May I be of some assistance?"

[[ Question about uniforms: yes provided by someone, but must also be made by someone...does Brand know who? ]]

"Thank you, yes. Perhaps I am in the wrong place, but I was hoping for well-crafted items for those who live more...robust...lives...I noticed these...but they are not quite what I was looking for --  perhaps you have others? I am looking for a long, perhaps 3/4 length, coat, suitable for walking and riding, good in the weather, and hard wearing. Perhaps something like I have seen sailors wearing from time to time, but split at the back?"