"That sounds most agreeable, and for the book in question, that would total...? In any case, I shall endeavour to return tomorrow, but events must play their course. Would you mind wrapping this one also?" he says, handing the book back to the man.

"Certainly, sir," says the bookseller, taking back the book. "And with regard to how much the book would cost to copy, I'm afraid I cannot remember the exact number of pages, but I'd say at least sixty, so you'd be looking at a cost about two engles."

The man disappears for a little while, but soon returns with Brand's book wrapped similarly to his mother's, which he hands over along with a small piece of card on which is written the following words in Sorian: "Willard Helas: The Compleat Sage, Constantine"

"Now, if I were interested in the reports of the first Sorendenese explorers...how would you wish to proceed? I would like to inspect such things if possible, but I appreciate that might be difficult?"

"I would have to do some research regarding that, sir," says Helas. "Contact other booksellers, and perhaps even make enquiries in New Nineveh; it could take a while, I'm afraid."

He then adds, "But I am happy to send you a message when I have found something; the Brand estate, or is there somewhere in town I can contact you?"

[[Re rolls: broadly, I think I would prefer GM rolls for things I should not know. [[Edit: and as I think I said before, I'm very happy for GM to make rolls for me (publically) that are purely mechanical: eg. to see a thing, if not seeing it means action continues, but seeing it means action pauses; like the rat...I'd be happy if you made the roll and told me afterwards when appropriate. Or just gave me XP.]]

[[A character has passive values for Perception, Investigation and Insight checks (they're on the left-hand side of your character sheet). I use (and have used) these a lot. In general, I ask for a roll if the player specifically says the character is doing something (e.g., looking for something), or their passive value is close, but not quite, the DC required. I also use the same formula for other passive skill checks such as Stealth. The formula is 10 + the character's bonus for that skill.]]

BUT...I still remain concerned about a single roll for "is this the book for me". Based on this post I think I might be better off asking "is this covering any subjects he has any knowledge of, and if so what areas?" followed by "does he agree with the view expressed on stuff he knows well", and "does he find the stuff he disagrees with well argued". The move on to "has he found evidence of stuff he does not know in areas he is interested in?" and finally "Does he find the writing style and assertion about things he knows a little about to be credible?"

The first two are close to empirical fact, the last three are probably 'investigation'.

[[All the above is fine, if the character has the time, but because I deemed that the DC for the investigation check was high—based on the large amount of information Brand was looking for and a random roll to see how accessible the text was (i.e., no table of contents)—there wasn't the time. Helas was certainly not going to give Brand the time to read large parts of the text while you were both standing in his doorway. And to have demanded the time would have possibly soured Helas' opinion of Brand as a customer. As it is, he now likely sees Brand as a possible good source of on-going sales.]]

I'm also very happy if he remains uncertain after 15 minutes (or an hour) [[See above regarding available time. The man is a bookseller not a librarian, and it is close to closing time. He would have been tapping his foot after about a minute.]]. He can come back another day, perhaps after doing some research to verify stuff that makes him uncomfortable.

Does this sound reasonable? If so, I'd probably go with GM rolls for each; and a simple yes/not for the first two (they are a bit like "is it day time?"]]

[[See above for my methodology on rolls and it will probably have to be adjudicated on a case-by-case basis, I'm afraid...

And now it's after midnight again... Pumpkin time for me; it's been a long day.]]

[[.. I deemed that the DC for the investigation check was high—based on the large amount of information Brand was looking for and a random roll to see how accessible the text was...]]

[[Ahhhhhhh. Apologies, I was, as usual , too ambiguous: I was not looking for a tick box on all of the items I listed; any one would do. I just listed a lot to make it an easier check! But, I'm happy to roll with the book if he thinks it's got some of the stuff. And as you say, the good will was an important outcome. He would most likely have bought it anyway.]]

He then adds, "But I am happy to send you a message when I have found something; the Brand estate, or is there somewhere in town I can contact you?"

"The Brand residence in town [[gives address if necessary]]; I'm sure they can convey it to the estate if I am not present."

Brand bows, glancing at the card, "It was a pleasure doing business with you Master Helas [[Is that the correct form?]], and I must admit I would like to pursue your comments about familiar spirits when there is more time, as well as hear about your arcane library, if you do not mind. There are many matters about which I am very curious."

Brand waits for a reply while he puts his wet gloves in his belt, puts on the dry ones, places both books in the sack and replaces the sack in his satchel, then dons his cloak once more with a grimace. "I was warned about the rain. I should have listened."

With a last nod to Helas then to Malfos, he leaves the establishment, and starts in the direction of home, keeping a wary eye on the street.

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[.. I deemed that the DC for the investigation check was high—based on the large amount of information Brand was looking for and a random roll to see how accessible the text was...]]

[[Ahhhhhhh. Apologies, I was, as usual , too ambiguous: I was not looking for a tick box on all of the items I listed; any one would do. I just listed a lot to make it an easier check! But, I'm happy to roll with the book if he thinks it's got some of the stuff. And as you say, the good will was an important outcome. He would most likely have bought it anyway.]]

[[No worries.]]

He then adds, "But I am happy to send you a message when I have found something; the Brand estate, or is there somewhere in town I can contact you?"

"The Brand residence in town [[gives address if necessary]]; I'm sure they can convey it to the estate if I am not present."

[[Address given. The city residence's address is probably a building name and a street name rather than a numerical address system like we have. The street name is 'Empire Avenue' and you can make up the house name, if you want. There would be a sign attached to the outer wall allowing people to find the house.]]

Brand bows, glancing at the card, "It was a pleasure doing business with you Master Helas [[Is that the correct form?]] [[Yes, mister isn't used and 'Master' is a catch-all term showing respect and or deference.]], and I must admit I would like to pursue your comments about familiar spirits when there is more time, as well as hear about your arcane library, if you do not mind. There are many matters about which I am very curious."

Brand waits for a reply while he puts his wet gloves in his belt, puts on the dry ones, places both books in the sack and replaces the sack in his satchel, then dons his cloak once more with a grimace. "I was warned about the rain. I should have listened."

With a last nod to Helas then to Malfos, he leaves the establishment, and starts in the direction of home, keeping a wary eye on the street.

"Certainly, Master Brand," says Helas with a slight bow. "I look forward to your next visit tomorrow, when you come to look at the book on latent sorcery. I will be here all day except for about an hour around midday when I will be closed for lunch."

And with regard to Malfos: the rat actually returns Brand's nod.

Leaving the shop Brand finds that, while the rain has died down a little, it is still falling.

He looks around at the still-deserted streets, which are even darker now because of the lateness of the day, and starts heading back towards the family's city residence.

[[Brand detects nothing beyond what has already been described.]]

Making his way through the streets without incident, Brand arrives back at the residence even colder and more wet than before.

Brand crosses the coach landing, and enters under the gated arch that leads to a small enclosed courtyard, and climbs the steps to the main entrance. Before he enters the house, he removes his cloak and shakes it, hoping there will be someone at the door to help with his armour, though not optimistic given the time of day.

[[ I'm guessing it's pre-dinner, but getting close to 6? ]]

He starts to make his way to his rooms, before remembering the new occupant, and turns around and heads toward the attic, hopeful that Mikkel has returned, and has arranged some suitable clothes for him.

[[ If there is a drying room, baths, or other warm place where he might change, he would probably go there and  ask someone to bring Mikkel to him]]

you can make up the house name, if you want

[[Will give that some thought]]

[[ Re : names, how eccentric does Brand father want to appear? Candidates so far:

"The Other Menagerie"
"The Menagerie"

"Bedrock" because it sits on one of the few pieces of solid rock (other than the palace) near the river. It was also cheaper because it was much harder to sink a well... Brand got his habitual paranoia from someone, and we have established that Koric is stingy ;-). It also reflects a solid devotion to Empire.

...feel free to tell me to keep thinking...I like Bedrock, Stonehaven, "The Rock" or something like that.

If it's not rocky, I'll keep thinking]]

[[ Re : names, how eccentric does Brand father want to appear? Candidates so far:

"The Other Menagerie"
"The Menagerie"

"Bedrock" because it sits on one of the few pieces of solid rock (other than the palace) near the river. It was also cheaper because it was much harder to sink a well... Brand got his habitual paranoia from someone, and we have established that Koric is stingy ;-). It also reflects a solid devotion to Empire.

...feel free to tell me to keep thinking...I like Bedrock, Stonehaven, "The Rock" or something like that.

If it's not rocky, I'll keep thinking]]

[It's not rocky, but it does have its own well, and a servant whose job it is to make sure the water drawn from the well is clean and palatable. I'm not averse to 'The Menagerie', but that might be a little too whimsical for Koric Brand.]]

Brand crosses the coach landing, and enters under the gated arch that leads to a small enclosed courtyard, and climbs the steps to the main entrance. Before he enters the house, he removes his cloak and shakes it, hoping there will be someone at the door to help with his armour, though not optimistic given the time of day.

[[Brand finds the main entrance is lock, and is a little surprised that the servant who is supposed to be at the main entrance isn't in evidence.]]

[[ I'm guessing it's pre-dinner, but getting close to 6? ]]

[[Correct.]]

He starts to make his way to his rooms, before remembering the new occupant, and turns around and heads toward the attic, hopeful that Mikkel has returned, and has arranged some suitable clothes for him.

[[He will have to get in before he can do any of the above, and he does not have a key; it normally isn't needed because the house is almost never without its servants.]]

[[ If there is a drying room, baths, or other warm place where he might change, he would probably go there and  ask someone to bring Mikkel to him]]

[[For future reference, there is a drying room used for laundry when the weather is inclement and a heated bathing room. Both are near the boilers for the internal heating system.]]

Frowning, Brand raps on the door using the ornate door-knocker.

[[ If no response, he replaces his cloak and retraces his steps from the morning: past the stables and through the kitchen, being a little more wary that something is amiss. He will transfer the Invisibility stone to his left glove. ]]

[[If all OK, then:]]

He starts to make his way to his rooms, before remembering the new occupant, and turns around and heads toward the bathing room, hopeful that Mikkel has returned. As he goes, he asks the first servant he sees to inform Mikkel that he has returned, and asks that servant to tell Mikkel to bring some dry clothes to the bathing room.

[[ I assume Abrams or Mikkel will have moved some of Brands items from his room to the attic? ]]

[[ I assume that there is a protocol for the bathing room, to avois embarrasment ]]

[[ Also, sanity check: He'd do what is normal here; go to rooms, go to bathing room, whatever... not trying to piss off Abrams]]

 Edit: [[ with think more about names; any distinctive features of property? It has a well. Does it have river access? A jetty? On a hill? View of the palace? ]]

 [[ Further to my previous post: so details about the property would help:

- Does it have river access?
- A jetty?
- On a hill?
- View of the palace?
- Far enough up the river to mostly have fresh water?
- Far enough down the river to always have salty water?
- in between the two?
- If built in a delta, then is it like a swamp, with houses on stilts, and rotting foundations that are continually repaired?
- Is it prone to flooding?
- Made from rock or wood?

I tried for stone, but some distinctive element would be good!]]

Initially, there is no response to Brand's rap on the door, but on his second attempt he hears a man's voice inside calling out, saying they are coming.

A short time later, the door is opened by the normal door servant—Jon Lazlo—who is looking a little harried. Jon is an older man who has been with the Brand family for a long time. From stories he heard when he was a lad, Brand knows that in his younger years Jon was a sailor. He also knows that, although the servant looks harmless, Jon always carries a concealed blade on his person. 

"Master Alaric," he says, bowing and looking apologetic, as he lets Brand into the house. "My apologies, but I was called away to help with the serving of the dinner."

He then asks, "Will you be joining your father at the table? The cook will need to know."

Brand nods, "Cook must be frantic with all the new mouths to feed."

He glances in the direction of the bath house. "I am planning to be at dinner -- I still have a candle until it starts don't I? But first I will need to clean up. Is Mikkel back? If so, could you ask him to bring me some clothes in the bath house -- assuming it is unoccupied?"

"Run off her feet, sir," says Jon in response to Brand's comment about the busy household. "And yes, dinner is still some way off."

And when he asks about Mikkel, the man answers with a smile saying, "I haven't seen Mikkel recently, but he's probably hiding out somewhere trying not to be noticed. That's what I'd be doing, if I were him."

Then he goes on to say, "I will look for him, and if you can tell me where your clothes are, I can bring them to the bath house for you."

"Never mind, Jon, I expect you are run off your feet as well, and likely needed elsewhere." 

He smiles, "I am sure I can find my own clothes. But if you do see Mikkel, let him know I am in the attic or the bath house, and would appreciate his assistance."

Brand makes way for Jon to re-lock the door, then heads up to the attic.

[[ Index to Notes ]]

People

Associate #1 Gerard Assam (link)

As Brand climbed the stairs to the attic he noticed that the house was still quite full of people, more so than the number of bedrooms could possibly support.

The attic bedroom is smaller than Brand remembers, but that's likely because he was smaller too when he used to hide from the servants in his youth. Still, he's slept in a lot worse places.

Mikkel limps in just after Brand has pulled off his sodden boots.

"Master Alaric? There you are, and soaked through," he says, putting the spare clothes he is carrying on the bed.

He then picks up Brand's cloak. "I'll take care of your wet clothes, shall I. I've found the drying room, and I'll have them cleaned and dried by morning."

"That would be a great relief for me, thank you Mikkel. I should check how my armour has fared, but perhaps I can do that later tonight. Vossel would be very disappointed if I did not see to that myself." After removing the armour, he wipes it down gently.

[[ My htinking is it's well-polished, so just needs to be wiped down, allowed to dry slowly, then waxed...is that correct? ]]

Brand breaths in deeply, and empties his satchel, placing the wrapped books on his bedroll, and the other items go onto the floor to allow any moisture to evaporate. He upends the satchel on the floor, trusting to the warmth of the attic to slowly remove any water that made it past the well-polished surface. Then he stands, as resolutely as he can manage, picks up the dry clothing.

"I would also like to wash before dinner. Why don't we walk to the baths, while you tell me how your day went? That way you won't have far to go carrying my damp clothes. Did you also bring my sash and belt? If not, no matter, but I would prefer something a little lighter tonight."

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

"That would be a great relief for me, thank you Mikkel. I should check how my armour has fared, but perhaps I can do that later tonight. Vossel would be very disappointed if I did not see to that myself." After removing the armour, he wipes it down gently.

[[ My htinking is it's well-polished, so just needs to be wiped down, allowed to dry slowly, then waxed...is that correct? ]]

[[Not sure. It definitely would need to be oiled to keep it supple, but waxing would tend to counteract that, wouldn't it?]]

Brand breaths in deeply, and empties his satchel, placing the wrapped books on his bedroll, and the other items go onto the floor to allow any moisture to evaporate. He upends the satchel on the floor, trusting to the warmth of the attic to slowly remove any water that made it past the well-polished surface. Then he stands, as resolutely as he can manage, picks up the dry clothing.

"I would also like to wash before dinner. Why don't we walk to the baths, while you tell me how your day went? That way you won't have far to go carrying my damp clothes. Did you also bring my sash and belt? If not, no matter, but I would prefer something a little lighter tonight."

Mikkel accompanies Brand to the baths where he draws a tub of hot water for Brand to soak in. 

"Sorry, Master Alaric," he says in response to Brand's question about what he got up to, "but I didn't get out in the city today. By time I was ready to leave, the rain had started, so I decided not to go. If the rain stops tomorrow, I will get out then."

He then lowers his voice and says, "I don't want to speak out of turn, Master Alaric, but I think your father is planning for something to happen tonight. The people who have arrived this afternoon; they have all been carrying weapons and he and his advisors have been locked into his study for many candles."

After a moment, he adds, "I thought you should know, and if I were you, I would stay out of sight until whatever it is, is over."

Brand looks closely at Mikkel, scanning his face for signs of deception or conflict [[my thinking here is this is a sign of loyalty to Brand, possibly ahead of Koric, which he would take very positively]] , "Thank you Mikkel, you may always 'speak out of turn'; failure to speak your mind is the only thing I would criticize. That, or weak Chah." he smiles. "Any insights you have are valuable; and your experience gives you intuitions that I can not possibly hope for. Not yet, at least."

He then looks in the direction of his father's office, "But...while I value my life above many things, there is a lot going on at the moment, and I think that I am safer understanding as much as I can. The first rule of political life: Knowledge makes you a target, but gnorance kills. I can live with the former. Also.... I believe my father would be safer for it. Although he, I think, would prefer to I remained ignorant."

He pauses again, watching Mikkel's face for reaction to the mention of his father, then continues. "Tonight there is so much going on -- and today for that matter -- that I don't think my curiosity will let me stay away. Today, right now, ignorance is not safety. Not when you are a Brand, at least."

Brand smiles and pats Mikkel on the shoulder, locking eyes, "I appreciate the warning, Mikkel, and I might need to ask one more favour. Or two. First, I am tired. I need to be more awake; some Char [[or coffee??]] might help, and second: I probably can't wear my armour to dinner, but, do you think there might be some practice leathers I could wear under a tunic or shirt, or perhaps some padding...I'm not sure exactly sure what might work. I don't want to draw attention, but everything helps in such a situation. Thankfully I already have a reputation for eccentric choices in this regard, Nothing too bulky, mind." [[need dex bonus +2]] "As always, I'm just looking for something that might tip the balance should things go badly, if that is what you seem to be suggesting."

[[Re Armour: I doubt there's anything Mikkel can do. His AC is 12 Unarmoured, and 14 in leather so it's not huge gain, but +1 might be nice if he work a leather tunic or something...]]

[[ Question: weapons are disassembled for cleaning and repair. Typically pommel, hilt, guard etc all come apart; the 'good' scimitar has darkvision in the hilt. Is it in the pommel, the hand-piece, or some other part? Can he bring that part to dinner, if it's not bulky? ]]

 [[Not sure. It definitely would need to be oiled to keep it supple, but waxing would tend to counteract that, wouldn't it?]]

Probably, yeah. I was thinking of old school saddle-soap, and the various oily/waxy substances that perform the function of shoe polish: prevent water penetration, and keep the leather supple and nourished. Wax is probably the wrong term.

From Wikipedia:

Saddle soap is a proprietary compound used for cleaning, conditioning, and protecting leather. It typically contains mild soap, softening ingredients such as lanolin, and preservatives such as beeswax. It is commonly used on leather footwear, saddles, and other items of horse tack, hence its name.

So, I guess it's a mix of the correct wax and oils.

From another site:

You should always condition leather after cleaning, since the soap will have removed some of its natural oils. Treat the leather with mink oil, olive oil, or beeswax polish with a clean cloth, gently rubbing a small amount of oil or polish in circles into the leather. Allow the leather to soak in the oil before wiping the leather with a final clean cloth to remove any excess residue.

So it seems beeswax is a key ingredient.

Properly saddl-soped saddles and shoes dont get wet for ages, but do need cleaning if the collect dirt.

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

Brand looks closely at Mikkel, scanning his face for signs of deception or conflict [[my thinking here is this is a sign of loyalty to Brand, possibly ahead of Koric, which he would take very positively]] , "Thank you Mikkel, you may always 'speak out of turn'; failure to speak your mind is the only thing I would criticize. That, or weak Chah." he smiles. "Any insights you have are valuable; and your experience gives you intuitions that I can not possibly hope for. Not yet, at least."

[[As far as Brand can tell, there is no deception involved; with regard to Mikkel anyway.]]

He then looks in the direction of his father's office, "But...while I value my life above many things, there is a lot going on at the moment, and I think that I am safer understanding as much as I can. The first rule of political life: Knowledge makes you a target, but gnorance kills. I can live with the former. Also.... I believe my father would be safer for it. Although he, I think, would prefer to I remained ignorant."

He pauses again, watching Mikkel's face for reaction to the mention of his father, then continues. "Tonight there is so much going on -- and today for that matter -- that I don't think my curiosity will let me stay away. Today, right now, ignorance is not safety. Not when you are a Brand, at least."

Brand smiles and pats Mikkel on the shoulder, locking eyes, "I appreciate the warning, Mikkel, and I might need to ask one more favour. Or two. First, I am tired. I need to be more awake; some Char [[or coffee??[[It's called Caf and it is very expensive because it needs to be imported from a long way south]]]] might help, and second: I probably can't wear my armour to dinner, but, do you think there might be some practice leathers I could wear under a tunic or shirt, or perhaps some padding...I'm not sure exactly sure what might work. I don't want to draw attention, but everything helps in such a situation. Thankfully I already have a reputation for eccentric choices in this regard, Nothing too bulky, mind." [[need dex bonus +2]] "As always, I'm just looking for something that might tip the balance should things go badly, if that is what you seem to be suggesting." 

[[Re Armour: I doubt there's anything Mikkel can do. His AC is 12 Unarmoured, and 14 in leather so it's not huge gain, but +1 might be nice if he work a leather tunic or something...]]

[[ Question: weapons are disassembled for cleaning and repair. Typically pommel, hilt, guard etc all come apart; the 'good' scimitar has darkvision in the hilt. Is it in the pommel, the hand-piece, or some other part? Can he bring that part to dinner, if it's not bulky? ]]

[[The darkvision spell is inscribed into the leather grip of the sword, which is attached to the hilt with stitching. Brand could remove this and carry the leather with him discreetly, but it would then have to be re-stitched to the sword. However, Brand has never done this before, and he doesn't know if the spell will even work if the leather is detached from the bronze hilt of the sword. He is aware that making a hilt of bronze is unusual, but he believes that was essential for the spells in the sword's crosspiece.]]

"I wish I hadn't told you now, Master Alaric," says Mikkel clearly concerned. "My job is to keep you safe, and all my instincts are telling me to steer clear of whatever is being planned. And, if we do go down to join your father at dinner, then please sir, wear your armour. I suspect you won't be out of place at all." 

Brand does a double-take, then nods. "I trust your instinct. Armour it is. What are our guests wearing?"

"And don't worry, I always planned to go to dinner tonight, your warning may not have changed that, but I will be more prepared than I might have otherwise been."

Brand considers for a moment, "Perhaps you could also ensure my swords are discreetly placed in the [[Room 1 next to dining room]] and [[other room next do dining room]], perhaps in the [[linen press]]/[map cabinet]/[[other places that guests would not look in or go to]]".

DON'T DO THIS: "Also, you might tell Abrams that I asked you to mention your concerns to him. He is probably already aware, but it never hurts to be sure. He needs to keep the staff safe."

"One more thing...the guards my father hired. Do you know where they are now?"

[[ I don't know layout, but there's probably a 'servery' at one end of the room, and perhaps a 'lounge' at the other, just guessing]]

[[I don't think a sword is likely to be weildable IN the dining room (let me know if misaprehension), and would be hard to avoid another person taking it if seated at dinner (let me know if misaprehension). He will have daggers.]]

[[ Let me know if sword is wearable AT dinner while seated ]]

[[He won't pull apart the sword hilt]]

[[Kit for dinner: Standard City gear PLUS bag of ball bearings in belt ]]