Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

(Yeah, the gold changes hands easily enough. Mordekai just didn't want to be beaten by someone with quicker hands than his own)

Mordekai turns to the Aasimar and the Tiefling. "How would you describe your friend's station in life? You seem to be struggling with the term "wizard", are we missing some nuance? Laffa, would you have called yourself a wizard? Or something more specific? What were you areas of expertise, yourself and Zikran?"

     "No clue as to Zirkan's whereabouts now? Where he'd have fled to?  We'd ask the dragon but... we try to avoid dragons," Ketch grumbles.  "You understand..."

     "And I suppose it goes without saying that you've tried restorations and having curses removed?" He asks a bit more conversationally.  "Was there any hint on what it would take to reverse what happened?"

The Tiefling answers first, "Oh, I mean, he's a wizard. He can cast a few basic spells. He can't even blow things up no more though."  

Laffa doesn't respond.  

The Aasimar says in a somewhat sensitive tone, "He's still a wizard. Just....his potential to work higher forms of magic is gone. Just gone. Taken away. Just like that bartender could never become a wizard, he simply doesn't have the potential. It's not a matter of curses or restorations. Sadly, it's permanent. The almighty wish made it this way, but Laffa believes even a wish couldn't counteract what's been done." 

Laffa looks at the group with shrewd eyes, "You think Zikran is alive. You're looking for him."  He scratches his shoulder as he thinks.  "You know, I can't pay you for killin him if you find him. But...that bronze dragon is wastin away waitin around for him. I bet that dragon would give you a good chunk of the price I paid if you were to finish him off for him. Just an idea. For....a hundred gold I'll tell you where Zikran's lab was...and you can go negotiate with the bronze beast yourself."

For anyone who wants to reply, without giving away that you've already dealt with the dragon or know where the lab is, please roll Deception along with what you say. Your DC is 22.

Ulthan pipes up helpfully "hrmpfh check tattoo hrmpfh" then he realizes dirt is more interesting than this talk about magic this and magic that... hmmm... dirt.... how he misses dirt and rock and trees.

Mordekai uses his Fey Presence ability to attempt to momentarily charm those at the table (and potentially half the clientele in the room too!). Each creature in a 10ft cube from Mordekai make a DC17 WIS save or be charmed. 

"100gp is a steep price for your information, given that you already say he's not there and hasn't been for a good while. If he has done to you all that you say he has, to the point where you've been willing to pay a dragon to lie in wait for him, you should really be more forthcoming with that information to those who seek to achieve your goals for you."

Deception for hiding our truth about the dragon/lair: 19 ...and 2nd roll in case of advantage from charm: 24

Potentially also Persuasion for convincing him to give us what information he knows for free: 13 ... and a 2nd roll again in case of advantage: 20

Meepo, not getting any response about what to do if you happen upon that particular book, has moved back from the table, and back behind Lionel. He is looking at his hands, under his cloak, and, likely, under his tunic, to see if any strange things are appearing on his skin as of yet.

Lionel just listened (and provided cover to Meepo). That sad bunch of people turned out to be useful enough - the warning about the book was well worth five golds alone, but shared everything there was to share. Lionel recognized the need to pretend the group does not know where to look to the workshop, so he was waiting for the conversation to end, his thoughts drifting again towards the Holy Avenger. 

     Ketch was considering the value to pay for directions to the place they already looted.  100 gold wasn’t much to keep up the charade of a dragon defending the place… but then he sensed Mordekai trying something.  Instead he just prepared himself to back whatever their play was…

Wisdom saves : Githyanki : 23  Tiefling :  10.  Aasimar :  24.  Laffa :  20. (wow)

Githyanki Insight:  8. Tiefling insight : 7.  Aasimar : 9 

The group at the table eyes the others standing there.   The Aasimar looks at Mordekai with knowing eyes, "They've already found the lab and the dragon."  Laffa nods in agreement, "So it would seem."  The Aasimar eyes the group, "Sorta makes you wonder what they're playing at." 

Laffa, his eyes haunted once again, looks rather defeated, "Just...leave please. You got what you came for. Do what ya will." 

A man behind Mordekai steps up, "Hey man, did you want to join us at our table? We had an extra seat...and....who knows where it could lead..."  he winks suggestively at Mordekai and tries to put his hand on Mordekai's shoulder.

     "Found the dragon and fled from it," Ketch pointed out.  "It is quite effective at defending it's spot.  What we're playing at is obvious - Looking for Zirkan and leads to him.  Did we not say that?"

     "Anyway, thank you all.  It seems you can't provide us any help so we're leave you to your game..."  Ketch finishes.  He has his hand upon his axe but does not yet make a move to either draw it, nor to walk away.

Persuasion: 3 - Though he's just telling the truth and not trying to really convince anyone, just trying to end this before anything gets out of hand.

Mordekai brushes the strange hand off his shoulder impatiently. 

"Hey, I nearly died fleeing from your dragon. When we found out it was your doing, we could have blamed you, but we didn't." At this point, something akin to compassion breaks through Mordekai's demeanour as he continues, "I tried to gloss over it to avoid dragging you back into something you'd clearly rather leave in the past. I understand that and respect it. We'll leave you to it, and assure you that if we ever get in touch with you again, it'll only be to confirm our success. So either good news, or you never have to see us again."

As he turns away, he says to the Aasimar woman, "Stop taking his money. You've got talent, you could make far more off more arrogant marks, and he needs all the help he can get."

As he starts to walk away from the table, (and assuming he's able to do so?) he puts up a hand to the random stranger and says, "In a previous lifetime perhaps. But you flatter me." And he walks off, cursing under his breath about why his usual tricks fell flat this evening.  (At least, he does if there are no further responses from either the table or the mysterious stranger. Although the charm would have worn off after 6 seconds!)

The woman smiles back at Mordekai, "Awww, don't feel too bad about it hun. We take care of our own here." 

Following Mordekai's departure and his smooth rebuttal of a random stranger, the group wanders outside and find Ulthan and the halfling in an animated discussion. Well, the halfling is anyway. "...she comes at me right, and I'm all like, woah baby...and she's like....it's ok, i actually have four arms and a snake tail...and she transforms right before my very eyes, and i was really thinkin right then, i don't get paid enough for this and...oh....your friends are back. Alright buddy, well, take it easy. You're alright, you know that? Come back anytime! It was great chatting with you!" 

Ulthan turns away with a small nod and follows the group.  Etain come wandering over. "Well, how'd it go? Back to the hotel for the night? Early start tomorrow?  You guys sure are driven, I'll give you that. Non-stop action!"

"I guess so, we'll head back and work out where we go from here. Good to have some background information and get a picture of the guy we're tracking down. I can't say I blame him for leaving a trap for Laffa, and Laffa only really has himself to blame for trying to steal the book in the first place. But his information doesn't really help us much.

Hey Etain, is there anyone else who would know the history of that guy, the ex-wizard Laffa?"

(Do the rest of the party know Meepo has The Scrivener's Tale? And does the map show the location of the dragon's cave and the place Zikran was intending to go? So in theory we could travel on foot and at least not be wandering aimlessly?)

     "If we're taking Zirkan's old place as ours, I would like to place a few Glyph of Warding around it tomorrow. Too many now have an idea the dragon may be gone, if we want to claim it we need protect it," Ketch offers to the group.  

     "The best would be to somehow change the portal, but I don't think any of us can?"  With this he looks about the others to see if he is wrong. "My Glyph's will do little but some damage and some noise, but it would be a start at least...  Though to really put up a defense I would need spend all the highest prayers and boons I could expect for the day."

The party is all aware of the book. Meepo had it and attempted to identify it. Ketch also tried to detect magic to figure out its aura.  You’ve no idea how to re-key a portal. 

"Maybe we have to go there now. You are right, too many saw the dragon to be apprehended. Not sure about claiming, but we need to get through that place, preferably without fighting. Do we have everything we need? We could rest there and start our journey tomorrow. Though, the last time we climbed a mountain we were about to die from the cold. I'd rather not repeat the experience. But we probably can buy something warm on the way there."

Meepo is quite quiet as you walk away from the tavern with the sad wizard.  He is hunched in onhimself, his copper scales looking a bit dull from his worry.  One hand absently rubs the length of the ice staff as he walks.  He follows the others as a matter of course, but gives the barest of responses whenever spoken to.

Meanwhile Ulthan seems positively thrilled, if it wasn't for his normal dour expression, at the thought of going back into the mountains. That said he still hopes to get all the magical stuff sorted out prior to going, who knows next time he can resupply arrows. He thinks about mentioning mountain ponies but then forgets.

"Meepo? Are you OK? You seem... weary? Forlorn like I've not seen you since you were undead. Your scales aren't quite as dull as that, but you're not your normal colourful self. Are you worried about something?

"Meepo? Are you OK? You seem... weary? Forlorn like I've not seen you since you were undead. Your scales aren't quite as dull as that, but you're not your normal colourful self. Are you worried about something?