The clerk smiles eagerly. "Enduring spellbooks have been very popular! They are currently on sale for 150g. What sort of scroll were you interested in commissioning?"

Mindartis gazes around the store.  There are not a lot of exciting magical artifacts on display. On shelves behind the counter are some potions and ready-made scrolls. There is a rack of attractively bound spellbooks and heavy tomes on magical theory and history. There are hats spangled with stars or arcane symbols or skulls or ravens, etc., and matching cloaks.  There are some 'My First Magic Kits' for children, which seem to rely on sleight of hand, trickery and misdirection more than magic, but which include a candle to attempt to light by arcane power, a mystical-looking bowl ('For mixing potions or porridge. Clean thoroughly between uses, especially if using it for both purposes.') and a junior-sized version of the pointy wizard hats. There is a glass case full of trinkets marked, "Novelties by Melinda Mayhem!' Inside is displayed the amazing cushion which makes anyone sitting on it appear to have a donkey's head, little toy dragons that stomp and roar quietly and blow out little illusory gouts of flame, a kazoo that turns the player's lips green and makes leaves sprout from their hair, Three-setting Fish Spectacles, the Ring of Nail Polish (Now multicolor! Not for use on toes.) and Eloquent Collars for dogs and cats.

“Sending. I’m looking for a scroll of sending. And enough magical ink to transcribe my spells to the new book. We also have the mayors key so I believe we receive a discount.” Quentin replies to the shopkeep.

The clerk opens a book and flips through it.  "Hmmm, third-level evocation. Yes, I have a few mages I can contact to commission the scroll. The general charge for a third level scroll is 1000 gold, and it takes a week to prepare.  I can inquire whether any mage has one prepared and ready to go, but they generally add a few hundred to the price for immediate availability. Of course, your half-price discount does apply to anything in the shop. Oh, and I am sure we can supply all the magical ink you need."

Quentin looks to Mindartis and says, “I don’t have that kind of money. I can attempt to learn it myself though.” 

"It's alright," Mindartis says. "I'll try and find another way. I should probably do some research into this Unnamed Goddess and any other entities that don't have names or forms before trying to tell her anything. Also," he points to the kazoo, "do you think it would be funny if we got Del to play that?"

"That's fine. We'll figure something out." Quentin tells Mindartis before asking, "Can I borrow seven gold too please?" 

Raven finally tracks the others down as they are at a magical store.

"Here, you can have 7 of mine." She says, handing over 7 gold.

"Here, don't spend it all in one place," Mindartis laughs and gives Quentin 20 gold and looks to the clerk. "How much for the joke kazoo?"

The kazoo is marked five gold, so you can get t for 2g5s

Quentin will happily take all the gold that is offered to him saying, "Thank you, sorry. Copying all of my spells into a back-up book is expensive." He tells his companions before purchasing an Enduring Spellbook and 210 worth of gold of needed ink to copy all his spells.  

Quote from skuk >>

 

Letter to Lady Amryl Naica, Proprietress, Monkey Shines

So happy to have seen you yesterday at the Castle, though sorry it was under such circumstances. One hopes all will turn out for the best.

During our recent adventure in the Shadowfell, we liberated some stolen sugar from an entity that had been abducting children. The Free City officials assure us it is untainted. We remember how generous and forward-thinking you were in the recent negotiations with the satyrs, and seek to emulate that example. We have tasked the merchant called “Falcon” to transport about 90 pounds of loaf sugar to the Monkey Shines. Lacking time to negotiate a sale, let us consider it an investment to be negotiated in good faith. We hope that using the stuff you might find a way to alleviate your brewing troubles, the effects of which we feel even here in Free City. I assume we can come to an agreement as to the value of that investment once the brewing time has passed.

As an aside, we do keep hearing those unfortunate fables about Lord Quentin, traced to your cousin Reglan. If we may be so bold, it is an inconvenience for us, and perhaps a risk to your family’s reputation for accurate and useful information. I hope you find this information useful, and perhaps we can trade other such pieces of news that we might come across in our adventures.

Please feel free to contact us care of the Castle for the near future, until such time as we are available to meet in person

Allow us to remain,

Your humble servants, etc

 

 Del has two things to do before returning to the castle. (1) send a letter to Amryl, the not-our-enemy(ish) Naica - any questions or edits to the letter quoted above?

and (b) Talk to the street kids around Pitchpine 'Sup fam? My friends and I got the candyman, he fell over a cliff. We rescued some of the missing people. Cup - Kitcat - is back with her guardian Huark the ogre.

But that don't mean it's all safe. There's still lots missing, and you know life ain't all safe even without stuff like that. So still be careful, and keep a sharp eye for anything wierd, and tell me when I get back. You oughta make friends with the pixies again -who's good at talking to pixies? Del hands out some broken up sugar clumps to those indicated They might help keep you safer. And if you need to get word to me, try two things: Take a message to Marita at the Lark & Swallow, over in Willow - that's my friend Raven's mom. And ask the pixies to get a message to Mindartis - my friend the Faywild elf with the big sword.

Ok, anybody sick or injured before I go? Del can do some healing if needed Take care of each other, fam, and get off the streets when you can. School as often as you can take it, trust me it's worth the effort. Here's some for food or blankets or whatever, remember to let me know what you see Del hands out some coppers, spread among all the urchins, and  plays some music before he goes.

Mindartis hands over the gold for the kazoo and takes it. "Thank you for your service," he says, "you have a very nice shop."

"Watchin' out, sure" promises one of the bigger kids. "If anything skitchly happens we'll try and get choo into the nista, right?" The kids look grateful for the healing and the coins, but the music especially. When it's time for you to leave, a few of the littler ones cling to you begging you to stay and be one of them.

Raven would stop at her mom's tavern for a quick good-bye, then be ready to reclaim their horses and head on back to the castle.

The tears in his eyes might keep him from avoiding kazoo shenanigans, but Del has a new long-term goal: stabilize the Pitchpine and open a branch Abbey of the Unknown Goddess School to serve Free City kids. Cup will grow up to be a teacher.

Elwin accompanied Del as he distributed the sugar, leaving a few coppers behind as well. Part of him wanted to give them all he had, but he knew that would ultimately not be in their best interests. After admonishing them to be strong, loyal and brave, and to learn what they could, the warlock eventually took his leave, albeit rather stoically.

(( Elwin leaves behind 36 coppers total to the children. ))

Quentin is ready to go after finishing up his shopping, he of course invites Elwin to come watch him transfer over spells from one spell book to another. He asks him as well, "When I'm done would you mind keeping my back-up safe for me as I decide on a good place to store it." 

Elwin watched Quentin's magical transcription with fascination. Not just for the spells themselves, and the methodology used to encode them, but even the very script and penmanship were more precise and elegant than any writing he'd seen.

One of the spells, he even found he could actually identify--the encodings of Counterspell seemed to have enough familiarity in meaning to what he already understood of it.

Quote from JacWalke >>

"When I'm done would you mind keeping my back-up safe for me as I decide on a good place to store it." 

He was somewhat surprised at the request; he knew the importance of the secondary spellbook, but hadn't expected to be entrusted with it. Really, to have become that close with a noble struck him as something of significance.

Blushing slightly, he solemnly nodded, "Certainly, Good Quentin. I will do my best to keep it safe."

(( For now Elwin will keep the backup spellbook on his person, in his backpack, rather than in his horses' saddlebags. ))

 ((Quentin should probably hold on to his backup for a while: it will take 21 hours to transcribe all his spells, and I doubt he could find more than 8 hours of quiet time today.))

((If everyone is done in the city?))

You ride back to the castle, your long shadows running ahead of you in the light of the oncoming sunset. You arrive in time for dinner.  (Are there any final preparations you wish to make for the morning's journey?)

Quentin spends the rest of his day transcribing his spells over to the new book. Getting a good portion of the high leveled ones down. 

Spells Copied:

Fly: 3rd level Transmutation - 1.5 Hours, 15 gold worth of ink used.

Counterspell: 3rd level Abjuration - 3 hours, 30 gold worth of ink used.

Levitate: 2nd level Transmutation - 1 hour, 10 gold worth of ink used. 

Enlarge/Reduce: 2nd level Transmutation - 1 hour 10 gold worth of ink used. 

Dragon’s Breath: 2nd level Transmutation - 1 hour 10 gold worth of ink used 

Feather Fall: 1st level Transmutation- 0.5 hours 5 gold worth of ink used