OOC: It's no trouble, I basically just needed the layout of who was staying for my narration into downtime.
"I'm gonna need some sharp eyes from one of you and hands on the pole from the other," Karst grumbles, "Else the currents'll dash our brains out on the rocks. Waters ain't so clear this time of night."
Despite the ferryman's warning, Ola and Zelra have more than just the twilight to navigate back to the mainland. A gentle breeze casts the ferry into the river the moment that Karst unties it from the dock. A short moment later, a brilliant light flashes into being, illuminating the path of the currents before them. With the secrets of Sokol Keep uncovered, it seems the light of its beacon has been lit once more.
OOC: This begins 10 days of downtime before the events of the next adventure unfold. What would your characters like to do with their time? The follow-ups to this adventure will be handled as the first day of downtime. The representatives for both House Sokol and the Black Fist are just wrapping up their work at the docks at this late hour, but they will be there when Ola and Zelra arrive.
Since the party is splitting up, I will try to resolve as much as I can simultaneously, and then we can handle any more follow-ups before putting a button on this adventure.
Ola was going to see it through with the whole deal - meaning, preventing Black Fist to return without investigation (Karst was warn not to do it and she would explain the reason to the both representatives). If needed she is ready to visit house Sokol, as was said, and organize "divine" investigation.
But once life returned to normal, she did not return to the Temple. Ola gave up on archery, but was training with her sword even more than before. She even visited the pit fights, and after watching it for a while, one day joined the ring.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Uragum will await the first day upon Sokol Island with the accused Grimm and his Black Fist friends until the proper authorities arrive.
Afterward there are two down time activities he would like to participate in with nearly the double downtime activities.
1st is pit-fighting requiring three checks: Athletics: 25 vs DC 22, weapon attack (replacing acrobatics check) 16 vs DC 10 and Constitution 15 vs DC 24
0 wins no money, 1 win +50 gp, 2 wins +100 gp, 3 wins +200 gp
2nd is more research to find the wood needed for the imbued wood wand: -50 gp for research. Intelligence check 6
OoC: well those are some terrible rolls for his pit fighting... At least research would yield some results.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
SYLYRA:
For Sylyra:
OOC: If it's a common animal for the setting (like a spider or bird) then I just generally assume that a druid has been around long enough to have seen one in their lifetime. When we get into more uncommon territory (I've had players try to turn into a triceratops or a pterodactyl) is when the question "have I seen this before?" becomes more pertinent, though I always appreciate when it is asked regardless.
The only immediate danger underneath the West Tower right now is the sinkhole room. Will Sylyra try to cross that, or would that qualify as enough danger that he would shift into lizard form and crawl along the wall? He'll be able to do just about everything he wants to down there.
As for the ferry, it will be coming back across throughout the night so that you, Arnald, Uragum, and the rest of the Black Fists can be taken to the mainland.
I'll resolve the rest of Sylyra's activity beneath the West Tower once I hear back about how he's traversing the sinkhole.
Your focus on the wand reveals that it is imbued with the power of a simple, but useful, spell. This is a wand of magic detection, and it does not require attunement to use.
_____________________________
ARNALD:
OOC: The best way to find ritual spell scrolls is going to be through adventuring (and there will be spell scrolls to find in these adventures). If you'd like, you can perform the "Buying a Magic Item" downtime activity, but that requires at least 100 gp + the cost of a scroll and you have to hope that the dice rolls go your way.
The ferry returns throughout the night, first escorting you with half of the Black Fist before returning again for the others.
When morning comes, you find Villonah at the house of her father, Rillo Leadstopper, eating breakfast. "Arnald!" she stands atop her chair to hug you, asking how your adventures have gone and sharing that she hasn't been up to much, still recovering from her injuries. After catching up, she asks, "Have you thought any more about joining us? I know you and the Order kind of got off on the wrong foot, but...we really are good people. I've never seen anyone care so much about ordinary people. You'd fit right in, you know...you teach ordinary folk how to defend themselves with a bow for free, after all. There aren't a lot of people in Phlan that would do that."
_____________________________
OLA:
Athletics:9 vs. 19 Attack: 23 vs. 16 CON (+ hit die): 14 vs. 13 Complication: 41
Though visibly irritated at the late hour, Guard Sergeant Hurn seems relieved that the business with the beacon has been resolved. After assuring you that Grim would be thoroughly interrogated for abandoning his duty, he hurries you out the door, grumbling about not getting any sleep.
Liela is more outwardly polite at the administrative office, and believes that House Sokol will be more than willing to pay for a cleric to figure out if any foul play was involved in the death of young Igan.
You have a rough time in your first attempt at pit fighting. The nerves of fighting in front of a jeering, taunting crowd cause you to falter in your first fight; you are beaten so soundly that only the format of the fights keep the organizers from shunning you from the next bouts, and a good thing that, as the frustration from your first loss tightens your focus. You will definitely feel the pain of the next two fights over the next week, but you prove the victor, walking away from the pit a hundred gold richer.
OOC: Added 100 gp to Ola's inventory.
_____________________________
ZELRA:
Attack:21 vs. 13 Acrobatics: 10 vs. 20 CON (+ hit die): 23 vs. 23 Complication: 2
Oddly, Chaab is nowhere to be found in any of his usual haunts. As you turn to leave one location, however, the bartender gruffly waves you over and tosses a letter onto the bar.
For Zelra:
Z.,
Consider your debt repaid. I believe this will mark the beginning of a wonderful working relationship.
I had my suspicions when you impressed Chaab, but you have proven yourself sound of mind as well as sleight of hand.
Until next time,
Lord G. Haverstone
Rillo Leadstopper was truthful in stating the value of his magnifying glass, which fetches a hefty fifty gold from a collector in town.
The pits prove painful this time around. Though you win your first bout, the competition ramps up quickly, and lingering bruises from the first fight slow your feet during the final two, and you lose them both.
OOC: Removed the magnifying glass and added 50 gp to Zelra's inventory. Added 50 gp for the pit fight victory.
___________________________
URAGUM:
Complication:44
The pits prove troublesome this week. Your first opponent gets a lucky hit in that dazes you, and you never quite find your footing in the next two fights. For the first time, you hear boos and jeers directed at you, a typical favorite of the bettors.
Your research takes you to the Mantor Library in Phlan, where you find lore regarding the history of magically imbued wood in the area. Unfortunately, you confirm that if any forest near Phlan contains such wood, it is in the heavily guarded and heavily protected Quivering Forest, off-limits to all within Phlan due to a pact with the fey of the forest. By asking around the sages of the library, you learn that there are an extremely selective few that have access to the Quivering Forest, one of whom is a half-elf ranger by the name of Serelis
OOC: Subtracted 50 gp from Uragum's inventory for the cost of research.
Uragum will have an opportunity to speak to Serelis in a future adventure, so note those details.
OOC: Let's close out the XP for this adventure while we handle any follow-ups to downtime!
For getting the beacon relit (whatever the cause of its darkness was), each character has received 150 XP.
For bringing Grim and the guards to justice without resorting to killing or abandoning them, each character has received 100 XP.
That's enough to bring everyone to 3rd level, so see the OOC message for updates there.
Character sheets have been updated with the benefits of a long rest in preparation for the next adventure, with the exception of Sylyra, who has a couple things to finish up in the first night of downtime.
After the pit fight Ola spent a day indoor, healing wounds - they were not visible the moment she stepped out and she would certainly never show her weakness by limping around, but they hurt nevertheless
To Zlera (not a secret from anyone, just a girls talk)
Next day she knocked at Zelra's door, ceremoniously, as usual, and asked if she can talk to her. She looked troubled (as much as it could be read from her face expression). "Zelra... I have a question ... Do not know how to ask. Do you have a dream? Something truly big, something ... very-very important to you? And someone ... or something would promise you just that but for the price of something of yourself, that does not even feels that important. Would you do that?"
(If Zelra does not feel like indulging someones philosophical curiosity, she certainly should not and can send Ola away)
Upon reading the letter, Zelra would be very surprised at the content's implications. After reading it, she rips up the letter and discards it somewhere, continuing to try and locate Chaab.
For Ola:
Zelra would be very shocked that Ola came to her for some philosophical talk but she doesn't seem to mind. She scratches the back of her head, thinking about Ola's question. "Huh. Well, uh, I don't really have any big dreams. But if I did.. I dunno. It'd depend on what exactly the price is. Sure, the price might not be important but there are a whole lot more factors than importance in that kind of a deal."She tilts her head curiously. "Did someone offer you your dream?"
"I do not know yet." Ola looked around as if unsure to sit and continue or to run away. She chose to sit and even without invitation. "You were in the pits last time. Was I any good? I know I won - at the end! But... it is nowhere near what even you can do!" "I do not mean any offence,"immediately explained Ola her questionable statement, "I only wanted to say you are not a warrior, not a ... "charge in head on" type. Yet, you are going toe-to-toe combat and win, as if it is nothing. How? Were you born that skilful? Or did someone helped you to get it?"
OOC: The best way to find ritual spell scrolls is going to be through adventuring (and there will be spell scrolls to find in these adventures). If you'd like, you can perform the "Buying a Magic Item" downtime activity, but that requires at least 100 gp + the cost of a scroll and you have to hope that the dice rolls go your way.
The ferry returns throughout the night, first escorting you with half of the Black Fist before returning again for the others.
When morning comes, you find Villonah at the house of her father, Rillo Leadstopper, eating breakfast. "Arnald!" she stands atop her chair to hug you, asking how your adventures have gone and sharing that she hasn't been up to much, still recovering from her injuries. After catching up, she asks, "Have you thought any more about joining us? I know you and the Order kind of got off on the wrong foot, but...we really are good people. I've never seen anyone care so much about ordinary people. You'd fit right in, you know...you teach ordinary folk how to defend themselves with a bow for free, after all. There aren't a lot of people in Phlan that would do that."
_____________________________
OOC: Cool, never mind on the magic stuff then.
Arnald agrees to go with Villonah to speak with the Order of the Gauntlet folks again, half to make her happy and half out of curiosity. If they're arrogant douchbags again, he leaves as politely as he can to save Villonah's feelings. If they do turn out to be good people as Villonah claims, he's interested in joining.
Zelra chuckles and shrugs. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You did pretty good. Honestly, I just go there because the money is good. Even if you win just one fight, you get 50 gold. That's... a lot of money and I'm more than happy to get my ass beat around a bit for 50 to 200 gold. Besides, my wins are pure luck. I didn't have anyone help me learn how to fight. I just learned by myself, through experience, which probably explains my losses."
Ola actually looked more hurt after that explanation: "Leaned by yourself... I was taught by the best. And I mean truly the best, real masters of the sword art. Yet never was half as good as I was supposed to become. The kindest among them also said I should not be too hard on myself. Only some of them added "you just not made for it". I did not want to believe them."She stood up. "Thank you, it was helpful."She nodded and made a move to leave but stopped at the door: "It seems you need money ... badly. I do not have much, but if you need help with it, I would gladly share."With that she left.
The rest of her "vacation" Ola spent mostly by the sea.
Villonah accompanies you to the Dawn Fane, an abandoned temple in Phlan. When you arrive, you find only Zern Xerkstil, a familiar brash half-orc that greets you with a smile, "I remember you relieving me of quite a bit of coin the other night. Are you taking me up on my offer? As you can see, we don't exactly have help falling out of the rafters. With all you've done for this town, you're the kind of help we need, and you come with a recommendation from a trustworthy source." He winks at Villonah as he finishes.
"We're out to punish evil - actions, not thoughts. When evil steps up, we are the light that protects the innocent from darkness. It's the kind of thing that takes a lot of strength and bravery, and that's a requirement we have of everyone that joins; you've proven you have enough of that. Those are our tenets. Faith is the greatest weapon we have - faith in gods, faith in friends, faith in self. If all that sounds like your choice of ale, then you'll fit right in. What do you say?" he recites.
____________________________
SYLYRA:
For Sylyra:
Acrobatics: 7
Returning to the basement of the West Tower, your way forward is unbothered until you traverse the room with the sinkhole. You lose your footing along the slick ground while walking around the outer edges of the room; the fall is not painful, but the slide down the angled room is as you take 7 piercing damage from the sharp rocks at the bottom of the pool.
Before Ola leaves, Zelra will grab her by the arm to stop her, just for a moment.
"Hey, wait. There are things that can't be learned through just the masters and things that can't be learned through just experience. You're doing good. And don't worry. I don't need money, I just want it. Thanks for the offer, though." She lets go of Ola and bids her farewell.
Villonah accompanies you to the Dawn Fane, an abandoned temple in Phlan. When you arrive, you find only Zern Xerkstil, a familiar brash half-orc that greets you with a smile, "I remember you relieving me of quite a bit of coin the other night. Are you taking me up on my offer? As you can see, we don't exactly have help falling out of the rafters. With all you've done for this town, you're the kind of help we need, and you come with a recommendation from a trustworthy source." He winks at Villonah as he finishes.
"We're out to punish evil - actions, not thoughts. When evil steps up, we are the light that protects the innocent from darkness. It's the kind of thing that takes a lot of strength and bravery, and that's a requirement we have of everyone that joins; you've proven you have enough of that. Those are our tenets. Faith is the greatest weapon we have - faith in gods, faith in friends, faith in self. If all that sounds like your choice of ale, then you'll fit right in. What do you say?" he recites.
"I remember that as well. Did you want to play again?" Arnald responds with a smirk. Pointing at Villonah, "The little one here is trying to convince me as well and I am interested but a bit hesitant. Outside of yourself the rest of the group that I've met were... a bit too self-righteous for my tastes. I'm worried if I'll really fit in. I'm good at stepping in to help friends but not great at taking orders. Also, were I to move on at some point, would that cause problems? While the town is where I need to be now, I don't want to be locked and prevented from leaving. If that doesn't pose any problems for you all, I think I'd like to join. Besides, then I can be around to help lighten your purse when you're ready to gamble some more."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
ARNALD:
Zern chuckles and reaches into his backpack, but removes a whetstone as opposed to a set of dice or cards. "No, I think I lost enough that night to keep me from gambling for a while," he remarks as he sharpens an axe absentmindedly.
"Sure, we're a bit self-righteous, but only because we're damn proud of what we do...which is a lot of good, and a lot of times at our own expense. Now I'm not a fan of taking orders myself, but it keeps us from falling apart. The Vindicator's got a strong hand, yeah, but you can't imagine what Phlan would be like without him."
He shakes his head profusely when you speak of being prevented from leaving. "No, of course not. We're all here because we want to be here, there's nothing keeping us from leaving except ourselves," he says.
"Well, what do you say? If you can stomach the cockiness of a few, you could find yourself some powerful allies," he comments.
__________________________
SYLYRA:
For Sylyra:
Hit Die: 4
OOC: Apologies, I just flat out missed the part where you said you were rolling a hit die. Your sheet's been updated to reflect healing to full before traversing the sinkhole.
Acrobatics:6
The second attempt is more fruitful, and you emerge safely from the room with only some minor scrapes.
OOC: Sylyra does not run into any more trouble (based on his actions), so I'll sum up what he finds. Will he attempt to traverse the sinkhole room himself again on the way back?
There is nothing salvageable from the suits of armor. It looks like they spent many years underwater, and almost all of the metal has calcified.
You can carry one burlap sack of trinkets (out of the six that are in the room where the Black Fists were) out of the area with you. The sacks are filled with coins of various mintage and antique art objects that look old and weathered, but valuable.
The altar is very plain, though it exudes a dark, oppressive energy that worsens the longer you stand near. You do not see any writing or symbols on it.
The stone door leads to the same room the Black Fists were hiding in. They look to be all that is holding that part of the cavern from collapsing.
Zern chuckles and reaches into his backpack, but removes a whetstone as opposed to a set of dice or cards. "No, I think I lost enough that night to keep me from gambling for a while," he remarks as he sharpens an axe absentmindedly.
"Sure, we're a bit self-righteous, but only because we're damn proud of what we do...which is a lot of good, and a lot of times at our own expense. Now I'm not a fan of taking orders myself, but it keeps us from falling apart. The Vindicator's got a strong hand, yeah, but you can't imagine what Phlan would be like without him."
He shakes his head profusely when you speak of being prevented from leaving. "No, of course not. We're all here because we want to be here, there's nothing keeping us from leaving except ourselves," he says.
"Well, what do you say? If you can stomach the cockiness of a few, you could find yourself some powerful allies," he comments.
Arnald hesitates, still not a hundred percent comfortable... but, no risk no reward as his dad used to say. "What the hell, let's give it a go and see how it plays out."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Campaigns: DM - Waterdeep Dragon Heist PbP
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Zelra would be alright with returning first since Uragum and Arnald are staying behind.
For Sylyra:
OOC: It's no trouble, I basically just needed the layout of who was staying for my narration into downtime.
"I'm gonna need some sharp eyes from one of you and hands on the pole from the other," Karst grumbles, "Else the currents'll dash our brains out on the rocks. Waters ain't so clear this time of night."
Despite the ferryman's warning, Ola and Zelra have more than just the twilight to navigate back to the mainland. A gentle breeze casts the ferry into the river the moment that Karst unties it from the dock. A short moment later, a brilliant light flashes into being, illuminating the path of the currents before them. With the secrets of Sokol Keep uncovered, it seems the light of its beacon has been lit once more.
OOC: This begins 10 days of downtime before the events of the next adventure unfold. What would your characters like to do with their time? The follow-ups to this adventure will be handled as the first day of downtime. The representatives for both House Sokol and the Black Fist are just wrapping up their work at the docks at this late hour, but they will be there when Ola and Zelra arrive.
Since the party is splitting up, I will try to resolve as much as I can simultaneously, and then we can handle any more follow-ups before putting a button on this adventure.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Downtime for Arnald (just go down the list until we run out of time)
Campaigns:
DM - Waterdeep Dragon Heist PbP
Ola was going to see it through with the whole deal - meaning, preventing Black Fist to return without investigation (Karst was warn not to do it and she would explain the reason to the both representatives). If needed she is ready to visit house Sokol, as was said, and organize "divine" investigation.
But once life returned to normal, she did not return to the Temple. Ola gave up on archery, but was training with her sword even more than before. She even visited the pit fights, and after watching it for a while, one day joined the ring.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
OOC: Giving some more time for Zelra and Uragum to give their downtime activities before resolving.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
(Sorry for the delay.) Seeing the beacon light up, Zelra would be very relieved and chills out for the 10 days. She will:
- Be on the look out for anymore letters from you-know-who.
- Report back to Chaab about everything that happened, though she doubts he'll be interested
- Sell the Fine Magnifying Glass (Totally forgot she had that)
- Go to the fighting pits for the rest of the time to earn herself some money.
- If possible, she'll prioritise trying to earn a better reputation with the Zhents over the fighting pits.
Uragum will await the first day upon Sokol Island with the accused Grimm and his Black Fist friends until the proper authorities arrive.
Afterward there are two down time activities he would like to participate in with nearly the double downtime activities.
1st is pit-fighting requiring three checks: Athletics: 25 vs DC 22, weapon attack (replacing acrobatics check) 16 vs DC 10 and Constitution 15 vs DC 24
0 wins no money, 1 win +50 gp, 2 wins +100 gp, 3 wins +200 gp
2nd is more research to find the wood needed for the imbued wood wand: -50 gp for research. Intelligence check 6
OoC: well those are some terrible rolls for his pit fighting... At least research would yield some results.
SYLYRA:
For Sylyra:
OOC: If it's a common animal for the setting (like a spider or bird) then I just generally assume that a druid has been around long enough to have seen one in their lifetime. When we get into more uncommon territory (I've had players try to turn into a triceratops or a pterodactyl) is when the question "have I seen this before?" becomes more pertinent, though I always appreciate when it is asked regardless.
The only immediate danger underneath the West Tower right now is the sinkhole room. Will Sylyra try to cross that, or would that qualify as enough danger that he would shift into lizard form and crawl along the wall? He'll be able to do just about everything he wants to down there.
As for the ferry, it will be coming back across throughout the night so that you, Arnald, Uragum, and the rest of the Black Fists can be taken to the mainland.
I'll resolve the rest of Sylyra's activity beneath the West Tower once I hear back about how he's traversing the sinkhole.
Your focus on the wand reveals that it is imbued with the power of a simple, but useful, spell. This is a wand of magic detection, and it does not require attunement to use.
_____________________________
ARNALD:
OOC: The best way to find ritual spell scrolls is going to be through adventuring (and there will be spell scrolls to find in these adventures). If you'd like, you can perform the "Buying a Magic Item" downtime activity, but that requires at least 100 gp + the cost of a scroll and you have to hope that the dice rolls go your way.
The ferry returns throughout the night, first escorting you with half of the Black Fist before returning again for the others.
When morning comes, you find Villonah at the house of her father, Rillo Leadstopper, eating breakfast. "Arnald!" she stands atop her chair to hug you, asking how your adventures have gone and sharing that she hasn't been up to much, still recovering from her injuries. After catching up, she asks, "Have you thought any more about joining us? I know you and the Order kind of got off on the wrong foot, but...we really are good people. I've never seen anyone care so much about ordinary people. You'd fit right in, you know...you teach ordinary folk how to defend themselves with a bow for free, after all. There aren't a lot of people in Phlan that would do that."
_____________________________
OLA:
Athletics: 9 vs. 19
Attack: 23 vs. 16
CON (+ hit die): 14 vs. 13
Complication: 41
Though visibly irritated at the late hour, Guard Sergeant Hurn seems relieved that the business with the beacon has been resolved. After assuring you that Grim would be thoroughly interrogated for abandoning his duty, he hurries you out the door, grumbling about not getting any sleep.
Liela is more outwardly polite at the administrative office, and believes that House Sokol will be more than willing to pay for a cleric to figure out if any foul play was involved in the death of young Igan.
You have a rough time in your first attempt at pit fighting. The nerves of fighting in front of a jeering, taunting crowd cause you to falter in your first fight; you are beaten so soundly that only the format of the fights keep the organizers from shunning you from the next bouts, and a good thing that, as the frustration from your first loss tightens your focus. You will definitely feel the pain of the next two fights over the next week, but you prove the victor, walking away from the pit a hundred gold richer.
OOC: Added 100 gp to Ola's inventory.
_____________________________
ZELRA:
Attack: 21 vs. 13
Acrobatics: 10 vs. 20
CON (+ hit die): 23 vs. 23
Complication: 2
Oddly, Chaab is nowhere to be found in any of his usual haunts. As you turn to leave one location, however, the bartender gruffly waves you over and tosses a letter onto the bar.
For Zelra:
Z.,
Consider your debt repaid. I believe this will mark the beginning of a wonderful working relationship.
I had my suspicions when you impressed Chaab, but you have proven yourself sound of mind as well as sleight of hand.
Until next time,
Lord G. Haverstone
Rillo Leadstopper was truthful in stating the value of his magnifying glass, which fetches a hefty fifty gold from a collector in town.
The pits prove painful this time around. Though you win your first bout, the competition ramps up quickly, and lingering bruises from the first fight slow your feet during the final two, and you lose them both.
OOC: Removed the magnifying glass and added 50 gp to Zelra's inventory. Added 50 gp for the pit fight victory.
___________________________
URAGUM:
Complication: 44
The pits prove troublesome this week. Your first opponent gets a lucky hit in that dazes you, and you never quite find your footing in the next two fights. For the first time, you hear boos and jeers directed at you, a typical favorite of the bettors.
Your research takes you to the Mantor Library in Phlan, where you find lore regarding the history of magically imbued wood in the area. Unfortunately, you confirm that if any forest near Phlan contains such wood, it is in the heavily guarded and heavily protected Quivering Forest, off-limits to all within Phlan due to a pact with the fey of the forest. By asking around the sages of the library, you learn that there are an extremely selective few that have access to the Quivering Forest, one of whom is a half-elf ranger by the name of Serelis
OOC: Subtracted 50 gp from Uragum's inventory for the cost of research.
Uragum will have an opportunity to speak to Serelis in a future adventure, so note those details.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
OOC: Let's close out the XP for this adventure while we handle any follow-ups to downtime!
For getting the beacon relit (whatever the cause of its darkness was), each character has received 150 XP.
For bringing Grim and the guards to justice without resorting to killing or abandoning them, each character has received 100 XP.
That's enough to bring everyone to 3rd level, so see the OOC message for updates there.
Character sheets have been updated with the benefits of a long rest in preparation for the next adventure, with the exception of Sylyra, who has a couple things to finish up in the first night of downtime.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
After the pit fight Ola spent a day indoor, healing wounds - they were not visible the moment she stepped out and she would certainly never show her weakness by limping around, but they hurt nevertheless
To Zlera (not a secret from anyone, just a girls talk)
Next day she knocked at Zelra's door, ceremoniously, as usual, and asked if she can talk to her. She looked troubled (as much as it could be read from her face expression). "Zelra... I have a question ... Do not know how to ask. Do you have a dream? Something truly big, something ... very-very important to you? And someone ... or something would promise you just that but for the price of something of yourself, that does not even feels that important. Would you do that?"
(If Zelra does not feel like indulging someones philosophical curiosity, she certainly should not and can send Ola away)
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Upon reading the letter, Zelra would be very surprised at the content's implications. After reading it, she rips up the letter and discards it somewhere, continuing to try and locate Chaab.
For Ola:
Zelra would be very shocked that Ola came to her for some philosophical talk but she doesn't seem to mind. She scratches the back of her head, thinking about Ola's question. "Huh. Well, uh, I don't really have any big dreams. But if I did.. I dunno. It'd depend on what exactly the price is. Sure, the price might not be important but there are a whole lot more factors than importance in that kind of a deal." She tilts her head curiously. "Did someone offer you your dream?"
"I do not know yet." Ola looked around as if unsure to sit and continue or to run away. She chose to sit and even without invitation. "You were in the pits last time. Was I any good? I know I won - at the end! But... it is nowhere near what even you can do!" "I do not mean any offence," immediately explained Ola her questionable statement, "I only wanted to say you are not a warrior, not a ... "charge in head on" type. Yet, you are going toe-to-toe combat and win, as if it is nothing. How? Were you born that skilful? Or did someone helped you to get it?"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
OOC: Cool, never mind on the magic stuff then.
Arnald agrees to go with Villonah to speak with the Order of the Gauntlet folks again, half to make her happy and half out of curiosity. If they're arrogant douchbags again, he leaves as politely as he can to save Villonah's feelings. If they do turn out to be good people as Villonah claims, he's interested in joining.
Campaigns:
DM - Waterdeep Dragon Heist PbP
For Ola:
Zelra chuckles and shrugs. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You did pretty good. Honestly, I just go there because the money is good. Even if you win just one fight, you get 50 gold. That's... a lot of money and I'm more than happy to get my ass beat around a bit for 50 to 200 gold. Besides, my wins are pure luck. I didn't have anyone help me learn how to fight. I just learned by myself, through experience, which probably explains my losses."
Ola actually looked more hurt after that explanation: "Leaned by yourself... I was taught by the best. And I mean truly the best, real masters of the sword art. Yet never was half as good as I was supposed to become. The kindest among them also said I should not be too hard on myself. Only some of them added "you just not made for it". I did not want to believe them." She stood up. "Thank you, it was helpful." She nodded and made a move to leave but stopped at the door: "It seems you need money ... badly. I do not have much, but if you need help with it, I would gladly share." With that she left.
The rest of her "vacation" Ola spent mostly by the sea.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
ARNALD:
Villonah accompanies you to the Dawn Fane, an abandoned temple in Phlan. When you arrive, you find only Zern Xerkstil, a familiar brash half-orc that greets you with a smile, "I remember you relieving me of quite a bit of coin the other night. Are you taking me up on my offer? As you can see, we don't exactly have help falling out of the rafters. With all you've done for this town, you're the kind of help we need, and you come with a recommendation from a trustworthy source." He winks at Villonah as he finishes.
"We're out to punish evil - actions, not thoughts. When evil steps up, we are the light that protects the innocent from darkness. It's the kind of thing that takes a lot of strength and bravery, and that's a requirement we have of everyone that joins; you've proven you have enough of that. Those are our tenets. Faith is the greatest weapon we have - faith in gods, faith in friends, faith in self. If all that sounds like your choice of ale, then you'll fit right in. What do you say?" he recites.
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SYLYRA:
For Sylyra:
Acrobatics: 7
Returning to the basement of the West Tower, your way forward is unbothered until you traverse the room with the sinkhole. You lose your footing along the slick ground while walking around the outer edges of the room; the fall is not painful, but the slide down the angled room is as you take 7 piercing damage from the sharp rocks at the bottom of the pool.
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Before Ola leaves, Zelra will grab her by the arm to stop her, just for a moment.
"Hey, wait. There are things that can't be learned through just the masters and things that can't be learned through just experience. You're doing good. And don't worry. I don't need money, I just want it. Thanks for the offer, though." She lets go of Ola and bids her farewell.
"I remember that as well. Did you want to play again?" Arnald responds with a smirk. Pointing at Villonah, "The little one here is trying to convince me as well and I am interested but a bit hesitant. Outside of yourself the rest of the group that I've met were... a bit too self-righteous for my tastes. I'm worried if I'll really fit in. I'm good at stepping in to help friends but not great at taking orders. Also, were I to move on at some point, would that cause problems? While the town is where I need to be now, I don't want to be locked and prevented from leaving. If that doesn't pose any problems for you all, I think I'd like to join. Besides, then I can be around to help lighten your purse when you're ready to gamble some more."
Campaigns:
DM - Waterdeep Dragon Heist PbP
ARNALD:
Zern chuckles and reaches into his backpack, but removes a whetstone as opposed to a set of dice or cards. "No, I think I lost enough that night to keep me from gambling for a while," he remarks as he sharpens an axe absentmindedly.
"Sure, we're a bit self-righteous, but only because we're damn proud of what we do...which is a lot of good, and a lot of times at our own expense. Now I'm not a fan of taking orders myself, but it keeps us from falling apart. The Vindicator's got a strong hand, yeah, but you can't imagine what Phlan would be like without him."
He shakes his head profusely when you speak of being prevented from leaving. "No, of course not. We're all here because we want to be here, there's nothing keeping us from leaving except ourselves," he says.
"Well, what do you say? If you can stomach the cockiness of a few, you could find yourself some powerful allies," he comments.
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SYLYRA:
For Sylyra:
Hit Die: 4
OOC: Apologies, I just flat out missed the part where you said you were rolling a hit die. Your sheet's been updated to reflect healing to full before traversing the sinkhole.
Acrobatics: 6
The second attempt is more fruitful, and you emerge safely from the room with only some minor scrapes.
OOC: Sylyra does not run into any more trouble (based on his actions), so I'll sum up what he finds. Will he attempt to traverse the sinkhole room himself again on the way back?
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Arnald hesitates, still not a hundred percent comfortable... but, no risk no reward as his dad used to say. "What the hell, let's give it a go and see how it plays out."
Campaigns:
DM - Waterdeep Dragon Heist PbP