The group picks their way through the ruins and beyond the edge of the great Mythal.Only then does Toc stop, and gather everyone around. “Alright. We are ready to go to Hillsfar then?” Without further delay he speaks a short powerful arcane phrase. The world around you twists and warps in a flash. In the tumbled rocky ruins where once stood nine people, the drip drop of water from the trees is the only sound amidst the wind and empty ruins.
The world explodes into existence around you. You look down at the floor where a thick carpet lays across the wooden boards. A glimmering mystic circle radiating bright yellow through the rug slowly fades to darkness. You find yourself in a dark but clean basement. A wine rack filled with bottles sits against one wall, a large steam chest in the corner, and a pedal powered grindstone. A desk, mannequin, and a pile of furniture covered in white sheets fills the rest of the room. The furniture, wine, and carpet are all human crafted. Toc turns and walks calmly up a flight of wooden stairs. The basement feels preternaturally silent but as you walk up the stairs you pass through a grey magical veil in the doorway and as you emerge you immediately hear sounds everywhere. You are in a small crowded living room. The sound of the bustle and hustle of a street outside can be heard through the curtain covered glass windows. The irregular rhythm of drips along the roof and outside the house are a steady backdrop. A human woman in her forties pokes her head into the room, then looks surprised at the large number of people suddenly in her house, but smiles broadly regardless, "Toc, good to see you!" She glances appraisingly at the rest of the group. spotting Fianna and Mirica, “Oh, the ladies are back, just delightful.And some more friends it would seem.”The living room is modestly appointed and the furniture seems well used and a bit threadbare in spots. Toc walks up to her grabbing her hand with both of his, "Well met Lacy. You know Fianna, and Mirica. This is Jahren, Chen, Sebastion, Mouse, Radic, and Garrison. Can we get them the paperwork they need?Including permits for casting magic for Mirica, Fianna, and Jahren?On my last visit you mentioned that could be arranged." To the group he says, "Other magical use here is forbidden without the said license.I can fake the symbol used to mark your magical items as required by law. Finally, make sure you peace bond your weapons. Lacy can get you some nice leather straps for you to tie them on with.”
She smiles in a good natured way, "Of course of course, right to business with you as usual. Alright, lets get to work then. First let me fix some snacks."
Chen grins and follows her into the kitchen.
Toc glances around the house and at the 8 people with him.“And…we’re going to need more space.”
The rising sun sends multihued rays shining through the stained glass windows of the magnificent all faiths church. The colors momentarily remind Mirica of Aldlas’ prismatic wall, the events of the epic battle burned into her memory. Completing her prayer, she stands and makes her way from the monstrous building and out onto the bustling streets of Hillsfar.The area around the church is a bit quieter than elsewhere in the city, but busy all the same with numerous priests, nuns, alter boys, parishioners and others moving about with great purpose. The cold air from the north has let up these past few days and the weather has been practically balmy with sunny skies and white puffy clouds drifting lazily between horizons. Much of the heavy fur and oiled leather rain gear people had been wearing seems to have vanished as the summer has begun to take hold.The sudden reveal of skin makes this city seem all the more homogenous in its predominantly white, human population.
Mirica has had an easy enough time with the townfolk since returning, and everyone else seemed to find a way to conceal their race in the city, save for Sebastion and Chen, thus avoiding the daily assault of glares, looks, and passing muttered insults.
It has been eight days since the group returned from Cormanthor, and three days since Chen said his farewells to the group and departed on a caravan heading south to Cormyr along with Sebastion’s men. Toc promised that he would keep in touch with the gold skinned dragonborn, using magic to talk to him every few weeks and check in on his life. Jahren seemed to take his departure the hardest. For the first five days back in Hillsfar the two were practically inseparable, spending most of their time in taverns surrounded by food and drink, or shopping…for food and drink…or recipes, or ingredients for food or drink.Since then Jahren had been a bit absent, coming and going as he saw fit but vague about how he was spending his time. No one dug too hard.
Sebastion had likewise bid farewell to his servants. The silver dragonborn had taken a bit longer to get used to the reception of the people who lived here, but being a dragonborn, he received less outward hostility than the others, if only because of his fierce visage, fear keeping many locals reactions in check.
Fianna meanwhile seemed to find a way to enjoy the city. Her and Mirica had spent a lot of time exploring the metropolis….shopping, eating, and seeing the sites of what really was a magnificent city. In particular some of the smaller out of the way shops that held all manner of treasures seem to really interest her, and hunting these down had become a passion. Sebastion seemed to find an excuse to tag along with them most days.
This morning though, alone, Mirica strolled through the streets enjoying the warm sun on her face, eventually finding herself at the pleasant row home that belonged to Toc.She entered the row home through its painted white door. Lacy poked her head out from the kitchen, “Oh, hello dear. Nice to see you.”Mirica smiled in response. Lacy popped back out of site, busy with some chopping. Tic sat on the threadbare couch, glancing up at her, giving a polite but perfunctory nod, and returned back to his reading of the daily paper, his leg up and his toe tapping with some unheard tune.She shook her head. It had not taken long for Toc to ‘rebuild’ his ally.She knew he was a construct, yet….he seemed so real, and his mind matched Toc’s in cleverness and awareness.
Mirica walked towards the basement door, stepping through the dim grey magical barrier and into the basement, the sounds of the rest of the world vanished.Downstairs she moved to a cleared wall and pulled at an invisible door.A tall doorway into a massive, trans-dimensional mansion, revealed itself.
She entered through the foyer into a large entrance hall, off which was the banquet hall, a sitting room, and what he called the ‘war’ room.Overhead, a large window showed the sky, lit as it was in the normal world outside. The atmosphere here was clean, fresh, and warm, as always. The place was furnished and decorated with fine elven furniture, carpets, paintings, and decorations. It always seem to have a fresh banquet enough to feed a hundred. Then there was staff of 100 near-transparent servants attending all of them whenever they desired.The servants were a mix of all races, and wore formal servant wear. They were capable of performing any task a normal humanoid servant could perform, such as fetching things, cleaning, mending, folding clothes, lighting fires, serving food, pouring wine, and so on.
Fianna appears on the landing at the top of the stairs, exiting her room.“Ahh, you’re back!What’s the plan for today?”
Toc emerges from the ‘war’ room and glances about, “Hello both.I will be giving a briefing this evening at dinner regarding my findings from the research.If you would be so kind as to attend, I think I can reveal some interesting facts about the situation.”
Well, it would seem, at least, that they have some evening plans....
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What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
Fianna was, of course, willing to use Seeming to allow Sebastian (or anyone else) to get along more easily when out and about in the city.
Before the briefing Fianna would be most interested in hitting the streets and sampling more of the varied marvelous foods available. One has to suspect that Toc's briefing would end with the need for a quick departure to battle something or other and there was absolutely no reason not to get a last taste of what the city has to offer before then. Besides, she had heard rumblings of something called a 'candied apple' and she was just dying to hunt such a thing down and devour it!
Jahren Lorewalker sat in the waiting room. He looks down at his knee that was bobbing up and down in rapid fashion. He willed it to be still, annoyed at his own nervousness. It went still, as it should. He's met heads of state before, discussed politics with powerful men over drinks and dinner, danced with ladies of the court, and woo'd them as well. Where then was this childlike worry coming from? He glanced down at the package beside him. Netheril robes, and a sample of research papers that proved Aldlas' existence and some of his plots. More than enough to convince the man. And yet he was worried for some reason. Yes, the meeting had taken significant strings to pull. Yes, he knew little to nothing about who would be on the other side of the office door. Yes, he was going into the room as himself, a half-elf. Perhaps it was not this meeting at all. Perhaps it was that Toc had finally decided to brief them on his research this evening.
The door cracked open and a female human with long blonde hair and wearing dress pants and a white blouse with puffy arms appeared, "Mr. Lorewalker, the First Lord will see you now."
Pulling in a deep breath Jahren grabbed the package and stood up, and walked through the doorway into the office. The office was lovely. It was built up on the fifth floor of the capital building, with an amazing view to the east, across half the city, down upon the docks, and out to the sea beyond. Red carpet filled the center of the room over a polished hard wood floor that was revealed around the edges. Bookcases stood against one wall, filled with leather bound tomes, while two couches were set in the center of the room facing each other across a polished cherry wood coffee table. Beyond was a large desk, the back of which faced the large windows and the view.
Vuhm Yestral, stood to one side of the desk. The military leader turned political leader was shorter than Jahren was expecting. Lean, but fit, the warrior had a hawkish nose and piercing grey eyes that seemed to stare into Jahren. Jahren's first impression of the man was that he was calm, calculating, and patient. Nearby him, also standing, was another man wearing the formal attire of a lawyer or bureaucrat, though Jarhen quickly reassessed his opinion when that man, in his late 50's with grey, short cut hair, looked to him. The man had thoughts within thoughts, plans within plans...it was much like looking Toc in the eyes. The intelligence there was like midnight. It swallowed every detail and revealed nothing of the secrets it held. Lastly, there was a woman. Human of course, in her late 50's, as well, with grey hair. She also wore business attire. When Jahren looked at her, he saw bigotry, caution, and judgement. A mind already turned against him within a moment of his entering the room.
There were also two servants... a man servant near a serving trolley which contained snack and drinks, and the woman, likely a secretary or assistant. She closed the door and strode past Jarhen, and then announced him, "First Lord, may I introduce Jahren Lorewalker." She turned to Jahren, "Jahren Lorewalker, this is the First Lord of Hillsfar, as well as High Mage Bahedron, and Lady Thiscar, Head of House Thiscar and Advisor to the First Lord. Please...have a seat." She motioned to the couch.
Lady Thiscar and the High Mage strode across the room, neither of them offering a hand as they sat on the couch across from where Jahren took his seat. To one side, Vuhm Yestral took a seat casually on the edge of his desk, leaning. He spoke first, "So, Mr.Lorewalker. You have a number of influential friends to push for this meeting. I was told you wanted to see me, and brought news vital for Hillsfar to be aware of. Please, do tell."
-----------------------------
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What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
((Interruption of such an important meeting with discussion of candied apples feels sacrilegious, but Mirica would be a bad friend if not to at least warn Fianna about potential danger! I'll be brief))
Mirica never thought of herself as xenophobic - how could she? With her own background the very notion sounded ridiculous. But Tic was something else, something way beyond simple dislike or prejudice. She thought she forgot about the whole nonsense, but here he - no, "it"! - was, making her every hair stand on end and wishing to hiss uncontrollably. She swallowed and moved to the secret hideout only to run into Toc straight up. Who was that idiot that said "God won't give you more than you can handle"? He simply never met these two! No, Mirica was still fully committed and would not allow personal feelings to interfere (even if she considered those feelings as healer's instincts) but some days it was harder to be a devoted priest, following the will of the God.
She nodded to Toc (or what she at least hoped was Toc) and assured that she and Fianna will be back in time. "Candied apples, right. I think I know where to find some but you might be disappointed. It's more decoration than a food - to taste it, first you have to break your teeth getting through thick caramel coating, then what's left of your teeth is assaulted by the equally hard sour apple. Does not mix up at all!"
The impersonation of a toothache was still sitting on the couch and a potentially broken fang in comparison did not look all that bad. "Let's just try some, may be we get lucky. But keep a healing potion close." The day could still be salvageable - after all, where they sell one type of candy, there can be some other, less hostile.
Sebastion looks around. The gold gilded crown moulding, the flower pattern wall paper with a full wall mural of a forest path on one wall. The marble topped side tables. Everything here was just so perfect. His armor lay fully repaired, well oiled and every dent and spec of rust removed. He sighed. There was nothing left to do...and he was bored. It had been five days of cleaning his gear in the make believe mansion that Toc has somehow conjured in between the cracks of the universe. The food was great, the decor lovely, it really spoke to the artistry in Toc's imagination that he could create such a place, down to the buttons of the ghostly servants each embellished with a T. But Sebastion was bored. Really bored. A few days back Fianna had offered a spell to make him look human so he could travel the streets of Hillsfar without all the gawking. At the time it stung his pride, felt weak and besides, he had a lot of equipment to maintain. But now....it was starting to sound like a nice idea, just to get out of this darned magical house. He sighed.
Toc wandered by in an elven nightgown, cut too short for Sebastion's liking, holding a cup of tea in one hand and a fold of papers in the other. "Sebastion" he stated as he walked past the open door. The elf wandered past and was gone. Sebastion glanced back at his fully cleaned equipment. That was it, he was out of here. The glittering laughter of Fianna traveled up from the floor below. He strode out to the bannister overlooking the main hall. Fianna and Mirica glanced back at him on their way out. She smiled a knowing smile at him. "We're going out, want to come?" She wiggled her fingers implying she'd use her magic. He sighed.
An hour and a half later they were walking down a narrow alleyway, named Courier Lane, just off of the wide and very bustling Tin Avenue that cut through the northern part of the city. Fianna looked up at a hanging sign, a simple block of wood painted with two black cats, though the paint was so flecked that one cat was missing three legs and a tail. Regardless she grinned, "The Black Cats Emporium. Emphasis on the plural." Then she shook her head looking to Mirica, "I can't believe there's a Black Cat Emporium as well. Wasted a whole half a day finding that place."
The three of them head inside, Sebastion surprising himself once again as he sees a pink fleshy hand at the end of his own arm, when he reaches to hold the door open. The reflection in the glass as he walks past the angled front window pane reveals a moustache adorned tall...rather bulky human man. He huffed in his chest, he was no Chen...what was with this spell.
Inside was cramped with tables stacked with all manner of baubles and bits. Scarves, hats, some paintings, tiny figurines, some interesting but cheap rings, a stand of necklaces, a jewelled dagger in a sheath...probably just cut glass. Fianna strolled to the back desk to talk to the shop keep while Mirica and Sebastion poked about. Eventually she calls the others towards the back. The shop keep, a white haired man, has laid out a cloth on the glass topped table. On the cloth are three items. The man speaks, "So, I have several 2nd level spell scrolls for you to look through. The price for the trade is 10 gold. Also, I was told you may be interested in other magical items, and have the where-with-all to purchase them, so I have brought three items here I am selling on commission. The first here, is a necklace of fireballs with two beads of fireball. The necklace is for sale for 450 gold, plus a moderate 10 gold commission. This bag is a bag of holding. Very valuable...and sold for 4000 gold, plus a commission of 50 gold. Finally i have these boots. They allow one to walk normally one inch above the ground. You may also walk across liquid surfaces. I've been told they are similar to horseshoes of a zephyr. Regardless, they are 2000 gold, with a 20 gold commission, and they require attunement."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Fianna browses. Slowly and meticulously, she looks at everything. She has little interest in purchasing the vast majority of any of it, but it's good to know what things look like in case she ever wants to incorporate them into one of her disguises via Mask of Many Faces. She'll also use her Eldritch Sight (You can cast detect magic at will, without expending a spell slot.) to look about the shop, figuring it is best if she learns to make a habit of exercising this power. Knowledge is power after all...
As she gets around to dealing with the white haired man on the other side of the table, Fianna will smile brightly and warmly. "You have an amazing shop here," she assures the man. "Everything is so beautiful..." Fianna will pour on the charm throughout the entire discourse and bargaining, complimenting the store and the man profusely. She will push her persuasion as far as she can, without actually tapping into her Fey Presence or magics.
"Some of this jewelry is absolutely amazing, perhaps you could tell me a bit about that necklace there with the obsidian stone? And what of this one? What are these alabaster beads?" Fianna asks about a handful of items of which she has absolutely no interest in so as to gauge the prices of the shop and how reasonable they seem on mundane items compared to more quality items and such. It's also always wise to never show particular interest in what you really want...
Fianna will ask about the jeweled dagger in the sheath while asking about the various other items. (She also makes sure to look at this with her Eldritch Sight.) Sometimes pretty is enough...
When it comes time to barter over the scroll, Fianna will suggest that she's not entirely snobbish, she might be of a mind to consider a couple lesser scrolls in trade for the greater one she has to offer. "Unfortunately, my good sir, I've found myself in a tight spot a time or three and I find it very handy to have options... Perhaps a way to easily climb out of a hole I've dug myself into, a way to quickly escape the clutches of bawdy men. I might even be interested in curatives, if such would be available..." Fianna explains. (Interested in anything from Spider Climb or Expeditious Retreat or Comprehend Languages could also possibly come in handy. Or if they had healing potions they wanted to trade...)
Once the scrolls were sorted, Fianna would inquire further about the other three items for sale. "They are of course all of interest and I am sure I could find a use for them eventually, I'm just afraid the prices are a bit too dear for me. Are you sure those are your best prices?" Fianna asks, laying her hand comfortably upon the man's arm. (She will not try to be-spell the man, but she will flirt and give him suggestive looks as her finger runs little designs over his arm...) Persuasion16 (worth a shot!!)
Fianna will make some kind of swap with the scroll of enfeeblement, will end up buying the the Jeweled Dagger if it's not outrageously priced just to have it as a bauble... Also will purchase the Necklace of Fireballs even if she doesn't negotiate a better price. And will offer most all of whatever she has left to Mirica towards the Bag of Holding. Though she will point out in an aside that she doubts any of the ones in the party are actually full....
She will wistfully eye the Boots of a Zaphyr and sigh endearingly but alas, the money for such an item is just not to be had currently.
The man's shop is full of mundane items, though the shop itself does seem to have some sort of aura occupying the entire space..and aura of abjuration. To Fianna he is practically putty in her hands. He fauns over her, telling her bits of information about each and every object and why they're interesting. He offers all of the gear to her at very reasonable prices, they, after all, would luck much prettier on her then on the shelf. The dagger is only 2 gold, as much as a normal dagger might be. The jewelry he says, though pretty, is all 'costume' jewelry, "That is my dear, none of the gems or metal are real, just glass and colored metals. These are mostly all replicas of actual valuables. For example the dagger is a replica of the blade Sir Thiscar used to slay the boar that gored him, as he was laying dying in the forest." For the scroll, he is willing to trade you 2 level one scrolls for a single level 2 scroll. Or a straight trade. Either way, "I'm sorry m'dear. I don't set the prices, I just sell on commission, and my commission is already very reasonable. I suppose I could cut my commission down by 5 gold off any purchase....just for you of course. If you want to offer a lower price on any of the magical items, I can of course pass your offer along, and if you come back tomorrow, I can let you know if the owner agreed or not. But, of course, if someone comes along willing to pay full price in the meantime, I'd be forced to sell it to them."
She acquires the two 1st level scrolls she desires, or a 2nd level scroll, in exchange for the ray of enfeeblement and 5 gold. She also gets the dagger, which he kindly throws in for free when she purchase the necklace of fireballs, for 450 gold plus 5 gold commission.
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What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
Mirica elbowed Fianna as warlock was trying her new necklace. "Looks good and pretty useful too, but don't discard those boots just yet. Jahren left that this morning asking to sell the thing."She opened up her bag of holding and half pulled out the axe from the ruins, that Chen left behind. "With your talent, I am sure we can exchange both for the boots and the bag - that stuff is always handy."She got the axe out completely and handed to Fianna. "Back to negotiation?"
"I... Hmmm... Please, please, please don't take this wrong, but would this establishment even be able to get fair value for an item like this?" Fianna asks the salesman. "You've a fabulous place here, no doubt. But this axe... I myself have never seen a more amazing piece of weaponry." Upon saying this, Fianna nudged Sebastian in the ribs. Perhaps having a warrior such as he obvious was praise the weapon would help...
Fianna, with Mirica's help, carefully lift up the axe and place it on the counter. "Do you think you have enough clientele of means to move something like this?"
Fianna doesn't want to undo any of the purchases already made, best not to overly complicate matters. But she will do her best to convince this man that surely they couldn't be expected to leave the axe here for sale with no collateral from the store at all. Perhaps it could be worked out where we could leave the axe with him, take the Bag of Holding and the Boots of the Zephyr, and will get the remaining gold once the axe sells. And of course, for his amazing salesmanship and bargaining, the salesman would be compensated 100 gold up front, as well as whatever commission he got out of the buyer.
((On previous deal, that is all bought separate from this. If available Fianna would look to get a Sanctuary scroll and a Heroism scroll if available. Necklace and Dagger exchanged for 460gp... And Fianna tips him the 5gp he offered to take off his commission. "I just love the dagger that much, even more now that I know it's story!" So 465 deducted from Fianna's total.))
((And on shopping trip, she'll buy another 500gp black pearl and have it crushed... Must have components!))
(after reviewing all of my notes, I hope this makes sense with the plot...)
Jahren uses all of his charm and experience, even the magically enhanced version if he thinks he can get away with it, in meeting with Yestral and the others. He starts with proper and humble greetings, of course, and goes from there. Amidst the discussion he offers his services to Yestral and Hillsfar, specifically offering to do his best to negotiate an alliance with the elves on behalf of the First Lord. If the Lord wills it he will represent him and seek out whatever benefits of the alliance the Lord wishes. In doing so he suggests elven help in patrolling the region so that Yestral can call back a large number of Red Plumes to deal with other matters as merely one idea, but he defers to the Lord.
Jahren explains that he has has a notable contact with the elves, and then explains that he was actually already independently involved in the victory over the green dragon Viridianantallax and the Netherese wizard Adlas Sodhese. He then presents the Lord with the robes of Adlas and his other proof as a gift. He suggests that, if the Lord wishes, Jahren may have been acting on his orders and thus the Lord could take all of the credit, or not of course, whatever the Lord desires.
If questioned on who he is and what his motivation is, Jahren gives a very brief account of his background as a wandered who has traveled far and wide looking to help people. He pulls his impressive gem inlaid shield out from its cloth covering and tells the story of how it was a gift from a dwarven king for negotiating peace with a rival nation, and how it, along with the King's friendship itself, is perhaps his most prized possession. Jahren wishes for no reward for any aid he might provide to Lord Yestral, but would humbly accept his friendship should the Lord ever feel he has earned it. This, he explains in a humble manner, is Jahren's true wealth, a network of friends all over the world and the memories of all of the good people and the deeds they accomplished together. If nothing else, since Yestral is already aware of and aligned with Harper influence in his region, Jahren will reference his rank there and that his own motivations are similar to that of the Harpers themselves, although he does work independently most of the time.
---------- Fianna, Mirica and Sebastion ----------
The man's eyes go wide upon examining the axe. "This is ancient, powerful elven work. A weapon such as this will be highly sought after. Please, give me some time to examine it." He takes it behind the desk to a table, where you can still see it, and begins examining it with a small crystal lens that he pulls out of a drawer. Fianna notes the lens is magical. About ten minutes later he returns. "Indeed, you may take the boots and bag today and I will keep the axe here. I will sell this on commission for you. My humble opinion is that you can fetch perhaps as much as 16,000 gold from such an item. The purchaser pays my commission, not you, thank you for the offer though, and you set the price. Negotiations occur through me. This is how my clientele have preferred it for many years. It avoids certain issues that can arise. If you are satisfied with selling price of 16,000 gold, then I will hopefully contact you tomorrow with the remaining gold in hand. So you are aware, there several banks here, and for amounts this high, it's not uncommon to use a bank note. I will ensure it is authentic, but if you prefer payment in actual metal, I can provide that as well. At 6060 for the boots and bag, you will receive 9,940 gold in return. Is this acceptable?"
(the two scrolls you sought are available...deal done!)
---------- Jahren ----------
Yestrel is a cagey operator you quickly learn. Though you glean genuine surprise from several of the conversations turns, he plays it cool and keeps his eyes shaded well. The High Mage is another matter, and you swear he must he magic to keep his eyes so dead and his face so straight. A good trick in a poker game that. His eyes are placid as you reveal details of your life. His actions though bely his actual interest in your stories, they way he stands, square when really listening, turning to one side when he doubts the veracity of a claim, turning back when he's been convinced. Finally Lady Thiscar's face a riot of out from emotions. She practically scoffs at some of your stories, but then is deeply impressed by other parts, or more so when you offer the gains for Hillsfar as part of some arrangements. Either way, all three are engaged with you as you talk through the various topics. Engaged, without engaging though. There seem to be no immediate answers, and no agreement to any proposals.
Mention of the Harpers is met with a scowl by Lady Thiscar and a frown by the high mage. It's clear from Yestrels reaction he'd preferred you not brought that up, so you quickly move on.
Mention of the dragon draws all threes attention though. Bahedron out loud turns to the First Lord and Lady Thiscar, "That one is the biggest child of Verdant Cloud. This matches the intelligence from Oak Regiment. This man must have been with the group mentioned in the reports."
Yestrel seems impressed, "You have my appreciation for keeping my troops safe."
Thiscar scowls, "Pray to the gods that the dragon does not set upon us for the slaying of her child."
Next, at the mention of Aldlas, you get a great number of blank stares. "Whom is this Aldlas? The name seems vaguely familiar." You show the Netheril robes. "Some wizard that survived the war then?" Jahren explains, but the vanquished foe neither impresses nor strikes fear into their minds....to them....you get the feeling its just some foe they didn't even know existed and wasn't important to them. Jahren quickly abandons that line of discussion, knowing that there would be no convincing them the level of this deed in this conversation. It would require several discussions, with supporting pieces.
Finally, you discuss the elves, and the first lord nods, and you see genuine respect in his eyes when you suggest an alliance with them, though Lady Thiscar's face could not darken more. There seems to be some sort negotiation or debt, in some two way arrangement, since they seem to spar with their eyes during the conversation. At one point when Yestrel and Thiscar are discussing the red plumes and the military forces briefly, Bahedron's voice rolls into Jahren's mind, "Pretend you are listening to Thiscar. This audience is not the right one for discussing the elves. I will speak with the First Lord after this and then you and I can speak further on the topic. Thiscar represents the trade cabal, and they are do not like the new lows that allow non-humans. They are the old families. They are already upset with the First Lord, and try to undermine him at every turn for his change in the 3rd law. An elven alliance would spell trouble for them, they'll never support it. But, perhaps if Yestral arranges it on his own....it may work. You may reply in your mind if you wish and I will hear it."
Bahedron speaks out loud, "That is enough discussion about an elven alliance at the moment. I do not think such an arragement would benefit Hillsfar, or our trade. The people here in fact value protection from the elves and their influence, as the First Lord must be aware."
He glances a harsh glance at Bahedron, then narrows his eyes. Finally he turns to Jahren, "You have given us much to think on, Jahren Lorewalker. I must say I find myself intrigued by you. Please, let me know where you are staying in the city so that I might consider inviting you to an upcoming dinner. It would be most distracting for you, I am sure."
And with that, the audience is done and Jahren finds himself walking away, his mind sparking with connections.
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What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
Jahren replies appropriately to the secret magically message in his mind, thanking the High Mage and agreeing to talk later.
When interest in Adlas is minimal, Jahren tries to politely emphasize that it is not Yestral's interest in Adlas that is important, but rather how this knowledge and proof could be used to influence the elves as they would surely be interested.
Perhaps most importantly, throughout the conversation Jahren takes every opportunity to size up Yestral for the elves, perhaps even weaving in a few subtle tricks to test the man's character just a bit.
“My apologies, all this back and forth and I’ve never even caught got your name,” Fianna says, and then introduces herself and her companions.”We are very pleased to have met you, you have been nothing but kind and helpful to us.”
Fianna continues to pour on the charm but is also evaluating the mans trustworthiness. She has never dealt with bank notes before, not this amount of coin, so she inherently has some distrust. She will excuse herself for just a moment and draw Sebastian to the side. “My guess is you’ve spent far more time in cities than I, have dealt with banks before. Can these notes he speaks of be trusted?”
Assuming she senses no red flags and gets no words to not do it from Sebastian, Fianna will finalize the deal and thank the man profusely.
“We may be called out of town quickly,” Fianna advises, “and it is good to know one so trustworthy as you will hold our note until we return, if it comes to that.”
When done and gone, Fianna will suggest the bank note (9,940 gold) should go to Jahren. It was his axe and we should not spend more of his gold than we had to already..,”
“For our new friend,” Fianna will announce while holding out the Heroism scroll to Sebastian. “I am sure it will benefit us all when you use it.” Of course the Bag of Holding is given to him as well.
“And for my oldest friend, of these current travels at least,” Fianna says while digging out and then handing over the scroll of Sanctuary and the Necklace of Fireballs. “Do not complain or object, it behooves us all for powers such as these to be spread out amongst us. And I trust your wisdom to understand the value of them, considering their rarity...”
“For myself, I got a beautiful, albeit delicate, dagger. Still, sometimes good looks is enough,” Fianna adds with a wink. “And these intriguing boots... which I should probably wait to use until outside the city...”
((and I think that sums up the shopping, until we return for the bank note...))
Mirica took the necklace, looked for a moment at the intricate design and put it on. "Would not say "no", though one of my instructor always said "A necklace is not a piece of jewelry but someone's hand around your throat. No jewels in a fight!". She found a mirror and checked the look. "Does not it look a bit barbaric to you?"It probably did - a golden necklace on top of an armor - but within the city it felt somewhat appropriate.
Scrolls were packed, money notes taken. They could return to the matter at hands aka - debriefing.
(pending a conversation with the high mage also playing out still...)
Jahren returns from another solo trip out into the city and thanks the others for selling the items and giving him his cut. He politely protests a tiny bit about keeping most of the proceeds from the axe sale, but figures he will surely find a way to do some good with the excess wealth when an opportunity presents himself. He does ask the others what other magic items of interest they noticed for sale while out shopping though.
“Well there was this glorious axe for sale. If you saved up for a while you may be able to afford it,” Fianna says with a smile.
“Really, I think we bought the man out. There was nothing else on display and I’d think if he had anything readily available he’d have brought it out... Though perhaps they try to mete the wares out so as not to flood the market? We can stop back for a look tomorrow if you wish...”
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The group picks their way through the ruins and beyond the edge of the great Mythal. Only then does Toc stop, and gather everyone around. “Alright. We are ready to go to Hillsfar then?” Without further delay he speaks a short powerful arcane phrase. The world around you twists and warps in a flash. In the tumbled rocky ruins where once stood nine people, the drip drop of water from the trees is the only sound amidst the wind and empty ruins.
The world explodes into existence around you. You look down at the floor where a thick carpet lays across the wooden boards. A glimmering mystic circle radiating bright yellow through the rug slowly fades to darkness. You find yourself in a dark but clean basement. A wine rack filled with bottles sits against one wall, a large steam chest in the corner, and a pedal powered grindstone. A desk, mannequin, and a pile of furniture covered in white sheets fills the rest of the room. The furniture, wine, and carpet are all human crafted. Toc turns and walks calmly up a flight of wooden stairs. The basement feels preternaturally silent but as you walk up the stairs you pass through a grey magical veil in the doorway and as you emerge you immediately hear sounds everywhere. You are in a small crowded living room. The sound of the bustle and hustle of a street outside can be heard through the curtain covered glass windows. The irregular rhythm of drips along the roof and outside the house are a steady backdrop. A human woman in her forties pokes her head into the room, then looks surprised at the large number of people suddenly in her house, but smiles broadly regardless, "Toc, good to see you!" She glances appraisingly at the rest of the group. spotting Fianna and Mirica, “Oh, the ladies are back, just delightful. And some more friends it would seem.” The living room is modestly appointed and the furniture seems well used and a bit threadbare in spots. Toc walks up to her grabbing her hand with both of his, "Well met Lacy. You know Fianna, and Mirica. This is Jahren, Chen, Sebastion, Mouse, Radic, and Garrison. Can we get them the paperwork they need? Including permits for casting magic for Mirica, Fianna, and Jahren? On my last visit you mentioned that could be arranged." To the group he says, "Other magical use here is forbidden without the said license. I can fake the symbol used to mark your magical items as required by law. Finally, make sure you peace bond your weapons. Lacy can get you some nice leather straps for you to tie them on with.”
She smiles in a good natured way, "Of course of course, right to business with you as usual. Alright, lets get to work then. First let me fix some snacks."
Chen grins and follows her into the kitchen.
Toc glances around the house and at the 8 people with him. “And…we’re going to need more space.”
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
The rising sun sends multihued rays shining through the stained glass windows of the magnificent all faiths church. The colors momentarily remind Mirica of Aldlas’ prismatic wall, the events of the epic battle burned into her memory. Completing her prayer, she stands and makes her way from the monstrous building and out onto the bustling streets of Hillsfar. The area around the church is a bit quieter than elsewhere in the city, but busy all the same with numerous priests, nuns, alter boys, parishioners and others moving about with great purpose. The cold air from the north has let up these past few days and the weather has been practically balmy with sunny skies and white puffy clouds drifting lazily between horizons. Much of the heavy fur and oiled leather rain gear people had been wearing seems to have vanished as the summer has begun to take hold. The sudden reveal of skin makes this city seem all the more homogenous in its predominantly white, human population.
Mirica has had an easy enough time with the townfolk since returning, and everyone else seemed to find a way to conceal their race in the city, save for Sebastion and Chen, thus avoiding the daily assault of glares, looks, and passing muttered insults.
It has been eight days since the group returned from Cormanthor, and three days since Chen said his farewells to the group and departed on a caravan heading south to Cormyr along with Sebastion’s men. Toc promised that he would keep in touch with the gold skinned dragonborn, using magic to talk to him every few weeks and check in on his life. Jahren seemed to take his departure the hardest. For the first five days back in Hillsfar the two were practically inseparable, spending most of their time in taverns surrounded by food and drink, or shopping…for food and drink…or recipes, or ingredients for food or drink. Since then Jahren had been a bit absent, coming and going as he saw fit but vague about how he was spending his time. No one dug too hard.
Sebastion had likewise bid farewell to his servants. The silver dragonborn had taken a bit longer to get used to the reception of the people who lived here, but being a dragonborn, he received less outward hostility than the others, if only because of his fierce visage, fear keeping many locals reactions in check.
Fianna meanwhile seemed to find a way to enjoy the city. Her and Mirica had spent a lot of time exploring the metropolis….shopping, eating, and seeing the sites of what really was a magnificent city. In particular some of the smaller out of the way shops that held all manner of treasures seem to really interest her, and hunting these down had become a passion. Sebastion seemed to find an excuse to tag along with them most days.
This morning though, alone, Mirica strolled through the streets enjoying the warm sun on her face, eventually finding herself at the pleasant row home that belonged to Toc. She entered the row home through its painted white door. Lacy poked her head out from the kitchen, “Oh, hello dear. Nice to see you.” Mirica smiled in response. Lacy popped back out of site, busy with some chopping. Tic sat on the threadbare couch, glancing up at her, giving a polite but perfunctory nod, and returned back to his reading of the daily paper, his leg up and his toe tapping with some unheard tune. She shook her head. It had not taken long for Toc to ‘rebuild’ his ally. She knew he was a construct, yet….he seemed so real, and his mind matched Toc’s in cleverness and awareness.
Mirica walked towards the basement door, stepping through the dim grey magical barrier and into the basement, the sounds of the rest of the world vanished. Downstairs she moved to a cleared wall and pulled at an invisible door. A tall doorway into a massive, trans-dimensional mansion, revealed itself.
She entered through the foyer into a large entrance hall, off which was the banquet hall, a sitting room, and what he called the ‘war’ room. Overhead, a large window showed the sky, lit as it was in the normal world outside. The atmosphere here was clean, fresh, and warm, as always. The place was furnished and decorated with fine elven furniture, carpets, paintings, and decorations. It always seem to have a fresh banquet enough to feed a hundred. Then there was staff of 100 near-transparent servants attending all of them whenever they desired. The servants were a mix of all races, and wore formal servant wear. They were capable of performing any task a normal humanoid servant could perform, such as fetching things, cleaning, mending, folding clothes, lighting fires, serving food, pouring wine, and so on.
Fianna appears on the landing at the top of the stairs, exiting her room. “Ahh, you’re back! What’s the plan for today?”
Toc emerges from the ‘war’ room and glances about, “Hello both. I will be giving a briefing this evening at dinner regarding my findings from the research. If you would be so kind as to attend, I think I can reveal some interesting facts about the situation.”
Well, it would seem, at least, that they have some evening plans....
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Fianna was, of course, willing to use Seeming to allow Sebastian (or anyone else) to get along more easily when out and about in the city.
Before the briefing Fianna would be most interested in hitting the streets and sampling more of the varied marvelous foods available. One has to suspect that Toc's briefing would end with the need for a quick departure to battle something or other and there was absolutely no reason not to get a last taste of what the city has to offer before then. Besides, she had heard rumblings of something called a 'candied apple' and she was just dying to hunt such a thing down and devour it!
--------------- Jahren --------------
Jahren Lorewalker sat in the waiting room. He looks down at his knee that was bobbing up and down in rapid fashion. He willed it to be still, annoyed at his own nervousness. It went still, as it should. He's met heads of state before, discussed politics with powerful men over drinks and dinner, danced with ladies of the court, and woo'd them as well. Where then was this childlike worry coming from? He glanced down at the package beside him. Netheril robes, and a sample of research papers that proved Aldlas' existence and some of his plots. More than enough to convince the man. And yet he was worried for some reason. Yes, the meeting had taken significant strings to pull. Yes, he knew little to nothing about who would be on the other side of the office door. Yes, he was going into the room as himself, a half-elf. Perhaps it was not this meeting at all. Perhaps it was that Toc had finally decided to brief them on his research this evening.
The door cracked open and a female human with long blonde hair and wearing dress pants and a white blouse with puffy arms appeared, "Mr. Lorewalker, the First Lord will see you now."
Pulling in a deep breath Jahren grabbed the package and stood up, and walked through the doorway into the office. The office was lovely. It was built up on the fifth floor of the capital building, with an amazing view to the east, across half the city, down upon the docks, and out to the sea beyond. Red carpet filled the center of the room over a polished hard wood floor that was revealed around the edges. Bookcases stood against one wall, filled with leather bound tomes, while two couches were set in the center of the room facing each other across a polished cherry wood coffee table. Beyond was a large desk, the back of which faced the large windows and the view.
Vuhm Yestral, stood to one side of the desk. The military leader turned political leader was shorter than Jahren was expecting. Lean, but fit, the warrior had a hawkish nose and piercing grey eyes that seemed to stare into Jahren. Jahren's first impression of the man was that he was calm, calculating, and patient. Nearby him, also standing, was another man wearing the formal attire of a lawyer or bureaucrat, though Jarhen quickly reassessed his opinion when that man, in his late 50's with grey, short cut hair, looked to him. The man had thoughts within thoughts, plans within plans...it was much like looking Toc in the eyes. The intelligence there was like midnight. It swallowed every detail and revealed nothing of the secrets it held. Lastly, there was a woman. Human of course, in her late 50's, as well, with grey hair. She also wore business attire. When Jahren looked at her, he saw bigotry, caution, and judgement. A mind already turned against him within a moment of his entering the room.
There were also two servants... a man servant near a serving trolley which contained snack and drinks, and the woman, likely a secretary or assistant. She closed the door and strode past Jarhen, and then announced him, "First Lord, may I introduce Jahren Lorewalker." She turned to Jahren, "Jahren Lorewalker, this is the First Lord of Hillsfar, as well as High Mage Bahedron, and Lady Thiscar, Head of House Thiscar and Advisor to the First Lord. Please...have a seat." She motioned to the couch.
Lady Thiscar and the High Mage strode across the room, neither of them offering a hand as they sat on the couch across from where Jahren took his seat. To one side, Vuhm Yestral took a seat casually on the edge of his desk, leaning. He spoke first, "So, Mr.Lorewalker. You have a number of influential friends to push for this meeting. I was told you wanted to see me, and brought news vital for Hillsfar to be aware of. Please, do tell."
-----------------------------
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
((Interruption of such an important meeting with discussion of candied apples feels sacrilegious, but Mirica would be a bad friend if not to at least warn Fianna about potential danger! I'll be brief))
Mirica never thought of herself as xenophobic - how could she? With her own background the very notion sounded ridiculous. But Tic was something else, something way beyond simple dislike or prejudice. She thought she forgot about the whole nonsense, but here he - no, "it"! - was, making her every hair stand on end and wishing to hiss uncontrollably. She swallowed and moved to the secret hideout only to run into Toc straight up. Who was that idiot that said "God won't give you more than you can handle"? He simply never met these two! No, Mirica was still fully committed and would not allow personal feelings to interfere (even if she considered those feelings as healer's instincts) but some days it was harder to be a devoted priest, following the will of the God.
She nodded to Toc (or what she at least hoped was Toc) and assured that she and Fianna will be back in time. "Candied apples, right. I think I know where to find some but you might be disappointed. It's more decoration than a food - to taste it, first you have to break your teeth getting through thick caramel coating, then what's left of your teeth is assaulted by the equally hard sour apple. Does not mix up at all!"
The impersonation of a toothache was still sitting on the couch and a potentially broken fang in comparison did not look all that bad. "Let's just try some, may be we get lucky. But keep a healing potion close." The day could still be salvageable - after all, where they sell one type of candy, there can be some other, less hostile.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
after a day or two of the funny looks Sebastian just stays within the dwelling they are staying in cleaning and repairing his gear
Laissez les bons temps rouler
Sebastion looks around. The gold gilded crown moulding, the flower pattern wall paper with a full wall mural of a forest path on one wall. The marble topped side tables. Everything here was just so perfect. His armor lay fully repaired, well oiled and every dent and spec of rust removed. He sighed. There was nothing left to do...and he was bored. It had been five days of cleaning his gear in the make believe mansion that Toc has somehow conjured in between the cracks of the universe. The food was great, the decor lovely, it really spoke to the artistry in Toc's imagination that he could create such a place, down to the buttons of the ghostly servants each embellished with a T. But Sebastion was bored. Really bored. A few days back Fianna had offered a spell to make him look human so he could travel the streets of Hillsfar without all the gawking. At the time it stung his pride, felt weak and besides, he had a lot of equipment to maintain. But now....it was starting to sound like a nice idea, just to get out of this darned magical house. He sighed.
Toc wandered by in an elven nightgown, cut too short for Sebastion's liking, holding a cup of tea in one hand and a fold of papers in the other. "Sebastion" he stated as he walked past the open door. The elf wandered past and was gone. Sebastion glanced back at his fully cleaned equipment. That was it, he was out of here. The glittering laughter of Fianna traveled up from the floor below. He strode out to the bannister overlooking the main hall. Fianna and Mirica glanced back at him on their way out. She smiled a knowing smile at him. "We're going out, want to come?" She wiggled her fingers implying she'd use her magic. He sighed.
An hour and a half later they were walking down a narrow alleyway, named Courier Lane, just off of the wide and very bustling Tin Avenue that cut through the northern part of the city. Fianna looked up at a hanging sign, a simple block of wood painted with two black cats, though the paint was so flecked that one cat was missing three legs and a tail. Regardless she grinned, "The Black Cats Emporium. Emphasis on the plural." Then she shook her head looking to Mirica, "I can't believe there's a Black Cat Emporium as well. Wasted a whole half a day finding that place."
The three of them head inside, Sebastion surprising himself once again as he sees a pink fleshy hand at the end of his own arm, when he reaches to hold the door open. The reflection in the glass as he walks past the angled front window pane reveals a moustache adorned tall...rather bulky human man. He huffed in his chest, he was no Chen...what was with this spell.
Inside was cramped with tables stacked with all manner of baubles and bits. Scarves, hats, some paintings, tiny figurines, some interesting but cheap rings, a stand of necklaces, a jewelled dagger in a sheath...probably just cut glass. Fianna strolled to the back desk to talk to the shop keep while Mirica and Sebastion poked about. Eventually she calls the others towards the back. The shop keep, a white haired man, has laid out a cloth on the glass topped table. On the cloth are three items. The man speaks, "So, I have several 2nd level spell scrolls for you to look through. The price for the trade is 10 gold. Also, I was told you may be interested in other magical items, and have the where-with-all to purchase them, so I have brought three items here I am selling on commission. The first here, is a necklace of fireballs with two beads of fireball. The necklace is for sale for 450 gold, plus a moderate 10 gold commission. This bag is a bag of holding. Very valuable...and sold for 4000 gold, plus a commission of 50 gold. Finally i have these boots. They allow one to walk normally one inch above the ground. You may also walk across liquid surfaces. I've been told they are similar to horseshoes of a zephyr. Regardless, they are 2000 gold, with a 20 gold commission, and they require attunement."
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Fianna browses. Slowly and meticulously, she looks at everything. She has little interest in purchasing the vast majority of any of it, but it's good to know what things look like in case she ever wants to incorporate them into one of her disguises via Mask of Many Faces. She'll also use her Eldritch Sight (You can cast detect magic at will, without expending a spell slot.) to look about the shop, figuring it is best if she learns to make a habit of exercising this power. Knowledge is power after all...
As she gets around to dealing with the white haired man on the other side of the table, Fianna will smile brightly and warmly. "You have an amazing shop here," she assures the man. "Everything is so beautiful..." Fianna will pour on the charm throughout the entire discourse and bargaining, complimenting the store and the man profusely. She will push her persuasion as far as she can, without actually tapping into her Fey Presence or magics.
"Some of this jewelry is absolutely amazing, perhaps you could tell me a bit about that necklace there with the obsidian stone? And what of this one? What are these alabaster beads?" Fianna asks about a handful of items of which she has absolutely no interest in so as to gauge the prices of the shop and how reasonable they seem on mundane items compared to more quality items and such. It's also always wise to never show particular interest in what you really want...
Fianna will ask about the jeweled dagger in the sheath while asking about the various other items. (She also makes sure to look at this with her Eldritch Sight.) Sometimes pretty is enough...
When it comes time to barter over the scroll, Fianna will suggest that she's not entirely snobbish, she might be of a mind to consider a couple lesser scrolls in trade for the greater one she has to offer. "Unfortunately, my good sir, I've found myself in a tight spot a time or three and I find it very handy to have options... Perhaps a way to easily climb out of a hole I've dug myself into, a way to quickly escape the clutches of bawdy men. I might even be interested in curatives, if such would be available..." Fianna explains. (Interested in anything from Spider Climb or Expeditious Retreat or Comprehend Languages could also possibly come in handy. Or if they had healing potions they wanted to trade...)
Once the scrolls were sorted, Fianna would inquire further about the other three items for sale. "They are of course all of interest and I am sure I could find a use for them eventually, I'm just afraid the prices are a bit too dear for me. Are you sure those are your best prices?" Fianna asks, laying her hand comfortably upon the man's arm. (She will not try to be-spell the man, but she will flirt and give him suggestive looks as her finger runs little designs over his arm...) Persuasion 16 (worth a shot!!)
Fianna will make some kind of swap with the scroll of enfeeblement, will end up buying the the Jeweled Dagger if it's not outrageously priced just to have it as a bauble... Also will purchase the Necklace of Fireballs even if she doesn't negotiate a better price. And will offer most all of whatever she has left to Mirica towards the Bag of Holding. Though she will point out in an aside that she doubts any of the ones in the party are actually full....
She will wistfully eye the Boots of a Zaphyr and sigh endearingly but alas, the money for such an item is just not to be had currently.
The man's shop is full of mundane items, though the shop itself does seem to have some sort of aura occupying the entire space..and aura of abjuration. To Fianna he is practically putty in her hands. He fauns over her, telling her bits of information about each and every object and why they're interesting. He offers all of the gear to her at very reasonable prices, they, after all, would luck much prettier on her then on the shelf. The dagger is only 2 gold, as much as a normal dagger might be. The jewelry he says, though pretty, is all 'costume' jewelry, "That is my dear, none of the gems or metal are real, just glass and colored metals. These are mostly all replicas of actual valuables. For example the dagger is a replica of the blade Sir Thiscar used to slay the boar that gored him, as he was laying dying in the forest." For the scroll, he is willing to trade you 2 level one scrolls for a single level 2 scroll. Or a straight trade. Either way, "I'm sorry m'dear. I don't set the prices, I just sell on commission, and my commission is already very reasonable. I suppose I could cut my commission down by 5 gold off any purchase....just for you of course. If you want to offer a lower price on any of the magical items, I can of course pass your offer along, and if you come back tomorrow, I can let you know if the owner agreed or not. But, of course, if someone comes along willing to pay full price in the meantime, I'd be forced to sell it to them."
She acquires the two 1st level scrolls she desires, or a 2nd level scroll, in exchange for the ray of enfeeblement and 5 gold. She also gets the dagger, which he kindly throws in for free when she purchase the necklace of fireballs, for 450 gold plus 5 gold commission.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Mirica elbowed Fianna as warlock was trying her new necklace. "Looks good and pretty useful too, but don't discard those boots just yet. Jahren left that this morning asking to sell the thing." She opened up her bag of holding and half pulled out the axe from the ruins, that Chen left behind. "With your talent, I am sure we can exchange both for the boots and the bag - that stuff is always handy." She got the axe out completely and handed to Fianna. "Back to negotiation?"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Sebastion is quietly looking around and observing, very uncomfortable in his new form
Laissez les bons temps rouler
"I... Hmmm... Please, please, please don't take this wrong, but would this establishment even be able to get fair value for an item like this?" Fianna asks the salesman. "You've a fabulous place here, no doubt. But this axe... I myself have never seen a more amazing piece of weaponry." Upon saying this, Fianna nudged Sebastian in the ribs. Perhaps having a warrior such as he obvious was praise the weapon would help...
Fianna, with Mirica's help, carefully lift up the axe and place it on the counter. "Do you think you have enough clientele of means to move something like this?"
Fianna doesn't want to undo any of the purchases already made, best not to overly complicate matters. But she will do her best to convince this man that surely they couldn't be expected to leave the axe here for sale with no collateral from the store at all. Perhaps it could be worked out where we could leave the axe with him, take the Bag of Holding and the Boots of the Zephyr, and will get the remaining gold once the axe sells. And of course, for his amazing salesmanship and bargaining, the salesman would be compensated 100 gold up front, as well as whatever commission he got out of the buyer.
((On previous deal, that is all bought separate from this. If available Fianna would look to get a Sanctuary scroll and a Heroism scroll if available. Necklace and Dagger exchanged for 460gp... And Fianna tips him the 5gp he offered to take off his commission. "I just love the dagger that much, even more now that I know it's story!" So 465 deducted from Fianna's total.))
((And on shopping trip, she'll buy another 500gp black pearl and have it crushed... Must have components!))
"I have seen that piece used. It is a very effective weapon" Sebastion chimes in
Laissez les bons temps rouler
(after reviewing all of my notes, I hope this makes sense with the plot...)
Jahren uses all of his charm and experience, even the magically enhanced version if he thinks he can get away with it, in meeting with Yestral and the others. He starts with proper and humble greetings, of course, and goes from there. Amidst the discussion he offers his services to Yestral and Hillsfar, specifically offering to do his best to negotiate an alliance with the elves on behalf of the First Lord. If the Lord wills it he will represent him and seek out whatever benefits of the alliance the Lord wishes. In doing so he suggests elven help in patrolling the region so that Yestral can call back a large number of Red Plumes to deal with other matters as merely one idea, but he defers to the Lord.
Jahren explains that he has has a notable contact with the elves, and then explains that he was actually already independently involved in the victory over the green dragon Viridianantallax and the Netherese wizard Adlas Sodhese. He then presents the Lord with the robes of Adlas and his other proof as a gift. He suggests that, if the Lord wishes, Jahren may have been acting on his orders and thus the Lord could take all of the credit, or not of course, whatever the Lord desires.
If questioned on who he is and what his motivation is, Jahren gives a very brief account of his background as a wandered who has traveled far and wide looking to help people. He pulls his impressive gem inlaid shield out from its cloth covering and tells the story of how it was a gift from a dwarven king for negotiating peace with a rival nation, and how it, along with the King's friendship itself, is perhaps his most prized possession. Jahren wishes for no reward for any aid he might provide to Lord Yestral, but would humbly accept his friendship should the Lord ever feel he has earned it. This, he explains in a humble manner, is Jahren's true wealth, a network of friends all over the world and the memories of all of the good people and the deeds they accomplished together. If nothing else, since Yestral is already aware of and aligned with Harper influence in his region, Jahren will reference his rank there and that his own motivations are similar to that of the Harpers themselves, although he does work independently most of the time.
---------- Fianna, Mirica and Sebastion ----------
The man's eyes go wide upon examining the axe. "This is ancient, powerful elven work. A weapon such as this will be highly sought after. Please, give me some time to examine it." He takes it behind the desk to a table, where you can still see it, and begins examining it with a small crystal lens that he pulls out of a drawer. Fianna notes the lens is magical. About ten minutes later he returns. "Indeed, you may take the boots and bag today and I will keep the axe here. I will sell this on commission for you. My humble opinion is that you can fetch perhaps as much as 16,000 gold from such an item. The purchaser pays my commission, not you, thank you for the offer though, and you set the price. Negotiations occur through me. This is how my clientele have preferred it for many years. It avoids certain issues that can arise. If you are satisfied with selling price of 16,000 gold, then I will hopefully contact you tomorrow with the remaining gold in hand. So you are aware, there several banks here, and for amounts this high, it's not uncommon to use a bank note. I will ensure it is authentic, but if you prefer payment in actual metal, I can provide that as well. At 6060 for the boots and bag, you will receive 9,940 gold in return. Is this acceptable?"
(the two scrolls you sought are available...deal done!)
---------- Jahren ----------
Yestrel is a cagey operator you quickly learn. Though you glean genuine surprise from several of the conversations turns, he plays it cool and keeps his eyes shaded well. The High Mage is another matter, and you swear he must he magic to keep his eyes so dead and his face so straight. A good trick in a poker game that. His eyes are placid as you reveal details of your life. His actions though bely his actual interest in your stories, they way he stands, square when really listening, turning to one side when he doubts the veracity of a claim, turning back when he's been convinced. Finally Lady Thiscar's face a riot of out from emotions. She practically scoffs at some of your stories, but then is deeply impressed by other parts, or more so when you offer the gains for Hillsfar as part of some arrangements. Either way, all three are engaged with you as you talk through the various topics. Engaged, without engaging though. There seem to be no immediate answers, and no agreement to any proposals.
Mention of the Harpers is met with a scowl by Lady Thiscar and a frown by the high mage. It's clear from Yestrels reaction he'd preferred you not brought that up, so you quickly move on.
Mention of the dragon draws all threes attention though. Bahedron out loud turns to the First Lord and Lady Thiscar, "That one is the biggest child of Verdant Cloud. This matches the intelligence from Oak Regiment. This man must have been with the group mentioned in the reports."
Yestrel seems impressed, "You have my appreciation for keeping my troops safe."
Thiscar scowls, "Pray to the gods that the dragon does not set upon us for the slaying of her child."
Next, at the mention of Aldlas, you get a great number of blank stares. "Whom is this Aldlas? The name seems vaguely familiar." You show the Netheril robes. "Some wizard that survived the war then?" Jahren explains, but the vanquished foe neither impresses nor strikes fear into their minds....to them....you get the feeling its just some foe they didn't even know existed and wasn't important to them. Jahren quickly abandons that line of discussion, knowing that there would be no convincing them the level of this deed in this conversation. It would require several discussions, with supporting pieces.
Finally, you discuss the elves, and the first lord nods, and you see genuine respect in his eyes when you suggest an alliance with them, though Lady Thiscar's face could not darken more. There seems to be some sort negotiation or debt, in some two way arrangement, since they seem to spar with their eyes during the conversation. At one point when Yestrel and Thiscar are discussing the red plumes and the military forces briefly, Bahedron's voice rolls into Jahren's mind, "Pretend you are listening to Thiscar. This audience is not the right one for discussing the elves. I will speak with the First Lord after this and then you and I can speak further on the topic. Thiscar represents the trade cabal, and they are do not like the new lows that allow non-humans. They are the old families. They are already upset with the First Lord, and try to undermine him at every turn for his change in the 3rd law. An elven alliance would spell trouble for them, they'll never support it. But, perhaps if Yestral arranges it on his own....it may work. You may reply in your mind if you wish and I will hear it."
Bahedron speaks out loud, "That is enough discussion about an elven alliance at the moment. I do not think such an arragement would benefit Hillsfar, or our trade. The people here in fact value protection from the elves and their influence, as the First Lord must be aware."
He glances a harsh glance at Bahedron, then narrows his eyes. Finally he turns to Jahren, "You have given us much to think on, Jahren Lorewalker. I must say I find myself intrigued by you. Please, let me know where you are staying in the city so that I might consider inviting you to an upcoming dinner. It would be most distracting for you, I am sure."
And with that, the audience is done and Jahren finds himself walking away, his mind sparking with connections.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Jahren replies appropriately to the secret magically message in his mind, thanking the High Mage and agreeing to talk later.
When interest in Adlas is minimal, Jahren tries to politely emphasize that it is not Yestral's interest in Adlas that is important, but rather how this knowledge and proof could be used to influence the elves as they would surely be interested.
Perhaps most importantly, throughout the conversation Jahren takes every opportunity to size up Yestral for the elves, perhaps even weaving in a few subtle tricks to test the man's character just a bit.
“My apologies, all this back and forth and I’ve never even caught got your name,” Fianna says, and then introduces herself and her companions.”We are very pleased to have met you, you have been nothing but kind and helpful to us.”
Fianna continues to pour on the charm but is also evaluating the mans trustworthiness. She has never dealt with bank notes before, not this amount of coin, so she inherently has some distrust. She will excuse herself for just a moment and draw Sebastian to the side. “My guess is you’ve spent far more time in cities than I, have dealt with banks before. Can these notes he speaks of be trusted?”
Assuming she senses no red flags and gets no words to not do it from Sebastian, Fianna will finalize the deal and thank the man profusely.
“We may be called out of town quickly,” Fianna advises, “and it is good to know one so trustworthy as you will hold our note until we return, if it comes to that.”
When done and gone, Fianna will suggest the bank note (9,940 gold) should go to Jahren. It was his axe and we should not spend more of his gold than we had to already..,”
“For our new friend,” Fianna will announce while holding out the Heroism scroll to Sebastian. “I am sure it will benefit us all when you use it.” Of course the Bag of Holding is given to him as well.
“And for my oldest friend, of these current travels at least,” Fianna says while digging out and then handing over the scroll of Sanctuary and the Necklace of Fireballs. “Do not complain or object, it behooves us all for powers such as these to be spread out amongst us. And I trust your wisdom to understand the value of them, considering their rarity...”
“For myself, I got a beautiful, albeit delicate, dagger. Still, sometimes good looks is enough,” Fianna adds with a wink. “And these intriguing boots... which I should probably wait to use until outside the city...”
((and I think that sums up the shopping, until we return for the bank note...))
Mirica took the necklace, looked for a moment at the intricate design and put it on. "Would not say "no", though one of my instructor always said "A necklace is not a piece of jewelry but someone's hand around your throat. No jewels in a fight!". She found a mirror and checked the look. "Does not it look a bit barbaric to you?" It probably did - a golden necklace on top of an armor - but within the city it felt somewhat appropriate.
Scrolls were packed, money notes taken. They could return to the matter at hands aka - debriefing.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
(pending a conversation with the high mage also playing out still...)
Jahren returns from another solo trip out into the city and thanks the others for selling the items and giving him his cut. He politely protests a tiny bit about keeping most of the proceeds from the axe sale, but figures he will surely find a way to do some good with the excess wealth when an opportunity presents himself. He does ask the others what other magic items of interest they noticed for sale while out shopping though.
“Well there was this glorious axe for sale. If you saved up for a while you may be able to afford it,” Fianna says with a smile.
“Really, I think we bought the man out. There was nothing else on display and I’d think if he had anything readily available he’d have brought it out... Though perhaps they try to mete the wares out so as not to flood the market? We can stop back for a look tomorrow if you wish...”