Rogram looks visibly relieved by Jamna's and Rachael's words. "Sit! Sit!" he encourages the woman. He points at a chair before looking at Hono and doing the same. "No one's really 'in charge'," he says. "We're kind of a council, I guess, where everyone gets a vote." He shrugs while he looks around at the others. "Well, I know I'm not in charge," he concedes, chuckling self-deprecatingly.
As if she had said the words again, Rogram's head twists to give the gnome a look. "She isn't my crush," he argues. "I was trying to use her to get into the Cult." He rubs his arm, massaging an old injury. "Didn't work," he mumbles to the newcomers.
"Thanks," Rachael says as she takes the nearest open seat at the table. "The plan is infiltration then? Not just watch and observe? Is there a backup plan beyond seduction?"
Merric glares over at Jamna “I’m not so sure the oatmeal was as dangerous as it was made out to be. In any case, there is not much more to that story.”
He settles back in his chair and shares what he knows with Rachael and Hono. “The others here know enough to suspect us of being no friends to the cult, and they do not appear too interested in opening up to us. We posed as caravan guards for the trip north from Baldur’s Gate, watch and observe as you said, but we are at the end of that road. The empty wagons go back to Waterdeep soon. We suspect they are moving goods and captives through a tunnel system out of the storage room downstairs.”
He takes another drink and shrugs his shoulders. “Call it infiltration if you like, but the current plan is to sneak into the tunnels and see what we can find.”
"Thanks," Rachael says as she takes the nearest open seat at the table. "The plan is infiltration then? Not just watch and observe? Is there a backup plan beyond seduction?"
Rogram's jaw drops as he looks at Rachael. He mouths the word "seduction" as Merric speaks:
“I’m not so sure the oatmeal was as dangerous as it was made out to be. In any case, there is not much more to that story.”
The half-dwarf makes a noise with his mouth, clearly in disagreement. He starts to protest when the elf continues:
“The others here know enough to suspect us of being no friends to the cult, and they do not appear too interested in opening up to us. We posed as caravan guards for the trip north from Baldur’s Gate, watch and observe as you said, but we are at the end of that road. The empty wagons go back to Waterdeep soon. We suspect they are moving goods and captives through a tunnel system out of the storage room downstairs.”
He takes another drink and shrugs his shoulders. “Call it infiltration if you like, but the current plan is to sneak into the tunnels and see what we can find.”
Rogram looks sideways at Karib, motioning toward Rachael and Merric with a shrug of one of his own shoulders.
"I wasn't trying to seduce her," he finally says. "I'm no shapeshifting ... whatever they were." He stops and looks at the two newcomers. "That's another story," he explains. "Anyway, I was just trying to be her friend. It's not my fault her friend got killed, and I was blamed." He looks back at Karib. "At least I don't think it was my fault. Do you think the cult killed their own guy to try to get us killed? After the oatmeal didn't get us?" Not giving the blacksmith a chance to answer, and switching gears back to the current conversation, he says, "Karib's been in contact with my Pa, and while he hasn't said much, what we think is that they're using lizardfolk to move their treasure from here to the next stop. So, we're trying to figure out how to follow it. I'm hoping we'll finally find out where the end of the line is so we can find my Pa."
Karib nods in recognition at the patch then sighs and pulls a pouch from around his neck, withdrawing a small piece of copper wire.
Intoning a brief prayer to Gond he focuses his mind and silently asks his own contacts if they know or Hono or Rachael. "Are Hono or Rachael sent by you? Tell me something only they would know. 25 words or less. Think carefully before answering."
After a few moments he replaces the wire in the pouch.
@DM: IF he knows the Lords Alliance contact they mentioned, he will send to them directly, otherwise he will send to his Harper contact. I expect the latter might say "dunno, I'll get back to you"
I've also stopped saying "Karib here..." because the spell says "The creature ... recognizes you as the sender if it knows you"
As the others seem to accept the newcomers, Karib will at least play along. Still holding the pouch he takes out a small bone piece. "One of these", he says, holding it his palm. "Jamna says it will expand if swallowed and cause a nasty death." He smiles grimly, "I'll return them to them some day."
Placing the bone back in his pouch, he returns the pouch around his neck and safely under his mail. Then he nods at Hono.
"You're right tho, we've not been sufficiently discreet." He resists the urge to look at Rogram. "I think they were on to us from the first day or so, but did not want to make an overt action. If they are watching now, you too are probably marked."
"As to the next steps, Rogram is right: we suspect tunnels and would like to investigate."
To Rogram he says, "They were either trying to get you blamed or he was punished for being one of the theives." Then he frowns, "We might also want to investigate that..."
Turning to Rachael and Hono he adds, "Jamna here found some interesting items in one of the rooms..."
He waits for her to explain, assuming she is comfortable doing so.
Rachael nods to Merric when he reveals the plan to sneak into the tunnels. "Sounds like a good idea."
She had caught a bit of Rogram's reaction to her 'seduction' comment, but a grin comes to her face when he then quickly protests that it wasn't. "Well, perhaps seduction would have been the better tactic then!" She quickly moves on though. "While these folks might be devious, it seems odd they'd resort to such a convoluted plan to kill one of their own to get to you."
Then as Karib pulls out the copper wire, her attention turns to him. She realizes it must be some sort of magic. Not that she understands, but she watches to see what might happen. And listens to what he has to say. When he finishes, she nods. "It would be good to be more discreet. I assume this is not likely a good place to talk. But is there somewhere? When do you intend to conduct your investigation?"
With Karib's reference to Jamna, she turns to her to see what she has to say.
Merric glances over at Jamna, then responds to the others. “We found gold and jewels hidden away in one of the rooms. Small items, but expensive, easy to grab and easy to overlook. We suspect that there are some thieves within the cult. Could also explain the murder they are trying to pin on Rogram.” He shrugs. “We overheard some of them talking about tunnels and a strong room in the warehouse. We found a locked door downstairs, would be helpful if one of you could open it.”
"I hear the oatmeal to die for!" Hono agrees with the notion of food, expecally if he can get a glance to the back to look for any locked floor doors as the others had mentioned. "I'll have the same as my friend here." He turns back around, "Anyone else getting in on this?" If the door is wood, a little flame or two could take care of that problem...
"I'm not sure I'm the right person for doors, if I understand you correctly," Rachael replies to Merric. She grins, as Rogram goes to see about food. "A small bite might not be a bad idea, but what after? Few seem to be about; do we check downstairs now? Or should we wait?"
"Meat," Gristle Pete answers gruffly, one hand scratching under his beard as the other plops a slab of venison onto each plate.
Jamna chuckles at Rogram's response to her chiding, and says, "Don't use any dry humor with this one. Not a dishonest bone in his body, though. If he had murdered that cultist, he'd have probably walked the body to them himself and admitted to the crime."
"This place is run by a half-orc that goes by Bog Luck. We were thwarted by a door last night, but if there's a way through it, he's gotta have the answer, in his head or on his person. Of course, smashing in is a possibility, but it blows our cover, so if we're resorting to that we'd better do it by night and we'd better be damn certain it leads to where we want, because there's no staying here if we go the noisy route," she says.
Rogram doesn't blink and eye, but brings the plate under his nose for a long sniff. Smiling with surprise and delight, he gives Pete a little nod. "Venison? Thanks!"
Walking back to the table, still holding the plate close to his chin, the half-dwarf comments to Hono (not quietly — and whether the genasi appears to be listening or not), "Haven't had venison since we left Greenest. Ma's used to be pretty good, but nobody grills venison like Pa." He sniffs loudly again. "This doesn't seem to have any spices." He breathes in again, his face beginning to lose its glow. "It also smells a little ... off."
Stopping, still standing, Rogram picks up the slab of meat between two thick fingers and takes a healthy bite. After chewing thoughtfully, he shrugs. "Tastes okay to me."
He drops down in a chair back at the table, holding his plate with one hand and the meat in the other. "Venison," he mumbles to the group around a bite.
Hono watches Rogram, studying almost, for a few moments. "Well based on your size, if it doesn't kill you in the next 5, perhaps 7 minutes, it's probably safe. I usually prefer to purify my food if I not the one who catches and prepares it, but Rachael was all 'we don'thave time for you silly ritual everywherewe stop to eat.' Bet shes had food poisoning more recently then I! No offensePete, one can never be too careful about these sorts of things. Im sure you're a custome to such."
Back at the table, "So tell me about this locked door." Is there a simple lock on it, is it part of the door itself, is it wood? Is yhere wood around it? Details are key."
At the mention of "venison" Karib straightened in his chair, flexed his shoulders and stretched his neck. He stared at the meat, reluctantly recalling the taste.
Travel led to one of two things in his experience: long delays at every inn, or an iron belly. He had long since given up pondering what was in his food which was, he reflected, part of why Jamna's warning has been so valuable. The realisation that as he moved up on the world he would have to be more careful did not sit well with him.
"So tell me about this locked door."
Hono's question was a welcome interruption.
"Nothing special...I think...but we did not want to attract a lot of attention," he says, glancing around the room, noticing the distinct lack of patrons.
Turning back to Hono, he tries to recall what details he can of the door. If it opened inwards it would be more amenable to force, if it opened outward then the hinges might be pried apart. His knowledge of locks was limited to their installation and repair, not so much the best ways to thwart them.
"One of the others may know more about the lock. I can ... perceive... the room from a distance, if needed, but it's probably better if we can discover details by more conventional means."
"We do know that some of the good from the wagons lies beihnd the doors."
"Venison?" Rachael says. "That'll have to do. I'll have just a bit." She takes a small piece for her breakfast. "Sounds like the door waits to tonight unless we want to try to get this Bog Luck to spill some information." She sounds skeptical about that idea. "Anything else for us to do today if we wait?"
She casts a glance over at Hono with a quick grin. "If your food is going to kill you then maybe you're not fit for the journey." She takes a bit of her food, not making any comment about it.
"It's your cooking that will more likely do me in then any poison but I assure you will be toxin free when I go!" Hono will continue to wait to see if anyone was getting sick a little longer before digging in he would have to recall that ritual.
"If someone thinks they can break the lock, I can heat the metal first to make it easier, or simply a controlled burn perhaps. And before you ask again, I will not be changing into some bug to slip past the door, I don't care if you've seen others do it before Rachael."
Rogram looks back and forth between Rachael and Hono. After swallowed his next bite, he asks, "So neither of you is good at picking locks? I thought all professional adventurers are supposed to be good at picking locks." He broadens his disapproval to include Merric, Jamna and Carlon. "How are any of you going to steal the dragon's loot if you can't pick a simple lock?" He takes another bite, but continues, "If I ever become a professional adventurer, I'm going to learn how to pick locks."
Turning back to Hono, he tries to recall what details he can of the door. If it opened inwards it would be more amenable to force, if it opened outward then the hinges might be pried apart. His knowledge of locks was limited to their installation and repair, not so much the best ways to thwart them.
OOC: My favorite/least favorite door questions in D&D! Favorite because I love player creativity, least favorite because modules never provide specifics on door construction. I'll work with you all somewhat on creative solutions, but the simplest options of course are 1) pick the lock (but nobody has thieves' tools), 2) find the key, 3) bust the lock, 4) break down the door.
You all let me know as well what you would like to do from here. If you want to do more investigation, then lead the way, and if you want to wait until night time, just let me know and I can advance our time quickly now that player introductions are done.
(OOC: Where there any leads that the characters know for where a key could be?
Hono clearly would vote for the find a fun way of destroying something! He has Control Flames if something can burn to help, He also can cast Heat Metal, or he can have his Wildfire spirit do a firey teleport past it if there is any gaps around tbe door Hono can see through good enough! Anyone up for drilling a hole in the door lol)
Rachael leans towards waiting for night to make any attempts. "Since Hono and I were traveling to try to catch up with you, I could probably use some rest anyhow," she comments.
Rogram looks visibly relieved by Jamna's and Rachael's words. "Sit! Sit!" he encourages the woman. He points at a chair before looking at Hono and doing the same. "No one's really 'in charge'," he says. "We're kind of a council, I guess, where everyone gets a vote." He shrugs while he looks around at the others. "Well, I know I'm not in charge," he concedes, chuckling self-deprecatingly.
As if she had said the words again, Rogram's head twists to give the gnome a look. "She isn't my crush," he argues. "I was trying to use her to get into the Cult." He rubs his arm, massaging an old injury. "Didn't work," he mumbles to the newcomers.
"Thanks," Rachael says as she takes the nearest open seat at the table. "The plan is infiltration then? Not just watch and observe? Is there a backup plan beyond seduction?"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
Merric glares over at Jamna “I’m not so sure the oatmeal was as dangerous as it was made out to be. In any case, there is not much more to that story.”
He settles back in his chair and shares what he knows with Rachael and Hono. “The others here know enough to suspect us of being no friends to the cult, and they do not appear too interested in opening up to us. We posed as caravan guards for the trip north from Baldur’s Gate, watch and observe as you said, but we are at the end of that road. The empty wagons go back to Waterdeep soon. We suspect they are moving goods and captives through a tunnel system out of the storage room downstairs.”
He takes another drink and shrugs his shoulders. “Call it infiltration if you like, but the current plan is to sneak into the tunnels and see what we can find.”
Rogram's jaw drops as he looks at Rachael. He mouths the word "seduction" as Merric speaks:
The half-dwarf makes a noise with his mouth, clearly in disagreement. He starts to protest when the elf continues:
Rogram looks sideways at Karib, motioning toward Rachael and Merric with a shrug of one of his own shoulders.
"I wasn't trying to seduce her," he finally says. "I'm no shapeshifting ... whatever they were." He stops and looks at the two newcomers. "That's another story," he explains. "Anyway, I was just trying to be her friend. It's not my fault her friend got killed, and I was blamed." He looks back at Karib. "At least I don't think it was my fault. Do you think the cult killed their own guy to try to get us killed? After the oatmeal didn't get us?" Not giving the blacksmith a chance to answer, and switching gears back to the current conversation, he says, "Karib's been in contact with my Pa, and while he hasn't said much, what we think is that they're using lizardfolk to move their treasure from here to the next stop. So, we're trying to figure out how to follow it. I'm hoping we'll finally find out where the end of the line is so we can find my Pa."
Karib nods in recognition at the patch then sighs and pulls a pouch from around his neck, withdrawing a small piece of copper wire.
Intoning a brief prayer to Gond he focuses his mind and silently asks his own contacts if they know or Hono or Rachael. "Are Hono or Rachael sent by you? Tell me something only they would know. 25 words or less. Think carefully before answering."
After a few moments he replaces the wire in the pouch.
@DM: IF he knows the Lords Alliance contact they mentioned, he will send to them directly, otherwise he will send to his Harper contact. I expect the latter might say "dunno, I'll get back to you"
I've also stopped saying "Karib here..." because the spell says "The creature ... recognizes you as the sender if it knows you"
As the others seem to accept the newcomers, Karib will at least play along. Still holding the pouch he takes out a small bone piece. "One of these", he says, holding it his palm. "Jamna says it will expand if swallowed and cause a nasty death." He smiles grimly, "I'll return them to them some day."
Placing the bone back in his pouch, he returns the pouch around his neck and safely under his mail. Then he nods at Hono.
"You're right tho, we've not been sufficiently discreet." He resists the urge to look at Rogram. "I think they were on to us from the first day or so, but did not want to make an overt action. If they are watching now, you too are probably marked."
"As to the next steps, Rogram is right: we suspect tunnels and would like to investigate."
To Rogram he says, "They were either trying to get you blamed or he was punished for being one of the theives." Then he frowns, "We might also want to investigate that..."
Turning to Rachael and Hono he adds, "Jamna here found some interesting items in one of the rooms..."
He waits for her to explain, assuming she is comfortable doing so.
Rachael nods to Merric when he reveals the plan to sneak into the tunnels. "Sounds like a good idea."
She had caught a bit of Rogram's reaction to her 'seduction' comment, but a grin comes to her face when he then quickly protests that it wasn't. "Well, perhaps seduction would have been the better tactic then!" She quickly moves on though. "While these folks might be devious, it seems odd they'd resort to such a convoluted plan to kill one of their own to get to you."
Then as Karib pulls out the copper wire, her attention turns to him. She realizes it must be some sort of magic. Not that she understands, but she watches to see what might happen. And listens to what he has to say. When he finishes, she nods. "It would be good to be more discreet. I assume this is not likely a good place to talk. But is there somewhere? When do you intend to conduct your investigation?"
With Karib's reference to Jamna, she turns to her to see what she has to say.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
Merric glances over at Jamna, then responds to the others. “We found gold and jewels hidden away in one of the rooms. Small items, but expensive, easy to grab and easy to overlook. We suspect that there are some thieves within the cult. Could also explain the murder they are trying to pin on Rogram.” He shrugs. “We overheard some of them talking about tunnels and a strong room in the warehouse. We found a locked door downstairs, would be helpful if one of you could open it.”
Rogram's stomach makes a grumbling sound, and the half-dwarf grimaces. "Anyone mind if I get something to eat while we're sitting here?"
Without waiting for a response, he excuses himself and marches himself over to Gristle Pete. "Good morning," he says brightly. "What's for breakfast?"
"I hear the oatmeal to die for!" Hono agrees with the notion of food, expecally if he can get a glance to the back to look for any locked floor doors as the others had mentioned. "I'll have the same as my friend here." He turns back around, "Anyone else getting in on this?" If the door is wood, a little flame or two could take care of that problem...
"I'm not sure I'm the right person for doors, if I understand you correctly," Rachael replies to Merric. She grins, as Rogram goes to see about food. "A small bite might not be a bad idea, but what after? Few seem to be about; do we check downstairs now? Or should we wait?"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
"Meat," Gristle Pete answers gruffly, one hand scratching under his beard as the other plops a slab of venison onto each plate.
Jamna chuckles at Rogram's response to her chiding, and says, "Don't use any dry humor with this one. Not a dishonest bone in his body, though. If he had murdered that cultist, he'd have probably walked the body to them himself and admitted to the crime."
"This place is run by a half-orc that goes by Bog Luck. We were thwarted by a door last night, but if there's a way through it, he's gotta have the answer, in his head or on his person. Of course, smashing in is a possibility, but it blows our cover, so if we're resorting to that we'd better do it by night and we'd better be damn certain it leads to where we want, because there's no staying here if we go the noisy route," she says.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Rogram doesn't blink and eye, but brings the plate under his nose for a long sniff. Smiling with surprise and delight, he gives Pete a little nod. "Venison? Thanks!"
Walking back to the table, still holding the plate close to his chin, the half-dwarf comments to Hono (not quietly — and whether the genasi appears to be listening or not), "Haven't had venison since we left Greenest. Ma's used to be pretty good, but nobody grills venison like Pa." He sniffs loudly again. "This doesn't seem to have any spices." He breathes in again, his face beginning to lose its glow. "It also smells a little ... off."
Stopping, still standing, Rogram picks up the slab of meat between two thick fingers and takes a healthy bite. After chewing thoughtfully, he shrugs. "Tastes okay to me."
He drops down in a chair back at the table, holding his plate with one hand and the meat in the other. "Venison," he mumbles to the group around a bite.
Hono watches Rogram, studying almost, for a few moments. "Well based on your size, if it doesn't kill you in the next 5, perhaps 7 minutes, it's probably safe. I usually prefer to purify my food if I not the one who catches and prepares it, but Rachael was all 'we don'thave time for you silly ritual everywherewe stop to eat.' Bet shes had food poisoning more recently then I! No offensePete, one can never be too careful about these sorts of things. Im sure you're a custome to such."
Back at the table, "So tell me about this locked door." Is there a simple lock on it, is it part of the door itself, is it wood? Is yhere wood around it? Details are key."
At the mention of "venison" Karib straightened in his chair, flexed his shoulders and stretched his neck. He stared at the meat, reluctantly recalling the taste.
Travel led to one of two things in his experience: long delays at every inn, or an iron belly. He had long since given up pondering what was in his food which was, he reflected, part of why Jamna's warning has been so valuable. The realisation that as he moved up on the world he would have to be more careful did not sit well with him.
Hono's question was a welcome interruption.
"Nothing special...I think...but we did not want to attract a lot of attention," he says, glancing around the room, noticing the distinct lack of patrons.
Turning back to Hono, he tries to recall what details he can of the door. If it opened inwards it would be more amenable to force, if it opened outward then the hinges might be pried apart. His knowledge of locks was limited to their installation and repair, not so much the best ways to thwart them.
"One of the others may know more about the lock. I can ... perceive... the room from a distance, if needed, but it's probably better if we can discover details by more conventional means."
"We do know that some of the good from the wagons lies beihnd the doors."
"Venison?" Rachael says. "That'll have to do. I'll have just a bit." She takes a small piece for her breakfast. "Sounds like the door waits to tonight unless we want to try to get this Bog Luck to spill some information." She sounds skeptical about that idea. "Anything else for us to do today if we wait?"
She casts a glance over at Hono with a quick grin. "If your food is going to kill you then maybe you're not fit for the journey." She takes a bit of her food, not making any comment about it.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
"It's your cooking that will more likely do me in then any poison but I assure you will be toxin free when I go!" Hono will continue to wait to see if anyone was getting sick a little longer before digging in he would have to recall that ritual.
"If someone thinks they can break the lock, I can heat the metal first to make it easier, or simply a controlled burn perhaps. And before you ask again, I will not be changing into some bug to slip past the door, I don't care if you've seen others do it before Rachael."
Rogram looks back and forth between Rachael and Hono. After swallowed his next bite, he asks, "So neither of you is good at picking locks? I thought all professional adventurers are supposed to be good at picking locks." He broadens his disapproval to include Merric, Jamna and Carlon. "How are any of you going to steal the dragon's loot if you can't pick a simple lock?" He takes another bite, but continues, "If I ever become a professional adventurer, I'm going to learn how to pick locks."
OOC: My favorite/least favorite door questions in D&D! Favorite because I love player creativity, least favorite because modules never provide specifics on door construction. I'll work with you all somewhat on creative solutions, but the simplest options of course are 1) pick the lock (but nobody has thieves' tools), 2) find the key, 3) bust the lock, 4) break down the door.
You all let me know as well what you would like to do from here. If you want to do more investigation, then lead the way, and if you want to wait until night time, just let me know and I can advance our time quickly now that player introductions are done.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
(OOC: Where there any leads that the characters know for where a key could be?
Hono clearly would vote for the find a fun way of destroying something! He has Control Flames if something can burn to help, He also can cast Heat Metal, or he can have his Wildfire spirit do a firey teleport past it if there is any gaps around tbe door Hono can see through good enough! Anyone up for drilling a hole in the door lol)
Rachael leans towards waiting for night to make any attempts. "Since Hono and I were traveling to try to catch up with you, I could probably use some rest anyhow," she comments.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard || Iromae Quinaea, Cleric
Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric