((OOC: Also, did you say that the council would supply any mundane adventuring gear for free? Or did I make that up? If so, can we just gear-up with any PHB gear that we like?))
"The mansion was, quite frankly, a dump. We found some half rotted books, a creepy doll and some assorted alchemy supplies. If there were any riches there they'd been long since carted off. Oh, also found the alchemist. He had managed to turn himself into a skeleton, the living kind, along with a few of his nearest and dearest. They were living in the basement together with the smugglers, turned out not to be the best living situation for the smugglers."
((Ben is partially lying but not that much. The 17 deception probably covers it?))
Ben would politely speak with everyone on the council but would give Gellan a companionable nod before trying to really chat up Anders a bit to the side,
"You suspected all along the smugglers were there, yes? I can see you are a real up and comer around here. Can I interest you in coming to my performance at the Line tomorrow? I would like to buy you a drink and we can talk about your plans for Marshswamp!"
---
Ben would like to carouse for a week but he also wants to head back to Helm's Hold to offload some of the more specialized and hot things they've picked up. It is only a couple days away by horse? Ride there after tomorrow night, do some shopping/selling and easily be back for a week of carousing.
If everyone wants to come on that we could get another horse for Ash. We could combine that with Ash's criminal contact.
---
((Later when they are alone))
"That may work... I was also thinking I could look like Willard again and you two could come along as new recruits. It would definitely get us onboard but, unlike your plan keeps all of them there as well. Perhaps a combination? You two on a separate boat while I take the other boat and approach as anticipated with the guards as the new recruits but experience an emergency that requires them to come help us? I could probably charm a few of them as they came over to help."
Ash, you don't notice any odd facial expressions from any of the councilmembers.
Yep, they will reimburse you for any mundane equipment from the PHB. Any items which might be questionable - let's discuss! Otherwise have at it. Looking at Ess... I think he is ok for equipment, would you agree?
Ben, the captain responds "Humph. I didn't think so. Suppose it wouldn't be honorable to take the riches there even if there were something, right? Skeletons you say? By the gods, it sounds like you had quite the time out in that mansion. I can't thank you all enough for this. You put your lives in danger. Thank you." (yeah, the 17 for sure covers it.).
Ben, Gellan gives you a nod back.
Anders then responds "Yes! Yes indeed I did!" (he didn't) "the damn smugglers have been a thorn in my side ever since I can remember. If it's not one gang, it's another. Sad that folks just can't follow the rules yea?! Thank you so much for accepting this mission. The faster we rid the world of this gang, the better off business will be! Oh, that sounds great, Ben, I'll most definitely see you there!"he agrees to come watch your show.
Ess likes the plan of Ben changing to Willard again and the rest of us as new recruits when it's time to strike the ship. He feels we don't need the Marshswamp guards to pilot the boat anyhow. He's sure we all can manage, and from the sounds of it it seems they won't be much help once we get to the ship, so they might be more of a liability than anything. "Ben, I like it, bruh!! Dudes and Ash, I can row brothers!"
((As far as timing goes for when the smuggling ship comes back into the town - the direction in which the ship will be coming isn't 100% known. Also, once the guard patrols in and around Marshswamp see the ship, there won't be time for the party to make the 1hr long horseback ride from Marshswamp to the mansion to shine the lights. Essentially there is 2 overarching main options to kick this off whenever the time comes. 1. Be at the mansion and wait for the ship there and do the light thingy OR 2. Be at marshswamp and then once the guards see the ship, take the boat there. Option 2 will be harder to trick them since you'll be coming from Marshswamp vs. coming from the mansion after shining the lights. Then again, they might not even see you coming from Marshswamp if it's night time. OR, there may be another idea you might be thinking that we can also try. I just waned to clear up the timing for how this will all work once the ship gets close. Either be at the house ready to signal it OR depart from Marshswamp. Being at the house will mean that you'll likely want to be there at least a few days before the 2 weeks is up incase it comes early.))
Ok, as for downtime activities:
Ash: carousing and and mild preference for research. Also Criminal Contact feelers.
Ess: He wants to work on the docks. This might be what he ends up doing for a job once he settles. Laboring on the docks, loading and unloading ships
Ben: carousing and helm's hold trip.
Kay: ?
I will go over the info and rolling for the carousing once we get there. First, let's get the timing right etc.
1. Will everyone come to Helm's Hold with Ben? He is leaving after tomorrow's performance (the morning after, or that night?). There will be encounters on this trip, of course. Both ways.
2. If the party comes with Ben to Helm's Hold, there will probably be time for 1 downtime activity once you all return before the ship arrives.
3. If one or all of the party stays in Marshswamp while Ben is gone, they can do 2 downtime activities.
Ess would come with Ben, although if he prefers to go alone he'd be happy to work the docks for the 2 weeks.
Let me know thoughts/responses to all of this and then I'll move it forward - thanks!
((Carousing, maybe pick up some line cook work if he's got off hours to spare. Intent would be sticking together, so if there's a trip to HH, Kay'd be there. ))
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DM:Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
((Ash is up for the trip to the city. She would like to find out about getting a horse to ride. Happy to head out whenever. Day after Ben’s next performance? How long does it take to get there? Will we need camping gear etc?))
"Honorable? No, not particularly and to be fair we didn't mean to put our lives in jeopardy! You can thank us after we handle the ship side of things. Out of curiosity, what happens if we should manage to capture the thing?"
To Anders,
"Why even have rules if people aren't going to follow them! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the Line."
He concludes with a warm hand shake.
---
Later,
"Glad you're onboard Ess! What do you other two think? Have an alternate plan for getting yourselves onboard?"
((Ben would leave the morning after the performance, horses can't see at night and really not in a huge rush! Everyone is welcome along, Ben isn't trying to pull anything that isn't of benefit to the party.
Speaking of which, is the silk we grabbed marked in a way that makes it identifiably stolen? And if so can Ben forge some documents to make them appear legitimate?
Ben would like to carouse and perform a few times, if possible.
If you want to skip to the travel I can give you Ben's performance roll now. He is going to cast enhance ability (eagle's splendor) on himself before the performance and will schmooze with Anders and flirt with Hanna.
Ash’s first night and day in civilisation after ‘events’...
((OOC: let me know what Ash finds at the Inn at this late hour (after finishing up with the council): is there a room free, or would anyone have to share? Is food and drink is available? What washing facilities are in the room or down the hall, and would hot water be available this late too? Or would she have to wait till the morning to get straight? Is company available at the Inn?
I think we’ve then got a whole day in town before Ben’s performance? In which case, Ash will seek out where to buy a horse and all the bits and bobs that go with that. I wonder whether the council would pay for all that?
She’ll also get a bunch of PHB gear and charge it back to the council (I’ll send a private note about that, and you can let me know what would and wouldn’t be covered).
Through her background feature, she’d want to get word out to her criminal contact asap. Let me know how you want that to play out in-game. Eventually she would want to let her contact know she’s alive and where she is. She’d ask if Fiddnot has checked in? She’d want to know whether they can send aid, in any form, and if they have any jobs or contacts in the area. Also, if they have ‘her three daggers’, recovered from the facility? I can fill you in on details.
She would also take a quick tour of the town and check all the usual places for any Thieves’ Cant messages or markings on buildings (Inn, prison, church, docks, etc) to get a feel for what’s going down in town and how recently. And leave a few of her own simply saying ‘tabaxi’ alongside ‘specialist’.
I think ‘criminal contact’ could take a while to get into full swing, but I feel like the rest she could get done in a busy day. Happy to RP any of it or make rolls, or whatever’s needed. Then she’ll settle in proper (and much better clued up and kitted out) to Ben’s performance and sleep. Before heading out at some point the next day towards the city)).
edit...
Anyone is welcome to come along to any of this. Or we can meet in the Inn later for Ben’s performance.
Also: can do any of this in 1:1, but I think it would be cool for flavour. And our group is really good at not being meta, so I’m happy for people to see any of it :-)
Ben, the captain slims his eyes at you slightly, and then says "Well, whatever the matter, you've done a great thing. The whole town should be thanking you once yer done. Hmmmm.... that Ben is a good question. I suppose the ship should be searched thoroughly and then repurposed once you take her. We'll get one of the crews down at the docks to strip her down for parts and then we'll have it stripped, cleaned, resurfaced and it'll be as good as new."
Ben, the silk is pretty vanilla looking, and the bolt itself doesn't have any specific markings that might insinuate that it's stolen. It looks like it was mass produced. I mean, if you were to try to sell it to the manufacturer they might notice, but other than that, it should be good as long as you don't look like an awkward random just trying to sell some bolts of silk.
Ok, so after the meeting, you all head back to the Snapping Line inn and get rooms. It's about 12:30am. Hanna actually isn't working this late. You are greeted and the worker knows who you all are as the council sent word of this to the inn to cover room and board expenses. "Greetings, heros! Thank you and welcome. I'm sure Hanna will catch up with you all tomorrow, but as I'm sure you know, your rooms and meals are covered here for the duration of your... task. RID THE TOWN OF THE SMUGGLERS! Ha ha ha!" he says this in an awkward way-too-loud manner, luckily no one else is in here at this hour.
Ess says under his breath to you all "Dudes, this guy is SO annoying."
And then says "Er, yeah, ok, thanks! You might want to keep it down about that though buddy. You don't know who comes in here, friend. Anyways, thank you! Goodnight!"
To answer Ash: the rooms are free, there are 4 rooms, you can have a small meal now although the cooks are gone home (it will be free, booze is on your dime), washing facilities consist of a modest wooden tub for bathing, and the worker would boil water for you if you desire a bath. ((What do you mean by company?))
All of you get a long rest and sleep quite well!
DAY 1
You all get a free breakfast here at the inn. Hanna would come in and greet you. "Good morning, friends, or should I be calling you heros?! I apologize I had retired last evening quite early, but I heard the news first thing this morning and had to come see you all. You've done the town a great service as it is and are very brave to be continuing to help. Do let me know if there is anything else I can be of assistance with during your stay. I've got a big breakfast coming for you all here in a few moments! Oh, Ben, you're still on for tonight, yes? I've been living here a long time, and while we can do our best to keep this quiet, you can be sure word's going to get out about what you've all done and I'm betting it's going to be PACKED in here. Seeing local heros, and even having one perform? Yep, expect it to be packed to the rafters tonight!"
((I can't recall if Hanna and Ash ever met. If not, Hanna would just be very friendly and welcoming to her as she has been to the others. Grwobert she's on the NPC tab. Owner of the Inn.))
Ash can buy a horse in town. Some options in spoiler. Go ahead and make the transactions!
Bit and bridle 2 gp
Animal Feed (per day) 5 cp
Riding Saddle 10 gp
Saddlebags 4 gp
Draft Horse 50 gp
Riding Horse 75gp
Ash, regarding the criminal contact (let's just make it Fiddnot! I think this will work perfectly, unless you desire another contact. I think Korrik gets one, too.) When you searched around the town during day 1 for thieves cant, you actually did come across a very slight message in a few different parts of the town. It was on a few different buildings. It is in the thieves cant script, however there's only one word. It says 'soon'. There's also a very faint small sketch of 3 daggers.
((I actually think we can get Fidd into the mix sooner than I was expecting! Sidekick #2! Would you be down to pilot him whenever he might join? Or should I? Hmmm... maybe I should. I don't know. Stay tuned. Also, please let me know more info about these 3 daggers. PM is fine, or in here is just as good.))
There won't be enough time for anyone to carouse for just the one day. You'll need a full week to reap the potential benefits of it so I won't get into the details of that just yet until you all return from Helm's Hold.
Korrik, you can work a cook line at the inn for day 1 if you'd like! You'll have to work the morning and afternoon lines, and your meals are comped. You'll get 1gp.
Ess is just going to go to the docks and just tour the town for his day 1 activity. This will give the party the knowledge of all of the general locations in town, and will be assumed that the party knows where most things are in the town now going forward in the game.
DAY 1 Evening - Ben's performance at the Snapping Line Inn. Well, he crushes it. Feel free to describe the performance if you'd like. Either way, Ben nails it. This will also help in Ben's flirtations with Hanna. Please roll a straight charisma check to see about the flirting. As for Anders, no roll is required. He LOVED your performance and explains the following:
Anders recently inherited his family’s fleet of fishing boats after the untimely death of his mother, Petra. He’s the youngest person ever to be elected to the council. His recent forays into trade have made him a local celebrity. Since Anders owns both a fishing fleet and several trading vessels, he can sell his catch at a highly competitive price. And he can offer better prices for the other fishers in town to sell to him, since his catch brings in so much more profit.
Everyone involved in the town’s fishing industry supports Anders, and his energy and ambition have made him something of a folk hero on the docks.
He also talks about his top butler, Skerrin Wavechaser. He didn't come with Anders tonight, but explains that he usually follows him around everywhere and that if you also had a need for a butler that he'd introduce you to Skerrin.
Ben, the tips for the performance was 32sp and 32cp. Hanna also gives you 2gp.
DAY 2 - MORNING
Alright, the party will now head out to Helm's Hold! Ben has some business there and the party decides to tag along. Ess seems excited. "Here we go again bros and Ash! Let's ride brothers! Hey Ben, what are we exactly doing once we get there?"So is Korrik riding with Ess?
Are you bringing the carriage? Ash, what is your horses name and what does it look like? I'll add it to the PC tab once you give me details.
The trip is going to take 2 full days. You will arrive on Day 3 in the late afternoon or early evening should the trip go smoothly. You will be travelling north on the high road (unless you want to offroad it in the plains, let me know.) As far as camping, yep you'll need tents and will be camping on day 2 night. Ess has a 2 person tent. You can eat rations or scavenge/hunt for food. Ess will eat a ration. He actually would've grabbed 10 in Marshswamp, for free of course. Paid for by the council.
Here are the travelling encounter rolls: 1019
Here is the camp roll: 4
I have some nice lore/background for Helm's Hold, so let's see what happens in this town once the party arrives! :D
As always let me know if I missed anything!
* Ok, there will be one encounter on the road, on the first day of travel. 19 I will get to this later on today. There will be no issues during the night's camp.
Ben thanks Hanna and promises another performance in a few days once their back.
He listens raptly to Anders and buys him a few drinks (deducted).
((No carriage I think? We leave it at the Line and Ben will grab a tent on the council's dime along with a few days of rations.))
To Ess,
"We are going to empty this bag of holding so we can fill it up on that boat and I want to try looking for some additional magical items and get rid of the potion of giant strength. Perhaps get that mystery rock identified. What's her name in town wanted 50 gold just to start a deal and then it would take weeks to get anything. We have the time and I honestly don't think I could stay in that fish smelling town for a full two weeks."
Korrik tags along with Ash to the stables, eventually picking out a horse for himself, an agreeable enough fellow with a brassy coat and dark mane and lower legs.
"I think I'll call him Mehriv."
Bit and bridle 2 gp
Animal Feed (per day) 5 cp x 5
Riding Saddle 10 gp
Saddlebags 4 gp
Riding Horse 75gp ----------------------------------- 91.25gp Council defraying any of this cost?
Yes, Korrik has a criminal contact somewhere, but I don't think we'd put a name to them. They were the one that facilitated the meeting between Mr. S and Mr. K.
Since his meals are double comp'd, Korrik has seconds.
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DM:Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Ash is glad to get to the Inn. She will get something simple to eat and milk or water to drink if it’s free (no booze tonight).
She will plainly ask the staff if the Inn can provide ‘company’. And if they don’t know what she’s asking about she will simply lay on her accent more thickly ((I like to think she speaks with something like a mild English accent normally (which might be exotic in these parts), but lays it on thicker sometimes)) and say “Oh I’m sorry, what’s the common word?.. Hairbrush... Can the Inn provide me with a hairbrush? My fur is covered in dirt from digging...”. If the response to ‘company’ is not immediate, she will simply ‘brush’ ((lol)) it off with her other genuine desire: for a brush!
With a brush and/or company (depending on what the Inn can arrange), she will ask for lots of hot water and take a bath in the wooden tub, before retiring to her room to try and sort out her mess of fur before bed. Her first real bed for... some time.
((@Klein: omg wow thanks for the mega post! Lots to digest! I will break my responses into sensible chunks!))...
The next morning, Ash comes down for breakfast looking quite different. Same leathers, but with her fur clean and fluffy, she looks more like a domesticated cat than before. Her fur is quite beautiful, and no longer greasy, and dirty, and matted from days on the run... ’road’, and sleeping rough ...’out under the stars’. ((She looks much more like her picture now)).
She gets on well with Hanna, if she is very friendly and welcoming to her. She’s liking this Inn more and more. And she enjoys a healthy breakfast.
Ash will go with Korrik to obtain horses. She picks out a black one:
((I think Fiddnot (‘Fidd’) being Ash’s criminal contact would fit perfectly.
In my backstory, Fiddnot is a goblin. I haven’t tied the character to a particular class at all though, so he could easily be any class you/we chose to suit the party, or just use a simple companion template of some kind, whatever works.
If he eventually joins the party ((I’d love that)), Ash would just need another criminal contact, since the game mechanic (I think) seems to work as ‘aid’ from a distance. But that’s easy to weave in, as maybe Fidd feeds her the next contact up the chain (eg his).
As a rogue, a professional thief, with a background as a criminal/spy, Ash has 3x favourite daggers. Ones that she has acquired over the years and are well made and balanced, and suit her style. They are black, white and ‘red’.
Black: ebony handle and blackened blade. Good for stealth. Doesn’t glint in the dark.
White: a ceremonial ivory-and-bone- handled dagger with a polished, white-steel blade. Well balanced for throwing. Easier to spot when retrieving.
Red: an antique blade with a red leather binding round the handle. The blade has a deep, red tarnish that comes off to the touch. And whenever it’s wetted (to clean or sharpen), this tarnish comes off in the water and makes it look like it’s weeping blood. No one ever sees this blade. It’s kept concealed whereas the others are hung from her belt, one on each hip, with the scabbards tied down to her thighs.
Even if they are just basic daggers, Ash loves them and is desperate to get them back.
If you feel generous, or if it’s appropriate to her level etc, you might decide that they are all +1 daggers. Or you may feel that a different kind of magical dagger would fit one or more of them or be re-skinned, or some kind of home brew. I leave all that up to you. Or we can discuss.
As I say, Ash wants them back even if in-game they are just normal daggers. Anything more than that and Grwobert would flip out! (in a good way) :-)
Ash is surprised and pleased to see a message potentially relating to her daggers. She adds ‘Tabaxi’ and ‘specialist’ next to it, to show she’s seen it and is aware.
((OOC: still need to get a few bits of basic adventuring gear but it’s late so I’ll DM you tomorrow with details))
Ben, Ess responds "hahaha, oh dude I was thinking I could actually get used to the fish smell! Seems like an even trade-off for the sunsets this town gets. Ok, right. Sounds good bros, Helm's Hold it is!"
Ben, Hanna seems very responsive to your flirtations. You're used to this type of reaction when you put on the charm, although you take note that while Hanna seems quite welcoming to you coming on to her, she is by any means a 'sure thing', unlike say... a Gina would be. She laughs and says "You sure about that, Ben? I've got pretty good taste. I'm quite tired tonight, but given you'll be in town for awhile... you never know." and she just walks away with a smile. (she had a WAY higher DC than Gina. She was dirty. This women does not do one night stands. ha ha ha!)
Korrik also buys a horse. Right, I was wondering about that but forgot to mention it. Yes the council would pay for it as well as the equipment. Same for Ash's horse! Please add back the coin that you each might've removed from your sheets for the horses and equipment. I have added them to the PC tab, Spider let me know if you're ok with that image. About Korrik's criminal contact... ah yes, that's right. They did facilitate that meeting. I think given your background and what is about to happen here with the game we should expand on this sooner than later! I need to think about this a bit more as we get into the next part of the game on how we can start using that contact again. I think I have something I can do especially given what is coming up in the game. Stay tuned and PM me if I forget about it for some reason.
Ash, in your room you get your brush along with a small but nice meal and some water. It is a very relaxing moment when you unwind and bathe. Yep long rest for sure. a 'more domesticated cat', lol
Ash's daggers will all be +1 with a twist. Thanks for the very cool descriptions, and I think we agreed about those at the beginning in a PM. They are wicked! Ok, here's how it will work. They are all +1 daggers, but you have to use them in a specific manner in order to get the bonus. The black one you need to be sneaking up on someone (you need to be an unseen attacker to get the bonus), the white one you need to throw in order to get the +1, and the red one is melee only to get the +1. Would that work? You can make them custom items on your sheet accordingly.
As for Fidd - I think to save time with the RP and the actual meeting, I'll just tell you the plan and you can let me know if it works with your intended background. So, Fidd was the one who left the thieves cant message with the daggers sketched. He knows that you are in Marshswamp and have met new allies, and doesn't want to enter the town in fear of being made. He is a goblin, after all, and he knows better than to just go barging in a populated civilized town. SO he left that message, and he ends up meeting the party on their way to Helm's Hold. And, he has Ash's 3 daggers! As far as in game, while I want to bring him on as a sidekick, I don't want to add another character than I'm responsible for only because of my limited d&d time these days. Unless, Growbert you want to 100% pilot him. I'm cool with it and it should work as he wouldn't know anything about the main storyline anyhow. If so, I will create a sidekick character (or you can, it's fun!) using a goblin as a base for the stats and level him up to 3. If you don't want to run him, then we will say that he meets you all on the way to Helm's Hold, gives you the daggers, you guys have a good catch up session, and he will be your criminal contact going forward who will be able to get you messages as we get deeper into the game. He does not come with the party though as he feels he will be more useful to you being this contact from afar. He doesn't want to bring attention to you or the party as he's a goblin. That might be the best option actually. Unless you want to run a sidekick. Up to you.
DAY 2 MORNING CON'T:
Ok, the road encounter I've rolled for the trip to Helm's Hold simply doesn't work in this game. Particularly on this road. We have enough going on anyhow, so I'm going to forgo the encounters on the way there and on the way back from HH. So the first day's travel is overcast. Korrik and Ash are getting used to the horses (please roll animal handling checks as this is your first time riding these animals, however you can make the rolls with advantage since they are used to being ridden.).
DAY 2 EVENING
The camp is peaceful, you camp a mile or so east of the high road. You share the 2 tents and have a great sleep.
DAY 3
Let me know if there's anything else other than selling items, trying to find other magic items and identifying items that the party needs to do in HH, along with responding to any questions I've asked above, and then I'll get the Helm's Hold post out. You will arrive in the town around 5:00PM on the late afternoon of Day 3. (the third day since you busted the smugglers. Their ship is supposed to arrive back in Marshswamp within 14 days.) You may or may not be able to do all of your business upon arriving, you might have to do some of it the next morning.
I will let you all respond if need be, and then I will make the arrival to Helm's Hold post.
((Sure, that works! In the first iteration of Korrik, Mehriv was the brass dragonborn PC that recruited him and the others to join his expedition that he was financing. I'll PM some general thoughts about the 'flavor' I would sort of have in mind for his contact.))
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"A shame! I will be sure to play something more to your taste next time."
He gives Hanna a wink and heads back to continue chatting with Anders.
---
In Helm's,
"Well let's see what we can sell now and get the rest sold tomorrow. Any book stores around? Or magical and alchemy places? The silk should be easy enough to pass off. We should look for an art dealer for golden items, maybe get more for them than just their gold weight. You wanting to keep that pipe Kay?"
Perception to find places like those described on the way to an inn for the night and then the next morning.
I completely 100% love the ‘+1 with a twist’. I think, +1 when attacking unseen for black... perfect! +1 when thrown for white... perfect! But +1 for melee for red, this just makes it strictly better than black. And it’s the one she uses least. I’d probably tweak that one slightly to be something like +1 when wielded as an offhand attack (ie only as a potential 2nd attack when dual wielding). So we have : -
Black: +1 when unseen
White: +1 when thrown
Red: +1 when usedoffhand
Does that work?? ...omg! Loving these! :-D
Fiddnot...
I was in two minds, and on the fence, about botting Fidd as a sidekick, for a bunch of reasons. And the guys raise valid points in OOC chat about how he might fit in. So for now I agree it’s probably best to keep him as Ash’s Criminal Contact from afar, for now. Although maybe we pull him in for the odd mission, or sometime later down the road maybe. How about that?
When Ash comes down for breakfast on the morning after getting her new clothes and gear, she looks like a different person than when the party met her jumping out of a tree near the haunted house.
Her fur is all clean and fluffy, and she has augmented the studded leathers Ben got her with items of expensive fine clothing and also rugged travelling gear...
Under her leather top she has a fine, black, silk blouse with a high collar and a filigree pattern embroidered in a dark thread all over the fabric that shows up only if you’re looking for it. She has a dark silk scarf hanging loose around her neck, that could be pulled up, bandana-style, like a mask. And a dark cloak with a cowl and a hood that she wears down for now. She looks shadowy and exotic. Not threatening but classy and foreign. And clean!! She is SO pleased to be clean!
On the road that morning, she rendezvous with Fiddnot just long enough for a heartfelt greeting that the others don’t hear, and to receive her daggers, before he’s gone just as quickly as he arrived.
When they arrive in the city, she’s interested to see what it has to offer. But she’s also looking for somewhere to obtain a poisoner’s kit and supplies to make poisons. She’ll also check the usual places for any interesting Thieves’ Cant messages or jobs posted anywhere that the party goes past...
((And if possible on the trip north Ben would read the 'Treatise concerning the demigod Iuz and its minions' they found in the mansion. He is interested as Xendros is one of the said minions and is more than a little suspicious as to why that specific book would be in the smugglers' possession. He would mention his concerns to the others that Xendros might have been/still is involved with the smugglers.))
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((OOC: Also, did you say that the council would supply any mundane adventuring gear for free? Or did I make that up? If so, can we just gear-up with any PHB gear that we like?))
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
To the Captain,
"The mansion was, quite frankly, a dump. We found some half rotted books, a creepy doll and some assorted alchemy supplies. If there were any riches there they'd been long since carted off. Oh, also found the alchemist. He had managed to turn himself into a skeleton, the living kind, along with a few of his nearest and dearest. They were living in the basement together with the smugglers, turned out not to be the best living situation for the smugglers."
((Ben is partially lying but not that much. The 17 deception probably covers it?))
Ben would politely speak with everyone on the council but would give Gellan a companionable nod before trying to really chat up Anders a bit to the side,
"You suspected all along the smugglers were there, yes? I can see you are a real up and comer around here. Can I interest you in coming to my performance at the Line tomorrow? I would like to buy you a drink and we can talk about your plans for Marshswamp!"
---
Ben would like to carouse for a week but he also wants to head back to Helm's Hold to offload some of the more specialized and hot things they've picked up. It is only a couple days away by horse? Ride there after tomorrow night, do some shopping/selling and easily be back for a week of carousing.
If everyone wants to come on that we could get another horse for Ash. We could combine that with Ash's criminal contact.
---
((Later when they are alone))
"That may work... I was also thinking I could look like Willard again and you two could come along as new recruits. It would definitely get us onboard but, unlike your plan keeps all of them there as well. Perhaps a combination? You two on a separate boat while I take the other boat and approach as anticipated with the guards as the new recruits but experience an emergency that requires them to come help us? I could probably charm a few of them as they came over to help."
Ash, you don't notice any odd facial expressions from any of the councilmembers.
Yep, they will reimburse you for any mundane equipment from the PHB. Any items which might be questionable - let's discuss! Otherwise have at it. Looking at Ess... I think he is ok for equipment, would you agree?
Ben, the captain responds "Humph. I didn't think so. Suppose it wouldn't be honorable to take the riches there even if there were something, right? Skeletons you say? By the gods, it sounds like you had quite the time out in that mansion. I can't thank you all enough for this. You put your lives in danger. Thank you." (yeah, the 17 for sure covers it.).
Ben, Gellan gives you a nod back.
Anders then responds "Yes! Yes indeed I did!" (he didn't) "the damn smugglers have been a thorn in my side ever since I can remember. If it's not one gang, it's another. Sad that folks just can't follow the rules yea?! Thank you so much for accepting this mission. The faster we rid the world of this gang, the better off business will be! Oh, that sounds great, Ben, I'll most definitely see you there!" he agrees to come watch your show.
Ess likes the plan of Ben changing to Willard again and the rest of us as new recruits when it's time to strike the ship. He feels we don't need the Marshswamp guards to pilot the boat anyhow. He's sure we all can manage, and from the sounds of it it seems they won't be much help once we get to the ship, so they might be more of a liability than anything. "Ben, I like it, bruh!! Dudes and Ash, I can row brothers!"
((As far as timing goes for when the smuggling ship comes back into the town - the direction in which the ship will be coming isn't 100% known. Also, once the guard patrols in and around Marshswamp see the ship, there won't be time for the party to make the 1hr long horseback ride from Marshswamp to the mansion to shine the lights. Essentially there is 2 overarching main options to kick this off whenever the time comes. 1. Be at the mansion and wait for the ship there and do the light thingy OR 2. Be at marshswamp and then once the guards see the ship, take the boat there. Option 2 will be harder to trick them since you'll be coming from Marshswamp vs. coming from the mansion after shining the lights. Then again, they might not even see you coming from Marshswamp if it's night time. OR, there may be another idea you might be thinking that we can also try. I just waned to clear up the timing for how this will all work once the ship gets close. Either be at the house ready to signal it OR depart from Marshswamp. Being at the house will mean that you'll likely want to be there at least a few days before the 2 weeks is up incase it comes early.))
Ok, as for downtime activities:
Ash: carousing and and mild preference for research. Also Criminal Contact feelers.
Ess: He wants to work on the docks. This might be what he ends up doing for a job once he settles. Laboring on the docks, loading and unloading ships
Ben: carousing and helm's hold trip.
Kay: ?
I will go over the info and rolling for the carousing once we get there. First, let's get the timing right etc.
1. Will everyone come to Helm's Hold with Ben? He is leaving after tomorrow's performance (the morning after, or that night?). There will be encounters on this trip, of course. Both ways.
2. If the party comes with Ben to Helm's Hold, there will probably be time for 1 downtime activity once you all return before the ship arrives.
3. If one or all of the party stays in Marshswamp while Ben is gone, they can do 2 downtime activities.
Ess would come with Ben, although if he prefers to go alone he'd be happy to work the docks for the 2 weeks.
Let me know thoughts/responses to all of this and then I'll move it forward - thanks!
((Carousing, maybe pick up some line cook work if he's got off hours to spare. Intent would be sticking together, so if there's a trip to HH, Kay'd be there. ))
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
((Ash is up for the trip to the city. She would like to find out about getting a horse to ride. Happy to head out whenever. Day after Ben’s next performance? How long does it take to get there? Will we need camping gear etc?))
:-)
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
To the captain,
"Honorable? No, not particularly and to be fair we didn't mean to put our lives in jeopardy! You can thank us after we handle the ship side of things. Out of curiosity, what happens if we should manage to capture the thing?"
To Anders,
"Why even have rules if people aren't going to follow them! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the Line."
He concludes with a warm hand shake.
---
Later,
"Glad you're onboard Ess! What do you other two think? Have an alternate plan for getting yourselves onboard?"
((Ben would leave the morning after the performance, horses can't see at night and really not in a huge rush! Everyone is welcome along, Ben isn't trying to pull anything that isn't of benefit to the party.
Speaking of which, is the silk we grabbed marked in a way that makes it identifiably stolen? And if so can Ben forge some documents to make them appear legitimate?
Ben would like to carouse and perform a few times, if possible.
If you want to skip to the travel I can give you Ben's performance roll now. He is going to cast enhance ability (eagle's splendor) on himself before the performance and will schmooze with Anders and flirt with Hanna.
Performance: 20))
Ash’s first night and day in civilisation after ‘events’...
((OOC: let me know what Ash finds at the Inn at this late hour (after finishing up with the council): is there a room free, or would anyone have to share? Is food and drink is available? What washing facilities are in the room or down the hall, and would hot water be available this late too? Or would she have to wait till the morning to get straight? Is company available at the Inn?
I think we’ve then got a whole day in town before Ben’s performance? In which case, Ash will seek out where to buy a horse and all the bits and bobs that go with that. I wonder whether the council would pay for all that?
She’ll also get a bunch of PHB gear and charge it back to the council (I’ll send a private note about that, and you can let me know what would and wouldn’t be covered).
Through her background feature, she’d want to get word out to her criminal contact asap. Let me know how you want that to play out in-game. Eventually she would want to let her contact know she’s alive and where she is. She’d ask if Fiddnot has checked in? She’d want to know whether they can send aid, in any form, and if they have any jobs or contacts in the area. Also, if they have ‘her three daggers’, recovered from the facility? I can fill you in on details.
She would also take a quick tour of the town and check all the usual places for any Thieves’ Cant messages or markings on buildings (Inn, prison, church, docks, etc) to get a feel for what’s going down in town and how recently. And leave a few of her own simply saying ‘tabaxi’ alongside ‘specialist’.
I think ‘criminal contact’ could take a while to get into full swing, but I feel like the rest she could get done in a busy day. Happy to RP any of it or make rolls, or whatever’s needed. Then she’ll settle in proper (and much better clued up and kitted out) to Ben’s performance and sleep. Before heading out at some point the next day towards the city)).
edit...
Anyone is welcome to come along to any of this. Or we can meet in the Inn later for Ben’s performance.
Also: can do any of this in 1:1, but I think it would be cool for flavour. And our group is really good at not being meta, so I’m happy for people to see any of it :-)
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Ben, the captain slims his eyes at you slightly, and then says "Well, whatever the matter, you've done a great thing. The whole town should be thanking you once yer done. Hmmmm.... that Ben is a good question. I suppose the ship should be searched thoroughly and then repurposed once you take her. We'll get one of the crews down at the docks to strip her down for parts and then we'll have it stripped, cleaned, resurfaced and it'll be as good as new."
Ben, the silk is pretty vanilla looking, and the bolt itself doesn't have any specific markings that might insinuate that it's stolen. It looks like it was mass produced. I mean, if you were to try to sell it to the manufacturer they might notice, but other than that, it should be good as long as you don't look like an awkward random just trying to sell some bolts of silk.
Ok, so after the meeting, you all head back to the Snapping Line inn and get rooms. It's about 12:30am. Hanna actually isn't working this late. You are greeted and the worker knows who you all are as the council sent word of this to the inn to cover room and board expenses. "Greetings, heros! Thank you and welcome. I'm sure Hanna will catch up with you all tomorrow, but as I'm sure you know, your rooms and meals are covered here for the duration of your... task. RID THE TOWN OF THE SMUGGLERS! Ha ha ha!" he says this in an awkward way-too-loud manner, luckily no one else is in here at this hour.
Ess says under his breath to you all "Dudes, this guy is SO annoying."
And then says "Er, yeah, ok, thanks! You might want to keep it down about that though buddy. You don't know who comes in here, friend. Anyways, thank you! Goodnight!"
To answer Ash: the rooms are free, there are 4 rooms, you can have a small meal now although the cooks are gone home (it will be free, booze is on your dime), washing facilities consist of a modest wooden tub for bathing, and the worker would boil water for you if you desire a bath. ((What do you mean by company?))
All of you get a long rest and sleep quite well!
DAY 1
You all get a free breakfast here at the inn. Hanna would come in and greet you. "Good morning, friends, or should I be calling you heros?! I apologize I had retired last evening quite early, but I heard the news first thing this morning and had to come see you all. You've done the town a great service as it is and are very brave to be continuing to help. Do let me know if there is anything else I can be of assistance with during your stay. I've got a big breakfast coming for you all here in a few moments! Oh, Ben, you're still on for tonight, yes? I've been living here a long time, and while we can do our best to keep this quiet, you can be sure word's going to get out about what you've all done and I'm betting it's going to be PACKED in here. Seeing local heros, and even having one perform? Yep, expect it to be packed to the rafters tonight!"
((I can't recall if Hanna and Ash ever met. If not, Hanna would just be very friendly and welcoming to her as she has been to the others. Grwobert she's on the NPC tab. Owner of the Inn.))
Ash can buy a horse in town. Some options in spoiler. Go ahead and make the transactions!
Bit and bridle 2 gp
Animal Feed (per day) 5 cp
Riding Saddle 10 gp
Saddlebags 4 gp
Draft Horse 50 gp
Riding Horse 75gp
Ash, regarding the criminal contact (let's just make it Fiddnot! I think this will work perfectly, unless you desire another contact. I think Korrik gets one, too.) When you searched around the town during day 1 for thieves cant, you actually did come across a very slight message in a few different parts of the town. It was on a few different buildings. It is in the thieves cant script, however there's only one word. It says 'soon'. There's also a very faint small sketch of 3 daggers.
((I actually think we can get Fidd into the mix sooner than I was expecting! Sidekick #2! Would you be down to pilot him whenever he might join? Or should I? Hmmm... maybe I should. I don't know. Stay tuned. Also, please let me know more info about these 3 daggers. PM is fine, or in here is just as good.))
There won't be enough time for anyone to carouse for just the one day. You'll need a full week to reap the potential benefits of it so I won't get into the details of that just yet until you all return from Helm's Hold.
Korrik, you can work a cook line at the inn for day 1 if you'd like! You'll have to work the morning and afternoon lines, and your meals are comped. You'll get 1gp.
Ess is just going to go to the docks and just tour the town for his day 1 activity. This will give the party the knowledge of all of the general locations in town, and will be assumed that the party knows where most things are in the town now going forward in the game.
DAY 1 Evening - Ben's performance at the Snapping Line Inn. Well, he crushes it. Feel free to describe the performance if you'd like. Either way, Ben nails it. This will also help in Ben's flirtations with Hanna. Please roll a straight charisma check to see about the flirting. As for Anders, no roll is required. He LOVED your performance and explains the following:
Anders recently inherited his family’s fleet of fishing boats after the untimely death of his mother, Petra. He’s the youngest person ever to be elected to the council. His recent forays into trade have made him a local celebrity. Since Anders owns both a fishing fleet and several trading vessels, he can sell his catch at a highly competitive price. And he can offer better prices for the other fishers in town to sell to him, since his catch brings in so much more profit.
Everyone involved in the town’s fishing industry supports Anders, and his energy and ambition have made him something of a folk hero on the docks.
He also talks about his top butler, Skerrin Wavechaser. He didn't come with Anders tonight, but explains that he usually follows him around everywhere and that if you also had a need for a butler that he'd introduce you to Skerrin.
Ben, the tips for the performance was 32sp and 32cp. Hanna also gives you 2gp.
DAY 2 - MORNING
Alright, the party will now head out to Helm's Hold! Ben has some business there and the party decides to tag along. Ess seems excited. "Here we go again bros and Ash! Let's ride brothers! Hey Ben, what are we exactly doing once we get there?" So is Korrik riding with Ess?
Are you bringing the carriage? Ash, what is your horses name and what does it look like? I'll add it to the PC tab once you give me details.
The trip is going to take 2 full days. You will arrive on Day 3 in the late afternoon or early evening should the trip go smoothly. You will be travelling north on the high road (unless you want to offroad it in the plains, let me know.) As far as camping, yep you'll need tents and will be camping on day 2 night. Ess has a 2 person tent. You can eat rations or scavenge/hunt for food. Ess will eat a ration. He actually would've grabbed 10 in Marshswamp, for free of course. Paid for by the council.
Here are the travelling encounter rolls: 10 19
Here is the camp roll: 4
I have some nice lore/background for Helm's Hold, so let's see what happens in this town once the party arrives! :D
As always let me know if I missed anything!
* Ok, there will be one encounter on the road, on the first day of travel. 19 I will get to this later on today. There will be no issues during the night's camp.
Ben thanks Hanna and promises another performance in a few days once their back.
He listens raptly to Anders and buys him a few drinks (deducted).
((No carriage I think? We leave it at the Line and Ben will grab a tent on the council's dime along with a few days of rations.))
To Ess,
"We are going to empty this bag of holding so we can fill it up on that boat and I want to try looking for some additional magical items and get rid of the potion of giant strength. Perhaps get that mystery rock identified. What's her name in town wanted 50 gold just to start a deal and then it would take weeks to get anything. We have the time and I honestly don't think I could stay in that fish smelling town for a full two weeks."
The full flirt, still rocking eagle's splendor.
19
"Maybe you'd like a personal performance? I'm quite sure I can play something you'd appreciate..."
((Just a flat cha roll at advantage!))
Korrik tags along with Ash to the stables, eventually picking out a horse for himself, an agreeable enough fellow with a brassy coat and dark mane and lower legs.
"I think I'll call him Mehriv."
Bit and bridle 2 gp
Animal Feed (per day) 5 cp x 5
Riding Saddle 10 gp
Saddlebags 4 gp
Riding Horse 75gp
-----------------------------------
91.25gp Council defraying any of this cost?
Yes, Korrik has a criminal contact somewhere, but I don't think we'd put a name to them. They were the one that facilitated the meeting between Mr. S and Mr. K.
Since his meals are double comp'd, Korrik has seconds.
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
Ash is glad to get to the Inn. She will get something simple to eat and milk or water to drink if it’s free (no booze tonight).
She will plainly ask the staff if the Inn can provide ‘company’. And if they don’t know what she’s asking about she will simply lay on her accent more thickly ((I like to think she speaks with something like a mild English accent normally (which might be exotic in these parts), but lays it on thicker sometimes)) and say “Oh I’m sorry, what’s the common word?.. Hairbrush... Can the Inn provide me with a hairbrush? My fur is covered in dirt from digging...”. If the response to ‘company’ is not immediate, she will simply ‘brush’ ((lol)) it off with her other genuine desire: for a brush!
With a brush and/or company (depending on what the Inn can arrange), she will ask for lots of hot water and take a bath in the wooden tub, before retiring to her room to try and sort out her mess of fur before bed. Her first real bed for... some time.
((@Klein: omg wow thanks for the mega post! Lots to digest! I will break my responses into sensible chunks!))...
((Long rest. Sheet updated))
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
The next morning, Ash comes down for breakfast looking quite different. Same leathers, but with her fur clean and fluffy, she looks more like a domesticated cat than before. Her fur is quite beautiful, and no longer greasy, and dirty, and matted from days on the
run... ’road’, and sleepingrough...’out under the stars’. ((She looks much more like her picture now)).She gets on well with Hanna, if she is very friendly and welcoming to her. She’s liking this Inn more and more. And she enjoys a healthy breakfast.
Ash will go with Korrik to obtain horses. She picks out a black one:
“I think I’ll call her Cinder”, she decides.
Bit and bridle 2 gp
Animal Feed (per day) 5 cp x10
Riding Saddle 10 gp
Saddlebags 4 gp
Riding Horse 75gp
Total: 91.5gp (deducted from sheet)
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Fiddnot / Criminal contact:
((I think Fiddnot (‘Fidd’) being Ash’s criminal contact would fit perfectly.
In my backstory, Fiddnot is a goblin. I haven’t tied the character to a particular class at all though, so he could easily be any class you/we chose to suit the party, or just use a simple companion template of some kind, whatever works.
If he eventually joins the party ((I’d love that)), Ash would just need another criminal contact, since the game mechanic (I think) seems to work as ‘aid’ from a distance. But that’s easy to weave in, as maybe Fidd feeds her the next contact up the chain (eg his).
I think that all works great))
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Ash’s three daggers:
As a rogue, a professional thief, with a background as a criminal/spy, Ash has 3x favourite daggers. Ones that she has acquired over the years and are well made and balanced, and suit her style. They are black, white and ‘red’.
Black: ebony handle and blackened blade. Good for stealth. Doesn’t glint in the dark.
White: a ceremonial ivory-and-bone- handled dagger with a polished, white-steel blade. Well balanced for throwing. Easier to spot when retrieving.
Red: an antique blade with a red leather binding round the handle. The blade has a deep, red tarnish that comes off to the touch. And whenever it’s wetted (to clean or sharpen), this tarnish comes off in the water and makes it look like it’s weeping blood. No one ever sees this blade. It’s kept concealed whereas the others are hung from her belt, one on each hip, with the scabbards tied down to her thighs.
Even if they are just basic daggers, Ash loves them and is desperate to get them back.
If you feel generous, or if it’s appropriate to her level etc, you might decide that they are all +1 daggers. Or you may feel that a different kind of magical dagger would fit one or more of them or be re-skinned, or some kind of home brew. I leave all that up to you. Or we can discuss.
As I say, Ash wants them back even if in-game they are just normal daggers. Anything more than that and Grwobert would flip out! (in a good way) :-)
Ash is surprised and pleased to see a message potentially relating to her daggers. She adds ‘Tabaxi’ and ‘specialist’ next to it, to show she’s seen it and is aware.
((OOC: still need to get a few bits of basic adventuring gear but it’s late so I’ll DM you tomorrow with details))
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
Ben, Ess responds "hahaha, oh dude I was thinking I could actually get used to the fish smell! Seems like an even trade-off for the sunsets this town gets. Ok, right. Sounds good bros, Helm's Hold it is!"
Ben, Hanna seems very responsive to your flirtations. You're used to this type of reaction when you put on the charm, although you take note that while Hanna seems quite welcoming to you coming on to her, she is by any means a 'sure thing', unlike say... a Gina would be. She laughs and says "You sure about that, Ben? I've got pretty good taste. I'm quite tired tonight, but given you'll be in town for awhile... you never know." and she just walks away with a smile. (she had a WAY higher DC than Gina. She was dirty. This women does not do one night stands. ha ha ha!)
Korrik also buys a horse. Right, I was wondering about that but forgot to mention it. Yes the council would pay for it as well as the equipment. Same for Ash's horse! Please add back the coin that you each might've removed from your sheets for the horses and equipment. I have added them to the PC tab, Spider let me know if you're ok with that image. About Korrik's criminal contact... ah yes, that's right. They did facilitate that meeting. I think given your background and what is about to happen here with the game we should expand on this sooner than later! I need to think about this a bit more as we get into the next part of the game on how we can start using that contact again. I think I have something I can do especially given what is coming up in the game. Stay tuned and PM me if I forget about it for some reason.
Ash, in your room you get your brush along with a small but nice meal and some water. It is a very relaxing moment when you unwind and bathe. Yep long rest for sure. a 'more domesticated cat', lol
Ash's daggers will all be +1 with a twist. Thanks for the very cool descriptions, and I think we agreed about those at the beginning in a PM. They are wicked! Ok, here's how it will work. They are all +1 daggers, but you have to use them in a specific manner in order to get the bonus. The black one you need to be sneaking up on someone (you need to be an unseen attacker to get the bonus), the white one you need to throw in order to get the +1, and the red one is melee only to get the +1. Would that work? You can make them custom items on your sheet accordingly.
As for Fidd - I think to save time with the RP and the actual meeting, I'll just tell you the plan and you can let me know if it works with your intended background. So, Fidd was the one who left the thieves cant message with the daggers sketched. He knows that you are in Marshswamp and have met new allies, and doesn't want to enter the town in fear of being made. He is a goblin, after all, and he knows better than to just go barging in a populated civilized town. SO he left that message, and he ends up meeting the party on their way to Helm's Hold. And, he has Ash's 3 daggers! As far as in game, while I want to bring him on as a sidekick, I don't want to add another character than I'm responsible for only because of my limited d&d time these days. Unless, Growbert you want to 100% pilot him. I'm cool with it and it should work as he wouldn't know anything about the main storyline anyhow. If so, I will create a sidekick character (or you can, it's fun!) using a goblin as a base for the stats and level him up to 3. If you don't want to run him, then we will say that he meets you all on the way to Helm's Hold, gives you the daggers, you guys have a good catch up session, and he will be your criminal contact going forward who will be able to get you messages as we get deeper into the game. He does not come with the party though as he feels he will be more useful to you being this contact from afar. He doesn't want to bring attention to you or the party as he's a goblin. That might be the best option actually. Unless you want to run a sidekick. Up to you.
DAY 2 MORNING CON'T:
Ok, the road encounter I've rolled for the trip to Helm's Hold simply doesn't work in this game. Particularly on this road. We have enough going on anyhow, so I'm going to forgo the encounters on the way there and on the way back from HH. So the first day's travel is overcast. Korrik and Ash are getting used to the horses (please roll animal handling checks as this is your first time riding these animals, however you can make the rolls with advantage since they are used to being ridden.).
DAY 2 EVENING
The camp is peaceful, you camp a mile or so east of the high road. You share the 2 tents and have a great sleep.
DAY 3
Let me know if there's anything else other than selling items, trying to find other magic items and identifying items that the party needs to do in HH, along with responding to any questions I've asked above, and then I'll get the Helm's Hold post out. You will arrive in the town around 5:00PM on the late afternoon of Day 3. (the third day since you busted the smugglers. Their ship is supposed to arrive back in Marshswamp within 14 days.) You may or may not be able to do all of your business upon arriving, you might have to do some of it the next morning.
I will let you all respond if need be, and then I will make the arrival to Helm's Hold post.
((Sure, that works! In the first iteration of Korrik, Mehriv was the brass dragonborn PC that recruited him and the others to join his expedition that he was financing. I'll PM some general thoughts about the 'flavor' I would sort of have in mind for his contact.))
Animal Handling: 19
DM: Forged in Chaos, Spiders of the Abyss, The Sundered Way, Champions of the Citadel
Active Characters:
Breldo, Halfling Ranger | Kathryn, Wood Elf Rogue/Ranger | Kroshav, Dragonborn Paladin | T'laren Farsiel, Wood Elf Fighter | Trill, Kenku Bard | Val "Janellae", Mark of Shadow Elf Warlock
"A shame! I will be sure to play something more to your taste next time."
He gives Hanna a wink and heads back to continue chatting with Anders.
---
In Helm's,
"Well let's see what we can sell now and get the rest sold tomorrow. Any book stores around? Or magical and alchemy places? The silk should be easy enough to pass off. We should look for an art dealer for golden items, maybe get more for them than just their gold weight. You wanting to keep that pipe Kay?"
Perception to find places like those described on the way to an inn for the night and then the next morning.
Perception: 21
3 daggers...
I completely 100% love the ‘+1 with a twist’. I think, +1 when attacking unseen for black... perfect! +1 when thrown for white... perfect! But +1 for melee for red, this just makes it strictly better than black. And it’s the one she uses least. I’d probably tweak that one slightly to be something like +1 when wielded as an offhand attack (ie only as a potential 2nd attack when dual wielding). So we have : -
Black: +1 when unseen
White: +1 when thrown
Red: +1 when used offhand
Does that work?? ...omg! Loving these! :-D
Fiddnot...
I was in two minds, and on the fence, about botting Fidd as a sidekick, for a bunch of reasons. And the guys raise valid points in OOC chat about how he might fit in. So for now I agree it’s probably best to keep him as Ash’s Criminal Contact from afar, for now. Although maybe we pull him in for the odd mission, or sometime later down the road maybe. How about that?
When Ash comes down for breakfast on the morning after getting her new clothes and gear, she looks like a different person than when the party met her jumping out of a tree near the haunted house.
Her fur is all clean and fluffy, and she has augmented the studded leathers Ben got her with items of expensive fine clothing and also rugged travelling gear...
Under her leather top she has a fine, black, silk blouse with a high collar and a filigree pattern embroidered in a dark thread all over the fabric that shows up only if you’re looking for it. She has a dark silk scarf hanging loose around her neck, that could be pulled up, bandana-style, like a mask. And a dark cloak with a cowl and a hood that she wears down for now. She looks shadowy and exotic. Not threatening but classy and foreign. And clean!! She is SO pleased to be clean!
On the road that morning, she rendezvous with Fiddnot just long enough for a heartfelt greeting that the others don’t hear, and to receive her daggers, before he’s gone just as quickly as he arrived.
When they arrive in the city, she’s interested to see what it has to offer. But she’s also looking for somewhere to obtain a poisoner’s kit and supplies to make poisons. She’ll also check the usual places for any interesting Thieves’ Cant messages or jobs posted anywhere that the party goes past...
GILLAIN OF ATHKATLA - Human Paladin - Into the Mists PHILLIP THE GRUNG - Grung Eldritch Knight - Tomb of Annihilation
ROBWIN WINDROBE - High Elf Wizard - Dragon of Icespire Peak EVE DARKSHORE - Tiefling Warlock - Rime of the Frost Maiden
ASH OF THE FIRE - Tabaxi Rogue - Ghosts of Marshswamp LIA STARBORN - Aasimar Bard - Out of the Abyss
((And if possible on the trip north Ben would read the 'Treatise concerning the demigod Iuz and its minions' they found in the mansion. He is interested as Xendros is one of the said minions and is more than a little suspicious as to why that specific book would be in the smugglers' possession. He would mention his concerns to the others that Xendros might have been/still is involved with the smugglers.))