Mirielle's Apartment
"Of course," Mirielle says, stifling a smile at her rumpled roommate. "What happened the night before last? I heard you were arrested for vandalism, but something must have gotten muddled in the transmission."
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Mirielle's Apartment
"Of course," Mirielle says, stifling a smile at her rumpled roommate. "What happened the night before last? I heard you were arrested for vandalism, but something must have gotten muddled in the transmission."
Mirielle's apartment
"Dunno really. I walked home, and I usually pass by the headquarter of the Sage's Guild. Nice building, there's a sort of statue of an old man with a magical ball of light. It's quite interesting, I don't think it's a simple continual flame, somehow has a warm aura to it. Anyway, shortly after I walked past I heard something fall behind me; turns out the thing can be detached, so I turned around and checked it out.
It turns further out the thing has been 'borrowed' quite often for nightly activities and the watch checks by regularly. So I had to pay a small fine and spend one night in prison for a first minor offence. Dunno if you know, one can 'buy' better accomodations inside the prison for a decent sum. But they only have so many rooms and sometimes they're all full, so it was either the Lord's Ward for a hundred gold or the dungeon..." She winces as she revisits the decision she made. "I have my projects, you know, so I thought one night is quite bearable. But it was a very very unpleasant place and I didn't get any sleep at all, and once I got home I fell like a rock into my bed. Actually hit my nose pretty bad, the matress is rather hard, but I didn't care."
Mirielle's Apartment
Mirielle winces a bit at Keeva's description of her night. "That does sound unpleasant. Thank goodness it was only that one night, I suppose."
Halls of Mystery
After breakfast, Mirielle heads to the Halls of Mystery. While Alaister worked on Black Sorrow and Cybrarvain, she could put her not-unsubstantial skills at collating, referencing, and researching to use. She heads immediately to the library and starts looking through the catalog.
@TFO
SpoilerAre we rolling dice for the research, or is it fiat?
Oh, and I keep forgetting to ask, have you finished writing up what Mirielle found during her time at the High House's library?
Late Night, out in town
Alaister left the house, pondering his next steps. I've got a lot on my plate, it seems. Two assassins, and my own work to boot. Then again, Black Sorrow's arrival was awfully... convenient. Perhaps he's been hired by Cybrarvain to throw the rest of the group off the trail. It's what I'd do... Still, regardless, I need to know more about both. I wonder what the odds are of enlisting a bit of aid, at least on the Black Sorrow front. Never hurts to check, I suppose.
Alaister then travels to Misti Marva's, removing enough of his disguise to be recognized, before entering.
Misti Marva's Moonlight Pawnshop
Vanet greets Alaister with a short wave before calling out through a door "Oi, Misti, don't come out, Alaister's here!"
She turns back to the visitor, the monkey on her shoulder jumping down to the counter and giving the man a toothy stare. "Sorry about that, she's currently in various states of undress. Anything I can help you with?"
SpoilerWhen he said 'your library' to the priestess he meant the one of the Halls, not a separate private one. You know where it is and have access to it.
All relevant information uncovered during the joined book crawl had been relayed in the IC.
To research something in depth the project has both a DC and an amount of required time. For every point you beat the DC on average the required time goes down by 5%, to the point where beating something by 20 means you already know enough of it to write down a comprehensive paper from memory.
Late Night at Misti Marva's
Alaister's brow furrows in confusion for just a moment... That's... rather more information than I needed concerning Misti's current attire. What's the game here, trying to distract or fluster me with the thought of heaving bosoms? Hmph. I'd like to think they think me professional enough to not be distracted by a pair of ANYTHING.
He then sets aside curiosity, and focuses on the task at hand. "Actually, I certainly hope so. A colleague of mine has recently attracted some unsavory attention by a Netherese mercenary known as Black Sorrow. He's apparently a member of the Disciples of the White Rod, a spy, and sometimes assassin, and does a lot of freelancing for Thayan interests.
Where this has to do with me is that he was seeking information from a colleague that I believe you're familiar with, specifically Jorran. He was none too subtle about it, either. In any case, he was claiming to be seeking information about the grey cloaks, which he was unable to obtain from Jorran.
I'm a bit overextended on what I'm trying to discover about my own elven firestarter, so I thought I would see if you were interested in finding a few things out for me. Specifically, if he's been seeking anything from anyone else, and what, if any other disturbances in the city have been attributed to him, where he is currently staying, and what his interest in the greycloaks could possibly bode for the Thayan embassy. Interested?"
Misti Marva's Moonlight Pawnshop
"Oh, that was you? We noticed there had been some inquiries into this Black Sorrow. I can in fact answer one of those questions on the spot. One hundred gold and I can tell you where he is right now, at this very second."
Rhabie Promenade
On her way to the Halls of Mystery Mirielle passes a familiar face with draconic features, and walking by her he suddenly turns. "Hey, you, Kelemvor girl! I know you. I don't know if I should know your name though. Anyway, I'm Vandroy, but I think you know unless you forgot." Vandroy pauses, stepping aside to let a cart pass. "So how've you been?"
The previous day
After the meeting, Jorran leaves back for Gowntown. They had a sound plan now, they just needed a little more information. More importantly, however, he would get a good night's sleep.
Gowntown
Jorran wakes up a little later than usual. Knowing that his associates tended to have a better knack for asking around than he did, he decides that he would most likely just alert the Black Sorrow if he tried. Instead, he decides to find a local library, and try to pin down the Black Sorrow's exact abilities. He had noted many similarities to his own, and he had some understanding of magic, despite his poor level of literacy. "Sublime way" and "blade magic" were good places to start.
SpoilerBasically. Jorran goes to a library and tries to find anything on the Sublime way to try to figure out exactly what the Black Sorrow is using. I pretty much already know OoC, but I want Jorran to know too. :smalltongue:
Misti Marva's
Alaister chuckles at the woman's rather exorbitant offer. "Well, it was myself and a few others, all of whom are investigating Black Sorrow, as a personal favor to Jorran. If a hundred gold is your asking price, then you overestimate my distaste for overworking myself, however. Seeing as it's information you've already gathered, or are privy to in passing, I'd say it's not quite secret enough to justify a price that high. I would certainly be willing to pay, perhaps, twenty five gold, for information that's likely already been used... But not a hundred. I like Jorran, but I don't like him THAT much."
Misti Marva's Moonlight Pawnshop
"Well, good to know", Vanet answers with a smile. "And the information doesn't come in a vacuum. It also carries certain implications, on his contacts and allies inside the city, people whose enmity one would earn for making a move on Black Sorrow. Surely that's worth more than 25 gold? I can give you a receipt if you want so you can ask your money back from Jorran."
SpoilerSense Motive success: she's not serious about writing a receipt
Lucky Coin Inn, 14th of Marpenoth
In all his years of service to the Symbul's Guard, Cael could hardly recall spending a fraction of his nights in his own bed compared to those spent in beds such as this one, or beneath the open sky or a canvas tent-top in some distant, unnamed wilderness. Nights spent abroad were not always comfortable -- indeed, at times they seemed unbearable -- but Cael endured them all because on every such night, he fell into trance with the expectation that when he awoke, he would be one day closer to a night spent in his own bed.
Lying on a bare mattress in his mostly empty room in the Lucky Coin Inn, Cael reflects on the day's events and realizes that for the first time in a long, he no longer has that same expectation. What's more, once the initial pang of dread has subsided, he realizes that he has never been more committed to his cause.
Lucky Coin Inn, 15th of Marpenoth
Cael awakens once in the morning's pre-dawn hours. He considers getting an early start to the day, but decides he would rather be at his very best for an evening's visit to the Rat's Nest. Rising again a few hours later, he invokes his usual protective spells before breaking his fast in the Lucky Coin's dining room. He then heads out in search of Misti Marva, with the understanding that while he would need to find a more sustainable solution to his financial strain, a loan would provide some immediate, short-term relief.
SpoilerYou can consider the straw-in-the-door routine to be standard practice any time Cael leaves his room at the Lucky Coin (or any accommodations in the foreseeable future). Unless you say otherwise, I'll assume the straw is undisturbed upon his return.
Cael's standard morning buffs are Tyche's touch and mage armor. The latter is cast with an activation of his arcanist's gloves, extending the duration by 2 hours (7 hours total).
Misti Marva's Moonlight Pawnshop(Morning)
This establishment keeps late hours and caters to people who do likewise; a sign on the door to Misti's shop proclaims 'Closed until noon'.
Misti Marva's Moonlight Pawnshop(Morning)
The sign draws a smile from Cael that rapidly fades as he resigns himself to the fact that now is likely as good a time as ever to deal with the city's spellcaster registration.
SpoilerTo Ravendark Castle!
Spoilercopied for your benefit, the others already know the drill
City Hall, Registration Office
The Registration form is surprisingly thin on personal information; just name, place of birth, current place of residence and main place of residence for the last five years. The rest is a long list of checkmarks to be placed at the abilities possessed on the parchment.
◻ Changing Personal Form
◻ Changing Memories of Others
◻ Changing the Shape of Wood or Stone
◻ Long-Range Communication(10 Miles or more)
◻ Controlling the Actions of Others
◻ Create Permanent Magical Constructs, Undead or Similar
◻ Disabling Effects(5 Minutes or Less)
◻ Disabling Effects(Over 5 Minutes)
◻ Dispelling Magic
Creating or Conjuring Elemental Energy
◻ Acid ◻ Cold ◻ Electricity ◻ Fire ◻ Sonic ◻ Other: _________
◻ Flight
◻ Illusions
◻ Invisibility
◻ Reading Minds
◻ Summoning
◻ Long-Range Teleportation
◻ Short-Range Teleportation
My Magic is
◻ Arcane ◻ Divine ◻ Other: ______________
You are informed that the clerk will add a physical description to the file after checking you for active auras. A change in the place of residence has to be reported within three days; apart from that you'll be sent an update form once per month with the postal service.
Rhabie Promenade
Mirielle puts on the polite smile one does when meeting an acquaintance. "Well, Vandroy. And you? How is your search for the Four Ravens going?"
Rhabie Promenade
"Oh, I stopped trying for now after the experiences with the last guys I thought to be the Ravens. Did another job for them, but was more trouble than it was worth really. The other guys from the same assignment were quite decent though and we still work together. At least they don't punch supposed allies in the face you know.
So what about you, still with the grey or doing other stuff?"
City Hall, Registration Office
Cael thanks the clerk for the registration form, and before stepping away, offers a pleasant compliment on the least attractive aspect of her appearance -- the style of her hair, her makeup, or perhaps the pattern of her dress -- a less-than-honest statement intended to test for the presence of magic which might either compel honesty or prohibit falsehoods.
City Hall, Registration Office
The clerk scowls at the less than honest compliment on the neatness of her eyebrows; nothing here seems to prevent someone from speaking falsehoods.
Rhabie Promenade
Mirielle pulls a face. "No, they just wanted to have words with Jorran, the one with the greatsword. Right now I'm working on a bit of research for a friend," she says. Better to avoid specificity at the moment. "Kind of an occupational hazard for an archivist, I suppose. We're always the ones who get called on to dive into the library when something strange happens.
"Still, it's not something I mind. I've missed the smell of ink and parchment and the happy chance findings. Last tenday I spent some time reading for fun. Did you know that some insane necromancer decided it would be interesting to create a sort of undead and then graft on teeth from humans they sacrificed to their hideous gods?" Most people would shudder at the thought, but Mirielle sounds positively giddy. "It's called a blaspheme, and apparently some are still roaming the world."
Sixstar
There were a good few risks associated with relying on a tailor who designed ceremonial uniforms as a hobby; while the results were likely to be interesting, Aya feared timely and tasteful would end up being mutually exclusive. She heads instead to Nightbird; hopefully she would not require an appointment to browse their ready-made stock, or at least be able to set one up for the afternoon.
SpoilerSorry for the lack of content; this cold is killing my creativity. Back to normal soon, I hope.
Rhabie Promenade
Vandroy seems genuinely surprised at Mirielle's answer. "Really? They have me go through all that trouble to fetch you and all that came of it was that little talk and nothing after that, honestly?" His displeasure is quite obvious. "If that is so I feel even more bad about the whole thing than I thought before."
His displeasure however quickly turns to disgust at her tale. "Whaddawhat? Grafted teeth? Can they bite without a jaw... no no wait, best not to know. Geez, long as I can burn it I can deal, but that's messed up. So not awesome."
Nightbird House
This threestoried building with a brightly colored facade is the headquarters of the Nightbird Merchant House, specializing in all sorts of garments for women from simple to exotic, including hats, footwear and their popular 'special occasions' underwear. All staff, including a small security detail, is comprised of women and they have a decent stock ready to be browsed undisturbed, but there are several employers ready to offer help or directions to customers.
Spoileryes, according to the sourcebook they sell lingerie. Feels like an anachronism, but the introduction time of such things isn't mentioned in the kind of history books I read so who knows ^^
City Hall, Registration Office
Were it not for his already pale complexion, the clerk would have seen the color drain from Cael's face as he slinks away from the counter in search of a seat she cannot she see. Eyebrows!? What was I thinking...
He fills out the form as follows, borrowing aspects of the identity of a man he once helped to escape from Thay:
Name: Alhruar Elyrin
Place of birth: Chondath
Current residence: Lucky Coin Inn
Previous residence: Traveling
◻ Changing Personal Form
◻ Changing Memories of Others
◻ Changing the Shape of Wood or Stone
◻ Long-Range Communication(10 Miles or more)
◻ Controlling the Actions of Others
◻ Create Permanent Magical Constructs, Undead or Similar
◻ Disabling Effects(5 Minutes or Less)
◻ Disabling Effects(Over 5 Minutes)
X Dispelling Magic
Creating or Conjuring Elemental Energy
◻ Acid ◻ Cold ◻ Electricity ◻ Fire ◻ Sonic ◻ Other: _________
◻ Flight
X Illusions
◻ Invisibility
◻ Reading Minds
X Summoning
◻ Long-Range Teleportation
X Short-Range Teleportation
My Magic is
X Arcane ◻ Divine ◻ Other: ______________
Spoileralright, that is done, you can go to another scene now
Rhabie Promenade
Mirielle has not inconsiderable talent at recognizing emotions, and she doesn't miss the clear signs of discomfort on Vandroy's face. She continues, though, for if there was one thing she'd learned as a merchant's daughter, it was that a flustered man was an honest one. The mage had given her no reason to trust him and more than a few not to; far better to keep him on his toes. "Oh, no, it's just the teeth. Apparently it's like making a flesh golem. You take a leg here and an arm there, and then when you get to the head, you take out the original teeth and then put the special ones in. I don't know what kind of twisted mind would have that idea, but it was apparently a clever one. Their bites are quite nasty."
A pause. Now for the whiplash. "So what was the other job you did for the the men in the grey cloaks?"
Rhabie Promenade
"Huh... Wha?" Vandroy shakes his head a couple times; it takes him a moment to adjust to the sudden change of topic. "Oh, that. Quite interesting story actually, but not one to share on the open street.
I'm still trying to piece together who these guys actually are. You know what they say about friends and enemies and close keeping, but I always thought that saying neglects mention of those you're not sure about. Maybe you want to exchange notes on our mutual acquaintances or how am I to take that question?"
Nightbird House
That's more promising. Aya spends most of the rest of her morning browsing through the racks for suitable attire; it wasn't that she took any particular pleasure from the act of shopping, and principles that had been ingrained into her so deeply she didn't even recognize their existence focused her attention solely on her goal, but her.... vivid complexion rather severely limited her choices. Most bright colours were right out, unless she wanted to resemble a songbird, or a fruit tree. The purer whites of good fabrics clashed terribly with the bone-white of her hair, and one or the other always came off worse for the comparison. Black was workable for certain situations, but it would make her appear more aggressive than she wanted to, here.
Eventually she settles on a long, flowing skirt of dark brown, with a blouse in a slightly lighter shade and a dark blue waistcoat. Elegant enough to fit in, but uninteresting enough to avoid excess attention, or so she hoped. It wasn't perfect, but without time to procure the services of a good tailor, she had to pass up more than one garment for simple reasons of size.
Mirielle laughs. The Mage was amusing, she'd give him that. "Oh, it's always one or the other, isn't it? Best to keep track of everyone you meet. Why not? We can meet for lunch and trade stories. I'm interested in the men in the grey cloaks, and maybe between the two of us we can learn something new." Not quite scholastic collaboration, but close enough.
Rhabie Promenade
"Sure, got a place in mind? Flirin's is really good, but doesn't offer that much in terms of privacy."
Spoilerafter you agree on a time and place he will say his goodbyes
Nightbird House
The clerk on duty, not much older than 16 by the looks of her, can't help but pay a lot of attention to Aya's unusual coloring, and she looks flustered when she notices how obvious her staring must have been. "Sorry; good selection. Do you need a receipt?"
Spoilerclothes are as good as you pay for; the previous mentioned price range would give some very high-quality stuff, in fact I don't think one can go much higher than maybe 40 without using more exotic materials or looking fancier than you want to, at least not with ready-made items.
With his registration complete and some time to kill before Misti Marva's shop opens, Cael decides to take this opportunity to explore the city proper.
From Ravendark Castle, he heads north into Altarside, taking Raphiel Road until it hits Amandagar Street, where he turns east for a block before doubling back along Blacktree Boulevard. He continues on Blacktree all the way to the river's edge. From there, he winds his way through Bitterstone, following Fishleap Lane on his way back into Silverscales.
He makes a point of stopping into every open tavern along the way, checking for any job boards posting work in security or personal protection.
SpoilerI'm trying to get a sense of the various neighborhoods. Are there any trades or crafts that seem to be focused in either Altarside or Bitterstone? In terms of residents, do either area seem to be home to a particular race or cultural group? How well off do people seem in these neighborhoods, both with respect to each other and in comparison to Silverscales? Do they seem happy?
I'm imagining him spending maybe an hour and a half to two hours in each of the two neighborhoods. I don't expect to him to arrive at Misti Marva's until some time after it's opened.
Gather information check for job opportunities as described above: [roll0]
Nightbird House -> Market
Aya smiles as she catches the girl staring, replying, if not to the unspoken question, at least to the general sentiment. "Yes, it does make being fashionable rather more difficult. But I'm glad you think this will work." Handing over three platinum coins and five gold ones, Aya shakes her head. "I won't need a receipt. Next time I need a good outfit, I hope I'll have warning in advance, but for this... well, it'll work out."
After returning her purchases to her room, Aya spends the remainder of the afternoon wandering the Market District, seeking what gossip she could find on the Merchant Assembly. Tangential it might be, but it provided a way to pass the time until the revel, and there was always the chance of picking up a thread she could follow to some helpful end.
SpoilerYeah, that sounds about right. We'll go with 35.
Gather Information: [roll0] - recent decisions or activity, general sentiment, that sort of thing