AVB - Ishmael Mk II

[planswalker]

His eyebrows raise in surprise. "Of course. I understand that not all seek a public appearance. If you will just step here." He takes you off to a side booth.

"I assure you, this place is protected from prying eyes, both magical and mundane. You may speak freely here."

[Monodominant]

Ishmael smiles as he is lead inside and waits until they are out of earshot. He is still not sure he can talk freely so he stays reserved.

"As I said before my patron urged me to spend a night at the finest place in town. As such a table for me and for a friend of mine to your fine establishment is required for tomorrow or the day after since after that I will be detained with other matters. Should we find your establishment as good as it is said it is she may also grace you with her presence though I cannot guarantee that." he says and pauses.

"The name of my patron is Hordukka. Duchess Hordukka. And I trust that it will stay between you and me for she will be displeased even more than I will be if this becomes known..." he says seriously.

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No lies by the way. She did ask me to enjoy my time with Jeszleen anyway I can... she didnt say take her to that restaurant off course and thats why I structure it that way :D

[planswalker]

"The new up and coming duchess in court? For her, of course you will have something tomorrow. Do you wish to have a special booth or will a common table suffice?"

[Monodominant]

"If it is more private then special booth will truly serve me better. If it is the same then whatever is more convenient for you... I am already inconveniencing you by having you push someone of the list, I dont want to do so by angering someone else important..."

[planswalker]

"A private booth it is. And for a person with a duchess' personal favor, it is no trouble. Just please relate to her kindly of this humble establishment and how it would favor her if she were ever to come grace us with her patronage."

[Monodominant]

Ishmael thanks the man honestly and then departs. He considers going back to Jezleen to inform her but as she works on the morrow he decides against it. Instead he heads to the Sad Flint, after making sure to alter his appearance sufficiently, and leaves a message for her with her friend the half-giant bartender.

The message reads.

"You ask and I obey. We have a reservation tomorrow at 9 at Salawa's. I hope to see you there... I. "

He buys a large expensive beer to keep the man happy and stays for a while in the Sad Flint since this is where it all begun and he reminisces for a bit. He also, now that he is still not hungry, takes care to do the same thing he had last time and spend some time learning whats new in the city spending more money than usual to get loose tongues looser.

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Hunting for that +2 situational for a gather info check. Can spend up to 100gold to get it...

(1d20+13)[22] - time (1d4+1)[5] hours.

(the above doesnt include said +2)

[planswalker]

You spend a good portion of the evening, and you learn that something has the hobgoblins in an uproar in the slums. They've even put a hold on their operations to reclaim the Docks to initiate a manhunt. No one seems to know who they are hunting or why.

[Monodominant]

It seems his actions had caused a stir or the ratkin had moved ahead before he had time to form a plan. On one hand he could continue his work with those hobgoblins he knew to have slaughtered children and women or he could search the rest of the city for victims.

Still nothing should be done before he got his new graft to minimise chances he was discovered. For that reason Ishmael leaves the tavern and heads out to the temple district and tries to learn more about the target the Duchess gave him.

Gabriel Parahelios ...

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Knowledge local (1d20+15)[25]
Gather info (1d20+13)[29] - time (1d4+1)[2]

Also... is there a way to get the time I spend on gather info to be reduced? A feat or ability or something?

[planswalker]

You learn that Gabriel has kept up a very good public face. He often sponsors fundraisers for various charities and social works programs. He is even the sole patron of the Sunshine Orphanage for Girls, who takes needy girls off the street and gives them food and shelter and trains them to be respectable citizens.

[Monodominant]

Not believing a man like that can do anything other than for his own goals and reasoning Ishmael will start from the orphanage.

He will go to the place and spend some time observing it and learning the area around it.

[planswalker]

This late at night, the place is locked and closed. Does Ishmael really wish to break into an orphanage at night?

[Monodominant]

He breaks in and sucks the souls of all the children having chose a chaotic evil path full of POWER and no restrictions. (Anakin in the Jedi Temple flashback)

His intention is to actually scout the area for good hiding spots, guards and ways to enter the building undetected as well as the lay of land in the nearby area as he always does as a safety precaution rather than actually enter.

[planswalker]

His investigations reveal that, despite appearances, this orphanage will prove harder to break into than most noble estates. It has no obvious weak points of entry.

[Monodominant]

He makes a note of that impressive fact and check if there is a back door or any other door other the main. He will settle in his old habbit of observing the place to see any movements during the night. He will wait for about 4-5 hours at least before deciding his next steps.

[planswalker]

There is a back door, which leads into a gated play area for the children. There is no back gate on the fence, and the only other entrance is the front double doors. Each window is locked and shuttered.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael will try and climb (or use the cloak if neccessary to maneuver there) a nearby building so he can observe both main gate and back gate and spend the night there. If nothing happens for 3-4 hours he will sleep for the next six until first light.

[planswalker]

Nothing of note happens in that time.

In your dreams, the flaming cat is there. It says, you did not eat today.

[Monodominant]

"That is so. I ate alot the day prior to that and decided to go on a short diet. You must still be satisfied from the night before though... you were given enough and I even learned more about myself and about you..." he pauses.

"Plus I hear people are looking for us. There is commotion on the slums after my deeds. So its best to take it easy for a day and decide a course of action. I dont plan to feed you random people of the street for no reason. Only those I deem worthy of such punishment and those arent many... tell me though. Apart from humanoids and the like can you claim other souls? That elemental you showed me the other day... you neved in the end told me why it was frozen in place and where it came from... are there others such in the city? Maybe that would be less a burden in what consciense I have after dealing with you..."

[planswalker]

I can devour any soul or spirit in existence. We are limited only by your ability to draw out the souls of things. You should find it rather trivial to devour something made entirely of spirit, such as an elemental, a demon, or a spirit. When hungry enough, your vision will expand to see the spirits that are bound into the world all around you. The elemental that you found last time was a spirit which had been bound into the street to keep it in good repair. You do not have to kill humanoids for their souls. In fact, they are more difficult to consume than spirits, who do not have the protection of a dual nature to keep the spirit bound to this world. That was what you decided to do of your own accord. If you train for it, you can learn to discern the hidden spirits all around you without having to starve yourself.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael is especially interested in the demons part.

"So demons and devils could prove a tasty morcel and in practice it would even be a good deed... destroying a wicked demon for ever can only tip the balance in the favor of good. Does it work though with a summoned creature brought here from its original plane? I have heard said that even if a summoned creature dies it is not truly dead where it came from... but what if it wasnt just killed by utterly consumed?"

[planswalker]

I can consume them through the bonds of summoning. It is much easier for you to draw it in if it has been called here or if it has come here bodily. Summoned creatures are more difficult than mortals, but they can be done.

[Monodominant]

"That is indeed very interesting and something worth investigating..." Ishmael muses and smiles as this could prove worthy.

"By the way... are you willing to share information that you may have about the city? Like if there are particular places where we can find bound spirits like the elemental of two nights ago etc? Admittedly eating something like that means whoever put it there may realise something is very wrong and this would be a powerful university wizard... Also... what are the skulks up to now? Do you still receive human souls from them?"

[planswalker]

It is not I who can find them, but you. If you look and open your eyes, you will find. Think long and hard about where such targets may be found, and I have every confidence that you will find food to eat, however taxing such thoughts may be. Was the beast being sarcastic?

The skulks continue to sacrifice souls, yes, but I was only ever given enough sustenance to survive. The other herald, the deal-maker received the vast majority of that soul energy. It stockpiles that energy, thinking to gain enough energy to rip a hole through the cosmos and beyond and allow the Master to walk this world.

[Monodominant]

"To each his own I guess... maybe tomorrow after we learn some more on my main target, which regretably I cant offer us, we can have a look on those slavers I have heard about... it will be a good distraction..."

[planswalker]

Be careful that you do not put off feeding for too long, or you may find yourself feeding in ways that are most repugnant to you. If you starve yourself and do something in your hunger-craze that you regret, do not blame me. You willingly chose to crave soulstuff.

[Monodominant]

"Very well. I may need to postpone some other things but this will be done. It should be interesting to destroy some demons or devils..." he says as he lets the dream continue until such a time that he awakes.

[Monodominant]

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Bump.... for great justice!

[planswalker]

You awaken refreshed, but the hunger is beginning to make itself known again.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael will put on a more casual disguise, one he has used before for this, and visit Hagans to get all his loot identified. In order to feed the hunger with demons he would need cash to 'buy them'.

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Much like with LG, can we assume I get it done (just the identifying) and tell Rizban that Hagan is richer by 800 gold?

The items are:

pair of boots, two clubs, three daggers, a ring, and a belt that seem magical

(from my first victim, a known Lieutenant of the Khan)

You find a punching dagger, of course. In addition, you find a belt, three rings, two pairs of boots, and a cloak that all seem magical

(these are from the really tough former Khan guardian and the ones whose house I was in when he found me)

From victim number 2 (the one that had been a coward) I didnt actually take the items.

[planswalker]

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sure, just pm Riz to let him know he's 800 gold richer.

They are boots of striding +2, providing a +2 con bonus. 2 +1 clubs with lesser crystals of elemental assault, one to acid and one to cold. The daggers are the real prize here, for each is a +1 returning dagger. Ring of protection +2, and a belt of the manticore.

+2 vicious punching dagger. Belt of healing that has 12 charges per day, three rings of communication, which are a matched set. Anyone who whispers into one of the three rings is heard by the wearers of the other two instantly. A pair of boots of elvenkind, and boots of levitation. The cloak is a cloak of elvenkind.