Madness, Blood and Thunder in Ravens Bluff IC

[TheFallenOne]

The Halls of Mystery

For a moment Nadira looks appalled at the suggestion of waking up the high priestess. "The Lady of Mystery shouldn't be disturbed in her sleep unless the news is truly urgent. Leave her a written report, anything else would be way above your station."

[Sallera]

The Halls of Mystery

Aya waves a hand casually, unruffled. "Naturally. I didn't know whether she'd actually be asleep, is all; some people keep unusual hours."

Finding a nearby writing desk, Aya sits down to scribe a brief summary of the night's experiment.

The Lady of Mystery
Re: Recent Storm Incident

Nadira suggested I commit the results of this investigation to writing. I meditated upon the night of the storm as requested, and viewed the scene several times more through the lens of trance. The entity at the heart of the storm was present each time, although only visible when I looked at it directly. There were no further deviations from my point of view; I was in my own body as normal. I noticed also that the entity appeared to be quite aware of my presence that night; whether it was focused on the ship Arianna or its passengers, I cannot say. According to Nadira, no auras were detected during the process.

Aya Llewellyn
Order of the Shooting Star

Well, Dalair had said to stick to certain facts, so short would be fine. Folding and sealing the short missive with unmarked wax, Aya hands it to Nadira. "Anything else you needed to ask? If not, I should get back to work."

[TheFallenOne]

The Halls of Mystery

"Oh." Nadira pauses a moment, her outrage derailed. "Well, she does actually, but not tonight. I'll make sure she receives your report, have a nice day."

[Jeff the Green]

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Since Cardea's not responded yet, I'm going to move on, and if the conversation needs to be extended run it in parallel, if that's alright.

Misti Marva's, Silverscales
After breakfast, Mirielle pulls her cassock over her head and stows it in her bag, leaving her armor clearly visible, and thrusts her morningstar through her belt before walking through Silverscales to Misti Marva's pawnshop.

[Sallera]

The City -> Silverscales

Donning her gear, Aya sets out to roam the pre-dawn city. Ideas for Vachalan's assignment were beginning to circulate now that she was no longer occupied with chasing enterprising goblins, but only as half-formed notions; right now, the tale of Chemcheaux was giving her perhaps overly-ambitious dreams. But the preparations it would take to follow up on her speculations... well, they would be useful in other areas as well, so even if she failed, they'd not be a complete waste of time.

But business wouldn't really start up for hours yet. Night was valuable for gathering other sorts of information. And if she wasn't going to be causing trouble, she may as well see if she could solve any - as long as it fell within her job description, of course. The others... well, no great loss.

Once dawn breaks, she makes her way to Silverscales to begin narrowing down her search for this supposed mapmaker.

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Gather Information time again. One for Order-related stuff, just a general 'wander the city and see if anyone's been getting turned into squirrels' sort of thing as before. The other for Silverscales' skilled mapmaker.
Order: (1d20)[16]
Maps: (1d20)[14]

[TheFallenOne]

Sallera

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nothing of interest to the Order
nothing on the mapmaker naturally

JtG

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I rather not split timelines up, can get messy

[Sallera]

Silverscales and Elsewhere

Well, this was proving more difficult than she'd expected, although as a side benefit, she was starting to get a good feel for the layout of Silverscales, which might prove helpful yet if this Cybrarvain matter came up again. Aya was starting to wonder if this mapmaker kept a business at all; looking around might end up making her job harder rather than easier, if the mapmaker was the sort who worked on shady commissions. Of course, if that were the case, she wouldn't likely find what she was looking for there anyway.

Suspecting that she might need to do the work herself, and needing the tools in any case, she takes a break from the lingering smell of fish and heads for the artisan areas. Afterward, she heads back to give the search a last try.

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I'm guessing masterwork tools for surveying aren't exactly common, so GI to track those down if necessary: (1d20)[17]
Maps, again, which should take us into the evening: (1d20)[18]

[TheFallenOne]

Around the city

It takes a bit of work to properly describe what she's looking for, but after a while she learns that the Stonemasons Guild has the kind of tools she desires. Their headquarters called Stonelion House in the Holyhouses district is an impressive, high structure, all stone naturally, with tall, round-topped windows. The view on the flat roof is blocked by a kind of rampart, and two marble lion statues flank the steps to the main entrance.
The tools Aya desires were supplied by the Turning Wheel, and while this place is still busy at all times, the huge reconstruction business from after the war is mostly passed, so they're willing to part with some of their sureying gear.

Back in Silverscales, she finally has the luck of meeting a local who's cooperative towards outsiders. "You're looking for old Jorkk. Hasn't been in the Scales for years, he relocated to Bitterstone a while ago. Walk on the Promenade along the wall and you'll see his shop after a while. Has a faded sign with 'Pictures drawn' written on it outside. He's kinda deaf, so shout or write down what you want to say."

On her way out of Silverscales, she notices a lot of activity in a Restaurant called 'Flirin's Sea Morsels', with the visitors unexpectedly well dressed for the district, even some nobles under them it seems. Jorkk's building in Bitterstone proves a ramshackle house, one of the few made all from wood to be seen inside the walls. The sign mentioned is there and barely legible if you squint just right. Inside, a white-haired old man is sitting in front of a big table, the surface completely covered twice over with parchments, books and vials containing many-colored liquids. The man is currently drawing on a huge sheet of parchment and completely fails to notice Aya.

Misti Marva's Moonlight Pawnshop

"Oh, Mirielle, back in the city I see", Misti says with a friendly wave. "You got my message I see, I found out some things for you.
You said he's an assassin who likes to use fire, so I went with that. Here's a list of four fires from the last two months where foul play can't be completely ruled out. I restricted it to fires where someone died or was in serious danger of dying." She pulls a folded piece of parchment out from under the counter. "Another thing, while you were gone there was a fire in the embassy of Zhentil Keep. They say it was an accident, but they're not overly trustworthy folk, so maybe there's something there."
She pauses a moment, hesitant in handing over the parchment. "There's also another party interested in this Cybrarvein. I noticed him two days ago, and he's trying to track your quarry down as well. I noted where to find him, but it's a little convenient for him to turn up a couple days after I start my inquiries. It might be a trap, so watch your step."

[Jeff the Green]

"Thank you Misti," Mirielle says, accepting the paper. "I will be careful looking into this person. I don't suppose you got a name or description, did you?"

[TheFallenOne]

Misti Marva's Moonlight Pawnshop

"All on the parchment dear. He's called Alaister; has an everyman's face, so he hardly stands out, but it seems his green eyes are somewhat catchy. He sleeps in the Posh Paladin, until noon it seems since he keeps rather late hours. Rest of the day he mostly alternates between the Rats Nest, Seaman's Death, Salty Dog and occasionally the Halls of Luck. I don't know whether he is new in the city, but judging from his choice of frequented places he knows well where to find people of questionable repute with tales to tell."

[Jeff the Green]

About Town

Mirielle blinks and polishes her glasses to hide her surprise at Misti's thoroughness. "I don't suppose this Alaister will be too hard to find then, and I'll have some help when I do. Thanks again for this. If there's anything I can do for you in the future, just ask." She smiles and heads out the door, and reads the note while she walks.

First things first, she thinks. I need to get word to the others. Then I can poke around a bit. She heads first to her new apartment, making note of the nearest Red Ravens house. She she inspects it, making sure it's ready to move into, and leaves Keeva a note:

Keeva,
I imagine you're busy with the job interview, so I won't ask you to help, but I wanted to let you know that I have some leads on Cybrarvain.

-Mirielle

Then she stops by the Halls of Mystery and the Sanctuary, leaving Jorran and Aya identical notes:

Misti came through, and I have information about the assassin. I'm checking out some of it now, but one lead I'd like your help with. If we could meet for breakfast early tomorrow around dawn that would be wonderful. Let's say the restaurant we had dinner at our first night here.
-Mirielle

Finally, she heads to the site of the Zhentil Keep embassy and starts asking questions.

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I'm assuming that talking with Misti brings me to ~10am, and leaving the notes to noonish, leaving time for two GI checks before sundown. I'm using divine insight on both of them for a +10 bonus.

(1d20+15)[22]
(1d20+15)[27]

[Frog Dragon]

Jorran awakes, thinking about what he had come to the city to do in the first place. Blacktree had said his people would be watching him. Would they? Blacktree probably didn't have too much resources to waste, and keeping tabs on him probably would be a waste.

Still, if they did actually keep tabs on him, it'd only be good for him. He had been positively heroic in the last few days. Stabbing goblins solved a lot of problems.

But he definitely should seek further employment. He didn't exactly have contacts, apart from a tenuous and not very friendly one in Blacktree's manor. Nevertheless, the Sleepy Dwarf seemed like a good place to start.

Before leaving, Jorran inspects the note. Hunting this 'Cybrarvain' doesn't sound like too bad an idea. No-one likes arsonists. He writes down a short response.

I'll be there.
- Jorran

Then he leaves for the Sleepy Dwarf.

[Sallera]

Bitterstone, Jorkk's

Flirin's Sea Morsels, huh? Looks like a good place to do business. Or overhear business. Should keep that in mind. Filing away the name, Aya continues on to Bitterstone, eventually making her way to Jorkk's shop. Smirking slightly as her approach passes entirely unnoticed, she puts the slightest bit of intention into hiding her presence, pilfering a quill and a discarded scrap of blank parchment from a near corner of the oversized table.

Looking for a map. Accurate distance and scale a must, elevation a bonus. Whole city if practical, Swordspoint/Anvil/Temple area if not. Can you provide?

Replacing the pen in its inkpot, she waits until Jorkk lifts his quill away from a line so as not to inadvertently ruin a work in progress, then reaches across the table and taps on the wood, holding out her note.

[TheFallenOne]

The Sleepy Dwarf

The tavern is empty, except for a crookbacked greasy man and a plump woman in her midtwenties, the latter cleaning the floor from what looks and smells like a mix of bad beer, puke and piss, though the place obviously needs more than a cleaning job to be tolerable. "What do you want?" the man asks, collecting empty mugs from the tables. "We just cleaned out the last drunkards. We're closed until late afternoon."

Embassy of Zhentil Keep

The foreign district is sorrounded by a wall, separating it from the rest of the city, and while the watchmen stationed at the two entrances give Mirielle a look, they let her pass without incident.
The guards outside this dark stone structure, with scowling gargoyles on the mock battlements, are rather unfriendly and make it abundantly clear that they don't answer questions, nobody enters without an appointment and if she doesn't leave the premises right away there'll be trouble of an unspecified kind.

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that's for the first check, not getting through here. Use second roll on someone else?

Jorkk's shop

Once Aya is a couple feet inside the building, the old man's head suddenly snaps around. "Sneaking up on me, are you!" he says in the unnecessary loud voice of those with impaired hearing.
When she reaches for a piece of parchment, he interrupts her first attempt with a barked "No, not that one", waiting impatiently as she scribbles her message.
"Map of the city? Stopped making those years ago. So much of a hassle keeping up, they always make new buildings and tear down the old ones... And then the war, what a mess! I make many a map of lands near and far, at least geography has the decency to not change all the damn time! I can still make the most detailed map of the Bluff you'll find anywhere, but don't come running to complain because you can't find the old Scamper Bridge."

[Sallera]

Bitterstone, Jorkk's

Aya makes a show of considering, holding two fingers to the side of her face, then nods and reaches for the quill again, scribbling an addendum.

As long as roads and distances are accurate. Buildings less important. How much/when?

[Frog Dragon]

Sleepy Dwarf
Jorran looked around the tavern. It was bad. He wondered who would frequent a place such as this. Trying to ignore the smell, he spoke. "I'm trying to find someone. Have any of Blacktree's people been here recently?"

[TheFallenOne]

The Sleepy Dwarf

"One of Blacktree's?" The man snorts derisively. "This look like a place someone working for a high and mighty lord comes to? His gardener perhaps or the guy feeding his dogs. Not that I bother asking everyone who they work for, long as their silver is good."

Jorkk's shop

"Accurate as can be unless they popped a building in the middle of Griffon Trail without telling me about it." He pauses a moment, considering. "Will take a week at least, depends on whether you want just the city or the outlyers as well. Why you want the thing anyway? Not up to some smuggling business or the like, are you, girl?" He says the last word with an inflexion like it is something bad.

[Sallera]

Bitterstone, Jorkk's

Aya covers her mouth with one hand, miming offense, then smiles and shakes her head vigorously, as though the idea were ridiculous. The swiftly-dwindling space on the parchment has another note squeezed onto it.

Silly idea. Smuggler wouldn't buy important things in open. No. Trying to solve a problem. Need accurate measurements to test theory. And don't want to have to wait again if map needed for other problems.

Outliers may be useful as well, please. Time acceptable. Will pay part up front. How much?

[Jeff the Green]

Leaving the foreign district, Mirielle heads to the nearest of the four other fires to ask around.

[Frog Dragon]

Sleepy Dwarf
"I've seen the man himself here, but I see what you're getting at. Good day." Jorran walks out of the tavern.

He had hoped that Blacktree had chosen to close off this tavern for a reason, perhaps because they actually had contacts within, but it appeared not. Unfortunate. Knowing as little about the city as he did, he didn't have much to go on.

[TheFallenOne]

Jorkk's shop

"Ahunred and the map is yours, in two tendays or less. You want it in less than a week put on another twenty. That's the precision map, skilled siege engineer could hit a specific building on the other side of town without ever looking up from the parchment. Will be pretty big, so I have to use calfskin, so you better not be in a cult forbidden from using that."

Gowntown

Misti's note leads Mirielle to Gowntown, where five weeks ago one of the workshops of Dourmath House burned down. Dourmath, formerly Bentbow, is one of the Merchant Houses and specializes in producing high-quality furniture. After the death of Emryn Bentbow the members of the Guild of Fine Carvers and Furniture Makers pooled their ressources to take over the Merchant House, so far the only case where the guilds managed to usurp the leadership of a Merchant House instead of the other way around. They chose to bequeath formal leadership and the seat on the Merchant Assembly to the halfelf Ildryn Dourmath, their most skilled worker.
Common assumption and official report indicate the fire was caused by neglect when one of the workers passed out from the fumes of paint and glue and knocked over a lamp. The fire spread suspiciously fast, though the amount of sawdust in the workshop may explain that. Two workers died, another as well as a Red Raven were gravely injured. Some suspect sabotage, though Bentnow had fire insurance, so the damage was restricted to the loss of workers, a large backlog and an increase in their premiums. The victims had been the son of a Tymora priestess and a former sailor taking an apprenticeship.

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someone write something in the OOC, don't want to triplepost ^^

[Jeff the Green]

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If she has time, Mirielle will try to get the name of the son of the priestess and the priestess herself.
Gather Information, if necessary: (1d20+5)[25]

[TheFallenOne]

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The son was named Milandar, and the priestess Vanja.

[Jeff the Green]

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I'm guessing that takes me to evening, right?

[TheFallenOne]

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ayup <filler>

[Jeff the Green]

Eager for bed and desirous of resetting her apparently faulty intuition, Mirielle picks up food for a simple dinner before heading to her new apartment.

[Frog Dragon]

If I can't find them, might as well try to keep a sense of what's going on.

After failing to find anything useful at the Sleepy Dwarf, Jorran decides to go eat, though he will also keep an ear out for anything relating to Blacktree's and Ambrath's feuds.

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Gather Info: (1d20+1)[2]

[TheFallenOne]

About Town

While Jorran's attempts to track down Blacktree and his associates have no success, it seems he at least got their attention somewhere along the way. Early afternoon, a man in black armor and a grey cloak steps out of a side alley. The scarred, unsightly face is familiar; it is the one who you made first contact with and led you to the Sleeping Dwarf. "Boss wants to see you. The five of you, where Summoner meets Raphiel, tomorrow at the onset of evening twilight." His message delivered, he turns to leave without so much as a goodbye.

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he tries to leave, but you can still try to stop him

[Sallera]

Bitterstone -> The City

Nodding, Aya withdraws twelve platinum coins and places them on the table. Deal successfully arranged, she smiles and turns to leave. Return in a week, pick up the map... she might have to find someone to do the actual reading of the area, but perhaps Mirielle could manage it. Still, might be troublesome to get her involved... shaking her head, she starts walking back to the Temple District. That could be worked out later.

Mirielle's note is an interesting development. Breakfast tomorrow... well, that wouldn't disrupt any plans. After returning to her cell to pray, she wanders the city for several hours more before heading back to the temple to trance.

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Sounds like we'll be moving forward to tomorrow soon-ish. Filling the extra time with a couple more Gather Information checks.
Sarbreen's depth: (1d20)[2] - how close to the surface does it come, how far down does it go?
Wyrmhoard's owners: (1d20)[18] - 'speaking hypothetically,' who would one talk to if one were doing business with them?

[TheFallenOne]

Mirielle's apartment

"Oi, Mirielle!" Keeva seems quite cheerful as she greets her roommate. "I did it, I got a position at the High House of Magic! Their workshop is magnificent and I'll make a decent profit producing things there. They'll even let me harvest cursed, malfunctioning or just unnecessary items so I can put their magic into more useful things! And their vast library will bring me years ahead in my research, even the nonrestricted section is breathtaking and I only need to advance a couple ranks to get access to all of it whenever I want!" She pauses for breath after all this tumbled out in one constant stream in her sheer excitement.

Aya

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Wyrmhoard are the members of the former adventuring band The Flaming Swords. Once five, three are left; their paladin reportedly died thirty years ago, falling down a chasm, and another was caught by old age and sickness only a few years back.
The stout warrior Barendon Tulsnarr holds their seat on the Merchant Assembly, but it seems the mage Casheira Ansugelt has the most authority inside the group.