Of those Darker things in the shadow (IC)

[Mellhurst]

"Don't you feel good knowing the time? Plus it's like a toy for adults."

Vilac looks disturbed for a moment and more serious. "... wait, what, you don't have a soul?"

[OMG PONIES]

Peacekeeper

The warforged shakes its head and responds matter-of-factly, "Of course not. The warforged were created by humans, not gods."

[BelGareth]

Gillivane -

The halfling stops and looks at you over the rim of her glasses, "Address me? Oh, yes, of coures. My name is Peuncia Blackroot, family name, not one I'm terribly fond of..." she stops and realizes you are of no mood to hear her talk about her family. "Yes, well. I do believe you did not come here for a chit chat, what exactly are you looking for, if I know then it will make it easier for me to give your the appropriate resources."

Cognette -
As you speak a parchment and inkpen suddenly appear next to you and start writing everything down, the halfling at the table looks up after you finish and smiles. "I am indeed!" he beams.

Not long after that several invisible forces appear with a cart load of all the items you requested. He then takes you to the weapon section where a veritable armory of mundane and exotic weapons can be found.

OOC

Spoiler

Show

Go ahead and finish up anything you need for your purchases.

[Mellhurst]

OOC: flat rate before haggle/skip haggle?

Vilac purveys the selection, not quite sure what longsword to select. "You are certainly very fair, Sir... I respect you for that."
"Might I also tell everyone how generous you are? My word as an adventurer travels farther and wider with every day. If the Red Mage Cognette Vilac's sword is emblazoned by your runes you may see such a gift returned manifold, and with my gratitude."

"Well... I would also appreciate a flare scroll or some other form of trinket." she smirks.
Diplomacy (haggle/whine for gift) (1d20+21)[31]

...
"So were you ever an adventurer?" she asks, once they're done haggling.

[GuyFawkes]

Jessiah

Jesse floats around and absentmindedly goes through the trinkets and other baubles, going from one curious object to another as he is waiting for Cognette. He also glances at the warforged. What he said earlier is running through his mind.

A soul. What does having a soul mean? Am I better of than the warforged, having one? I do not think so.

[Hazzardevil]

With the calm and smugness he can have with everything else, Twin lifts off the floor with grace. That's because he had been flying a millimeter off the ground before, but no-one had noticed.


That's a lot of gold being spent there Cognette, I've met a fellow wjo carried similar objects, I believe his name was Shax, curious man and carried so much stuff if you emptied the bag on top of something they would likely be killed.

[Mystral]

Gillivanes rather blase experssion does not change, while sets down her magical backpack and opens it up. "You are right, I rather seldom chat, Magae Blackroot. The Location of the city I am looking for is called Greanlaele. If it really interests you, this morning, an elf came to this city and posted a.. I guess you could job notice, and me and my travelling companions are going to take him up on that, if feasible."

[Mellhurst]

With the calm and smugness he can have with everything else, Twin lifts off the floor with grace. That's because he had been flying a millimeter off the ground before, but no-one had noticed.


That's a lot of gold being spent there Cognette, I've met a fellow wjo carried similar objects, I believe his name was Shax, curious man and carried so much stuff if you emptied the bag on top of something they would likely be killed.

"Haha, really? I'll make sure to try that out soon. Thanks!"
...
"Fine." she agrees with Fred on the price, stuffing her new aquisitions down the bag there was just about enough space.
"Okay. Where to next? Should we go bother Gillivane or something?" she asks the others.

[GuyFawkes]

Jessiah

The tiefling looks up from his pondering at his companions. When he notices they are done with their purchases, he puts down the small item he is holding, a hairpin wrought of gold and embedded with small precious stones, and makes his way towards the door.

Outside he stands in waiting. His attention is taken by two halfling children playing on the other side of the street, laughing, shouting. He continues to observe them while waiting, and again his mind drifts off on its own.

[Mellhurst]

"And I'll have this fine piece of jewlery too, please." ~Good taste on that boy~ (price?)
Cognette returns outside.

"Thanks for showing me around Jessiah. Would you accept a small token of my appreciation for our continued work together?" she hands him the small, lacquered box the halfling set it in for her.
"I'm sure whoever you were thinking of will be really happy to have this." she says as he opens it.

[GuyFawkes]

Jessiah

Jessiah snaps out of his thoughts and and looks at Cognette, then at the lacquered box she is handing out to him. He stares at it for a few seconds, then decides to take it. He opens it and sees the same trinket that he had been looking at inside. He picks it out from the box and examines it again.

"I'm sure whoever you were thinking of will be really happy to have this."

And it would have, if she were still alive. The gemstones would have really matched her eyes.

"Thank you," he says in a low voice, but the gratitude in those two words is clear. He places it back inside the box and places it with care inside his haversack.

[BelGareth]

Gillivane -
The halfling mage stops and listens to you "Greanlaele, you say?" she smiles and continues to talk "I happen to know the place quite well, have family there you know..." she stops her self short and smiles "It's about 6000 miles from here, give or take. I could whip up an image of it if you like?"

Others -
Actions?

[OMG PONIES]

Peacekeeper

The warforged sighs with relief as its feet touch back onto solid ground. It lumbers over to the two halfling children playing nearby and draws two oddly misshapen metallic items from its pack. "Hello, little softies," Peacekeeper says, "Peacekeeper made these toys for you. Remember not to be evil, okay?" The warforged crouches down to give his gifts, but his enormous frame is little but a menacing, spiked silhouette to the young halflings.

[Mystral]

Gillivane raises an eyebrow as she looks at the halfling mage. [b]"Six thousand miles? Those elfs have to be insane to expect someone to meet their demands. We are supposed to be there in 5 days. A travel of this length would take the better part of a year, even on horseback, and with no diversions... I'll have to convene with my party members. But yes, I'd be glad if you would draw a map. Although, on such a scale, I'm not sure if it is of great use, even if it is very acurate.. How do you keep in touch with your family over such a large distance?"

[BelGareth]

She looks back at you slightly startled, as if what you said surprised her "Oh dear, I do apologize, we usually travel to an aunt of ours, she is a member of the council and a mighty wizard..." she stops and puts her hand to her chin thinking "You know...if you were to travel to her, maybe I could put a word in and she could 'help' you out, so to speak" finishing with a smile. "Her tower is only a days ride from here"

[GuyFawkes]

Jessiah

Jesse follows the warforged with his eyes and observes as he gives the little ones the toys he had been tinkering on earlier. What he says next strikes into him.

"Remember not to be evil, okay?"

Evil. What is evil? For a hollow tin man, a living construct without a soul to have such ideas. What do I know of good and evil? Until recently, all I was taught was to take life. It was my truth, my life, my creed. But I did not know evil. All I knew then was it was the right thing to do, what I was supposed to do. But then I met them, and everything changed. What is good, and what is evil? What does it mean to strive for one or the other? Not even knowing that makes me worse than a soulless mechanical being, I guess.

"...We should probably settle the bills with the tavern and ready our gear..."

[BelGareth]

The little halfling children giggle softly to each other and one tepidly walks forward and grabs a toy out of your hand. The others laugh hysterically and then all rush of to see the new item of play.

[Mellhurst]

Too bad I couldn't afford that spyglass even though it'd have been mostly useless or find space for the clothes, the fire and acid flasks, the sunrods, and there was some stuff here and there...
At least I got the sled and the water clock.

"I guess Gillivane might find us back at the bar sooner than we can find her..." Cognette starts making her way back while admiring her new purchases one at a time, but keeping half an eye out for pickpockets.

(Skill Mastery Spot: 10+12 = 22)

[Mystral]

"That would be very appreciated, I assure you. Is there something you request for the favor you are offering. I don't want to dimish my gratitude, but as a summoner, I am of the opinion that it is important that one asks for the price before accepting. A spell that bridges such a distance is very powerfull."

And far beyond my scope, Gillivane adds silently . Here she was, deeming herself as one of the most powerfull mages in existance, and this maga had an aunt that outpaced her by at least two grades of magic. There was some irony to be found in there, but she wasn't sure where to look. Instead, she tried to dredge up if she knew which aunt that woman was talking about. Surely, such a wizard would not have gone unnoticed.

[BelGareth]

Gillivane -
The mage looks to you and smiles "Ah yes, no need for payment my dear, You'll be doing my Aunt a favor an that'll be favor enough for me!"

She stops and puts the giant book down onto the floor, wiggling her fingers in the arcane gestures that you know so well and casts a simple spell, a silent image appears before you. At first just a glob of nothingness appears but then it transforms as the halfling concentrates, and then suddenly a tower of alabaster white forms, clouds skirting the tops of the golden roof, a small hamlet at the base of the tower. The detail is remarkable and once she is done making the final adjustments she walks with it, hovering above her hand, to a small desk where she pulls out an orb which she places below the image. Taking her hand away the image stays.

"You may study it as long as you need my dear, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Cognette -
You manage to see several pick pockets while moving through the crowds on your way back to the inn, but upon entering the establishment you feel as if your purse is a few coins lighter. It seems you were not able to see all the pick pockets this time. you lost 1 silver and copper piece.

[GuyFawkes]

Jessiah

The tiefling makes his way back to the tavern after Cognette. He goes back the same way he went earlier, silent and vigilant.

Spoiler

Show

I'm gonna do a Spot check. Maybe he saw who got Cognette's coins.

(1d20+17)[27]

[OMG PONIES]

Peacekeeper

Satisfied by the delight of the children, Peacekeeper plods recklessly back to the tavern. It sits at a table, causing the wooden chair to creak and warp beneath it. "Barmaid!" the machine calls, "One mug of grog, please!"

[Mellhurst]

Jessiah

The tiefling makes his way back to the tavern after Cognette. He goes back the same way he went earlier, silent and vigilant.

Spoiler

Show

I'm gonna do a Spot check. Maybe he saw who got Cognette's coins.

(1d20+10)[17]

'Nette taps Jessiah on the back. "Know what?" she blurts out anxiously. "Someone actually managed to pickpocket me."
She looks back at the tavern, lowering her voice. "... nothing important tho... Want to, ah, stay and watch the machine interact with the alcohol?"

She pulls out one of the bottles of dwarven wine she bought from the shopkeeper and passes it from one hand to the other "Catch" she yells to the machine as she lobs it in his direction.

(forgot to roll dice for the throwing, also she wouldn't mind if it was in a tightly packed area)

(1d20+10)[17]

conditional (if the robot catches it): "It is on me." Cogneette gives him a thumbs-up.

(later at a table if Jeremiah stays and hasn't said anything interesting to take Cognette's attention) "So..." she whispers after a while of slow casual conversation with Jeremiah over the snacks she ordered for them both. "What's your position on killing prisoners of war while behind the lines, raising the corpses of the dead, foe and neutral...?

[OMG PONIES]

Peacekeeper

Without looking, the warforged lifts a spiked fist to snatch the wine bottle out of midair. His mighty fingers grasp the glass so tightly, spiderweb fractures appear in the sides of the bottle and liquid begins to spill out. Peacekeeper smashes the top of the bottle against the table, causing the cork and the neck of the bottle to fall to the ground. The construct hoists the bottle above its eyeline and tilts it downward, wine splashing over its faceplate and dripping to the floor.

Peacekeeper couldn't drink. It was one of the many things it sought to do: drink, eat, sleep, dream, love. It was equal parts silly and sad to see something non-human desperately trying to replicate a variety of human pursuits. "Great grog!" Peacekeeper beams as the last of the drink spills from the bottle. It releases its iron grip and the bottle sails to the floor, shattering into little pieces. It wipes off its faceplate with the sleeve of its cloak and nods at Cognette. "Thank you," it intones.

[BelGareth]

Jessiah -
You fail to see any of the would be thieves that took the coins from Miss Cognettes purse.

Peacekeeper -
As the bottle smashes into the floor, the barkeep comes storming over with two thuggish looking men behind him, each holding a crackling baton, seemingly designed to subjugate any of those who would come afoul of the owner and of his property.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?" The barkeep asks, his mustache curls bouncing off his nose as he yells at you, you could see he looked like a man that was used to getting his own way and was not afraid of using the two men who stood like silent sentinels. "You can't just go around pouring booze all over the place and then smash glass on the floor! Not here, not in my establishment!" he continued. His voice lowering to a more calmly manner than before, his anger having risen but controlled.

[OMG PONIES]

Peacekeeper

Peacekeeper frowns as it realizes that it has upset the owner of the bar. "Peacekeeper thinks it is enjoying grog like the softies do." The construct raises a hand to scratch its head; usually, when the softies swilled their drink, there was laughter and revelry. They also sometimes spoke of a buzzing sensation, but all of this was absent from Peacekeeper's experience. Perhaps the warforged was doing something wrong.

"Peacekeeper is sorry," the machine voices, "and will clean up if there is a mop nearby." Turning to Jessiah and Cognette, they see a familiar sight--Peacekeeper's eyes enlarged as if about to cry, but with no liquid to spill forth from its tear ducts. "Was Peacekeeper's action evil?" it asks them with genuine concern.

[GuyFawkes]

Jessiah

"...sorry. I did not seem to notice either..." he replies to the lady. He tries to remember their way here, and could not seem to recall seeing the pickpocket. "...must be a good sneak..." he mutters to himself, and he is disconcerted by the fact that someone escaped his vigilance.

He nods at Cognette's question on staying there and sits down opposite the warforged, and he sits there quietly, looking around mindlessly at each people inside the tavern. When Cognette whispers about killing prisoners of war and raising them from the dead, he looks at her blankly. He pauses to think about it matter-of-factly, without a hint of irk or disdain on the topic at hand. He is about to answer when...

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?"

His hands instinctively dart to his holsters and his eyes follow the direction of the voice. He relaxes a bit when he sees it is just the bartender going at the warforged with his dirtying the place. He goes back to face Cognette and whispers back, "...If it is logical and tactically sound..."

He then looks at Peacekeeper and the sudden question of good and evil again goes back to him. He looks at the construct without a word, but in his mind he is assessing the question and comparing it with the previous one put forth by Cognette, and finds no answer.

[Mellhurst]

"Glad to hear it Jessiah.."
...
"Relax Peacekeeper. We both like you." Cognette answers with a smile, having already begun on the second bottle after producing it with a loaf and bit of a cheese, and offering Jessiah a glass.
"You're definitely a good person if a soulless construct can be good or-"

"Oh Proprietor... don't upset the warforged. How much to gently rough up your establishment for one night?"

"Or..." she looks cheekily at him. "... is this not that sort of establishment?"

As the barkeep considered her proposal Cognette glanced over at the Peacekeeper. How difficult might it be for the party, or just her, to manipulate it towards good or evil... and would such a course of action be delightfully horrid, or just wrong?



(later) "So, so... Peacekeeper? How long has it been since you were created... uh crafted?" Cognette giggled. "If ya tell us your life's story I'll try to find out how you can get drunk."
~hee... I think I know how...~

[Mystral]

"I shall do a sketch of this map, if you allow me. A very handy tool, that orb, by the way. Does it only hold the concentration for this spell, or is it able to sustain other ones, as well?" And so, Gillivane takes out her drawing kit, consisting of a set of high quality, fine tipped pens, inks and good papers. She raises it to her breast and starts copying the map, with quick speed, but some love for detail, none the less. While copying it, she converses a bit with the mage, talking more about the intrinsics of illusion magic, although the conversation touches other things, too. It is nothing you could call small talk by any stretch of the imagination, but Gillivane enjoys it enough that she even continues the talk after the drawing, an artfull representation of the illusion with good eye to perspective and detail, has been finished. After a while though, she excuses herself. "It has been a pleasure to meet you and I thank you for your help, but I have to meet with my friends, who will most likely be getting into trouble right now. I am sure we will find another day to continue this conversation."

[BelGareth]

Gillivane -
"This?" she asks, "oh no, this is just a little trinket, only capable of taking a minor image like this one."

The halfling Mage seems to enjoy your conversation about the intrinsic value of specific magical nuances that many apprentices would guffaw at, she seemed genuinely impressed by your vast knowledge.

You excuse your self and manage to find your way to the inn where the others of your group are handling a small issue with the barkeep.

Others -
The barman almost guffaws at the question but then looks you all up and down and realizes just who he is interacting with.

"Ah, apologys all aroun milady" he says bowing low to cognette. "I hadn known who the Warforged acquaintance's were, by all means," he finished by backing off and yelling at one of the guards, scuffing the man on the top of his head. "Yur darn idjit, almost cost me ma best customers!"

The barkeep is walking back with his stoogies just as Gillivane enters the establishment.