(IC) Festival of Heroes - Main

[baileydonald]

...since this town apparent main export is Ioun Stones, I will keep an eye out for such a shop that sells them, a place to get items enchanted with lesser magic, a place to purchase a small quantity of wood, and during my visit to the yet unoccuoied fairgrounds, look for about a 5' square area between boths that has a good view to and from fairgrounds walkway...(passive perception of 40)...as I work my way to the castle

[Wolfykins]

Aurora snorted. "Oh, I have seen hags," she said, raising an eyebrow.


The guard looked at the invitation in confusion.
"B-but, this invitation says you're participating in the Hero's Tourney. B-but, you..." he trailed off.


The pale, gold-and-platinum centaur chuckled and stepped closer to lay her hand on the guard's shoulder.
"Worry not, lieutenant," she said. "Not all heroes are what they seem, and some prefer to keep their secrets. There are many reasons to be cautious when everyone knows your face."


"Ah--alright. If you're vouching for this woman, then I'll let her pass..." the guard said, still looking befuddled and uncertain.


Aurora smiled and gestured for Jaylin to follow her.

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It was a long walk from the South Gate to the festival grounds. As Ghost walked past the warehouses, storage yards and granaries at the edge of town, he saw several storage yards stacked with lumber of various sizes, among the other raw materials stored there. As he walked by them, he saw and overheard people making purchases of raw materials directly from the storage yards.

Ghost had to wend his way through most of the curving Market District to get to the park that was being converted into fairgrounds. As he meandered through the curving streets of the Market District, he kept an eye on the signs on the various stores and stalls as he passed them. A number of shops boasted signs that indicated magic items could be purchased within. The larger, upper-scale shops at the edge of the district sometimes boasted illusory signs that shifted between words and images, advertising their services. One of the medium shops with an attached apartment displayed a sign in the window boasting a discount on enchanting existing items in honor of the Festival of Heroes.

After about 4 hours of walking, Ghost reached a large park that curved east to south following the angle around the coliseum just like the Market District did. The park was mostly beautifully manicured grass, with ornamental trees surrounding the outer edge. In the center was a large fountain depicting an angel with wings spread wide, water cascading down her feathers in a gentle waterfall into the fountain's basin. Narrow, rectangular flower gardens spread out from the fountain in a radial pattern, like rays from a sun or star, stretching for about 30'. Centered perpendicularly between each garden were two white-stone benches. The mosaic stone path that split the park in half length-wise circled around the perimeter of the gardens.

The grassy expanse between the path and trees was crisscrossed with a grid of ribbons denoting where vendors, hucksters and game-runners could set up. Many of the squares were already filled with piles of wood and fabric, or half-built booths. The grid had been carefully laid out to allow room for festival-goers to walk, so there was about 10' between each booth designation. The benches around the fountain in the center of the park offered the best view of things, barring what was blocked by the fountain. The fountain was about a 20 minute walk from the edge of the park where Ghost stood.

At the southern edge of the park, right where it bordered the Market District, sat a very large and very brightly painted shop. The rough stone foundation had been painted a riot of colors with little concern for pattern or contrast. The rest of the building was natural ash wood panels. Most of them were the standard pale yellow of ash wood, but a fair number of them had the gray tint of aged ash wood. The building was taller than most of the one-story buildings, with doors tall enough to accommodate even the tallest of large humanoids. Above the door was a sign reading "GEMSTAR STONES", and decorated with images of various shapes and colors of Ioun stones. Gemstar Stones was the most famous Ioun stone shop in Juvelnord. They were experts at their craft, able to turn out stones in half the time, or less, than other craftsmen in the trade.
A folding board sign sat on the sidewalk in front of the shop, boasting that orders of stones 20k or less could be completed by the end of the festival if ordered today.

It would be about another hour to walk the rest of the way to the castle.

[baileydonald]

A man walks, and still talking to himself.
"Well if I can't find what I need here, then I guess I will never find it.
End of the Festival...Bah...what I need they probably have on the shelf. Let's go and find out".

(Pushes open the door of the shop and walks in)

[Wolfykins]

Inside, there was a long, squarish, U-shaped counter all around the edge of the room, with the opening of the U facing the door. There were three rows of waist-high shelves in the center of the room, parallel to the the arms of the U-counter. The counter and shelves were made of the same ash as the exterior paneling, except it was polished to a fine sheen. The floor was a mosaic tile made of shattered pieces of unusable Ioun stones. Like the foundation of the building, the mosaic had no discernible pattern and had been laid down with complete disregard to contrast. Surprisingly, the walls were painted a matte white with no decoration of any kind. The planes of white were broken up only by large picture windows hung with vertical bamboo blinds. At the back of the store was a medium-sized door painted black. An "employees only" sign was nailed near the top.

Gemstar Stones was busy, unsurprisingly. There were half a dozen aproned craftsmen on the floor helping customers, and two clerks walking around behind the counter, showing off the more expensive stones resting in glass cases on top of the counter.
One of the clerks looked up when Ghost walked in.
"Oh, hello, hello!" she said cheerfully. "How can I help you this afternoon? Or would you prefer to talk to one of the craftsmen about a custom order?" she asked.

[baileydonald]

"Good day sir!, A man is in need of a request that might seem a bit strange. How much and how long for a Fresh floating rock? And when I say 'fresh', I simply mean that it floats about above the brow, with no other special enchantment, except for the ability to shed a constant continual light, or I guess you can be really fancy and have it turn on and off by command. If need be, I can wait while you assist others, I am sure they are spending more in here than I."

[EdgeGrinder]

Spoiler: Celestial

Show

"Throne room."

With a flash, Geiravor and Aurix were teleported to the throne room's circle room. She lead him arpund great stone columns and towards her silver throne. Before reaching the dais, she cut left and around to the dais to a open office. Clerks bustled in and out of the office. The clerks coming and going always gave Geiravor a bow.

They walked into the office find a hurried and stern looking, short, stocky Lashunta with a pair of spectacles resting on his nose. He was in serious discussion with a much calmer looking Aasimar women with curly blonde hair, light blue skin, and green eyes. She appeared a bit differently than the Princess. Upon noticing Her Majesty, they paused their discussion and bowed to the monarch.

"Aurix Kornari, this is Grand Chamberlain Unwin and Court Mage Hervir alvitr. Umwin, Hervir, this is Aurix. A former ally and tournament participant. Please tell them of your discovery."

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix bows deeply and says, "My Lord, My Lady," as formal acknowledgment. Then at the Princess's command, he says, "I sought the council of my god, Erastil, when I heard rumors at the East Gate of beggars being abducted off the streets. Despite divination with the god directly, I could not verify whether this was an act of evil, or if ANY acts of evil were happening in Juvelnord City that Erastil wished me to intervene in. I asked if Erastil was unable to see into the city due to being blocked by an evil god. His response was an emphatic and angry YES."

"This is all the information I have at this time, and I realize it is little. Yet I was concerned enough to seek audience with the Princess. I believe there are subtle measures we could take to verify whether citizens are being abducted and ensure future abductions do not take place, as well as begin investigating what evil god has blinded the gods of good to their actions in this city. I don't wish to cause a panic, but I DO wish for us to be prepared for anything that might happen."

"I hope my words are of aid to you, and to this city."

[Wolfykins]

"Oh, hmmm," the clerk said, tapping her cheek. Then she nodded, her short black curls bouncing. "Well, I can tell you we have two types of Ioun stones that might suit your needs, except they wouldn't be continual. If you actually wanted it as a constant, we would need to make you a custom stone. Come," she said, waving for Ghost to follow as she stepped around the end of the counter and walked towards the shelves in the middle.

"See here, we have silver spindle Ioun stones. The normal, quality stones enable to use certain 1st-level spells three times a day as a spell-like ability. Unfortunately, there are no 1st-level light-creating spells the stone can use. If the stone is an inferior, cracked one, it can hold an orison or cantrip, of which the spell 'light' is one. But it would still be usable just three times a day," she explained.

"And then over here, we have the vibrant purple prism. This Ioun stone acts as though it were a lesser 'ring of spell storing', so if you are not a spell caster yourself, you could get a spell caster to put any three spells on it that you wanted. They would then function at the caster level of the caster who put the spell there. Again, it wouldn't be continuous, but since 'light' is a cantrip, any spell caster you knew would be able to cast it in your stone as many times as you needed it," she said, smiling. "If this variety of stone were inferior, cracked, then it would hold only one level of spell. But since you only want 'light', that probably wouldn't be such a bad thing, right?"

"The price for a cracked silver spindle is twelve-thousand gold, and the price for the vibrant purple prism is thirty-six-thousand gold if it's quality, or only two-thousand gold if it's cracked. If you would prefer that we craft a custom stone that could provide light for you continuously, or with a command word, I can direct you to one of the craftsmen for a price estimate," the clerk said, inclining her head politely at her customer.

[baileydonald]

"Well then, I guess I will just ask the cost of a stone that simply floats. Although I am not versed deeply in the art of spellcasting, there is a simpler, more cost effective way to get what I need, so how much for a stone, that floats, yet not enchanted?"

[EdgeGrinder]

Unwin's antennae twitched slightly as he studied Aurix through his spectacles. "This does sound serious. I have been getting reports of missing transients from the City Watch. They have been looking into it, but it seems there is an organized effort to spirit away this people. Given our influx of tourists, you can imagine this is a logistics nightmare and thus the perfect opportunity to pull something like this off. If need be, I shall take to the streets myself." He went silent for a moment and his antennae rubbed together, searching his memory. His eyes glistened and his antennae stood at attention. "Now I remember you, Master Kornari. You assisted our Princess in foiling a dragon egg smuggling ring. I was quite pleased with your work.

Unwin glanced over to Hervir. "Do you have anything to add, Hervir?"

Hervir nodded, shaking loose some hair from behind her ear. The hair seemed to put itself back in place."If an evil god is afoot, there is little I can do to detect magical activity. However, I do know what patterns to look for in detecting it via mudane means. I have some agents I can call upon to do the footwork. I will prepare myself the best I can for powerful casting for the future if need be. Until then, I will attend to Her Majesty"

[Andrew Markham]

"I am honored you remember me, sir." Aurix nods to Unwin.

"I sympathize with your logistics situation. I asked the Temple of Erastil to begin reminding transients that they have a place out on the farms they can go. The government could reach out to other good temples and give their priests incentive to do the same thing. You could also pass a notice to the city guard to escort anyone walking alone at night, and to encourage transients to move to a temple or some formal shelter. If we could reduce or eliminate easy targets, that might spur any agents of evil to more visible actions."

"The Festival may be a good time to move unseen, but it might also be a time for action. I suggest that, without commenting on a reason, the city guard be stocked with additional anti-evil weapons and defensive items. They'll suspect something is afoot, but they will at least be ready." Aurix pauses, and in that moment remembers his common origin. His golden-scaled cheeks turn slightly crimson, and he lowers his head slightly. "My apologies if I speak out of turn. I just want to see this city safe."

[Milosh13]

From a nearby forest a Catfolk appears, walking toward the nearest city gate. Upon reaching the gate the 5' 5" creature holds out his papers and enters the city.

Approaching from a nearby forest, a cloaked figure walks toward the West Gate. This mysterious figure appears to be 5' 5" in height and just under the hood of the cloak a feline face can be see with piercing blue eyes. The catfolk approaches the guards that stand at the gate.

"I have arrived for the Festival of Heroes", the Draktoktor says while presenting his papers.

"Which way is the fastest by foot to the Castle?" he inquires of the guards.

[Wolfykins]

"Oh," the clerk said, looking disappointed. "Dull gray stones are old ones that have mostly run out of power. They're almost worthless. You could cast 'light' on any Ioun stone, though!" she said, enthusiasm returning.
"I highly recommend an amber spindle or a clear spindle! They are wonderfully useful! The amber spindle increases your resistance, and the clear one sustains you without food or water. Or, ooh, the dusty rose prism! That one is very nice! It increases your defenses! The amber one is ten-thousand gold, the dusty rose one is five-thousand, and the clear one is four-thousand. Surely you'd like something useful, even if it's just going to serve as a floating light?" she asked hopefully.

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The guard inspected Draktoktor's papers and nodded.
"Welcome to Juvelnord City, sir," he said. "If you stay on the main road from the gate, it'll take you straight to the castle," the guard said, "but it's a pretty long trip on foot! It'll take you about five hours. There are enchanted hackneys for hire all over the place right now though, so if you wanna get there fast, I recommend payin' the three gold for the ride."

[EdgeGrinder]

Unwin and Hervir smiled at Aurix.

"No no, Master Kornari, your efforts and concern are appreciated. Don't let this conspiracy distract you from the tournament. Now if you'd excuse me. I must personally see to this." Unwin said, gathering files and books before leaving the office with purpose.

Hervir headed for the door, following Unwin. "I have contacts to make. Princess, if you need me, I shall be in my Magic Repository."

Geiravor looked to Aurix. "Then, I should commission Director Budlidar to make weapons against evil as well as speak to one of my generals. Care to accompany me or do you have things to attend to?"

[baileydonald]

"Well if the burnt out one is all you got, that is fine, was hoping to get a new stone that just had the floating enchant on it, that way it won't look burnt out, but if that is all you got, I'll take it. Can you put the more continual light on it please?"

[Wolfykins]

"The old stones are just the only ones that do nothing but float. They're not made that way from the start," the clerk explained. "Here, I'll have you talk to a craftsman about enchanting one..." she said. She let Ghost over to one of the craftsmen who was no longer busy helping someone else. She leaned over and whispered in the man's ear, explaining Ghost's wishes.
The craftsman nodded a few times and looked at Ghost speculatively. He waved the clerk back to her post at the counter and held out his hand to Ghost to shake.

"Nice ta meetcha, sir," the ruddy dwarf said. "I unnerstand ya wanna permanent light spell on an ol' stone, or mebbe ya wanna have it activate wid a command word. I can do that, no problem. Iz not all tha' cheap though. There's two ways ta do it. One is wid th' lil' 'Light' cantrip an' make it activate on yer command. Das' th' budget option. Would run ya about, oh... hmm... Mebbe six thousand gold. But iz jus' a lil' cantrip, it's no good in any situation where the dark ain't natural darkness."
"If ya wanna light dat'll overcome some magical darkness, ya gotta go wid th' 'Continual Flame' spell, which is a higher level. Dat also means iz more expensive. Puttin' dat on a stone will en' up costing around thirty thousand gold. Parta th' problem is dat it costs more t'put magic on Ioun stones cuz they float and don't take up space on yer body. Th' stone bein' an old 'un dat was already made don't change dat fact, I'm afraid," the craftsman said, stroking his beard.

You may make applicable rolls to get information about this offer.

[Erealyn]

Jaylyn looked at the confused guard and says still using a hags voice "The filly" looking over at her "Aurora was it?", then looking back at the guard "is correct, this "form" (Jaylyn uses her hands to make air quotes) is just one of many i use to get around undetected, but I must say Lady Aurora, it takes somebody of impressive skills to see though one of my forms."

Jaylyn in chuckles using a normal young voice as her appearance shifts to her kitsune form (standing at 5 foot with golden fur, where it's visible, the shoddy dress becoming radiant white dress, the walking stick becoming a darkwood staff, and the tatter bag becoming a nice sky blue in color. 9 free flowing tails come from the back doing a waving up and down motion starting from the left tail going to the right) standing up straight giving her shoulders a good flexing "Oh man", she says "it feels good not to hunch over anymore." Jaylyn then looks back to Aurora "Please lead the way and oh forgive me for the hag comment sometimes I get into character too much, kinda a bad habit."

[Wolfykins]

Aurora chuckled again. "No harm done. It's probably saved your tails a few times, I'd bet. I almost couldn't tell you were disguised," she said, "and I didn't know what you were, just what you weren't."
"I've made it a point to learn to pay close attention to things. Sharp eyes are important for an archer, you know?" she said, tapping the bow strapped to her upper back.
"My name is Aurora Centauroi," she said, emphasizing the pronunciation of her last name as 'CENta-roy'. "I'm also here for the tourney. I'm afraid the princess is still busy getting ready to receive today's incoming heroes. She wasn't really expecting anyone to arrive before lunch. I can show you where you need to check in though, and then you'll have a couple hours to kill exploring or resting, I think."

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix looks around at the serious actions everyone has begun taking. "No thank you. I should go and prepare for the festival." Aurix looks at the Princess directly. "Thank you SO much for heeding my words. I feel better knowing that you will not be caught unprepared, whatever comes. If I am needed, for any reason, I am at your service." After hearing the Princess's response, Aurix requests an escort out of the castle.

[EdgeGrinder]

"Very well then. Farewell for now."

"Oh Bertram. Please show Master Aurix out." Geiravor called out.

A young man dressed as a royal butler appeared. He had white hair just as Geoffray. He lead Aurix to the nearest circle room, teleported with him to the Great Hall and saw him to the door out.

"Have a good day, sir." Bertam said as Aurix left.

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

General Gorrun Dunestrider had just returned from the training grounds when the Princess appeared at his door. He quickly threw on a simple cotton shirt over his heavily muscled 12' tall frame, his sleeves covering most of the twisting black knotwork tattoos that wound up his four arms, across his shoulders and up onto his face. He answered the door, standing at attention to the right as not to block entry. You're Majesty, I, ... I was not expecting you.

[Erealyn]

"Ah yea more times then I care to count and it's also stopped more conflicts before they became conflicts" Jaylyn said chuckling "But I'm sure you don't want me to bored you with stories of my travels, i'm sure bards have told many stories of the "Master Shapeshifter" and all the great things he, she, and it have done" Jaylyn distastefully speaks the last part, then realizes where she is.

"My apologies, I just get so tired of those blasted bards trying to one up each other adding more and more to the stories" Jaylyn then sighs and continues "Personally I'm just a guard to the main branch of the Lyn family and wish to be left alone to do my honored duties."

Jaylyn takes her second look at Aurora as they walk, "So you're entering the tourament, could you tell me more bout this event, in all my adventures I've never done one of these things and would like to know more about it. Can never be to prepared you know" Jaylyn then chuckles light-heartedly.

[Wolfykins]

Aurora led Jaylyn around to a side entrance to the castle, near the stables. The door led to a wide corridor with carpeted floors.

"I can understand how you feel," Aurora said. "Back home, I was no one important, and leaving the herd is a taboo thing, so that decision turned me from 'no one' to less-than-no-one; an exile. To my friends and family in the herd, I was as good as dead. But many centaurs from many herds do end up leaving to seek adventure or a higher calling, so I still get the opportunity to spend time with my own kind. We have a polo team, and we compete against mounted bipeds," she said with an impish grin.
"But I digress... My point is, I went from less than nothing to exalted hero in the span of a decade, but what other people thought of my deeds as a demon hunter really didn't change how I viewed myself. I'm still just the little filly who ran away from home because she had nightmares about being blown away by the wind if she failed to face the demons chasing her. So I understand the incongruity quite well. But I more find it amusing than bothersome, to be honest. Obviously, I've never been one to be concerned with expectations," she said with a laugh.

"So anyway, you want to know what the tourney is like? This will be my second one, though I didn't get very far two years ago. I wasn't quite ready for it, to be honest. I'm hoping to do better this year."
"Each morning when we get up and break our fasts with the other competing heroes, the day's roster will be hanging in the dining hall. The tourney lasts for four days, and the festival for seven. The first day of the festival, we march in a welcome parade, ostensibly to honor us, but truthfully it's so the people can see who's competing and get excited for the duels."

"The second day of the festival is the first day of the tourney. There's sixteen competitors, so there are eight fights for the first bracket. The coliseum has two arenas; a jousting arena and a dueling arena. Both will be used simultaneously, so there's two fights going on at a time. Which arena you'll be in and who you'll be facing will be selected randomly. The morning roster will tell you what time your match starts and which arena it's in, and you do not want to be late!"
"When you get to the arena you're going to fight in, you go down to the pit and select your tourney gear for the match. When the fight's over, you'll go back down to the pit and return it. Once both competitors have their gear, the Master at Arms leads you both out and announces who you are and what you're known for, and then he proclaims the specific rules for the match."

"If you're eliminated in the first round, you'll have the rest of the festival to just enjoy the festivities in the park east of the castle and arena. You'll also get to select from the bottom tier of tourney prizes, just for participating."
"The next day, there will be eight competitors remaining, and so, four fights. It works just like before, except if you get eliminated in the second round, you will win a sum of gold and be able to select from the second and bottom tier of tourney prizes."
"Then it's the semi-finals; four competitors, two fights, one in each arena. It all still works the same, and this time, if you're eliminated in the semi-finals, you'll win a larger sum of gold and be able to select from the top tier of tourney prizes, as well as the previous two."

"And then there's the championship. The final two contenders will be asked which arena they would prefer to fight in. If they both choose the same one, it takes place in that arena. If they disagree, it's decided by coin toss. The one eliminated in the championship wins an even larger sum of money and is permitted to choose two items from the top tier and one from each of the lower ones. The champion will get a lot of gold, and be able to select from the very exclusive and valuable champion tier prize pool, as well from each of the previous tiers."

"So the further you go, the more you get, and as long as you don't forfeit the match or get kicked out for breaking the rules, you're guaranteed to leave richer than you arrived," Aurora said cheerily.
"Then after the tourney, the sixth day of the festival is a day of rest, and we can do whatever we want. The last day of the festival is Solstice, and we have our farewell parade, and then there's a grand feast to celebrate Solstice."

By the time Aurora finished her description of the events to come, the two females had reached the end of the hallway. The wide double doors at the end of the hall were open, and inside was a large office with a stone, semi-circular desk. Behind the desk sat a gnomish woman with over-sized spectacles perched on her wide nose. She glanced up and smiled when she saw Aurora. Then she saw Jaylyn and tilted her head to the side.
"Who've you got there, Mistress Aurora?" she asked, her voice surprisingly musical.

Aurora gestured for Jaylyn to step up to the desk.
"Another one of the tourney heroes has arrived. She needs to sign in and get directions to her suite in the guest hall," Aurora said.

The gnomish woman pushed her dark green hair back behind her ears and smiled.

"Alright then honey, come on up and sign your name and I'll give you the keys to your suite. To get to the guest hall, you need to go back down the corridor you just came from and follow it to the front of the castle where the Great Hall is. Cross that and go down the hallway on the other side. Take your first right and go up the flight of stairs on the left. From that point, the key will guide you. It'll glow brighter the close you get to your suite, and change color when you arrive. It'll also glow red anytime your suite is unlocked," she explained rapidly as she picked up a scroll and flourished it open and set it on the desk facing Jaylyn.
"Now honey, don't forget to read the contract before you sign. It's nothing big, just says you agree to abide by the rules of the tourney and understand that breaking the rules will disqualify you. That's all it is, but I always say you should read everything before you sign it. It's just good sense, honey!"

[baileydonald]

"Master Dwarf, perhaps you misunderstand, all I want is a simple floating rock, with a simple fledgling spell cast on to it. So if the simple spell costs that much, can I just have a burnt out stone then?"

[Wolfykins]

The dwarf blinked. "Oh, ya don't want it built into the stone, ya just want th' spell cast onto an ol' stone... I see, I see. I misunderstood ya, son. O'course I'm a touch disappointed, bu' I'll live," he said with a chuckle.
"Awright, th' ol' burnt out Iouns are twenty-five gold on their own, and since ya want th' light t'be permanent, it has t'be the 'Continual Flame' spell, which requires fifty gold worth o'ruby dust t'cast, bringin' the cost o'the item t'seventy-five gold. It won't be any cheaper t'buy the stone on its own and cast th'spell yerself," the craftsman added, crossing his arms. "Unless ya have a way t'get 'round the spell's material component."
He gestured at the clerk who'd first greeted Ghost, and she came back over to them.
"Awright, the lad jus' wants 'Continual Flame' onna gray 'un," he told her, sounding faintly annoyed.

The clerk looked crestfallen.
"I'm sorry sir," she said to the craftsman. "I should have thought of that myself. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

The dwarf grunted and turned away to go help someone else.

"Please follow me back to the counter, sir, and I'll cast that spell for you," the clerk said to Ghost, her eyes downcast. She walked back to the counter and lifted a box up from behind the counter.
"You can choose any shape you would like," she said, gesturing at the box, which was filled with inert, gray stones that were all a dull matte. Even the ones that were formerly crystals lacked the glossy shine of ordinary crystals. The clerk reached back under the counter and pulled out a small metal tub. She pried off the lid, revealing what looked to be a fine, sparkling red sand.
"I can cast the spell as soon as you make your selection," she said politely.

[baileydonald]

"Just pick any ol' one, since there aren't any shiny ones"
(opens up the bag hanging on his belt to pull out the gold, places 75 glimmering peices on the counter)
"I told you many others are spending more in here than I"

[Wolfykins]

"Oh, yes sir, most people who come to this shop want expensive custom stones. We're not used to such simple requests. I don't think this shop has sold an item like this since the first year or two of our opening," the clerk said.
She lifted a palm-sized stone out of the box that looked like a sphere someone had squashed between their hands. She set it on the counter top while she measured out the correct amount of ruby dust from the tin with a tiny cup measure with a spout.
She picked the stone back up and began to chant softly. She slowly poured ruby dust over the stone in a specific pattern, and the dust began to glow a deep red. She carefully turned the stone over and over, expanding the pattern around the stone's curves. Somehow, none of the ruby dust escaped. It flowed in a smooth, consistent line from cup to stone. The more dust she applied, the brighter it glowed. When all the dust was applied and the pattern was completely filled in, so that the dust evenly coated the stone, she set the measuring cup down, held out the stone, and made a gesture with her now-free hand. As soon as her hand stilled, the stone appeared to burst into flame.
She set the burning ellipsoid down on the counter in front of Ghost.
"Here you go, sir, seventy-five gold, please. You need to grasp the stone and give it a little squeeze, and then release it, and it will float around you. You don't have to worry, the light only looks like fire. It won't burn you," she said.

[Andrew Markham]

With time to spare and access to the castle, Aurix decides to seek out a practice dummy in the training area of the coliseum. He pulls out his quarterstaff, imbues it with energy, and begins striking at the dummy.

Spoiler: Attack rolls

Show

Full Attack + Bite
(1d20+31)[50], (1d6+31)[36] damage
(1d20+26)[39], (1d6+31)[34] damage
(1d20+21)[30], (1d6+31)[37] damage
Bite- (1d20+20)[35], (1d6+24)[28] bite damage + (1d6)[3] fire damage

Aurix shifts his stance. His quarterstaff begins to thicken and sharpen, and Aurix shifts his grip from the middle to the bottom. Soon it has become a greatsword. Aurix imbues the sword with energy and lays into the practice dummy.

Spoiler: Greatsword attack rolls

Show

Full Attack + Bite
(1d20+30)[48], (2d6+29)[34] damage- potential crit
(1d20+25)[36], (2d6+29)[31] damage
(1d20+20)[40], (2d6+29)[35] damage- potential crit
Bite- (1d20+20)[40], (1d6+24)[26] bite damage + (1d6)[6] fire damage- potential crit

Aurix shifts his grip on the greatsword, maximizing its offensive power. He once again strikes repeatedly at the dummy.

Spoiler: Attack rolls

Show

Full Attack + Bite w/Power Attack
(1d20+26)[33], (2d6+43)[51] damage
(1d20+21)[38], (2d6+43)[48] damage- potential crit
(1d20+16)[34], (2d6+43)[49] damage- potential crit
Bite- (1d20+16)[35], (1d6+36)[39] bite damage + (1d6)[2] fire damage

[baileydonald]

*grabs said gem off shelf
"Thank you,and have a good day."
and with a quick nod, the man will walk out the front doors and begin meandering to the castle.
*Thinking out loud
"I hope the Princess will understand me, ...but probably not."

[Erealyn]

Jaylyn listen to Aurora story nodding understandingly, then focused when the filly started describing how the tournament was to be carried out "interesting I wonder if my usual tricks will work" Jaylyn thought to herself. then Jaylyn realize they was approaching another table, after waiting for Aurora to gesture her forward approaches the desk and bows respectfully "Hello, names Jaylyn, second in command of the Lyn family side branch, please to meet you"

Jaylyn then picks up the contract and reads it carefully, then taking the pen in her left hand signs it and hands the contract and the pen back to lady behind the deck. "Ma'am I always read any contract before signing, I didn't get where I was by rushing headlong into any situation" Jaylyn laughs then looks over to Aurora. "it's been fun chatting with you, to be honest I'm kinda hoping we face off in the tourney I want to see what you can really do." Jaylyn then bows respectfully to Aurora, takes the key and heads off to her suite.