Tomb of Annihilation: Team Baldur's Gate (IC)

[Ra_Va]

Spoiler: OOC

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Team 2 / Team Half-Elf / Team Baldur's Gate

Team 2

Player	Character	Race/Class
Tome	Eida Brightmoon	Hill Dwarf Life Cleric
Emduck	Aralyn	Half-Elf Bard
Madmal	Ngozi	Half-Elf Sorcerer
gryffydd65	Dugan "Mouse"	Halfling Rogue
Caominthecape	Rikita Thearnamoc	Brass Dragonborn Druid
LazyNinja	Hroan	Half-Elf Barbarian

Spoiler: Ngozi & Rikita

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OOC: You two were the only ones with any indication of being in Chult and not with the rest of the party. You will be introduced to them soon but not until they enter the Estate. You are currently in the presence of Merchant Prince Zhanthi who employs Ngozi and believes Rikita can help with the situation and a friend of Silvane.

For the past several days, the talk of the streets and taverns has all been about the so-called death curse:
a wasting disease afflicting everyone who's ever been raised from the dead, even some names of heroes you have heard of are rumored to be inflicted. Victims grow thinner and weaker each day, slowly but steadily sliding toward the death they once denied. When they finally succumb, they can't be raised-and neither can anyone else, regardless of whether they've ever received that miracle in the past. Temples and scholars of divine magic are at a loss to explain a curse that has affected the entire region, and possibly the entire world.

You have all been given by various means invitations to the Silvane Estate in the 'rich' district of Baldur's Gate. You all have heard of Syndra Silvane, Lady of the house, either through reputation or asking around after receiving the invitation. She is a Wizard and was once a adventurer, not unlike the intellectual minded of your own party, though retired many years ago and became quite a successful merchant as the estate in front of you confirms. It is a private estate spaciously separated from any other housing. A large garden with exotic plants decorates the land around the road strait to the Mansion. You all are outside the gates, on each side of the gates you see a Coat of Arms, a closed brown book with a stylized 'S' decorating the cover on a blue field with a single black bear as a 'supporter', holding the crest. Those of you with an Intelligence of 14 or higher recognize it as a merchant crest and not a noble one.

The mansion it self is Large with 5 visible floors and looks older then the City of Baldur's Gate itself though it is likely a stylistic choice then one of truth, though the vines growing on the outside of it show some well deserved age. The grounds are obviously well kept, though there is no sign of who keeps them, the plants being the only visible sign of life and there is no and the gates opening by themselves one you all arrive.

Spoiler: OOC:

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If you wish to talk among yourselves before knocking on the door, I will give you that opportunity now.

[CaoimhinTheCape]

Rikita honestly did not think she would be back to Baldur's Gate, or the main continent. Certainly not this soon,
possibly ever. Even if this was a temporary excursion, she wished to be back in Chult. It was her new home, as much as anywhere could be home.

But she could not pass up this opportunity. Rikita had no idea how she had been on a Merchant Prince's radar, much less selected for some important mission. The bronze dragonborn did not know Zhanthi well, but was suspicious of anyone too important of a public figure. Still, the journey had not been a bad one and she had done nothing to provoke any ire from Rikita.

Rikita's focus shifted to the Half-Elf with them, trying to judge just who this other Chutlan was. "I am Rikita and it seems that we may be working together, going forward." Her gaze shifted toward the different sized ears and her face automatically frowns in concern. "Did someone crop your ear when you were young?"

[Madmal]

(OoC: You may want to read up again, Both of us are in Chult already.)

Ngozi uncrossed her arms and tilted her head quizzically at the.. dragonborn sitting across her. "Cli-clipped? Whaddaya mean? I'm a half-elf." She pointed at her right ear "Human" and then her left ear, the longest one. "Elf."

A weird question, but had at least managed to pull her off her head. It had been some months since Lady Zhanthi had bailed her out of jail, and while she had done her best to keep her head down... Weeell, she was getting increasingly antsy about the lack of thrills so far. She reminded herself that she shouldn't complain, since boredom was nothing over The Pit. And even if she managed to skip it, She would be back in Old Town...

"I've seen ya around" she spouted, to cover up the silence. "Around the dinosaurs, I mean."

[CaoimhinTheCape]

(OOC: Ah well, my bad. Either way, we'd be in the same place having a conversation)

Rikita thought to herself for a moment. 'They couldn't really be left half elf and right half human.
Could they?' Genetics questions aside, Rikita's ears perked up at the mention of dinosaurs. "Yes, that would be me. I do prefer taking care of the little ones but I am at most races in case some rider mishandles them."

The dragonborn pauses, unsure of what else to ask. "How about you? What sort of work do you perform?"

[gryffydd65]

Mouse moved away from the group and quickly knocked twice on the door. "I am so excited to get out of Balder's Gate
. What about you alll?

[Tome]

"I'm always excited to explore new places!" Eida laughs boisteriously in agreement. "Never been to Chult before, but I've read about it".

"Eida Brightmoon, priest of Selûne" the cheerful priestess introduces herself, offering her hand to Mouse.

[LazyNinja]

Though his eyes always drifted southward, the caravans Hroan had met up with after crossing the Sea of Fallen Stars has always been traveling west, and now he could go west no further. But the Companions, it seemed, had planned for this. Here in this city, the Gate of Baldur, a message had come for him.

The estate was large by the standards of these folk. Not as tall as a young beech, but sturdier. And apparently, he hadn't received the only invitation.

"I am merely passing through this city," Hroan replied, "but from what I have heard, it is more pleasant than Chult." He glanced at the others who had gathered before the gate. "I am Hroan, of the Yuirwood. The moon's blessing upon you, priest."

He turned his attention to the coat of arms, though it held no meaning for him. Reaching into his pack, he removed a carefully folded letter on fine parchment. "What do any of you know of this...Silvane?"

[Tome]

"Well, she's probably trustworthy" Eida affirms happily, "none of my fellows would have vouched for her otherwise".

"She's a retired adventurer turned merchant. A mage of some sort, I think. Didn't find out much more than that" she adds, tapping a finger on her chin as she gazes skywards pensively.

[emduck]

"A wizard, if I recall," agrees Aralyn. She holds out her hand.

"Aralyn Eildahar, at your service."

[gryffydd65]

The halfling moved his inked stained fingers together , "You may call me Mouse , I am a sage among other things . " He said eyes darting around looking at the group .

[LazyNinja]

"We could do worse than having a trustworthy wizard as a patron, I suppose," said Hroan, though he paused to check the lashings securing his maul. "Shall we go to meet her?" If the others oblige, Hroan strides past the gates.

[emduck]

"A sage?" Aralyn repeats.

[gryffydd65]

"Yes I do research on delicate matters, and sometimes I am called in to investigate said matters." Mouse explains to the young woman .

[emduck]

"Fascinating," she says earnestly, and then looks after Hroan. "Perhaps we should follow our friend here?"

[Ra_Va]

A few moments after the knock on the door a uniformed attendant answers the door. The attendant itself has a possibly unsettling but not an outright 'scary' appearance. 'It' is a grey skinned humanoid but devoid of features, bald, where a face should be is simply a flat surface, though it seems to recognize where people are and non-verbally acknowledges everyone. The Uniform attendant leads you up a grand staircase to the third floor, then
ushers you in to a wood-paneled room with a fireplace, comfortable chairs, and a heavy table bearing goblets and bottles of wine. The darkly paneled walls are hung with maps and sea charts. Racks , shelves, and cabinets
hold hundreds more rolled-up maps and charts.

A person is seated in an overstuffed chair near the fire. You can't discern a gender, because only the person's head emerges from under a heavy blanket draped over the chair, and an embroidered hood and silver mask conceal the wearer's face. Even the person's dry, raspy voice provides no clue. You hear the person talking to 3 Illusions. One of a well dressed human, a Half-Elf Urchin, and a Dragonborn. When they hear you come in the seated individual motions weakly at the heavy table.

"Help yourselves to wine, and seat yourselves, friends - I hope I may call you that."

[emduck]

Aralyn smiles through her nervousness.

"I think you may," she says, and goes to pour the wine. She pauses before pouring to look questioningly at the others, but not before the mask and the illusory beings catch her attention.

Spoiler

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Do I know anything about the hood and mask? (1d20)[6] +4 for arcana or religion; +2 for a different knowledge. And heck, can I make an arcana check on the nature of the illusion? (1d20+4)[17].

[LazyNinja]

"Unnaturalness," Hroan muttered under his breath as the group followed the faceless servant. Still, he didn't turn up his nose at the luxuries of wealth when they were freely offered. That would be rude, surely.

Once Aralyn poured her glass of wine, he filled his nearly to the brim, took a healthy gulp, and waited to see what these new people were about.

[emduck]

Aralyn spares half a smile for Hroan and then looks to the rest of the group.

"Would anyone else like something to drink?"

[gryffydd65]

Mouse looks around the room, his eyes scanning the many maps and charts.

[Ra_Va]

Spoiler: Aralyn

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The hood and the mask appear to simply be decorative in nature, though obviously there to hide the visage of the user, the mask it self is decorated grimly, almost like an ornate funeral mask some arch-mages tend to be buried in. Perhaps a tad dramatic but not uncalled for given their visibly weak condition.

The Illusions themselves appear to be a simple but expensive construction, essentially a way for two or more people to talk to, as well as look at each other over long distances

The seated figure coughs dryly.

"I hope everything is satisfactory. Cartography is a hobby of mine, hence the vast collection. Paid quite a price for many of the maps and charts here. I'm glad to see even a passing interest in such academia in such dark times as these which is unfortunately the reason I have brought you all together."

[emduck]

Aralyn swirls her wineglass while she considers this.

"What more can you tell us about these...times?"

[CaoimhinTheCape]

Rikita frowns at the scene, focused on trying to judge her possible teammates. They, at least, all seem to be more transparent than their employer. Whoever this person was, they started the relationship by concealing their entire body - for all she knows, someone could be posing as their employer.

She stays quiet, waiting to hear more.

[gryffydd65]

Mouse looked at the others as he sipped the wine, his common work clothes were out of place as the others looked all ready to go on this fine adventure .

[Madmal]

Ngozi stares curiously at the rest of the Illusions on her side, keeping herself in check to make sure not to embarrass her employer.

[Ra_Va]

Uniformed attendants take the blanket off the chaired figured and hand the figure, who now obviously has a feminine physique, a cane. She is slow about it but she indeed makes her way to the head of the table and speaks to the party.

"I was an adventurer years ago. I have closed the door on that stage of my life many years ago but it still effects me."

She coughs, this time a small but noticeable amount of blood appears on her hand, though one of her attendants immediately wipe it off.

"The death curse you've no doubt heard about is true and has struck me for my youthful mistakes."

She points at Eida, making note of her clerical vestaments.

"Never leave home without one."

She laughs slightly, amused by her own joke but this simply starts another coughing fit.

"I don't know how much longer I'll last before I perish. Clerics have no help to offer. They're stymied by what is happening. Luckily my contacts in the Harpers have learned that the cause of the death curse is a necromantic artifact called the Soulmonger. According to their sources, the Soulmonger is somewhere in Chult."

She points to the map on the table to a peninsula ringed with mountains and choked with rainforests, though the map itself isnt very detailed past a few miles from the coast line.

Spoiler: Map

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"I have gathered you all..."

She makes motions toward the dragonborn and half-elf illusions.

"... because within my sphere of influence, you either have the academic promise, the martial aptitude, or a combination of those things to acquire or destroy this artifact."

[LazyNinja]

Chult. At last, his destination was in sight. Hroan stared for a long moment at the map, taking note of the terrain and drinking in the details.

"You have my condolences." He addressed Silvane with a small, solemn nod. "It seems Death has become a jealous mistress of late." Then his eyes scanned the illusions of the dragonborn and half-elf. "Are these ghosts who have already succumbed to this curse?" he asked, frowning. "Have you questioned them yet?"

[CaoimhinTheCape]

Rikita gives Hroan a look somewhere between disdain and pity. "My soul has yet to leave my body and I hope for it to stay that way for some time. We are not ghosts, simply people who know as much as you."

She turns to Silvane (as much as her illusory self can) and addresses their potential patron with a neutral expression. "As much as I would like to rest easy knowing the afterlife is safe, I am in no rush to experience it early. Are we truly the most qualified to take on this mission? Surely you must know other adventurers who could embark on this mission. What makes this group special?" Rikita directs this question to the other adventurers as much as Silvane.

Even as she claims others must be more qualified, Rikita's mind wanders to the other guides she knows in Chult. Many of them were eccentric, many had their own quests to reckon with, and many were not reputable. Even if Rikita was a relative newcomer to Chult, she may be more reliable to Silvane than the other options.

[emduck]

Aralyn nods in agreement with Rikita.

"Is there anything else these...sources know?" she adds. She sets down her wine untouched, frowning as she thinks. "Chult is not a small island."

[gryffydd65]

Mouse looked at the map, "Just an educated guess but the mountain range B (sorry even blowing it up can't make it out,) of Flames seems like a good choice to hide something like this relic."

[CaoimhinTheCape]

"The Peaks of Flame would be an annoying location to get to, if that is our destination." Rikita says. "Not exactly the most hospitable place, if the name is anything to judge by."