Adventurers' Guild Team Adder IC

[XiaoTie]

-------------Guest
Ian Luminor

He scratches his head after hearing Matthew speak about the weapons and notice the lack of armors.

“Pleased to meet you two, I am Ian Luminor. Unfortunately I don’t remember ever learning Goblin, but perhaps I could interpret the map and the runes somehow. Also, I noticed you don’t have any armor over there, maybe I could help you with that as well, I am an armor smith of sorts”, he smiles sincerely, making the scar on the right of his face shrink a bit as his lips moved up.

[DavidByron]

Sure take a look. Matthew casually hands over the map but watches Ian carefully...

I could help you with that as well, I am an armor smith of sorts

Well that does sound useful around here, although I don't wear much armor myself, haha. But these items are not are personal weapons. They were taken during last nights ... ??? ... well they were taken last night from some bad guys. We'll probably end up selling them through Lankin but some of this stuff could be really useful to someone.

For example do you have a crossbow? Do you have a good aim? And daggers are always good. You can never have too many daggers.

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I suggest we wait for the DM to see if Ian can pick up any details about the map like who made it (culture) and where they were (perspective / position) from details that someone else would miss. Perhaps you should make some sort of cartographer roll?

[XiaoTie]

-------------Guest
Ian Luminor

“I’ll take a look at those weapons in a second, I’m quite short on gold now”, he laughs and then starts examining the map more closely. He becomes silent as his eyes run around every part of the map; from the runes to the map itself.

Rolls

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Let’s see:

I’ll try a couple rolls; Profession (Cartographer) check to determine if the map represents either an underground area (as in a cave, or an area inside a hill/mountain) or an above ground area (It is not actually a roll per se, since I’ll Take 10 in this check), and a Decipher Script to check the runes

• Profession (Cartographer): “Take 10”
  Total: 15

• Decipher Scrip: “Take 20”
  Total: 27

• To check the map itself for further information about terrain and the likes, Profession (Cartographer): (1d20+5)[19]

I guess that is pretty much it

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Ian looks at the map and sees it is very similar to other maps he has seen of the valley area, though the Timber River forms the western boundary of the map, with only the eastern shore of the Lake Heart at the upper left hand corner of the deerskin. While Ian is not fluent in the Goblin language, he is able to sound out the individual characters and determines the words that they form sound similar to the names of the towns that they apparently label on the map. He recognizes the towns in the valley, but in the mountains at the eastern/right side of the map there are additional labeled points, which he assumes to be towns, but their names, if that is what the labels are, do not sound familiar to him. There is no additional writing on the map. There is a particularly grubby/smudged spot on the map at the town of Fishleap Shallows (the goblin script labeling it vishlip), which is northeast and upriver of Midford.

[DavidByron]

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Inserted Ian's speech in correct place

Ian Luminor:
He spends quite a while over the table examining the map, standing up to check the map from a certain angle with a certain amount of light, only to sit down and put his face less than an inch from the table to take the proverbial closer look. Upon finishing the map examination his lips curved up in a quick smile, and he began examining the runes.

Most of the time Ian spent was used to decipher the runes, as he was not familiar with the goblinoid language.

After his studies of the map in general Ian raises his head, slipping the fingers through his hair. “Well mister Matthew, this map of yours has indeed a goblinoid origin. This area here represents part of the valley near the eastern border of the Heart Lake and Midford. However this particular smudgy point over here upriver and northeast of Midford”, he runs his finger through the map pointing, “the goblinoid labeled it as something that sounds like Vishlip, around the equivalent of Fishleap Shallows. There are other labeled points on the mountains east of Midford, but I could not decipher their names” he sighs briefly.

“My guess it is that this map of yours was made to be used by the goblinoids themselves while traveling from town to town, or perhaps to locate the human cities and their own”.

Matthew:
Oh yes there's a sort of smudge there. Hmm. Like someone has been pointing at that part of the map a lot. It's not much to go on but I wouldn't have spotted that without your help. Thanks very much. Here, have a dagger.

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Don't leave home without one!
Just a normal one - I notice Ian doesn't have a dagger in his inventory.
Thanks for the cameo appearance

I assume that Fishleap Shallows is not on the Timber but on the other big river that joins the Timber at Midford and starts at the small lake in the East where the Orcish city is?




If so it's largely outside Matthew's stomping ground as far as Knowledge: Local goes.... and River Dwarves won't have traveled past it on the way down river.

Hmm. So perhaps Fishleap was their destination?

I don't think anyone at the guild has been out that way.

Vlax, maybe you could head down to the river today and ask if anyone coming down river from Midford has news out of Fishleap? Any word of Goblin troubles perhaps? I'd go with you but I have arranged to borrow Gylvin's spell book today so I'll be studying. I think Ioth is digging, Berwin is still not back from the graveyard shift and Fin might be interrogating our prisoner. Looks like we're all split up today.

I think I'll put a notice up saying we have some weapons to sell. The decorative dagger might be worth hundreds of gold just by itself. It's certainly very sharp, as I found out the hard way, but I can think of better things to spend the money on right now so I guess we'll let Lankin sell it.

[Bribri]

Fin walks in, fashionably late as always, hands in his pockets, glancing at Vlax, and Vlax. Saying a straight forward "Morning" The Equipment found only got a casual glance from him. Maybe a Crossbow, or a Javelin would of been useful last night, rather then just a freaking sling shot. None of which was really his style... but maybe he shouldn't worry about such foolish things.

He scratched the bridge of his nose thinking as it were "Don't suppose you made head or tails of that map yet? Or had a chat with that Woman?"

He noted Ian's presence in the room as well, nodding to him "Helping us out with this I'm gathering?"

[DavidByron]

Matthew is writing out his list of "for sale" items.

Fin, this is Ian. He's new here. Matthew repeats his hunch about the map. I figured I'd leave the woman to you for now... Matthew lowers his voice to a hush... but if I can borrow Gylvin's spell book today I plan to try and learn a spell he has called Charm Person. If you don't have any luck questioning her I might be able to yank the information out of her by enchantment.

Matthew then leaves the common room with his "for sale" list.

[Zyks]

Vlax

Sure, I can have wander upstream and see what I can find. Want me to go now or hang about a bit?

Vlax stands up and awaits a response before deciding wehter to go get his armour and greataxe.

[XiaoTie]

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Well I was prepparing a post when I had to make dinner, and when I came back there were already quite a few posts after Doc's, I'll leave it under the spoilers so anyone can use if wanted. Didn't knew that you used knowledge provided by the DM to another character for your own, well, it is a way to play.

-------------Guest
Ian Luminor

He spends quite a while over the table examining the map, standing up to check the map from a certain angle with a certain amount of light, only to sit down and put his face less than an inch from the table to take the proverbial closer look. Upon finishing the map examination his lips curved up in a quick smile, and he began examining the runes.

Most of the time Ian spent was used to decipher the runes, as he was not familiar with the goblinoid language.

After his studies of the map in general Ian raises his head, slipping the fingers through his hair. “Well mister Matthew, this map of yours has indeed a goblinoid origin. This area here represents part of the valley near the eastern border of the Heart Lake and Midford. However this particular smudgy point over here upriver and northeast of Midford”, he runs his finger through the map pointing, “the goblinoid labeled it as something that sounds like Vishlip, around the equivalent of Fishleap Shallows. There are other labeled points on the mountains east of Midford, but I could not decipher their names” he sighs briefly.

“My guess it is that this map of yours was made to be used by the goblinoids themselves while traveling from town to town, or perhaps to locate the human cities and their own”.

-------------Guest
Ian Luminor


“Why, thank you for the dagger, feel free to look for me if you have other interesting maps like this one. Good morning for you two gentlemen, and he leaves the room towards his room in order to write down what he learned about the goblinoids and the map.

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I'll take that this happened on the morning of the day that is now night on the Dingo IC thread and add the dagger to my inventory

[Bribri]

Fin Flow
Fin nod "I'll try to have chat with her. Don't think she'll be too wanting to be helpful though... sure as hell don't know how much I can trust a word she says after what she pulled after yesterday." He gives a wide shrug "But.. she ain't got nothing to loose now, so maybe she won't care anymore"

He glances at Vlax on his way out of the room to have a chat with the prisoner "Already been given another job eh? Say.. best try not to go too deep in it, just put an ear to the door ya know? Might be more of them critters waiting for you, best we fight them as a gang when it comes to that"

Continuing on Fin heads towards the Stables, after getting a few directions onto where the prisoners are being kept. Heading towards our poor lady prisoner, hands still in his shirts pockets as he walks along "Betting you had one hell of a miserable night. Don't suppose you gathered your senses any since being dropped off here?"

[DavidByron]

After putting up the list of weapons for sale and dealing with a Gnome who was looking for work, Matthew wanders into the library looking for Gylvin.

[strongoak]

Gylvin, Team Cougar Official shipboard mage of the Cougar Fleet

"Matthew, good to see you. Are you coming to study also or looking for someone? If you want, I'll tell you all about Team Cougar capturing a boat. Maybe we'll become pirates "

[DavidByron]

Well I wanted to try and learn one of your spells today if that is possible sir. He grins. But I'd like to hear what you've been up to... I think I can top it!

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Now if they'd captured the shark too, that would have been cool.

"sir" because Matthew's a bit intimidated by this 100 year old Elven wizard. A "proper" wizard as it were.

If you want to just say something like "they exchange stories that's fine... however much detail you want.

[strongoak]

Well I wanted to try and learn one of your spells today if that is possible sir. He grins. But I'd like to hear what you've been up to... I think I can top it!

Gylvin

"No problem on the spells. We need to stick together as guild mates."

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I'm assuming that Mathew gives me free acess to his spell book also. Feel free to take spells from mine & I'll peruse what interests me on yours

"As far as war stories, we did have a bit of excitement. We captured a mysterious woman with a dagger that Sharn says is a sacrificial dagger. Team Cougar are now masters of the high sea since we captured a boat!!

[DavidByron]

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Yes you can borrow Matthew's but you'll have to do it in "Cougar time" sadly it takes 2 days per spell so when there's a quiet time and we have money we should get all the wizards down for it and take a week off or something. Preferably at 2nd level when we'll have a bunch more spells.

Matthew doesn't have the 100gp to copy a spell into his own book today but he can still study and understand the spell which takes 1 day so that when he has the money he can copy it into his book more quickly. Also if he understands the spell he can memorise and then cast it using Gylvin's spell book. I want to use Charm Person to interrogate the prisoner.

Aha! Well we captured an even more mysterious woman with a ... uh ... ceremonial dagger...??? Gosh that is rather a strange coincidence. What did your dagger look like? We have a dagger with a red gem on the pommel and a swirly gold inlay pattern around it. Masterwork quality. Probably worth hundreds.

The woman - our woman that is - seemed to be working for someone extremely powerful. Frighteningly powerful. In fact you can still sense a very faint aura from one of their spells on some of the items we retrieved last night. Perhaps you should come and have a look at it... if you have a Detect Magic prepared that is?

Matthew will lead Gylvin back to the common room to examine the decorative dagger or other items if he wants to. There's something else too... there was a portal...

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Bil comes into the Common Room.

Bil
"If'n you're interested, that lady you captured over in West Bridgeport is awake. I made real sure it was her and not the one captured at the docks, they look so much alike they must be sisters. I don't think they know each other is there though, they're shackled in separate stalls and they ain't been talkin'."

[DavidByron]

Sisters? This is ... I suppose that actually makes some sense really. Fin's out there guarding them now, right?

To Gylvin and Vlax:
Better make sure your prisoner and ours don't get a chance to overhear each others stories. We'll have to move one. But where?

Anyway that's the dagger we "found" in my gut...
...if you wanted to examin it I mean.

All this just makes it even more important that I have that interrogation spell of yours. I better get back to the library with this indicates Gylvin's spell book. Don't worry sir; I'll guard it with my life.

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Thanks for the cameo by strongoak.
Lending the spell book and pointing out we have twin daggers.
No more is needed but you can do some more if you want.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Sisters? This is ... I suppose that actually makes some sense really. Fin's out there guarding them now, right?

Bil
"Yes, but I'm going right back out there. Best to always have two guards, at least for something so insecure as the stable we have there, in case one needs a break or one needs to go for help."

Bil returns to the stable.

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"Betting you had one hell of a miserable night. Don't suppose you gathered your senses any since being dropped off here?"

Adder Prisoner Woman (not making eye contact, but with a touch of scorn in her voice)
"You know, nothing you do makes one bit of difference. You're up against something so powerful you can't even comprehend it."

_____________________________________

Elga (to Vlax)
"I couldn't help but overhear that you wondering if there was any news from Fishleap Shallows. Well, I was just talking to my second cousin's wife Gerta at the market this morning - she lives in Midford, but she's visiting family this week - and she said it's actually quite odd, when she left Midford to come to Bridgeport it had been a week since anyone had heard anything from the Shallows. Of course, she left Midford a week ago herself, so I imagine the situation has changed by now."

[Zyks]

Vlax

So no news at all is coming out of Fishleap? Strange. Though perhaps not as sinister as it seems. Thanks I'll pass this on

Perhaps we should go investigate this, I'll see what the others think, and Bruce of course

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Is this incident out on the trail asking about Fishleap? or still in the guildhouse? If still in the guildhouse, Vlax goes to tell Matthew the news (or rather lock of) and then find Bruce and tells him too

[Bonecrusher Doc]

When Vlax tells Bruce about the lack of news from Fishleap Shallows, Bruce rolls his eyes.

Bruce
"That Gerta is just disappointed because there's no good gossip. Those Midford types like to think they're better than other people, and they love to find any fault they can with the smaller cities upstream."

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Vlax is still in the guildhall. Let's keep the team together. EDIT: Forgot this was the HQIC thread. You can go to the river if you want.

[DavidByron]

When Vlax tells Matthew about the lack of news from Fishleap Shallows, Matthew rolls his eyes too.

Matthew:
"Sorry, but I really have to concentrate on this right now Vlax. If something weird is happening there then you should be able to confirm it and get the very latest news down at the river docks. You could ask some of the River Dwarves. Entire towns don't just go missing. Someone's bound to have heard something."

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Sorry Vlax! Couldn't resist it
[hr]
EDITED: oops -- didn't see the stuff about not splitting up, though just asking random normal NPCs innocent questions is unlikely to get you attacked or whatnot.

[ubersquid]

Berwin returns to the guildhouse in the late evening. His shoes are covered in mud and his cloak is dustier than ever. Asking around, he gets back on track with the recent discoveries and then moves out back into the stables to finally scrub off the dirt from his shoes, at least the remains that weren't spread out on the floor of the house already, earning him annoyed looks from Ana and the others.

Joining up with Fin in one of the makeshift cells, he listens to the interrogation and looks at the woman with a pitying expression.

[Bribri]

Adder Prisoner Woman (not making eye contact, but with a touch of scorn in her voice)
"You know, nothing you do makes one bit of difference. You're up against something so powerful you can't even comprehend it."

"Look..." Fin walks on over with a slow pace, hands still in his pockets "Maybe you're right, maybe I can't do a thing about this. I'd say I didn't get half of what happened at that little shack of yours" Once he gets near he kneels over a tad hands on his knees "But, I won't know that until ya tell me. At least give me a chance to know what devil we're facing...wether I have no chance at all or not"

He shrugs lightly, brushing the hair out of his face "Besides.. if we're all doomed to burn, what harm does it do you to tell me now? Might be a good for yourself to get it all off your chest now. And... I don't know about you but..." He glances around "... if we're really no match for what's coming, and the final days are coming... this..wouldn't be the place I'd want to spend them....you're as human as I you can't be any different"

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Ioth walks down the stairs, well rested he had spent the last while praying to Io, he walked to the dining area and sits down, thinking to himself.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

"Look..." Fin walks on over with a slow pace, hands still in his pockets " At least give me a chance to know what devil we're facing...wether I have no chance at all or not"

Woman
"Very well, I'll try to explain, though I doubt you'll understand anything any better. What if were to tell you that your concepts of good and evil, of order and disorder, were all just tools your deities use to control you? That it's really just a lot of tricks and brainwashing? That the only true force in all the planes is power - not good power or evil power, simply Power? It's really so obvious when you think about it - through all time, there has not been a struggle of good deeds versus evil deeds, but rather of one entity trying to gain power over another and assimilate the other's power for themselves. And now the oldest power of all has rewakened, and all your gods and demigods will be exposed as charlatans, and all must accept their doom and be joined and lost in the re-creation force, or face the horrible, agonizing destruction of all who resist or fail - as do you, as did those fools on the roof!...(her shout dies to a whisper)...as did I..."

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Ah, good old moral relativism - the oldest trick in the book.

__________________________________________________ ___
Vlax goes down to the river, and watches as dwarves on a raft of logs skillfully steer their unwieldy vessel to the east bank of the river and lasso some pilings in the water. Through a combination of pulling on the lines to the pilings and paddling upstream, they slow downstream movement of the log-raft until it gently bumps up against the stone jetty. The dwarves cry out a thunderous cheer, grab their packs, and scramble onto terra firma as waiting human workers move in to disassemble the raft and bring the logs on carts to the sawmill. The dwarves gather off to the side as a man counts the logs in their raft. The man then walks over to the dwarves, who line up and recieve a handful of coins from each. One dwarf stretches, spies Vlax, and walks over to greet him in the informal way of the raftriders.

(slapping Vlax on the back, speaking in Dwarvish)
Raftrider
"Hallo friend! Strange to see a dwarf that I don't know here in Bridgeport! I've got coins in my purse and a thirst that needs quenching, why don't you come with me and my mates to celebrate a successful voyage?"

[Zyks]

Vlax

(replying in dwarvish)

Sounds good to me! should never turn down an offer to drink, 'tis bad luck. Lead on to the tavern!

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Vlax joins a crew of rafter dwarves in a favorite tavern of theirs nearby called "Muddy Boots." Even before the ale starts flowing, the dwarves are jovial, singing and slapping each other on the back, proud that they got to Bridgeport without losing a single log...or dwarf. He learns that the dwarf who invited him along is named Ulfreid.

Ulfreid (roaring genially above the noisy crowd)
"So, Vlax, tell me what you're doing here in Bridgeport if you're not a raftrider. No wait - let me guess. (he wags a finger at Vlax, smiling wickedly) You're one of those fellows with a taste for the exotic, and found yourself a gnome woman to wife, is that it? I can hardly blame you, you know. There's no more than three of us twelve rafters here who are lucky enough to have women back North; the odds are so bad now that there are a few young scalawags calling for the polyandry ban to be repealed!" He adds hastily, "Not in this crew, of course."

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@Zyks - feel free to post back whatever you want, but you may want to at least include some sort of question about news from Fishleap Shallows so that when the rest of your party is ready to go you can have Zan leave Muddy Boots and go back to the guildhall with the information you came for.

[Bribri]

Woman
"Very well, I'll try to explain, though I doubt you'll understand anything any better. What if were to tell you that your concepts of good and evil, of order and disorder, were all just tools your deities use to control you? That it's really just a lot of tricks and brainwashing? That the only true force in all the planes is power - not good power or evil power, simply Power? It's really so obvious when you think about it - through all time, there has not been a struggle of good deeds versus evil deeds, but rather of one entity trying to gain power over another and assimilate the other's power for themselves. And now the oldest power of all has rewakened, and all your gods and demigods will be exposed as charlatans, and all must accept their doom and be joined and lost in the re-creation force, or face the horrible, agonizing destruction of all who resist or fail - as do you, as did those fools on the roof!...(her shout dies to a whisper)...as did I..."

Fin stayed silent for a few moments, obviously a good bit skeptical at her doom-saying but it's clear she should of noticed that ".... well I don't know what to say about all that.... I always thought a man's gotta decide for himself what's right, and wrong. The Gods just have their own ideas like we do...... at least that's how I always figured it..." Fin brushed the hair out of his face again "..... Ok then, you got this.... 'power' Coming to kill us all... even the Gods too...but...." he takes a breath "What's that all got to do with Bridgeport? Setting up that Snake trap on us here, that whole chat we were suppose to have.. and that portal leading to the middle of the woods. What's 'that' have to do with this? What were you trying to do in the first place before this.... 'Power' thing showed up? Was the Fellah who killed your men a follower of this sleeping god...?... How did you find out about all this anyway?"

[ubersquid]

For a moment there, Berwin looks like he is about to explode, listening to the woman. His eyes open wide and his mouth is looking for words, when luckily Fin starts talking again.

"This is heresy..." He only mutters to himself now, calming down a bit again.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

The woman shuts up again, not acknowledging Fin's second battery of question.

Watching the woman's mannerisms and listening to the intonations of her voice, Fin comes to think that she genuinely believes what she is saying. Either that, or she's just a very good storyteller.

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This would be one of the few scenarios in which I might make a check in secret - in this case, a Bluff check (if she's Bluffing).