Trifecta: City of the Tirenes

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

You find yourselves in the great port city of Elistarimal, recuperating from your last adventure, and replenishing your supplies. As you stroll through the market, a sign, pasted to a pillar, catches your eye. The notice reads as follows:

"Attention. Hardy Adventurers needed. Follow the great and noble tradition, and earn $$$! Legitimate professional work, no amateurs need apply. Interested parties inquire with Hamul of Akish, at the Silent Star Inn."

[Xilehxt]

A'kma the Crimson

Looking at the poster, a young man with unkempt shoulder length dark hair gives a small, barely audible sigh. His large, sharp red eyes dart quickly toward his companions then towards the ground as he thinks,

Ah, Styrr and Nenna will probably take this...how bothersome. Haven't had much time to knit since Master ordered me to travel with them..

He pats down his clothes as he attempts to keep walking as if he didn't see anything, his face expressionless as ever.

[Chancellor]

Dresden DeLay

Dresden looks at the note, intrigued about the idea of earning some gold, yet still skeptical.

Ah, far too vague. Might as well have a note that says 'Looking for Work?'

Dresden looks back over at A'kma and smirks, "Fancy a Pint?"

[Alicorn]

Nenna Shiruethe

The aasimar peers at the sign, running a hand through her silvery hair to tuck it behind her ears. "Awfully vague," she remarks. "That could either mean it's lying about being "legitimate professional work" or that it's either too dangerous or too petty to attract the typical adventurer... but it could also mean whoever made the sign just isn't good at making signs. Either way it couldn't hurt to swing by the inn and look into it."

Nenna then reads the sign aloud quietly for Styrr's benefit.

[Apollyon]

Zinnanda Mint

Zinnnanda glances at the sign. "Legitimate professional work? That means that we are either moving stolen goods or will be sitting behind a table, going over the inventory of some warehouse."

She gives an exaggerated sigh. "Well, if there's one thing that I'm good at, it's inventory. So we might as well see what this is about. If it turns out to be the former, I have no interest in taking the job."

[Alicorn]

Nenna

"Moving stolen goods isn't legitimate, is it? I mean, depending on who you steal them from, no skin off my nose, but "legitimate"? And if it were inventory I don't think he'd be looking for "hardy adventurers"."

[Apollyon]

Zinnanda Mint

"No one said that he needs to be honest on a sign. If he's really desperate and trying to fence things, I don't think that he'd have success advertising for 'Shady Professionals Wanted'. If we would be taking inventory and he needs hardy adventurers, I could certainly see having us count the number of trolls in a cage. The hardy part is necessary because trolls will rip you in half if you give them a chance to."

[Tortoise262]

Lorellia Lyrenth

Lori reads aloud, "'Great and noble tradition...' That sounds right up my alley. Though I never really thought of myself as a 'hardy' adventurer..."

[Xilehxt]

As he peers about his companions who were quabbling over what the sign could mean, he gives a shake of the head and a hand of denial to Dresden's offer. It was just past noon and the man wanted to drink? A'kma calmly thinks of Hamul and see what he knows about him while the discussion goes around him.

Knowledge:Local - (1d20+6)[26]

(OOC: Uh oh...natural 20 on a first roll on a trivial roll. This can't be good...)

[Turbit]

Tolbin removed his wide brimed hat to wipe from his brow as he approached his friends. It was a hot day already and would only get hotter. He noticed the sign that the other were talking about. He read over the sign as he listen to his companions discussing it's content. He shrugged.

"Any sorta work would do right now. I fear we are low on funds yet high on expenses", he before a smile crept on to his face as he took his wineskin, "I fear we are even running low on wine. A problem that needs to be fixed post haste."

[Chancellor]

Dresden

Dresden gave a toothless grin at Tolbin, "Agreed."

"Come along, people, we don't have all day." Dresden looked around at his peers, "Either come with Tolbin and I to the Inn or don't, its up to you." Dresden quickly spun around on his heels and began to walk towards the Silent Star Inn at a brisk pace.

[Apollyon]

Zinnanda Mint

"It will be interesting to see what he would have us do."

(OOC: I'm assuming that it's paper) She tears down the flyer and starts walking with the other two. "We might want this to show him when we approach him. With any luck, it will be inventory, so A'kma can get back to knitting."

(OOC: What's the policy for animal companions in the city? Do they stay outside or are they allowed in, but only if they don't start attacking people?)

[Xilehxt]

(OOC: A'kma knitting is...sorta private. Don't think anyone knows that he tailors)

Hmm, looks like the job will be fine. Just think of it as training...

A'kma follows the rest of the group, imagining that he was in his lab, researching a new spell.

[Tortoise262]

Lorellia Lyrenth

Lori follows, too, but reverts her attention back to the literature which she brought with her.

[Turbit]

Tolbin

Tolbin takes a final sip from his wine before staring at it falornly. "Tis nothing sadder...." He sighed to himself as he tucked the now empty wineskin back into his pack. Looking up he can see the rest of the group are already on their way to the Inn. With a curse and anither sigh he tries to catch up with them.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

When you arrive at the inn, after a short conversation with the innkeeper, you're ushered up the stairs to a small suite of rooms. The innkeeper leaves you with a swarthy skinned, lean man, dressed in unusual attire. A falchion longer than Nenna is tall leans against one wall. The thin man is in the process of packing away a number of parchments as you enter. He sketches a low bow before gesturing for you all to sit.

"My name is Hamul of Akish," he says, his words heavily accented, but intelligible. "You wish to discuss business, yes?"

[Alicorn]

Nenna

Nenna eyes the falchion with something between professional interest and a sort of visceral "cool!" reaction, before nodding at the man. "What kind of job do you have to offer?"

[Apollyon]

Zinnanda

Zinnanda pulls out the flyer. "I must say, that is an impressive weapon. I'm curious as to what would require someone who can wield that to seek outside help."

[Turbit]

After a quick stop at the bar Tolbin entered the room as he removed a silver spoon from his pouch. "May Aiath bless you with Wine, Women and Song!" He proclaimed to the man as he moved the spoon through a complex design. When he was done he bowed and placed the spoon in his belt pouch.

He moved to one of the preoffer seats and lounged onto it. "Do you have glasses or mugs, my good Sir? It is tradition for my order start our discussions with with a glass of Aiath's blessed wine." He said with his normal grin. "I will, of course, supply the wine." He hoisted his now full wineskin.


OOC: How much is a waterskin full of wine going to run me?

[Xilehxt]

A'kma sees the sword and is highly doubtful that the falchion can be wielded the short man that is before him. He stands at the back of the group, letting the others talk while he happily thinks of the calculations needed for a fireball.

[Chancellor]

"Business, eh? Well, that sounds fine by me." Dresden smirks, visions of piles of gold dancing in his head.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Hamul emits a deep-throated chuckle at the druid's question. "My chosen line of work is not to seek such adventure myself, but to work as a middle-man for those who do. Finding work is not always a simple matter, and finding steady, well-paying work, is even more difficult. My employers pay me a finder's fee for hiring groups such as yourselves. Which, to get to the point, is why you're here. A mage of my acquaintance wishes a particular relic in a particular ruin retrieved for him. Once he has it, he will have continuing need of a group to handle other such missions. I assure you, it's all strictly legal. No underhanded affairs, and no need to come cross-wise of the authorities. Sound like an offer you'd be willing to consider?"

[Apollyon]

Zinnanda

"It sounds much better than inventory. What needs to be retrieved and from where?"

[Turbit]

"Not to mention, how much are we getting paid and will we be getting any benfits?" Tolbin added.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

"Your initial fee will be a thousand gold pieces each-- paid in platinum. In addition, you make keep any spoils you find in the ruin, beside the relic in question. There's an abandoned mage's tower on the coast of the Sumaterian Lakes. Somewhere inside is a large crystal ball." Hamul holds his hands about two feet apart. "Your employer wishes to have that item recovered for his use. To his best guess, the item resides inside the workroom, although he's not certain of that."

[Xilehxt]

A'kma quietly listens, going over the stuff in his head.

Spoiler

Show

Knowledge(arcana) to see if he knows about this large crystal ball.
(1d20+13)[33]
Again to see if he knows anything about the mage that used to reside there.
(1d20+13)[31]

-edit-
...I'm at a loss for words. If this is where all my 20s are going to turn up...I better start saving them for when they're actually needed.

[Tortoise262]

Lorellia Lyrenth

Lori's heart leaps as she thinks to herself, This is just like the old story of Seth the Sage who wanted to find adventurers to explore the Misty Caverns to find his lost turtle! ... er, sort of... "Well this should be at least as exciting, anyway!" she blurts out. Oh, no! I said that out loud! Lori's normally-pale cheecks turn bright pink.

Spoiler

Show

guess I'll roll a couple knowledge arcana checks as well (same order):
(1d20+11)[26]
(1d20+11)[15]

[Turbit]

Tolbin

After seeing Lori's reaction a smile breaks across Tolbin's face. "Anything other then a book that excites even our little bookworm can't be bad. I've always said it is such a sad thing that such beauty is always hidden by the cover of a book. So what about the rest of you? Are we in or out?"

[Chancellor]

Dresden takes a drink from his mug and nods nonchalantly.

[Alicorn]

Nenna

"In," sighs the shorter of the two barbarians, although it is plain that she is disappointed that the job involves no vanquishing of great evil.