...War, huh.

The shaman refrains from entering, instead choosing to spectate through the door.

Insight rematch vs. Valanor the unnecessarily-high-leveled dragon sorcerer. http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2956448/

Bernkastel (Insight): As far as you can tell... either Valanor's bluffing real good, or he's being honest about not telling anything to the palace. Though you do get the feeling that he's not telling anyone here the whole story.

"Good. Listen, I think that'n order tae avoid a worst-case scenario here, we need to get over to Many-Arrows and figger out what's going on there," Thalwynn begins. She looks at the warlord and says, "Ye say tha ye DID find a camp of orcs from Many-Arrows nearby, even if they're not tha ones behind the caravan attack. So Many-Arrows is involved, as they ain't sending scoutin' parties this far outta tha way for tha fun o'it." She returns her gaze to the rest of you and pounds her a fist into her other hand. "They know somethin'. And if they're interested in avoidin' war, they better be sharin' what they know. We need tae contact them... and keep a low profile about it."

Thalwynn suddenly sighs. Around this point in time, Thelkra wanders over to Valanor, and the two begin to talk in hushed voices.

Bernkastel and Sureiya (Passive Perception): You catch bits and pieces of their conversation, but it's not in a language you understand.

The dwarf continues her speech, "What's especially troublin' is that the palace is getting interested in ye folks. Yup, ye may even end up bein' called to the palace at this rate. That's somethin' I'd like tae avoid, but I need ye folks to stick around until we figger out what we can do about this whole mess, as yer the ones who know the most about it! Plus, I ain't got many others strong enuff tae go sending all the way out tae those untamed lands!" She stops again for a moment, then changes her tone, saying, "Well, hows about while we work out what we're gonna do about this mess, you guys get your rewards from the armory. Get something tae make ye stronger, because we'll be needin' ye again real soon at this rate. And keep yer heads down! I know it may seem weird that I'm so cautious about keepin' tha palace from reachin' ye, but once they've got ye fer their own purposes, yer outta my reach. Then tha palace is gonna start bossin' ME around, more than they already is anyways." She gives you all a stern look, and says in a tone that is not at all uncertain, "If tha palace gets wind o'this, it becomes political. They'll be gettin' the guilds, the parliament, and everythin' else involved. I wanna keep this on tha down-low until we get this matter resolved. If ye agree with that, stay outta sight, and get some rest."

>>1657
Indeed, it was a pleasure to work with you Lady Cragmaul. Anf don't worry about the palace, we won't say a thing.

>>1657
Michael tries to discern any sort of words from the conversation as subtly as possible.

He then responds to Miss Cragmaul's speech, saying,"Thank ye very much Miss Cragmaul. I understand the importance of keepin' this sort of thing away from the palace right now. The last thing ye need is a war."



http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2957837/

>>1657
"You don't mean the palace would start a war for the sake of... Just starting a war, do you?"

"Nay, that ain't really it," Thalwynn corrects. "I don't think they're interested in war either. But iffa they start bringing in various interest groups, it starts tae clog things up, ye know? Situation could escalate. I wanna deal wit' this quickly and efficiently, and that means keepin' it small."

Bernkastel: (Passive Insight) You kind of also get the sense that she wants to keep herself in control of the response to the attacks, instead of having to answer to the Grand Duke.

>>1685
"Good. Even so, I won't let them turn this into an incident, and pledge to resolve it swiftly and tactfully."

"We shall exercise utmost discretion, Miss Cragmaul."

Sureiya stays silent as he waits for Lady Cragmaul to finish.

"I think tha aboot covers it. Now git! Armory's waitin'." Thalwynn yells, then turns back to the two conversing over by her desk. "You two stop jawing and secure tha prisoner! And Thelkra, git yerself ready for a full debriefin'!"

Thelkra and Valanor turn, and the half-orc gives a brief nod before the two come over to the fallen fell orc, which Thalwynn removes her foot from long enough for the two to start dragging off.

>>1718
All too eager not to trouble Thalwynn any further, Torinn exits the room with little prompting.

"Now that we've finally dropped off the prisoner, what say we drop in on the armory and see what they prepared for us?"

>>1719
"That sound great Paladin, I would like to get some new equipment".

As you turn to leave, Thelkra calls out briefly. "Ah, hey. I found this on the caster earlier. I can't really get much use of it, so you can have it." After saying this, she tosses what appears to be a small, copper, runed rod to Sariel, who catches it with eladrin grace. She studies it briefly, and the adventurers then head out of Thalwynn's office and follow the familiar, circular path to the Flaming Fist armory.

Upon entering the room, you are greeted by a familiar sight: a male mul in plate armor sitting behind a large, mostly cleared desk, sharpening a rather large axe with a grinding stone, and hanging sets of armor and weapon racks filling the walls of the medium-sized room. Doors in the back lead to other sections of the armory, but they are closed off. The mul looks up at you when you enter.

"Good day," Brozwon, the mul armorer you met before, greets. "You're the adventurers from before. Back from your first assignment, I see? Good. Miss Cragmaul told me to see to it that you were properly rewarded for your efforts." With that, the mul reaches behind the desk and pulls out six small, brown sacks that jingle as he places them on the desk before you.

Each of the bags contains gold and silver coins amounting to 300gp.

"Now, in addition to this gold reward, miss Cragmaul has authorized me to allow you to trade in one of your enchanted items for its value in gold, just this once. Of course, if you continue to help out miss Cragmaul and the Flaming Fist, we may be able to work out better deals in the future," the mul explains. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

The half-orc remember the sword they found in the cavern, and then he take his old magical sword.
"I have no use for this now, can you give me something for this?."
Give to Brozwon the +1 Magic bastard sword

The mul takes the blade that Sureiya hands him, gives it a good look-over, nods, then pulls out a slip of paper and begins silently writing on it. After a few moments, the Brozwon completes the form and gives to to Sureiya: it's basically a voucher for 360gp worth of "credit" for the armory.

"My apologies if I was not clear before, but I'm not actually authorized to reimburse you in gold. However, we'll accept trade-ins towards the purchase of other magical items," Brozwon explains in a quiet tone.

Sureiya silently looks at the bag with the money and the voucher, and then he say:
"That's not a problem, I am actually searching for something. I need a pair of gloves that make my attacks more dangerous. Do you have something like that?"
Sureiya is asking for a pair of gauntlets of blood.

"If I get yer meaning, you want something to help you finish off wounded enemies?" Brozwon inquires. He then reaches into the desk, rattles through some things, then pulls out a pair of rusted-looking gauntlets. Despite their rusted exterior, they also carry faint traces of dried blood... and a soft, red glow from the fingertips. "These will do you real nice. Let's say... nine hundred gold pieces."

"Nine hundred ..."
Sureiya takes from his bag a shiny silver necklace (250gp), the voucher he recived from Brozwon (360gp) and the small bag he received from Brozwon.
"That should be enough, if there's any remain please consider it a tip for your services, comrade."

>>1771
The mul picks up the necklace, gives it a thorough inspection, then nods and puts it away. He takes the voucher and the coin sack back as well. "The change. Thank you. Will there be anything else?" he says, looking at the others gathered there.

>>1775

"Yes, I'd like to trade in this rod for one that would put my aura to better use, and this staff for a rod that would give me greater control over the actions of my enemies. I will pay for any cost not covered by the value of these items."

Hand him the staff of ruin and the rod of corruption, ask for a darkspiral rod and a rod of Avernus.

Torinn takes the trade in offer, setting down the blade he purchased before heading out, along with some of the contents of the money bag he had received.

"I would like to exchange this for a blade that allows me to better deal with a foe that does not confront me."

On a whim, he takes out the shodilly carved symbol he made in the cave, along with his trusty old longsword.

"Also, if you could, I would like this sword melted down, and to encase this carving in its steel, to make it a proper symbol of my god."

Trade in vanguard longsword and necessary amount of money for vigilant blade
Convert non-magical longsword and "holy symbol" into non-magical holy symbol, cover cost as necessary with gold

Brozwon silently takes Torinn's vanguard sword, inspects it to make sure it has no damage, gives it a test swing, then nods and puts it away. He takes two hundred golds' worth from the offered bag, and gives the remaining hundred back to the dragonborn.

"Very well, melting that down and encasing it around your holy symbol while maintaining the shape should not be too much of a hassle. We'll have those ready for you in the morning. It will take some time to have the new weapon enchanted and process the symbol, but your new sword should give you a similar function as the symbol with an enhanced effect," the mul explains. After doing so, he eyes the warlock's implements, admitting, "Well, I don't have as much experience with this type of thing, but let's have a look."

He lightly tosses the rod of corruption briefly, and doesn't look too happy about it, but stows it before looking at the staff. He nods a bit, saying "This one's always in high demand," then puts it away. "Well, I think I have what you're looking for here... this rod I'm thinking of inspires fear in cursed foes, and a rod that draws power from the powerful denizens of the Underdark. Be about two hundred and thirty gold to cover the difference." He reaches for the coinsack he handed over to the warlock, and extracts the proper amount of gold. "Again, it'll take time to get those enchanted. Come back in the morning, we'll have them ready by then."

>>1775
"Thank you very much, those look great.
By the way, well the thing is we might need to keep a low profile for a while, considering that idea, there's any good place we could use to rest? Or any place we should try to avoid?"

>>1805

"Understood."

"Going without a weapon for the night... troublesome."

>>1805
"Thank you very much. I'll leave it to you, then."

Michael takes his pouch of gold and thanks Brozwon for supplying him and his allies thusfar.

"Hello, mister ... Brozwon, right? Would you be carrying lighter armor than this chainmail? I'm hoping to trade it in... Oh, also." She reaches into the bag of holding, and retrieves the totemic warclub. "Would you accept this?"

Requesting a mere +1 leather armor, hoping to upgrade with ritual.

Brozwon peers over his desk at the shaman's fine dwarven chainmail, and nods. "Can always use more of that fine dwarf craftsmanship. So, you want something basic in terms of lighter armor, eh? I think we have some spare lying around here... let me fetch it." the mul wanders around in the back of the armory for a few minutes, before opening a chest, sifting through some piled leather and pulling out a simple, gray leather set of armor. He offers it to the shaman, saying, "Well, if it doesn't fit right now it'll adjust after a while. Magic and all. Give it time." He then picks up the warclub, seems to recognize it, and begins to write a voucher out for the shaman. It comes out to 640 gp. "I think that's the best I can do for you."

>>1837
"It looks just basic enough. It'll do."

A bit left over. Oh, maybe... "Do you have an item to help perform minor magic, like a floating hand?"

hoping hedge wizard's gloves

Brozwon considers this for a moment, then replies. "I might have something that would interest you." The mul heads over to a large bin, and rummages through it a bit before producing a pair of fancy-looking blue-and-gold patched gloves. He places them in front of the shaman and explains, "These gloves were purchased by one of our members years ago at a performance by a traveling magician. They amused the recruit to no end, but an injury forced him into early retirement. He left the gloves with us, but they still possess enough magic to perform a few tricks. Eight hundred and ninety gold pieces."

"...Injury? How ominous. Are they really safe?"

The mul doesn't seem to follow very well. "The gloves were unrelated. Though if you don't want them..."

>>1842
Somewhat unsure but noting her companion's approval, she accepts the offer. "Well, if they were unrelated, it should be okay. Would you also have some sunrods for sale?"

She pulls out the golden clockwork cockatrice from earlier, along with 10 gold pieces.

Remove chainmail, give to Brozwon with voucher, gold, and more gold. also requesting two sunrods

Brozwon nods and produces two sunrods from a nearby drawer, then hands them and the gloves over in exchange for the gold and the cockatrice toy. "A pleasure. Now, is there anything else I can do for you adventurers?"

>>1844
"I think we may be all set here. We just need to find lodgings for the night, so if you could tell us a safe place to sleep..."

"If you're looking for a place to stay, the Three Old Kegs is an excellent location, as I recommended before. It's affordable and high quality," Brozwon explains. "Though I'm unsure as to what you mean by 'safe.' I assume it's as safe as it comes in this city."

After a fashion, the party departs for the Three Old Kegs Inn, thinking it best to at least get their lodgings secure before deciding what else to do. The establishment is rather uncomfortably close to the Ducal Palace and some distance from the Flaming Fist headquarters building, but perhaps this will somehow help them avoid suspicion? It is a big city.

Upon leaving the Flaming Fist headquaters building, you are greeted by a cold rain. Returning to the cobblestone road which curves through the main market district leaves you a bit damp, though you reach the palace walls in fairly short order and find the four-story timber establishment, decorated with a signpost consisting of three old kegs hanging via chains from a roofpole above the door. It is a large building, and the doors are large and wooden, but open fairly easily with a loud creaking noise.

The inside is crowded, and the communal area is covered by several long, rectangular tables filled with humanoids of all breeds and genders talking and drinking amongst themselves. The walls are decorated with trophy heads of all sorts (bears and Illithids alike), fantastical paintings, and elegantly woven tapestries. The primary material for this inn is timber wood, and the stairs, walls, and floor are all made of it. Slightly shabby furniture, likely cobbled from all over the city decorates the floor as well. There are rugs made from the skins of various beasts covering the floors as well. However, the inn is somewhat quiet, as the inn's patrons are keeping their voices down and all the tapestries and the like keep individual rooms well-insulated from noise. A halfling man waits behind a counter at the far end of the room to provide you with the inn's services.

*Rooms are 5sp/person/night. Rooms range from single occupancy to quad, but there is no discount for sharing a room. Price includes stabling, a plate of bread, bottomless ice water, cold baths, and laundry service.
* Additional bread is 1cp/plate.
* Broth is 6cp/(large) mug.
* All wines are 6cp/tall glass.
* A hot bath is 3cp/person.
* Corpse disposal is 100gp/body.

"Well, I myself would like to get some rest. There's anything else we need to do before?"

>>1849
"I think that before then we may as well divide up the spoils."

"Well, we both got magical items, so the others ones should get the extra loot"

>>1854
Acknowledging Sureiya's input, Torinn and the group spend several minutes discussing the distribution of the items found in the dungeon. Eventually, a consensus is reached, with Sureiya and Myn agreeing to take nothing, Torinn getting a small share, "Bernkastel" getting a larger share, specifically asking for alchemical reagents, and most of the remainder going to Sariel and Michael.

Reagent distribution
0 gp's worth for Myn - total gain from this dungeon: 680 gp
535 gp's worth for Michael - total gain from this dungeon: 585 gp
335 gp's worth for ??? - total gain from this dungeon: 585 gp
65 gp's worth for Torinn - total gain from this dungeon: 585 gp
0 gp's worth for Surieya - total gain from this dungeon: 680 gp
585 gp's worth for Sariel - total gain from this dungeon: 585 gp

>>1855
Michael nods in agreement with the loot distribution, while thinking about what he's going to do at this inn.

The shaman agrees with the distribution.

Myn, relatively pleased with the recent proceedings, raises no objections to the distribution of wealth. Moreover, he moves over to the halfling, placing 3 gold pieces on the counter and requesting rooms for the night for the six. Adding a silver piece to the pile, Myn also places an order for a bottle of wine without any particular preference of type, and a hot bath, leaving the remaining piece of copper as a tip.

"The dragon was slain more easily than expected, so a slight reward is in order."

The adventures pay their bills, and are offered some wine from the local cellar. It's a bit bitter, but not terribly awful, and the vegetable broth and nutty bread isn't bad either. Not four-star restaurant material, but it's better than trail rations.

The rooms are small, but comfortable. A hulking goliath attendant will bring in a tub of warm water for anyone who requested a warm bath, and attend to any other needs the adventurers might have. The six gather and divide their spoils before retiring to their individual rooms for the night.

As said, we'll be advancing the plot tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to post anything else you want your character to do in the night. Be ready to level up and have your sheet up to date after this.

Michael wishes his party good night before heading to his own separate room. He requests a hot bath, some more broth, another thing of bread, and the best (or close to best he can get in this place, or nearest affordable) dwarven ale or ale he can get in a mug. Wine is hardly the best thing after what he's been through on that adventure. And if it's elven wine... Eugh.

During all this he thinks back to the adventure and what he can do to improve himself in the meantime... (Stuff like not using Viper's strike and instead digging deep to attack or resist effects better, digging deeper to heal himself better or something.)

Actually, Sureiya wanted to have a walk around Baldur's Gate, but the weather and the situation was against it. So he thanks Myn and the rest of the party and goes to his own room. There, he ask for a meaty broth, a good hot bath, laundry service for his clothes and a glass of light wine. He gives to the goliath a gold coin for his work.
Some hours later, before getting some sleep, Sureiya spend some time thinking in all that happened that day, I mean, they killed a dragon! unfortunately his performance before of that was not very good, maybe because of his hatred against giant bugs? Anyways he believe he got a lot of experience fighting that day, and he felt using one or more weapon at once was getting easier, and that with some luck will improve his aim.

Myn relaxes relaxedly in his bath, mulling over the practical use of a servant to read to him, avoiding the inherent danger to books that comes with the warm water around him.

Torinn bids the others goodnight, ordering an extra serving of broth and some hot water for a bath. He asks for him to return in a few minutes for the laundry, and the goliath attendant is payed two gold coins for his trouble. Torinn puts his bulky equipment away and settles into a bath, thinking over the past few days events; he didn't think adventuring would be easy, but he never thought it would be this difficult, either. All he ever heard were the successful stories of adventurers overcoming difficult obstacles and situations, but, come to think of it, wouldn't some of them have died before they could share their stories?

His introspection is interrupted when he notices the water has gone cold. He finishes washing himself in the chilly water and dries himself off, changing into a fresh set of clothes. It's gotten pretty dark at this point, and Torinn finds himself rather tired.

Just before he crawls into bed, Torinn kneels, closes his eyes, clasps his hands together, and offers a prayer to Bahamut.

"Great and Just Platinum Dragon, I understand that an unordained soldier of virtue such as I do not deserve to make such selfish requests of you, but please, if it is within your power and mercy, guide this unworthy soul so that I may protect and help others, and punish the wicked who would harm and exploit them. Please guide this unworthy soul into an exemplar of the virtues you stand for. Please, guide this unworthy soul so that my deeds can inspire goodness in others and prevent such atrocities as a pointless war. Please, guide this unworthy soul so that I may become as true a paladin as any other, and bring honor back to the Tormine clan." The painful memories make him wince, and he adds, in an even quieter voice, "And please, if at all possible, protect this unworthy soul's family from further harm; shelter them beneath your wings, until I am able to save them from their unjust fate. I pledge that, no matter what happens, I shall follow your doctrine, and sacrifice myself so that others need not do the same. Amen."

Having finished his prayer, the dragonborn climbs into the bed and is quickly overtake by exhaustion.

Continued.
>>1874