"On the subject, where is this pay? There is some equipment I wish to procure before our next departure."

At the mention of "pay", Remallia decides to interject, "You won't be receiving a full payment until the council meets again... but it will be substantial. In the meantime, the Harpers have prepared something to help fund your efforts, and I have access to enough to hopefully make a difference."

Saying this much, she provides each of the five members of the party a good-sized pouch containing various platinum, gemstones, and gold pieces totaling 8,000 gp.

"If you haven't returned from you adventures by the time the council is set to meet, it would be a relatively simple matter to stall them," Dala adds. "They won't want to meet without you being present."

Reiyasu graciously accepts the reward and places it inside of his magical bag. Then, after thinking for a moment, he makes a suggestion to the group.

"Wouldn't you think it is a good time to get some rest?"

>>78149
That's way more than expected. The shaman accepts. "Thank you very much. This will definitely help us a lot."

>>78150
"I still have to report to Mr. Valanor," replies the shaman.

"Well, maybe we should return with miss Elayne to see if she is done with the ritual," Reiyasu says.

Accepting the funds with a nod, Myn turns to depart.

"I will leave Mister Valanor to you. If I am needed, I will be at the market."

Search market for
-Rod of Avernus +1
-Rod of Cursed Honor +1
-Rod of Dark Reward +1
-Potion of Clarity (Lvl 5)

Sell
-Amulet of Resolution +1
-Leather Armor of Dark Majesty +1


Last edited at 15/11/23(Mon)17:21:28

Myn is able to sell his items at half price and find all of the magical items he requests, though doing so will take several hours of hunting down the specific items he wants.

Meanwhile, the shaman and the others are considering returning to the Arcanimus to check on Elayne's ritual progress.

>>78154
"If that's everything, maybe I should go back to Ms. Elayne." The shaman is ready to go hear the results of the Sending.

"Bernkastel" makes her way back to the Arcanimus. Immediately upon entering, Elayne looks over from nearby, where she was conversing with another elven mage of some sort, and walks over to address the shaman. The other mage bows and walks off, heading for another bookshelf. "Valanor was glad to hear from you, and should be returning shortly. He just wanted to do one last sweep of the outskirts before teleporting in."

>>78156
The shaman nods. "I understand. I'll just wait here, then, if that's okay."

Rather used to the place from her studies, she finds an empty desk and begins organizing her notes.

Last edited at 15/11/23(Mon)19:18:49

Reiyasu tags along with the shaman, and goes to the Arcanimus. Then, after listening about Valanor, he decides it's time to look for his son.

"If everything is fine now, I believe it is time to find Sureiya. Knowing him, it should not be too hard to find him if I take a peek in the pubs around the outer city," he admits with a smirk.

"It was a pleasure to work with you, miss Bernkastel. I hope you stay being friends with my son," Reiyasu bows.

>>78158
The shaman bows as Reiyasu begins to leave. "Goodbye, Mr. Yatagarasu."

Reiyasu departs from the Arcanimus and asks for a few directions once he's outside. Then he moves to the less glamourous areas of the city and takes a peek into a few ugly pubs, taking note of their names. Once he finds a suitable place, he gets inside and gracefully asks for their best drink, to the surprise of the barkeeper.

Just before the human finishes his drink, a robed figure joins him.

"It took you long enough. So, what's new?" Sureiya asks.

"Hello! I missed you as well," Reiyasu welcomes his son with a warm smile. "Our expedition was a colorful success, I would say. But you will have time to listen about it later. Tell me, son. How did your expedition go?"

"It was... interesting, at least. These fellas don't know how to use their gifts. I stayed with them just enough to learn the basics."

After talking for a while, Reiyasu gives to Sureiya his share of the reward, and the half-orc decides to head to the Arcanimus.

Last edited at 15/11/24(Tue)21:18:49

Sureiya arrives at the Arcanimus. The shaman is still sitting around organizing notes at this point, and Valanor has not yet arrived.

Sureiya uncovers his head from the robes and quietly approaches the shaman.
"Busy as ever, huh. I heard what happened from my father. Did you decide where we're going next?"

>>78162
The shaman looks up. "Oh, welcome back, Mr. Sureiya. Yes, we did. Will you be joining us again?"

Behind the shaman, the smaller spirit waves at the ranger.

Sureiya returns the wave to the spirit.
"Yeah, and sorry for not getting in time. After an unpleasant experience at my home town I found out I needed some training," he explains.
"I didn't have much time, and the place where I was being trained was a little suspicious. But I think it was worth my time," the ranger admits.

"Was my father useful to the group? It's been a while since he went to an adventure."

>>78164
"I see. Yes, he was much stronger than you."

The shaman then tells Sureiya about the two planned missions.

"Not gonna lie, he's pretty tough" the ranger smirks. "So, where's the rest? I wanted to see if Torinn still had Nightfall with him."

>>78166
"Mr. Tormine and Mr. Ramuh are both around here somewhere, and Mr. N went shopping ahead of us. Is Mr. Yatagarasu not coming back?" the shaman explains and asks.

"Well, for starters he said he wanted to have a night of rest before he decided anything else. But it seemed like he was not going to accompany us, at least," the ranger answers.

>>78168
The shaman nods. "Please feel free to look around for Mr. Tormine. He does have Nightfall with him."

The ranger shrugs. "Well, I'll find him later. So, how are you going with your notes?"
Sureiya will stay around, quietly looking at the shaman's notes, if she allows it.

It's about this time that Valanor, in his humanoid shape, strides into view out of the portal room. He quickly notices Sureiya and the shaman talking, and approaches, smiling.

"Ah, so you decided to teleport directly out of the Well! How went the mission?" he asks quietly.

>>78171
"Hello, Mr. Valanor. Yes, it was much safer than fighting or bluffing our way out."

Insight to see if that's really Valanor. (30) http://orokos.com/roll/347685

"Good, good," Valanor replies, nodding. "How successful was the mission, then? Did you recover any prisoners, or any other information?"

Insight: (Bernkastel) You detect no hints of deception. Valanor seems earnestly curious about how your mission went. He also seems a bit tired.

>>78173
"We brought back 19 prisoners, which seemed to be all of them. As for the mission..."

Here, the shaman repeats her earlier report, reading off her notes again.

"...but maybe most importantly, we met Lord Asgorath, the coiled figure from Mr. Halvangh's scrying. They seem to have taken the Fell King's memories and powers. Lord Asgorath should be around here somewhere, maybe with Mr. Tormine?"

Sureiya casually greets the golden dragon. "Hey, it's been a while."

Valanor briefly meets Sureiya's gaze and replies, "Indeed, it has," before turning towards the shaman with a serious expression. "I had not expected Daragoth to be dealt with so easily, and yet news of his survival is unsettling nonetheless. As for what happened with the Fell King--that is most troubling news indeed. I will need to tell Thelkra... and I should see her in person again very soon. Though my offer to help you reach your next destination stands, I need to attend to my own duties thereafter."

Pausing, he then adds, "As for... Asgorath... I admit that matter is a bit beyond my ken. However, it is something that I might need to inform the metallic dragons of when at council. It will help to emphasize the urgency of meeting with you adventurers." Giving a quick nod, the gold dragon in humanoid form adds, "For now, you should rest, and let me know what your immediate plans are. I will do my best to assist before proceeding with my own."

>>78176
"We were planning to help Mr. Silversprocket in Loudwater before our mission to visit the Sea of Moving Ice... I guess I should Send to him. But is it really okay to take up even more of your time? We could find another way there."

The ranger considers Valanor's offer for a little bit and answers as well.
"Reaching Loudwater should be no problem" he says. "Instead we might use your help to reach the sea of ice, but we can't stall you. The business with the other dragons is more important"

Valanor shrugs. "I said I'd take you to Loudwater after we finished at the Well of Dragons, and I intended to follow through on that. It's up to you whether or not you think you can find another expeditious way there."

"Heh, my bad" the ranger shrugs. "I guess it would be rude to decline your kind offer. If that's the case I'm sure the rest will be glad to have your help," Sureiya says.

Valanor gives a bow, and says, "No apology necessary, you weren't even present when I made the offer. In any case..." At this point, the dragon-disguised as a humanoid looks apprehensive, "I feel as though... has Asgorath... mentioned anything in particular about his role in Tiamat's rise? Does he truly mean to be a passive observer in all this?"

>>78179
>>78182
The shaman bows her head. "I'm sorry. Of course your help is the best way for us."

She then elaborates further on Asgorath. "I don't understand everything myself, but Lord Asgorath made a pact with Mr. Bahamut to gain a small body. Mr. Bahamut believed Lord Asgorath's counsel and aid would help us against Ms. Tiamat, more so than his own blessing."

"I haven't meet them yet, but they appear to be on our side" Sureiya nods. Then, he adds.
"Well, if we're to leave tomorrow, I should get some things readied. I'll meet you here at first hour tomorrow," the ranger says, as he leaves.

Valanor nods, "Of course. If I may make a suggestion, now is probably a good time to make whatever purchases you feel are necessary and rest up." He looks around, then adds, "I'd like to find and converse with Elayne and Dala as well, to give you all a rest. ...And perhaps Asgorath, but that can wait until Torinn is available."

>>78185
The shaman also nods. "Yes, I'll do that. When and where should we gather tomorrow?"

Once Valanor leaves, the shaman goes to the market as well.

Current main shopping list:
>Sending Fork - 1800 gp
>Secure Shelter - 1000 gp (if Rope Trick/Solace Bole cannot be found)
>Silent Image - 50 gp
>Stone Shape - 680 gp (if Passwall cannot be found)

On the lookout for any of the following:
>Crystal Ball (heroic tier) - 3400 gp
>Passwall - 2600 gp
>Reverse Portal - 2600 gp
>Rope Trick - 4500 gp
>Solace Bole - 2600 gp

I will need to confirm what is and isn't available before I subtract the costs, and also probably spend more gold on reagents.
Depending on player demand, a couple more lower-level rituals may also be purchased.
In the market, if the shaman runs into a party member, she will mention the meeting place and time for the next day.
After shopping, the shaman plans to Send to Sid using the Sending Fork and Ritual Points.
She can then use Sending two more times without spending reagents, which can probably be used to help communicate with other missing party members.

Last edited at 15/12/01(Tue)14:35:33

Valanor shrugs and says, "Any place you wish, though in front of the Waterdeep keep would be convenient. I'll be ready in the early morning."

The shaman is able to locate and purchase a sending fork, and ritual books containing the the secure shelter, silent image, and stone shape rituals. She has some trouble wresting the books from the grasp of a greedy wizard vendor, until a nearby guard identifies Bernkastel as an associate of the Waterdeep councilors.

The rarer items seem to be nowhere to be found in Waterdeep. Contacting Sid reveals that he is standing by in Loudwater, and though his investigations have proven fruitful, he will need the party's assistance to proceed. He believes the people he spoke of earlier are in fact here, and investigating a location not far from the village. They have yet to make any hostile actions towards the townspeople, but he doesn't want to approach them or talk to them alone.

>>78187
After shopping for some reagents, the shaman eventually heads off to a nearby inn, and aside from contacting Sid, begrudgingly Sends to each party member to inform them of the meeting in front of Waterdeep Keep. She then sets to reading one of the ritual books.

The shaman buys 2063.4 gp of alchemical reagents.

Four more Sendings, one each to Myn, Torinn, Sureiya, and Ramuh, telling them when and where we'll be meeting. First two are from Ritual Points, but the last two cost 100 gp of reagents total.

Mastering the Silent Image ritual for now.

Myn replies in the affirmative and heads to an inn for the night.

The ranger procures a few things and goes to rest in an inn.
Buy cold-weather clothing and 2 frozen whetstones, 210gp.

Much later, in the inn, the shaman tries to commune with the spirit of Asgorath with a quick prayer.

The diminutive dragon appears in response to the shaman's attempts at communion.

Thou seeketh counsel, child of a dead world?

>>78224
The shaman bows as respectfully as she can, as do her two spirits, not manifested but visible to Asgorath. The two spirits seem glad to see Asgorath respond to the prayer, but the shaman maintains a serious expression.

"Hello, Lord Asgorath. Though the spirits have only now told me of our purpose here, it seems like you were already well aware. We would seek your help in reviving this dead world, by destroying the threats that plague it."

Heh. Heh. Heh.

The tiny dragon-god seems amused by this proposal.

Ever dost man seeketh that beyond thy ken. There exists no world without threat. To revive, to protect, is an endless journey. An eternal devotion. What asketh thou of me?

>>78226
After a brief pause to think through her words, the shaman continues.

"That world is ruled by Sorcerer-kings, unchecked tyrants who drain the life out of the land the primordials fought to defend. Athas needs a guardian, but the primordials of legend lay dormant, and are unable to act. ...The spirits still seek a method to travel back to that world, but I will find it eventually. And once you, Lord Asgorath, regain your full strength, it would not be a difficult matter for you to topple these destructive rulers and restore life of Athas."

The shaman pauses again, this time to bow before Asgorath with her spirits.

"To that end, we pledge our services to you. Would you help us?"

Last edited at 16/02/05(Fri)12:18:24

I understand.

The dragon-god's voice booms in the shaman's mind, but it seems aware that it is speaking directly to the spirits rather than the human herself.

Power is thy wish. As ever, the world is unchanging. Very well, misbegotten pawn. Amuse me--fulfil thy role in the mortals' struggle for Toril, and perhaps thy wish shalt be granted.

>>78228
The shaman looks up. "Thank you. We will do our part."

Without saying another word, the small dragon fades from view.