Support NeoGAF

[ThLunarian]

The mayor's office is easy to find. It's on the second level, and is a solid stone construction with a sign prominently displayed that reads, in both Common and Dwarven, the words "Office of the Honorable Mayor Balthor Fireheart."

When someone knocks on the door, a voice calls out "Come in," from the other side.

You walk into a single large room with a desk toward the back, and a cave entrance behind it. The desk is designed for a small person, and sure enough, a dwarf is seated there, looking at you.

He has a full red, bushy beard and is clad in Dwarven formal wear (though to Val, who is accustomed to the predominate idea of high society, it probably doesn't register as "formal" at all). He is noticeably distressed and fidgety, even before a word escapes his lips. "You're not from around here," he says unevenly. "You're not from Ruby Keep, are you? I only put in a request for aid two days ago, and still haven't even heard an acknowledgment that they received it..."

He temporarily deflates when you explain that you're not from the Keep, but perks back up when you express your desire to help. "I'm offering 100,000 gold to any crew that takes out that snake," he explains, "But you ought to know what you're getting yourselves into.

"The beast appeared seemingly out of nowhere about a week ago and devastated the crews on duty at the time, and... and very nearly wiped out the entire town's dwarf population," he says sadly. "Most of my people made their homes inside the mine, in areas where the ore had been depleted. Dwarves are more comfortable living underground, you see, and..."

The man is clearly struggling to keep his composure, and after a moment's pause, he manages to keep his emotions under control. "I sent the town guard in to deal with the beast, and they never returned. Three separate parties of good men, all likely dead. The last team was sent out four days ago. When it started to look like they wouldn't be returning, that's when I realized I was in over my head here, and began soliciting outside help."

He looks at each member of the party in turn and nods his head. "I'll say this for you - you certainly look like seasoned warriors. My men - may they find peace in the afterlife - well, many of them had never seen real combat before. Maybe you lot will stand a better chance."

 

[Mike M]

Val lets out a belly laugh as he addresses the little dwarven mayor in the funny looking clothes.

"My good sir, fortune smiles upon you! We are not mere seasoned warriors, we happen to be specialists in eliminating monstrous beasts preying upon unsuspecting townships such as your fair city here. Why, not even last week we slayed three --count them, three-- dire crocodiles that were interfering with a tourist town's very livelihood. Hells, my swarthy cleric friend here had the luck to have the opportunity to slay one of the beasts from the inside out. Don't eat the Flan, little crockies, they give you a killer case of indigestion! One measly, tiny, murderous giant snake such as this is certainly no problem for those such as us."

Before anyone can correct his count of the number of dire crocodiles they'd actually encountered, Val closes the distance between himself and the mayor. Draping an arm over the diminutive executive's shoulder, Val continues in a less exuberant tone. "Now typically 100,000 gold pieces is a bit under our pricing estimates, but we are not strangers to compassion. Your town is suffering, and the last we'd like to do is exploit that, heavens forbid no. However, if we could arrange for your office to reach an understanding with your local equipment vendors to offer us their wares at cost, or if they could be induced to make a donation to the cause, we'd certainly be obliged."

Retreating back to the rest of his party, he starts rattling off a list of things that he thinks they might need as he enumerates them on his fingers. "Right then, your standard 'clear the mines of a giant snake' job. We're going to need as complete a map of the mines as as can be managed. Locations where the snake has struck. Access to any witnesses. Estimations as to its size. A full accounting of any ability to close off sections of the mine as needed. Oooh, and explosives. Do you have any explosives? I love a plan with explosives."

Bluff check: 1d20 + 25 = 40

 

[ThLunarian]

((Bluff check please, to avoid coming off like a snake-oil salesman (pun intended). Generally speaking, whenever you intentionally and explicitly misrepresent yourself, a Bluff check is appropriate. Especially if you're hoping to convince the person to give you something. You can just edit it into your previous post))

 

[Mike M]

((Do you have a position on taking 10 for instances where, say our modifier is higher than the DC to begin with? I've stacked enough Bluff modifiers that I think Val could convince his own mother he's a fairy princess with a good roll...))

 

[ThLunarian]

((Do you have a position on taking 10 for instances where, say our modifier is higher than the DC to begin with? I've stacked enough Bluff modifiers that I think Val could convince his own mother he's a fairy princess with a good roll...))

((Taking 10 is for skills where you can take your time and slowly do something to ensure you don't flub it, such as searching an area, tracking something, climbing up something, etc. Rolling a die is to represent you doing something on the fly, without the luxury of taking your time.

Bluff is a skill that requires on-the-fly acting and improvisation, so it would very rarely fall into the former category.

In addition, Bluff doesn't have a set DC to hit; the person you're bluffing gets a Sense Motive roll to oppose it. There are also potentially-heavy modifiers, depending on the nature of the lie. Something highly unbelievable, according to book rules, gives you a -20. If the bluff asks a target to do something against their own self interests, that's an additional -10 (potentially).

Having said all that, Val is more than capable of swindling a random mook on the street, and probably even most competent shop-keepers, without breaking a sweat, so I will usually give those to you.

The mayor is a politician by trade, though, and won't necessarily be as easy to fool, necessitating a roll, and thus a chance to misstep, however small.

So, after that long explanation... no, in this situation you can't take a 10, nor against anyone with any sort of aptitude for navigating social encounters. Against dimwits and average people, I'd let it slide.))

 

[ThLunarian]

Mayor Balthor is slightly taken aback by Val's enthusiastic exaltation of expertise, but he responds very favorably to it.

"You'll have complete access to maps of the mines going back five miles, of course. If you need maps further back, we can oblige; they're just not readily available without delving into the archives.

"I can arrange for equipment to be fronted to you ahead of time, and afterward you are free to either return it, or have the price deducted from your fee, at your discretion. I will have to speak with the local shopkeepers about getting you a discount at that time, but if the beast is slain, I don't imagine it being a problem.

"As for explosives, of course we have them, but I would not feel comfortable giving you access to anything but the lowest grade, unless you can prove to me that you have demolitions training. You may indeed be professional monster hunters, but I can't risk you accidentally cutting off a key access point in our mine, you understand."

He rises from his desk and cracks his knuckles. "I shall set things in motion. It may take a few hours to arrange everything; until then, feel free to do whatever it is that you monster hunters do while preparing for a job." He lingers for a moment to field questions, but if there are none, he leaves his office.

 

[KittenMaster]

Sarm sort of struggles to find an opportunity to say something, before finally able to say, "Well, we do have experience facing large, dangerous beasts although I intend to begin my attacks from the outside in the future."

EDIT: ((Just now realized I got ninja'd. I made this post for the sole purpose of breaking silence too, heh.))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Quintus, once they are done talking to the Mayor, is gonna go ahead and try and figure out what kinda magical stuff would be useful traveling, and fighting, in the minds. For some reason he wishes they had a druid around...

 

[ThLunarian]

The magic item shop is replete with everburning torches, everburning lanterns, enchanted pick axes, and Bags of Holding. Belts of Strength all the way up to +6 are available, as are Amulets of Constitution +2 and +4. There's a healthy supply of healing potions. They are also stocked with explosive potions, but their sale is restricted, on the Mayor's orders.

Apart from mining equipment, there are also some enchanted weapons and a few random assorted items, but chances are very slim that any given magic item could be found here ((unless it's very relevant to a mining operation and I neglected to consider it)).

 

[KittenMaster]

((I was thinking during the Crocodile battle, and I still wish I had thought of this before, that while Sarm can get away with not having heal potions because he is a healer, Suvne can't, so I'll have her grab about four Cure Light Wound potions, and if there's any Cure Moderate Wound Potions, one of those. That should cost me 500 Gold.))

Sarm would examine the random assorted items while browsing just to see what they might be.

 

[Mike M]

Val clasps his hands together and smiles beamingly. "Splendid! Wonderful! We shall begin preparations at once. I expect we'll be setting up shop in the largest accommodations available at the Hopping Harpy, I would dearly want to begin reviewing the maps and speaking to any witnesses immediately.

"Oh, and as the thought occurs to me, would Iron Hill happen to have a library of note? Or a house of worship? A spot of research before diving into the unknown never hurt anyone."

 

[ThLunarian]

((

 

[KittenMaster]

((Did something happent o your post? ))

 

[ThLunarian]

((I was trying to exit out because I realized I didn't have the time to make the post right then, and hit the wrong button on the Mobile app. My bad.))

Sarm examines the magic item shop's miscellaneous stock, and although most of it is on par with low-level parlor tricks, he does identify a few items that could potentially be useful. Among them is a Draught of Travel Domain ((upon drinking it, you have access to the abilities and spells of the Travel domain for 24 hours - 3300 GP)), a +2 Steel Shield (book price), a Mirror of Suggestion ((per the Magic Item Compendium,

"When activated, a mirror of suggestion must be held in such a way as to force a creature within 30 feet to see its own reflection. This functions as a gaze attack; any creature that fails a DC 14 Will save is subject to a suggestion made by the mirror’s wielder. A mirror of suggestion functions two times per day, and each activation of the mirror can affect only a single creature. The mirror’s wielder is immune to its effect." 1800 GP))

, and a pair of Skirmisher Boots ((twice a day, you can make an extra attack at your full attack bonus if you've moved 10 feet or more from your starting position that round, 3200 GP)).

-------



The mayor agrees enthusiastically to all of the things Val asks for, and they are put up in the finest accommodations of the Harpy, which is one of the few buildings in town that extends up to another level.

Iron Hill has no library to speak of, and no place of worship for any god at all. This town seems to be thoroughly non-theistic.

A notebook full of maps is soon delivered, with a note in the front explaining that the attacks were concentrated in the Dwarven living quarters, and spread out along the first half mile of the mines, which is where all the miners on duty were working.

The mines of this town are vast, and you can tell from the maps that an elaborate infrastructure has been set up to facilitate this. There are tracks for mine carts pervading the first few miles.

About a mile and a half back from the town's entrance to the mine (located on the fourth level), there is an enormous chasm which extends for approximately two miles. Mine tracks, incredibly, bridge that gap, and there is more infrastructure on the other side of that chasm.

The mayor has assigned someone to attend to your needs, and at your leisure you can summon the two witnesses who could be found. One is a female dwarf named Mona of no more than 10 years of age at your best estimate, and the other is an adult human male by the name of Starke.

Starke's account: "We was workin' the mines, when people down a ways just started screamin'. Most of it was just fearful howlin', but I heard a few yellin' out "SNAKE!" The others around me just looked around at each other, but I didn't need to be told twice; I got the hells outta there. Don't think I was the only survivor, but most o' the rest got the hell out of town since that damned bastard showed. Only reason I ain't gone nowhere is 'cause I got nowhere better else to be."

Mona's account: "There was a lot of screaming and shouting. My mommy told me to hide in the basket, so I did... but I could see through it if I looked hard enough. I... I saw it come in my house and it... it was so big.... it ate my mommy and daddy in just one gulp," she says, progressively getting more and more frantic and teary eyed through the sentence; by the end she is sobbing almost uncontrollably. At that point, the aide that brought her to you gently leads her out of the room.

Those are the only witnesses that could be rounded up today.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((how good is the magic shops collection of scrolls?))

 

[ThLunarian]

((Here? It's basically nonexistent. As far as you can tell, there are no wizards to speak of in this town; it's almost certain that all the items in the store were either ordered from outside or pawned off by travelers passing through. This town is the very definition of backwater, and its existence is entirely reliant on the mining industry. There's not much else going on here))

 

[KittenMaster]

In the mayor's office, the stocky young girl's account only helps reinforce the idea that the snake may be much larger than the dire crocodile, as the croc had to put up at least a bit of effort to eat him.

When the little dwarven girl's crying fades into the distance, he asks the native town members in the room, "I do have a small question. Do 'little' snakes live in these mountainous parts naturally?"

---

When at the magic stock, he easily glosses over the magic items that cast low level spells.

The mirror seems like it could be useful at first, but he can already figure that its effects are easily resisted and against the snake it would be too risky.

He hmms at the Drought of Travel Domain.

He looks at the shield and figures that it has been time for a new one for awhile.

The boots seem very useful too. Suvne might be able to use them, maybe?

He decides it might be better to wait until after they find a way to deal with the snake.

 

[Jackben]

((Definite chamber of secrets vibe from the mirror and the general big snake showdown))

Listening to the proceedings Tarkus takes a backseat standing next to Evaneth and brooding on the situation while only half-listening. He nods passively at the Mayor but declines to speak, confident in Val's gift of the gab to procure anything they need and probably more than they should really be entitled to.

After leaving the mayor's quarters he remarks on the likeness of the man to their old friend, Ivor. "Was Firehart not Ivor family name? No fan of dwarves, but he seemed different...in good way." He asks Val if their possible relation would be an appropriate thing to ask of the Mayor.

Turning to Sarm to address a previous question he nods "Many moons with other half-orc and orcling children spent in chains. Dwarf slaver name Ashtongue capture group of us in desert far from here." He loosens the straps around his boots to show a dark and ugly burn scar curving around his ankle. "But I escaped." Tarkus shakes his head, banishing the distant look from his clouding grey eyes. "A story for another time."

Tarkus follows behind the group as they explore wares and asks Quin if a Bag of Holding would be a good purchase. Short on cash in general, he restocks some general supplies and looks in the party inventory to see if they have any ever-burning torches still left. He debates on whether or not to get an enchanted pick-axe but decides to leave it for now.

After listening to the accounts of the witnesses and pouring over the maps of the mines, Tarkus begins to speak aloud. “First think was to trap or kill with rubble from cave-in. But Mayor not happy of possible collateral…” he taps the map and frowns. “Ivor was demolition source, without I agree with Mayor…too dangerous to use explosive outside last resort.” He turns to face the group with a pained expression. “Cannot nod for usual melee skirmish either, given close-quarter…”

He begins to pace, proposing and quashing different ideas as they come to him. “Dig tunnel…bait to dead-end passage for set up ambush. No, no. Magic mirror on snake near chasm!? Grah…too risky.”

Tactical combat thinking is usually the only kind of thinking Tarkus enjoys, but for his efforts on this particular problem he only gains several murky ideas and a headache.

 

[Mike M]

"Hm, I'm no expert on dwarven etiquette, but I don't believe it would be any sort of affront to ask..."

---

After departing the mayor's office, Val tours the market and takes advantage of the mayor's promise of the vendors to front the use of items to be returned or purchased later. He acquires Bags of Holding, Belts of Strength +6, and Amulets of Constitution +4 for the entire party. They can decide if they want to keep it after their work here is done, but for now it's a free advantage, so why not ((Unless i completely and utterly misunderstood the mayor's offer))? He also inquires as to the strength of the lowest grade explosive potions. They're not looking to cave in the mine, but would they be enough to cause harm to flesh and bone? Even something as meager as a loud noise and bright flash could be useful.

Eventually, he returns to the inn to consult the maps and speak to the pair of witnesses. He carefully marks the incidents on the map and numbers their order of occurrence, making notations of what he feels are relevant details. Studying his handiwork carefully, he confers with Tarkus as he tries to determine a pattern to the attacks, and see if they can discern a viable location to stage an attempt to lure the massive serpent forth.

"Don't discount the chasm too quickly," he says, tapping it with his finger, "it seems like a potential choice. It won't be able to sneak up on us there, but we wouldn't be able to fall back either... Hmmmm..."

Val wracked his brain to remember what he can about snakes. He's fairly sure he must have read something about them at some point. Let's see, they're scaly, cold blooded, have no legs, carnivorous, aaaand...

Nature Knowledge check (untrained):  1d20 + 5 = 13

((Val may not know much about snakes, but hopefully he can
remember/deduce that they primarily hunt by detecting smells, vibrations, and body heat and start concocting a plan based on that.))

Turning to Evaneth, Sarm, and Suvne in turn, he asks, "What about you godly types? Know of any deities with a pathological hatred of dwarves or a fondness for snakes?"

 

[KittenMaster]

((Definite chamber of secrets vibe from the mirror and the general big snake showdown))

((I keep thinking of the giant snake from the first Resident Evil.))

Sarm gives a deep nod at Tarkus' story, letting it rest for another time at his request.

---

Later when asked about what dieties may have an affinity with snakes, he says, "Let me think." He would try to at least think of what diety would have a particular hatred towards dwarves first, since it's possible that snakes are a common theme among dark imagery.

Suvne would try to think as well, since the question was also directed towards her.

Sarm Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 10, rolled 13 = 23
Suvne Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 6, rolled 15, 21​

Short on cash in general, he restocks some general supplies and looks in the party inventory to see if they have any ever-burning torches still left.

((The torches are enchanted with a permanent continual flame spell that don't produce heat. As long as they aren't smothered they should still be working.))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Quintus comes up with a great plan involving the Scrying, Darkvision, and Locate Creature spells, only to realize he has none of those spells and getting a hold of them could take days and he probably doesn't have the cash for them right now either...

In response to Tarkus' question, Quintus exclaims "Why yes it is very, very useful. Though if you get a chance might I suggest picking up a handy haversack, it is a backpack that works much like a bag of holding and also has the unique ability to let you pull out anything you have in there quickly, just by thinking about it. No more digging around for that potion to left at the bottom of you backpack when you really need it!"

 

[ThLunarian]

((Wow, I picked the wrong day to be away from the forum. You guys gave me a lot to work with. Sorry about the absence))

Just by asking around the local population, Sarm quickly learns that normal snakes are NOT native to this area. He (along with Suvne) has also never heard of any god with a particular affinity for snakes, though there are a few that would have a predilection toward dark, underground realms, the most prominent among them being Lolth, the patron deity of the Drow. She is more of a spider kind of goddess, though, and you don't recall hearing anything about snakes in your religious studies.

((Everburning Torches don't even go out when smothered, and are only extinguished when the magic is drained from them, for what it's worth))

---

Val does have a general idea of how snakes behave - at least, the natural variety. He is also aware that when dealing with a giant snake as has been described, it's possible that all of it goes out the window.



When Val asks the owner of the magic shop for the Belts of Strength and Amulets of Health, the shop owner seems to suppress a scowl. "The mayor and I discussed your arrangement," says the comparatively diminutive human behind the counter. "You are allowed to borrow equipment and supplies totaling no more than 50,000 GP. If your mission were to fail, the equipment you borrow would be lost to us; in my opinion the mayor is overly generous to insure you for even that much." A beat passes, and then he adds, "Good luck, though."

---

Tarkus, you do notice a familial resemblance between Ivor and Balthor, the mayor. It's not an exact likeness, but you are able to identify some facial features, and even some mannerisms, in common.

The magic item shop actually does have a few Handy Haversacks in stock, if Tarkus is so inclined to purchase one ((book price of 2,000 GP)).

---

Quintus, you would be aware that, on a Phantom Steed, you could pretty easily ride to Alydar in the morning (where you're certain they'd have what you're looking for), purchase the appropriate scrolls, and be back in Iron Hill before nightfall. Whether the others are alright with waiting is up to them. There's also the possibility of leaving right now (mid afternoon) and being back by about midnight. That does leave the issue of actually affording the scrolls, but they ARE somewhat within reach if you want them.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((without looking at the prices of scroll, i'd have to say most likely I don't have enough money for them all... hell the mirror just to cast Scrying alone would put me at only a few hundred gold. That said...))
Quintus will lay out one possible plan... by Scrying the creature(while using the darkvision is up so he can see in the dark), he would most likely be able to learn enough about it use the Locate Creature spell to help them track it down(Unless he is lucky enough for the scrying spell to give them a way to find its exact location and it decides not to move). However, there is a possibility the spells could fail(especially Scrying) and failing could set them back a bit. And that is on top of the time it would take him to acquire these spells as well as the potential time that would be spent copying the spells into his spell book, in the event he needs to recast the spells. Also, he doesn't have the cash for all this on him personally. He fully expects someone else has another plan, that they can do right now though.

 

[KittenMaster]

The Cleric starts to describe what he knows, and the accompanying Paladin manages to further elaborate. Sarm writes off the idea that it could be the Drow with a shake of his head and says, "I suggest the culprit is more likely to be a particular person or grouping, at least based on what we know right now."

 

[Ganhyun]

(( Im back guys. Sorry for the absence. I'll know more in the next few weeks once the test results are back in. Its nothing serious hopefully. ))

((Evaneth's HP is now 38, or 46 with the monk level boost (very helpful for a squishy lol))


For those who speak Orcish, otherwise its gibberish.

Spoiler

I don't know off the top of my heard Tarkus, but I will think on it and give you a response.

Evaneth does not seem to notice that he spoke in Orcish.

Evaneth looks at Tarkus and thinks back to his time on Faerun and thinks:

Untrained Knowledge Religion Roll

Roll(1d20)+4:
18,+4
Total:22

((If I need to do that as a knowledge planes roll ThLunarian please let me know))


((If no one understands Evaneth he will speak in Orcish again and realize what he did. I just need to know if its understood so that I can roleplay it out.))

ThLunarian:

Spoiler

its from boosting the INT ability mode and gaining a new modifier level. From my understanding when that goes up you can learn a new language, or in my case, relearn a language. If you don't want me to do this then I'll edit my post.

 

[Mike M]

((<<REW to the shopkeeper for a moment))

Val plonks a Belt of Strength +6, an Amulet of Constitution +4, and a Handy Haversack on the shopkeep's counter. By his calculation, that's 54,000 gold pieces, a bit over his allowance as it were.

Fortunately, Val has some experience in obtaining things a bit beyond his means (and then some).

"You are a man after my own heart, truly. A man can scarcely afford to just give his wares away without due compensation now, can he? It's lunacy to consider. Madness, even. But I think there are some factors you are failing to account for in your otherwise impeccable risk analysis.

"If we fail, then your items are lost, it's true. However, we are like as not the single greatest hope this suffering town will ever see. If we fail, you have bigger things to worry about than recouping compensation for lost goods. What do you suppose will happen when that slithering fiend tires of his dwarven amuse-bouche? Who will buy your wares as the town grows increasingly depopulated, either by flight or by feast? What if the beast comes for you?

"On the other hand, think of what our success would bring. It's not just that your items would be returned or purchased outright, you would be renown as the man who outfitted the expedition that brought an end to the terror that has gripped this town. Think of it as an endorsement deal for my little band of... problem solvers. We travel far and wide, and would be happy to wax rhapsodic about your merchandise.

"The difference between 'best' and 'second-best' may be the fulcrum upon which our chances of success pivots. Given what's at stake, surely you could be convinced to sweeten the offer a bit. Not even a ten percent difference, just enough to cover these three items..."

Diplomacy check:  1d20 + 5 =
11

((Awwwww, c'mon... Val will take a +2 amulet and the balance in low grade explosives if that's not enough. Also would probably give serious consideration to robbing the joint that night. Heh.

FFW>> back to the inn and planning))

--

Val offers his own thoughts on a course of action. "Well, if this snake is anything like normal snakes --admittedly, a big 'if' -- then we would benefit from baffling it's senses. Obscure our scent somehow, for instance. Maybe there's something we can smear on our clothes? Axle grease, perhaps? Something that would be found in the mine, but pungent enough to diminish our own odors.

"I seem to recall that some snakes are particularly adept at detecting heat. Body heat would be more difficult to hide, I would think. Maybe if we had a number of braziers blazing, it would offer us cover, but that would require significant set up time and wouldn't exactly be portable..."

Val doesn't have a better way of finding the creature than Quintus' proffered plan, short of just making a lot of commotion to draw it out. He'd much rather take it by surprise, though. He also doesn't have much coin for the purchase of the scrolls, as the new equipment he's sporting has been forwarded to him on credit.

 

[ThLunarian]

The shopkeeper seems to be begrudgingly persuaded by Val's impassioned plea - at least enough to extend the additional 4000 GP of credit, anyway.

 

[Jackben]

((Bit confused on the whole merchant transaction there. Did Val still grab borrowed equips for several people or just himself?))

Tarkus is taken aback at Evaneth speaking in the Orcish tongue. He's not heard anyone address him with that dialect in a very long time. Still, he has come to realize Evaneth is far from the ordinary.

Orcish:

Spoiler

"Where you learn to speak Orc? Are there many Orcs where you come from?"

Tarkus listens as Evaneth, Sarm and Suvne describe what they know of giant snakes from the scripture of the gods while Quintus describes using scroll magicks to divinate the creature's presence. He nods at the cleric, paladin and monk. "Agree that giant snake not acting alone. Greencloaks or maybe worse summoned or woke it from sleep."

Turning to Val as he describes what he knows of snake behavior, he points to the entrance of the map.

"Agree with Val, muffling scent to go forward. For heat maybe build small fire or light grease when beast approach." He gestures towards Quintus "If we can magick snake location we can set trap. If not maybe find good location and bring small goat to lure it out."

"Either way, may need to scout into mines before setting up plan."

 

[KittenMaster]

((ThLunarian, we need to have a talk: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=43859504&postcount=16))

Sarm listens to the plan that they're starting to come up with, speaking with admission that he's not too good with this sort of thing, "I'm afraid I might not be able to come up with any ideas. I do want to ask, what kind of trap do you have in mind?" He thinks of casting Comprehend Languages but decides it might have been something Evaneth only wanted Tarkus to hear.

 

[Jackben]

((lmao KM that thread is gold))

Seeing the puzzled looks at Evaneth and his foreign exchange, Tarkus translates. "Did not know him to speak Orc. Asked if he knew Orc where he was from." Giving a small shrug, he continues "Not sure why he speak it, was nothing private to say." He turns back to the map and sketches on one of the bigger tunnels. He squares it off in a dead end with a circle he labels "grease". Inside the circle he draws a crude stick animal, followed by stick figures representing each of the party members on the opposite side of the tunnel.

"For rough plan, what is had so far is magick snake location if possible. Set trap with goat perhaps and floor/wall cover in grease. When snake approach to eat, light grease and attack. Perhaps masking scent combine with heavy fire presence will make advantage enough to put it down...assuming nothing go wrong and we find good place to stage ambush." Tarkus tenses up thinking of being swallowed by the beast, an experience he hopes is left to imagination.

 

[ThLunarian]

((Lol at that comic. Ridiculously appropriate.

Also Evaneth, sorry that I somehow ignored your post by accident. Your assumptions about the intelligence boost and the new language are correct, and since your Knowledge Religion roll was the about the same as Sarm's, you also don't recall any snake-related deities.

Tarkus, Val only got 54k worth of equipment, split among 3 total items. If you want to make a case for Tarkus to use any of them, that's an in-character thing.

As for anything else, the story is in your hands til you actually enter the mine, so have fun planning and such. Though, if you do go with Quintus's scrying plan, I would suggest giving him some gold so he can afford the scrolls when he rides to Alydar, or at least come up with some plan for him to get the money for them))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((Wow, I did not know you could learn new languages by increasing your int... I assume that doesn't apply to magic item Int increases, but my base int mod just went up last level so...))

 

[Ganhyun]

((No worries man, I just wanted to be sure you were doing that. I've played by a ton of house rules my entire life and I know I sometimes get them mixed up with actual rules.

I miss one house rule though, the ability to use spellcraft to learn a new spell by watching a spell be cast or having another sorcerer/wizard teach it to you and it be added into your known spell list. I never really thought of how broken it was until just now))

Evaneth looks surprised himself.

"I did not realize I had spoken in Orcish. Apparently Ao has decided I am worthy of knowing that language again. Yes, on the world I am from Tarkus, there are many Orcs. My best friend was an half-orc named Grod. This world is very similar, but with some different deities I am discovering."

Evaneth would gladly give gold to Quintis if he had it but alas he does not. At least not in a meaningful way to actually make a difference at this time.

((And oh boy, that comic is awesome.))

((Wow, I did not know you could learn new languages by increasing your int... I assume that does apply to magic items, but my base int mod just went up last level so...))

((Yep. Its a nice thing for "educated/learned" characters that need high Intellect scores. You should also get retroactive skill points for that increase as well. So its a double benefit!))

 

[ThLunarian]

((Honestly I don't know for sure if the ability to learn new language as your INT goes up is in the rules, but it makes a whole lot of sense for Evaneth's backstory, so I'll allow it for everyone whether it's in the rules or not. Quintus, you could always flavor it as either you studying up on Language X in your free time; or, maybe Vecna is whispering other languages into your head as you sleep, and suddenly one day you wake up mysteriously knowing how to speak Infernal or something.

As a random observation, this party is by far the smartest 5-person group of characters I've seen in a campaign. Three of you have Intelligence of 20 or more. Pretty crazy. It works, though))

 

[Mike M]

((Oh shit snacks, I forgot to up my ability score. I'll take care of that today, maybe RP Val learning orcish or something.))

"This snake is swallowing adult dwarves and humans whole like it were munching on a bag of popcorn, I don't know if a goat is of sufficient interest to it. A cow might be a bit too large, though... Perhaps a good sized pig?

"Flaming grease is an interesting idea, but it would make it nigh impossible to get in close without some sort of fire proofing spell or something. Getting it on its face and then igniting it might be an option. I know I can't hardly taste when I burn my tongue, maybe we can impair some of its senses through much the same idea."

Val brings forth his coin purse and starts counting his meager wealth. "I dislike the notion of a bloody huge snake sneaking up on us in the dark. Quintus, how much do you think you'd need to purchase the requisite spells and components to do your magicky snake sensing thing?"

 

[KittenMaster]

"Would a grouping of goats be more appealing?" he wonders. When everyone decides that Quintis' plan would be the one they would go with he offers, "I can chip in as well." ((I have 6,203 Gold))

 

[Jackben]

Tarkus offers to chip in for the scroll as well, having 3000 gold to contribute.

 

[Mike M]

((Val has 834 gold))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"Lets see here, a Scrying scroll should cost about 700 gold, plus another 1000 gold for the mirror so I can use the spell. I will also need 150 gold for a scroll of darkvision so I can actually see the creature when I scry it, unless it just happens to be hanging out in a very well lite area of the mine. Then I will need another 700 for a scroll of Locate Creature which would actually allow me to find it... assuming its within 720 feet, may have to use that a couple times. Speaking of, it will take me 3 days and another 1000 to copy those spells into my spell book. I don't HAVE to copy them, but if the snake successfully resists my scrying spell, I will need a to wait a day and use another scroll, to cast it again." Quintus ponders for a moment, "Hmm... we still get a discount right? That should come out to 1912 gold and 5 silver for the scrolls and the mirror, and 750 for copying the spells."

 

[KittenMaster]

Sarm listens and begins to dig in a pouch he has, and retrieves 2,000 gold worth of coins he has for Quintis.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Quintus curses himself silently. The one day he decides not to prepare Phantom Steed...

 

[Ganhyun]

((Evaneth has 75 gold))

 

[Jackben]

Tarkus adds 500 on top of what Sarm has generously contributed, hopefully bringing up the total to cover everything they need.

 

[ThLunarian]

((I dislike the rule that it takes an entire day to copy a scroll to your spellbook, so I'm going to throw it out. Shelling out the cash ought to be enough of a hoop to jump through. It won't take you more than an hour in-game to copy all three scrolls once you finally have them))

Early the next morning, Quintus makes sure to prepare at least two castings of Phantom Steed and sets out for Alydar.

There is no direct road leading straight there, but it's not hard to navigate the few turns that must be taken, and within a few hours, Quintus approaches the gates of the town he currently calls home.

He is greeted warmly by the town guards, and also by the townspeople once inside; it seems that things are settling back to normal, much to Quintus's pleasure.

To his recollection, the shop in town with the most robust selection of scrolls was the one manned by Rubio, the gnomish arch-rival of the still-comatose Ivor. He enters the shop, only to find an unfamiliar human male behind the counter, speaking to a middle-aged woman dressed in a very expensive, very fashionable outfit. She is accompanied by a very large man who seems to harbor some Orcish lineage somewhere in his family tree; he is very obviously her bodyguard... or perhaps her hired thug.

Quintus does not recognize the woman, but she seems to recognize him when he passes through the doorway.

"Quintus Mallory," she says, more of a statement than a question. "How fortunate that you have chosen this moment to grace us with your presence." Her accent is thoroughly high-born, and her tone is formal and polite, sprinkled with just the slightest helping of condescension. She gracefully approaches Quintus with a smile on her face and a sheet of parchment in her hand.

"Do you perchance have any idea where we may locate Rubio? As you're no doubt aware, he recently borrowed a substantial sum of coin from my organization, a loan for which you were the cosigner." She offers the sheet of parchment, which sure enough is scribbled with the signature of one Quintus Mallory. A glance toward the top of the page says in plain terms that the loan was for ten million gold pieces, to the Ruby Keep Savings and Loans Company.

"The loan was only paid out the other day, so no payment is yet due, of course; however, my organization makes it a point to keep a close eye on our patrons. I came by to pay a visit to our mutual friend, only to find that Rubio has apparently sold his shop to this gentleman and skipped town." She gestures at the human behind the counter, who seems fairly disinterested with this entire encounter. She then turns to face Quintus and offers a bone-chilling smile.

"I'm sure this misunderstanding will be cleared up in no time," she says. "However, it IS my duty to inform you that, in the very unlikely event that Rubio cannot be found, you will be held responsible for repaying the debt." The smile still plastered to her face, she nods at Quintus, then turns to nod at the shopkeeper. "Good day, gentlemen," she says pleasantly. If Quintus doesn't reply, she and her bodyguard exit the shop; if Quintus does reply, we'll see what happens.

Either way, though, the shop has all the required items in stock, and the shopkeeper knows about the special Heroes' Discount that your group is offered.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Before leaving, Quintus would ask if the group can continue gathering any information on the snake, specifically information on what it looks like, that would be of great help. And if they can find anything that came from the snake, like a scale or some shed skin, that would be even better.

After here this little story, Quintus responds as calmly as possible, "Alright, I'll be sure to send him your way next time I see him, which should hopefully be very, very soon." After this woman leaves, he orders his supplies and and asks the new shop keep "Did Rubio leaving anything of his behind when he left?" If not, Quintus will attempt a quick search to find out where Rubio lived(assuming it was not the shop) and search there.

 

[ThLunarian]

In Iron Hill, the party is unable to find any remains of the snake, but in asking around for a detailed description, the snake is supposedly deep green with a line of diamond shapes extending down its back. Its eyes are a bright yellow - almost glowing - and its fangs extend out of its mouth even when closed. The exact size can't be determined, but it's at least ten feet long and as thick as a man, and could easily be larger in either dimension.

----------

"He left in a hurry," responds the shopkeeper. "This place was a mess. I threw most of his personal belongings into a trunk. You can take the whole thing, far as I'm concerned." The trunk is full of small clothes, sized for a gnome, as well as various random housewares (candlestick holders, cups, dirty plates, et cetera). If you decide to check out his house too, it looks full enough that someone could still be living there; it appears that if Rubio did leave, it was in QUITE a hurry.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Quintus takes a small piece of clothing, a picture of Rubio, if he has any, and if he can find one, something like a "Body part, lock of hair, bit of nail, etc." Once he collects what he can, he makes the trek back to Iron Hill. Once back he give back the money he got from everyone, except Sarm. He gives him back 681 gp and 5 sp. "Once we are done with this little thing here, I'm gonna have go look up a 'friend' of mine that decided skip town in quite a hurry... Right after he borrowed ten million gold from the Ruby Keep Savings and Loans company."

 

[KittenMaster]

Sarm happens to be around when Quintis is back ((It's 3:35 AM as I'm writing this)) and collects the exact amount of coin from Quintis, then tells him the very unfortunately simple description of the snake they got.

He blinks at the sudden and poorly timed trouble Quintis seems to be in, but doesn't think of any reason not to heed to the request, "Well... Okay."

 

[Ganhyun]

Evaneth's eyebrow raises at the problem Quintis is facing.

"Why not have your brother search for him now?"

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"My brother? I have no brother."