Quest for the Holy Relics: A NeoGAF DnD Play by Post Campaign

With Tarkus joining the three guards in pursuit of the girl, it doesn't take long for her to be apprehended and secured. On the mostly-deserted streets, the girl doesn't see much of a point in making a scene, and stops resisting, dejected. She does shoot Tarkus a look full of daggers, though, and refuses to acknowledge him, even as he follows the group back to the castle. He is not allowed inside, but presumably doesn't have a problem with that, knowing that they are all secure in the castle. The soldiers awkwardly and stiffly thank him for his assistance.

Nothing much of note happens the rest of the evening.

The next morning, everyone wakes up refreshed, and heads downstairs to the common area. The tables all have table cloths on them now (they were not there the previous night, when this room functioned as a bar), and the food is high-quality bacon, eggs, goat cheese, and hotcakes with real maple syrup; everything is delicious, and included in the price of lodging.
 
Sarm meets Tarkus on his way back, and is by himself (unless Evaneth followed as well). He seemed to be trying to catch up. He recalls his thoughts to Tarkus, "You left so quickly.. I was afraid the guards may have arrested you.. Who was she that she would be under custody like that?"
 
Morning finds Val seated upon a bench outside the Prancing Mare, eating salted roasted nuts from a paper cone purchased all legitimate-like from a vendor across the causeway, and gazing up the street they came down yesterday at the Ruby Keep castle. The unrelenting commotion and activity of the city energizing him, he's been up since the pre-dawn hours waiting to get on with his day.

He's hacked back his unruly accumulation of facial hair over the past many days to a more trim and fashionable beard along his jaw. Normally he'd have done away with it completely, but a lifetime of caution and protocol about being in the street without making some attempt to conceal his appearance is hard to shake. The beard will have to suffice until their errands in the keep are concluded.

The rest of his early morning activities were spent doing laundry and cleaning up his disgusting armor. Just because he had a taste for fine things didn't mean he didn't know how to get dirty when the occasion called for it. And so, his clothes as clean and green armor cleaned and polished as he can manage, he sits eating his nuts watching the light from the rising sun slowly spread down the hill from the castle. As though it were a beacon gradually banishing the darkness from the labyrinth of streets and cobblestones at its feet.

From here, the castle looks so small, Val can barely see the red banners fluttering in the wind from the tops of the towers, though he knows them to be quite sizable. The whole castle seems as though it could fit in his hand. Val experimentally extends his hand before his face and pantomimes seizing the miniature structure in his fist.

Finished with his nuts, he crumples the paper come and overhands it at the municipal waste canister at the other end of the bench. He misses wildly. No wonder he was always picked last for netball. He does his civic duty and deposits the litter in the canister as he heads back inside to see if everyone else is up yet.

---

Meeting up with the rest of the party, Val arches an eyebrow as he receives the gold expended the night before, and a good amount more from Quintus. "Apparently I should buy ladies drinks more often, this is a very respectable return on investment."
 
((Sorry for the delay guys. My Internet at my current apartment was cut off a bit early... grrr.... so I had to wait until I was back at work to get on here. I am in the process of updating my character now ThLunarian. I'll upload an updated version for you tonight. ))
 
"Let's save your plans for male prostitution for later 'Kaff', we have more important business to discuss." Quintus then gather's the rest of the group together and asks, "So, plan is to go back to Iron Hill, collect our reward... and let the people know their plight is over. Afterwards however, I'd like to attend to a personal matter, mostly because I think having one outlaw in the group is enough right? Also I'm pretty pissed off, so there is that too. If you'd all prefer to stick to our current mission I'd understand..."
 
((ThLunarian can you pm me your email again? I figure I'll upload my latest character into my google docs and share it with you that way. Also, I feel like I should find a way to scan and post my old version of this guy for you guys to see compared to what he is now.))
 
Val tosses the coins in the air and deftly catches them all with a sweep of his hand. "Well I wasn't thinking of taking it that far, but you have to admit there seems to be little downside to getting paid coin to provide companionship. And I wouldn't characterize myself as an outlaw, more of a... Extralegal entrepreneur.

"Anyway, as nice as it is to be back in town, I can't hope to stay until we burn this Vecna cult to ashes as they did my own life. Besides, we've let my personal drama hold the reins of our actions long enough, I gladly relinquish them to someone else's problems."
 
((Sorry about yesterday and not posting. Was on campus studying and taking two final exams all day, then went to girlfriend's house))

After eating breakfast and deciding on a course of action, the party checks out of their rooms with what few possessions they have with them and finds a deserted back alley nearby, so that Quintus can perform his ritual. After closing his eyes and concentrating for a moment, he says a command word, and suddenly everyone experiences a fleeting moment of vertigo, as for a split second their bodies don't seem to be anchored to anything at all.

Though some of them have been teleported before, thanks to Quintus's baleful transposition spell, this is an entirely different, more jarring sensation, the most prominent reason being the sudden, uncomfortable change in surrounding air pressure as the party finds themselves in the much higher elevation of the airy mountainside village of Iron Hill.

The mayor seems pleasantly surprised that you are alive, and he has a grateful disposition, tempered by obvious annoyance at half of his mine being currently inaccessible. Nevertheless, he has the remaining 46,000 gold ready for you (or more, should you choose to return the borrowed equipment).

The wagon, and everything that had been left on it, is still there and intact, along with the horse(s?).

Arcana DC 27
Someone was magically monitoring the party as they teleported. You have no idea who or from where, but think of the analogy of a computer user running a program that triggers spyware software. That's what just happened when the Teleport spell was cast.
 
Upon magical return to Ironhill, Val immediately gets his game face on and makes a beeline for the mayor's office. Inwardly he delights at the shocked expressions, hushed comments, and double takes of the workers currently excavating the collapsed mine as he strides confidently through the streets. Outwardly, he bears a stern expression, his countenance every inch the look of a professional... whatever it was he told these people he did.

Throwing open the mayor's doors with flourish, Val marches in to the office, heedless of whatever business the city's elected leader may have been up to. "Your honor!" he practically shouts, drinking in the agape expressions of everyone in the room at the unexpected return of he and his companions. "You would not believe the week we've had!"

Val listens with understanding as the mayor vents about the difficulties the people of Ironhill are having, but gets the impression that he's at least partially relieved to learn that no monstrous snake awaits on the other side of the rubble once the excavation is complete.

There is the slightly touchy subject of the money owed though...

"Your honor," Val says sheepishly, "I believe the terms of our arrangement were that we such that we'd receive a discount should we decide to purchase the equipment we were loaned, but this sum is less the full market price. Not that we are not sympathetic to the difficulties that the collapse has doubtlessly caused you, but I would remind you that we proceeded into the mine sans explosives per your request and can't be held responsible. There's also the small matter that things were considerably more dire in the other side of that rubble, I think you'll be surprised at the number of corpses you'll find. And that's not even all of them, a couple of their number perished in the river. No, this was no mere 'kill a giant snake' job as it turned out."

Reaching into the haversack, he pulls out the charts loaned to them with the party's own maps and notes from their subterranean exploration on the reverse side. "I don't know if it's any compensation for your trouble, but we did make some maps of the tunnels we were lost in while we tried to find our escape. They're not to scale, but between this and our chalk markings in the tunnels, they should be enough detail to find your way to some ancient ruins we discovered. Just... Don't go up any stairs you find, and mind anyone you encounter wearing a collar."

Code: 
Diplomacy check:  1d20 + 6 = 11

((Boo-urns. You suck, dice!))
 
Arcana: 1d20+22 => 7 + 22 = 29

Quintus watches Val leave in a hurry and says to the rest of the group "I'm sure this comes as no surprise, but as we were teleporting I felt us being watched by someone... now this is probably the cult with the Lens, but it shouldn't completely dismiss the idea we may have caught the attention of others in our travels. I think its time we start looking into ways to avoid the eyes of our enemies, so that maybe we can actually go somewhere without walking into a trap prepared just for us."
 
After drifting back into reality from the vertigo he experiences, Sarm stops to look to Quintis as he gives the warning. "Could it be someone from Ruby Keep?" he wonders aloud in a low voice.
 
The Mayor, for a very brief instant, appears annoyed at Val's request for additional compensation, but just as quickly hides it behind the mask of a practiced diplomancer. "Regrettably, my friend, I'm afraid that discount will not be available. You see, although our mining operations are running at partial capacity, our economy has suffered a tremendous blow of late. Not to mention that you seem to have offended Karthus, the shopkeeper whose wares you've appropriated. Now don't feel too badly about that; he's a sour person with more enemies than friends. Nevertheless, this is the best I can do."

-----

Quintus can tell very little about the person(s?) spying on them, but he did get a whiff of magicks both arcane and divine when he detected the intrusion.
 
KittenMaster said:
Sarm meets Tarkus on his way back, and is by himself (unless Evaneth followed as well). He seemed to be trying to catch up. He recalls his thoughts to Tarkus, "You left so quickly.. I was afraid the guards may have arrested you.. Who was she that she would be under custody like that?"
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On his way back from the castle, Tarkus meets Sarm. Shrugging his shoulders in reply he says "Not sure. Seem important though and Guard reluctant to force." He sighs, conflicted and a tad confused by the events and suggests they return to the tavern to rest. He makes a note to inquire with the guardsmen later on about it.

--

The next morning Tarkus rises early and sets to excersizing. If recent developments are anything to go by be reckons he will need to build up his endurance further to meet future challenges. His muscles begin to wake one by one, stiff at first but quickly warming up as he goes through his memorised routine from the mercenary corps. Washing up, his stomach begins to rumble. He rubs the ring of sustinance on his left hand. The enchantress he bought it from told him it would not kick in until he has worn it for a week. Perhaps not an awful fate as the food in the tavern is quite delicious.

Breaking his fast with a hearty helping of salted deer jerky, corn bread and ale, he pays up his tab and checks out of the tavern. Walking out into the early morning air, he is surprised to spot Val on a bench. He gives him space to think and heads out to train a bit with his new Greataxe, practicing invisible parry, blocks and swings.

Once the rest of the party has gathered, Tarkus closes his eyes as Quintus invokes the spell to magick them to Iron Hill. As a hidden force whips around them, Tarkus feels his stomach flip upside down and his eyes flash a flurry of brilliant colors. Opening his eyes he feels his head ache and he gasps to breathe as if the wind had been knocked out of him. "We're back!"

On the return to the town proper, Tarkus is relieved to see the people getting back to work, their no-nonsense attitude at least undaunted by the cult's activity. Tending to his warhorse he thanks the stable hands for taking care of Bree and feeds her some oats. "Remind me of goat..." After returning to the mayor with the rest of the party he looks for sign of Chewy the goat. He asks the innkeeper if he has seen the little brayer around since the mine collapsed.

When the party convenes to discuss their next move, Tarkus explains his position. "There are some lead I have found for greencloak activity in Keep." He shows the group the pamphlet for the Orcish Reformation Party. "Maybe by talking to other smart Orc and half-Orc we find why or where they getting dumb recruit from." Coughing and shuffling his feet a bit he also recounts to Val and Quin the events of the other night with the mysterious young woman wanted by the King. He tries to describe her in as much detail as he can remember to see if Val might be able to advise on who she was.

"Best way to stop from tracking us is to capture magick eyeglass." Saying this he admits he is not sure how they would do that. "Alydar or return to Ruby Keep all I can think going ahead. Not sure how Quin feels with evil gnome ruin his rep and Val hidden infamy."
 
Sarm nods to Tarkus and begins walking back with him, "Hopefully it is just that this time.. Just important. Our luck tends to not treat us well when it comes to strangers, unless they're someone Val knows." Which still shouldn't be considered good luck by any means.

His night and morning are rather uneventful from that point.

----

Sarm takes a look at the pamphlet without taking it, "If true, then this solves a curiosity at the very least. The question of why there are so many Orcs among their ranks has troubled me."
 
Code: 
Arcana Roll
Roll(1d20)+16:
17,+16
Total:33


Evaneth has been largely quiet the entire time they have been out of the prison, his mind on other matters. He has kind of been in a daze. He listens to Tarkus' tale of the girl with some interest, but has no idea who the young girl is unfortunately. Obviously she has garnered Tarkus' attention since he felt the need to mention her to Val.

"I agree that the Monocle needs to be taken from them as soon as possible. "
 
Val stifles an impulse to pop the Fangs of Set into his mouth, metamorphosize into a giant evil snake god, and devour the diminutive mayor in one gulp. Yes, he's reneging on part of the deal, but not out of malfeasance. It's not as though Val can be said to be the paradigm of negotiating in good faith.

Val accepts his comeuppance with dignity (though he's unlikely to reconsider his life choices), and bids farewell to the mayor to allow him to oversee the reconstruction of the town without further interruption.

--

Tossing bags of coin to each of his team mates ((My share is... Um... A little under -30K if we're deducting the cost of the belt and bag from my share instead of a straight split of the remainder. Suvne would be out about 8K for the amulet.)), he shares his own thoughts on recent intel acquired.

"I guess it's to be expected that they'd have some kind of... I don't know, magical tripwire? Ruby Keep is Vecna central, makes sense that they'd want to keep tabs of comings and goings like that. Suffice to say, I think our return will have to via the long way. No sense in needlessly announcing our return.

"Tarkus' lead on the cult's supply of cannon fodder is promising. If we shut that down, hopefully we can avoid any more encounters like on the bridge in the mine.

"I've no idea who the girl from the bar was, but if the king's guard are after her, I like her already. But we can scarcely afford to satisfy our idle curiosity about her identity, we have larger immediate concerns, such as Quintus' unexpected debt problem. We'd probably be best served by returning to Alydar and picking up the trail of his supposed absentee business partner."
 
Quintus pulls out his fancy silver mirror and says "We may very well need to do that, but first lets just see if we can get a quick peek at where he is right now... I'm doubtful Rubio knows how to take control of others Divination spells so this time it will probably take a little while, about an hour, so if you all have anything you want to do, now might not be a bad time." then pulls out all the stuff he found in Rubio's home to help him(not sure what i found actually... clothes was probably a given, but a picture or especially a lock of hair would not be so easy.) with this spell and begins casting Scrying.
 
((Awesome avatar change, Mike M, now I won't keep seeing ThreeDeafMute's posts and thinking it's you.))

Tossing bags of coin to each of his team mates ((My share is... Um... A little under -30K if we're deducting the cost of the belt and bag from my share instead of a straight split of the remainder. Suvne would be out about 8K for the amulet.)), he shares his own thoughts on recent intel acquired.
Click to expand...
((So do we intend on just keeping the items we borrowed and paying for them? I wouldn't mind losing 8K in shares for the amulet since she needs the extra health.))

Sarm responds to the group before he sets off to check on his wagon and the horses that pull it, "I hold a belief that they may be protected by the Ruby Keep military itself, possibly even by the authority of their governing leader.. even if unknowingly. Vecna and his cult are about secrets, deceit, and manipulation so I imagine their protection is more than just physical or magical. They have social power too." It is possible that he's overestimating the extent of their influence, but he would rather be prepared for that possibility than not.

He continues, "As for the girl, it should not be our business. I find her plight unfortunate, but I doubt there is anything we could do and we have much greater issues to handle right now." He manages to sound cold and emotionless as he always does, but inside he truly does feel that it is unfair that he has a kind of freedom others do not.

He gives a short wave after Quintis begins his scrying spell, and moves to see to his wagon before coming back. He would apologize to the person that had to tend to them longer than intended. ((EDIT: I know that the wagon is fine from a previous post, I just now have the opportunity to say when he checks on it.))
 
KittenMaster said:
((Awesome avatar change, Mike M, now I won't keep seeing ThreeDeafMute's posts and thinking it's you.))
Click to expand...

((Heh, actually I think there are two or three other posters with a Wearscience avatar, but I was first, dang it! I just suddenly got a bug up my ass to change it after like, five years. Spectacularly poor timing too, as I only realized after the fact that my trusty robo avatar featured pretty heavily in the Secret Santa stuff I did this year. D'oh.))

((So do we intend on just keeping the items we borrowed and paying for them? I wouldn't mind losing 8K in shares for the amulet since she needs the extra health.))
Click to expand...

((Well one way or another, I'm keeping the haversack. Just entirely too useful. I really wouldn't mind keeping the belt, but the cost is more than my share by like a lot. Maybe have Suvne and Val keep their goodies and forfeit their shares of the cash?))
 
The stable boy - a young thing, barely a teenager - looks up wide-eyed at Tarkus, with an emotion just short of fear and with a hint of awe. He says nothing, and gazes in surprise at Tarkus's showing of affection toward Bree the horse.

Once Tarkus starts inquiring about the hapless goat that had been following him around, it doesn't take him long to find the creature, wandering about the town's outskirts, likely after having been driven off from the mine entrance once work started back up. The goat seems just as fond of the half-orc as ever, and resumes its business of following him wherever he goes.

----

Sarm's apology toward those in charge of the stable is met with a smile from the manager. "Son, I'm just glad you and your crew made it back here in one piece. The whole town-- well, most of us anyways -- are grateful for what you lot did for us. There will always be a place for your wagon here, far as I'm concerned."

----

Quintus breathes deeply and closes his eyes, performing the scrying ritual precisely as described. The items he has that were possessions of Rubio's seem to be responding exactly as expected (meaning that they belonged to him and thus are effective for the purposes of the spell).

However, when Quintus opens his eyes, in the mirror he sees only static and interference.

Something seems to be blocking his Scrying attempt.

This isn't a case of the affected creature simply resisting his spell; in that case, the mirror would simply be completely black. This seems to be the result of a standing Nondetection enchantment ((I rolled your Caster Level check to overcome Nondetection and you didn't get high enough)).

Since Rubio never gave any indication that he was a practitioner of the Arcane arts, Quintus can only deduce that the little twit must have gotten his hands on an item permanently enchanted with Nondetection - a sensible course of action, all things considered, for a crafty little man who just deliberately duped a powerful wizard.

With little recourse, Quintus mentally reviews what he knows about Divination magic and ways to get around its countermeasures. He decides that although there's not much he can do about it alone, he does still have connections with powerful wizards at the Emerald Bay Academy who may be able to assist in this matter.

As the possibility of traveling to his hometown starts running through his head, he remembers something else, and rummages around in his pack until he finds the flyer he received some weeks earlier, about the Tournament of Champions. Checking the date and doing a little bit of math, he realizes that the tournament is due to begin in just under a week - which means that Emerald Bay is likely crawling with tourists, students, and alumni right about now.


((I found the description of the flyer so you don't have to go searching through the beginning of the thread))
The school's sigil is colorlessly indented into the center - a large, two handed battle axe and a long, ornate wizard's staff forming an X. An artist's rendition of a large, muscular fighter charging at a wizard clad in robes is drawn colorfully onto the parchment. It says, in fairly impressive calligraphy,

"You are cordially invited, Quintus of Emerald Bay, to participate in the 203rd annual Caragon the Conqueror Memorial Tournament of Champions. This year, over one million gold in prizes will be awarded! You are eligible for participation in the Junior Alumni Division (less than 5 years out of the Academy) and the Open Admission Division, where ANYONE can enter! RSVPs will be accepted up to and including the day of the tournament. Invite friends and family alike, and share in this day of celebration with them!"
Click to expand...
 
Sarm smiles and nods, "Thank you. I am glad I was not too much trouble with the unexpected delay in returning."

((Well one way or another, I'm keeping the haversack. Just entirely too useful. I really wouldn't mind keeping the belt, but the cost is more than my share by like a lot. Maybe have Suvne and Val keep their goodies and forfeit their shares of the cash?))
Click to expand...
((I'm trying to figure out... This is 46K of gold being shared in addition to keeping the equipment borrowed, right? And if Val & Suvne forfeit their shares that would be split among four people?))
 
((Just to help out with the math a little bit, and to provide a suggestion on how to go about this:

From a total reward pool of 100,000, each party member would get 16,000, with 4000 left over for general party expenses.

Suvne's Amulet costs exactly 16,000, so she would be square.

Val's belt costs 36,000, which means that he would be cutting into other members' shares by 20,000 gold. The Haversack benefits the entire party, so it would make more sense for that cost to be taken out of the 4000 in the General Party Expenses pool.

The party is getting 46,000 total in actual gold. Suvne's and Val's shares are accounted for, which means that would get split evenly among Tarkus, Sarm, Quintus and Evaneth; each of them would get 11,500, and Val would owe each of them 4500 gold, in addition to owing 2,000 to the party fund (4000 - 2000 for the Haversack).

So to recap, if you guys were to go with this method:

-Suvne gets the Amulet
-Val gets the Belt
-The Haversack stays with the party (Val carrying it)
-Val owes each of Sarm, Tarkus, Quintus, and Evaneth 4500 gold
-Val also owes the General Expenses Fund 2000 gold
-Sarm gets 11500
-Tarkus gets 11500
-Quintus gets 11500
-Evaneth gets 11500

Not that you guys HAVE to go with this method, but I like figuring out things like this so I went ahead and worked it out))
 
((*Sigh* Val's going to have to buy a lot of ladies drinks to pay this off to everyone. Either that or hew more to his nature and start running some criminal enterprises on the side to make more cash. Heh heh.

But fair's fair, I don't want to shortchange anyone because of my unabashed avarice.))
 
((Sure, that sounds good. Also I was totally about to ask about the time for that Tournament, keep forgetting and/or putting it off))

Not completely surprised by these events, he begins work on his next move... Once he checks the flyer though, he sighs, "Time is not on our side... the 'Caragon the Conqueror Memorial Tournament of Champions' is this week. The monetary reward will make that well worth looking into, but more importantly I could get some assistance finding Rubio... And I guess one of the artifacts is there, we could try to find out more about that too."
 
((Lunarian's suggested split is fine with me. 11.5k Personal / 2k party. Also I had completely forgotten about the tournament! Either way, I reckon it's mighty time we hitch up the wagon and mosey on out of Iron Hill.))

As the party splits up the spoils from Iron Hill they are able to negotiate a split that let's them keep their new equipment with Val owing a bit on the side. Tarkus grins at the man's promise of repayment. "Your silver-tongue talk'd us outta more than your weight in gold; safe to say, one way or other, a Fierno always pays his debts?" Tarkus claps him on the back and grunts before returning with Sarm to help saddle up the wagon.

Relieved that Chewy the goat is relatively unharmed, he slices up a bit of leather strapping for him to chew on before tying the horned beast up to the cart. "Gonna have to pull your weight around here, goat. No room for free-loader. That mean milk for cheese if we need it." He eyes the goat with a sidelong glance then laughs at the stupidity of trying to talk to it as the rest of the group gathers around.

Tarkus listens to the assessment of the magick find ritual and views the flier for the tournament with interest. "Emerald Bay your school, right Q?" Scratching his chin in thought he remembers something from their fight with the bone devil. "Insane classmate talk something about headmaster. Greencloaks surely involve somehow. We should go, best chance to get wizard help, lead for relic and maybe shot at winning tournament." Tarkus pulls out his Greataxe and looks at it with a gleam in his eyes. "Yes, we should go to Academy very soon."
 
Flashing a wicked grin to Tarkus, Val clarifies one point of his repayment plan. "Actually, the Fiernos have very little experience in repaying monetary debts. We're far more of a 'take the money and run' kind of organization. But I'm good for it, as long as I'm still left standing at the conclusion of our next battle."

The party having decided to head west to Quintus' home town, Val makes a stop at the local post office and drafts a pair of letters. The first he addresses to Valance's alias in Northport, encoding the considerable sum of information the party has gained on various topics and their next move into what appears to be a catalog request. He has no idea if Valance will read the actual letter, but he's confident that his brother will receive it's contents regardless.

The second he addresses to the mayor's office in Alydar, encoding a message to his sister into a letter purporting to be an official update from Mayor Fireheart's office about the state of the mine and when shipments may be expected to resume. He doesn't disclose the full degree of information he did to Valance, but appraises her of what they've learned of the cult's defenses and recruiting operation, and also of what he knows about his brothers. Valdemar had gone west, Valance had likely followed, and now Valgar pursues in turn.

Down at Sarm's cart, Val pats Tarkus' adopted goat on the head and hops into the cart. Now that his entire trunk and contents are impossibly stuffed inside the haversack, there's more room to stretch out in the sturdy wooden conveyance. "So, we're off to Emerald Bay which will doubtlessly be crawling with Vecna cultist casters. Splendid!" he says with obviously insincere glee. "Because they didn't savage us within an inch our lives enough when we faced but three of them, let's assault them in their home.

"This tournament sounds interesting though. Never missed one in Ruby Keep if I could help it. Those betting slips were just too easy to replicate, really it was as though they gave no thought to document security.

"I don't suppose Emerald Bay's tournament accepts wagers...?"

((What all do we want to stow in the haversack? Already stated that Val has stowed his myriad equipment and possessions, I would imagine we'd want to stash the magic apples and ever burning torches too. What else we got? I think most everyone is traveling much lighter than Val is.))
 
((Both our ropes are still in there so beyond that I should be good for now. Tarkus packs pretty light as well, beyond a change of clothes and general supplies he only has a lighter set of armor, potions, a spear, crossbow + bolts and his shield. Pretty situational stuff we haven't needed so far. I agree packing the torches and enchanted apples would be prudent for the party. Although thanks to his ring it won't be long before Tarkus no longer needs to eat or sleep more than 2 hours a night!))
 
Val's letters are put into processing, to be sent out as soon as postal ravens come available.

There is no gambling allowed in Emerald Bay, but it really wouldn't be hard at all to find someone underground willing to take bets.

If the party wants to get there in time for the tournament, they will have to teleport; it's a week's journey from Alydar by wagon, and they are still a day and a half east of Alydar. It makes sense to travel to Alydar first either way, though (either because you have to travel through there to cross the river, or in order to drop off the wagon and check in on the homefront first), so you all make it to Alydar with no problems.

((In keeping with the Wild ARMs theme: http://youtu.be/6MQRL7xws7w))

The town seems to be thriving in the absence of any crises, and the citizens welcome the party with open arms. All lodging and meals are on the house while they are here, and they have a standing invitation to speak with "Mayor Florentine" if they care to find time. The stables have a secure place reserved for the wagon to remain parked while the party is away, should they need it.
 
Sarm would split the money given to him with Suvne since they intend to keep the amulet she has.

Sarm smiles and nods towards any citizen that would obviously recognize him as the healer that cured them of the zombification awhile back. He allows the others to get off the wagon as he passes by points where they would want to drop off and go do their various tasks while in the city. He navigates the wagon into the stables where he expects to be excused of consequence for inconvenience like at Iron Hill, despite wishing he could just pay the stable keeper appropriately.

From there he decides to stroll through the city. He stops by the general store first, and purchases with his own money these items: a clay jug for containing water in, and a week's worth of rations for himself and Suvne. Suvne purchases herself a backpack to keep her rations and the potions she purchased back in Iron Hill in. ((I haven't been keeping track of her inventory load apparently. Not a big deal, she has 18 Str, she'll be fine.)) Sarm also considers seeing if any stores have any enchanted shields like the one at Iron Hill.

He visits the site the church used to be as well, to see if the city has ever made any attempt to start rebuilding it.
 
((As long as we are here, I might as well sell this extra ring of protection +1 I have(everyone already has one correct?) and these old bracers of armor +3... actually, does Evaneth have any armor? given i know two of his classes don't do well with armor(and i doubt his third and eventual prestige class probably go well with armor either) I guess he could use the bracers. Anyways, whats the limit on what i can get access to around here? Pretty sure I can get almost any scroll I want, but I remember some kinda limit on magical items. Also, what was the discount? 10%?))
 
DeadPhoenix said:
((As long as we are here, I might as well sell this extra ring of protection +1 I have(everyone already has one correct?) and these old bracers of armor +3... actually, does Evaneth have any armor? given i know two of his classes don't do well with armor(and i doubt his third and eventual prestige class probably go well with armor either) I guess he could use the bracers. Anyways, whats the limit on what i can get access to around here? Pretty sure I can get almost any scroll I want, but I remember some kinda limit on magical items. Also, what was the discount? 10%?))
Click to expand...
((Yeah definitely ask Evaneth first and if not I could equip the bracers on Tarkus as he can always do with more AC to tank with. Also Tarkus only magic ring is a ring of sustenance.))

Tarkus hits the barracks to catch up with the Captain of the guard in Alydar and is relieved to hear things have been relatively quiet. After a quick lunch he sharpens his Greataxe with a whetstone and spends a bit more time training in swinging the heavy-headed weapon deftly in strong, full-bodied strikes and quick scathing deflections.
 
((Valance had enough rings for everyone, but I think Evaneth already had a +2 ring? Or am I misremembering and that's what DeadPhoenix is talking about for Quintus?))

Val currently lacks the funds to do much shopping, seeing as he owes a great deal of gold to nearly everyone else in the party.

While everyone else runs their errands, he drops by the office of the "mayor" (well, maybe she's just the mayor at this point) to discuss the contents of his letter and see if she might have any resources to bring to bear on locating Rubio.
 
((Bracers of Armor do not stack with normal armor so they will not be any good for Tarkus I think. I'm not sure what Evaneth had, but by the time we got those rings from Valance I already had bought myself a ring. So yeah, is Sauve can use it, that's fine, an extra 1k gold isn't gonna do use a lotta good right now anyways I think))
 
Bracers and normal armor have the same type of bonus (an Armor Bonus), so they don't stack. Rings of Protection have a Deflection bonus to AC so it does stack with normal armor.

The town has basically any of your standard stat-boosting (up to +6) and Protection and Resistance type items (up to +3) for book price.

Valerie seems to be doing well; she no longer has to be carried around, and is making use of a simple-but-effective wheel chair that she had commissioned especially for her. She takes in Val's news evenly, with some worry about Valance's currently unknown fate, and she also explains that they've been looking for Rubio as well, since Quintus isn't the only person he owed a debt to before skipping town; so far, no luck.

Bones still hasn't been back to town, and Ivor is still in a coma. Lysa, Leeta, Elmina, and Arianna are all still doing fine and prospering in their work.

((sorry about the lazy write-up but I'm in a bit of a hurry and wanted to cover all the bases while leaving you open to teleporting at Quintus's leisure))

EDIT: In Alydar, whatever you buy is at book price minus 10%. Sorry about that very late edit.
 
((Gotcha, I've basically cheated myself out of an AC this whole time but I can't think of an instance where it would've made a difference anyway.))

EDIT: ((I think I'm gonna go ahead and buy a Steel Light Shield +2, assuming I don't have to roll. That would cost 3743 Gold and 1 Silver wouldn't it?))
 
((Going to move the plot along. If anyone who hasn't had a chance to describe what they did in Alydar was still wanting to do things, you can go ahead and describe it in your next post))

After the party finishes up their business in Alydar - leaving the wagon, horses, and Chewy behind safely in the stables -, they gather around Quintus in a quiet place so that he can work his magic. He takes a breath, utters the key phrases, and a few turns of the stomach later (not quite as bad as last time, but none of them are really "used to it" yet), they are suddenly standing somewhere else.

They are on the outskirts of a town that appears similar in size to Alydar, but the buildings are much more compact. The architecture is completely different; all of the structures have a circular, smooth, stone design, unlike the angular architecture of all the other towns they've been to. The round buildings are flat on the edge that would border another building, probably in order to conserve space.

The streets in this town are PACKED full of people - far, far, far more than it looks like it could support. A high percentage of them are young and college-aged, and they are made up of all manner of races, including a respectable percentage of Orcs. They are all acting merry; many have drinks in hand, and some are very obviously drunk. Here and there, showy displays of magical prowess flare up harmlessly. If you look closely enough, you'll catch glimpses of people in various states of undress.

In short, the party has teleported right into the middle of a giant, city-wide party. During the middle of the day.

To Quintus, this isn't the least bit surprising; he himself recalls participating in these festivities during his days at the Academy, not so long ago. He was actually intending to teleport directly onto campus to avoid having to wade through the throngs in the streets, but clearly it's been a while, so his aim was slightly off.


Emerald Bay is aptly named, for it exists against the coast, and the ocean water has an oddly greenish hue; however, it isn't entirely dependent on its coastal status like Northport was. Instead, Emerald Bay's economy is reliant on being a college town. Directly adjacent to the town, and visible from anywhere within it, is the Emerald Bay Academy. The entrance is immediately north of town, and is flanked on either side by two enormous statues, similar in size to the statue of Ao that was found in the Monastery (and they might be even bigger). One statue is of a fierce minotaur, wielding a battle axe in mid-swing; the other is a female wearing mage robes. She wields a shield in one hand to block the axe, and seems to be preparing a spell with the other.

If anyone tries to use Detect Magic while in town or on campus, they will find it useless. Nearly everything is magical here, and a zero-level spell will be unable to discern one aura from the next. Arcane Sight (the 3rd level, more advanced version of Detect Magic) would be required for that.

Quintus and Evaneth, during the teleport you again felt like someone was watching you... only this time they felt a LOT closer, as though they are zeroing in on you and the party.

Emerald Bay has the usual services and amenities of any average town, but navigating in these conditions is difficult. Quintus, your parents live here - in a tragically-modest home - but most of your good friends from college moved away after graduating, so anyone else you might know would be on campus.

((I couldn't think of a good song for this section))
 
((lmao, Mike.))

As Quintus casts the spell the half-orc steadies himself, thinking he has become more familiar with travelling via teleportation. Unfortunately, as the arcane forces take hold again, it seems his body hasn't gotten the memo. Stifling the gymnastics in his stomach, he opens his eyes and takes a deep breath to reorient himself with their new surroundings. Expecting to feel a rush of cold, ocean air he is surprised when an assortment of scents greet him all at once. The air is mixed with many flavors such as the smell of cooking, ales and spirits and that peculiar almost sulfuric smell that Tarkus has learned so often accompanies certain magicks.

The sound of chanting and a few lines of a drinking song float by as the party begins to walk.

"You can keep your fancy ales.
You can drink em by the flagon
But the only brew for the brave and true…"

Smiling devilishly Tarkus grins and nudges Quintus. "Never thinked your hometown to be so full of mirth, Quin." Eyeing the grand celebrations around them with mixed amusement and envy, he has to mentally remind himself of their task. Here for relic, track cult and find rip-off gnome. Still, he can't help but elbow Val and whisper "How many chance we get to celebrate with such revelers?"

Tarkus walks through the crowds with interest and pauses to observe many of the magical displays the students are casting. "Been much time since seen so many magicks. Beside healers, in the mercenary corps one campaign we meet troop of gnome illusionist. Funny little robed ones. They came to change weather, cast camouflage charm and shoot bright light in patterns during a plains assault." Momentarily lost in reverie, his attention is suddenly snatched away at the sight of the entrance to the academy proper.

The great statues give pause to Tarkus, leaving him in a state of awe. Finally giving voice to the ideas that have been building in his mind for some time, he turns to address the party. "We should enter tournament. Not only gain reward money for Quin's debt but also influence for enlist help tracking cult. We know greencloak are here in some way. Best chance perhaps to beat them in open where they cannot hide." Tarkus pauses for reactions and offers that Quin should take the reigns.

"Emerald Bay is Quin's home. He know best where to find wizards of the coast."
 
((Gonna wait until my purchase is confirmed before I assume I have the shield.))

((First thing that came in mind for music.))

Sarm, not being knowledgeable in the Arcane style of magic isn't one to immediately detect the presence of being watch, so he first notices the festivities about him. He places his hands to his sides, stating, "The locale here are quite varied, more than even Ruby Keep. I admit I was expecting something more... Secluded." Despite that the place doesn't seem to bother him much, "Reminds me of some of the festivities back in my lands, but the culture here is still much different."

When Tarkus speaks about the party now being among many mages than they normally are, he says, "I hope that we have allies among us here. Mages are never good enemies to have."

"Emerald Bay is Quin's home. He know best where to find wizards of the coast."
Click to expand...
((Holy crap.))
 
((Nice WotC drop there. Heh. All this soundtracking makes me feel like the characters need theme songs sometimes.))

Val shuts his eyes tightly in Alydar, and reopened them a scant second later in what he assumes must be Emerald Bay.

When Val thinks of academies, he imagined something more structured than his own autodidactic education. Studious contemplation in quite halls stacked to the rafters with shelves of musty books. Professors with impossible standards who are never pleased. That sort of thing, certainly nothing ever approaching this level of debauchery. He's far from unfamiliar with indulging in his baser impulses, but... Gods damn...

Mouth agape, Val witnesses this throng of unapologetic hedonism and says in an awed voice so faint as to be almost inaudible to anyone else, "I have never regretted not going to college so much in my entire life."

Whether by virtue of the cacophony of distractions or just that the rhythm of Emerald Bay's activity differs from Ruby Keep, Val can't effortlessly work his way through this bunch and finds himself constantly bumping into other passers by, though both parties seems to scarcely notice. It seems a shame to pass up the opportunity to get rip-roaring smashed and bed a few young lasses of intelligence, but really their agenda is just too full at the moment.

Drawing up alongside Tarkus, Val follows the half-orc's gaze upwards at the imposing statuary. "What do you suppose are the categories they have in this competition? I doubt they have much that I'd excel at, forgery isn't exactly a thrilling spectacle. I may fare well in a fencing match, but I'm hardly a grandmaster."

A thought occurs to him. "There's bound to be betting on these fights somewhere. The math might work out that there's greater payout in throwing a match and betting on the loss than winning the purse... Just throwing that put there..."
 
Jackben said:
"Emerald Bay is Quin's home. He know best where to find wizards of the coast."
Click to expand...


((::slow clap::))


KittenMaster said:
((Gonna wait until my purchase is confirmed before I assume I have the shield.))

((First thing that came in mind for music.))
Click to expand...

((Purchase confirmed. I didn't notice the edit; sorry about that. Also, great choice of background song. Though the ones that Mike and Jack posted also have their merits))

Though navigating the streets is troublesome, two commodities can be found in abundance: alcohol, and flyers detailing the schedule of events.

The tournament is a week-long affair that takes place during the second week of a campus-wide break from classes. There are numerous "main events" in different divisions, proceeding in order of experience. The first four days of the tournament are for students in different years; the day after is the Junior Alumni Divison; the day after is the Senior Alumni Division; and the final day is the Open Admission Division. During the entire week are various side events (for much smaller purses).

Edit: For information about underground betting, roll Gather Information (remember that ranks in Knowledge Local equal your ranks in Gather Info and vice versa, as described in the campaign rules)
 
((Purchase confirmed. I didn't notice the edit; sorry about that. Also, great choice of background song. Though the ones that Mike and Jack posted also have their merits))
Click to expand...
((I'll send updated character sheets to reflect the changes.))

Looking at the information flyer, Sarm reads the information presented, "So it is limited to students only? It sounds like the tournament in question acts as a test of worth for the students."
 
"Trust me Tarkus, when you spend most of your time staring at books and scrolls, you will make the most of your time off."

"Read it again Sarm. Open admission. Anyone... or anything as the case may be, can sign up on the final day."

"Come on now Val, you did a damn fine job against that Orc a few days ago. No doubt you can handle yourself in a fight, but if you do go that other route be careful, wizards aren't exactly known for being gracious losers and if they find out they've been cheated..."

"Unfortunately for me, my work is never done. I'm gonna go browse a few books, maybe talk to few old acquaintances... assuming any of them can still stand straight. I doubt it will take me long to find something to help me with my Rubio problem, so I'll probably try to find out what I can about the artifact here afterwards. You guys can do whatever it is you do and we'll meet up later."

Quintus will of course show them to the location of a respectable Inn. Probably a quiet one because it looks like they will have access to more then enough alcohol and stuff during the day.

((also, gonna go ahead and say Quintus picked up Mass Fly and Hold Monster back in Alydar))
 
After wading through the crowds toward three consecutive inns and finding that they are all completely full, it occurs to Quintus that the party may have no choice but to stay at his parents' house. Though they no longer live in the mansion he grew up in since losing their fortune, their new residence ought to at least have room for six guests to stay relatively comfortably. That can probably wait until later in the day, though.

With Tarkus expressing a desire to enter the tournament, he and Quintus travel together toward campus, while Val likely remains in town for now in order to find a bookie ((roll Gather Information for that, in case you missed the edit in my last post. And remember that Gather Information and Knowledge Local are essentially the same skill in this campaign, except that one uses Charisma and the other uses Intelligence (as per the campaign rules at the beginning of the thread). For this instance, you would use Charisma.))

Sarm, Suvne, and Evaneth might go either way; that's up to them.

Quintus finds that making his way toward campus is much easier with Tarkus in the lead to "gently" push people out of the way, so he is content to direct the half-orc from behind, and before long they are passing between the two giant statues and into the wide-open gate of the Emerald Bay Academy.

The sizable campus is surrounded by a tall, stone wall, with gates in the south and in the north. It is much, much larger than the tiny campus of the Seminary of Pelor; there are numerous buildings spread out for at least a few square miles. The campus seems to be split off into two sections; one half is dedicated entirely to the magical arts and disciplines, while the other is essentially a training ground for aspiring martial combatants. The vast majority of students here choose one route or the other, and most of them know where they want to be before ever setting foot on campus.

Although there are still quite a few people out and about, everything is significantly calmer and more orderly within than it was outside.

Once inside the walls of the campus, Quintus gives Tarkus a rough idea of where he should go, and then the two split up. Quintus heads toward the building that should contain the office of his old faculty sponsor, Master Specialist Ridley - whose specialty just happens to be Divination magic. Ridley happens to be in his office.

"Quintus Mallory," the old man says pleasantly from his desk, without even turning to look as he is approached. "I've been expecting you. Let's see that pile of clothes, shall we? There is little I take more pleasure in than using my talents to hunt down criminals, in particular those who have cheated former students of mine."

The fact that Ridley already knew Quintus was coming, and for what purpose, is no surprise to the young wizard. Ridley has always made a habit of using his uncanny talents to preordain his own future. When Quintus hands over Rubio's shirt, the old man gets to work, casting the 8th level Wizard spell "Discern Location". The ritual takes about ten minutes.

"Here," Ridley says, his eyes closed, motioning for Quintus to come closer. When he does, Ridley touches his shoulder, and shares his vision with Quintus. In his mind's eye, Quintus sees the gnome, Rubio, laying out on a beautiful beach in designer swim trunks, flanked by two gorgeous, bikini-clad women - one tiefling and one elf (nobody that Quintus knows). The name of a town floats to the surface of Quintus's mind: Southport.

Ridley opens his eyes and terminates the spell. "There you go, my boy," he grins. "One troublesome gnome, ready to be brought to justice. I trust you'll do the right thing. So, how have you been over the past year? You must tell me of your adven---"

Ridley stops mid-sentence as he notices Quintus's hand. "What's that?" he says suspiciously, and immediately casts Arcane Sight upon himself. "By the gods, boy - what is that you have here? Its aura is unlike anything I've ever..." He trails off as he leans in to examine the Hand of Vecna closer. "This didn't show up in my vision of your arrival," he says wondrously. "If I didn't know better, I'd say there was some.... Oh my. Quintus, whatever this is, it's infused with some fiercely powerful dark magic. I'm amazed you're still... Ohh, I see. Protection from Evil, eh? Clever boy. Still, I'd be wary about keeping that thing on too long. With that level of power, I wouldn't be surprised if some of that corruption wormed its way through your protective barrier if given enough time."

The old man sits up straight again, and leans back in his chair. "As I was saying," he continues, "You must tell me of your adventures since leaving the academy. I'd be especially interested to know where that gauntlet you have there came from."

-----

Tarkus attempts to follow Quintus's directions, but still ends up wandering around a little bit until he finds the registration booth for the tournament. There is a line, but it's not too long, and after a few minutes he finds himself staring at a number of sheets, each one for a different tournament. There are quite a few more than were listed on the flyer; most of them are small side events, but there is one major event that seems to be a late addition: the Team Tournament.

Taking place toward the end of the last day (after the Open Admission singles event), the Team Tournament is a single-elimination, one-on-one series of matches. The teams can consist of anywhere between one and six members.

The prize structure seems to be bloated compared to the other events, as well; while the winner of each other major tournament earns 100,000 gold, the winning team of the Team Tournament gets a whopping 300,000. It's also noted that there is no entry fee for any of the tournaments; the event seems to make most of its money through ticket sales and concessions.
 
Sarm has little interest in actually participating in the tournament or even spectating it for enjoyment or gambling. With his apathy towards the main event, he decides his time here would be better spent looking for leads that will give hint to where the relic might be or which one it is.

He takes Suvne with him and goes the direction Tarkus and Quintis towards the campus, but they decide not to enter yet due to the split towards very specific fields of study. He looks to see if he can find any students about, and introduces themselves as fellow travelers to some folks that are coming to see the upcoming event, and asks for where he might be able to find some information on the history of Emerald Bay and its magical community.

Sarm Gather Information - 1d20, rolled 9
Suvne Gather Information - 1d20 + 3, rolled 17 = 20​

Of course Suvne's beauty seems more likely to get them farther in learning more.
 
Code: 
Gather Information check:  1d20 + 2 = 11
((Dat cloak of charisma +2

Hopefully Ganhyun's move went well this past weekend, I don't want to get too far ahead of him before he gets back online.))

As Quintus marches off to do his wizarding thing, Val gets to work doing a little bit of recon. This was always more his brother's specialty, but how hard could it be?

Deftly plucking a momentarily unattended tankard of ale from a tall table, Val starts working the unruly crowd for information. Surely there must be someplace to put some money on the outcome of these events? No, no, no, not your dorm betting pool, that's petty ante stuff. Val's looking for the big action, with the serious players.

Digging up info on the tournament itself ought to be fairly easy, hard to run these things without rules to be made available and all that. Once Val has his answer on the underground betting scene, he wanders over to the registration counter on campus. He reads up on the regulations governing the Open Admission events, as well as perusing the list of smaller events on the other days to see if there's anything else that catches his interest.

Seeing the prize for the team battle champion, he lets out a whistle of admiration. "That is a princely sum, I'd be hard pressed to make that much in what passes for the gambling scene in this town. Not with my... Temporary dearth of seed funds."
 
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