DM CH-P's CoT: The Bastards of Erebus (Inactive)

Game Master Feral

"We collected some arms and armor from the remaining bandits and a good sum of coin. All of it was left with Semenya when we entered Westcrown. We", Maddok says motioning briefly to Vahnwynne with a shake of his head, "had things to attend to".

I think it's being assumed everyone is in the safehouse. Appario can probably collect the booty and safely do his mercantile thing.

Arael shakes Vahnwynne's hand. "Vampires, too? Is there no end to the plagues that befall our city? It seems to me that Maddok is right; it would be a good idea to work together to rid the city of all its filth."

Vahnwynne seems to be slightly uncomfortable with the crowd. "Yes, I have collected various clues pointing towards Westcrown as the origin of many vampires plaguing northern Cheliax. Later this morning I will try to find out which rumors are true and which are not. Should I discover where the vampires lair, it would be reckless of me not to accept help when it is given freely."

Arael smiles, then becomes aware of Appario's request. "Ah, you have found more tools to be used in our fight, Appario? I'm afraid I have no skill with identifying items of magic."

Maddok wanders off to get a couple plates of whatever the others are breaking their fast on and some morning wine. He offers a share of the food and drink to Vahnwynne.

"Arael, do you think there is a connection between these vampires and the shadow beasts? Are they not both horrors that hunt in the night?"

"I can't say. Hopefully your friend.. Vahnwynne, was it?.. will be able to tell us more later. If there is a connection between the vampires and the shadow beasts it would not bode well for the citizens of Westcrown."

"Speaking of the shadow beasts, Janiven's friend sent word that she would be ready to meet with us tomorrow. I would like it if you could all be here then."

"Glady, I would gladly be here on the morrow to meet with those who would provide leads to the shadowbeasts. That will give me time today to visit my Church and my markets. Today will be a good day of trade!"

Appario lifts a sack of the gear to be sold (the armors and weapons) over his shoulder.

"If any of you wish to witness a different type of battle, the battle over money, you are welcome to join me in the merchant stalls. Otherwise, I shall be back later this day."

Appario waves at the collected potions, now sorted into piles by type.

"I'll leave those here for now, we, or the others, may need them."

Whistling, Appario leaves to pay homage to his god in deed and action.

"Zzzzz...huh? Whuh?"
As Appario passes by Derek, he snaps to, waking from his slumber, his position frozen like it was, both hands pointing at the door with a triumphant smile on his face.
"Ah man, how embaressing, he is leaving, and you are already here...how long did I stand there anyway?"

Maddok shoots Derek a raised eyebrow in confusion, "Are you well little brother? Did the harpy's talons leave some lasting wound?", the Shoanti asks in regards to the bard's erratic (even moreso than usual) behavior.

Granor enters the HQ. He looks around and bows in greeting.
"Greetings, friends. How does this morning find you? Is there any food to be had? I am starving."

If offered with food, he sits at the table and eats, and talks.

"What shall we do with lady Drovenge? Shall we invite her to the safety of this building, or is she not trusted enough to stay here. At the moment, she is in the Dwarven house of commerce, resting. I can bring her over here pretty fsat, but i will need skills of someone good with makeup, to hide her beauty from the world untill she comes here."

Please assume I handed stuff to Appario to liquidate.

Appario greets the entering Granor with a smile as removes his cloak from the bardic cloakrack and places it around his shoulders.

"Ah, good morning, Granor. I see our thespian friend is finishing his acting performance of being a tree. I'm off to market, you can discuss plans with Gaping Beauty here. I'll be back this afternoon for a recap."

Yahirma lounges on one of the benches, gently swishing the contents of one of the potions in its container as she contemplates the magic stored within. She casts Detect Magic on the lot, then she will perform a bit of taste-testing to reconsider any she wasn't sure of on the first go-around. Before picking up a new potion, she sometimes takes a moment to throw a pleading hand to the rafters or scribble a small rune on the table with charcoal (Guidance). For a few, she allows the chicken out of the cage to wander amongst the bottles; as it pecks at various vials, Yahirma attentively records notes about its choices.

During the entire process, Yahirma listens with half an ear to that which everyone else is discussing. "From what little I've heard about our plans for Lady Drovenge, I understand she's not yet a member of this organization. Shall we keep her safe and off-site until we have a chance to do some background research on her family and her local interests? It's possible I missed out on this news by the time I got back; our usual set of eyes and ears has been sleeping on one leg."

She shakes her head and mumbles "Ajabu ya ardhi ndege..." She then tosses some corn to her chicken as a job well done.

Maddok looks to Derek still waiting for a response but addresses the group,"Drovenge? Was it not safe for her once she entered Westgate?", the Shoanti asks, clearly confused.

At the mention of Arael's shadow-beast contact being met on the morrow, "So is today to be used for gathering information? I would like to escort Vahnwynne as she looks into her vampire lead and it appears others want to learn what we can about this Lady we have hidden away. Should we plan to meet her again tonight so we can meet this shadow beast expert in the morning together?"

Having his mouth full, Granor swallows and takes a swig of milk.

"Well, no she is not a Gardener, and she has no idea that gardeners exist, as far as i could gather. She seems normal however and i did not detect any mischief or wronghood in her words. And i think that we could protect her much better here then where she is now. Dwarves are stalwart, but only as long as money flows.
However, a plan dawned on me, that i thought we could use. If we somehow deliver a letter penned by her hand to her uncle, which says that she has been kidnapped and that we want money for her safe return, and to designate a dropoff point, where we will set up a trap for the bandits responsible for her attempted kindapping. We would also have to slip the uncle a message telling him to spread rumors of a ransom occuring and where and when it was going to happen. Or we could have master Keegan here do it in disguise.
What do you think?"

The potion identification rolls were already made in the ooc thread, so go there for results; I love the IC method though :)

Granor: It's her grandfather, not her uncle. Also, be aware that Maddok, Semenya and Yahirma don't yet know anything about the plan regarding Lady Drovenge.

"Ah, sorry big brother, I must have fallen asleep. You have no idea how much energy it takes to hold THIS position." Derek once more assumes the position for a few seconds.

"Of course, if I was a little more gene savvy, I would have pinpointed your arrival perfectly and not have to hold it for this long."

Derek frowns a little.
"I think master Goldenbeard that it was her grandfather, but aside from that, I'm game for whatever. Say, do we yet KNOW what name he goes by? Yes yes, obviously he is a Drovenge...unless m'lady Drovenge is married of course, in that case it could be anything."

30 minutes of position holding? I must be getting old...and I'm not even old yet...wait what? Oh, so it finally happened, I've lost my mind. Was only a matter of time of course.

Maddok appears relieved at Derek's good health even if it is difficult to tell through his perpetually grim expression.

"Why is the Lady still under our protection? Do you believe there is more to that ambush than a group of fools looking to make easy coin waylaying a wealthy traveler?

"Well, if you ask me my opinion, then I would say that the only people with more lose lips than bards, are the nobility. They gossip freely, as with all their wealth and no skills to talk about, they have little else to occupy their time with. And there are always servants about to pick something up and spread it along."

Derek grins a little slyly.
"Were we to bring her here, I fear we would not attract more attention than if me and Arael stripped down to our smallclothes, painted ourselves green and fought on top of the building with burning flagpoles."

Something that has happened more than once...but not with Arael

"Say, speaking of Arael, could you do me a favour? Could you secure a small sack with the gardeners seal on it? I had forgotten in all this excitement, but I had some money to distribute to the merchants that were robbed."

Derek removes the all but forgotten purse and throws it on the table.

"Certainly. I'll start stitching right away." Finding a sack and some sowing tools, Arael begins attaching a gardener's seal to the sack. "What is all this talk about Lady Drovenge? Kidnapping, hiding away, dwarven house of commerce? What have you gotten yourselves into this time?" He frowns, and his voice is full of concern.

Before anyone can answer him, Janiven enters the house. "Greetings. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have important tidings. The Hellknights are up in arms about three criminals that were murdered at their Citadel during the night, after having been brought in the previous evening. All three of them had nasty puncture holes all over their bodies. The Hellknights don't know how it happened, since their cells were still locked when the armigers came to check up on them."

Pausing to pour herself something to drink, she continues. "The young Lady Drovenge has been kidnapped. I came upon a messenger boy while I was on my way here, and he said House Drovenge has issued a reward of five thousand gold for her safe return. If we could find out who has taken her and release her, Westcrown's foremost noble family would be indebted to us."

Derek grins at Janiven. "Do you think they pay extra for speedy delivery? I can go get her right now if you want? Ah, but that would mess up our plan of drawing out the men who hired the bandits to kidnap her in the first place."

Derek chuckles at Janivens most likely incredulous look. "Oh, didn’t you hear? She was in the caravan we rescued. We convinced her to take part in a little plot to draw out whoever hired the bandits to kidnap her, turns out, which is what they were after all along."

"Puncture wounds?", Maddok says meeting eyes with his vampire huntress for a moment.

Beginning to understand the nature of the duplicity around Lady Drovenge,"You are very clever little brother. I assume you had no small part in the nature of her kidnapping becoming known."

"How will we learn who organized all of this?"

Appario whistles as the goes through the markets and his bag gets lighter and lighter, but his purse gets heavier and heavier.

Today's battles have been short and quick, and Appario feels that he is getting better at learning the markets with each passing sale.

Smiling, Appario places the last two greatswords down for the weapons merchant to inspect. The merchant is interested, but feigns not to be (how could he not be when he offers less than half what he can re-sell them for), and Appario pretends that there are other buyers who are begging to take the swords off him.

And from there the battle is enjoined. The merchant mentions his large stacks of weapons yet to sell and Appario comments on the well honed edges of the blades. The merchant counters that so few people knew how to use the blade effectively, Appario replies that that would be good, you'll see profit yet again from them when they return to sell back.

And so it goes.

In the end, Appario returns to the safe house with a heavy purse of gold and a small notebook detailing each transaction. He is feeling happy and in tune with his god.

* * *

Entering the safe house, Appario will head to a table and begin making 6 piles of gold and opens his accounts for those to see his transactions.

"There. With that fun stuff done, what are we doing with the Lady?"

Vahnwynne returns Maddok's look. "I don't think this is vampires. They'd only make two puncture holes near the neck, not puncture holes all over their bodies. This must be something else."

Janiven indeed has a very incredulous look. When she finally manages to close her gaping mouth and take a few swigs of her ale, she says "You've got her?! This is a dangerous game you're playing. What is your plan?"

If Appario goes by his church, he gets a bag of 50 gold for his part in making so many new protection deals over the past couple of weeks.

Yahirma finishes her potion identification as Janiven struggles to express the gravity of the situation to her merry, sometimes-reckless band of friends. "I got in a little late, so I'm behind on the details. I'm sure that once Master Keegan finishes stretching sore muscles, he and Granor here will be more than happy to explain where each thread of this complicated web is woven." She jots down a few more notes about the potions before scooping up the chicken and tossing it back in its cage.

"Semenya, a moment of your time? I started working on these lenses a few days ago, thinking I might use them for tracking down Shadow-Walkers. After yesterday's events, I gather you seem a more practiced lookout than I - especially with your ability to speak the spider's whispers. The project is not yet perfect; the focus is a little off. Even so, they are quite good for magnifying images and picking out inconsistencies. With a little more work and with a few more resources expended to get the focal length just right, I could perfect it. In the meantime, I think you could make better use of these than I. We could adjust the sizing now."

These are the +4 Eyes of the Eagle Yahirma started working on soon after joining the gardeners. Another 450 gold and about a day of work will finish the item, resulting in the Core Rulebook's Eyes of the Eagle. I'm perfectly happy to pass these to Semenya.

Semenya looks at the lenses, looks at the various other...bits...that Yahirma carries. The chicken "clucks" once or twice. She laughs.

"All right...let's try the sizing on. What will I owe you?"

I'll contribute part of my share of the haul towards getting these built. I'm now picturing Semenya with her hair up in a bun and wearing Librarian Glasses.

Yahirma adjusts the primary strap and fastens it into place with a somewhat lopsided buckle, muttering about how it "will need replacing" and "only had the one." In trying to get the various bits to behave, she over-tightens the contraption, takes a few seconds to notice Semenya's look of discomfort, and then releases the pressure. "*Cough* Erm, yes, it appears a few pieces need to be swapped out. I thought that to be the case for purely cosmetic reasons, but it seems a few parts don't work as smoothly as I had hoped. This buckle, for example, seems to have rusted a bit in my trip across the sea; I will have to replace it before I can call the piece finished."

She rummages through a side pocket of her backpack and a long moment passes as she fails to find whatever it is she's looking for. As if to thwart her, the opposite side's pocket twitches and bulges slightly, as if a small rodent had been sealed within. As Yahirma starts tossing sundry tokens and cheap souvenirs - some so poorly made that only a novice traveler would consider throwing away copper for them - a piece of chalk seems to wriggle out of the twitching pocket before falling to the wooden floor below. Yahirma makes a dash for the chalk, just snatching it up before it slips into a crack between the planks. After giving a meaningfully scolding glare to the backpack, she walks back to Semenya. Picking up the straps for the lens, she carefully wraps them around the sorceress's head and uses the chalk to mark where the new buckle should sit.

"We shall speak of costs when Appario speaks of his trips amongst the market stalls. If you can provide what little is needed to finish the creation, I will consider my earlier expenditures a gift. There is still the matter of the buckle. I am not used to having so many places to buy things, much less commission a particular material. Is there a metal you would prefer? Silver? Steel? Brass?"

The Eyes were not exactly a commissioned piece, so I don't expect anything close to full reimbursement; I'm not in the habit of creating items that weren't requested and then demanding full recompense. Yahirma started the piece as something that would prove useful to any party member - even if she just kept it for herself. If you can provide the final 450 gp, I'll be perfectly happy.

Derek sends Yahrima a smile.
"I would never dream of denying a lady such a simple request, or indeed any request. However, I am also forced to admit...I have no idea of the plan. I am merly a fascilitator, not an instigator in this case. But I am sure master Goldenbeard shall be more than capable of filling you in."

Janiven frowns. "I certainly hope this wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment decision. House Drovenge will be searching for their heiress, and thanks to this reward so will everyone else." She turns to Granor. "Do you have a plan, master Goldenbeard?"

Vahnwynne asks "Who were the criminals that were murdered at the Hellknight Citadel?"

Janiven answers "Nobodies; caravan raiders who had been brought in the previous evening. The Hellknights hadn't even had time to question them yet."

Appario's eyes go wide and he whistles at the news that his prisoners were murdered rather than dealt with properly.

"Oh boy, the corruption and chaos in this town is worth than I thought. Clearly, those that would oppose civilized and honest rule are the very cogs of the government themselves."

Appario takes some time to think about this.

Is that really right? Or is this an isolated incident?

"They would have no reason to murder them, more likely, IF the banits were engaged to take the lady on orders of the council, they were probably executed by them, to stop them from talking."
Derek shrugs. "That's an idea anyway, might just be me being dramatic again.

Finishing off his meal Maddok pushing the platter aside.

"The Lalosaa seemed to suggest we lay another trap", the smith says motioning to the dwarf. "I believe he wants to lead whoever is behind this to my our Lady - except the Lady will actually be our Derek"..

The big Shoanti studies the bard carefully a moment, "This seems like a foolish plan. I mean no offense little brother but I think you'd make a very poor woman".

Appario listens to the plans of what to do with the Lady and realizes that he doesn't have many good ideas of what to do with her or how to go about it.

"I don't have any good ideas at this point, but then again, duplicitous plans are not my strength. I would rather focus and prepare for tomorrow's meeting with the contact regarding the shadowbeasts, but will gladly go along and help with any reasonable plan with the Lady."

Appario takes his pile of gold (the last on the table) and re-counts it. He measures out exactly 27 gold pieces and adds in 3 silver pieces from his pocket and puts that in a separate sack.

"I must to present my tithe to the Church and let my superior know of the trouble on the road and that caravans should now be safer."

Appario puts on his cloak again, adjusting the catch next to the charm given to him by Yahirma.

"Does anyone need anything while I am out? I think I should begin looking for the metal for my dream blade as well."

* * *

Appario will drop by the Church to report, tithe, and pick up his commission. Yay! Commission!

From there, he will swing back again to those who deal and sell in exotic metals and begin making plans to purchase 6lbs of raw adamantine for which to fashion his new bastard sword, Extortion.

"Say, nobody indicated I would have to wear a dress...I haven't done that since I played Luke in "The scoundrel of Garund". It was one of my better performances."

Derek considers for a moment, pulling on his moustache.
"A better idea might be to disguise an ACCTUAL woman and have me act as the "go between", the kidnapper’s representatives as it were."

Sweeping a hand around the gathered people he chuckles.
"There is no shortage of lovely ladies that could easily play that part, Lady Yahrima, Lady Semenya, Lady Janiven and Lady Amaya are all more than capable. Take your pick"

Appario will return to the hideout after his trip out. Listening to the discussion, Appario finally speaks up.

"Sounds like we don't have a good way to lure the kidnappers out. I suggest we thank Lady Drovenge for her time, but tell her our plans have changed. We should escort her home."

Appario ponders more, before pulling out his book and re-running his numbers.

Closer, ever closer...

Derek snickers a little and looks at Appario.
"Does that mean you are volunteering for that task my friend Appario? Remember, noblewomen do not like having their time wasted, and many of them have surprisingly accurate aims with a hairbrush."

"Is that fear I sense in you, Derek? Have a few drinks first, and I'm sure you'll find the courage. What is that you are oft to call your drink? Liquid courage?" Appario smiles at his friend.

"I can't imagine you would be at a loss for words to explain it to the Lady, however, it might be easier to tell her that we've done what we could do to ensure her safety on our end. Make it completely clear that she can call upon us in the future."

Appario spits on a gold piece, rubs it furiously with a cheesecloth, and moves it from one bag to the next before picking out another coin from the first bag.

"Haha, and deny you the opportunity to enjoy a little diplomacy with a lady who could not be more affluent even if she was gilt from head to toes? Nay my friend, this sound like a task for the soldier of the golden god indeed."

Derek gets a little thoughtful for a moment, and when he turns to Appario it is with a serious mien.
"When you do go, tell her we have learned a lot of useful information thanks to her. It is true after all, we did find out that by all accounts, the council were the ones who ordered her kidnapping. The fact that we are not going to place an ambush on the ambush again is not something she needs to know."

Derek smiles slyly.
"So I guess we did not waste her time after all, guess your head is safe then."

"Fair enough, all the 'reward' for her safe return will be mine then." Appario winks at Derek.

"They are at the dwarf's temple, aye?" Appario will stand, put away his sacks of coins and polishing cloth, and make ready to leave.

"If I don't come back, I suppose you'll find me hanging from the headsman's noose. Do perform a proper burial for me, won't you? Hire some proper quality loud mourners, criers, and screamers so people will think I'm beloved. And make it gaudy...spend all my money, please?"

With that, Appario heads to the stables.

* * *

Appario will swing by the stables to borrow/get 2 horses and make way to the dwarf's hold.

Appario will find Lady Drovenge and address her after proper salutations have been made.

"M'Lady Drovenge, I am been asked to escort you home. As it turns out, we pursue alternate leads working towards your safety. We has return you now to your grandfather and end his worrying. I am distressed at the thought that he might be distressed. Will you come with me?"

Assuming assent, Appario will help the Lady onto her horse. He will ride astride of her, shield and sword on her back, his holy symbol in full view.

"M'Lady, you will need to guide me to your home. I am somewhat new in town."

The young Lady has a look of both disappointment and relief when Appario comes to take her home. "I think that is for the best. It was an exciting prospect, to be bait, but now that I've had a chance to think about I think I wouldn't have the nerve to go through with it."

She leads Appario to the nearest docks, then make arrangements to rent a boat to take them to the islands. The boat travels to the northernmost island of the Crown Sector, stopping at a private pier by a large manor house situated close to the former imperial castle.

A cascade of servants descend upon the boat as Lady Drovenge steps out, fawning over her and chattering incessantly about how worried they've been and how happy they are that she's back, and doesn't she need a bath and let's get you out of those worn clothes.

The Lady looks apologetically at Appario. "It seems I won't be able to entertain you for a while, but I invite you to the house nonetheless. I'll make sure my grandfather takes care of you."

"As you wish, M'Lady. I am here to serve."

Appario will enter and wait, as instructed.

As the Lady is whisked away by her servants, barely managing to get in a "Thank you again for rescuing me", Appario is left to wait in the lavishly decorated entrance hall. There's a thick carpet on the floor, and large portraits hang on the wall, apparently depicting the former patriarchs of House Drovenge.

After about ten minutes, a servant comes. "Lord Drovenge will see you now." The servant leads Appario down the hall and to a private library, where he respectfully knocks on the door before opening it for Appario.

Inside, a tall old man at least 80 years old rises from his chair as Appario enters. His entire being makes him seem like someone who commands a great deal of respect. "Welcome, young man." He shakes Appario's hand in a firm grip. "I'm Vassindio Drovenge. Please sit. He takes his own advice, and waits for Appario to do the same before continuing.

"Chammady tells me you and your friends have been instrumental in securing her safety over the past couple of days. I thank you for bringing her back to me." He gestures to a gilded box on the table. "You shall have the reward, of course. If there's anything else I can do for you, now or at some later date, please don't hesitate to call on me for aid."

The old man leans back in his chair, folds his hands in his lap, and looks intently at Appario. "Now, tell me what happened. I understand her caravan was ambushed?"

Appario's ears pick up at the word "reward".

There are some religious zealots who would refuse the hard-earned gains of their blood and sweat. No, my lord Abadar forbids that. We will use the reward to protect this society.

"It is a long story, but if you would hear it, I would tell it. I would not want to waste your time any more than necessary."

Assuming assent, Appario will continue: "I have just been in town a few weeks, trying to build up some business for the Abadaran Church here. Since I have arrived, I have seen and heard rumors of many threats to the safety of the people of Westcrown and dangers to civilized rule here." Appario pauses before continuing.

"I have enjoined with a small group of like-minded individuals to help make Westcrown more secure and safe for trade and its people. We had been hearing rumors of bandits preying on caravans for days, but it wasn't until a few days ago when our contacts let us know that a specific caravan from Westpool to Westcrown was to be attacked." Again, Appario pauses, letting his words sink in.

"My comrade, a woman named Yahirma, rode with haste to Westpool to join the caravan, while 4 other comrades laid in wait on the caravan route for the bandits themselves." Appario leans forward to emphasize his point, making a fist with his right hand and pounding it into his other hand. "You see, we were able to ambush the ambushers! They were unprepared for organized resistance. It was a good, but quick, battle."

"I took a few wounds, but for the will of Abadar and my companions, I lived."

If the Lord seems interested in the details of the battle, Appario will give a militarily precise and detailed account of the battle against the bandits up until they were driven off and they were questioned.

"We were able to question a few of the bandits, but unfortunately, the leader died in the skirmish. However, we were able to get a few pieces of information: notably that they were targeting your granddaughter and seemed to have interest in the plans for the Mayor's estate." Appario shakes his head, un-understanding why they wanted the plans and wishing he could have looked at them.

"So, imagine my surprise when the bandits I turned over to the Hellknights were murdered! I thought there was to be law and order in Westcrown!" Appario is still annoyed that happened.

"Anyway, so we thought it safer to bring your granddaughter back in secret rather than in plain sight lest they make another attempt at her." Appario clasps his hands in front of him as he finishes the story as he knows it.

If necessary, Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

The Lord listens in silence to Appario's story, seemingly deep in thought, only asking for minor clarifications now and then. He frowns when Appario mentions the murder of the bandits that were turned over to the Hellknights.

"I find it disturbing that these bandits were specifically targeting my granddaughter, rather than her presence being a coincidence. And the bandits were then murdered while in the care of the Hellknights? I must think on this." He rises and clasps Appario's hand once more. "Thank you again for taking care of my Chammady."

The same servant that followed Appario in walks back to the pier with him, offering to carry the gilded box with the reward. The boat that brought Appario and Lady Drovenge to the house is still there, and the servant hands a purse to the boatmaster. To Appario, he says "Your journey back has been paid for. Just let the boatmaster know where you wish to go."

Appario will clasp the Lord's hand in return.

"Thank your for your time and your generosity." Appario takes the gilt box. "Should you need me again, just leave word at the Church of Abadar."

With that Appario will ask the boatman to take him back to the city proper.

* * *

On the way back, Appario will look at the outside of the box (without opening), while thinking about his meeting with the Lord.

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20 Know (Nobility) on the Lord
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 Appraise on the gilt box

* * *

Assuming I can make it back to the safehouse safely, we will return and tell everyone present what happened with the Lord, in full detail.

"And he gave us this box. I have yet to open it, instead waiting for all you."

Appario opens the box.

As Appario reappears, Derek smirks a little and twirls his moustache.
"Well now, aren't you just the imagine of kindness and consideration my friend? Seeing as you are being so considerate, you wouldn't have had a chance to ah....raid his liquor cabinet by any chance?"
This is followed by a slight chuckle.

"So, tell us about the old goat, what was his name, how did he look? If he is going to become someone in our "pocket", I want to know all about him."

"For example, did you get the impression he was nice sort? The kind that might sponsor a struggling young artiste'?"

Derek nudges Arael.
"What do you say Arael? Are we making progress? If not, I guess we will have to go slay some shadowbeasts...which if we ARE making progress we'll just have to do for fun instead."

Maddok waits at the safehouse while Appario attends the task.

The Shoanti looks on, visibly impressed, at the Taldan's swift execution and gilded reward.

"I imagine that is at least part of the reward the Lady's family was offering for her safe return. I trust they understood that we were not the ones that were out to capture her - at least not initially".

Appario estimates the value of the box to be about 200 gp. When opening the box, the contents is revealed to be the advertised reward of 5000 gp, neatly distributed in velvet bags.

"Hah! Big brother, I did not take you for a worrier! But then again, since you are the responsible one, and I am the scoundrel, it does make a certain sense. Tell you what, once the box is opened, if it is filled with coins and gems, we should be good, if it is filled with poisoned gas or snakes, you might have a point."

Derek glances at the box.
"Why, if you were the wenching type 8and I should know since I once was) That box alone would give you a full night of debauchery at some of the finer taverns in town."

Well, either that or tumbled, rumbled and tossed over the side of the port

Derek draws a dagger, flips it over in his hand, tosses it in the air, and catches it with his teeth.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

The big Shoanti shakes his head willing himself not to reward the bard's antics with a grin, "There are a few brothels across Westcrown that know me well, but I believe those days are behind me", Maddok says looking over at Vahnwynne.

"That is a small fortune. What should be done with it?".

Appario begins to count the coins.

When finished, he will divide it into 6 equal sacks.

"Fair share for each of you." As usual, Appario will wait for everyone to take a sack before he takes his own. "I shall put this box with the jeweled sword for later sale."

That was more profitable than I imagined. I might be able to buy my sword's stones this day.

DM Are: what time is it now? Pretty late, I assume.

"Master Arael, what are the details on the meeting tomorrow? How can we prepare for that?" Appario now focuses on the matter of the shadowbeasts but, in the back of his mind, his subconscious is anxious to go buy the adamantine he needs for his sword.