Zane makes his way back to the Cypher mage library between shifts and pops in on Sarietha checking in to see if anyone reported other odd occurrences like the glyphs.
Gather information
Zane's eye catching advertizements, Nakoda's natural ability to intimidate rabble rousers and exotic barbarian songs, coupled with Maelorns ability to organize the employees are of great help to Saul during the week...
Profession (gambler):
... So when Saul emerges smiling Sunday afternoon after doing the books, he declares that the Gold Goblin is operating in the black for the first time in a long time.
So instead of the base 10gp, everyone gets 15gp for the week!
Zane
When you return to the Gold Goblin, you find that while you were away Saul had hired Samaritha Beldush, your friend from the Cyphermage Library, as an Illusionist/Entertainer.
It seems that with the senior members distracted by investigating the Blot, they have no time to take on apprentices as she had hoped.
With her funds running out, she was forced to look for a more mundane job and came looking for your advice. Saul took a liking to her beauty and friendliness, and hired her.
She greets you with a smile and a hug, grateful for your reccomendation.
When you travel up to the Cyphermage Library, you find it difficult to get anything done. Many of the books and scrolls lie around in heaps, still unshelved after being used for reference.
After a full day of research you find that the purple myst/glyphspeaking phenomena occured all over the city, within a three mile radius of the city center, at the same time and lasted exactly 17 minutes.
Maelorn
At the Carbauxine Gas Forges, the dwarven master smiths give you a warm welcome as they give you forge priveliges while you work on your new breastplate.
You helped a lot of their workers with the illnesses due to Carbauxine poisoning.
In and around this time, you visit family and are hit on by most of the girls at the Silken Veil.
Nakoda
While getting away from the noise of the Casino one day, you come across the delicious scent of some traditional Shoanti cooking, coming from a small encampment of Shoanti exiles. In talking with them and sharing food and gossip and advice, you recall memories of the Shaman that first sent you on your impossible mission to defeat the sky blackness.
You and your warrior escort had joined him in the traditional smoke shack, and the Shaman had thrown various insense and herbs. After a while you became dizzy and had vivid dreams; only a few of which you remember. The Shaman solemnly swore that only you could "see" the trail that would lead to the blot.
You remember one that seemed like a half buried barrel hoop, but you feel certain now represented the Riddlport Cyphergate. You remember a smoky red lit skull, which you now realize represent the sky over the Carbaoxing Gas Forges. And another dream, which occurs more than any other, the image of a shiny gold covered goblin.
You know it now. Some how, your feet have been on the trail all along...
About a week later, during your shift the floor manager Larur Feldin comes over to you.
"OK, do you all see that guy at the Golem table? Big guy, short hair?' You all see the guy; he seems to be enjoying large cigars and whisky as well. And also see that most of the other customers are giving him a wide berth.
That's Clegg Zincher, one of Riddleports Crimelords and one of Sauls greatest competitors.
"Keep an eye on him. Don't start nothing! But I don't like that he's here. Something's brewing..."
Later on in your shift, one of the girls who play Succubi rush up to you with tears in her eyes.
"The kitchen! It's got the cook! Some kind of snake..." before rushing off in tears.
When you arrive at the door to the Kitchen, you find the Cook on the floor, her face turning purplish and a couple of bloody holes in her back. You don't see anything else at first, but then from behind a table a large serpenting head rears up, up, up until it towers over you hissing. It's beady eyes seem to be filled with malice as is slithers towards you...
No surprise round.
Round 1
______________________________
Nakoda: 20
Snake: 9
Zane: 7
Maelorn: 4
Zane yells out, "Wait, fall back."
If everyone waits Zane will dash within range and cast color spray.
Attracted by Nakoda's movement, the snake lunges across the table at her.
Bite: Hit! for impaling plus Fort save DC13.
..Crit confirim? Confirmed! for extra impaling.
Hitting Nakoda directly before recoiling at the ready again.
When Zane's Color Spray washes over the snake...
Will save vs DC15: Fail!
The snake reels back, Blinded and Stunned for rounds, then Stunned 1 round.
After Zane casts, Maelorn rushes towards the fallen chef.
Round 1
______________________________
Nakoda:
Seeing the cook down, Nakoda rushes to help before she hears Zane say "wait", crossing the floor towards the cook, yelling back to him, "Do it!"
She has her eyes closed when he cast the spell.
Cook:
Fort save vs DC13 snake venom: Fail!
She takes Con damage.
Snake:
Attracted by Nakoda's movement, the snake lunges across the table and hits her perfectly for 6 damage before recoiling at the ready again.
Nakoda fort save vs DC13 snake venom: Fail!
Nakoda groans involuntarily as she feels the venom start coursing through her veins. She takes Con damage.
Zane:
Zane yells out, "Wait, fall back."
If everyone waits Zane will dash within range and cast color spray.
When Zane's Color Spray washes over the snake, the snake reels back, Blinded and Stunned for 2 rounds, then Stunned 1 round.
Maelorn:
After Zane casts, Maelorn rushes (double move) towards the fallen chef.
Round 2
______________________________
Nakoda: 20
Cook: 10
Snake: 9
Zane: 7
Maelorn: 4
Now that you are close enough, you can see the Cook is in serious trouble, she has purplish lips, she's gasping for breath; yep, she's poisoned.
This venom attacks the Constitution of it's victim.
This venom does 1d2 Con damage over 6 rounds. (Save DC13 each round, a Save stops further damage).
The Cook has 3 Con points left.
OK guys, what actions do you take when you reach the Cook? Looks like the snake is stunned for another couple of rounds as it wobbles around.
Thinking sadly that there is little he can likely do for the cook at this stage, Maelorn prays over the her.
"Torag, bless this creator, that she may withstand ill done to her"
Cook
Fort save vs DC13 snake venom: Fail! for Con damage.
Her Con drops to 4.
As the others focus on the struuck woman Zne reaches inside his jacket to draw a scroll case. Quickly her reads from it arcane writing vanishing as utters the words, walking forward to extend his hands as flames leap forth to envelop the creature.
"That at least I can do."
Maelorn begins pulling the cook to the south.
Round 2
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Nakoda: 20
The bite of the snake makes her grit her teeth at the pain, a cry slipping free as it hurt her severely.
Hastening to move out of the immediate range of it, Nakoda took two steps back and to the left of Maelorn, already beginning a healing chant, applying it immediately to herself.
She glanced up at the snake that seemed to be stunned for a few more seconds or so, and looked back to the cook, who had been injured by the snake.. It was something that she could understand, having been bitten by the same snake and chewing her lip, she began the chant for a certain spell that provided a small measure of help against things that the healing magic could not fix.
"We need to move her before the snake recovers", she said, after the small magic had been cast.
Cook: 10
The cook lies there.
She's weakening, but still alive.
Her Con drops to 4.
Snake: 9
Wobbles in place as it is Blinded and Stunned for 1 more round, then Stunned 1 round
Zane: 7
As the others focus on the struck woman Zane reaches inside his jacket to draw a scroll case.
Quickly he reads from it arcane writing vanishing as utters the words, walking forward to extend his hands as flames leap forth to envelop the creature.
Snake reflex save vs DC15:
The snake gives a hissing shriek as the flames roll over the counter and it.
Maelorn: 4
Thinking sadly that there is little he can likely do for the cook at this stage, Maelorn prays over the her.
"Torag, bless this creator, that she may withstand ill done to her"
cast Resistance.
"That at least I can do."
Maelorn begins pulling the cook to the south.
Round 3
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Nakoda: 20
Cook: 10
Snake: 9
Zane: 7
Maelorn: 4
[npc]Nakoda--
Not wanting to get closer to the giant snake, Nakoda unslings her bow and shoots once.
Shortbow shot: Hit! for points of damage.
Cook--
Fort save vs DC13: Fail! for Con damage.
Snake--
The snakes eyes clear, leaving it only stunned...
[npc] Zane
Zane, concerned that the snake was still standing, whipped out the Wand of Shocking Grasp, surges forward and triggers it as he tapped it on the head.
Touch attack: but misses!
Maelorn will once again try casting Resistance on the cook.
Round 4
______________________________
Nakoda: 20
Cook: 10
Snake: 9
Zane: 7
Maelorn: 4
Just as it was shrugging off the stunning effects of Zanes Color Spray, the snake takes an arrow shot from Nakoda, convulses and collapses dead. As you watch, it shrinks three sizes! From Huge to Small in seconds...
You would say that it was probably under the influence of an Enlarge Spell that had been tricked out with Heighten several times. With a rod maybe?
Now that you're out of combat, you can concentrate on the Cook and you prevent her from dying at the hands of the snake venom. She will recover, but slowly; two weeks bedrest at least.
You find nothing out of the ordinary; except, one of the baskets of grocieries had been dropped on the floor. Inside, a cloth sack buried on the bottom lies ripped open... from the inside.
Inside the sack, which smells of reptile, you find a tightly folded sheet of papyrus. When you unfold it, it is blank.
The paper smells of lemon.
The paper smells of lemon, could it be secret writing? Holding it close to a candleflame without burning it could reveal something.
"Zane, can you check this for magic? I think something may have been written in Invisible Ink, but considering what has happened so far, I'd as soon not reveal a Symbol spell or Explosive Runes or something of the sort."
Spellcraft
Using Prestidigitation Zane warms the sheet of papyrus
Over the glowing orange light of Zanes spell, dark sepia lines form on the otherwise blank papyrus sheet.
A crude drawing of Saul Vancaskerkin, now with both hands missing, dominates the page. Below it is scrawled; "Looking to go two for two, Saul? Pack up, get out of town, and you'll be fine!"
When you bring it to Saul in his office, he reads it in silence.
Then he turns, crumples it up and tosses it into the fireplace.
"Nothing has changed," he says, almost to himself. "Cora will be all right."
Then he straightens up and turns back to you. "Good job in the kitchen there. Now, is there anything else before you get back to work?"
Over the next week, make your rolls for helping out at the Gold Goblin (you are junior partners after all).
---------------------------------
Examples of such duties include:
Barker, calling people on the street to come in and play.
Greeter, welcoming people at the door.
Dealer or croupier (run games for customers).
Crafter, making advertisements.
Staff manager (oversee the help).
Performer, entertaining the crowd.
Spotter (patrol the catwalks or the floor itself and watch for cheaters).
As a general rule, you can assume that a character can spend 4 hours a day working for the Gold Goblin and still have enough time left in his day to adventure, craft magic items, shop, or relax.
-------------------------------------------------
Key skills that influence the profitability of the Casino:
Bluff (DC 15): Spend 2 hours a day cajoling citizens and
tricking them into visiting the Gold Goblin.
Craft (DC 15): Spend 2 hours a day and 10 gp to create
eye-catching advertisements.
Diplomacy (DC 15): Spend 2 hours a day managing the
help and greeting customers at the Gold Goblin.
Diplomacy (DC 20): Spend 4 hours a day convincing
citizens to stop by the Gold Goblin.
Intimidate (DC 15): Spend 2 hours a day working as a
bouncer at the Gold Goblin.
Intimidate (DC 20): Spend 2 hours a day threatening
customers of competing game halls that if they don’t
check out the Gold Goblin, something bad will happen.
Perform (DC 15): Spend 2 hours a day performing for
customers at the Gold Goblin.
Profession (gambler) (DC 15): Spend 2 hours a day
working as a croupier or dealer at the Gold Goblin.
Spot (DC 15): Spend 2 hours a day looking for cheaters at
the Gold Goblin.
Finally, a character can give Saul a bonus to his
profitability check by donating gold to the cause. Every 50
gp donated grants Saul a +1 bonus for that week’s check, up
to a maximum of +5 for 250 gp.
Zane spends some time designing advertisements for the casino and observing the floor.Craft The rest of his time is split amongst scribing scrolls, purchasing a few for himself and to be transcribed, and searching through information on the blot.
During his free moments he spends a bit of time with Samaritha when she has off, enjoying her company.
Seeing that Nakoda has the casino well in hand, and Zane is keeping watch on the floor, Maelorn opts instead to walk the streets, attempting to entice those he feels can afford it to take a chance at the Gold Goblin , while he reflects on the nature of their 'partnership' with Saul. Saul's past and attitudes have begun to cause grave concerns within Maelorn, and it feels good to be outside the Goblin.
The other activity that gives him solace is working at the local smithy, slowly crafting his new armor.
Nakoda
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Though the staff has taken some time to warm up to Nakoda, they seem to have gotten used to her ways and now function mostly smoothly.
The Shoanti enclave is a bit of a surprise; a lot of tribespeople who would normally be at each others throats due to blood feuds have banded together in the face of a hostile populace to protect and support each other. Much tribal crafts are produced there and sold at a premium to richer Cheliax and Taldoran imperial traders. Skalds being very popular, they welcome her with open arms and can find most anything she needs by trading.
But despite all the feelers she extended, there is no sign of Baral anywhere.
Her popularity isn't restricted to the Shoanti either; her exotic songs and chants are huge draws at the casino, and a big reason that Saul seems to be smiling a bit more lately.
Zane Argentus
=============================================
Zane and Samarithas friendship progresses smoothly into romance; Her stage illusions are quite popular, but not very challenging.
Her intellectual stimulus helps in both of their research projects into the Blot, but her influence probably didn't help in Zane's advertisements; they mostly went over the heads of the passersby.
Maelorn
=======================================
It seems like Maelorns doubts are creeping into his efforts to recruit more patrons to the Gold Goblin, as fewer patrons than
last week attend due to his efforts.
He has better luck at the gas forges; his new armor has shaped up nicely. He could finish it off right now and it would a be perfectly good example of a work of armor. But he could do better; he could, if he continued to work on it hard and carefully, turn it into a Masterwork.
The lastest disturbing sign is a gigantic swarm of birds; swirling tightly fifty feet across and nearly half a mile high that came together one morning, lasted 12 minutes and then dispersed. It seemed to be fixed in place and looked much like a tornado.
The signs increasingly point to a future disaster affecting the city, but not from the sky. The vision quest images speak of something coming from the sea.
At the end of the week, Saul goes down to the cage to do the books...
Profession Gambler:
Grimly he comes back up and announces that the profit split is going to be lower this week due to sluggish earnings. This week you only earn 10gp from the Goblin.
Several days later, Saul calls you into the office. He looks grim.
"I won't beat around the bush; Larur has gone missing."
You know Larur Feldin, he's the floor manager.
"I sent him off yesterday to pay off a substantial part of my debt to a local moneylender. When he didn't show up for work this morning, I sent Jer arond to his apartment. The front door was busted in, the place torn apart and Larur nowhere to be found. I am very much afraid he's in trouble, and I want you to go bail him out of whatever he's into. The Moneylender's name is Lymas Smeed; he's got a townhouse on Rat Street."
"Well that's just perfect. Hunting a shady bastard on Rat street. Exactly how I was hoping to spend the evening."
"I suppose we should go see the moneylender and see if Larur was attacked before dropping off the money or afterwards."
Lymas Smeed occupies a townhouse crammed in among the tenements on Rat Street in a rundown section of Riddleport.
There are two enrances to Lymas's home and place of business, the front and the back.
From the front:
A sign out front of Lymas's front door shows a stack of gold coins above a name: "Rat Street Loans-- by appointment only."
From the back:
From the smell of it, the back enterance leads to a kennel of some kind.
Near the back door is a pile of barrels and old crates.
Its a poor neighborhood; you see some people out an about any time of day or night, mostly in pairs and not lingering. The occasional bark of a dog somewhere, the yowl of a cat and a rat in an even fight over some scrap or other. Such gangs as exist here do not seem to care to approach you.
If you make a casual stroll by the place, in a scouting situation...
You see the front and back doors locked with good locks, the front door also has a sliding peephole that someone inside can open to accept small things like letters.
You smell blood coming from the pile of barrels and old crates.
You see movement behind one of the second story shutters; someone is watching!
Noting nothing unusual, Maelorn knocks upon the door.
Once you get point blank, you all can read the first Perception spoiler.
Zane Perception:
Nakoda Perception:
When Maelorn knocks on the door, the metal plate slides aside, revealing two piggish eyes, one of which berars a painful looking sty.
"What's yer business here?"