DM Fang Dragon’s Ruins of Adventure (Inactive)

Game Master FangDragon

The reason for applying for the job is exactly that! Finding out where they are keeping it.

Azarra asks about a job as an understudy to the actress, explaining that she knows the music already and just wants enough coin so that she can stay at the festival a few extra days.

Azarra catches the ear of one of the stage hands and inquires about a possible acting job, the man says, "Oh aye? Ye'd better talk to Vera, she's the older lady with the wig over there."

Azarra waited for most of the punters to leave before she went over to introduce herself to Vera who turned out to be a rather server looking woman. She gave Azarra a piercing look and her lips formed a thin line before saying, "All right love you've got five minutes, show me what you can do."

Vera left Azara in the middle of the big top as she sat down in the front row and produced a hip flask from which she took a big swig before taking a great sniff from a pouch of snuff. Several other members of the team stoped what they were doing to watch.

Over to you Azarra.

Azarra does a quick rendition of her normal audition piece, an emotionally charged monologue with a bit of humor...

Perform: Oratory: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

...but she doesn't feel like she did well enough to really impress with that one, so she launches immediately into a song from one of the most challenging musicals, to show off her vocal performance.

Perform: Singing: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

She felt much better on that one, so she thinks they might listen longer, and she tries a speech less emotional and more inspiring from a drama.

Perform: Oratory: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Which goes much better. Then she stops to see if she will be asked to do anything else.

At first Vera looked bored as Azarra's Oratory falls flat and she snorted another pinch of snuff before sneezing violently (which was more than a little gross).

When Azarra began to sing she perked up and gave Azarra her full attention, also various stage hands stopped what they where doing to listen. Azarra's second speech went down equally well and there was scattered applause when she finished.

Looking thoughtful, Vera asked pointedly, "How come you're looking for work? Perhaps you're a little out of practice but clearly you could have your own show on merit."

Azarra shrugs.

I'm looking for something to tide me over. Been traveling and enjoying myself, but now I am running out of cash and I don't want to go back home yet.

If you can use the help, I could use the work.

Ishta spends some time wandering around, seemingly enjoying the fun but in reality checking for possible hidden defenses or threats. Trying to detect some magic auras around Varney's tent, she'll find a safe spot when she's not alone to concentrate on a more invasive spell.

Using Detect Magic all around and then Arcane Eye to spy what's going on inside when there's not a show taking place.

@Ishta I need to get a map sorted, will try to do that this weekend.

Vera replied, "So short term, just for The Moot eh? All right, I think we can work something out. While you're with us, we provide a bed and all meals. If you can knock it out of the park like that consistently you'll earn fifty gold a day. We run ten shows a day, you'll be expected to perform in half of them. I'm sure you could earn more gold elsewhere but this is honest work and I reckon the crowds will love you which if I'm reading you right is worth more than anything. So what do you say, will you shake on it?"

Azarra shakes on it.

Vera introduces Azarra to some of the stage hands including Mikka the dwarven foreman and the other actors. Several of them give her friendly slaps on the back and welcome her to the team. She's handed the script and invited to stay and practice.

At last I had some time to throw a map together. Map

So what do you want to do?

Azarra leaves briefly to update the party and tell them she is staying there, arranges a time to meet up with them each day, and then goes back to run lines with the other actors.

Kardas gives Azarra a nervous glance and then nods. "Don't feel beholden to the mission: if you don't trust it, bolt."

Ishta informs the others - specially those that will be executing the inside job - about the magical defenses (feel free to read the spoiler above).

"I'll try to grasp what kind of magic potency we're fighting, but I can say Forbiddance is quite the level."

Any chance Ishta gets an idea of the strength of the auras?

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (2) + 19 = 21

All right so Azarra is staying with the circus, what's everyone else doing?

Kardas spends the time it takes for Azarra 'to get somewhere' by spending small amounts of coin on the sights. From sampling foods to exchanging small-talk with other travelers to lurking in the back hoping for a sign of life from Azarra, he tries to grind himself into a routine.

Secretly he's hoping to run into a place or event for spellcasters, but he's trying hard to stick to the task at hand.

Ser Armithia continues to wander aimlessly about the circus grounds. He looks like a tourist.
Diplomacy to gather info: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Um... Would the glamour effect pendent us from getting there if not dispelled?

There is a will save necessary to enter uninvited, you don't know how hard this will be currently.

Kardas: Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Kardas wanders around taking in the sights, of which there are many. Most of the attractions irritated him in one way or another, some seemed silly (especially the rides), other attractions were run by conmen seeking to fleece the multitude with rigged games of chance and unfairly designed puzzles. One thing did catch Kardas's eye, he found a flyer for what was described as a Magefair

Ser Armithia wanders around and hears several rumours.

Meanwhile at Varney's Circus, Azarra spends her time learning her roll and getting to know her new colleagues. The play seems tolerably good although there where a few tweaks she was sure would improve it but now didn't seem to the time to make any suggestions. She did notice the dragon a few times, it was being forced to practice its role, having to fly in a very tight loop just above the audience would sit. This looked very difficult and if it went wrong it was clear people would get hurt. The dragon seemed to be in a daze and was meekly bossed about by Varney despite the huge size difference. Hours later she witnessed the dragon starting to get a little bolshy and immediately it was lead away for some 'food'.

Azarra participates fully in rehearsal, but tries to note at what time the dragon starts to come out of it, and how long between doses it takes, wondering if they could time the rescue accordingly.

After practice she slips away to check in with the others and make sure they were up to date on what each other were learning... coordinating the plan.

Have to go back to the circus to sleep, but leaving me with the party for now so that we can plan/do whatever else

Kardas scratches the back of his head when he reads the pamphlet. A traditional fireball competition? Maybe I should tell Azarra about this. The two things that did catch his attention are the component and alchemical wine stalls - now that's his kind of arcana.

Kardas will tell Azarra about the upcoming competition when(ever) they reconvene.

Re fireball competition, Elminster started that particular tradition: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Elminster_at_the_Magefair.

Love the fireball competition. Unfortunately, Azarra isn't the type of bard that can cast fireball (I wish), but we should get Ishta to participate for sure.

Oooh, and here's an idea... we rescue the dragon at the right time, and then fly over the competition and have the dragon win. I mean, just dreaming of course, but nice dream. :)

Azarra gets the sense that the Dragon needs to eat some of whatever it is they feed it every eight hours or so. She also noticed Varney was using a great big hour glass timer to organise the circus, there would be ways to subtly sabotage that with a mage hand...

OK lets assume you've all reconvened somewhere to talk. What's the plan?

Bump, what are you going to do? :)

What is our deadline again? When are they planning to kill it?

Ishta calls some magic again to prevent their conversation from being overheard.

When informed about the Fireball competition, she sighs. "I would totally love to have a try, but I think that would reveal too much about me. I don't want them to expect me to be able to wield magic."

She informs the rest about her findings, asking them to be ready for the charming effect. "The rest I should be able to counter."

"Also, I agree that when the dragon is starting to get a bit rebellious could be a nice time to strike. And yeah, maybe manipulating the sand watch could help..."

You've got approximately two first world days before the dragon gets it.

So, tomorrow night, the night before they are planning the execution? I manipulate the timer from the inside so that the dragon will be most awake right after the performance, and we can be ready right after the dragon's part of the performance to counter the magic and administer the antidote? We need to catch them before they chain her up again or whatever they usually do though, or else there might be additional spells to get past. While Varney is busy being ringmaster and talking to the public right at the end of the show? Not sure... seems like it needs more planning, but not sure what else to do really.

Perhaps we need to draft a checklist of sorts. From contingency plans to things we still have to do/fix, it can all go on there. Sorry, I'm in the middle of a heatwave plus my dad underwent some minor surgery, so when I'm not melting, I'm helping out at his place d_d

"Fair enough. I got no clue how you'd stack up against the competition, but it wouldn't do to stand out right now. We agreed on that, after all, we ought to lay low. For now."

The hourglass is quite large and is held by a brass tripod which is in full view from backstage but can't be seen by the audience. If you walked up to it you may get noticed.

Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (14) + 19 = 33 (pass)
Intelligence: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20 (pass... wow, didn't think I had much chance at that one)

Azarra thinks about how to mess with the hourglass most effectively. She decides to wait until after a performance and then cast invisibility to change the hourglass. If she does it several times this way, she should be able to time it so the dragon is most awake when they want to rescue her.

She tells the group her plan.

Perception DC 20: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 15
Int DC 18: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

Ser Armithia uses his DeathWatch Eyes and Detect Evil while roaming around as a tourist.

Ser Armithia goes along with the group's plans, as only a Paladin can do....

The gold elf smiles and frowns at the same time.

He prepares for whatever role that Azarra has for him.

Azarra wanted you to going the circus. She doesn't have any other specific assignment for you. Just play it by ear and stop anyone that tries to prevent us from freeing the dragon when the time comes?

Ser Armithia smiles at any passersby. The knight seems like he has a sore tooth.

He watches out for anything that will hamper their mission.

The first world is inimical to the undead and they were never that common in the first place so it was unsurprising that Ser Armithia did not encounter any while wandering about the moot. Neither did he encounter any constructs nor did he spot anyone injured (although he did spot a large medical tent).

He randomly stared at people and got some odd looks albeit with very few mental pings from his evildar. In the distance he spotted a fierce looking man in a turban with an impressive beard who reeked of evil but when the knight attempted to follow him into a huge tavern wagon the size of a house, he lost track of him. An hour later and after giving many passersby the look, Ser Armithia admitted defeat, there were tens of thousands of souls here now which made a search impractical.

Later Ser Armithia swung by Varney's Circus and he decided to give the employees a hard stare in case any could be considered wanting. Most didn't ping although he got some hard looks back, the kind of hard looks a man on his own should by any rights find uncomfortable. He got a glimpse of Varney talking to Vera and it was all he could do to not gag, the stench from their souls was almost overwhelming. Strong aura for both.

So are you planning to meet as a show finishes? If so how will you try to get backstage as a group? Only Azarra is allowed back stage,and the security team won't allow punters to wander about.

Maybe she can take us there, like, saying we're family? Our maybe we go there asking for her, like, "we've got an important message for that 9th level Harper".

You can't out me as a harper. :) I'm assuming that you can get into the show, and from there, maybe we create a distraction and you slip backstage while something is going on during the show? Maybe some skunks? If you have hats of disguise or whatever you can also appear as one of the other actors or roadies or take out and replace the guards while it is loud.

Kardas has limited means of invisibility, but I doubt that will be enough to fool the security at this place. Also, it would only affect him. Perhaps Azarra can scout a relatively empty and unused place, draw up a sketch of it and or manage to sneak Ishta there during off-hours so that she can dimension door there? I don't know if the area allows it.

Given Ishta's use of Arcane Eye to explore she feels confident she could dimension door close to the dragon's cage but outside of the dimensional anchor. That would set off the alarm however if there was a suitable distraction maybe that wouldn't matter...

Ser Armithia nods at the others.
I could walk up to Varney and punch him in his mouth. That enough of a distraction?

I like the idea... might start a giant brawl... I mean, and that might work, but what if they gang up on you while we're freeing the dragon? Or what if the guards guarding the dragon are really strong and we don't have you there? I wonder if... do you think there is something we could put in the water to make everyone sick, and less able to fight us, or... maybe just set fire to the tent and get everyone to panic, or at least work on putting it out while we work... some huge distraction that can't necessarily be tied back to you?

"Maybe Azarra sand I could start two different brawls. Men are usually eager to fight over a young girl's honour."

I could use Charm Person and Azarra is a bard. Something like 'that bastard has grabbed my arse!' might work. Azarra might even try to implicate her fellow circus workers.

Ha ha. Love it... but again, we can't be involved directly in the distraction because the point is to keep everyone busy while we save the dragon, right? Unless you think we could start it and then sneak off after.

Throwing this out there maybe you could pay third parties to cause trouble, with suitable RP and some dice rolls.

In fact...

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (20) + 16 = 36

Azarra finds Mr Hendricks and tells him that Varney has done horrible things, but that no one will believe her, and someone told her that he might understand.

I just want to get back at him and absolutely ruin him... I think that I can ruin his big performance if I just have time to set things up. Do you know anyone who might be willing to go to the performance and cause a very large disturbance, like a brawl or a panic or something? I'd be happy to pay... I just need someone who understands how bad he is to give me a chance to get back at him my own way. Does that make any sense?

Azarra tries to be as honest as possible. She likes Mr. Hendricks. But she does stretch the truth quite a bit and cries some fake tears, so here is a bluff roll as well:

Bluff: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25

Here's hoping his Sense Motive isn't super high. :)

It takes Azarra half an hour to find Carter's steamfair down and track down Mr Hendriks. He turns out to be a jolly larger than life rotund fellow with ruddy complexion and a salt and pepper goatee beard. She asked to speak to him and he was a little distant at first but when she explained what she had in mind he laughed, "Miss Azarra was it? You wouldn't believe the trouble that man has caused. The year before last we had it in mind to re-create a naval battle, the siege of Validaire. Spent a small fortune on magicians and boats and all sorts, but the production was going well. It's amazing what some props plus talented illusionists can do. This one in particular a gnome by the name of Krerridzandonix was the lynchpin of it all and Varney arranged for him and his apprentice Zvartlbee to have food poisoning, magical food poisoning that the clerics couldn't cure, more of a curse from what they told me. Anyway that scuppered our plans. A few years before that, some of our steam rides got sabotaged and people got hurt. Never could prove anything, but Varney was behind it all, he made sure I knew when he came round to gloat afterwards."

A malicious grin crossed Hendriks's features, "Varney's got a spectacular planned for this year and you know what they say, what goes around comes around. I'm sure our lads and lasses will be more than happy to help, many of them have a bone or two to pick with Varney. Still promise me one thing, no killing. Gotta look out for my crew, don't want any of their necks getting stretched. That acceptable to you?"

The Paladin of Helm nods in acceptance.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30

I agree to your conditions gladly Mr. Hendricks. I'm looking more for humiliation and to ruin him financially if I can. I will inform my crew to not take any violence too far.

I mean, let's try, but that's part of why the bluff roll was in there. If we can get the dragon away cleanly, awesome, but if not, and Varney is trying to kill us, I can't promise that I won't kill him right back. But maybe we can stabilize him after he falls down if possible to honor the commitment?