Rolled...
Another week over and on Sunday, Larur totals his book for the week to see how the Goblin had performed. Everyone was hopeful of course that even with the events that had caused interruption during the week, there would still be a strengthening in profit.
Ethaniel's Rolls skill - Perception +12
+12 = 25 Success
+12 = 25 Success
Tippy's - Bluff +6
First: 18+6 = 24 Success
Second: 5+6 = 11 Fail
Tam's skill - Perception +8 (for Hidden Weapons)
First: 5+8 = 13 Fail
Second: 6+8 = 14 Fail
Saul's Gambler Rolls
Crit Success
Success
Profits continue to increase, a great week for all. The Goblin is recovering nicely under the new management. Little trouble from it's attendees since introducing the no weapons rule, although you are most certain some hidden weapons are still getting through, those that are managing to do so don't cause trouble because of the proficient bouncing staff.
Sunday makes for a very happy evening, everyone having received a bonus of some denomination. Spirits were high and the incentive seemed to steel everyone's resolve in their roles when on shift.
Monday dawns and about lunch time, another very strange event occurs.
All spells cast during a 1hr 20min period (12.39pm - 1.59pm) manifest a strange purple mist. The slight mist remains for six seconds before rising into the air and evaporating.
The couple of days following the second odd occurrence in town have had everyone speculating again. The Cyphermages had renewed their external activities trying to gain some insight into the cause.
Then 5am on Oathday just before the sun peeked over the horizon, a sudden tidal surge hits the harbor. The uncharacteristically large wave causes minor damage as ships are pushed against the piers and boardwalks strain under the sudden pressure. Water from the wave reaches Wharf Street and several stevedores and beachcombers are washed out to sea and lost.
Everyone but those reliant on the wharf for their livelihood avoid the wharves for the next few days. Business owners save what they are able to of stock holdings that were affected but due to the early hour of the surge, many businesses were still locked up and so repelled the water. Of course, a few of the most dilapidated buildings could not withstand the force of the water and succumbed, leaving the owners lost for words.
(If it helps, relevent modifiers are +4 to perception, +6 to perform and +4 to profession: gambler. Sorry about the wait! Last time I sat down to post the boards went down on me.)
There are no other strange occurrences for the remainder of the week and with all the unusual things happenings, Riddleport is relatively quiet. Citizens and visitors are somewhat on edge awaiting the next strange event to occur and so not as much trouble as would usually be expected, is encountered throughout. It makes for easy shifts at the Goblin, even with the increased business from those wharf district customers diverted to other establishments due to the tidal surge having damaged their usual haunts.
So on Sunday the 31st of Arodus, Larur balances the weeks books again and finds the profits are still increasing. Everyone gains another payment for a successful week of work. Your purse this weeks end contains 10gp base + 25gp bonus. Larur is very happy to hand over the pay as you each turn in to his office. A dwarf in the money, such a smile and merriment does the happy floor manager carry almost continuously in recent days.
Moonday 1st of Rova, brings the start of Fall (Autumn) and the colder months of the year. There is still no sign as yet of Shorafa's disciple and you have a feeling that it has to be soon. The waiting is driving everyone mad. This week Saul also plans to hold his first pit fight with his new acquisition so it could turn into a very busy week indeed.
Despite his growing dread of the dark companion within and the loss of his heart's love... Tam is settling in and comming by bits and measures to actually enjoy his new life in Riddleport.
When not doing his duties he joins in with the merrimaking and spending time with Marcus and Ascaria enjoying their company or even accompanying Iscaril in a song or two reaveling there IS indeed more to the dour elf!
Indeed though he at first is reluctant he is seemingly unable to resist being attracted to the lovely Samerthia, and spends more and more time in her company talking and laughing... enchated as it were by her presence.
Now that he's been there for awhile (and once somebody actually tells Tippy that the guy's been hired on as part of the ''family"), the halfling comes to include Tam and treat him like another of the guys.
He still doesn't bring him in on the Bojask situation, though.
Ethaniel's dagger spends far less time in the sheathe on his leg, and far more time stuck in the table in front of him. His eyes search after every sound, and his neck takes on a nervous twitch. Every morning, his discomfort is more apparent.
Marcus was actually really enjoying the next 2 weeks.
His feelings for Ascaria, after years of hurt and anger were somewhat healing the scar.on his heart. She was young and possesed an innocence he had forgotten existed.
He also found he liked Tam, whether because he saw another tortured soul or simply someone of like mind. Probably both. In any case the man was a capable sparring partner and Tam and. Tippy had proven a.formidable pair on the rare occasion the halfling was indulged to practice. The goblin was making money and the 3 were a feared triangle amongst troublemakers, Marcus being the bull in your face while the real worry was where the hidden rogues were.
Tam continued to provide council and was helping Marcus understand Calistria vengenful aspect. It seemed however it was a splintered faith...
Wealday morning, your forth week at the Goblin is underway. Saul approaches you in the morning after breakfast, looking nervous and uneasy.
Saul anxiously says, "Larur's gone missing. He wasn't here yesterday but I brushed that off as I was expecting it, but two days now he hasn't shown for work. I sent Andrezi this morning to check on his place and when he returned Andrezi said his one-bedroom flat was empty. The front door was hanging open and its contents had been burgled, with no sign of Larur at all. I fear that Larur might be in trouble or worse. I say this as the last I knew, I had sent Larur with 500gp to make a payment on a loan to the office of Lymas Smeed, the loan owner. Larur said he was fine to do it, he refused to take anyone, blooming fool. Lymas is one of Zincher's agents, I am sure of it. It would all make perfect sense."
Marcus gets up from his plate and quickly drops the remains of his meat breakfast to Apollo, definately concerned. Larur had given Marcus a great boon and Marcus remembered favors.
Iscarel, do you know the way to the money lender? Saul, we should check the apartment again, can one of the staff lead us there?
Once the dog is finished he shortens the lead and is ready to walk out, looking to the others to hurry.
Tippy has already pushed his (almost empty) plate aside and stands in the doorway, ready to go. "Why weren't you expecting him yesterday?"
Ascaria takes a last sip from her cup before she also gets up. "I'll just fetch Blacky. I'll meet you outside." She hurries to her room, grabs her shoulder bag and lets the raven hop onto her shoulder.
Then she joins the rest of the group.
0: Daze, Guidance, Light, Message
1: Charm person, Ear-Piercing scream, Mage armor
Tam continued to provide council and was helping Marcus understand Calistria vengenful aspect. It seemed however it was a splintered faith...
Iscarel nibbles at a wedge of sharp cheese as he mournfully picks at a plate of a traditional Riddleport breakfast once more, rich duck eggs, a thick slab of bacon and black pudding, fried almost into nothingness, bemoaning his fate with every bite. "What I wouldn't give for some blackberry jam, some honeybread, porridge... anything!" he says, spitting a particularly large piece of gristle back up on his plate and swinging his boots up onto the table, seemingly grateful at the distraction more than anything else.
Saul, "I didn't make anything of it yesterday cause I came in late myself and went upstairs. When I went looking for him and didn't find him I didn't think much of it. But I asked around this morning and found out no one saw him at all. That is when my concern was established. Andrezi can lead you back there. That's not a problem. Be thorough though."
"We'll be right to it." Ethaniel pulls his whip taut and begins coiling it. He pulls up the dagger that was resting on a crack in the wooden table and slides it into the sheathe on his leg.
1st - Bless, Remove Fear
Domain: True Strike
Tam is sitting eating a light breakfast watching the reactions of the others to Saul's announcement. Seeing Marcus' urgency Tam finishes his last bit of morning sausage and bread... he downs the last of his cider and stands without a word heading outside to wait for the others to arrive. Not one with many worldly possessions he is always ready to travel and fight if need be.
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Tippy raises an eyebrow Tam's self-involvement in this latest escapade, but then shrugs as nobody else seems to voice any objections.
"I guess that means welcome to the family," he mutters quietly under his breath.
A
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@Iscarel
Andrezi takes you straight to Larur's place with a determined look upon his face. On your way Andrezi speaks up.
"When I first got there this morning, his door was ajar and the place had been ransacked. It seemed as though alot of stuff had been looted and there were no obvious signs or hints of a struggle that I could see. I would assume the place had been open most of the night at least."
When you arrive, the door is still ajar. You enter and apart from a drunken squatter having moved in, you also find no evidence of what may have transpired here.
Marcus keeps everyone out so as to not disturb the scene and searches the place
Hold a minute, you might disturb some sign
Ascaria stands back as Marcus begins his search but nevertheless she tries to observe the scene and spot something that could be of interest.
To aid Marcus, she grabs a nearby splinter of wood and casts light and it. The splinter immediately begins to glow brightly and illuminates the shady room a little more. She hands it to Marcus.
"Here, maybe you can find something under his bed..."
Tam nods accepting Marcus' direction, but walks the perimeter of the building looking at the windows {if any} and the ground beneath them so see if any of the windows were shatter outward leaving shards on the grund or if they are all broken inward. He is looking for any tracks that might lead away or and blood trails... anything out of the ordinary.
"I'll check outside Marcus..."
But Tam grimaces... not really seeing anything of note that might help.
Whoever did this may very well be watching us now.
Ethaniel scans the surrounding area for any who might be observing, depending upon on his ears as much as his eyes.
There are no signs of any struggle within the house. Sure enough, lots of looting as taken place already. Without any blood or signs of a struggle in or around Larur's house, you decide to move on. Whatever happened, didn't happen here.
There's far too much sign. This place has been ransacked by every damn passerby. I can't pin Larur in all this. Other ideas?
"If we knew more about his habits...Saul said he was running an errand. We should try to retrace the steps Larur would have taken with that loan payment...Hmmm...does anybody remember what he was wearing?"
Tippy heads into the bedroom looking for the clothes Larur had been wearing that night (if they haven't been looted as well).
"Marcus, perhaps you should get a piece of clothing that this... Larur has worn to use as a scent lead for your Apollo? I doubt he'll be able to track him from here after all the looters have confused things.. but perhaps it will be of use later?"
"Can we guess that he went willingly? Ethaniel wonders aloud. "There are no signs of distress here, other than the broken door. He would have broken some bones and bloodied some noses, or at the very least, overturned some furniture, had they taken him by force."
Ethaniel pauses at Tam's suggestion. Dogs. Hounds. They know what men never do. They sense fear and guilt, and if any can follow a trail... "Yes. Good. Is that possible, Marcus?"
It's.....possible. Apollo is trained for combat. There is only so much in the way of tricks you can teach and animal but I can try to 'push' him to do it. I'll grab something. Marcus will grab an item of Larur's clothing.
Marcus goes into what would be Larur's bed area and picks up clothes about the floor, preferring shirts and tunics. He smells them, looking for the strongest odor which in common sense would be most useful to Apollo. Happy with his selection he goes to meet the others.