Grim shrugs. "Yeah well, while I like a good head-pounding once in a while, I've had my head pounded enough times that I'm not upset when a fight doesn't break out. Don't suppose that drink offer included me, did it? For that matter, am I even aloud to drink on duty? Probably not. Stupid rules."
Augrim laughs. "We'll have to go drink ourselves stupid after our shift. Shouldn't take us too long."
After the rowdy sailors are dealt with, Saul comes out to the central podium.
”Yer attention, please! I, Saul Vancaskerkin, humble proprieter of the Gold Goblin, would like to announce that this gambling house be under new management!”
He gestures to each of the heroes – ”Me business partners and I be makin’ some changes around here – we will not stand for criminal lawlessness on these here premises! Any of ye who be spyin' fer me competitors are free to go tell yer bosses that any further acts of hostility will be met with force! Effective immediately, the Goblin be institutin' a no-weapons policy!”
This announcement is met with some grumbling and a smattering of applause.
With your help, Saul has turned the Gold Goblin into a popular venue. This week, he broke even, so you get your full pay of 10g.
Saul promises bonuses, if profits increase.
"Now this is more like it!" Grim exclaims, staring at the gold in her hand.
One of the first off-duty things she will do is buy herself lots of drink, one full gp worth!
Aianna will go with Jawn and Grim to sell the goods.
Arianna, Grim, and Jawn head out to the River District to trade.
It's a bright, clear day – a breeze is coming in from the sea, the sun is shining, the Blot is... hovering, as always. As you move through the trade district, hawkers call out to passersby. A young street urchin eyes the group as they walk along, an obvious cutpurse. He turns out to be a diversion - Arianna notices his accomplice approach from the other side of the street. A raised eyebrow from the pretty bard is enough to send both boys running for cover, intent on seeking an easier mark.
The growing pitter-patter on the surrounding tin roofs is at odds with the cloudless sky, but the recognizable sound of rain is definitely present.
”Ouch!” Cries rise up from hawkers and shoppers alike as a rain of tiny stones falls upon the shopping district. The tiny pebbles increase in size and density as the roofs are rattled by the falling debris. At the nearest solid structure, a wooden sign is rattled by larger rock – Verin's General Goods & Curious Wonders.
Grim looks on, wide-eyed. "This isn't something you see every day," she says. She looks at Arianna and Jawn, "I think we'd better find shelter." She runs to get inside Verin's General Goods and Curious Wonders before she gets hit by any of these falling stones.
As you rush into the shelter of the shop, the door strikes a bell over the frame. A muffled voice calls out from the back of the store, and you hear the sound of footsteps approach. A sprout of ginger hair pops up over the counter, bobbing up to reveal the cheerful face of a middle-aged halfling woman.
”Be welcome to Verin's – finest emporium for goods and rarities, we is - what can Verin do for ye, this day?”
"Oh, hi," Grim says. "I was...uh...seeking shelter from the stones...um...hail, and I saw your place and ran in." She starts looking around at the items on display. "I should have some friends following me. Do you purchase items? We're looking to sell some things."
The rattling on the rooftops increases in intensity, but the halfling doesn't seem to pay much heed.
”Oh, selling today, are ye? Seller today, buyer tomorrow, Verin says. What have ye, then?”
The halfling squints as she looks over the supplies, peering through a monocle to inspect them. She looks up again, one eye magnified to ridiculous proportions through the eyepiece. ”Any magics in them, then? Iffen is, then Verin find.”
With that, she hops down from her stool, disappearing beneath the counter. You hear the sound of drawers opening, and tiny hands rummaging. Suddenly, her tiny hand thrusts into the air with a wand in her grasp.
”Ah!” The hand places the wand on the counter, then grips the edge as the shopkeeper tugs herself up onto the stool again. She plops a large tome next the the items with a hefty thump. The she proceeds to wave the wand at the weapons, wand and armor.
”Hmmph! Well, the wand is well used – only a few charges left. The book has good magics, and the armor - quite good.” She scribbles onto some parchment, and passes over the offer.
- Masterwork Leather Armor = 80g
Spellbook: Cantrips + 4 lvl 1 spells = 57.5g
Wand of Shocking Grasp (9x charges) = 75g
Rapier = 10g
Sickle = 3g
Leather Bracers = 75g
Light Crossbow, 10x bolts = 17.5g
Saps x4 = 2g
Total: 310g
Agreed. Perhaps we should keep the wand as well.
Back on the streets of Riddleport, the rain of stones has ceased. Shopkeepers are assessing the damage, and sweeping up the black pebbles, which now cover the streets, and even the the river – these odd projectiles float on the surface of the water. After only a few minutes the stones cause another stir, when they seemingly evaporate into nothingness, leaving stunned observers to wonder at their own sanity.
There are, however, lasting effects of the event. Several casualties are reported around town, as well as damage to buildings and ships. Upon returning to the Gold Goblin, witnesses report the brass dome ringing like a bell under the rocky deluge, and damage is apparent in chipped paint and some broken windows. Saul is in a fury about the cost of repairs, fearing it will affect the week's profits.
Grim is on her way to pick up one of these stones when they suddenly vanish. She scowls. "Okay, if there were any doubts before, there are none now. That wasn't natural." She looks up at the blot in the sky and points. "You don't think it was that, do you?" she asks her companions.
Is Jawn able to put together an idea of what caused that? Has he read about anything similiar, here or on other planes?
Cyphergate Riddle—the long-sought hidden purpose of the stone arch that rises over the harbor. Old accounts tell of strange lights moving in the sky and sounds issuing forth from it without explanation. The manifestation of a shadow in the sky is something new, though.
No known magical traditions explain the existence of the hovering shadow, and it does not bear the trappings of any known spell.
The wizard Argentus Blakely (a noted Cyphergate scholar) postulated that the Blot is some sort of convergence for focusing arcane energies. He has yet to prove his hypothesis but is running several experiments to test its validity.
The darkness in the sky over Riddleport is known locally as Blakely’s Shadow, or simply the Blot.
The Blot first appeared over Riddleport about a month ago and has remained in the sky ever since. It has changed size and shape and has even disappeared intermittently, but has always returned after several hours.
"I never did like that blot thing,"[b] Grim says with a scowl. She looks up at the strange darkness in the sky and scowls at it some more." Seemingly satisfied that she's done enough scowling, she says, "Right, let's get back." She then strides off towards the Gold Goblin.
Once back, she'll chip in with repairs.
Augrim too will assist with repairs to the Gold Goblin.
He nods and smiles warmly to Jawn upon the receipt of gold. "Excellent."
Perception check for second week of working at Gold Goblin:
Perception check for second week of working at Gold Goblin:
Intimidate check for second week of work:
Week 2:
Arianna will use her "feminine wiles" on the patrons of the casino.
Diplomacy:
Jawn watches for cheaters again -
With your help, Saul is really building the Gold Goblin into a profitable establishment! Your hard work pays off, as Saul made a nice profit this week, which you get a cut of.
Despite the attempted heist, the damage from the rock storm, and a skeleton crew of workers, the Gold Goblin is steadily becoming a popular place for the people of Riddleport to lose their coin. Larur complements you on a job well done, and informs you that Saul is quite pleased with your progress so far. While performing the daily rituals for setting up the hall, Grim is approached by a young half-elf woman with wavy red hair and Varisian tattoos on her face and neck. Her cleanly attire, beauty, and quiet demeanor set her apart from the Gold Goblin's normal clientele.
She greets Grim with an easy smile. ”Hi, there. Is this place hiring, by any chance?”
Grim looks her over carefully, looking for hidden weapons or anything else suspicious.
"You'll have to talk to the management," she says. "That's not really my department." Assuming there's nothing suspicious about the half-elf, Grim then directs her in the appropriate direction.
The newcomer, who introduces herself as Samaritha Beldusk, appears to be carrying a few magical items - two wands, and a pair of bracers which give off a similar aura as those you confiscated from Angvar Thestlecrit, the leader of the bandits you defeated.
- Lurur asks Jawn to join him as he interviews Samaritha, noticing his interest in her arrival. ”So, lass – come to seek a job, 'ave ye?” Eyeing her clothing and demeanor, he quirks an eyebrow. ”Ye don't look the sort to be down here in the Wharf – ye look more the Windward type to me. Why would ye wanna work at the Goblin?”
- "I came to Riddleport several weeks ago, hoping to earn my place with the Cyphermages. Unfortunately, no cyphermages were taking apprentices when I arrived, and now with the group so distracted by the Blot, I fear my chances of finding a patron...
Well, with my coin running out, I must find work, or abandon my dream, and return to Magnimar. It has become apparent to me that respectable work is hard to come by in Riddleport – there are precious few jobs here that wouldn't require me to abandon common decency and morals – that leaves waiting tables here. I'm a hard worker, and if you aren't happy with my performance, you can always fire me later – all I need is the opportunity to prove myself.”
- Lurur takes in the woman's speech in silence, then looks to Jawn. ”Excuse us a moment, lass.”
Pulling Jawn aside, he asks, ”Well, what do ye think? She seems pretty enough, and I we could use the help – I run the floor, but ye be working it. Think she'll pass muster?”
"Har! Indeed we have! Why don't ye give her the news, and show her around – the pay is 2 gold pieces per week, and she can keep her tips. She's pretty enough to make up the difference, and probably give ye a run for yer money!"
Watching Lurur leave, Samaritha's attention returns to Jawn.
The question brings a grin from the young woman. "I like to think of myself as capable in the arts... ...shondrael!" She winks and a light blooms from her hand, then fading.
"We should compare spellbooks sometime - I don't get very many chances to talk shop in Riddleport. The Cyphermages are all preoccupied with their studies of the Blot."
She greets everyone warmly, when introduced.