"Jack" does his best to smile pleasantly at Scaramore's offer.
"That sounds eminently reasonable, Master Scaramore. I would be most happy to share such knowledge. I would still review your scrolls for reference."
If I get so much as one decent spell, that is a fine trade for me.
Hel notices the 'For Rent' sign, but doesn't think it worth commenting upon; 'James' does that just fine as the two of them stop in front of Osterman Manor, taking a moment to regard the front facade as Vallison steps up to the door to unlock it. Eyeing the tall steeple, it's clear from the expression on her face that at least that part of the domicile most certainly does not meet with her approval, but such is all a matter of taste.
That the reeve might see her as an upstanding -- but unpleasant, and therefore to be politely avoided when possible -- woman is all to the better, should it prove true -- and should there be arrangements that will enable the group to recover the gold set aside for the 'purchase' of the manor. She still worries about it, but perhaps that's her role in this little scenario -- being a pinch-penny, at which is something the Baroness excelled.
Stepping up, she is ready to follow the reeve into the manor and take the tour, reserving her comments for the end.
Master Scaramore takes out a case from behind his desk and opens it, carefully pulling out and setting several scrolls.
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Gallen and Wesh find the path to the door to be unobstructed, and arrive without issue. They hear nothing on the other side, and so open it, revealing the second room to be filled with all kinds of junk.
You spy, hidden in the junk, a trap door.
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"I'm not sure. I'll have to check the records to see who owns it. I can tell you no one has said anything to me about it in the past."
Dominik leads the way up to the manor and unlocks the front door. Inside, the furniture is covered with large cloths, and there appears to be a layer of dust on everything. "My apologies for how dusty it is. The last maid I hired to clean the place got married to a lad in an outlying farm, and I haven't found anyone to take over the job."
On the ground floor, Dominik first shows you to the formal sitting room just off the entry hall, a lovely room with a couch, a love seat, and two chairs along with a hand-carved fire place. He then takes you to the withdrawing room, which is just off the dining room. The dining room features a long wooden table with ornately carved legs capable of holding up to a dozen people. From there, it's to the kitchen and butler's pantry, both of which are of good size and quite serviceable. Finally, he shows you the basement, a good sized room that should be sufficient for holding wine, food supplies, and other things.
The basement appears to have been soundproofed.
From there, he takes you to the second floor, which holds six good-sized bedrooms, and a washroom. There's also a stair that goes up to the steeple. Dominik informs you, "On a clear day, you can even see as far as Balentyne from up there."
The tour finished, Dominik gathers you back in the entry hall and asks, "Well? What do you think of it?"
"I have simple taste. It is my wife you have to sell so my sweet what do you think?"
Well the sound proof basement is nice and a clear view of the keep could come in handy though I know not what for yet. We should probably take it right?
Wesh looks around in the second room, disappointed at only finding trash.
Looking over at Gallen, he messages, Should we head back to town? No point in risking whoever’s been coming here finding us.
Not so quick, lets be thorough.
Strolling slowly around after the reeve, Hel examines the place with a critical eye; she can't help it, it's just the way she is now. The abstract/upset expression that is her default undoubtedly looks mildly contemptuous of what she's seeing. "How much?" she asks, not looking at the reeve as she asks the question, her gaze instead turning around the entry hall.
Much depends on whether we can get terms that ensure we can recover our investment at the end of our time here, she silently replies to James. While a purchase would undoubtedly increase our standing in the community, we would likely lose the monies entirely ... hm. Unless they would send the cash south with the prisoner's tumbrel, all of which we intend to cause to disappear. Let's see what he has to say.
"If successful the keep and town will be sacked and looted. We will be able to come back and claim all that was hours and then some extra while The Fire Axe comes. You worry way too much my dear."
James simply smiles at his wife while awaiting to hear from the reeve.
Jack shurgs. "An empty house in the middle of the woods filled with junk... I'm not sure why I expected anything interesting. Lets keep going."
[poc]Ah, oops. Well price does matter than :) Perhaps we can get it on credit a promise of payment when our goods and supplies arrive in a week or so :) Hel ignore my other post :)[/ooc]
"Well she asked how much, so she either likes it enough to consider or wants to tell you how wrong your price is." James lets out a laugh.
"I do believe we are interested in assuming the price is right. As you can imagine we did not travel with all of our coins. We are expecting our supplies and wealth to arrive in the next two weeks. I assume a contract of agreement to pay will suffice for now?"
Wesh nods to Sir Gallen and follows the man out of the house.
Wesh and Gallen find nothing in the junk-strewn room, so they leave and resume their tour of the areas surrounding Aldencross.
=====================================================
The Reeve shrugs. "Well, you could just purchase the manor once your coin arrives, and remain at the Lord's Dalliance until then. No one's expressed any interest in purchasing the manor since Baron Osterman moved away, and I doubt that will change in the next couple of weeks. The manor's for sale for 5,000 crowns - a bargain for most manors this size." He pauses, considering, then says, "I supposed I could rent it to you for the first month, until your coin arrives, at a cost of 400 crowns. However, I have to warn you, in this town, just renting the manor is going to make you fodder for gossip, as people might find it suspicious you're renting instead of just staying at the Lord's Dalliance."
"Let me discuss things with my wife. Would you mind giving us a moment?"
He turns to Hel.
"So my sweet what would you like to do?"
No reason to bring attention to ourselves more than just new to the town. We could sneak/break in here or the abandoned warehouse for when we need to make a plan away from others.
“I believe we should discuss this in private, James,” Hel says quellingly. “Master Vallison, thank you for your time; please find out about the warehouse for us, will you?” With that, she takes her husband’s arm and walks with him — steers him, rather — out of the manor and back to The Lord’s Dalliance.
You lie too often, and about the wrong things. Learn to give as little information as possible, and if you must lie, try to make sure you expand our options, not close them off. Now we can do nothing for several days.
Master Scaramore takes out a case from behind his desk and opens it, carefully pulling out and setting several scrolls.
0-level Cantrips
Detect Magic
Flare
Mage Hand
Ray of Frost
1st-level
Enlarge Person
Grease
Mage Armor
Silent Image
2nd-level
Glitterdust
Invisibility
Levitation
How will this exchange work? Lutor is interested in all of the spells if possible. For now, he would prioritise protection from evil, life pact, and cat's grace.
Permhaps but nothing was said that can not be unsaid about our coin. I see nothing wrong with operating from the inn. If we need to meet somewhere we can break in and use the manor basement. We have information and we have made ourselves seem legitimate for our reasons to be here. I see no problems so far. You need not over plan everything my sweet. Time is not on our side here. Let's go find the others. Shall we?
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"Of course. I'll look into that warehouse, and let me know when you reach a decision on the manor." Dominik bows you out of the manor, and locks the door behind him before heading back to the Town Hall, while Hel and Cole head back to the Lord's Dalliance the other way, quietly discussing the possibility of the manor.
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You can purchase any of the scrolls for sale and copy it into your spellbook as normal.
For the exchange, using the rules for adding spells to a spellbok, you can copy a spell from his spellbook (you don't have to decipher the spell, since he's there to help, but you still need to make the Spellcraft check at the end of the hour of study) into yours. Instead of charging a fee for you to do so, however, he gets to copy a spell from your spellbook into his spellbook. Basically, you copy a spell from him for however long it takes, and then he copies one from you for however long it takes. You must pay the typical costs for writing a spell into your spellbook.
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You all meet back up at the Lord's Dalliance after your morning excursions to further discuss.
Wesh relays to the others what he and Sir Galen discovered, or didn't discover, in this case. All in all, it was a rather boring outing. Wesh hopes the others have more interesting things to report.
"Good afternoon my friends. I trust everyone's morning was well. Do you all find this town to be as nice as I? I am excited about our future here. The manor we looked at was quite nice. Room for all. So how did you all find the town?"
"It's quiet, not much in the surrounding areas but there is some game and no doubt opportunities for a canny businessman if they can be found."
Hel nods in acknowledgement of what the wanderings of 'Torbin' and 'Jack' have produced -- scant information, but as the two of them are not the most sharp-sighted scouts amongst them, worth a second look and therefore useful nonetheless -- and she gives a dubious tilt of her head at the analysis of the manor by 'James'. "It may prove a good place to settle down, but I think our examination may take some time -- as Miller says," and here she nods at Sir Gallen, "it is a matter of finding the opportunities. Reeve Vallison suggested that renting the manor might be a possibility but also serve to tarnish our reputation, for renting it instead of simply staying here; I think that, if the owner of the warehouse for rent can be found as the reeve stated he would do for us, we might simply stay here and do what --" she gives a waving wiggle of her hand, meant to indicate 'works better not done in the room of an inn' "-- we need to do, Master Cross and I, in the warehouse."
The rest of the day passes uneventfully, and as evening falls, the common room of the Lord's Dalliance again fills with off-duty soldiers, locals, and that group of Dwarves again. Bellam is busy behind the bar, and the servers move from table to table, distributing drinks and food.
Cole continues to make friends and small talk as a new merchant businessman to town.
Wesh settles into his seat and does his best to appear friendly with the locals. Perhaps he can ply something useful from them.
Mentally shrugging, she finishes her descent into the room and settles down beside Cole, clearly stiff and arrogant and condescending, but making up for it somewhat with being generous with drinks and food.
In a lull in both conversations, she nudges 'James', and gives a pointed look in the direction of the dwarves. We need to find out who they are, and why they're here. If not tonight, then soon.
Cole nods.
"Yes dear, but I'm going to use a bit of coin and buy a round of drinks then so don't get uptight on my spending." He smiles.
With that said he stands and makes way over to the dwarves.
"Barkeep a round of drinks for my new friends here." He sits down or drags his chair over with him if there wasn't one free.
"So you guys seem new here as well. How have you found it to be? Everyone seems really nice.which is great, but as a merchant opening up shop I care more about them spending coin than how nice they are." He pauses and has a laugh. "So what business are you lot? Adventurers?"
Cole buys drinks for townsfolk and soldiers, gathering gossip and other tidbits that might be helpful for a merchant. At one point, however, the conversation takes a...darker...turn, as he hears a farmer say to a soldier, "Did you hear about prisoners escaping from Branderscar? Were they ever caught?"
"Don't worry yourself about it. If they aren't already dead, they wouldn't dare show themselves near the Watch Wall," the soldier reassures the farmer.
Wesh's attempts at being friendly yield a conversation between two of the barmaids about an upcoming event. "Ye Merrie Men are coming to town and the handsome William Marcus Marlow is coming with them! Can you believe it? The Bard of Barrington! Here!" one of the barmaids exclaims.
"They are doing the 'Fall of Amberlyn'! Oh, I can’t wait!" her friend gushes.
Hel finds that her reputation for piety has gotten around town, as one gentleman speaks to her, "Have you ever been to the choir hall of Balentyne? Amazing! The priests are such beautiful singers and sometimes the stone saints that adorn the place join in the chorus. Such a miracle!"
As Cole approaches the dwarves, they give him rather cold looks, apparently finding him quite rude for interrupting their private conversation. One of them says, "We've actually been here for some time, merchant. We aren't adventurers, we're stonemasons. Thank you for the drinks."
His tone leaves the impression that Cole's continued presence is not welcome.
Lutor overpays for drinks, and not just for himself.
Even rumour can be more valuable than a piece of shiny metal.
Cole stands back up.
"Stonemasons eh. I understand and serious ones at that. Here for your work and that is all. Forgive me for my interruption. I good merchant trades in wares and information and sometimes trying to find out information gets me in trouble. You men enjoy your evening."
He will leave them and rejoin his group.
They seem all business perhaps hiding something or just prefer the company of their own. Perhaps the barkeep could tell us more about them.
Lutor speaks with others, listening to them, and one older man missing a couple of teeth says, "Those dwarves are a thieving lot! I heard one of them was caught picking a man’s pocket."
Gallen takes the time to speak with the locals, as well, and also hears something about the dwarves, "There’s a pack of dwarves in town led by a grumpy short fellow named Barnabus Eisenbauch. They’re here to fix up the watchtower or so I’ve heard. A hard working fellow -- just don’t challenge him to a drinking contest. He’ll drink you under the table every time!"
A dwarf was apparently caught picking a man's pockets. We could stir up tensions against the dwarves or perhaps use them to cause trouble. Or both.
Wesh relays what he learns about Ye Merrie Men and William Marcus Marlow to the rest of the group.
At Lutor's words, he replies, It would be good to have some people to take the fall if we need a scapegoat. Better them than us.
Hel, too, conveys the information she's discovered about the 'singing statues', then gives a long look towards the dwarves, trying to remember what she's heard about them. Technicalities being important, she attempted to recall if they had their own seperate in Talingarde or not.
And afterwards, concerning the Branderscar-bound prisoner:
Sipping at her wine, she nods thoughtfully, and asks the man who spoke to her about the 'miraculous' statues, "So they allow people in, do they? For high holy days, I suppose, not just for a tour or something. Does anyone ever venture into the North? Unrestful folk, those with hopes of finding treasure, or perhaps more virtuous ones hoping to convert the heathen monsters?"
After those questions are answered, allowing some time to pass after the arm's-length reception of 'James', she gives 'Torbin' a glance and suggests, Think you can hold your ale? If you challenge them to a drinking contest, win or lose they might think better of you.
And though she keeps a weather eye on the dwarves (and Sir Gallen, should he follow her suggestion), she does a bit more probing, as delicate as she can, on the subject of Branderscar -- general information about people's reactions to what the 'escapees' did there (slaughtering the garrison but allowing the civilians to live), whether or not it was discovered that they were understaffed, and -- perhaps -- when the gossip-mongering girl is due to depart for her rightful punishment.
"Not I dear. I'm dying remember. Slowly becoming undead. Alchohol is basically poison. I would be drunk in no time."
Local and history are the two best choices for Knowledge skills.
The Dwarves of Talingarde, like their brethren elsewhere in Golarion, came to the surface during the Quest For the Sky. Upon arrival, they encountered the Iraean, Northren tribes, and the Yutak, the native tribal humans. Since the Yutak were primarily concerned with coastal fishing and hunting, which the Dwarves were not, and the Iraean did not inhabit the mountains, they were able to live peacefully. While the Dwarves of Talingarde never built a Sky Citadel, they built several settlements on the island, along with infrastructure for travel in between - the bridge in Balentyne that allows for crossing the Watch Wall is actually of ancient Dwarven construction from that time. Their only conflicts were with the various goblinoids on the island.
When the first Taldan settlers arrived, they clashed heavily with the Iraean and Northern tribes. The Northern tribes were nearly wiped out - those who survived either fled to the wild north, beyond the reach of the settlers' armies, or were taken as slaves. The Iraean fared better, but they too were slowly driven back from the island. Taldan boats also drove the Yutak further into isolation on their islands.
The Taldan settlers got along well enough with the Dwarves, but because the humans spread across the island so quickly compared to the Dwarves, the Dwarves eventually began to give up their mountain cities and towns, becoming slowly integrated into Taldan culture.
The Dwarves of Talingarde do not have their own separate nation or city in Talingarde. However, you faintly recall that there may been reasons for their abandoning their mountain cities beyond simply the spread of Talirean culture.
The man nods in response to Hel's questions. "Mostly its only soldiers serving the Watch Wall get to go into the Choir Hall, but people from town are allowed in during the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice. If you're still here then, you should definitely go listen. It's simply beautiful.
"As for people venturing up north, I don't know that any missionary could live long enough to try and convert the savages up there - better to leave them be and let them die wasting their lives trying to break through the Watch Wall. There's always a few of those adventurer-types that come through, though, claiming to be seeking lost treasure or somesuch. The ones that come back don't come back with much, though. Whatever treasures are up in the north, I don't think that any Talirean will be able to claim them."
When probing on Branderscar, Hel finds that the only certainty is that people know it happened. Details, however, vary from person to person. One swears that the escapees painted the walls of Branderscar with the blood of every living person in there. Another that they animated the bodies of the dead and set them upon the countryside. Someone else believes that they disappeared in the night without killing a soul, vanishing right out of their cells. No one seems to have a clue about when the prisoner will be sent there.
I suspect I could make a good impression over several rounds of drinks.
Jack heads over to group of dwarves to discuss drinks...
"Forgive my intrusion but my employer mention you had been working here for some time. I'm called Jack Miller. I'd like to join you for a time and of course buy a round of drinks as compensation."
The Dwarves, again, look annoyed at the intrusion, and the one in charge, Barnabus Eisenbach, says, "Thanks, but your employer already bought us a round. We'll be fine for now."
Wesh joins Sir Gallen near the dwarves and takes a bit gruffer approach, getting straight to the point. Dwarves like that sort of thing, right?
"I'm Torbin. You seem like a bunch that would be up for a challenge. How about a little drinking contest?"
The leader grins. "Torbin, you'll be needing a cleric by the time we're done. I'm Barnabus Eisenbach. How about a game of Dwarven darts?"