Around midmorning, Astraden and Cuetzpalli head into town to meet Tanith and the others at the appointed place - the Spinning Giant. She keeps her hood down, smudges her face with charcoal and chalk in strategic places, and fakes her usual limp.
When she sits down, she orders some bacon, hash browns, and water. "Alright, let's get this sorted. What are we selling? What are we keeping? Carina, could you try identifying this rod?"
"Okay..." Carina takes the rod from Astraden and sets it down on the table before digging out her alchemy kit. After a minute of mixing, she knocks back a potion of Identify and looks at the rod.
As Carina mixes, Astraden draws dice in the water rings left on the table. "Olidammara bless you," she says, touching Carina's hand. "Hopefully that'll help you see better than me."
[dice=Appraise on spellbook (guidance)]1d20+6+1
Carina can't tell what the rod is—rods are generally quite hard to identify, due to the difficulty in creating one .
Carina sighs and puts the rod aside. "Sorry guys... I have no idea what it is. It could be a fancy backscratcher for all I know."
"Was there anything else--" Carina starts saying before her eyes fall on the bright red knapsack with Fharlanghn's symbol on it. Her eyes light up. "Ooh! What's this?"
She picks it up and analyzes it, her identify extract still in effect...
Carina looks like her birthday came early for her.
Which, if you want to get TECHNICAL about it, it did.
"Where'd you guys find this? This is a handy haversack!" Carina opens up the haversack and looks inside. "It's like a bag of holding that always has the item you want sitting at the top so you don't have to go looking for it!"
"Is there anything already inside?"
"Nope." Carina shrugs and closes the haversack. "So, anything else you need me to identify? And may I keep this?" She hugs the haversack. "I can't carry as much as I used to, and..."
”It’s all yours Red. I was carrying it around because it reminded me of you”, the big man says with a laugh.
Carina blushes. "Aww..."
She starts taking stuff out of her backpack and transferring them to her new haversack.
As Carina studies the rod, Eben chimes in, "I know we've just met and all, but I really think you can figure this out."
"Let's go sell this s@@%. Tanith, anyone else, come with me me." Astraden stands up and begins shoveling excess potions and crossbows into her pack. When the others are ready , they will head to the usual shops and offload the loot.
Tanith happily tags along for the merchantry.
"Let me see if I can try something a little less... scholarly..." Eben says, borrowing the rod and heading outside, then walks a fair distance past the outskirts of town. "Sometimes you just have to show a magic item who's boss." he says, beginning to dramatically wave the rod around with a variety of wrist-flicking motions, making sure not to point either end of it towards anyone. "Abaracadabra! Hocus-Pocus! Abracapocus! Hocuscadabra!"
He looks like an idiot. But he keeps at it.
Use Magic Device (activate blindly): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16
The rod seems to turn warm the first time Eben tries it, nearly burning his hand.
The second time, however, an effect does appear. His latest incantation hangs in the air, echoing twice as long as it should have.
Use Magic Device (activate blindly): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16
Eben walks back to anyone who'd accompanied him. (Who presumably had the sense to stay back a reasonable distance while he was attempting to start a potent magic item by essentially whacking it upside the head, repeatedly.) "Well, I'd been hoping for one of those crazy rods that do weird things, but I guess this makes sense for something a wizard was using. If you activate it when you cast a spell, that spell lasts longer."
While they’re out – Astraden playing merchant and Tanith playing draft horse – the big Kordite picks out a pair of platinum rings. They were expensive but a needed component for a new blessing the Brawler had gifted him with.
Eben heads off with Astraden to help with the loot selling. Plus he has an item of his own that he wants to check the local market for.
”Hey Red, hold up”, the big man says while retrieving the rings. ”I got you something.”
Taking a delicate blue hand, Tanith slips a plain platinum band all the way down her ring finger.
”What do you think? It’s nothing fancy but I think it looks nice on you and it’ll keep you safe.”
Carina hangs onto Eben's enchanted chain shirt and sells off her old one.
Carina arches an eyebrow when Tanith takes her hand and puts a platinum ring on it.
”What do you think? It’s nothing fancy but I think it looks nice on you and it’ll keep you safe.”
Carina looks up at Tanith. "Oh? Does this mean we're engaged now? You work fast." She quips before giggling.
"Thanks. Really." She smiles. "May I ask how you know it'll protect me?"
”You know more about magic than I do!” the big man says with a laugh.
”Kord shared a blessing with me after you fell. I swore if I ever got you back, I’d never let it happen again. As long as the magic links us, my strength will be your strength.”
Carina blushes. "Thanks, ya big lug."
She stands on the tips of her toes and pecks Tanith on the cheek before admiring her ring.
"Should we visit the temple of Heironeous now? I think I still need that Restoration." She looks down the street in the temple's direction.
The Temple of Heironeous is cooler than usual—the stained glass windows have their shutters closed. Heironeous appreciates fine arts, but he's a practical deity first and foremost, and his temples can generally double as fortresses if need be.
Majestic paintings on the walls depict a great battle between the Archpaladin and his treacherous half-brother, a face the adventurers know well: Hextor, the god of tyranny.
Valkus Dun meets the pair warmly, though also a fair bit of skepticism. "Tanith Creed—always a surprise." He smiles, looking at Carina. "I beg your pardon, madam, but I don't think I know your name. Have we met before?"
Carina has seen Valkus Dun around town—like Wierus, he and his followers are dedicated to giving the poor of Diamond Lake succor. They are, however, a bit more "big picture", and generally focus on protecting the weak rather than healing the sickly.
Astraden beckons to Cuetzpalli. "Let's try and track down that halfling."
Carina approaches Valkus, heedless of the church's tense atmosphere.
"I don't believe we have, sir. I'm Carina." She smiles and bows to the man. "I'm here because I need a restoration spell."
She shifts from foot to foot. "Well, two actually."
Despite the skepticism, Tanith greets the more rigid holyman with a grin and a hearty handshake. ”Good to see you too!”
”I’m sure you’ve seen her around town before. Well, she looked a bit different before.”
”You see, she was dead but the druids brought her back in this new body. Part of the process left her weakened. Is there anything you folks can do to help her?”
Tanith slips a meaty paw around one of Carina’s hands again for comfort.
Valkus looks between the two, brow furrowed. "Alessia's girl? But she..." He falls silent, hearing Tanith's explanation. "I see. I'll have to handle this one personally. I'm afraid it won't be cheap, though—a donation is generally required, and the restoration you need requires powerful components in addition."
"I imagine." Carina nods, digging around in her haversack to produce the gold needed.
"Will this be enough, sir?" She has an anxious expression on her face.
"Hm." Valkus raises an eyebrow as Carina pulls a massive sum out of a little satchel. "I'm afraid I won't be able to put you all the way back together immediately. There's a reason some choose to stay dead, you know—the soul's stress, while undetectable even to you, is very hard to mend."
Several altar servers hurry to load the payment into large sacks.
"I can get it done halfway," he continues. "Come to me again in a week's time and I can finish the job, but it will cost another pile of gold."
”Whatever it costs”, Tanith says with a nod.
Eben does a little bit of light shopping of his own after selling off the bulk of the haul. Inspired by Astraden, he picks up an assortment of make-ups, dyes, and false hair pieces for his own use, as well as a cheap set of clothing that bears no resemblance to the more flamboyant attire he enjoys.
Once done, he lets the group know he's going to poke around town and see if there's been any discernible change to Smenk's overall routine in the past couple days. He heads back to his room at the Emporium and spends a good deal of time putting a look together. The haggard-looking gray haired farmer that emerges looks very little like Eben, aside from the basics of height and build.
Out in the street, Eben pauses for a moment to try and recall where and when Smenk is likely to be having lunch.
Carina smiles. "That's really all I can ask, sir." She says as the gold is carried away to be accounted for.
"Shall we begin now?"
Astraden beckons to Cuetzpalli. "Let's try and track down that halfling."
[dice=Diplomacy (gather information) re: halfling who fakes a limp]1d20+3
Astraden and Cuetzpalli are able to find scattered mutters about a "lame boy" hanging out in Jalek's Flophouse. He's often seen with the coal orphans. A few of Astraden's informants claim to have been robbed by the lame boy or his "minions".
Out in the street, Eben pauses for a moment to try and recall where and when Smenk is likely to be having lunch.
He had breakfast at the Hungry Gar that one time, but I don't know if that's a hangout or whatever, so:
Knowledge: Local: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
The Rusty Bucket, owned by local "wild card" mine manager Chaum Gansworth, is well-enforced "neutral ground". If Smenk is feeling off-kilter, as he might with his favorite thugs off on vacation, that's probably where he'd choose to eat out.
Carina and Tanith:
Valkus sighs. "It will take just a moment. Please, come with me."
He leads Tanith and Carina to his prayer room, where servants are already pouring a circling of sparkling sand—diamond dust. Carina is directed to stand in the center. Valkus Dun rests two fingers on her shoulder.
The high priest begins praying, too soft too hear. As he murmurs, Carina feels aches she hadn't even known she had slowly melting away. After eighteen seconds, the empty feeling is still there, but greatly lessened.