"Oh, don't worry about me. I've got a few invisibility spells myself, but they're expecting that. Like I said last time, they're clever. No doubt they have a few glitterdust scrolls by now."
Astraden's godfather seems pleasantly surprised by the door's easy repair, but keeps talking. "The Sodden Hold is right outside the city, by the river. It's an old warehouse."
"Snatchers?" The elf seems to consider it. "Small players. Easy to hire, dumb enough to keep discrete about it. If the shifty characters we're worrying about wanted to minimize trips out of the city..." She shrugs. "Worth thinking about."
"So...fancy a game?" The dwarf grins. "Spellbones? Fireball? Whatever's your taste. Or just here to pray?"
First, each die that rolls a "6" is a "magic die". A "magic die" does not contribute points towards a player's total, instead counting as a zero, but instead can be used to change the result of one of the player's other dice that did not roll "6" to any number between 1 to 5.
The second major difference is that the players can create "creatures" by rolling different combinations of numbers. Any result that contains a creature automatically defeats a non-creature result. If two players roll creatures, the more powerful creature wins.
Creatures:
2, 2: Stirge
4, 4: Cockatrice
1, 1, 1: Otyugh
3, 3, 3: Griffon
5, 5, 5: Manticore
2, 2, 2, 2: Gorgon
4, 4, 4, 4: Roper
1, 1, 1, 1 1: White Dragon
2, 2, 2, 2, 2: Black Dragon
3, 3, 3, 3, 3: Green Dragon
4, 4, 4, 4, 4: Blue Dragon
5, 5, 5, 5, 5: Red Dragon
6, 6, 6, 6, 6: Archmage
"Alright. If you happen to hear anything about Ebon Cultists, let us know. We'll be in the Crooked House down in Midnight's Muddle."
"Sure. Who's here tonight?"
"Well, my friends and I will likely be looking into the Snatchers, then, so if anything turns up, I can update you. Otherwise..." he shrugs. "I'll drop a bottle if there's any other weird leads."
A while later, Carina emerges dressed in her old red traveler's garb. She has a little bounce in her step.
"So, Tanith, did you have someplace in mind you wanted to go for dinner?"
After cleaning up, drying off, and slipping into his worn tunic and leggings, Tanith looks plenty refreshed himself.
"I hadn't quite figured that out yet", the big man answers. "Why don't we ask around and see what's popular."
Carina nods and approaches the proprietor of the Crooked House, Tarquin Shortstone.
"Excuse me, sir? Could you perhaps recommend a good place to dine out?" She asks, running a hand through her wet black hair.
"Alright. If you happen to hear anything about Ebon Cultists, let us know. We'll be in the Crooked House down in Midnight's Muddle."
"Crooked House. Will do. See you in a bit, laughing girl. Stay safe." He nods to Cuetzpalli. "Look out for her, big guy. She's got this habit of not backing out when she should. It's a habit that's got a tendency to get us masked folk into trouble."
"Oh, the usual crowd. And...well, I'll let him introduce himself. You may find you have something in common with him."
Farrukh sees a few familiar faces—the rail-thin noble, the hobgoblin female, and the young halfling man. In addition, an obviously wealthy man in a mithral chain shirt sits at the table. His eyes sparkle with a strange, otherworldly light.
The halfling greets Farrukh with familiarity, getting up on his chair to shake the slayer's hand, while the hobgoblin and noble essentially ignore his presence. The man in the chain shirt smiles politely.
"Oh, every now and then," the halfling says cheerily. "Halflings are naturally lucky, y'know. Sadly, my luck seems to just rub off on others."
"I like to mingle with the commo—the ordinary folk," the noble says. "And I tend to win these games."
"Just in the neighborhood," the hobgoblin growls. "Your tiny dice games are no match for hobgoblin sports, but they suffice as a distraction.".
As before, Moira hands out five dice to each participant. He also pauses to summarize the rules to the sparkling-eyed man.
"Well, see that you do." The elf nods. "Give my regards to your crew. See you in a few." Though her smile seems a bit more genuine now, there's a vaguely ominous quality to her voice when she says the last bit.
Tarquin considers it. "I can think of a few places. Are you looking to meet with the rest of your friends, or is this more for the two of you?"
"Well, see that you do." The elf nods. "Give my regards to your crew. See you in a few." Though her smile seems a bit more genuine now, there's a vaguely ominous quality to her voice when she says the last bit.
Eben smiles and backs away from the gang of thieves. The elf's parting words manage to put him enough on edge, however, that he takes a much, much longer and circuitous route back to the Crooked House than he normally would, making sure to look over his shoulder every time he doubles back and slips down a side street to make sure he's not being followed.
Pretty sure that was on the up-and-up... well, as up-and-up as a gang of thieves are ever gonna be... but better to be safe than sorry....
Despite being freshly bathed, the idea of a drink and a brawl at the Two-Necked Swan gets the big Kordite's blood pumping.
"We had a nice quiet dinner last time we were in the Free City. How about we have some fun this time?"
Carina scratches her head and fiddles with her haversack. "Oh, why not?" She shrugs, stepping next to Tanith and shrugging.
Farrukh smiles back and shakes the Halfling's hand, then addresses the armored man.
"So, I've met everyone else, but who are you? My name's Farrukh. I'm an...explorer? Adventurer? Spelunker? Not sure what to call it really. I go into nasty places, kill bad things, and take their gold."
"Will do, sir." Cuetzpalli responds. Then turning to Astraden he says, "Well, back to the inn?"
"May luck be with you, sir."
Astraden nods. "Let's check the play schedule on our way out. Maybe we can grab some lunch and then come back for an evening showing."
"Okay, let's do it. I'm up for anything. They have any good food around here? I'm getting a little sick of trail rations."
"So, I've met everyone else, but who are you? My name's Farrukh. I'm an...explorer? Adventurer? Spelunker? Not sure what to call it really. I go into nasty places, kill bad things, and take their gold."
"Ah, how splendid!" Now the man stands and offers his hand to shake. "I am Korush, genie of the Material. I, too, 'go into nasty places and take their gold', though the rest of my crew is off preparing for more exciting business right now."
"Ooh, a genie? I've never met one before. Sounds like it'd be helpful in our line of work."
Korush chuckles. "It doesn't hurt in the field of romance, either."
Cuetzpalli thoroughly enjoys dinner and the theater with Astraden. It's a totally novel experience for him. So this is what normal people with money do...I like it... The cleric has never seen Cuetzpalli smile so much before, and the Olman continues to open up to her about his past as a slave. Spiny spends a lot of time waiting outside, but seems no worse for the wear afterward.
Astraden seems to smile more, too, though she winces when he describes his tribulations. Her own story - the story of the bandits, which she's never truly told the group about - comes haltingly out, a few glasses into dinner.
After almost missing the beginning of the play, she and Cuetzpalli settle in. When the actors tell a particularly good joke or screw up particularly humorously, she bursts into brief, uproarious laughter. When Cuetzpalli seems confused by an idiom, she tries to explain its etymology. And when the play ends, she takes his hand and pecks him on the cheek.
Eben returns to the Crooked House late. Very late; nearly 11 PM. Even then he doesn't simply stride in the door; those who might be looking out the front windows of the common room at 10:45 see him walk clearly past the building and take a turn down an alley further on. It isn't till a few minutes that he finishes doubling around the building and comes back to the entrance, having checked the whole way to see he isn't being tailed.
"Okay, that was a day and a half of... stuff," he announces to the room at large upon entering and peering carefully out the door before closing it. "But on the bright side, got all my shopping done. And hey, still plenty of coin left over. Tarquin. Wine here. A bottle. Make it the really good stuff, I totally deserve it and I'm sure my friends do as well." He slaps a handful of gold down on the counter.
"I played Fireball with a genie. My day was interesting."
Eben snags a number of glasses between the fingers of one hand and the hefty bottle of dark red claret in the other and manages to get the whole load over to a table without dropping any. "Nyr Dyv Reserve, '25..." he says, contemplating the wine's label carefully before popping the cork off. "Well, fifty years is long enough for this bottle to age, methinks." He pours a healthy finger-and-a-half's worth of libation for himself before setting the bottle down and gesturing to the glasses. "Help yourselves. So gambling with a genie, huh? Win any wishes?"
"I wish I had wishes. Barely broke even. Guy's good...or cheating."
Astraden relocates to Eben's table and takes a seat. "My acquaintance still doesn't want help, but he's been attacked. We're supposed to meet him next week." She nods Cuetzpalli over. "And the rest of our day . . . it was sweet."
Tanith returns to the Crooked House sporting the beginnings of a black eye but the big man is all grins.
"We should visit that place again Red. By Kord I swear I'll never get tired of seeing you smash a chair over some fool's head!"
Spotting his friends, he's quick to mount a stool and pull up a chair for Carina.
"Anyone else hear anything? The Free City's great but we've got to get moving in tracking down this cult."
Eben shrugs resignedly. "Genies, bar brawls... everyone had themselves a better day than me, it sounds like. Well, at least I can work on brightening up the night." Putting word to action, the cheerful glug-glug sound of more wine being poured quickly comes from Eben's corner.
He gives Astraden a glance and a raised eyebrow at word of her "acquaintance's'" woes, but doesn't press further on the topic. To Tanith, though, he replies: "We also need to try and get an audience with someone that can hammer out an official treaty for the lizardfolk. And then there's meeting with the wizard's friend. Though that's probably part of the whole 'cult' research. Think we can get those both done tomorrow?"
"I don't see why not", Tanith answers before helping himself to the expensive wine. He fills one glass to the brim, offers it to Carina, and then fills another for himself.
"You know anyone in the city that can help us get that treaty figured out?" he asks Astraden after chugging the pricey vintage.
Astraden points to her mudstained clothes. "Tanith, do I look like I know anyone in this city? God, you start worshiping Olidammara and suddenly everyone thinks you're a city expert." She sighs. "The only one I know who'd be even close is that lady at the theater. Goss something. She could maybe hook us up with a lawyer."
Carina follows Tanith back to the Crooked House, nursing a bruise on her cheek. She doesn't look as enthused as her Kordite protector.
"We should visit that place again Red. By Kord I swear I'll never get tired of seeing you smash a chair over some fool's head!"
"I don't really like having to do that, Tanith." She sighs and sits in the chair he gets for her. "That being said, he really should've known better than to try and grab my butt like that..."
She takes a sip of the wine Tanith offers her, listening to the rest of the team, but staying quiet for now.
"Why is it our job to work out the treaty? Shouldn't that be up to the leaders of the city? We have cultists to find."
"Yeah, but we've gotta bring it to their attention first. Eben, have you got any ideas?"
Eben rolls his eyes. "Well, yeah, but we're here on behalf of the lizard folk. That's what we agreed to, remember? I mean, if you want to screw 'em over, we can talk about that, but as much as I hope I never have to set foot in the Mistmarsh again, we might need them to help us track Ilthane later on." He takes a drink, then nods to Astraden. "Well, your idea isn't a bad start... I'm sure that... um, whatsername..." He cocks his head to the side and seems to think it over for a few seconds. "Oh, yeah, Madame Goschild. I'm sure she's got connections. Let me think, I might have something more direct..."