Kanzen steps up beside Galenus. As Third Boy of a noble house of Menzoberranzan he's been a party to negotiations with duergar, and having seen his family members manipulate them, knows which buttons to press. He attempts to make it clear that the party won't take any less than what the gem is worth. However, clad in the rough, bloodstained, and beltless pants of a drow commoner, bereft of the trappings of his rank, Kanzen finds it more difficult than usual to impress his will on the duergar trader.
The merchant eyes Kanzen and chuckles under his breath. "Another Drow reject, eh? Listen, I'm offerin' a good price here. But if ya want my wife to scream at me when I get home, fine! I'll give ya 300 for each of them."
A tired Irdril moves up in an attempt to persuade more out of him.
"Good Sir, those magnificent items are easily worth three times what you offer. At 500 there is still plenty of meat on the bone for you to make a handsome profit. Deal?"
The merchant complains "Handsome profit! Yer tryin' to starve my children! If that's what ya want, so be it!" He hands over a heavy pouch of one hundred platinum.
Happy with the dwarf's decision Irdril purchases her needs from the same merchant..
Was wondering if her background feature could help at all since we were actually in a settlement? I assume it would take RP for it to really help, but I was curious if it would work here.
Court Functionary - Your knowledge of how bureaucracies function lets you gain access to the records and inner workings of any noble court or government you encounter. You know who the movers and shakers are, whom to go to for the favors you seek, and what the current intrigues of interest in the group are.
Irdril speaks to the merchant..
"Good Sir, I was wondering if you might sell anything that one help one with frail constitution avoid the lingering effects of the soot in the air here? I did not rest well last night despite having a bed.."
Mostly I just want armor tha' donah smell like gnoll piss.
"But em sure dat Gnoll piss is the perfect camouflage Eddrikk." Cyrus teases.
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The merchant nods to Irdril. "Yeah little trick ya learn if ya been here long enough. Ya get a cloth that has a loose enough knit and ya tie it over your nose and mouth. It helps some. I got facecloths, since visitors often need 'em. 3 gold each."
Kanzen looks at Irdril, then thinks at her. That's hugely expensive. Perhaps we can fashion our own.
"Three gold? The materials couldn't cost more than three copper! What do you take us for?" Kanzen asks the trader.
The merchant puts both hands on his booth and stares straight at you. "I take ya fer outsiders who don't know how to get by in Gracklstugh and shouldn't be makin' a ruckus!"
"Three gold is fine by me. I'll take one. Thank you!"
The gray dwarf nods. "Smart lass."
Yes, I'll buy one, too.
Say, is there a temple around here? Galenus inquires with the merchant who just sold him the face thingy.
The merchant nods. "Aye. There's a temple to Laduguer just in the city proper. Don't know if they'll let ya out of the Darklake District, tho."
Thanks for th advice.
Turning to his companions, Galenus says, Shall we head back to the hotel and get our things in order before meeting the Duergar?
The merchant nods "Alright then." and resumes busying himself about his stall.
As you all head back to the inn, you see several merchants selling g the sleeping cloths for a silver apiece.
Kanzen purchases a facecloth for a silver piece, winking at Galenus and Irdril cheekily as he does.
Kanzen then says to Galenus, "Firstly, I must apologise for calling you greedy when you secured the pearls. Without them, we'd be destitute, and you paid the price for all of us. Speaking of which," he continues, "we need to get your... smelly issue cleared up. I don't know a lot about the duergar gods, but I know Lloth and Laduguer hate each other, and if the duergar's deity is anything like them, he will not take well to outsiders, especially dwarves. We should wxpect any help we receive from their clergy being overly expensive, with strings attached, if they will even help you at all."
Yeah. Well, you're not the one hacking up a lung, Galenus says, coughing. He quickly puts his overpriced mask over his mouth.
Upon hearing the rest, he drops his mask and smiles. Thank you. Apology accepted. We were all just stressed out.
Maybe that merhant will give us an in - we did save his life.
Or perhaps a small favor will work to our advantage; getting in good with the local temple maybe give us the contacts we need to get out of the underdark. Gracklstugh is a major trading hub, so there are bound to be expeditions to the surface or near it. Do a favor for a temple, get this curse lifted, ask them if they know anyone headed up that we could sign on as guards or something.
Whatever we choose, our next course of action is to meet that merchant.
In a nearby stall, a merchant changes the price of an ivory hunting horn every time someone asks him how much it costs.
A derror springs up from a hiding place under a booth amd calls out "Smiles and grins will become dirty twins as we all go down forgetting to frown!" He cackles and capers madly until steelshod guards come briskly and drag him away, laughing all the while.
"Not at all, Galensus. You have done well by us, again and again."
Galinndan will also seek a facecloth, once he realises the value of them.
Irdril dons her masterwork face mask and follows the group..
"I agree.. The merchant owes us a favor for saving his arse."
You head out to the Shattered Spire, a tavern built of fungi stocks on a stalagmite forty feet out from shore. It looks something like the Underdark's version of a log cabin. A bridge made of woven rothe wool leads out to it. Several duergar, deep gnomes, and derro sit at the bar drinking on zurkwood stools. At a table in the corner sits Werz Saltbaron, the merchant you saved yesterday. He waves you over.
In a low tone, he whispers "Thanks for the help yesterday. Here's somethin' for yer trouble." He hands you each an obsidian gemstone . He nods "And better than that, I got a job fer ya. A delivery I need made to Blingdenstone. Paid on delivery." He pulls out a sack containing some transparent, colorless gemstones.
The gambling deep gnome whistles and in a hushed whisper exclaims "Spell gems!"
Pulling down his face mask, Galinndan says:
"You are welcome. So how far is Blingdenstone? And what lies on the path there?"
"Ary ya sure ye ain't got no deliveries 'eadin to the surface? I guess it beat 'angin round 'ere."
What about a temple friendly to dwarves? Any of those around? Galenus inquires.
rofl
Kanzen frowns. "Blingdenstone? The svirfneblin are not fond of my kind. For good reasons. However, I'm happy to travel wherever you all wish to go. So long as it's not towards that abomination we saw at the fishfolk's village."
"But beyond that," Kanzen says, "I would like to know why you were under attack. Who were your assailants?"
The merchant nods to Galinndan. "It's about 10 days if you go by the way of the Darklake. 20 if ya go around the lake. Mantol Derith is on the way if ya go by the lake. I heard some tell o a bunch o myconids and the like near the land route."
At these words, Stool pipes up into your minds "Home! Home! Home! Can we please go there! I can give you presents and food and nice places to sleep and everything!"
Not hearing the myconid's thoughts, Werz continues and responds to Eddrikk's question. "Nah I don't. I don't even know those routes. That's one of the most closely-guarded secrets o the Merchant Council. They say they don't want surfacers comin' down to attack us." He looks directly at Galenus and Eldeth. "Like sun dwarves comin' down here for no reason tryin' to take our goods."
The shield maiden snorts. "More like to recover treasures stolen by cave dwarf raiders!" Her outburst draws looks from many of the duergar in the tavern. Some begin pushing back their stools until Werz waves them off.