[ooc]I am happy to split the costs of whatever it costs to create the scrolls that my familiar can use to learn the spells too, Aerieth.
Alrighty go ahead and work out what you're doing for two weeks.
RUMOR MILL!
The aprty went over well most of the nobles cannot remember it. Those that do choose not to talk about it.
Thesing is still missing.
Ugh, it's 2am. If you want to learn more feel free to make the check and I'll write it out to you later.
Bloodless continues to milk his fame, being all popular with the populace.
Diplomacy
Bloodless continues to milk his fame, being all popular with the populace.
Diplomacy 1d20+11 = 31
Knowledge(Local)(aid another): <-- +2 more to Bloodless's ridiculous roll.
You milk your fame for all its worth and for a while at least you never have to pay for a single meal, or tip for a single drink. For a while at least no one spits on you, calls you names, or derides your mother. For a little while at least life is good.
No one knows what happened to Thesing, but many know what happened at the aprty. Sex, drugs, more sex,a bit of violence (one of the toilets burned a man who stuck his head a bit too long in to vomit) and more sex. The party went on for three full days and rumors persist that more bastard sonce will be conceived in that one party than in the entire history of the empire.
The famed director and his erstwhile crippled partner have left the city to take on less deadly plays in Egorian perhaps feeling that the toll of training actors to act while being eviscerated is not a price he cares to repeat.
In terms of the intelligent glaive whom you're fairly sure you've mad an enemy of by now (after stuffing it in a closet and only bothering it to give an occasional kick) you hear that the Church of Asmodeus is certainly interest in items of that ken and will happily pay a very good price for them. Beyond this there are one or two merchant houses associated with the aspis consrtium in town as well who may be willing to pay half its market value as standard. But it's obvious to bloodless that if he wants to turn the glaive into gold he'll have to make an appointment with a priest.
Beyond this is the ebb and flow of chelaxian politics. The Order of the Rack has gone quiet recently. Very quiet. Some say that the shame of losing a prisoner, along with their general unpopularity with both the Dotttari and the populace is starting to take it's toll on one of Cheliax's oldest hellknight orders. Though their men-at-arms and knights continue to bash doors in of suspected dissidents very few ever make it to their dark citadel for an inevitable torturous death.
The famed director and his erstwhile crippled partner have left the city to take on less deadly plays in Egorian perhaps feeling that the toll of training actors to act while being eviscerated is not a price he cares to repeat.
In terms of the intelligent glaive you hear that the Church of Asmodeus is certainly interest in items of that ken and will happily pay a very good price for them. Beyond this there are one or two merchant houses associated with the aspis consrtium in town as well who may be willing to pay half its market value as standard. But it's obvious to Aerieth that if she wants to turn the glaive into gold bloodless will have to make an appointment with a priest.
Untrained Knowledge Local
Teo attempts to surreptitiously ask about town concerning the rumors around the party the other night. She is hoping her group wasn't noticed by any of the revelers.
But it's obvious to bloodless that if he wants to turn the glaive into gold he'll have to make an appointment with a priest.
Bloodless seeks out the Asmodeans for a sit down and conversation about an interesting item he found whilst hunting Demon-filth and their Tiefling by-blows.
day 1
And then you wake up screaming.
Spellcraft check please
The man who greets you is a slim man bearing the robes and outfit of a scholar or lawyer more than priest the only indication that he's even with the church is the black iron unholy symbol around his neck. "My name is Femulous Scarian. Pleasure to meet you. Did you bring the item in question with you?"
After presenting the glaive and setting it on the table the man politely suggests ordering a meal fro yourself as the process of identification will take up to an hour.
It does. Afterwards he spends a few minutes making some notes and asks a few questions.
"Where did you get the piece?"
"Who or what was the piece's previous owner?"
"What do you know of it beyond the last two questions.
Anyone have any questions that need answered before I wrap up the downtime?
"The pleasure is mutual. The piece was found whilst hunting for Demon filth in a vault. Whilst we were down there we encountered a Barbazu who was being kept in confinement and had gone out of his mind... strangely he was locked up with the antique, he saw fit to try skewer us with it, but came off second best in the exchange. I believe he was the owner, though the origins before that I cannot guess at".
"What else do I know? It has a lifeforce of its own, it has impulse, it has its own desire, I believe it seeks to give someone or something a terrible reckoning and the weapon is fierce enough to empower someone to deliver it, the weapon is spiteful and vicious, I'd carry it myself, but its motives diverge from my own... I just want to hunt and cleanse the world of Demon filth and their chaotic taint. I'm a simple man in that regard, were I of a more conservative leaning perhaps I'd go and seek employ at the Order of the Gate" Bloodless jests, coldly.
"Yes, I have the weapon with me, I have nothing to fear from a meeting with an honourable Asmodean, after all you are the enemies of my enemy".
Diplomacy
Bejis wants to go shopping for a magic enhancement for his Greatsword with his share of the loot/savings. He doesn't have a solid agenda other than that, though he would start talking to someone in the league on religious views, as it becomes apparent that Gorum's view of solving everything by combat doesn't cover his recent experiences.
The man listens politely but adds nothing until you are done.
"The weapon calls itself, in whatever fashion it can call itself anything, Avengen's Edge. That you say it's vicious and spiteful gives some idea as to why you would wish to sell it for I received no such feelings from my work to identify it. The name is intriguing for that was the name of the Lord-Mayor first gifted the position as a reward for service to our glorious empress Abrogail the First." The man sits back keeping hsi eyes on the glaive. "Such a weapon was not forged by mortal hands, nor I suspect any hands at all. It was shaped by a combination of powerful will and strange magics. No doubt whatever state you found the Barbazu in his hate was strong enough to play host to a portion of the long missing priest's essence and from the combination forged a rather interesting piece. By itself an arms or magic dealer would give you around 6000 gold for it. However the church has a great deal of interest in such artifacts and if it would be agreeable to you I can make arrangements for 9000 gold to be awarded to you for retrieving what may be a true relic of the church. How does that sound?"
Bejis finds religious views easy to come by in the league unsurprisingly. Arael is obviously a priest of Iomedae whereas Janiven is a devout worshiper of Desna. Your employer and the women you help protect in the night brothel sometimes makes prayers to calistria when the doors are shut to keep the shadowbeasts at bay but doesn't seem overly religious beyond that.
Bejis finds the teaching of Iomedae interesting, although a unfamiliar from the chaotic combat that was taught to the Gladiator slaves, he'll listen carefully to what Arael has to say, even Bejis can only identify with the combat aspects for the time being.
DM:
I am sort of lost as to what is happening. I think that I was going to write spells into my book and then scribe scrolls for Teo to feed to her familiar.
I so not know how much money we have if someone has that calculated, it would be helpful for buying equipment.
@Aerieth I believe someone did the calculations up a few posts. And yes what you say sounds like what you were planning.
@Teo: You don't know what is happening only that something is wrong. Terribly terribly wrong. You get the feeling of being hunted and an inevitability of eventually being found and having your heart ripped from your chest. You have enough magical know-how that this is not some mere paranoia and you guess someone has put a particularly nasty spell on you or your under the effects of a potentially deadly curse. You would have to ask for more advice from someone else.
Teo fills her compatriots in on her dreams and the fact that she has discerned that she has been cursed somehow. "Does anyone know of a powerful sage that we could talk to? This spell is beyond my limited abilities. I'm afraid what';s going to happen if I can't get it removed!"
Also Bloodless got 9000gp. No fuss. No sudden dark betrayals. Just a sack of platinum.
let's make some rolls then!
Ailyn frowns when you eventually ask her about the nightmares and she asks.
"Did you pick up anything else while in the vault? A scrap of paper? A book? Maybe a coat or backpack?"
Bloodless divvies up the money from the blade, but watches the unfolding tale with great interest.
Ailyn doesn't touch the paper nor even looks at it.
"No. Not that stupid. You've picked up a runecurse girl. Which is to say if we don't remove it or, say, pass it on to a deserving soul the devil attached to it will come and slay you."
Teo tried to recall if she'd ever heard of such a thing. "Would would I get rid of it? And how would I pass it on to someone? If they deserved it of course."
Ailyn looks around making sure certain more "moral" people aren't around.
"I can remove it tommorrow, or try at least. They aren't removed easily. Or, you can simply pass the note to another person. It doesn't even have to be directly. Put inside a pocket, in a stack of papers it does not matter as long as the curse is taken willingly. Though I will warn against this course of action as it's very, shall we say, indiscriminate. The note you pass may not stay with the person you give it to and as a result an innocent may in all likelihood die."
Are we back to 3 again? My understanding is that Teo is gone and Bingo has not posted since September, so I assume he is gone as well.
If we only have 3, are we splitting the loot 3 ways instead of 5?
3 way split it is.
Now.
Two weeks later you come back to the hide out. A tired and mildly drunk Ailyn is half sleeping when you come into the room with Arael and Janiven. You can't help but notice that certain parts of the room and her clothes are singed.
With a jolt ailyn wakes up. "Ah! Right! The box! I think I found the combination. Didn't want to try it unless you were here."
Her slender fingers maneuver around the box tapping the faces in quick succession within half a minute she slowly and carefull taps the last devil face and the crux unfolds.
You find yourself having to look away as space and matter warp in odd ways as the crux 's contents start to unwrap from their previous condition. Soon the crux is little more than a flat dark sheet made of hard black marble.
On top of this surface are two wands, three scrolls, a silver box with dancing skeletons on it, a large leather volume with a highly stylized and embossed "D" on the cover and a beautiful woman's severed head.
Scratch that.
A screaming woman's severed head.
"DARGENTUUU!!! WHERE THE F*&+ IS THAT PIECE OF MORTAL SCCUUUUMM!!! SHOVE ME IN A BOX! COME HERE SO I CAN TEAR YOUR FACE OFF WITH MY TEETH AND FORCE FEED YOU THE RESULTS! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!"
Know: Planes
Bloodless simply looks disgusted, and possibly inclined to stab the thing.
The scarred elf woman looks at the objects taken from the crux.
Knowledge(planes):
Looks like a devil of some sort. Not sure what though.
She then turns to the other items.
Spellcraft(Wand 1):
Spellcraft(Wand 2):
Spellcraft(Box):
Not sure what I need for the volume or the scrolls. I will detect magic on them and also search the book for any traps.
Perception(find traps):
Disable Device(if necessary):
Bejis covers his ears against the screaming head, "Gah, Why would someone do that!"
Aerieth can't identify the first wand but the second oen is a wand of death ward with 7 charges.
The box has 4 candles inside the Aerieth recognizes as grave candles. Short burning candles that allow the living to communicate with the dead long as the candles are lit near the remains.
The book is not trapped.
The head continues screaming in its harsh language rolling slightly with the effort of its rage. It's not having any particularly bad effect on you. Just loud. She seems quite upset.
Depending on how many days she has, Aerieth will cast Identify the next day and recheck the wand she could not identify the first day.
Spellcraft(wand 1):
The wand is a wand of break enchantment with 10 charges.
Okie dokie. With this buttload of stuff before you what are we looking at first?
Connell had only been in the city for a short time but his confidence in this faith and his mission had never been stronger.
When the church of Abadar had recently acquired on old temple to beginn construction of their own new structure, many priests had entered the city to contribute to the new temple. Connell was among them, and while on the surface this was the role he was to play his real mission was slightly different than most of his peers.
At first he questioned that mission. Walking the streets of Westcrown it was hard to deny that it was a thriving city. There was order, there was culture, there was commerce....for several days the young priest truly questioned his orders. Sure, the city had paid for that level of civilization with some liberties perhaps, but everything came with a price didn't it?
Then he had seen the......."play". In a moment of clarity, Connell saw the reason he and his fellow priests were here. The civilization was nothing more than a veneer, a thin illusion hiding the rule of Thrune. Cities were meant to be dynamic, to grow and allow their citizens to grow within the consequences of the choices they made each and every day. But there were no choices here, only the tyranny of the devil-worshippers and the mockery of a culture they had established.
Renewed in his faith Connell has returned his focus to the mission: finding like-minded rebels within the city and beginning the work of returning control of this once great city back to the city herself.
So on this day he finds himself here, standing in a shrine to Aroden that is lovingly being restored to its once former glory. His appraising eye takes in the craftsmanship and the work with appreciation, but he also cannot help but rate the people that he sees around him. These good people have done good work, but they are not the ones leading this effort. Where are.......?
His musings are interrupted by the shrill screams coming from the other room. Instantly recognizing the foul tongue, he follows the sound to the nearby study. At first all he can see are the backs of the people standing around the table. A few short seconds later he glimpses the source of the screaming.
He recognes the thing for what it is but not quite sure why it is not dead. "Well, that is not normal, is it?"
Realizing he had actually spoken out loud, Connell decides that introductions might be easier without so much distraction.
Aerieth jumps up suddenly startled by the appearance of the priest.
Who are you? What do you know of this foul thing?
Janiven quickly sputters her wide brown eyes never leaving the shrieking angry womans head.. "Oh that's Connell we invited him over to talk about joining today. Connell this is the group. Group this is Connelle and oh gods where does it even get air to scream like that!"
Connell nods at Janiven's introduction, raising his voice to be heard over the screams. "Apologies for my lack of manners barging in like this, but when I heard the.....WILL YOU BE QUIET!"
The priest Connell has dark hair and dark eyes, with a neatly trimmed goatee and the shiny gleam of metal peeking out from the collar of his tunic. There is a crossbow on his back, well made but has definitely seen some use, and a holy symbol of Abadar around his neck.
He turns to the elf and gives her a slight nod. "At your service, m'lady."
A gruff voice calls out.
Intimidate
"This is why you called me here, Janiven? To finish the job that someone else started?" In walks a tall half-orc. He has an ornate longbow and carries a large falchion. Salm goes over to look at the disembodied head and scoffs. "Not even the good sense to die. Does their evil know no end?"