Thaane sits in the stable upon the blanket-covered chest.
These men look pathetic, how did they end up in here?
You guys look pathetic, how did you end up in here?
This is one of the only honest jobs left in town. In s "free" city like the outpost, the high-paying jobs go to those with special skills. Do you play cards?
I know how to play, yes.
Do you have any gold?
The stable lead grins as he asks Thaane.
Maybe.
Ibrah follows the others quietly to the feast.
When the woman comes offering the drink, he lifts his hand. Ah. Hm. Here.
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Meanwhile, the captain enters the great hall and spots his scouts. After introductions, explanations and gratitude the captain looks at Silvash and drops two bags of gold in front of him.
He says to Silvash, Here ya go, elf.This is the gold from Lilly and Tress's advance. I thought that you might want to split it up amongst your party. 400 coins, all there.
Many eyes in the great hall fall upon Silvash and the gold.
Khartelosch holds his chalice for the server to fill with something more satisfying than water as he signals to the captain. Captain Valarius, orc-friend, join the mayor's table and enjoy his generosity. We just told him ofyour men's valiant efforts to hold off two worms until we arrived to dispatch them."
Here! Here! The Mayor raises his glass for the toast.
You know. This town was founded when the worms attacked many years ago.
The original caravan coming from the east to Cloudreaver, circled to protect itself from them and was damaged beyond repair. They sent for help and when a party from Cloudreaver returned, there were only 10 survivors. The town council are all direct descendants of those survivors. People come here now and end up staying because of the wonderful opportunities.
What cargo did you say that you were carrying, Captain?
I didn't. We need more men and rations, and we have ample gold to pay for it.
I'll see what I can do. Have your scribe provide me with a list.
The Mayor hands a scroll to Khartelosch as he prepares to leave from the table and asks if he can study it and return to his office later in the evening to translate it.
It is written in Orc, and very hard to read.
Good night Captain. The Mayor salutes before turning in for the night.
The stable hands gather and the foreman offers Thaane some wine.
Thaane responds that he doesn't drink and the foreman assures him that he doesn't either, but tonight is a good time to start.
Thaane, nervous about the chest, agrees to partake.
The card game gets under way and Thaane is enjoying the joking and camaraderie. He seems to be doing well at first. Then he has a run of misfortune.
Let's go double or nothing?
Asked to ante up Thaane looks high and low for more of his coin than what's currently on the table.Finally, he offers the chest. Unsure what is inside, the stable hands offer up a mule in exchange as the prize of the next hand.
I don't ride beasts.
Sure, but carrying all of that gear across the desert must be equally undesirable. Besides, this mule is talented. We have taught him many tricks and find him to be incredibly useful.
The stable foreman insists.
Verrin collects some dinner for Thane and takes it to him.
He then tries to slip back in to the tavern without notice(cloak reversed and hood pulled up) and sit near Whimbli and attempts to subtly get his attention.
Thane is shocked when he sees Verrin walk in on his card game. Fortunately, he lays down the winning hand before rising to his feet in an attempt to cover up what is going on. Thane thanks Verrin nervously for the food, and then turns around to realize that he has won "Francis", pride of the stables. A skilled mule useful in assisting his master in many tasks.
Thank you, Verrin.
Vermin easily sneaks back to Whimbli's table unnoticed.
Be discreet. This place isn't exactly what it seems. warns Whimbli. Did the Mayor offer you a job yet?
The music stops in the great hall as servants begin to clean up and others drag their drunken comrades out onto the street for the journey home. The captain returns from the brief visit to the Mayor's office and announces to the conscripts and his sargeants that it will take at least three days, maybe four, before the caravan is ready to move again.
Be discreet. This place isn't exactly what it seems. warns Whimbli. Did the Mayor offer you a job yet?
Not as of yet. Though our caravan's leader just returned with speaking with him. It may be that we are about to be volunteered for something. Is there some connection to the worm attacks here?
I'm unsure still. I have heard that their favorite food is the giant scorpion, but it has been a long time since we have seen them in the Wastes.
Whimbli uses extreme caution as he beckons Verrin closer to him to show him a blue silvery stone in a quick flash.
These are not ordinary gems. They are keys to old magic. Anyone caught in possession of one of these must turn it over to the Mayor or face death. Those that escape with one are usually rewarded with a high bounty upon their head. I am looking for such a person. I was sent by Laholm, who is also wanted here.
Curious, if there is a way we may assist you, please know that we owe you a debt for your assistance earlier and for your timely warning. I think perhaps the others need to know this quickly.
Verrin will attempt to catch the others discretely and mention the stones and the interest they entail.
Whimbli continues to whisper. There is a dwarf named Gorrim being held here. He is a great artificer and craftsman. He was caught with one of the stones. He is a friend of Laholm's and I am here to free him. I don't know where they are keeping him, but you will recognize him when you see him as his hair and long beard are fire red.
Ibrah addresses the captain. What would you have the guards do in the meanwhile, Captain?
Consider it leave time. Stay out of trouble. Rest. Shore up your gear and enjoy the local hospitality. You might want to find your room. The mayor has provided the conscripts with opulent quarters after hearing of their exploits. The rest of us will stay in the barracks.
Let's get all of our gear and head to our rooms. We can tend to our gear's care best there.
Silvash then heads to the stable to collect the chest and anything else left on the horses.
Thaane greets Silvash with pride as he displays the small bag of gold that he won as well as the mule named Francis that can do tricks.
Watch Silvash. Frank can fetch!
Thaane has Frank bring him his tack piece by piece. The stable hands are really drunk and extremely unhappy about their losses. They tell Thaane that it would be unwise to sleep in the stable and that he should take his mule and leave before they change their minds. Thaane gets his gear and leaves with Silvash.
Once he and his companions are away from the captain and the dining hall, Khartelosch tells them, The mayor wishes us to do work for him. Not sure what the big secret is.
Once he and his companions are away from the captain and the dining hall, Khartelosch tells them, The mayor wishes us to do work for him. Not sure what the big secret is.
then
Some other friends we met in the wastes believe the mayor is collecting stones that can be used to unlock ancient magic, and that he is not to be trusted. Apparently a colleague of theirs, a red headed dwarf, has already been taken captive for withholding one of the magic stones.
Thaane leaves with Silvash, Francis the mule and their gear tacked upon it. They meet the others in the dusty plaza outside of the hotel.
A page greets the group in the plaza and asks Khartelosch that if the group agrees to the Mayor's freelance work it would net each member 5,000 gold coin. He estimates that it shouldn't take more than three days total. The conversation is very discreet and there does not seem to be anyone around or even listening as it is slightly passed the midnight hour and the entire town seems to have had too much to drink tonight.
Whispering to the group
I think we should inspect that item we found before we continue, and perhaps see if Thane's brother can shed any further light on the situation. What are the specifics the mayor gave you?
What a fine animal you have won Thane. He certainly seems intelligent.
Perhaps too intelligent. Well I was warned to trust no one...
Cast detect magic and examine the mule...
Silvash looks at the page and says Before we accept any work we would need to know what it is. Also we need to check the surrounding areas and make sure all is safe.
Verrin doesn't detect anything magical about the mule. There is also no magic coming from the chest.
The page looks at Khartelosch and asks if the group has agreed to the Mayor's terms. He also added that if they do, he will simply explain to the Captain that they were helping requisition items needed for the caravan.
The page also explains that their room is waiting with fresh fruit and wine, bread and cheese as well as two healing potions for each of them.
You can't of course bring Francis into the hotel. Why is he not in the stables?
The page will lead the conscripts to a special door from outside the hotel with an alcove where Francis can be tied up.
That is a generous offer from the mayor. We will give his honor our reply first thing in the morning. If we agree, have a guide show us the entrance to this cavern or give us a map. Those terms are acceptable?Do you also have a quartermaster here we can see about supplies?
The page responds I will make sure that the quartermaster is available in the morning before you leave. He is rather unsuitable for business at the moment. There will be a suitable guide available to take you to the cavern. I will show you your suit now if you wish.
Thaane shrugs his shoulders and begins to tie up Francis where the page instructs him to.
I hope you are still there by morning, mule.
When they get back to their suite, Silvash starts looking for any spy holes or listening holes or magic eavesdropping using his detect magic.
Use however many perception rolls you need for that.
Assuming he finds nothing, Silvash then checks the chest for traps
and then attempts to unlock it
.
He'll then back off and use mage hand to lift the lid.
He'll then try to identify everything that needs identified.
No spy holes or magical devices are detected.
There are no traps on the chest. Silvash skillfully opens the chest. The well-crafted adamantine chest opens efficiently and almost silently.
There are about 3,000 platinum pieces inside the chest. All with the markings of Nex.
The suite is opulent. The tables are crafted from exotic jungle hardwoods. The beds are dressed with red and purple velvet sheets. Most of the decor is coated with gold leafing. The plates and goblets are made of silver as are the bowls of fruit and platters of meat. The ceiling is about 15 feet tall the room is about 30 feet by 30 feet with smooth stone walls. There are 5 big beds.
A servant girl appears as the page leaves and asks if there is anything that you might need before morning.
Thane goes into a trance for a short time before retiring to bed. The crass being falls asleep with his gear and leathers still on, dirt and all.
Khartelosch addresses the others, as he beats the sand from his armor. Do you see a reason NOT to accept the mayor's job? This chest holds a mighty ransom. We could double the amount for the return of this stone he seeks and any fallen adventurers we find. I'm inclined to say yes.
Before he retires, Thaane agrees with Khartelosch that taking the job would be better than sitting around this town for three days.
Verrin, without apparent embarrassment, strips down to his underthings and passes his clothes to the servant for cleaning and begins to clean himself from the basin. His body is a mass of small scars on his pale bluish skin, many are clearly from whips or scourges. They would have had to be exceptionally cruel strikes to leave such marcs on the his lightly scaled hide.
He then spends an exhaustive amount of time ensuring his blade is cleaned, sharped, oiled and otherwise in perfect condition. He speaks as he does so, once the servant leaves.
The friends we had dinner with the other night have some concerns regarding the mayor. It would be both proper and intelligent to see what they can tell us of the situation. Aside from that, I agree that this seems to be a substantial offer from the Mayor. Perhaps too substantial. Regardless we should see what we can find in the market to augment our equipment while we are here. While not a large town, there may be items scavenged from the wastes that are not easily traded.
Ibrah, takes a hot bath, resetting the water several times as it turns brown the first few tries from all the sand in his fur. He says from the tub.
Exploring the caves sounds fine to me. It will be nice to escape from the sand. However, I am not sure about returning the gem to the mayor if our kind friend has warned us the mayor is not to be trusted.
When he is finished with his bath he actually smells okay; the desert had disguised it before, but here indoors his odor of sweat and dirt had been quite pungent.
Hmm. You speak of Thaane's companions yesterday in the rolling metal fortress? Did you make arrangements to speak to these friends again? I don't remember their objections. Why do they not like the mayor?
Silvash picks up the headband of vast intelligence and then says "If there are no objections I will take this item.
It would be good to talk to them first. I didn't see a way out other than through the gates though and don't know if we could get out there tonight."