Tatsuo represses a sigh at the uncooperative sailor. Either he's deaf or I've done something to offend him, though I can't think of what. Either way, it's probably better if I find someone else.
This time, instead of a random sailor, Tatsuo looks for the captain of the ship, who had at least been amicable on the voyage. Smiling in a friendly manner, he asks, " 'Scuse me Captain, by any chance would you happen to know what that tower is? It looks rather odd. Almost as if a house had fallen on it."
Tatsuo represses a sigh at the uncooperative sailor. Either he's deaf or I've done something to offend him, though I can't think of what. Either way, it's probably better if I find someone else.
This time, instead of a random sailor, Tatsuo looks for the captain of the ship, who had at least been amicable on the voyage. Smiling in a friendly manner, he asks, " 'Scuse me Captain, by any chance would you happen to know what that tower is? It looks rather odd. Almost as if a house had fallen on it."
The crewman looks at the tower and shrugs, probably some old senile wizard type. honestly though it must be magic that keeps it together.
Captain Pocaat does know a little more though. That there is the tower of the Alchemist Veoden. I've made some deliveries for him in the past, always pays in gems.
We found our quarry. Now let's get some lodging and drink before we do anything else, yeah?
Tatsuo walks off the ship, about to share what he had learned when he notices the poster. Well, I guess they already know. Oh well.
He shrugs. "Sure, let's secure some rooms and then talk about how we want to play this."
"Gentlemen, I don't know how you operate and I rarely travel in a group of this size - unless it is contained in a ship, of course. Do you use a cover story of some sort in a strange city? I wonder if so many people disembarking from the ship together and then finding lodging together would not attract undue attention."
Eyebrows raised, she shrugs. "Very well. The unvarnished truth it shall be."
Gabby will stick with the group, well actually she remains at Miya's side.
she keeps one hand on a small vial that dangles from her belt like a belt pouch.
you recall this is a minor alchemist bomb, she only had about three left and she does not know how to make them, well not fully, she does have the basics but could never get the mixture quite right, they were made for her some time ago
Tatsuo leads the group over to the Ki-Ren's Rest in an attempt to procure them lodgings. "Excuse me, might you have room and a hot meal for six weary travelers?"
You make your way through the small village to the Ki-Ren's Rest. The place is rather easy to find as it is the largest building in the center of the village.
(see #1 on the village map)
As you circle around the building to get the main entrance, you pass by the Thirsty Hound.
You quickly deduce that you may have made the right choice. Just by looking at the place you can tell it is a much seedier place.
Upon entering you discover that the place does not have very many customers.
besides yourselves there are a group of dwarven merchants enjoying a meal.
A red haired lady approaches, you just in off the boat? pick any seat and I'll be with you shortly.
there is a small table by the fireplace but it can only seat three comfortably.
the largest open table is near the dwarves.
"Why, yes we are." Tatsuo smiles and nods at the lady. He moves to sit near the fireplace, assuming that three members of their party would pick a different table so as to make the group less conspicuous. As soon as he sees which members of their group are going towards a different table, he discreetly makes a few gestures while mumbling something.
Sighing with relief Felix relaxes visibly as they head into the tavern.
Been too long since I've set foot in a proper place of worship. Cayden Cailen forgive my laxity. Though it's hard to find a tavern on almost deserted island or a ship. Next round's on me barkeep! and plops down on the large table with a grin.
Before they disembark, Miyaro offers, "I have a spell that should clean up the worst of the dirt on our clothes, if you wish. I think Gabby and I will use it to make ourselves a little more presentable before we go ashore."
When they reach the inn, she, with Gabby close on her heel, moves to the small table by the fireplace and settles in, studying the inn, the staff, and especially the other customers.
Miya, you do not sense any ill intention from anyone. the group at the smaller table by the fireplace are close enough to the dwarves to get a look at them.
the first dwarf, seems to be the oldest, This dwarf watches the younger three, drinks wine not ale, eats little, and talks less.
The second, This dwarf quaffs his ale, and gnaws on a bit of meat, and potatoes. A jeweler's loupe peeks out from under his beard.
The third, By the flickering light of the fire you'd expect this stocky dwarf to pound a hammer and anvil as easily as he pounds his ale mug.
finally the fourth, By his belt of tools and apron this dwarf also appears to be a smith of some sort.
You do not notice anything out of the ordinary. the dwarves seem to be discussing leaving tomorrow. The third dwarf (from the list above) mentions visiting Jurgen before departing.
You get the impression that they did not sell as much as they would have liked, but the second one (again from the list) mentioned that the "kook" in the tower bought several gems.
the gems mentioned are important to divination magic. though you are unsure what spells exactly, you do know that they are needed for some powerful divinations. perhaps this "kook" is looking for something, or someone.
Tatsuo nods to Gabby and Miya as they sit with him but otherwise remains silent, waiting for the hostess to come with food. He really hoped it whatever it was involved fresh food. Maybe some nice juicy vegetables or even some fruit. While the food on the ship had been good enough, it was ship food, meaning heavy on the smoked, dried, salted, and any other type of food preservation there was. Which was fine once in a while, but after so long, you really wanted something different. He could practically feel his insides start to preserve themselves.
He tried to use his position to keep a look out for anyone else entering the inn but found it hard to keep his attention away from fantasies of what they might eat. He paid no particular attention to the dwarves at the neighboring table; neither Gabby nor Felix had given any sign of knowing them, so there was no reason to believe they were associated with the pirate in anyway. They were probably just locals who also wanted a nice meal. He did, however, glance at their table to see if it held any insight into what they might soon be eating.
The food and drinks are actually rather good. the quality and quantity is well worth the price.
the specialty is fish (of course) but there are other choices as well. all the veggies are fresh.
Local Beer 1sp
Imported Fine Beer or Wine 5sp
Meal:
...Good 4sp
...Common 2sp
...Poor 1sp
Shared Room 5sp - with up to two others
Private Room 5gp
I assume you ordered the Good meal.
Tatsuo digs in with gusto. He tries to avoid talking as much as he can for the meal, more to be polite as he's eating rather rapidly than due to some kind of anti-social desire.
When he's done, he stretches and yawns, covering his mouth. Using the gesture as cover, he softly speaks into his hand, sending a message to those at the other table while just being loud enough for his table mates to hear. "So, what are the chances those dwarves know anything that ad with the tower? Looks like they may be locals, so perhaps they have some rumors they could share."
Tatsuo sighs to himself. He had kind of hoped that Felix might try to capitalize on any good will he had gotten by buying everyone a round, but seemed as if his companions were all too busy eating still. Perhaps I shouldn't have wolfed down my food so quickly...
Standing up, he moves to address the dwarves. "Excuse me, by any chance are you locals? My name is Tatsuo, and I'm just in from the good ship Forsaken. Clearly, I'm not from around here." With a smile, he indicates his clearly foreign garb. "I couldn't help but notice that odd tower as we came in to dock. I heard that a man called 'Veoden' lived there. Is he a wizard of some sort? I can't imagine such an odd structure would stay together without some magic involved."
The dwarves look up at Tat, a little surprised that someone approached them actually.
One of them recognizes him though well at least recognizes the one who bought them a drink.
One of them stands, Well now, you the lad that bought us a round a ale. Pleased ta meet ya, the name's Durmak Angklin. An the wine drinker there is me brother Adurmak. We be the finest jewelers and gemologists in these parts.
He offers his hand.
Oh yeah, deese two are Fargad Gramdal, and Ulgrum Gunterm, weapon and armor smiths, as well as yer typical blacksmithin' fare.
He offers tat a seat at their table. now, bout that question. Yeah we know bout Veoden. he be our number one customer of late. been buyin' all sorts a gems and such. lots a rare ones ta boot. He says its fer his magic.
Ulgum speaks up, If yer askin bout dat notice, we asked already, he says he searching fer some companion that never showed up. wouldn't go into much detail.
Fargad adds his piece as well, dat guy is a total kook if ya ask me. said we needed to go find some dead guy first. I ain't into diggin up da dead.
Tatsuo reaches out and shakes Durmak's hand, carefully to present a strong handshake but not to shake firmly enough that the dwarf mistakenly thinks he's trying to start some kind of strength contest. He nods to each dwarf as they're introduced before sitting down at their table with them. "A pleasure to meet all of you. And...find some dead guy? I hope he isn't a necromancer. But why would he want a blacksmith to find a dead guy? Clearly I know nothing of the smithing trade, but I feel confident that corpses aren't generally a requirement for forging armor or weapons or the like."
He takes a sip of his drink, indicating to any servers in the area that he'd like to buy the table another round. "As for the notice, yes, I did see it on my way in. But if he's looking for a particular person who never showed up, surely a 'Have you seen this person' notice is more in order than trying to attract adventurers, isn't it?"
Miyaro leans over to Gabby to whisper, more to take advantage of Tatsuo's spell than to tell only the young woman anything, "I overheard them talking about the gems before you joined them. They are the type one purchases to make divinations. It does sound like he's looking for something or someone."
Message delivered, she gets up and moves to the dwarves' table, as well. She offers a shallow curtsy, "Masters. I am Miyaro. Do you travel here often?"
Tatsuo nods his head, both in greeting to Miyaro and in acknowledgement that he'd heard her. Her words confirmed his suspicions since Gabby had mentioned Veoden being a diviner. Although that also made it even more odd that he'd be trying to enlist adventurers to help him find someone. Although perhaps his divinations were being blocked? Hmmm....
Felix almost more preoccupied with enjoying his brew than anything else doesn't move from where he is but since he's sitting right next to the dwarves shifts his chair.
We're going to go meet the guy tomorrow most like. You don't think he's dangerous do you?
Delkaneth is about to move toward the dwarves as the others take up the task of engaging them.
He maintains his position at the other table, away from the group, and focuses on the other patrons to see if this conversation with the dwarves is drawing any undue attention. Just hope I'm lucky enough that no one noticed us come in together....
Nothing out of the ordinary. it seems that anyone else here just assumes the group is making a deal with some dwarven merchants.
The dwarves seem receptive to the party, possibly hoping to get another sale before they have to return.
Adurmak remains quiet and simply watches the other three. like a father watching over his young ones.
Durmak rises as Miya curtsy's pleasure ta meet ya. he says with a respectful bow. Aye miss we travel ere bout once a month, offerin our services an wares to the townfolk, and any ships that happen ta be in port.
Ulgrum adds, Dis trip was a special order fer Veoden. we still got some fine stones available miss. He starts to pull out a small box.
Adurmak finally speaks up, in response to FelixThat kook, Veoden ain't dangerous, a little wacky, but a nice enough fella. If ya plan on seein him, he only receives guests after sunset.
Fargad adds, Ya lot might be adventuring sorts, I got me a small selection of weapons handy if yer interested.
Miyaro gives a tentative smile to Ulgrum, "I do love pretty gems, but my funds are somewhat limited at the moment. Can I still look?"
"I'm afraid I'm not very good with weapons. I can take a look at the gems though." He looks over the gems with some vague interest, taking a moment to cast Detect Magic in case any of them are really ioun stones.
"It's good to hear that Veoden's not the bad sort. Although receiving guests after dark seems a bit odd. Is he a vampire? Or perhaps of some other race with light sensitivity?"
I'm really only good with one weapon Felix says patting his musket, But would be willing to see what you've got for certain
The box contains a small collection of gems. of various types
Lapis Lazuli (Ornamental), GP value: 10
Star Rose Quartz (Semi-precious), GP value: 50
Turquoise (Ornamental), GP value: 10
Garnet (Precious), GP value: 500
Topaz (Precious), GP value: 500
Onyx (Semi-precious), GP value: 0
Azurite (Ornamental), GP value: 10
Amber (Fancy), GP value: 100
Carnelian (Semi-precious), GP value: 20
Banded Agate (Ornamental), GP value: 10
Bloodstone (Semi-precious), GP value: 50
Tourmaline (Fancy), GP value: 100
Eye Agate (Ornamental), GP value: 10
Blue Quartz (Ornamental), GP value: 10
Oriental Topaz (Gem), GP value: 1000
Malachite (Ornamental), GP value: 10
Rhodochrosite (Ornamental), GP value: 10
Tiger Eye Agate (Ornamental), GP value: 10
A bronze torc with wolf heads (value 10gp)
A mithril necklace with adamantine eagle pendant (value 750gp)
A golden bracer with inlaid silver rose (value 500gp)
An ancient 2" silver pendant of a cat with ruby eyes (value 250gp - 1000gp to a collector)
A beaten copper ring (value 3gp)
As far as weapons go:
two hand axes
a short sword
A masterwork battle ax
A Masterwork light mace
A warhammer
A masterwork throwing hammer
four daggers
2 masterwork daggers
Miyaro's attention doesn't linger long on the weaponsmith's wares, but she murmurs in appreciation as she looks over the gem merchant's inventory. The torc and the ring catch her eye as much for their prices as their design, so she looks them over more closely...
but cannot really tell anything specific of either.
She looks over the gemstones to see if any of them might have arcane value for her, thinking back on her studies as the watches the firelight flicker on them.
"The torc calls to me, somehow, so I might purchase it. Do you know its story? The plain little ring catches my eye, but it's such a small bauble, I don't know."
While Miya isn't too sure of the item's actual value, she can get a feeling that these prices are cheap.
The Dwarf smiles as she examines the Torc, Ahhh, yes, that was found by a werewolf hunter all the way in the Shutterwood. It is said that it changes color during a full moon, But I never did test that theory, being a bit superstitious myself.
as for the ring, well, that was once the wedding band of a lonely barbarian girl who never had the chance to place it on the finger of the man she loved as the night before the wedding, a goblin tribe attacked and he was killed. In a fit of rage, she slaughtered the entire tribe and vowed to never love again, tossing the ring off a cliff. where it was found by a sole goblin survivor. I managed to acquire the ring in a trade with that goblin for only two pieces of chicken. that was 2 years ago, been carrying that ring ever since. some say its cursed, which is why I ma selling it fer such a price.
the dwarf has embellished the stories quite a bit, though ther may be some parts that are true.
Tatsuo picks up and examines various items. More for politeness than anything else; several seemed well out of his desired price range and he really wasn't much of a collector.
Miyaro smiles at the descriptions. "With such histories, both are certainly bargains."
She counts out 13 gp for the torc and the ring and purchases them from the merchant.
I could use an upgrade to my dagger, but it's all a bit rich for my blood. Felix says. Then stretches. Well I am tired, and if I drink anymore I'll be drunk as all hell.
Tatsuo did not seem inclined to push his questions, content to simply leave them as inane comments. He declines to buy anything, feeling that Miya's purchases would at least make them happy. So he waits as Conner discusses his sword and anybody else finishes up their meal and chit-chatting.
Curiosity almost gets the young adventurer out of his seat as the dwarves and his companions start conversing and examining items for sale. He can just barely make out the stories the dwarf tells of the torc and the ring, suddenly realizing that he is doing a lousy job pretending he is not interested in whats going on at that table.
Ordering another round in an attempt to appear like any normal patron, Delkaneth continues to keep an eye open.....
The senior dwarf looks over the sword that Conner presented. he holds it like a skilled warrior but it seems off balance in his hands.
A rune blade he says as he hands the sword back. I have seem only one other. That blade seems to be the sword of the Fire rune. I have studied only the first 4 blades. fire, earth, air, and water. there is said to also be a sword of shadow and a sword of light. but those are only stories.
the blade is attuned to its user. as his skill grows the blade responds and grants additional abilities. I do not believe anyone has ever unlocked all the powers of any one blade.
pointing to the markings along the blade. as your skill improves another rune will appear. each rune granting the blade, or the wielder, additional power each centered on the element of the blade.
each blade is different, and it is is said that the powers change to suit the wielder so there is no way of knowing what power that blade holds for you. the blade knows what lies inside your heart, and it will respond accordingly.
Listening to the dwarf's description, Miyaro's eyebrows rise and she purses her lips. Interesting - where did he get such a blade that he doesn't know its nature?
Tatsuo perks up at this new information. Four blades corresponding to the element with runes attached? Surely that must have come from my village. Sadly for Tatsuo, his completely lack of interest in martial weapons meant he had long forgotten any tales told to him that might confirm or deny this belief, but it seemed reasonable enough to him. Finding the air blade and bringing it back to my village would surely be a task showing myself worthy to be a full member of my clan!
The tattoos on his arms almost seem to pulse in time with the young man's excited heartbeat as he speaks. "Oh really? What other sword was it you studied?" He voice only slightly trembles in his excitement.
The dwarf responds, yes, though it appears to be a simple rune of magic, a foundation so to speak. more will come in time.
looking to tat, I have studied the Earth Hammer a great warhammer that was said to shake the very foundations of earth and stone.