GM Kirsdrake's Eberron Case Files (closed recruitment) (Inactive)

Game Master Kirsdrake

"Of course," Alua said, and laid her pack down for inspection. She was curious to know what would be considered contraband, aside from any obvious artifacts, but resisted asking.

One of the guards, easily twice her size, knocked the oracle down "accidentally" as he was checking her pockets, but Alua resisted commenting. So far things were progressing relatively smoothly, and she recognized the posturing for what it was. She hoped the others would do the same.

Lupi followed Alua and let the guards check her bag. She was trying to remember, what would be considered as contraband, but was not sure. Poor as she was, she firmly believed she would have nothing of interest.

Feck! I forgot about it and didn't give it to Phin - well, gotta fess up.
Baran submitted to the search with stoicism like he had a little secret in his head ... he grinned sardonically ... then his grin flatlined ... something was bothering him ... he couldn't put his finger on it ... his face went ashen as he recalled the damaged wand from the fallen tower of House Vadalis!

As the searcher pulled the fractured but still nominally functional wand from the bard's pack Baran tried hard not to show the wand's importance to him.
bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9 Feck!!
searcher's sense motive +?: 1d20 ⇒ 18 Well of course it beats a 9. Feck!!!

Erix's eyes tightened at the command, but he complied with military precision.
Carefully he took his rolled up blanket, flipped it out and started rapidly laying out his stowed gear in carefully ordered lines for easy inspection.
The first thing he drew was the giant saw-glaive, counter rotating wheels carefully chocked.
only thing he has that might be problematic is the box - and this is one of the few places it probably isn't. It's in the backpack. If it is daytime they might notice his lack of shadow though.

"Sergeant?" he asked, casually, once he could pay respectful attention. "Mind if I ask what fronts you were on? Work's scarce for a an old soldier back home. How are things here?"

Baran, the wand doesn’t interest the hobs much at all (the kind of contraband they are looking for are Dhakaani relics (which you gave to Phin), weapons and armor (they are interested in those only in bulk qualities, and it’s pretty clear what you have you use, not carry out to resell and try avoid paying export taxes by doing the crossing here in the boonies) or drugs. But Baran is certainly shifty enough in his misplaced guilt to urge the patrol to really go through his stuff a couple extra times to find out what he’s so worried about.

"Sergeant?" he asked, casually, once he could pay respectful attention. "Mind if I ask what fronts you were on? Work's scarce for a an old soldier back home. How are things here?"

Darguun gained independence by force 29 years ago, and made immediate deals with Breland to keep on protecting Brelish southern borders for official recognition. That much is pretty much common knowledge to anyone interested enough to remember.

”A vet, eh?” the woman grunted, giving Erix a good look from top to bottom and apparently agreeing what she saw. ”Well, I was too young to join the mercenary work before the High Warlord made his move, so mostly I rode against Cyre to keep them off ir’Wynarn’s folks. I hear the mercenary days made for good working, but nothing beats fighting for your own lord and country, eh? And you? You got the look of having seen a thing or two.”

As the sergeant and Erix reminisced of good old times the four other Darguuni soldiers began inspecting your possessions, one to each of you. Alua’s possessions yielded little for them to be excited about, and while Erix’s collection of exotic weapons and the box of trophies did draw some attention it was mostly of the approving sort. In Lupi’s case her possessions were deemed uninteresting (after a long and pointed sniffing and some taste-testing of her spell component pouch’s contents), her identification papers drew some chortling and a few accusing looks. After all, there was an official document that claimed Lupi was both a citizen of Darguun and a goblin, against all the obvious evidence on the contrary.

Lupi’s bluff, Lupi's ID: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (18) - 2 = 16
Sense Motive, Lupi's ID: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Yet in the face of Lupi’s adamant belief of her ancestry the troopers eventually relented, likely labeling Lupi as one touched by the gods and harmless, rather than someone trying to sully the proud (and still fresh) traditions of the newly established goblinoid country by making a mockery of them. Also, the fact that Baran’s badly veiled concern during the search helped to deflect some attention away from the self-proclaimed goblin. The bard looked so obviously guilty of something that the patrol trooper went through his things three times and took the time take a dagger to most of the stitches in his spare clothes and backpack to find whatever contraband the human was so worried about before finally deciding Baran was just nervous about the whole ordeal for its own sake, not because there was anything for the soldiers to find in his possessions.

Once the sergeant was satisfied you were not carrying anything you shouldn’t over the border she nodded to Erix in silent greeting and waved her patrol onwards, and minutes later they were hidden behind the cloud of dust their mounts’ hooves beat out of the sun-blasted badlands. A few minutes later, to be safe, Phin rejoined you and you continued on your way to west, towards the river that separated Darguun from Zilargo… and soon enough one additional problem you hadn’t spent much time worrying made itself apparent.

The river that gathered its water from the Seawall Mountains and that served as a handy natural border between the two lands was… considerable. While not approaching the majesty of the Dagger river, for example, that cut through the Hilt on its way to the Thunder Sea past Sharn, this natural barrier was impressive enough – some 70-80 yards wide from where you could see, flowing swiftly enough that it’d have taken a serious swimmer to make any headway against the stream. Furthermore, the river had cut deeply into the rocky soil over the centuries and its surface was now some 10 feet below ground level. And, as there were no proper roads or trade routes between Darguun and Zilargo, there were no bridges over it that you knew about… although you had to all admit to your ignorance concerning the topic. At the very least, there wasn’t one in sights, either up or down the river from where you stood, and you could see an easy 20 miles in either direction.

So… please tell me how you intend to cross the river ;^) There isn’t much in the way of wood in the badlands to fashion a raft (there is a bit more life here near the water, but still actual trees that haven’t died ages ago are very much a rarity and the kind of bushes you do see here aren’t much for building material. You could scavenge wider, but it’d be a task and a half to drag any meaningful amount of lumber to a single spot. There’s no telling how deep the river is, but from what you can see, you wouldn’t care to bet one could just wade across it.

Before she leaves Erix mentions to the sergeant "The dig site... The War left me with good survival instincts. Instincts that tell me that area needs to be secured, and that I wouldn't want my squad being the ones who have to do it. I'm sure there'll be a proper report through the higher ups, but if you know which poor bastards' are going to be stuck investigating, give my name to the NCO." Erix shows his adventurer's licence. "I'll try and draw up some maps and mail them."

when they're gone
Erix took a leak near Phin's hiding spot. "Hope your comfortable. Decent chance they'll send someone back to observe in a bit. That's what I would do."

at the river
"So, we can look for a narrower spot, but that looks about 240ft wide. Even if we tied all our rope together I don't think it'd make it. On the other hand there's food and water. Any of you casters got a trick?"

When they're gone

Erix took a leak near Phin's hiding spot. "Hope your comfortable. Decent chance they'll send someone back to observe in a bit. That's what I would do."

Keeping her voice low, Phin commented dryly, "And you think that relieving yourself near my head will encourage me to stay hidden?"

At the river
Phin looked out at the fast moving river and tried not to feel defeated. "Huh." Having never left Sharn before this ill-fated trip, it was not surprising that the elf had not known about this potential geographic obstacle. "I guess it's safe to say that geography isn't in anyone's wheelhouse in our little group. Not that we could have planned for this development."

"If we had enough rope, I could maybe shoot an arrow across provided we could anchor it well enough over there but Erix is right, I don't think we have enough rope."

Phin sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, tucking it behind one of her pointed ears, "I wish I was in the Tower where I could think of something I needed and it would magically appear. It would be nice if we knew more about the artifact. If we did, maybe it could help us."

With the patrol.

Lupi was somewhat annoyed, she had to again explain her ancestry. She somehow thought the goblins would know better about a sub-race called grand goblin. At least back in the days she was younger in Rhukaan Draal, every goblin called her a grand goblin. She was just somehow worried about the tone they said that...

Travelling again...

With the obstacle called patrol gone Lupi's spirits were higher. She was somehow sad she had to leave Darguun, but the experience was oddly different than she had expected. She had thought to chat a lot with goblins, but with just a two exceptions, she hadn't. At least the landscape was beautiful, well rough and barren, but beautiful. At the end of each day Lupi had sore feet. Finally, she came to the conclusion she was more a city-dweller than a traveller.

The river.

Lupi responded to Erix "Ummm... no tricks... if we go upstream the river will get narrower, but stream will be stronger... ummm... if we go downstream the river will get wider, but stream will calm down..." Lupi tried to remember something about the river.

Knowledge(geography(river between Darguun and Zilargo)): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Before she leaves Erix mentions to the sergeant "The dig site... The War left me with good survival instincts. Instincts that tell me that area needs to be secured, and that I wouldn't want my squad being the ones who have to do it. I'm sure there'll be a proper report through the higher ups, but if you know which poor bastards' are going to be stuck investigating, give my name to the NCO." Erix shows his adventurer's licence. "I'll try and draw up some maps and mail them."

”Found something, did you?” the woman asked, suddenly a lot more interested. ”Wouldn’t be the first time someone disturbs something best left alone, and who do you think ends up running the rotters down? So. Let’s get a proper report out of you right now. Spare no details - lives may be at stake here, if what you hinted at is true."

Ok, so a slight change of plans… since you opened this can of worms you are not allowed to leave before you have told you every single thing about the excavation you can recall. The exact location of the digsite (she will confiscate any maps you took with you, and you didn’t mention Phin taking those off your hands), a detailed description of every single enemy you fought, particularly those that survived the encounter. She’s not that interested in what stuff you may have found – after all, you were already searched and you didn’t have any artifacts with you. One of you might as well write a bit of a post about that, and possibly make a relevant diplomancery roll. Depending on the story and the roll results, we may have to forget about the river for now…

I want to avoid any mention of an enemy and try to focus on the environmental danger of the site. There will be a time to be honest about this but it will be when we've got the 'Tower' in a safe place.
bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
k engineering: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27 To give credence to his bluff
Already nervous after the third search Baran broke into a loggorrhea of an explanation, "Discover something?! We discovered a hell of a lot of disturbance of the sites! That's what we discovered! Some pretty piss pore mitigation of some very greedy digging! People taking what they could with no next in goblin love of history. back to commonNo patience. No time taken to lay shotcrete holding walls, no mesh with grouted dowels, no flexible pattern supports?! No Flexible Pattern Supports!! ... You know what you get without flexible rock pattern supports?! You get slippage, that's what you get. If there's any limestone in the area that stone is going to deteriorate and the substrata is going to fall into the cavity THAT created, and then BANG! you got yourself a Cover Subsistence Sinkhole! I'm not going back there! Not to get buried again! Just make sure the ones who do check it out have some qualified miners with them!" He locked eyes with the leader for three beats and then turned away to pull out all their maps dropping them on the ground. He grabbed some charcoal and circled areas on the maps that were most likely, he thought, to contain actual sinkholes. He was manic and looked more that a bit traumatized, "No need to mail in maps, take these. Watchout here and ... here ... and here! Those are the worst sites."

Baran's reaction was excellent, got me good laughs :).

Lupi looked firmly at her feet and definitely did not want to add anything. "Maybe Baran's way is good...", she thought. "They certainly don't need to know anything about the Dolgaunt Incident, do they?" Lupi's practical side had an internal wrestling match against Lupi's conscience and practicality won. "At least they will hopefully investigate the area after Baran's rant," Lupi's practical side continued trying to calm down her conscience. "Maybe some of them even survive to report further... the others might get extra arms... that's not so bad is it?" Lupi looked around the Darguuni soldiers and tried to picture them with four arms. A little internal humour did not help at all. Somehow Lupi felt after the internal battle she was shifting more and more away from being a goblin again... if she ever was a goblin that is...

sense motive on Lupi: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30
Baran watched Lupi as he ranted. She was being so quiet, horribly quiet, devastatingly quiet. He thought Dammit! We're going to tell someone just ... no right now! The air got thick around him and he looked at the boarder guard. He thought about them getting hurt because of something he failed to tell them. His face started turning red ... and he broke down. "OK! OK! We disturbed something alright. We didn't want to. We didn't mean to. I thought we buried it again but we can't let you go in there without knowing. We would have sent word through channels."

"I'm a student from Sharn ..."
More to come...

history: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17 Trying to get the names and circumstances of the old dig correct
diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30 He is resigned to give them the information they need to explore the site with as much preparedness as he can give them
"We were given an opportunity to come to a truly ancient site under the eye of Lhesh Haruuc Shaarat'kor. We did not have audience with him as you have already guessed. The team was lead by a respected professor ir'Morain and they were working diplomatically. The only goal was the careful unearthing of historical artifacts and the chance to build a deeper understanding of that era in history."

"When we arrived it was as I told you. The sites were badly disturbed and picked over. There were many collapses and some of those paths are lost to surface folk forever. We did find evidence of byeshk and, later, evidence of great excavations. One room contained a series of obelisks of remarkable design. We were slowly uncovering evidence that an ancient operation had happened here. The obelisks had some arcane function, perhaps a teleportal. One pillar was downed and I don't believe that site will ever function again."

"But it was beyond the obelisks that we started to learn the worst. We encountered shadowspore and a group of crawling horrors. We seemed to have cleared the icorous creatures but the spore still exists. Alua has marked their positions. After fighting through those it was clear that some great magical disaster had occurred."

"A cavern site with a fair sized byeshk deposit seemed to have become some kind of spirit prison to the workers of old. And that's were we fought with the first of them. Abberations. Dolgarr and Dolgaunt. They were set up in support fashion - soldiers out front, three I think. There was a toughie at their back blocking our way to the leader, a divine caster able to revivify the fallen and touch your mind, command enemies to become allies. They were organized. They fought tactically."

"The further in we went the stronger the foe became. Some were possessed of powerful mental faculties, able to talk directly with our minds. It was supported by hurlers capable of tossing a foe and breaking front lines. They tried to make a pact with us. I believe it was Lupi who ended that short negotiation, with a quick shift to 'physical diplomacy techniques' that left all but one of the foe dead."

"That creature fled further down where we assume it was summoning reinforcements. We don't know of what kind."

"Deep down there was a geomantic entableture. A ley power site created by people who could have been Gatekeepers. We had to make a choice. Leave the site to be explored by the aberrations or break its' connection ourselves. We chose the later. The imminent collapse of the cave was pure madness. Many of the diggers are now permanently lost. We have dug ourselves out of it and marched the five days here."

"We need to go home and report this."

"Listen, it isn't for nothing. Don't underestimate the sinkholes. Bring experienced miners. The condition of the site is horrible."

Erix nodded. "There was another expedition near ours as well. Gods know what they ran into. We found the remnants of a Cyre expedition - Warforged, barely functional - from decades ago, as well."
"Believe it or not, this was a lucky break. Those things were organised, and they were digging. Before we collapsed their tunnel... they were only a hundred feet from the surface. They would have shown up with no-one any the wiser."
"And the kid's not kidding about power. Damn things made me all but kill him." he shudders "They were smart, and they were strategic."

He sighed "We burned all the bodies we could find when we hit the surface - just in case they did something to them - and fled. You're the first group we found. I planned on telling whatever poor bastard was assigned to go there, and I still do. But this is way, way above the pay grade of anyone here. Unless your military is a damn sight more responsive than ours, a horror story about 'underground mind controlling invaders' from a group of grunt laborers isn't going to be taken seriously. If I'd put that in a report when I was a sergeant I'd've been roasted by Command."

Phin watched helplessly from her hiding place as she witnessed everyone but Alua fall apart before her eyes, succumbing to verbal diarrhea. How hard was it to keep ones mouth shut? Their sole concern, at least in her mind, was to get themselves safely back to Sharn. Warning strangers of something that may or may not happen that put their own freedom at risk was complete folly.

Each time anyone opened their mouth, the rogue inwardly cringed. They'd mentioned the byeshk, they mentioned the room they found the artifact, and every time they opened their mouths they added more information! Phin began to formulate her escape plan as she had lost so much faith in the others that she totally expected them to point at her hiding spot and rat her out.

This is getting better and better :).

Lupi still kept her eyes fixed onto her own shoes. She did feel the truth would be a better long term solution, but felt very anxious about the response of the patrol. "Do they have a protocol for ancient foes coming from deep underground?" She was not entirely sure... What would they do with us now?", was the second question in her mind. She was also a bit worried about Phin "If they take us away with those horses, she can't go as fast as the horses go."

Right… again, very good rolls, to go with good dialogue. The hobs don’t have Engineering ranks to really appreciate the terms Baran’s casually dropping but they figure from his presentation that he uses big words in a way that sounds he prolly know what they mean. Also, attack is a better defense here than trying to explain why you did what you did. Also also, the fact that while you let an enemy escape to call reinforcements is offset by the fact that you admitted to causing the ruins to collapse, thus plugging a direct route for the forces of Khyber to invade the surface. So, good things and bad balancing each other out.

I call that good enough. The sergeant is certainly pissed off that you kinda mentioned this potential threat to her homeland as an afterthought, but you did give a throughout report, provided those maps without a struggle and actually did something to slow down a possible invasion… not that these ruins of yours are unique in that respect in the Darguun, being taken over by foulspawn from below.

And hey, the patrol saw your IDs. So, if the King’s Lanterns do come and kick in your door at the toll of midnight bell one night, you don’t have to bother asking why – you’ll know Haruuc has declared you international criminals and called in a few favors to have to brought to justice ;^)

He sighed "We burned all the bodies we could find when we hit the surface - just in case they did something to them - and fled. You're the first group we found. I planned on telling whatever poor bastard was assigned to go there, and I still do. But this is way, way above the pay grade of anyone here. Unless your military is a damn sight more responsive than ours, a horror story about 'underground mind controlling invaders' from a group of grunt laborers isn't going to be taken seriously. If I'd put that in a report when I was a sergeant I'd've been roasted by Command."

”Oh, you can bet your pension I shall,” the sergeant grunted, giving Baran and Erix judging looks, then nodded with grudging admiration. ”So. Another foulspawn group on the loose, but you said you dropped a mountain on this one? About as good a resolution as I could ask for, in the circumstances. And you actually managed to drive them back, eh? Not just make a fighting retreat? More than some other fools have managed, then they found more than they bargained for in the ruins.”

”Right, boys! A change of plans! We ride back home, on the double!” the sergeant shouted, spurring her troops to hurry back to their mounts. ”A friendly warning, from one veteran to another,” she muttered in a softer voice to Erix as she pretended to check her saddle straps. ”I imagine my Captain will send a reinforced patrol to check if your story checks out. Might be best for your health if you weren’t around here to be found when he rides out – he hates lack of intel before an op and is known for his ways of… persuading witnesses to remember the little details they may have been too embarrassed to mention before.”

”Ta muut,” she grunted as she remounted A common form of thanks in the goblin tongue, meaning “You do your duty” in common, then rode off back to the south, her troops falling into formation behind her.

So, we can move to the riverside scene after all, with one major alteration – the patrol didn’t continue forward but immediately doubled back to report to their superiors. Which means that, assuming the local garrison has enough manpower for it, you can expect another, much larger patrol heading to the digsite sometime in the next few days. It might be best for you not to be here near their route when (and if) that happens, because they just might decide to drag you along to verify your story on-site and for you to provide some extra intelligence. This might not be to your benefit or be good for your health.

Alua shaded her eyes as she stared across the river. It was big. Much bigger than the single skinny blue line on the map. Sighing, she tried to think back to the rivers they'd had to cross in the army. There had been a few, but she'd never been in charge. The army arrived at a bridge or ford, her superiors told her what to do, she'd do it, and they'd get across. Looking up and down river, she tried to see anything that would help, but came up blank. The land here was barren and uncaring.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Her brain straining, she considered her options. None were good. Finally, she shed her pack, her heavy coat, and her weapons. In a moment she was down to her underclothes and boots. "Right. I'm a fair swimmer. I'll scout the way, see how deep it gets, how strong the current. Maybe we can walk it. The rest of you, see if you can find some stout branches to use as walking sticks - a third point of contact with the ground is helpful."

Closing her eyes for a moment, she asked the local spirits for help, that they might steady her feet. Then, taking a staff in hand, she made her way out into the river, trying to find a safe way across, and ready to swim if she needed to.

survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
[EDIT: HAHAHA]

Closing her eyes for a moment, she asked the local spirits for help, that they might steady her feet. Then, taking a staff in hand, she made her way out into the river, trying to find a safe way across, and ready to swim if she needed to.

survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
[EDIT: HAHAHA]

I have a strange feeling the group will continue downstream :).

Lupi looked at Alua going into the river. She was not sure how good swimmer Alua was, but she felt unsure. Cursing again her weakness and her inability to carry some proper equipment, she said "Could someone throw Alua a rope?"

Right, time to get to those previous posts about crossing the river…

Re: shooting an arrow across. You could have taken plenty of rope from the campsite, but I believe no-one mentioned it. But even if you had, it would be hemp rope. That stuff weights some, so enough to cross the river would be about 50lbs… you’d need a ballista to launch that much weight with an arrow and have it fly any distance at all, I believe.

Re: Lupi’s geography roll. Yeah, pretty much that. Near the source, the river will be narrower and shallower (the ground is rockier too so more effort for the water to wear it down) but the current will be swifter. As far as you know, there are indeed no proper trade routes that go over the river, so there’s little chance of finding a bridge anywhere along it – no reason for anyone to build and maintain one.

Also, the further north you go, the greater the risk of running into one of the local isolationist goblin tribes who did not take well to any strangers.

Alua, swimming is its own skill, but with a roll like that… you are going to flounder about in the water about as soon as it gets too deep to wade across, as the current knocks your feet from under you. But since there are people close to help, I will assume you will get back on shore without more than a slight scare.

Baran's equipment post was about lightening his load s he could primarily carry food so I think we can say he has no rope - a useful but bulky item
"How do you cross a river??? You build an A-frame and suspend a line from the apex? Dig the feet of the a-frame into the riverbank, lean it over the river with two anchor lines and use it like a swing point to carry someone to the other side?"
Baran thought about any tall thin trees in the area they might fell but couldn't remember noticing anything that fit their specific need, everything he saw was shrub.
"Maybe tie a rope to one swimmer ... dammit! did anyone bring rope?!

OK, do we have anything that floats? How many waterskins did we take? I carried as many as I could." Baran held up three small skins. "We could improvise a floatation device by forcing air into them and stoppering them. Then we could bind them together with their own carrying straps. It might help the worst of the swimmers?! You go to an upstream point on this side and you let the river take you downstream. Put your feet out in front of you and try to steer yourself to the other side. One danger is that we get spread out too far and have to find each other." Baran tried stuffing two waterskins into his leather bodkin under the armpits to see if it would work as a makeshift lifejacket.
k engineering -improvised: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 7 - 4 = 18 Maybe good enough for a conditional bonus on swim checks? Anyone else with engineering for an aid roll?

Well, you should have plenty of waterskins, to carry enough for 5 people to drink for 5 days in almost-desert climate. I doubt you were rolling barrels of water with you the entire time ;^)

Alua floundered to shore, shaken by the swiftness of the current. She flopped onto a rock and heaved deep breaths for a minute. "Okay, that's worse than it looks. It'll be really hard to get across with our gear."

Looking downstream, she asked, "How far to the coast? Might be settlements there, with a boat?"

To Baran's suggestion, she said, "Well, we would certainly have enough water here to refill them after. What about putting all our gear together, tie it all up with the ropes, and use the inflated skins all around to make a raft? Then we could all hold on to the outside? Even tie ourselves to it. Then we don't risk separating."

I like it! Crazy enough maybe to work.

"Right. I'm a fair swimmer. I'll scout the way, see how deep it gets, how strong the current. Maybe we can walk it. The rest of you, see if you can find some stout branches to use as walking sticks - a third point of contact with the ground is helpful."

Phin had been modelling for the others on how to keep quiet but when Alua declares she's going to swim, she had to speak up. "I don't think that's a good idea..."

But Alua had already gone into the water.

The rogue swore, not having time to find any stout branch before Alua started to struggle. She shrugged her pack off and unbound the artifact, reasoning that it was longer than any branch she could find. Phin moved to the edge of the water and dipped the Tower into the water to test her footing. She got in about mid-shin and then stretched the Tower out towards Alua to grasp so she could pull her back to shore.

Breathing a bit hard from the exertion, Phin rewrapped the artifact and lashed it to her pack again. "I think Baran's idea is our best bet at not dying. We certainly have enough water skins having made sure we had enough water for our journey back to civilization. I'll start blowing as much air as possible into the empty ones. We'll need them all whether we make one raft, although I'm not sure we have enough gear, or whether each person gets two skins lashed together with rope that you can tuck under their armpits."

This time Erix only nods when the sergeant heads off.

the river
"So - does anyone have anything rope-like? Twine? Maybe we can..." Erix paused. "Huh. Actually. Got to say Baran, 'airskins' is better than any idea I've got."
He scratches at his beard "I used to be a fair swimmer, but I don't float anymore. If we can get some inflated waterskins then I think I could make a go of it. Not sure if I could get much weight across though."

Lupi listened to Baran's idea and nodded happily. She helped Baran to fill a couple of "airskins". She was rather happy with the result.

Knowledge(Engineering(aid another Baran)): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Lupi responded to Alua "Ummm... I don't know any settlements here... no trade route either... ummmm... I think Erix swimming is our best bet here... just need a rope to Erix, if the current is too strong."

"But, Alua, if one person should loose their grip then they would have nothing. Wouldn't it be best if everyone had ther own floater? Better to have people separated than without a swimming aid?" Baran started finding as much scrub as he could and began weaving it into a kind of little nest. Into the nest he wove his inflated waterskins using the straps as binding. "The branches should have their own buoyancy but the waterskins will add to that. Lupi, you know more about carpentry then anyone here, could you ...?" He gestured for some help. Once done he had a three foot by three foot raft he could hold onto. "Ok. Four more to go."
Essentially Baran has built a kind of kick board/boogie board that looks like a bird's nest. Hopefully, on the strength of his aided engineering roll and Lupi's carpenry roll(?) the device will help their swim rolls. Instead of a fight the stream swimming DC we want a keep your head above water swimming DC.

Baran was a little anxious as Lupi picked through his idea with a fine comb. He was studied, well sort of, but she was brilliant and it oonly highlighted his poor devotion to his courses. He looked at their dubious construct and at the others, "Shall the inventor go first?"

Phin moved to the edge of the water and dipped the Tower into the water to test her footing. She got in about mid-shin and then stretched the Tower out towards Alua to grasp so she could pull her back to shore.

Hey now... this is a tiny bit different from your PM... and because of that difference, actually close enough to one triggering effect. That didn't take long ;^)

As Phin poked at the water with the Tower’s haft while standing at the edge of the river, she suddenly felt the artifact throb in her hands, as if a heart within it had suddenly beat, once.

”The Tower stands at the edge of land and sea,” a voice Phin had never heard before rumbled in her ears, inaudible to everyone else, ”dividing one from the other.” The voice was of a male, and while it seemed to speak perfect common tongue of the Five Nations, its accent reminded you of the hobgoblin sergeant you had just heard speak.

For a moment, the terrain from your recent dreams was superimposed over your field of vision, allowing you to see both the desolate barren fields and the river and the vast sea bordering on the endless field of grasses and wildflowers at the same time… your hands held the spear-like artifact thrust into the river, but at the same instant you also saw yourself as a giant, thrusting the actual tower from your dreams to the earth, on the cliff’s edge where it stood in your nightly visions.

As Phin was trapped in the grips of her vision, the magically adept among you That’d be Alua, Baran and Lupi could sense a titanic wave of magic building inside the artifact, rising ever higher, until you felt the Tower should be glowing like a sun from all the sheer energy contained within it. You felt it reaching out, looking for something, for a way of channeling all that power… yet unable to do so. Some vital part was still missing from the equation. A breath later, you sensed the energy grounding itself into the earth, dissipating harmlessly as if it had never been, taking Phin’s vision with it.

With an audible crack the strips of stone wrapped over the weapon’s haft shifted, rearranging themselves. At the bottom end, the straps unfurled, allowing a hand to hold the weapon underneath the protective bands while at the business end of the weapon, the previously blunted tip became sharp as any proper spear’s.

Tower’s new look… stolen picture but very close indeed to how it should look

The transformation alters the Tower’s stats a bit. In this form, it can be used as either a spear (short or regular, take your pick) or lance. Its tip is now sharp, so it deals Piercing damage, and no longer has that -1 penalty to damage. Also, the unfurling part of the strips acts as a guard for the hand holding the weapon, so in this form, wielding the Tower also grants a +1 shield bonus to your AC.

Now that you have unlocked this form, you and you alone can switch the Tower between these two forms at will, as free action. Only a conscious act of will is needed from Phin to do it, as long as you are touching the Tower. Others can still hold and use the weapon in the form it has when Phin hands it over, but they can not do the switch, no matter how hard they wish and beg the thing to change.

Baran watched as the power of the artifact grew and he almost dove for cover when it altered shape. He stood there, silently trying to grasp what had just happened and, deep inside him, a terrible envy grew. Not an envy of Phin's possession of the spear. He envied the instrument itself altering at the will of its' bearer.

He was dumb and tried to reveal nothing.

Phin the Raccoon wrote:

Phin moved to the edge of the water and dipped the Tower into the water to test her footing. She got in about mid-shin and then stretched the Tower out towards Alua to grasp so she could pull her back to shore.

Hey now... this is a tiny bit different from your PM... and because of that difference, actually close enough to one triggering effect. That didn't take long ;^)

Yay! Rarely do happenstances work in my favour :)

Phin froze with a mixture of surprise, shock, and fear on her face as the artifact began to pulse with life in her grasp and a strange voice sounded in her ears. The elf didn't realize that from the perspective of those around her that she looked frozen in time.

The loud crack brought Phin back to reality.

Her head immediately whipped to the left and then to the right, looking for the source of the voice. "Did you hear it?" The blank looks on the faces of the others made it obvious that they had no idea what she was talking about. For their benefit and before she could forget what she heard, Phin repeated the words verbatim that were spoken to her.

"The Tower stands at the edge of land and sea...dividing one from the other."

The rogue's voice wavered, "I saw the landscape from my dreams at the exact same time as the landscape you all see, like they were on top of each other." Phin proceeded to share everything else she remembered from her vision, no matter how unbelievable. "It seems like this is a real place? Which means it has to be called something." She looked at Baran and Lupi, "It looks like we'll need to make use of the University's library when we get back to Sharn."

She studied the new incarnation of the Tower which now appeared to be a deadly weapon. "It's absolutely beautiful, for a weapon. Someone definitely created this with purpose. I think it's important that we find out what that was."

However, Phin quickly brought her attention back to the problem at hand. "As cool as that all was, it won't help us get across the river. Baran's cool contraptions will." She thought that the original form of the Tower would travel better than the weapon form and then gasped as it morphed back into its original form. "Amazing," she murmured.

And here I had just assumed she'd have to go to the edge in order to get to the water...

Well, the water is naturally shallower at the edges, so I assumed you'd have waded in as far as you could first, and when the water was getting a bit too deep for your liking, then started probing how quickly it went from "pretty deep" to "way too deep". But since you started at the very bank... ;^)

Anyway, on to the river crossing… the flotation device idea is certainly feasible and relatively simple, so those Engineering rolls are quite enough to put it into practice. And Baran specifically pointed out you wouldn’t be trying to fight the current but let it carry you down the river while you focused on making some lateral progress in the meantime.

Lupi was hoping for rope, but you simply don’t have enough to be worthwhile (other than using it to secure things into bundles with the floaters, that is), considering the width of the river. Also, there might be a settlement nearer the coast but there definitely will be that garrison you were told to steer clear of - any permanent military installation will need fresh water, and this river is the only reliable source of it nearby, so it only makes sense the place with all the soldiers would be close to the river, near the coast (so it could be supplied overseas, as there are no landbound trade routes here in the badlands).

Anyway, enough planning, I think, I will make some rolls to see how things will go… I will assume you take off your heavier loads and bundle them with more flotation devices…

Swim, Alua: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Swim, Baran: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Swim, Erix: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Swim, Lupi: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15
Swim, Phin: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (20) + 0 = 20

Alua and Phin make the crossing look easy, and Lupi does very well with Baran’s flotation aids as well, despite her lack of proficiency with the more physical activities. Erix, as he said himself, doesn’t float very well and Baran manages to make a hash of it, perhaps by worrying too much how well his invention will work for the others. Let’s make a couple more rolls… It’s a bit hard to actually drown with the inflated waterskins added to the mix, after all.

Swim, Baran: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Swim, Erix: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Ok, much better. So you two drift quite a bit further south along the current than the ladies do, but you do not need to be rescued.

"The branches should have their own buoyancy but the waterskins will add to that. Lupi, you know more about carpentry then anyone here, could you ...?"

"Ummm... Sure...", Lupi started working on on small rafts. She was rather happy with the results. Some of the material was pretty rotten, but after a short test the rafts did float rather well in the river.

Craft(Carpentry)): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

"The Tower stands at the edge of land and sea...dividing one from the other."

Lupi was interrupted in her work by the wave of magic from the Tower. "What's this all about", she had never felt anything quite like that. The pure magic made her heart beat double. She said to Phin excitedly "That was awesome! I am not sure what it was... Could you do it again?? Lupi tried remembering on her arcane studies.

Knowledge(arcana): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29 Mostly interested if there is a school of magic involved, probably reveals nothing...

"As cool as that all was, it won't help us get across the river. Baran's cool contraptions will."

Still excited about the arcane phenomena, Lupi said half-jokingly "Don't say that! Try putting the Tower onto the shore, maybe it will give us a bridge! Divide land and sea!" After a deep breath Lupi got more concentrated and said to Phin "Ummm... You somehow got the Tower activated. Ummm... maybe it is good to... ummm... try a bit everything with the Tower... ummm... who knows what it might turn into... your dreams and voices are the guide... ummm... water seems to be an important element. Hmmm"

Seems we were posting at the same time, a bit too late to order a bridge from the Tower ;).

Seems we were posting at the same time, a bit too late to order a bridge from the Tower ;).

A good idea but that will not work if you want to give it a try. Perhaps after a few more unlocks, though... ;^)

Once you managed the crossing and took the time to gather both yourselves and your belongings the day was fast fading, and you did not relish the thought of a nighttime march in dripping-wet clothes, so you elected to camp one last time to rest and dry out your gear before venturing once more into civilization. Your rations were by now getting low, but at least there was plentiful of water to be had, and most of you had known the occasional day of hunger in the past not to lose much sleep over the rumbling of your stomachs.

Korranberg skyline

Knowledge, Local, Baran: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
Knowledge, Local, Lupi: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

I think the two of you are most likely to have some interest in the area to merit the use of “local” knowledge outside your actual oft-frequented locals…

As you pitched your tent, you could see the magnificent city in the distance, backlit by the setting sun. Korranberg, the second largest city in the gnomish nation of Zilargo, the ancestral seat of House Sivis, the House of Scribing, the undisputed masters of communication, diplomacy and documentation mediation. And one could hardly forget the massive Library of Korranberg, the largest single repository of knowledge in the continent, hosting eight colleges all dedicated to their own fields of expertise, from law and oratory to mathematics, from alchemy to arts and literary. Lupi and Baran, both relatively well versed in the history of the region for their varying reasons, also know to point out that every citizen of Korranberg was expected to dedicate at least 4 years of their early life in service to the library; in return, they could attend the library’s colleges free of charge for the entirety of their lives.

Also, they reminded you to keep your guard up in the city, once you made your way there. Zilargo society is bound together by a complex web of favors, secrets, and debts. For more than eight centuries, an invisible order of spies and assassins has been watching from the shadows, gathering information on all internal activities and using this knowledge to eliminate threats to society (directly contributing to the very low crime rate in the country… at least, the kind of crime that happens out in the open). And while the average gnome always makes time to listen to a stranger, this behavior has more to do with the gnomes’ thirst for knowledge than with sympathy for outsiders. Gnomes believe that every piece of information, no matter how trivial, may someday have value.

Lharvion (July) 8, Sar (Saturday), 998 YK
Zilargo, Khorvaire, late morning
Korranberg

The night passed peacefully and once your had gathered your belongings and eaten what miserable excuse of a breakfast you could put together, you marched on to the city proper, drinking in the new sights and sounds and scents as you once more reached civilization. The local architecture, you noted, was designed for beauty, features delicate carvings, elaborate railings and balconies, and lavish gardens. Murals and statues were scattered throughout every community. Most fixtures and buildings were designed for those of small stature (few gnomes ever top 4 feet in height), but buildings constructed for the tallfolk also existed, as Korranberg had undergone alteration over the centuries to accommodate travelers of other races, to facilitate trade and showcase the gnomes’ diplomatic flexibility.

” Lhazaar Volcano Erupts! Fist of Onatar showing her fury,!” shouted a gnome in a street corner, waving a rolled-up newspaper in one hand to attract the attention of passerby’s. ”Anti-Dismantlement Bill Stalls in the Brelish Parliament!”

So, what are you plans? You have recent amount of cash, and it should be easy enough to arrange transportation from here to Sharn, as Korranberg has a direct Lightining Rail connection to Sharn, via Zolanberg, Starilaskur, Wroat and First Tower. But while you are here, anything else you’d care to do? Plenty of opportunities to purchase stuff here.

Once firmly into Korranberg Lupi was coming to the conclusion she was definitely a city-dweller. The sights and sounds overwhelmed her compared to the barren wastelands they had travelled through. Even the gnome selling newspaper in the street corner was a welcome sight for her. "Ummm... Baran, should we take a look at Library of Korranberg. Last time I was here, I ummmm... missed the opportunity to visit it." The group of goblins were not nearly as interested in enlarging their field of understanding as Lupi was. And they did not let her wander around on her own. Likely a good choice.

Oh, yes money, Lupi could maybe buy a scroll or two, if at all possible, though it is likely better to ensure a trip back to Sharn first. Looking through the party pool, I noticed there are "2 mystery potion bottles from Gahdtruggis's body". Don't recall that we identified them, so here's a try with Detect Magic.

Spellcraft(Identify the properties of a magic item using detect magic): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

How's the money from the digging work (2 days of travel for 5 people, totalling 10G/6 days of expedition work for 5 people, totalling 150G/etc.)? Did we get a daily pay or a lump sum later on? Or did we get anything before "the mishap"?

Actually, you didn't even remember to pick them up but I was feeling generous at the time ;^)

You have there a Potion of Neutralize Poison (CL 7) and a Potion of Barskin (+4 AC)… but both are several thousands of years past their “sell-by” date. So what drinking them actually does is pretty much pure guesswork.

About pay... when you started out, a clerk asked whether you wanted to be paid in cash or have the money deposited to an account. You didn’t make a choice, so I defaulted that to pay going weekly to the Agency’s account – after all, the management didn’t want to haul gold into the expedition site if they could avoid it, since you couldn’t even spend it there. So, the money should be in the bank, and Alua should be able to verify that in any House Kundarak’s Banking Guild’s office. Korranberg is certain to have a couple.

Sorry for the delay, things are busy with the winding down of the school year. We'll be camping again this weekend, but should be able to post tomorrow morning and Sunday evening. It's going to get up to 37C on Sunday! Usually 28C is a hot day here on the west coast. So nobody has air conditioning. If you don't ever hear from me again, I've either melted or combusted. Or both.

Any unusual spirit activity around the Tower during its transformation? Also, Phin's legendary artifact gives her restful dreams, but Vi's had bloodlust?! ;-P

Alua felt rooted to the spot, staring at Phin, her heart beating in time with the energy pulsating out of the Tower. She wanted to reach out, to knock it from Phin's hands, but she could barely move. She felt a scream building up in the back of her throat, but before she could release it, the magical energy crashed back into the earth, leaving barely a whisper. "What was that?" she cried, steadying herself on a rock so she didn't collapse.

The rogue's voice wavered, "I saw the landscape from my dreams at the exact same time as the landscape you all see, like they were on top of each other." Phin proceeded to share everything else she remembered from her vision, no matter how unbelievable. "It seems like this is a real place? Which means it has to be called something." She looked at Baran and Lupi, "It looks like we'll need to make use of the University's library when we get back to Sharn."

Alua listened in wonder, lightly touching the newly-revealed weapon with her fingertips. "There's a library in Korranburg," she said, somewhat absently. She was wracking her brain, trying to think if she'd ever heard or learned anything that might help understand what they were carrying.

k history: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

When it turned back to its original form, she gasped. "How did you do that? Can I try?"

***

The trip through the river was exhilarating, though she had a scare when Baran and Erix ended up getting swept further downriver. At least they were able to catch up to them without much difficulty. Ringing water from her hair, the oracle said, "Well, it's nice to feel cleanish, but let's not do that again."
***

Alua stared at the site of Korranberg, a slow smile lighting her face. "It's lovely!" she said. "Oh, I can't wait for a hot meal, a cold ale, a hot bath, and a soft bed. In that order."

The city was a marvel. During the war, Alua had travelled north of Zilargo to the Cyran border, and had never come near this country of the gnomes. She was curious to see what the city had to offer.

Shall we get tickets for a few days from now, and then decide what we're buying and deposit most of the rest? I'd hate to lose our newfound wealth.

"That was awesome! I am not sure what it was... Could you do it again??

Phin shrugged helplessly, "I would if I knew what I did."

When it turned back to its original form, she gasped. "How did you do that? Can I try?"

Phin's brow furrowed, "I'm not completely sure. I just thought that it would be easier to carry if it was in its previous form and it did it." She handed the Tower over to Alua, "Of course, give it a try."

***

The elf really enjoyed Baran's floatation device that he had fashioned with Lupi's help. She had been a bit apprehensive about making the crossing but it turned out she had nothing to worry about - at least where herself was concerned. The water wasn't as ice-cold as she had been expecting but was pleasantly cool. The current wasn't as strong as she had anticipated and with the floatation device she managed to kick her way almost directly across.

Her heart skipped a beat as Erix looked like he started to sink and Baran got carried away by the current. Once she could touch bottom on the other side of the river, she was following the two down river and trying to give them advice on how to get themselves across. Finally, after some tense moments, both men managed to drag themselves onto shore.

That night Phin was more exhausted than hungry after their trip across the river. She tried to dry her clothes the best she could and then curled up to sleep.

Phin's eyes opened and she was back in her familiar structure. She knew that if she moved to one of the balconies on the one side of the Tower that she would see a vast sea and the other side would show her grasslands with wildflowers.

Immediately she thought about a library and headed for the stairs. This time she headed up. The top of the first flight of stairs she climbed opened up into the largest room filled with books she had ever seen. She had a momentary feeling of hopelessness as she realized that she had no idea where to start.

The rogue desperately wished for Baran and Lupi but sadly they never appeared. It seemed that other living creatures was one thing the Tower never seemed to produce for her. She was on her own.

Phin squared her shoulders and walked resolutely into the library. It didn't do any good to bemoan the fact that she had no idea of where to start. She just had to start systematically looking through the books. A table off to the side by one of the windows caught her eye because there was a stack of books there beside an open book as if waiting for someone to come back and read it.

The elf walked over to the table and when she started reading the pages that were open her heart began to beat excitedly. The was exactly the information that she needed! The location of the Tower, the real name of the Tower, who built it, the reason it existed...everything! She couldn't wait to tell the others. There was so much information that she spent the whole day reading. Cheese and bread appeared at some point for her to eat but eventually her eyelids became heavy and her head lowered as she fell asleep on top of the books.

Phin sat straight up, her heart racing and she was excited. She felt like she had something important to tell the others. She had spent the whole day reading and...she couldn't remember anything. She knew she had read important information but not what that information was. Her excitement quickly turned to disappointment and frustration. Over breakfast the next morning she sat beside Baran and grumbled, "Using the library in the Tower isn't going to work. I can't remember anything I read. I remember reading but not what I read."

****

Phin's mood brightened considerably as they got to Korranberg. She was so happy to be in a city again that she was practically skipping. Sharn, home, was only a Lightning Rail ride away.

"First, we book tickets home. Then we can see what Korranberg has to offer."

It's going to get up to 37C on Sunday! Usually 28C is a hot day here on the west coast. So nobody has air conditioning. If you don't ever hear from me again, I've either melted or combusted. Or both.

Yikes! I feel like dying when it gets past 25C over here. Were I ever in a place that gets to 37C, I wouldn’t step 10 feet from the nearest AC even if you pointed a gun at me.

Any unusual spirit activity around the Tower during its transformation? Also, Phin's legendary artifact gives her restful dreams, but Vi's had bloodlust?! ;-P

No spiritual activity near it. And Vi’s dagger just got antsy because it was the physical focus of a millennia-old entropic ritual that’s purpose was to siphon a sliver of energy from any kind of destructive activity performed near it (and preferably with it) to eventually bring forth a new ice age to save Eberron from the pestilence that is intelligent life. Since Vi didn’t “feed” it, it made its hunger as clear as it could without having any actual intelligence to communicate with her. This staff has a bit more of a passive presence (for now, at least), as it has quite a different story and purpose behind it.

Re: Alua’s history roll: Yeah, sorry but no. No matter what you roll, there is just no possibility that you could figure out anything more about the Tower just by sitting on a rock for a spell and scratching your head. If you want to do research, I’m thinking of two-three weeks full-time in a major library, followed by a single relevant Knowledge check, and that would at best point you in the right direction, not actually reveal you all the Tower’s secrets. After all, the thing is ancient, so if you do find out something about it, it’s most likely a book that’s referring to another book that was written by someone who had heard some rumor that might have something to do with the thing. It’s creators are thousands of years dead, and while some of the team that made it may have got away and returned home, they were ancient druids, and in my book, any group of people who invent a secret language to use among themselves and make it a capital crime to teach it to an outsider didn’t do much to publish their research to get peer reviews.

And do enjoy your stay in the city. I have nothing special planned for you, the next scripted events will take place once you get yourselves into the train and on the way ;^) It will be a 2145 mile trip, and with the stops on the four stations on the way, the whole trip takes about 4 days. And costs you 4G/person in economy class, or you can get a cabin in one of the luxury coaches for 16G/person.

Erix was quiet from the moment the Tower transformed. He continued to take night watches, and the dark bags under his eyes deepened through to almost bruise-black. He refused assistance "Three casters, a dream prophet, and a soldier who can see in the dark. Pretty obvious who needs to take the night watches. You lot can do the other chores. Someone needs to dig latrines."

---

Alua stared at the site of Korranberg, a slow smile lighting her face. "It's lovely!" she said. "Oh, I can't wait for a hot meal, a cold ale, a hot bath, and a soft bed. In that order."

Erix smiled, and his shoulders slumped. "Hey now. We've gotten you a soft meal, a warm ale, a cold bath, and a hot bed often as you want!"

"First, we book tickets home. Then we can see what Korranberg has to offer."

"Sounds good. Unless... do we want to send a message and see if they want us here?" he considers "Guess there's a risk they'll say yes. We should probably send a message though."

He sighed "So tickets & message first. Then a room - if there's not something leaving straight away. Then food. Then a bath. Then Library.
Fair? And we do everything together."

He laughs disconcertingly - more the giggle of a man on the border of a breakdown than genuine humour. "Okay, not everything. You can all scrub your own backs." he turns serious "But I'd like to minimise the number of rooms, post watches. My instincts tell me we're not safe yet. I don't want us to get unnecesarily seperated."

"We need to nominate a safe place to use as a regrouping point if something happens. Or we all just run home, I guess, and regroup there."

As they four went into the water a feeling of confidence seated itself in Baran's heart. He grabbed his device and started to kick off - then the bottom of the river was suddenly gone! He cleanched at the device as it stood on end and turned into the flow of the current and he coughed and swallowed water. What a horrible way to die after all of that! He reached out for something to grab and there was a plummeting stone , no, not stone, muscle! He grabbed on to Erix, the anti-flotation device!

He let go of his own floater and together helped right the old soldier's nest and they kicked hard to the shore.

While the women jogged down to meet where the two had finally landed, Erix was already recovering the equipment (and the second device that had lodged itself amongst some river stones). Baran was still wheezing, his congenital lung defect trying hard to catch-up to his need.

----

"Using the library in the Tower isn't going to work. I can't remember anything I read. I remember reading but not what I read."

Baran smiled back at her, "You're touching something very powerful and it doesn't seem to be harming you. Don't get down. If your 'dream' is responding to your thoughts try to enjoy it. Keep wandering. Try things. Everything you try gives us a kind of answer. You're safe - at least so far - and there's no evidence that's going to change. I wonder? You may be in some kind of half-dream. The tower might be 'talking' to you. Telling you a kind of story. Tell me everything ... if you don't mind. And Thank you for holding this 'responsibility'. You're doing us all a great service." He turned away from her and the smile stayed there watching the sky and enjoying his friends and a moment of quiet.

----

"Ummm... Baran, should we take a look at Library of Korranberg. Last time I was here, I ummmm... missed the opportunity to visit it."

Baran's mind was elsewhere. He heard his name and slowly came to, "Wha' ..." He looked at the team worried "Come all this way and not visit the library, 'The' Library?!" His eyes were big and he waited, worried one of the others might say there would be no time.

----

He sighed "So tickets & message first. Then a room - if there's not something leaving straight away. Then food. Then a bath. Then Library.

Fair? And we do everything together." ... "We need to nominate a safe place to use as a regrouping point if something happens. Or we all just run home, I guess, and regroup there."

Baran's heart jumped a beat when Erix suggested they might leave right away. He immediately began plotting on how to divert that possible leaving. "If you'd like I can go get the tickets while you suss out the food."

He refused assistance "Three casters, a dream prophet, and a soldier who can see in the dark. Pretty obvious who needs to take the night watches. You lot can do the other chores. Someone needs to dig latrines."

Phin had thought Erix had a good handle on knowing his limits before asking for help but he had a worn look about him now with sunken eyes that made her realize enough was enough. The rogue rounded on her former charge, "Cub! Are you telling me that you haven't even attempted to wake me during the night to help with watches?!? That is unacceptable! I am no dream prophet." The air seemed to go out of her sails, "I'm sorry. I had just assumed you had tried to wake me and couldn't. If I can't rely on you to wake me for my turn then from now on I take first watch...end of story."

With regards to the info about the Tower, I think everyone can assume that anything Kirsdrake writes about it or that I write for Phin in her dreams that Phin would pass along that info. I just don't want to write it again in a recap form because that may get redundant. Phin won't hold any info back or keep any experience to herself.

...The tower might be 'talking' to you. Telling you a kind of story. Tell me everything ... if you don't mind. And Thank you for holding this 'responsibility'. You're doing us all a great service.

The elf gave a lopsided grin, "I'm happy to do it, it seems important. But I feel more like a vessel or a tool than me doing a service." She then proceeded to tell Baran and whoever else wanted to listen, every detail she could remember from her experiences in the Tower.

...And we do everything together...

Erix's following maniacal laughter garnered a concerned look from Phin, "And that's why you are getting some sleep as soon as your stomach is full. As much as I agree that we should all stay together, I also don't think Erix and I will be much help at the library. I'm thinking maybe we get our tickets back to Sharn for a couple days from now, get a room or two and some food, Erix gets some sleep while I keep watch over him while you others go to the library and do some research." She looked apologetically at Alua, "I'm not sure if the library is something you're interested in but I think the other two need a chaperone. If you'd rather watch over Erix and I go to the library instead, that's okay too. But Erix has to sleep, of that I won't compromise."

Phin had thought Erix had a good handle on knowing his limits before asking for help but he had a worn look about him now with sunken eyes that made her realize enough was enough. The rogue rounded on her former charge, "Cub! Are you telling me that you haven't even attempted to wake me during the night to help with watches?!? That is unacceptable! I am no dream prophet." The air seemed to go out of her sails, "I'm sorry. I had just assumed you had tried to wake me and couldn't. If I can't rely on you to wake me for my turn then from now on I take first watch...end of story."

Erix looked like a guilty boy for a moment. "But Auntie Phin, at your age you need your beauty sleep!" He shrugged "If I can nap from set up to sleep, and someone takes over at dawn, I'm okay. Though I am kicking myself for deciding carrying emergence coffee rations into a dig site was a bad idea. Besides... exhaustion makes when I do sleep I don't dream."

---

"... I also don't think Erix and I will be much help at the library..."

"Trust me, if we spend time in a library I will be sleeping. I should really check out the Alchemy sections though - my teacher keeps raving about it." He sighed, then brightened "Do you think they'd have anything on my, uh, lack of shadow?"

Re: Library. Much like Sharn’s Morgrave University, the library here is open to all, for a small free of 1G/person/day (would be free for students, like the perk Baran enjoys in Sharn). You could upgrade that to 5G/day to make use of the library’s clerks to find you the books you want instead of doing laborious work with the indexes yourself. Having access to the library grants a +4 bonus to all knowledge checks associated with the library’s colleges’ areas of expertise and a +2 bonus with all other topics. You are not allowed to take any of the books out of the library (or outside the college grounds if you are a student), but you have access to ink and paper to make notes.

Thing to note, however, is that the more rare, valuable, old and fragile and plain powerful and dangerous works are locked in more private parts of the library closed to public. The second level of those libraries would be open to students of the relevant colleges, and the most rare and dangerous books of all would be available only to students with a specific permission from the masters of the colleges.

Re: Tickets. No issues here, just decide the date you want to board the train and whether you want first class or economy tickets. Same with food and lodging. Plenty of restaurants and inns here to choose from, and while a few of the restaurants are scaled for gnomes almost everyone one of those, too, have human-sized dining areas outside. You will find the locals very friendly and interested in who you are and what’s the purpose of your visit (particularly those citizens you happen across at the edges of the city, who see you arrive from the east, looking like you have been on the road for some time), but Lupi and Baran have already warned you how Zil gnomes regard information as power and that who knows when a piece of information might become useful.

Anyway, plenty of opportunities to kick back here. For simplicity’s sake, lets go with Sharn-level prices for things, so as for lodging… one night per person, depending on quality, would be either 3sp (Poor), 6sp (common), 11sp (Good) or 2gp (Extravagant). Breakfast will be included in the price, quality matching that of lodging, so from watery gruel and hard bread to tables groaning under the weight of fresh and exotic delicacies. Please refer to the usual site for meal prices if you want to eat out.

Alua mentioned hot baths, and those could be had in common-level inns (for a small extra free for lodgings under extravagant level), but there will be a couple proper bath houses in the city as well, that offer all sorts of opportunities to indulge in waters hot and cold and rich with minerals, steam rooms and expert massages and the like. Say, 3sp for a spin, and 1gp if you want to be treated as kings or queens for one luxurious afternoon.

Give me some directions so we can figure your spending, and if you feel like writing, feel free to invent shops and inns and establishments to enjoy yourselves in ;^)