GM-Foxy's Homebrew Land

Game Master Foxy Quickpaw

"No." Gorm replies.

"I have a job for you. There were some irregularities with the collection of our security fees. We need a proper documentation of that and it seems prudent that a woman takes over that job."

"The money will be returned to me. The service fee is a silver a day."

"Shall I start a new notebook for that?" Persephone inquires.

On Gorms agreement she takes an empty book from the shelf and ponders how to create a table in it to have an easy overview.

"When and where will that be collected?" Persephone asks Gorm.

"I don't really care. So far the ladies found one of the guys to hand them the silver whenever they showed up and wherever they found one. You can bring in any structure you want."

"Maybe come up with something to make sure our guys know who payed for the service."

"Ok. I'll find Finn and see what works best." She closes the notebook and takes it along on her search for the foreman of the workers.

First she does a walk up and down the docks, taking a look into the warehouse and if he isn't found there she moves on to look inside the Blue Marlin.

Finn is busy with one of the other bookkeepers to hand out the wares to Zolkar.

"Hello Zolkar, how's it going?" Persephone greets the shop keeper.

"Finn, I need you to explain to me how the collection of the service fee from the ladies worked so far, that I get an idea how to organize that properly for bookkeeping."

Zolkar is unsettled by the fact that Persephone does Marinelli's bookkeeping. He looks nervous at Finn and Persephone. "All good." he replies and keeps stacking boxes on his cart.

He is glad once he can sign the receipt, accept the invoice and leave with his cart.

"Let's go to the Blue Marlin." Finn suggest.

Once there he orders two beers and listens to Persephone presenting the issue at hand. "You best set up shop here, and I tell the guys to send them all to you. And you tell them how you want to handle it in the future."

"I can do that. This starts around sunset, right?" Persephone enjoys the ale with Finn and speculates with him what might have gotten Gorm to extend the bookkeeping to this branch of the enterprise.

Then she leaves to meet up with someone. She doesn't need a drink, as she just had one, and it's too early to go to The Pig's Whistle for fun anyway.

Finally she decides to fetch the clothes for the orphanage and visit Dearil at the Golden Knight to discuss modalities of handing the money over.

"Hi. I went to the orphanage and met Grelod. Ten gold a month is a big deal there. But I don't think it is worth making a big deal of it. Going public might also make public that you lived there once. And posing with poor kids for sympathy points looks like bad character to me. And it wouldn't impress those vain nobles. How shall they receive the money?"

"Wow. I don't remember being there. But I guess at the moment I should be recognized as far away from an orphanage as possible."

"You bring them the money and keep me and Menan away from it." Dearil checks on a small wooden box and hands a pouch with ten gold to Persephone.

"Pay that and then check on the ghost. I got some meetings this morning about rebuilding the castle and I need to know for sure the ghost is gone."

"I'lkl take care of that and will ask Father Grimburrow to check that there are no undead left in the place." Persephone acknowledges and leaves again.

She walks to the orphanage and knocks at the door. "Hello, I'm back."

"Hello, come in." Grelod is busy cleaning the floor.

"I got some clothes and the coins for this month." Persephone tells. "Shall I put it on the table?"

"The clothes, yes, thank you." Grelod puts the broom to the side and takes a look at the clothes.

"But I have a request: Could you go shopping for me? When people see me, they expect that I ask for alms. If I appear with that much money they might get the impression I'm rich, and no longer feel charitable. Then we'd just be as poor as before."

"I need warm blankets. At least a dozen, better two dozen. The nights are getting cold already. If there is still money left after that, I'd take more clothes."

"I can do that. A nice opportunity to visit Zolkar. See you later."

Persephone keeps the coin and walks through town, taking in the scenery. The old houses, some of which are in good repair and some not. Most of them built from wood, straw and clay. And the change towards the boulevard, where most houses are in top condition and many are even.

"Hello Zolkar. I need blankets, warm ones. What do they cost?"

"Hello Persephone. They are 5 silver a piece. They are stacked over there if you want to take a look."

Persephone walks over and feels what quality they are. "I like them. I'll take twenty of them."

"Maybe count if there are twenty of them on the stack. I ordered some to stack up for winter, but I'm not sure if I put them out already, or if they are still somewhere in the back."

Stack Hight: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
He takes a look and ponders if there are enough, or if he should go check. He makes a step in that direction but then decides against. He kneads his fingers and finally presses out "You're working for Marinelli?"

"Yeah I do. For quite a while now. The pay is quite good. The interesting thing is, I still don't know who was screwing with you and the others. I see the wine in the books and in the warehouse. Regular business."

"Did you have any further problems after your shop got messed up?"

She finishes counting. "It's only 14 blankets."

"No, no, everything's fine. I'll check in the back for the other six blankets." Zolkar replies and wanders off.

A few minutes later he reappears with a big stack of blankets. "I've got 15 here. Just bring five more from there. You're taking them with you, or should I make a delivery?"

"Delivery it is. To the orphanage to the hands of Grelod." She puts the ten gold on the counter.

"I have things to do and places to be, so goodbye."

Outside she wonders. She hasn't seen Faerveren and also no sign of the Variels so far. Anyhow - at least Father Grimburrow shall be found at his usual place.

Persephone walks over to the cemetery and takes some minutes to stand at the family grave.

Father Grimburrow is on the cemetery raking leaves. He comes over to join Persephone after few minutes. "How are you doing?"

"Well, could be better, could be worse." Persephone replies. Because What are you going to answer if you found out it wasn't your brightest idea to murder your little brother.

Change of topic. "I'm here, because Dearil wants to know if the ghost is gone before he sends the masons and carpenters there. Would you come along to check? I mean it is easy to go into the room with the table and the throne and see if it shows up. But if it doesn't is that proof?"

"I can come and check. Where are the others?"

"I don't know. Faerveren wasn't home and the Variels I haven't checked on. I think they still live with that horse lady, but I'm not sure. Never been there."

"It would be better to have more people if the ghost still is there. And if the ghost wants to talk we'd need Menan."

"Let's go and find him."

Father Grimburrow leads the way to the premises of Lady Adelaide, where he asks for the Variels.

Menan and Arawyn are returning from time on the horses. "Good day father. I hope it is good news you bear. Persephone."

"Good day to you too."

"It is no news I have. We want to check on the ghost of Fallon Duke of Seacrest to check if it is gone. And in case it is not, we'd like to have you along to talk to him."

"A good idea." Menan and Arawyn guide their horses very slowly trying to match the walk speed. On the way Menan asks father Grimburrow "You seem to be quite familiar with ghosts. More than me by any means. The ghost recognized me as my great uncle. It did not recognize Dearil at all. What do you make of that? I would think he would recognize his own son."

"I'm no ghost, so I can't tell what it saw in you. If it's a special Variel vibe that you give off, or that you're just an elf with similar looks as your great uncle."

"From my experience ghosts aren't just the same people, but incorporeal. Like zombies. Same body, but the mind is gone. With ghosts the body is gone, and a particular thing obsesses what is left of the person that can't move on. At least that is my impression. I might be wrong. But ghosts usually don't offer themself for proper examination."

Over the chat you arrive at the ruins. All looks like always, but the corpses of the goblins stink now and have drawn the attention of rats and insects.

Luckily there are no corpses in the ghost's preferred room.

As you stand there, the same procedure as last time repeats.

The ghost enters from the right, takes its seat and demands to know "Have you done my bidding Variel?"

"Yes, Fallon. It has been done."

"Has the orphanage been provided?"

"Has the House of Flame been paid?"

"Has the remaining wealth of the family been handed to my heir, and has he taken over the throne?"

"The orphanage is being provided for. The House of Flame is very close to Dearil. Their compensation will be more than mere tuition. Dearil has ownership of the family wealth including the throne. He has made his initial appearance in town and is known as the Duke of Seacrest."

Depending on your own view of what you said I'd like to have a diplomacy or a bluff roll to persuade the ghost.

Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 17

"Then all is well and I can leave my throne for my heir to take the seat."

Fallon gets up, walks to the back of the throne and puts his hands on the backrest. He gazes into the distance.

"Finally."

He turns and leaves and on the way out of the room the ghost fades away.

Persephone gives Menan a thumbs up. "Looks promising. What do you say Father?"

Father Grimburrow casts a spell to check if the ghost is gone. "Yes, I feel no undead presence anymore."

For as long as the spell lasts, the priest walks about the house to check it all out. "I'd say we're good here. That is a great day for Pharasma!"

"Ok, if that is done now, I guess I'll get the cart to remove those goblins. Time to feed our Otyugh. Or is there anything else to do?" Persephone inquires.

Menan walks over to the father and places a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you Pharasma."

Father Grumburrow smiles at Menan. To Persephone he nods in agreement as she suggests the removal of the corpses, but raises a brow when informed how. "That is an odd wy of dealing with that."

"But we won't put them on a cemetery anyway, so..."

Arawyn looks at Persephone and says ""Ewww that is gross. Someone must do it, though. Better anyone but me. I need to work with my horse, thank you." She heads back to the manor.

"Thank you for coming along." she tells Father Grimburrow. "I wish you luck for the race." she tells Arawyn and Menan.

Then she leaves and fetches the cart that is ruined anyway by old corpses from her yard. She also brings a pitchfork and a cover. She laughs at herself that she volunteers for cleaning work that is so much worse than what she had to do with her stepmother.

Back at the castle she tries to animate a goblin as a zombie. That works like a charm, but that stupid little sucker doesn't understand what "Pick up this corpse and put it on the cart." means. After playing around a bit and finding that she can make it follow or stay and probably attack she leads it on the cart and destroys it with two castings of cure light wounds. It would have been more clever to make a skeleton. That she could have smashed with her mace.

The rest of the corpses she collects with the pitchfork. Once she got all, she pushes the cart back to her yard. There beneath the outhouse is an opening into the sewers. She throws one corpse in and flushes it down with a casting of create water. That she repeats until all corpses are gone in hopes, that Garfield will find them himself without being told. To improve the chances she shouts into the opening "Garfield, feeding time!"

Meanwhile Lord Vanderbuilt returns to his manor. He looks pale as death and is shaking. In his hand he clutches the contract that is his ruin. The shame!

He walks to the garden shed and gets some rope. He tries to avoid all the servants and especially his wife. He doesn't want to explain how he staked all the remaining wealth of the family on one card and it blew up in his face.

He sneaks into the bedroom and grabs a chair and puts it under the chandelier. As he can't reach the hook at the ceiling he ties the rope to the chandelier itself. He binds a noose, puts it around his neck and slowly lowering himself into the noose he kicks away the chair.

The chair hits the floor hard and the chandelier jingles as Lord Vanderbuilt struggles at the rope.

As the couple heads into town Menan indicates they should report back to the duke.

"Ah, the Variels. Nice to see you. How is taking over the world coming along?"

Menan chuckles. "Well I think we are off to a good enough start. We have confirmed that the ghost is no longer present in your castle."