It's alright, such things happen to everyone, I've certainly had my burnouts. If you think it's best to wrap this adventure up, I'll stand by that decision. I think we can write up a bit of an epilogue with some of our ideas and call it good.
I hope you're doing well otherwise. Burnout can be tough, but switching to the player's side for a while helped me out at least. I usually take a 2-3 month break between campaigns I run.
As for ideas, I was considering having Anita making a move on Lindaer, should both players consent of course. Making friends with kobolds is always on my list too. ;p
With a quick couple gestures, Anita dries and cleans her clothes of the spilled drink. As they make their way back to the Academy proper, she openly complains of the tavern's surly owner and lack of signage barring magic. Eventually though, she falls back to good humor.
"That sour-faced half pint was so quick to throw us out he forgot to collect payment. Hah! ...How about we head back to the dorm and have some real fun? I think -hic- I brought some cards and other such games we could play."
Anita falls, spilling her drink all over herself and the floor."I'm alright... I think. I'm feeling a little numb, though the bartender's hospitality is noted. Perhaps it's best we take our leave."
She tries to stand, but has some difficulty.
"Um... some help please, Hireath." Working together, they manage to get the human girl up. Habitually brushing herself off, Anita takes her leave, all while glaring daggers at the little barman.
"Heehee, if you wish. Then behold!" Anita spies a pair of students sitting together and with a flourish of her hands she casts Unnatural Lust on the younger of the two. The half-elf is suddenly filled with an incredible desire for her gnomish companion.
"Let's start easy, eh?" The bard says with a wink. As soon as she's done casting, she hides her hands and plays innocent. She can't hold a straight face though.
Unnatural Lust has a save DC of 15. Hopefully the low roar of the tavern hides the verbal component of her spell.
The human girl tries to focus herself, but is starting get giggly. "I...I think there are such things around Lindaer, though I doubt this school has such things. We're here to learn magic, not marital arts, heehe."
Anita beams at Hireath's ideas. "Yup, I could make the barkeep fall in love with that counter he keeps polishing. Though maybe he is already, hehe." She fumbles with her bag for a moment, as if looking for something and smiles to herself when she finds it.
"Shall I get this party started? ...also I can't pay, I spent all I had on copper."
Anita hiccuped, and covered her mouth with an embarrassed look. Quickly trying to draw attention away from herself, she turns to Lindaer. "And what of you Lindaer? What do you do for entertainment?"
The inquisitive girl had to make sure her intel was right, and took a big gulp of her drink without hesitation. It was almost cloyingly sweet, but the spices helped diffuse the feeling and the end result was quite pleasant.
Constitution:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
"For fun?" Anita said with a giggle. "Well, I would spend time with the birds and sing them songs. If you know the right ones, they'll return the favor, it's really quite beautiful." The human girl hums a little tune to herself before remembering to continue the conversation.
"It may surprise you, but I did also have a talent for fencing. The clash of steel and wits was always a thrilling experience. It's a shame, I left my foil at home. I didn't think I'd need it." Anita pretends to cry before laughing it off. She might be a little drunk...
Lowering her voice, she looks around the room to see if anyone's listening before whispering. "But if you want to have fun right here, I happen to have picked up a spell that potentially could be quite amusing. In an old dusty tome, I found a spell that can cause anyone to fall in love with anything, if for but a moment. What do you say? Should we cause a little trouble?" Anita gives the others conspiratorial wink.
Looking around, Anita spots a chalkboard listing and decides to finish their order. "How about some bread and err... the house special meat pies? I think that'd do for us." Waving the server away, she turns to Hireath.
"I've passed through a couple taverns with Mother. The drinks and rest would help keep our guard's morale up. They'd play games of chance or darts, nothing that would particularly interest me. However in most of the taverns we stopped in, there'd be a performer of sorts. Singing, comedy or some such. I did come across this particularly talented one named Getti the Storyteller. He had the most fascinating tales, though I admit a few were on the bawdy side." The human girl laughs at the memory. "He was pretty charming if you ask me, though you couldn't really tell from the mask he wore."
"Here though, we'd likely see a performance by the upper classmen. There are plenty of bards at the college after all. Any of them looking to make a little coin on the side probably puts in a performance." Anita pauses for a moment before asking, "Say Hireath, what do you do for fun?"
Anita rolls her eyes as Vernon immediately abandons them. Flagging over a server, she prepares to make an order. "I've heard the Butterbeer is good, let's get two.." she looks around at her remaining companions, trying to gauge interest. "-three of those please. Any of you particularly hungry?"
Before they leave, Anita makes sure to point out her plan. "Well, Hireath I believe that just because we have a book doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet, so to speak. The other students may come looking for it once they discover that the dragon no longer has it. In all honesty, they would have an easier time just taking it from us after we did all the hard work, no? Perhaps that's what they've been waiting for..."
The bard shakes her head and continues, "Anyway, this decoy is here to help ensure the real thing's safety, once we find a good hiding spot. We're the only team who's actually held the real thing in our hands, so should our rivals find the fake amongst our belongings, they're likely to take it and make their escape. Meanwhile the real thing is safe. We'd also learn that the other teams are onto us."
After he asks his question about Butterbeer, Anita turns to Lindear and says; "Butterbeer is an non-alcoholic beverage that tastes of caramel... or so I've heard. It's probably best we don't become inebriated during our entrance exam, no?"
"Pretty well I think." Anita holds up the fake copy of Astral Fires and the Endless Sea."I think it looks pretty convincing if I do say so myself."
Setting the book down, the human girl reflexively straightens her clothing. "We've worked hard for the last two days. Perhaps it's time we rested, go to the Tavern perhaps? Can't say I'm pleased to see drunkards and hear their bawdy singing, but it is someplace we have yet to visit. The butterbeer is rumored to be good, at the very least."
"Well I should hope not! We are not likely to survive the year!" Anita gives a heartfelt laugh before looking Lindaer in the eyes. "Still, perhaps I should keep my eyes on you. Make sure you don't get in any more trouble, hmm?" She gives a cheeky smile and titters to herself.
The girl brushes her hair out of her face and stands up. "I believe I've completed this forgery and the clubs should letting out any minute now. Let's catch up with the others shall we?"
Sorry for the holdup, I've been busy with my new job and it's wearing me out. Had a bit of writer's block as well.
"Typical!" Anita says with a laugh. "I tried to appeal to her sense of nobility, with little success. Perhaps the puffed-up reptile is still a younger blue dragon. Still, the two of you put yourselves at quite the risk!" The human says with a concerned look.
"Well, Lindaer I must congratulate you! It must have been quite intimidating to meet the fatty reptile in the flesh. Can't say that I'd ever seen a real dragon before, especially so close! There have been illustrations of course, but it doesn't quite prepare you for the real thing. To think there'd be one so repulsive. How did you wrest the book from that greedy worm?" The human girl looks at the drow with an expression of excitement mixed with curiosity.
If you want to impress Anita, this is a good opportunity.
Anita was a little distracted by Lindaer's attempts to read the book she was copying, but it did not detract from her work overmuch. Soon enough, the project was done and a forgery was made. Now then, what do we do with the original? she thought to herself.
While I'm having fun, things have gotten more busy for me as well. The game has always been a bit slow, but recently that's increased quite a bit. I admit I've been slow on my end due to IRL reasons and with my new job, things are going to stay that way for a while.
So here's my proposal: We've gotten our first book! We've made it, at least for now. We could fast forward to the end of the week, and I think, the campaign? Finish the game right, rather than let it peter off into oblivion. I had some ideas of what I wanted to happen, but I'm happy to get a resolution to our short adventure.
If we want to keep going, I'm perfectly fine with that, but this is probably our best opportunity to finish things. So I figure it's good to at least put it on the table, so to speak.
Do we want to keep going, or work together to cook up an ending?
Oops. I was intending to buy a blank book that looked like our target, but never specified the one I bought as blank.
It was strange, Anita almost could not believe she was holding on of the three books they needed. In a way she felt relieved, but another larger part of her was filled with anxiety. it was much more difficult to retrieve the book from the Library than it was to take it from her. She had to take steps to make sure it was as protected as possible.
She set to her writing desk, pen and ink ready to work overtime. With flick of her wrist, she cast Scrivener's Chant to copy Astral Fires and the Endless Sea into the blank duplicate. It would take quite some time, but she had prepared all the ink she needed. Hopefully the decoy would come in handy, or perhaps it was better that it didn't.
Lingustics, Forgery:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
While mostly focusing on copying the writing, Anita got a skimming look of the contents of the book as well.
"Thank you Hireath. I think I have an Idea that can help us in the coming days." Anita takes the book in her hands, carefully inspecting the cover and design. She had a lot of work to do, but hopefully it would be worth it.
Anita seems honestly impressed things went as well as it did. "Very well done! Lindear, Hireath, I think this clinches our place in the Academy, at least for now. Come, let us return to our dorm."
Anita waits just beyond the kobold's territory wondering how Lindaer and Hireath were doing. She looks over to Vernon with a worried expression. "Well, Vernon? Should we just wait here for them or shall we risk the Brass King again?"
"Very well, Hireath. Just don't be afraid to call on us for help." Anita sighs in relief but quickly catches herself. She once again lifts the bag of coppers over her shoulders and opens the door for the rest of her companions.
Anita recognizes what happened to Hireath, having happened to herself not so long ago. She turns the dials to High Ethics and Middle Morals. Partially as an experiment and partially out of curiosity, hoping nothing too bad will happen.
As she watched, Anita prepped herself at the controls, ready to flip them to Elysium should Hireath start reacting negatively. She hoped the tiefling wouldn't suffer too much.
"Alright, I'll try the opposite then. Let's just make sure you're ready and unmarked before we continue." Anita takes a moment to brace herself before turning the dials to Low Ethics, High Morals. In a low voice she said, "Be safe Lindaer."
Anita fidgets a bit over the controls. Did she do it right? She'd been the viewer last time and didn't get to see how Vernon had operated the machine. The drow's reaction was puzzling, perhaps she had gotten it wrong? "Are you alright Lindear? What do yo see?"
"Very well, I will operate the telescope." Now that she was back, Anita felt an urge to peer once more upon the Hells, but was content to wait her turn. She slowly turns the dials to High Ethics, Low Morals. "Be careful Lindear, It's easy to get caught up in everything you see."
Satisfied with her handiwork, Anita hands the dagger back to Hierath, handle first. She then picks up her sack of coins and thought for a moment before exclaiming, "Check your belongings, they might have taken something!"
Attack Spiderweb:1d20 ⇒ 13 Damage:1d4 ⇒ 2
Teetering, Anita slashes at the spiderweb as well as she can manage while held aloft. It wasn't a very deep cut, but hopefully it was enough for the web to give under Hireath's weight.
If this wasn't enough, Anita resolves to summon an eagle with Summon Nature's Ally and have it bite the web with its beak.
"Oh my! Hireath try to relax, we'll get you down from there!" Anita tries to reassure the tiefling girl, but isn't actually sure what she can do. If only I had a dagger or some other sharp Instrument."I.. I guess I can catch you Hireath! Be careful!" Anita drops the sack she was carrying and rolls up her sleeves, this is probably going to get messy.
"If we're going to make a performance, I'd like to practice at least a little before hand. Perhaps we can even create some kind of story!" The bard titters behind her hand, but refocuses. "Let's deliver our bounty, perhaps the gluttonous lizard will be impressed by the speed we collected her prize. Once it's delivered, we should take the opportunity to explore the Library if our negotiations fail."
Anita hefts one of the bags with surprising ease, the human girl is stronger than her appearance might suggest. "I suppose I am ready as I can be."
The party's own stuck-up blonde says, "I suppose now we decide what to do with the coin we have. Leaving it here is risky, I think it would be best if we deliver most of the coin to the bloated pig-drake. Once it is in her possession it is no longer our problem. Are we all prepared to make an expedition?" Anita looks rather proud of the coinage she's collected and allows herself a moment to stretch.
"I have just about all the things I need for our backup plan, maybe get some treats or whatnot to placate our audience and make them relax. Let me give you a quick rundown. Hireath, as before, you're going to sneak to the pedestal in the kobold's den and swap it for the fake." The human girl points to a smallish blue book she left on the table.
"I plan to perform a dance in order to distract them. Most of my lessons were for ballroom waltz, but I did learn some more energetic ones in my spare time. Lindaer, those flames of yours would make quite the spectacle. Can you set me ablaze without injuring me? And you, Vernon, you're in the Music club, correct? Any form of musical accompaniment would greatly improve the show. While I don't relish the idea of performing for the amusement of savages, I think the results would be worth it. If we must fall to this plan, we should get some practice in before the real show."
Anita looks up from her pile of carefully stacked coins and says, "I'm still counting the coin, but from the weight of it, I'd say we're about three quarters of the way there! The day's just started, we could still get all of it before we go for our fallback plan. If nothing else, this big pile of coins gives us a good reason to be down in the kobold's lair." She finishes another stack and starts a new one, the clink of copper filling the air.
"As much as I dislike the prospect, there could also be copper hiding in the Library itself, though that'd be a shot in the dark at best. I think now's the time we decide if we keep pursuing the copper trade or start preparing for a heist." Satisfied with this particular pile of coins, Anita carefully scoops the copper back into the empty bag and begins another.
"Hireath, those scrolls you made fetched a decent price. I think even if our plan fails and we're expelled, you could make a living. At least enough to support your family." Anita says to her half apologetically.
Well, Anita certainly wasn't planning on carrying all that metal, the porter had to carry all of the copper back to her dorm. She had hired the man for a full day and was going to get her money's worth. While initially frustrating to deal with the insipid shopkeepers and the like, she was in the end quite pleased with the day's bounty. If the others could find even half of what she had acquired, they had it made.
Settling into the dorm room, she resigned herself to a long morning of counting money.
Anita traveled lightly to town, leaving behind all of her equipment except the money and the scrolls she had collected. Before going to any of the stores, the bard makes her way to the local courier to have her letter delivered. On collect of course, Father could easily pick up the tab.
She sells what scrolls she can and purchases a book that looks as similar she can remember to the copy of Astral Fires and the Endless Sea. Making her way to the tailor, Anita picks up a rather provocative dancer's dress as well as a draconic theater mask. Once her backup plan was complete, She rest of her money was exchanged for copper pieces, copper dust, wire and anything primarily made of copper (Copper pots, pans, etc).
Purchasing Funds 23G + Scrolls
Entertainer's Outfit 3G
Monster Mask for 5G
Sack (as many as required) 1S each
Porter (labor) 1S
Copper ???
Any left over money will be spent on as much ale as she can afford. Drunk kobolds are probably less observant.
"It's still early enough in the morning, We have some time to prepare. I have a proposal. Vernon and Lindaer attend classes, see what we might learn there as well as keep an eye on our competitors. Hireath, if anywhere was to have the copper we need, it would most likely be the Artificing club. Check there and see what we can acquire. As for me, I plan to head into town and make exchanges for what copper we can as well as make preparations in case things go wrong."
Anita pours herself an additional cup of tea. "Any scrolls you're comfortable with selling, I'll take with me. Hireath might find more use for our gold should we need to trade for copper materials they have. If anyone has any other plans, let's hear them out before going our separate ways. Good luck everyone and let's meet back here once our tasks are complete." The human girl downs her fresh cup before standing up to leave.
"Oh, and can anyone play an instrument? I'm planning a little show for our kobold friends should the need arise. Might help keep the eyes off you, Hireath." Anita says with a wink.
Anita nods to Hireath's suggestion. "I have no objections to that, I never quite got the hang of alchemy myself. We might even create some potions or some such in class we could sell, if I'm lucky." With a titter she says, "If only we could transmute lead to copper, like in the old legends. The bloated wyrm made it clear it would accept anything made of copper, not just coins."
The human girl thinks to herself for a moment before speaking aloud. "I think we should move on this book today, whether or not we can procure the coinage. Hireath, perhaps you may procure some form of copper from the Artificing Club? Our target book is blue and about these dimensions." Anita mimes the shape of the book with her hands. "We might be able to purchase a similar one somewhere and replace it. Be careful though, I hear the student library is rather draconian about their late books. Come to think of it, I might be able to create a copy if we were to get a similar blank book."
If Anita was able to come up with any location for money exchanging or knowledge on Kobolds, she'll share it now.
"Yes, Quite well Hireath."Anita lied,"And how about you? Today looks to be quite busy."
As the kettle was warming, Anita had taken the liberty of reviewing some of the Academy's layout in hopes of finding some place where money could be exchanged. A small book on Draconic and it's dialects was lying open nearby, showing an image of a kobold and the words "Yipyak". She had likely searched the book for anything it might have said about the little creatures.
The night's rest was fitful, as the sights of Hell would return to her throughout. Once she could not stand it anymore, Anita sings a small song to herself. It was a simple lullaby her mother would sing to her as she went to bed. As she sings, the bard picks up ones of Squacks' loose feathers and throws it in the air, watching as it drifted lazily back to the ground. For some reason, this comforted her enough to get back to sleep.
Anita woke up later than she had in many years, and spent a good portion of her time making herself presentable again. It wouldn't do for her to look so disheveled after all. She thought of the rather shabby looking Hireath and grimaced a little. Perhaps it would be wise to ask Father to send some extra clothes. After changing to fresh clothes, better suited to the dusty delving of the Library, Anita sat down at the writing desk. Only one piece of stationary left... best restock on those as well.
Once she had completed her letter, the human girl heated some wax and sealed it shut. Pushing her signet ring into the quickly cooling seal, the finished envelope proudly boasted her family's insignia. After preparing food for her pet hawk, Anita set about brewing tea in the common room.
"I was worried I might have to write Father for money, but I suppose we have it well in hand. As for being marked, I remember the kobolds mentioning angels as well as devils. We might be able to look upon the Heavens instead of the Hells. I think most of us would prefer that choice." Anita politely covers a yawn before continuing.
"I think I shall retire now, may you all sleep well."
"I never thought you could afford it, Hireath!" Anita snaps."I know you got in on scholarship!"
The human girl goes quiet as the others talk, focusing on making her tea.
Eventually, Anita returns with a tray of teacups and a hot kettle. Setting cups for everyone, she takes quietly takes her seat. "I'm sorry, Hireath. I'm sure you've worked hard, it's been quite a day for all of us." There flustered bard quickly downs her cup of tea and pours herself another.
"Phew. I have but a quarter of the money we need. However, those scrolls we made in Scrivening could fetch us enough money to cover our costs, should we find a buyer. If we plan to honor the bloated lizard's deal there are several obstacles. One, We need to find somewhere to exchange for the coin we need. Two, all this coin will be heavy, I personally could only carry a third of it at most. Finally, the movement of all this coin could attract the attention of our rivals. 10,000 coppers weighs 200lbs.
On the other hand, attempting to steal the book would be difficult, there's at least twenty kobolds in our way and they seem fairly alert. I had noticed something that appeared to be a hidden entrance into their chamber, but I have no idea where to access it."
Did Kiridak have any comment on the book sitting on the pedestal?
Once Anita is safely behind closed doors, the mask falls off. She's absolutely livid.
"That overgrown newt demands we bring her ten thousand copper pieces, Hireath. I've never been this insulted in my life! Being forced to haul coins, that by the corpulent lizard's own admission, are almost worthless! The blubbery reptile was clearly just trying to be rid of us. I-I... I need some tea. That insipid creature's breath almost killed me with its hateful reek and I'd be quite pleased to never see it in it's fatty squalor again.
Anita rather forcefully digs through her bag, almost haphazardly throwing a box of tea leaves onto the table. She then proceeds to start preparing the calming liquid, while cursing of bloated pig-drakes under her breath.
Anita takes her leave, once again flanked by the kobolds. As she passed the pedestal, she pointed out the book upon it. "Umm, Kiridak, was it? Might the book over there be the one the Book Wyrm speaks of? Do not worry, I just wish to look upon it, even if from afar."
------
Let's get everyone back into the game, and can I safely assume today's expedition is over?
Either way, Anita makes her way back to the rest of party, alive and well. "Alright everyone, good news. They do indeed have one of the books we're looking for! but let's make out way out of this dusty place, and speak together in private."
I'm only carrying 23 crowns myself. And to convert all of it to copper? Not only would it be impractical to carry, but weight would take it's toll upon us.
"My, that is quite a weighty sum indeed, might I enlist the aid of your kobold subject to carry it? I shall have your tithe prepared as soon as I can, Your Grace." Anita prepares to be dismissed, half-baked plans racing through her head.
Bingo! Anita tenses in excitement, but tries to relax. She didn't have the book yet, but this was one great leap of progress. "You are as wise as they say, Your Grace. My compatriots and I have come to beseech your favor. The book is key to our future. However, I would never ask the great Book Wyrm to part with one of her books in charity. Please, tell us your will so it may be done."
Once Anita was alone, away from her companions, doubts started to flood into her mind. The risks she'd taken were far beyond what she'd thought herself capable of and now it seemed she was once again jumping into the dragon's maw. How could I have been this reckless? What possessed me to look into the stupid telescope!? I wish I could just walk back to the others, but I'd be throwing away our best chance to really get anywhere. No, I've got to move forward.
Lost in her thoughts, Anita was taken aback when the kobold adressed her. Taking the mask in shivering fingers, she quickly re-arranges it to match the others around her. There are so many of them down here and- The bard stops in her tracks once she sees the book on the lectern. That's got to be something important, maybe even one of the ones we're looking for. After a moment, she realizes that she's stopped and doubles her pace trying to catch up with the kobold guide.
The reveal of a dragon was a shock to the bard, she'd been expecting some wizened kobold. After standing stunned for moment, she quickly kneels before the great beast. The dragon speaks and Anita shivers as the it's thunderous voice assailed her. She continued to gaze into the floor, hoping the wyrm hadn't noticed her fear. Careful not to interrupt the massive predator, Anita speaks as steadily as she can muster. "I am honored to be in your presence, Your Grace. I do not mean any offense by my unmarked eye, I was simply unaware of the need to switch between my two. Once the Mark was revealed upon me, I was eager to meet the Book Wyrm your subjects spoke so highly of. Please pardon my haste."
Turning back to her compatriots, Anita gives them a small wave. "Looks like this is where we part ways. At least for now." With that, she covers her unmarked eye and follows the kobolds deeper into their lair.
Do I really have to wear this ridiculous thing? Anita moved slowly, but still manages to bump into things due to her lack of depth perception. She quietly hoped the kobolds didn't see her make a fool of herself.
