Phin the Raccoon's page

"I think you're right Phin. Someone else was here ... another victim. We should check on Victor Saint-Demaine right away I think, if the kingfisher points to anything. Maybe, out the back??? Ah, sorry for the noise Alua."

Thanks for noting the post all! I loved writing it. Any hollows discovered by the knocking?

Still unnerved by the scene around her that was both familiar and strange, Phin shrugged, "If there were multiple fights here, maybe one involved taking Zelina and the other killing the shopkeeper. I find it hard to believe that Zelina would have killed the one she came to question."

My cornea transplant surgery is confirmed a go for Monday so I will be on hiatus for a bit while I heal. Please bot Phin as needed.

That's when he noticed Phin. "What's wrong??? You look, I don't know, you are too keen to be confused but ..."

The crease in Phin's brow deepened as Baran noticed she was perplexed by what she saw. "I feel like I'm missing something but can't put my finger on what it is. It is most annoying and obviously unhelpful. Sorry guys, it makes no sense that there isn't more hidden here given that the shopkeeper was essentially a lawbreaker."

Did her poking around in the fire reveal anything?

Lupi's comment linking the kingfisher to Victor caught Phin's attention. "It's starting to sound like Victor may not be on the right side of this situation. Speaking with Victor is definitely something we should consider."

Phin left the body to those more experienced and turned her attention to the room. "If this shopkeeper was doing shady things then he probably has hidden compartments or possibly a hidden exit. It seems weird that this place only has one way in and one way out."

The rogue started her search with the floor and then moved towards the walls and any furniture that may have secret compartments.

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Once the heat of the forge died down some more, Phin found something resembling a poker and started to dig through the ash to see if there was anything that someone tried to hide in the fire.

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

Mediocre rolls. Seems about right :P

Is there a way to analyze the powder now? I just assumed we'd need specialized materials. Regardless, only Erix or Lupi can do it...

As soon as Phin saw the state of the store, she knew it wasn't good. She held the others back with her arm and said quietly, "Cover me. I'll check it out."

stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

Phin crept forward quietly through the wreckage that was the silver store. She made slow progress towards the boot at the back of the shop, ready to react at the slightest threat.

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

The iron stove gave her an idea of how long ago this all happened. Once she cleared the store for the others, she would need to take a look inside the furnace to see if someone used it to try to get rid of evidence.

Phin will check out the store to make sure there is no one there. Once it's safe, she'll alert the others so they can come inside.

”Victor?” the half-elf exclaimed in surprise. ”Girl, the man has his issues and carries an ego large enough to dwarf the Argonth itself, but he’s made a career of catching criminals, not committing crimes,” the Baron scoffed, shaking his head at the very absurdity of the suggestion.

Phin bristled slightly at being called girl but never responded to the Baron's dismissal of her question. Seemed like Victor wasn't the only one with a huge ego. Who better to know how to commit a crime than one trained in catching those who do? If Victor was angry or bitter enough at having been rejected by the Baron, what better way than this to get back at him? But Phin let the issue rest.

Once dismissed, the rogue made a bee-line for the pedestal to take a look at eye lines and the rest of the surroundings in relation to it.

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

Phin tried to compartmentalize all the information that had been thrown at them. The Baron told them that the original case had happened fifty years ago so they had something to go on to look into the original case. Surely something that important, even though sensitive would have found its way into the papers or some sort of news.

Then there was still the issue about whether this was an inside job or not. The elf did have another question that hadn't been asked so she dared to make her own voice heard in the room, "Baron, do you have any reason to think that Saint-Demaine may be involved in the theft?" And possible kidnapping? but she left her second question unsaid. "Maybe he thought that you'd turn to him again since you did the first time."

As they were getting ready to take their leave she made a request, "If you would allow, Baron, may we take a look at the area where the theft occurred? I'm sure your people have been very thorough but a few more pairs of eyes may not hurt."

----

"Shall we all go to the silversmith first? Or should we split up, and some of us try to track down Saint-Demaine?"

Phin looked tentative, "I agree we should start with the silversmith but I think we should stay together. Since a criminal may be involved that can take anyone's face, splitting up is risky."

Woot! Awesome news :)

Present and ready to go whenever you are…except I am having surgery January 17. It’s an eye thing and I’ll have to be away from screens for about a month. Hopefully you’ll be willing to bot Phin during that time. Provided it isn’t postponed or anything.

It's always a relief when the morale boost comes. I'm glad that there's hope and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Echoing Alua in hoping that you continue to feel a bit better each day until you feel normal again.

"The statue was stolen soon after the previous thief escapes captivity? That hardly seems coincidental...

Phin gave a slight nod as Alua deduced the obvious. A coincidence seemed quite unbelievable. Although why go through such effort for something that they were being told wasn't extremely valuable? Did Vrinn hate the Baron that much? Or maybe he felt some need to retake the item that had gotten him caught to begin with. Either way, there was some unknown motive at work.

Phin is along the same lines as Baran in that learning more about the initial case gifting him with the statue would be helpful. She'd like to know who gifted the statue.

Also, it has been unclear about whether Zelina's team is missing along with her or if it's just her. If it's just her, isn't it strange that she arranges to meet with a suspect on her own? If the rest of her team is available, we should definitely talk to them too

Phin attempted to keep her face impassive as the Baron shared his plans to take the Lightning Rail to Wroat. Did his trip have something to do with what happened on the Rail that they had helped to keep from being disastrous? Was he going to be searching for those responsible? Or it could just be a coincidence.

Phin mentally retraced the distance from the Baron's office to the outside. Whoever had successfully robbed the Baron must have nerves of steal...or bottomless resources...or it was an inside job. Numerous possibilities flitted through the rogue's mind. It sounded like something Twelve-Fingered Betty would have pulled off but she hadn't taken credit for anything in over ten years. That left bottomless resources, in the form of one of the big three crime organizations, or an inside job.

The elf glanced at the Baron as he shared about his daughter. For his sake, she hoped that it wasn't an inside job.

Phin's mind wandered back to where the statue was stolen from. It would seem like the statue held some significance to their host if he had it prominently displayed outside his office. Was the robbery about the statue itself or something meant to insult the Baron? Or worse, it was all part of an elaborate trap to take his daughter which she assumed was meant to hurt the man before them.

Phin pulled her attention back to the conversation listening to Baran and Alua navigate the meeting.

Phin had never been inside House Medani before. She kept her mouth shut and her eyes and ears open as they were led inside. She was very aware of their rear guard who made sure that no one tarried behind more than they should.

Their group as a whole looked more presentable than they usually did and she had to admit that they cleaned up nicely. She did her best to make sure that she remained unmemorable by staying in the background because she was fairly certain that her talents were not welcomed by House Medani.

When the Baron mentioned the break-in, her interest was immediately piqued and she wondered who had had the nerve to attempt such a thing let along get away with it, which was quickly followed by wondering what was valuable enough to warrant someone attempting such a ballsy break-in. Then in passing she can't help but wonder if the break-in had anything to do with the escaped prisoners.

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
k.local: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28 (Does she know of who in Sharn could pull off such a heist?)

Baran took out his new journal and wrote on the first page Murder's Info, "I'm starting a log. Please tell me anything you've learned so far."

Just like she did when sharing about her time in the Tower with Baran, Phin started to concisely relate to their resident scribe everything she'd learned about Vrinn the night before. After giving all the facts she added, "I think our best bet would be to try to organize an audience with the Tyrants. Although that could be a feat in itself. They pride themselves of their secrecy. Barring that, we could chase the lead about him believing he's heir to the past masters of Xen’drik. Maybe that would mean he'd want a certain lifestyle or specific goods?"

-----

When Phin finally found out about their summons, she made sure to change into her best clothes because putting one's best foot forward was best when dealing with the elitist attitudes of the houses.

k.local(Tyrants),DC15: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Phin couldn't have grown up in the circles that she did without having heard of the Tyrants. They may be super secretive but if they had a common enemy in Vrinn then maybe they'd know where to start looking for him.

Baran sidled up to Phin and Erix when there was a little space from Alua and he whispered, "We can't let our interim leader go to the haling houses alone ... and perhaps, from the description of Scrimshaw's attacks, we should buy her a Good Strong hat. And if you're protecting her Erix, we'd better be watching out for Rrregla. Perhaps a gorget for you?"

Phin nodded, "Agreed."

Pocket bacon! Baran is a man after my own heart :)

Nothing beats having a sandwich bag of cold bacon within easy reach for snacking.

As Phin got ready to go out, she mentioned fishing for leads on the escaped inmates. "Perhaps we should split the group up, each take one and go fishing." She moved to stand in front of the wanted poster that she'd taken and posted on their wall. "I'll look into Rrreyln. Everybody pick one - who peaks your fancy?"

Phin looked over her shoulder at Alua, "I'll take Vrinn. Hopefully our previous experience chasing a changeling will come in handy with finding him. But even if we each take one, there's one left over. I can take whoever is left over, unless someone else wants more work."

Lharvion 21

After staying up late performing and gathering whatever information she could about the escapees, Phin was late getting to the office. No matter how hard she tried, she always had to sleep as long as the Tower wanted her to sleep. However, she did always enjoy her time spent in the Tower. She was still fascinated by the colourful light show that she was privileged to see now that she was in Sharn. This meant that she hadn't been motivated to do anything in the Tower except sit on her favourite balcony and watch the colours light up the sky.

When she finally glided into the office, everyone else was already there and they seemed all atwitter about something. Phin cleared her throat, "What's going on? Did they find one of the escapees?"

Sorry, I didn't realize that we would have to do a separate roll for each of the escapees. Since Phin thinks that Vrinn will be the hardest to find out about, she'll be most concerned about him. She figures that the others will be violent enough that they'll eventually pick up their trail. So, her stellar roll will go towards finding about Vrinn

Did you want five more rolls to find out about the others? Of course she wants to learn as much as possible about all the inmates but I realize that may not be possible in only 1 location.

Them remembering that it's her doing the asking is fair. If it becomes an issue later then she'll deal with the fall-out then.

Phin finished her set and made her way to the bar to chat with some of the locals. She started out by asking if anyone had heard of the ruckus that had happened earlier that day on the streets of Sharn and then followed it up with the story of the fall of the ettin. She didn't do it justice like Baran would have but she felt it was serviceable to get people engaged. She wondered out loud where the escapees may run to and offered her own opinion of where she may go if she had to lay low from the authorities. She watched the crowd around her to see if anyone's reactions warranted her speaking to them more one on one away from the others.

diplomacy,gather info: 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 9 + 4 = 33
sense motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

I'll see if that shakes anything loose before moving on to other taverns in the area

Lharvion (July) 20, 998 YK, evening

The delivered notes garnered mixed responses from the rogue. She gave a derisive snort at the Lightning Rail ticket. She found it almost insulting since it felt like a pay-off but also knew that these tickets cost the House nothing in the big scheme of things. The other note elicited a surprised, "Oh!" She looked at the letter-of-credit and said, "Now that reward means something."

Phin didn't really know what to make of the events of the day but what she did know was that she needed to unwind. In her experience, the best way to unwind was to perform and work out what had happened through music. Making some money and talking up the locals didn't hurt either. Part of her also felt that she needed to warn those she knew at The Forlorn Elk to be on guard against those who had escaped.

Once business had wrapped up, Phin waved goodbye to the others and made her way to Lower Menthis. She easily made her way through the crowds and couldn't help thinking how happy she'd be once the main event was over and things returned to some semblance of normal. Hoever, the party atmosphere meant that the tavern would be packed which translated to more tips...at least she hoped. If not more tips then maybe more information.

The elf pushed her way into The Forlorn Elk and waved at Clayton who was busy behind the bar. She made her way to the back room to change and then tuned her lute. She barely had time to catch her breath before there was a knock at the door and Ella poked her head in to get her to the small stage. Phin nodded before securing her things in the locker Clayton provided for his entertainers.

Phin moved gracefully through the crowded tavern and took her place off to the side where she began to play and sing. Much of the crowd were deep into their cups and so much of her performance went unnoticed but her sweet voice often cut through the din.

perform,lute: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
perform,sing: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Question before I continue: Would she get any bonuses because she's known at the tavern in gathering info? And she'll probably visit a few taverns in the area tonight so do you want me to roll separately per tavern?

Roll for Victor wasn't good enough for you to recall anything new, and as I said, for the criminals, you need to do some legwork and find things out, chase rumors, buy information, not just remember things.

I had assumed that we would need rolls to have an idea of where to start looking and given Phin's background, she may have knowledge about the seedier side of Sharn that would help to know where they may go or who they may contact if they were ever free.

Phin allowed herself a small smile at Erix as he acknowledged her role in bringing the ettin down. She sheathed her weapons and kept out of the way as the authorities arrived. She had learned in the past to make sure to stay in the background and not be memorable. She was more than happy to allow Alua and Baran to be the faces of their group while she appeared to just be a supportive player.

When the Captain pulled them aside into one of the businesses, Phin listened intently to her report of who had escaped and tried to fill-in some of the gaps with what she had learned throughout her years growing up in Sharn.

k.local Victor, DC15: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
k.local Scrimshaw: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
k.local Rrregla: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
k.local Durack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
k.local Mange: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
k.local Grimgra: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
k.local Vrinn: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

@Kirsdrake: I had assumed that she was carrying it strapped to her back. It won’t necessarily be her primary weapon but she won’t like leaving it unprotected either. As a rogue, she knows how easily one can gain access to a place and rob it.

The updated combat map looks like Phin can flank the ettin with the other guard so I will assume she gets her additional SA damage. You can remove it if I misunderstood

Phin scrambled out from under the wagon that had saved her from the ettin's attack and sprang to her feet with weapon in hand.

Seeing that the ettin's attention was temporarily fixed on Erix and the guard that had opened a nice gash in its side with their axe, Phin took advantage and made the most of her blade by plunging it deeply into the monster's back.

thornblade,IC,flank: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 1 + 2 = 22
damage: 1d6 + 4 + 1 + 2d6 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 1 + (4, 1) = 11

Phin frowned at Erix as he followed her towards the ettin but she said nothing, partly because she didn't want to draw the monster's attention but also because he was a grown man and capable of making his own decisions.

However, a string of curses erupted from the rogue's mouth as all hell broke loose when the ettin turned in pain and spotted them both. Were the others trying to get them killed? Trapped between a guard, a hobgoblin, a wall, and Erix she pushed Erix towards the wagon hoping that he would get under it and out of the way so that she could get out of the way.

Phin will take as much time as she needs to save herself. She'll slowly work her way around to hopefully get behind/flank the ettin to eventually attack but will just focus on moving until she gets into position. Let me know when you need an attack roll from her; she's moving to roughly where yellow 3 is - assuming that I understood correctly and the ettin turned to face yellow 5.

Can Phin and Erix duck under the wagon next to them or has that way been blocked too? I’m just wondering what our movement options are regarding movement.

Phin glanced around and quickly assessed her options. Seeing that the monster was engaged by the guards, it seemed distracted enough that she was confident she could get close to it. If she could cut its leg badly enough then it loses its movement and crashes to the ground, making it easier to contain.

The rogue's face is grim as she begins to move, "I'll have to stay out of its reach I guess. Don't let it use me as a club if I fail. I deserve an open casket and a parade if I die keeping others safe."

Her plan is to attack it from behind so that she gets sneak attack damage, hoping to hamstring it or cut its achilles tendon so it goes down

Phin quietly approached the ettin from behind, making sure its attention was solely on the guards. Once she got close enough, she cut deeply with her blade making sure it sliced through crucial tendons and arteries needed for the creature to stay on its feet.

thornblade,IC: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 6 + 1 = 19
damage: 1d6 + 4 + 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (3, 2) + 1 = 14

I think inspire courage is +1, correct?

Phin would like to just take advantage of it having its attention elsewhere and attack it since its back is too us. But am I understanding the map correctly in that the ettin is too far away to engage this turn? I guess Phin will just be moving if that's the case.

Do those rectangles provide any cover? I assume they're the prison wagons that you mentioned?

Ok. Based on the map, it may make the most sense for Phin to go up in order to get the drop on that thing. What kind of balconies/ledges exist on the buildings in the street and how far up would she have to go to be out of the ettin’s reach in order to get past it?

Since there isn't anything that would wrap around the corner, we'll keep this simple and not go up as a way around the corner

Once Phin saw what was involved in the commotion, her next thought was to leave the problem to the city of Sharn and let them sort it out. However, it became obvious that the others weren't going to leave it alone which meant she couldn't leave it be.

The rogue resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Baran listed off his priorities of involvement. She always forgot how naive the young were. Where were those to keep her safe when she was alone on the streets of Sharn? But then again, did she really want others to go through what she had? She could honestly say that the answer to that depended on the day. Today, keeping her people safe was her priority.

The elf jumped down from her perch and drew her thornblade and dagger, "Fine. Safety, right, got it." She nudged Erix forward, "Get going then. Unless you're okay with me breaking formation and going first."

Any balconies/ledges on the surrounding buildings that Phin could get to in order to get the drop on whoever once they get around the corner?

Thank you for bring this back into the game Phin! I wanted to talk about this and it got lost somehow

Phin the Raccoon wrote:

”Baran, do you think the Professor knew about the Tower when we went there to excavate? And if so, maybe he can help. If he can be trusted, that is.”

"Yes. He knows that 'the Tower' exists. I tried my best to cover its' discovery but he saw through it. He thinks I dropped it. He thinks I dropped it when the spacial shift struck.

"I don't know if we can trust him but I also don't know if we can not tell him. We need help understanding this thing - I mean, is it even ours?! If we can answer yes to that question then we should be able to explain that to him.

"We should have him here. I think we could convince him we are the best people to hold onto it. That we can stewart its' safety and that he can have some access to study it. In particular, you've bonded with it in some strange way. That connection may well be more valuable to its' study than anything. He seems to have a possessive nature - he displays the artifacts in his own office - but he seems intellectually curious. If we talk to him from that direction then maybe we ca keep it.

"What does everyone think?"

Phin's eyes widened, "The Professor knew about the Tower? That must mean that he read something or had some other type of information that alerted him to its existence."

The elf looked thoughtful, "As much I hate involving someone else in this, I don't think we have much choice. You guys researched for two days in another library and didn't get anywhere. Without guidance, I shudder to think how long it'll take us to learn anything of note about the Tower. We already know that whatever I learn while in the Tower can't be taken back into the real world so we need someone more knowledgable to help."

"That being said," Phin said hesitantly, "I can understand Baran's concern about the Professor wanting to claim the artifact for himself. I'm not willing to give it up because I think that would put it in danger. I can't explain it but I think it's safest with us."

The rogue looked at Baran, "Do you think that you can convince him of that? I find it hard to believe that the other dig site wasn't there for the same reason. If the Professor has it in his possession then it would be more of a target to be stolen."

This is who we need

Remember, we were underground when the maelstrom hit. Professor ir'Morain would have reported us lost in a cave collapse within a few days. If you didn't give them any personal contact information then I doubt anyone will think your gone. They would have my family contacts through school record ... and, well, billing."

Phin looked at the young man questioningly, ”Does that mean you still have your library privileges at the University? And is there someone you trust there that can help us with our research of the Tower? I have a feeling that finding out information about the Tower will be difficult unless we have an idea of where to start.” The elf looked serious as she asked her next question, ”Baran, do you think the Professor knew about the Tower when we went there to excavate? And if so, maybe he can help. If he can be trusted, that is.”

Lharvion (July) 18, 998 YK

As Baran read the story from the paper, Phin felt her blood begin to boil. She got to her feet and began to pace around the office, her fists balled in anger. When he finished, words practically exploded from her, ”Khyber-loving dwarf! Why the pretense? Why come and interview us if he was going to write drivel like that?” Then she threw herself into a chair, seemingly deflated, ”I should have known better than to hope that for once we would get a fair shake.”

Her face was unreadable when she added, ”Maybe we should pay a visit to the dwarf and find out what happened.”

Lharvion (July) 20, 998 YK

With the approach of the Race of Eight Winds, Phin found herself busier than usual with her side hustle at The Forlorn Elk. Excitement over the race meant more people were out and about in taverns, feeding off the communal energy by eating and drinking. This also meant that die-hard fans would request whatever songs they could think of mentioning the creature they supported.

Even though the rogue was sleeping more during the day so that she could work at night. She spent whatever free time she had with the others. It was one of these occasions that they found themselves in the street when a loud commotion broke out ahead of them.

Phin, climb my back, see if you can tell what's happening.

Phin barely hesitated before practically running up Erix’s back. ”Take care not to drop me, Cub.” Standing on Erix’s shoulders, the elf attempted to balance herself while Erix took a firm grip of her feet. "Quit moving! she ordered, "You're making it more difficult." She focused her keen senses on the direction of the ruckus and tried to determine what was happening.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

If you mean as a hobby, then... sports?"

Phin piped up, "Erix always had good hand-eye coordination so he was pretty good at any sport he tried." She looked over at the large man who always seemed like a boy to her, "Cub, you used to like playing anything with a ball. Is that still true? Or have you switched to more fisticuffs?"

"People thought you were dead?" she asked."We were only gone a few weeks. Word must travel fast in the university."

The elf frowned, "Does that mean the University assumed we all were dead? They didn't contact anyone, did they?" She reluctantly thought of her mother and wondered if anyone had contacted her. Phin had done such a good job of disappearing that the last thing she wanted was to be resurrected in her mother's mind by some University bureaucrat. Not that her mother would care that she was dead but if there was something to be gained, then it would pique her interest unnecessarily.

I'll get some food and some wine, or ale, or whatever you all would like. Let's play some cards, have some fun, and learn a little more about each other. What do you think?"

Phin brightened, "That sounds perfect! I can maybe help with the food and drink. The Forlorn Elk may cut me a deal since I play there regularly."

More to come later regarding Kirsdrake's latest post

Phin would be ok with telling the Professor about the artifact they found because he may actually know more about it or know where we can find out more about it. She doesn’t want anyone to take it from her/them, but she understands that in order to find out about the Tower then they’ll need to share info with someone.

Phin had never been so happy to see Sharn as she was once the Rail pulled into the station in the city. Her ordeal in the wilderness was over and she was once again among the familiar.

When she finally stumbled into her apartment, she barely got her outer clothes stripped off her body before she tumbled into bed. She slept deeply that night and her dreams were filled with the most wonderful sights.

Phin awoke in the Tower and she immediately made her way to one of the balconies. She gasped as she flung open the doors. She was completely surrounded by the lights and colours that she had seen from afar as she approached Sharn. There must be something about the inherent magical properties of Sharn that was causing the effect. That or the Tower was trying to tell her something.

There was a comfy chair placed at the balcony for her and she climbed into it and sat cross-legged as she pulled her lute into her lap. She strummed the strings in time with the shifting colours, basking in the beauty displayed in the night sky.

The elf was so entranced by the scene before her eyes that she didn't want her time in the Tower to end. She sat there for hours playing and watching the sky and completely lost track of time.

Lharvion (July) 15, Sar (Saturday), 998 YK
Zilargo, Khorvaire, morning
Sharn

Whether it was her wanting to stay in the Tower to watch the northern lights or whether it was that she was exhausted from their ordeal, Phin found it extremely hard to wake up in the morning. By the time she managed to drag herself to breakfast, she was late. She picked up a copy of the Inquisitive and dropped it on the table in front of everyone before helping herself to food. "Being 'persons unknown' isn't going to drum up any business for the agency. I wonder how long it'll take, or even if, the transportation guild to release any details about our thrilling heroics."

Lharvion (July) 16, Sul (Sunday), 998 YK
Zilargo, Khorvaire, midday
Sharn

Phin wasn't quite as late the next morning because she had decided to go to bed early in order to spend some more time watching the aurora borealis. Those that were at the office were sitting around discussing what to do next when there was a knock at the door.

The rogue was immediately on alert and got to her feet to be ready for any surprises. She found the arrival of the reporter surprising and waited to see how Alua would respond to his inquiry.

"Your sources were correct in that there was a bomb unrelated to the other attacks. A group effort of knowledge and hands-on skill allowed us to remove the device and then disarm it so that it was no longer a threat to the other passengers."

”We do have a rather broad reader base, one that may come to know your name and the role you played in the events,” the dwarf said, taking noted at furious speed. ”From what I can see, being credited for what I understand you did on the Rail cannot be a bad thing to you, professionally speaking.”

"Please make sure that you spell our name correctly, that's ir'Brock Inquisitive Agency". Phin pointed, "Just like it says on the door."

I ran out of time tonight so I hope to post tomorrow

Wroat

Phin made good use of the good-will of the other passengers as they continued their journey. Part of her thought she should pace herself so that she didn't get used to having such a full stomach all the time but really, when was this going to happen again? She got used to living on little in Sharn once and she could learn to do it again.

She didn't play as much the last little while because she was too busy telling her story of how they managed to disable the device and keep calm just after facing the Living Spell and the pirate attacks. She did search out all the passengers that she recognized from being in both the rail cars, and therefore witnesses, or their deeds and made sure to get their contact information should they need someone to back-up their statement of facts.

When the Rail arrived in Wroat, the elf was a little surprised that they were all confined to their rail cars until security had disembarked with their prisoner. She did breathe a sigh of relief as she saw the car with the obelisk removed from the Rail. Their chances of having a peaceful ride to Sharn just increased significantly. She was also shocked to see so many passengers getting off the Rail and not returning. She would assumed that their presence on the Rail as well as the removal of the car with the special cargo would have been enough to convince the others that it was safe to continue.

She opted to go with Alua and Baran for morale support and to possibly add information that may have been accidentally omitted. Phin felt that they were getting a little bit of the bureaucratic run-around but had every confidence in Alua that she would champion their case. The rogue was fairly certain that House Orien would be dealing with a much bigger disaster had members of ir'Brock Agency hadn't been aboard.

To Sharn

The first time that Phin fell asleep after leaving Wroat as they got closer to Sharn, she woke up in the Tower at night time which she felt was odd because up until now it had always been daytime. She felt drawn to a particular side of the Tower and once she stepped out onto the balcony, she immediately knew why the Tower had brought her at night. She gasped as the night sky was alight with dancing swirls of coloured light that were in stark contrast to the inky blackness of the sky. She spent her whole time in the Tower that night staring transfixed at the sky, marvelling at the vibrant colours and how they moved. She had never seen anything like it.

It seemed to take more effort to wake Phin the next morning and she shared everything she saw with the others, especially Baran since he seemed the most curious about such matters. "It's the first time that the landscape has changed in any significant fashion. And I don't know if it's important but I knew, no evidence but just knew, that the direction of the light show was south. And we're traveling south, right? Do you think it's a coincidence? Or is this another case of the Tower knowing that I'm eager to get back to Sharn and is somehow augmenting that feeling in me by translating it into my dream?" Phin shook her head as if doing so would somehow shake the jumble of thoughts in her head into something more coherent and linear. "We definitely need to do some research on this when we get back to Sharn."

Over the next day or so it was harder to find Phin awake. She was so fascinated by the dazzling light display in the night sky that the Tower showed her, that she spent as much time as she could watching it which meant that she slept most of the time on the Rail.

When they finally arrived in Sharn, Phin was loathe to wake up. She fought against it as best she could. Only rough shaking was able to pull her away from her time in the Tower and when she got her bearings, she realized that they were almost home.

Is Sharn south from where we are now? Just wondering if Phin instinctively knows which direction is south because she knows Sharn is south. It sounded to me that Sharn is creating the northern lights somehow but maybe I’m reading too much into it.

As for highlights, I’d suggest relaying the defeat of the Living Spell, talking the manic bomber down before knocking him out, removing the device, and disabling it. And most importantly, doing this all while keeping all the passengers safe :) .

Phin got to her feet, putting her tools away. "No one is trying to make anything worse, Sir. We're glad that we could help but a little recognition of the work that we did, as you yourself said was damn fine work, would be nice. I think that's why our boss would like to make a report and not necessarily to point out any flaws. I'm sure that whatever special cargo the Rail is carrying has made this trip beyond ordinary for you."

She pointed at the disabled device the guards were holding and gave a lopsided smile, "You're lucky I was here or you'd have had quite the mess."

"Do you need anything else from us right now? I know that after the last thirty minutes I've had, I could really use a drink."

And don't forget disarming the dangerous device. That takes skill!

Phin looked around the car and shrugged, "No one is here to witness what happened to the vest. There's nothing to say we have to turn over any evidence or even turn the guy in. The threat is past and people probably just want to get on with their rail ride. If you're really worried about someone looking for the vest then toss it out one of the broken windows. If you do it over water or a remote area then it'll never be found. But aren't dragonshards valuable?"

Phin looked up from where she was working on the vest with shock, "Twelve moons! You all want to toss a live explosive from the rail? We have no idea how powerful the boom will be. What if it derails the cars? I say I disarm it first and then you can toss it from the rail."

The rogue continued to work on disarming the device now that it was off the man. She used the engineering advice from both Baran and Lupi to diffuse the device.

disable device,DC20: 1d20 + 12 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 12 + 4 = 28

Baran should follow his heart. It's done him well so far. He'd make an awesome swashbuckler or an awesome bard :)

You nearly got us blown to this side of Dolurrh! And not just us! An entire train of civilians!

The elf grinned at Baran and Erix, "But we didn't."

Do you have so little faith in me?

Phin looked up at Alua in surprise, "Sovereigns above! Is that what you think? I have tremendous faith in you. I'd have never left Sharn if I didn't." She motioned at the unconscious man, "It's the rest of the world I don't trust. He was unstable."

The rogue turned her attention back to the man's device, "We can still talk to him and get his side, we just can do it without worrying about him freaking out and blowing us all up."

Phin watches the man's eyes roll back in his head with a small measure of satisfaction before storing her weapon and digging out her tools. She looked from Baran to Lupi and back again. "You guys seem to know about these things but my hands are the steadiest out of all of us. You both tell me what to do and I'll make the necessary cuts. Our focus should be on severing the link between the two dragonshards. Hopefully we can disable this thing but barring that, at least get the device off this guy so we just have to toss the device off the train and not him in it. "

The rogue takes a deep, steading breath before looking at Baran and Lupi expectantly. Getting her first instructions, Phin goes to work.

disable device: 1d20 + 12 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 12 + 4 = 31

Oops! I did not. That means 15 to hit and 20 points non-lethal

The young man didn't seem as frenzied anymore when an invisible Phin returned to the train car but Baran had been right, once they returned to the car then there was no turning back. For this to work, they all had to do their part and secure the device.

As soon as the rogue reached the count in her head and heard Baran begin to play, she acted. The only thing that the hostage-taker had managed to change was Phin's decision about whether to use lethal or non-lethal force. His present attitude caused her to decide to do non-lethal damage which made her wish she had gotten her hands on a sap. Unfortunately, she had to make due by using the pommel of her thornblade to hit the man's head to hopefully knock him unconscious.

non-lethal,thornblade: 1d20 + 6 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 6 - 4 = 14
damage: 1d6 + 4 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 12 = 19

I gave her max sneak attack damage due to her Underhanded rogue talent: A rogue with this talent gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal a weapon. Furthermore, if she makes a sneak attack during the surprise round using a concealed weapon that her opponent didn’t know about, she does not have to roll sneak attack damage, and the sneak attack deals maximum damage. A rogue can only use the underhanded talent a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier = 1

At least you didn't say 'boom-ier' :)

Agreed. But it’s not like we can keep him calm until we get to Sharon or trust that he doesn’t get a thumb cramp.

I think the plan is better than most. Besides, getting the dead man’s switch from the bad guy always works on tv or in the movies so it should work for us :)