Prosperity Jann's page

"A few updates on Mr. Big's contacts that my divinations have been able to uncover. The traitor he's been working with is Logan d'Sivis of Yolando. He's also in touch with a collector of fine art in Skyway who's wanted a speaking stone for years and is looking to buy. Finally, he's been blackmailing the elven noble Jerriot ir'Huran and is setting him up as a scapegoat for these thefts."

At that Spectre stows their headset, and with a snap of their fingers their outfit transforms into a shabby brown traveling cloak with a hood that covers just enough to be anonymizing without looking mysterious. Sleeves of many garments. "In light of the risk that a sale is planned for today, I'd suggest we split up to find the shop as soon as we arrive and worry about lodging later. We can stay in touch with the rings, and Skyfall can teleport to whoever finds it to play his role as courier." Spectre passes Skyfall the telescope as well as both copies of the solicitation, and prepares to exit the coach when it comes to stop.

4. Whether and how the blackmail of Jerriot is connected to these recent thefts — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (6) + 20 = 26
5. Opponents/enemies of King Boranel within the parliament —Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (17) + 20 = 37
6. The barrister's guild in Sharn — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (13) + 20 = 33
7. The identity of Mr. Big's contact in House Sivis (a retry assuming that's allowed, looks like it is for checks to gather information) — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (16) + 20 = 36

When Spectre's divination is complete they turn to the others, eyeing the sunlight that's started to trickle in through the coach window. "We may have to accelerate our plans a bit." As they explain what they learned they start packing up their belongings, getting ready to head out from the car when it arrives. Zoa slithers back into the satchel. Spectre also drafts up a second version of the solicitation, identical except the phrase "noon tomorrow" is replaced with "noon today."

I'm still here, I was waiting for someone else to reply but it doesn't look like they're going to.

Spectre's eyes widen at the sight of the stone. "He's got the stone with him, looks like he's getting ready to head out. This sale might be moving forward faster than we thought." By the way, what time of day is it as we're getting into Sharn?

They renew their detection spell. Detect magic, works through the crystal ball if I roll above 50 on this d%: 1d100 ⇒ 78. Spectre studies the stone carefully, then the rest of the image. Spellcraft: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (14) + 18 = 32 Anything noteworthy they can glean about the stone's capabilities? Any other magic auras, e.g. from Mr. Big's gear?

Then Spectre draws a small pearl from their shirt pocket and pops it in their mouth like a piece of candy, swirling it with their tongue for a moment before spitting it out and stowing it. They speak yet another incantation, and their eyes roll back once more. Using their pearl of power to recall ears of the city and casting it again — oh the joys of being a spellcaster on a recon mission. Seven more Diplomacy checks, each obtaining information as if Spectre had spent 1d4 hours talking to people in Sharn about that topic.
1. The identity of Mr. Big's contact in House Sivis — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (1) + 20 = 21
2. Any noteworthy identity/motives among those who've come forward as interested in buying the stone — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (17) + 20 = 37
3. Who specifically Mr. Big is trying to blackmail with the documents, and for what — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (14) + 20 = 34

Spectre engages in idle chitchat with the others as they work, unable to spare the attention for anything more serious. They gladly accept any food brought back from the dining car, and Zoa entertains herself gnawing on the bones.

When eight hours have passed and Spectre's boots are complete, they pull them on and return their tool to its headset form before crossing to a window of the coach. Gazing out, they can just barely spot the shape of Sharn on the horizon. "Guess I should check on what our dear antiquities-dealer is up to. Then perhaps Skyfall can fly ahead to set up that lodging." They pull out the crystal ball they were given, along with the image of Mr. Big and the vial of his blood. Their incantation and movements seem similar to what they performed before, only much briefer. After just a few seconds they are staring deeply into the orb. Activating the crystal ball to scry on Mr. Big again. DC 16 Will save with a -12 penalty.

Hey, y'all still around? My life got somewhat taken over by a project but that's over now, and I'm down to get things moving again if others are.

I read that as just Cari musing aloud about how to spend the next 10 hours and ruling out chummy conversation, I don't think it was a response to Ceneth.

Prosperity's on board with the plan, they just don't have strong preferences about specific lodging arrangements and they've been weighing in so much already I figured I'd let others respond to that part.

"Yeah, most of my opinions are either boring or treasonous." Spectre props one of their boots on a nearby seat and starts untying the laces. "For that matter, so is much of my past."

Tugging the boot off they add, "But no games for me, I'm afraid. I'd like to get a start on my crafting before this buzz wears off." They remove the other boot, then produce a bag of gold coins from their sack and toss one to Ceneth. "If you can find a dining car and bring back some food I'd be most grateful. Meat for Zoa, as close to raw as possible, and maybe something potato-based for me."

With that, Spectre gets to work. They twist their seal matrix until it changes shape once again to resemble some sort of crucible, which they set up by the window and fill with large handfuls of gold. Masterwork tool for Spellcraft checks to enchant magic items. Spectre slowly melts down the coins, but instead of becoming molten gold they seem to undergo a transmutation into ordinary leather, like alchemy's very disappointing cousin. With this leather Spectre refurbishes their boots, replacing the straps and slimming down the clunky soles as Zoa helps pry them into shape. Spending 8 hours and 750 gp to make a DC 16 Spellcraft check to further enchant their boots of the earth so that they also function as boots of the cat. Spellcraft: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (5) + 20 = 25 Zoa Spellcraft Aid Another: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

"It's actually just an expression ... most of us don't drink poison on missions either, like at all."

Prosperity chuckles. "As a matter of fact, I drink poison on missions quite frequently." They open their jacket to reveal three small glass bottles strapped to the inside, containing what appear to be to be ale, mucus, and tar respectively. They wink. "You think this is fun, wait till you see me on one of these rascals." They glance over at Zoa, who somehow snuck out of the satchel again and is licking the last drops of whiskey from an overturned bottle. "As for Zoa, I think she's on the same page as you are."

"Spectre, can you reproduce a couple copies of the symbol outside Big's shop?"

"Certainly." Retrieving writing supplies from the coach, Spectre quickly sketches out four copies of both the lettering and diamond from the sign they saw in their vision. They offer one to each of the others.

"Can someone work up a solicitation?"

This task takes Spectre longer; they jot down a draft to show the others, and if it meets approval they select the highest quality ink and parchment to carefully letter in the short message.

"Plus I do my best crafting when I'm at least a bit tipsy," Prosperity chimes in. "Last Long Shadows I got absolutely wasted and managed to implant a zombie's pineal gland into my own skull. Not an easy task." Zoa clambers out of the now bone-dry flagon, hissing fiercely at the group before returning to Prosperity's satchel. "The lady says, meanwhile, that she can outdrink all ten of us put together." Prosperity glances around the group and shrugs.

Then Spectre gets back to work, following the procedures Q's dossier laid out for connecting the coach to the lightning rail so they can begin the journey to Sharn.

Spectre finally draws out a large handful of seemingly random junk from their bag. "Here we are. Each of these can be used exactly once, and I can't replace more than one per day. So certainly use them, but don't waste them and don't lose them." These are hex tokens, fully transferable single-use hex repositories created with the alley witch's hex trader ability — take a look. Prosperity created a big stockpile of tokens for different hexes during their retirement using paragon surge and Extra Hex. Time to share the joy!

They hold out the first two items to Moonraker, a small capsule full of white powder and an even smaller green pill. "These should go well with that remarkable voice of yours. Put the powder under your tongue and you'll be able to speak and understand any language for seven minutes. Or swallow the pill, and you'll be able to speak to and understand animals of a chosen type for the same length of time." Tokens for the tongues hex and feral speech hex.

They turn to Goldeneye, offering a wing nut and a rudimentary syringe. "The nut should help you put those claws and sword to best use — toss it over your shoulder and you'll be able to fly for seven minutes. The syringe is for any medical needs; if you jab someone with it they'll be able to shake off minor impairments for seven minutes or resist them more easily for a day. Don't worry, you don't need a circulatory system, that's just how the magic is triggered." Tokens for the flight hex and ameliorating hex.

To Skyfall, they present a small closed fan and a folded handkerchief. "These might be helpful in a pinch, especially if you plan to go flying off on your own. Neither is primed until you open it. After that the first person the fan touches will be healed of minor wounds. The first the handkerchief touches will be put into a brief enthralled daze." Tokens for the healing hex and seduction hex.

Finally, they pivot back to face Null. In their hands remain two crude dolls, barely more than straw wrapped in cloth. One has a simple smiley face on it, the other a frowny face. "These seemed to suit you, and they'll come in handy if you ever need a little boost to use your persona to the fullest. If you touch someone while squeezing the smiling doll, they'll like you better for about 45, 50 seconds. If you're squeezing the frowning doll, they'll instead like someone else worse for that same time, your choice of anyone within sight." Tokens for the charm hex and discord hex.

Spectre nods thoughtfully. "A child might not mesh with our story, but perhaps you can use that hat of yours to turn into a gnome or a halfling. Unless you'd rather hide in my extradimensional bag with a snorkel until things go south." As they speak, they rummage through various drawers in the coach. "And you, Moonraker? It would be an honor to call you my co-counsel, if that suits you."

After a few more moments of searching, they hold up the small box of rings triumphantly. "Aha! Sending rings. Should let us all stay in touch over any distance." Do they take ten minutes to use like normal sending or just a standard action? And is there any verbal component/command word or can we use them silently?

Tossing a ring to each of their companions they add, "That reminds me — I mentioned that I've taken up crafting. Well, I think I've got a few small items tucked away that should help complement each of your abilities. Kind of like a much less impressive version of what Q did. Let's see..." They start rummaging in one of the side pockets of their satchel.

Perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (9) + 20 = 29

"Do any of us have the legal knowledge and skills for that?"

Spectre grins. "Ohhh yes. I am, shall we say, intimately familiar with the particularities of Breland law, and specifically how it can be manipulated to preserve an illicit smuggling operation. 'It takes a thief' and so on." They stow their supplies from the scrying as they speak.

"Accounting for all five of us is another challenge. Perhaps three partners and two bodyguards would be believable, but even that might raise suspicion since we weren't asked for and can't claim to be from the guild. Thoughts on splitting up?" Spectre frowns. "I suppose it depends what our endgame is. Do we start snooping around his home and shop once we get access? Do we jump him and extract the information we need? Do we wait for him to show us the items and then jump him?"

By the way, GM, did we find the magic rings that Q mentioned would be in the coach? I'm curious what sort of magic they've got.

"...Middle Dura and Upper Dura leave a lot of ground to cover. If we choose to allow this plot to move forward until Mr. Big's auction, that may be in a higher, or lower, location as well."

Psst, Prosperity hasn't actually shared their info yet, I'll do that now and we can assume your comments came after. Ordinarily I'd just handwave them relaying everything, but in this case they're keeping a few facts private unless they become mission-relevant (e.g. the second traitor in Sivis).

Spectre's eyes fly open and they spring to their feet, looking ready to fight for a moment before shifting back into the posture of a fragile elder. Their scrying is still active for another 7 minutes or so, so let me know if they happen to see or hear anything besides Mr. Big shaving. "Mr. Big is in Sharn, shaving at his home in Upper Dura. No discernible magic auras. He has the stolen documents with him; I can't spot the speaking stone but I know it's still in his possession."

They start pacing, as much as the confines of the coach allow it. "From what I can piece together, his motives seem to be financial rather than ideological. He's an antiquities merchant, runs a pawn shop in Middle Dura with a diamond on the sign. He's seeking to sell the stone as quickly as possible to avoid magical tracking from House Sivis, so he's gathering buyers for an auction. About ten have shown interest so far but he's waiting for twice that number. As for the documents, he took them to blackmail authorities who want to keep plans for the king's next power-grab under wraps — not clear if he wants to extort money directly or just protect himself from retribution for the theft of the stone."

Reaching Zoa at her perch by the window, Spectre scoops her up drapes her over their shoulders. "As for accomplices, he's in contact with a traitor in House Sivis who's likely been his inside man. The barrister's guild, on the other hand, has no interest in representing him. Beyond that I'm uncertain."

Spectre listens to the others share their ideas, following their lead in crossing to the bar. They grab a flagon of ale and take a long swig directly from the spout. Then Zoa slithers into it with a plop and splashes around, happily partaking.

Spectre nods along to Skyfall's travel plans. "Splendid, if nothing else it'll be worth it to have you there to get a head start on searching for those buildings. I'll stay in the coach and get some crafting done on the trip, I've got my eye on an enchantment for these boots that may be sorely needed in Sharn's terrain." They hold up the crystal ball. "I should be able to stay in contact with you through this. Much faster than my own scrying and infinitely more repeatable — far easier to resist as well, but that's not an issue if you prepare your mind not to fight it."

"As for our course of action once we arrive, if we're going for a con then posing as buyers seems like the obvious tactic. Though I'm also intrigued by the possibility of posing as a barrister offering their services. What do you all think? Skyfall, you of course know the city, and Moonraker it sounds like you're the true con artist among the rest of us mere con craftsmen."

Before beginning their scrying, Spectre left Q's instructions regarding the coach out on the table for anyone to use.

7. Mr. Big’s home in Sharn (specifically where it is and whether the items we’re looking for are there) — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (19) + 20 = 39
8. Mr. Big’s shop in Middle Dura (specifically where it is and whether the items we’re looking for are there) — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (1) + 20 = 21

Thanks!
4. Potential buyers interested in the speaking stone — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (9) + 20 = 29
5. Traitors or imposters within House Sivis — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (12) + 20 = 32
6. What sort of changes the king has planned for the relationship between the parliament and the monarchy — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (5) + 20 = 25

Quote:

Did Spectre's examination of the telescope's magic give any indication as to whether it would work through scrying?

No.

Sorry, just to make sure, is that "no, they can tell it wouldn't work through scrying" or "no, they can't get any indication either way"?

When Spectre detects no auras they give their first visible reaction to the contents of their scrying, slightly raising an eyebrow. They add a drop of that stinging yellow liquid to each ear as well, then draw what appears to be a small piece of brick from a pouch at their belt and place it at the back of their tongue. With a gesture and incantation they complete yet another spell, and their eyes to roll fully back into their head as they experience a rush of blurred color and overlapping sound.

Casting ears of the city on themselves with dew of lunary, gaining visions that allow them to make several Diplomacy checks to gather information using their Perception bonus. Each check uncovers information as if they'd spent 1d4 hours talking to people in Wroat and Sharn about a particular topic or individual. They make one such check per round for eight rounds — I'll roll a few at a time in case the information I get affects what topics I want to focus on with the rest.
1. Mr. Big, or a gnome matching his appearance — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (4) + 20 = 24
2. A speaking stone not in possession of the authorities — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (16) + 20 = 36
3. Royal documents not in possession of the authorities — Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (8) + 20 = 28

Excellent! Don't want to jump past anything someone wants to do during that hour, whether conversation or getting the coach moving, so feel free to continue that scene with the assumption that Spectre is quietly casting in the corner.

When their spell is finally complete Spectre goes stock still. They take in the view of Mr. Big shaving, carefully studying every detail. Perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (20) + 20 = 40 What's the room like, any particular features? A window? How about sounds? You said they can tell it looks like his home in Sharn, I assume because of that Knowledge check from earlier... do they know specifically where in Sharn that is?

Once they've committed to memory all they can with their normal senses, they press on their eyes and chant another incantation, this one just a few seconds long. Casting detect magic once more. It has a 40% chance of working through the scrying sensor, let's say above a 60 on a d%. 1d100 ⇒ 61 Scraped by! Thank you dew of lunary. Spectre slowly scans for magic in every direction. Any magical auras within 60 ft. of Mr. Big?

One last question, and this is some shameless munchkinry but I have to ask: Q described the telescope he gave us as allowing you to teleport to a point you can see. Scrying lets you see the target's surroundings with your full visual acuity. Did Spectre's examination of the telescope's magic give any indication as to whether it would work through scrying?

Who are you scrying on? The location of your intended victim?

I don't think Spectre technically decides that until they're done casting, which will take an hour. But their plan is to scry on the gnome that we know of as Mr. Big. Even with only secondhand knowledge, since we have an image and body part it looks like he'll take a -7 penalty on his DC 22 Will save.

The silence in the wake of Goldeneye’s demonstration stretches on for a long beat, as though no one is particularly eager to share much about themselves. Finally Spectre shrugs and cracks their knuckles. ”Alright then, I might as well get into it.” They reach into their satchel and pull out a crystal vial of pure water, holding it up to the light. ”The ancient wisdom of my people says that the key to controlling a mortal is to gain power over their soul.” Spectre swirls the water in the vial for a moment. ”I disagree.” They unceremoniously pop out the stopper and dump the water onto the floor of the coach.

”Most of my magic exploits the fact that at the end of the day, we’re all basically just electricity and meat — or metal, as the case may be,” they add with a nod toward Goldeneye. ”With an arcane spark to the right nerve or gland, I can manipulate your biology just about however I please. I can stop you from hearing, or seeing, or moving, or breathing. I can put you to sleep, debilitate you with vertigo, heighten your suggestibility, tamper with your memories. If the circumstances are right I can manipulate your body like a puppet or raise it as a living corpse.” They smile sheepishly. ”But now I’m just bragging.”

Spectre draws another vial of liquid from their satchel, this one a pale yellow. ”What you need to know is that one of my most effective techniques involves transferring certain afflictions from myself to another, generally within ten or twenty yards.” They open the new vial. The liquid inside smells sharp and strong, almost but not quite like vinegar. Dew of lunary alchemical power component. ”So if I appear to harm myself in battle or ask one of you to harm me, no need to assume that my mind has been addled by some sort of enchantment. I can take a little pain.” Filling a small dropper with the yellow liquid, they slowly and carefully deposit one drop in each of their eyes, wincing slightly as they blink a several times in rapid succession.

”I can channel similar magic to remove some afflictions, though typically I would need to expend either time or resources to do so.” Spectre produces an ornate silver mirror that looks a bit too large to have fit in the satchel they drew it from. They lay the mirror flat on a nearby seat. ”Let’s see, what else… I can be fairly stealthy. I can hold my own in a con. In my retirement I’ve taken up crafting magical devices — nowhere near the level of Q if that telescope is half as good as advertised, but enough to build up a bag of arcane tricks.” The next object they pull from their satchel appears to be a 12-inch iron bar lined with small plates and spikes. They absently twist and fiddle with the various protuberances as they speak. ”I make it my business to know anything worth knowing, and a few things that probably aren’t. I can transmit whispered messages within sixty yards, and will default to doing so when we're in public.” In almost no time, the bar takes on the shape of a very peculiar headset, complete with spectacles and ear trumpets. Spectre puts it on, seemingly oblivious to how ridiculous it makes them look. Turning their traveler’s any-tool into a masterwork tool for Perception.

”Ah, I almost forgot!” They produce the vial of Mr. Big’s blood that GQ provided, removing the stopper and setting it on the mirror. Zoa pokes her head up onto the seat and takes a deep sniff, then directs a rapid string of hisses toward Spectre. ”Zoa would like me to inform you that she’s fully amphibious, much stealthier than I am, capable of wand use, and equipped with an excellent sense of smell. She can also stay alive and conscious after almost any injury and heal completely in a matter of minutes — emphasis on almost. That last trait I’ve worked to replicate through my boots, but it’s a pale imitation at best.” As Zoa slinks away, Spectre retrieves the image of Mr. Big from the dossier and places it next to the blood.

”And of course, there's my divinations. Not my typical brand of magic but I’ve made them a side-specialty of their own. Like I said, I like to know things, and in this line of work there’s really no substitute.” Spectre sits down in the midst of the items they’ve strewn about, crossing their legs gingerly. ”Speaking of which, it’s about time I start scrying. I think I’ve shared more than my share, so I’ll try to keep the chanting to to a minimum while the rest of you speak — I promise I’m listening.” They close their eyes and start mouthing words. Beginning to cast scrying.

"I can do sophisticated," Spectre agrees, gesturing at their own suit. "Took a while, but the Citadel eventually hammered some class into me."

As soon as they enter the coach, Zoa slithers out of Spectre's satchel and begins to explore the space, sniffing around every nook and cranny. Meanwhile Spectre passes by the clothes and weapons without a second glance and starts inspecting the other accessories. They give an appreciative nod when they find the crystal ball, adding it into their bag. Recalling Q's mention of magic rings, they keep looking. Scanning the contents of the coach with detect magic. Do they find the promised rings or any other magic items? If so, what are their properties?

Hearing Null start to explain her skill set, Spectre turns their attention back to the rest of the group. "Is this the part where we share our capabilities and limitations? I must say, I'm ever so curious." They look between the others expectantly.

Looks like we're ready to change scenes!

Perfect, thanks! I expect we'll share things like the telescope pretty freely among ourselves as tactics require — Cenneth's right that his flight greatly extends its viable range, at least until Prosperity invests in boots of the cat.

Spectre peers through the telescope experimentally then stows it away, giving a quick nod to the others as they set off toward the coach.

Um, just checking, was there supposed to be an item for Prosperity/Spectre somewhere in there? No worries if not, just want to make sure you didn't accidentally miss something.

Spectre looks intrigued by the ring as well, eyeing it as they wait patiently for their gear.

Absolutely. So sad to hear.

Spectre studies the first two gifts with curiosity. "Hello Q, I'm Spectre. I don't think we've met — I wasn't exactly at the center of the Citadel's social life during the war. Your work looks amazing though, can't wait to see what you've got for me."

Spectre is glad for the continued conversation, as it gives them a chance to finish scanning the room for auras. Finding nothing else to raise concern they relax a bit more, but don't drop their spell. Assume Spectre has detect magic up at all times unless I say otherwise or they're doing something else with their standard actions — let me know if and when they spot any auras. "Well, time to go see Q and this coach of ours?" Ready to change scenes if the rest of you are!

"It's down to luck I'm afraid, how much I happen to hear him speak during the seven or eight minutes my scrying lasts. And as I doubt I could pull off this particular disguise myself, you'd be relying on whatever secondhand imitation I can manage."

"Sure. Goldeneye's and Moonraker's are also the same — I think it's fine for them to repeat, just so long as they're not repeating in an obvious way that an imposter could untangle before it gets to their turn in a group check-in."

Spectre grins. "I appreciate that, but I couldn't care less what pronouns you use for me, and I don't have any particular desire to spend time "correcting" people. Please don't misgender Zoa though." Zoa hisses inscrutably. "I can use the same number method as the rest of you. I do like the idea of being able to check in without making it obvious that it's a test, but pronouns won't work for the same reason as code names — if someone is impersonating one of us, they'd be able to pick them up quickly just by listening to our conversations. How about this: if any of us asks another "how's your leg?," no matter the context, they're asking that person for their confirmation number."

Got it! Of course no worries if real life things are getting in the way of posting, but when you get the chance let me know if I detect any auras from GQ.

Spectre relaxes slightly as their teammates show no signs of being disguised or polymorphed. Before leaving they add, "I might ask any of you for a confirmation number at some point in the future to verify your identity. Let's say... nineteen plus the number of letters in your code name. And yes, Null counts as four, don't try to get clever. Please figure out your number now and remember it, because if you can't provide it when asked I will assume you've been impersonated or possessed. I hope you'll do the same for me."

Nope, Opi's Hat of Disguise is basically her Emergency plan - too many targets can see through illusion, or at least detect that an illusion is there. She can lie about her parents being adventurers or the like for why she has several items on her, but her appearance is mostly nature with some makeup to help.

Cool, Prosperity's just checking to make sure nobody's currently using magic that might suggest they're an imposter, so Opi doesn't raise any concern. Jury's still out on Cari though.

So wait, can Zoa take a scent also, like a police dog sorta? If you let them sniff the blood, would that give them a bonus to perception? Just kinda wondered, I know they aren't a dog, but still.

Oh good question! The rules for scent do say "creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights" but maybe he'd have to actually be bleeding or have blood on his clothes? At the very least I'm assuming Zoa's been around gnomes before and can distinguish their smell in general, so she should be able to help spot him if he's invisible/disguised as another race/behind an illusory wall/etc., which is the sort of thing I'm mostly worried about. But she'll definitely take a whiff when Prosperity uses the blood for scrying.

Awesome, thanks! Spectre accepts the vial of blood from GQ with an appreciative nod.

As they reach the door though they pause, frowning. "Oh my. Civilian life has left me quite sloppy indeed." They produce a series of hissing sounds that seem directed toward Zoa, who is once more visible only as a head protruding from the bag at their side.

Agent Spectre's eyes flick open and they're on their feet in an instant, showing none of the earlier frailty of a person their age. "Divinations are ready. Scrying itself will take another hour, but I'd hazard it's worth doing before we try to enter the vineyard. If Mr. Big wanted to run he's had three days to do so — for all we know he skipped town and left behind a death trap. But I should be able to handle that in the coach."

Zoa slips back into their satchel, and they follow Agent Goldeneye to the door. "I'm keen to meet this Q, I myself have taken some interest in the creation of magical devices during my retirement."

GM, a couple questions: does the dossier on Mr. Big say anything about his known capabilities — whether he's a magic user, any particular spells, weapons, areas of expertise, etc.? And did GQ ever respond about the possession or body part Prosperity asked for to help with scrying?

Zoa's tail twitches, impaling the nearest card and swinging it up to Prosperity. They briefly open one eye. Well, since we've got a theme going... "Spectre."

Prosperity grins. "Excellent, very helpful. Pardon my rudeness, I simply prefer to cut to the chase." They crack their knuckles. "Which we can now do. I'll prepare a few relevant divinations, should take about a quarter-hour. If there's any recovered possession of Mr. Big's you can send for, that would be quite useful as a focus. Or better yet some trace of his body — blood, a hair, flakes of skin, or the like."

Prosperity leans back in their chair, propping their feet up on the table and closing their eyes. Zoa slithers out of the satchel, for indeed below her draconic head and forelegs the rest of her body is that of a common snake, as though someone had been drawing a dragon and got bored halfway through. She climbs the chair to drape herself around Prosperity's neck, her breathing falling in rhythm with theirs. Communing to prepare ears of the city, locate object, and scrying in the slots they left empty at the start of the day. It'll take 15 minutes, so of course the conversation can continue in the meantime.

"Documents as well?" Prosperity rolls their eyes. "I'm starting to get a bit tired of this game where you feed us information crumb by crumb. Where was this stone? Where were these documents? Who knew of their existence and locations? What sort of protections were in place to safeguard them? Is anything known about how this gnome circumvented those protections? Did he have any prior involvement with either the stone or the documents? Who witnessed the thefts, or otherwise provided the information that he was responsible? Was any other evidence found at the scene? Have all others who were in communication with the stone been informed that it was stolen? And I'm sure you want to be secretive about these proclamations, but is there anything you can tell us about what they entail or when they were planned for?"

"Oh yes, I recognize that face." They share their recollection. Anyone can look at the Prosperity spoiler. "So how do we know he did it — was there a witness to the theft? Someone we should pay a visit?" They pause. "Or to start I could simply scry on this Mister Big and see what I find."

Prosperity flips through their copy of the dossier, their movements casual but their eyes scanning the pages with a lightning intensity. Are the dossiers just pictures or do they have more information? I've got plenty of questions but if there's info in the pages it might be easier to give us that all at once.

Zoa pokes her head above the table and appears to be studying the dossier along with Prosperity. When the two are done they make eye contact, tilting their heads to the side as though working to recall something.
Zoa Knowledge (local) Aid Another: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17 Prosperity Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 22 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 22 + 2 = 43 Anything I know about this gnome?

Prosperity leans forward. "More than how, why? As soon as others with stones are informed and stop contacting it, a single stone is essentially useless, no? Sounds like someone took a rather large risk just to cause some inconvenience."

Prosperity smiles at Ceneth's comment, crossing to a chair beside Opi. "You can call me..." They hesitate as though deciding. "Prosperity." They gingerly lower themselves into the seat. "And the lady's name is Zoa," they add, scratching the small dragon behind her horns.

When GQ enters Prosperity looks up and studies him with curiosity, but doesn't speak right away.

Behind the warforged an elderly Khoravar shuffles into the room, dressed for all the world as though attending a formal banquet. Except, that is, for what appears to be the head of a miniature dragon poking out of their satchel, sniffing the air.

Hearing the human's question to the warforged, Prosperity raises an eyebrow. "Oh, are we doing names? Interesting choice."

Hey everyone, glad to be on board!

* Prosperity Jann -- Half-elf Witch (might also be a Hermaphrodite, because she's the first to be listed as non-binary)

Yeah they're non-binary, they don't fit into the social categories of male or female and they wouldn't use gendered language to describe themselves. They're not to their knowledge intersex, though I think that sort of distinction becomes somewhat less relevant when you have access to magic that lets you swap bodies like baseball cards.

Unrelatedly, I made a minor update to Prosperity's feats and traits on this profile because I just remembered the existence of Amplified Hex and it seems perfect for conducting more distant, stealthy assassinations of key targets. Also might tweak their gear.

Alright, Mus here with my submission! Allow me to introduce Prosperity Jann, an audacious and brilliant middle-aged Khoravar smuggler-turned-assassin who trusts no one except their fiercely protective nycar familiar Zoa, but who is wholeheartedly along for the ride. I decided to play with a bit of a different angle on the classic Bond figure, someone who adopts the same sophisticated demeanor but underneath is more of a wild card or loose cannon — I figure we can't all be goody-goodies.

Mechanically they're a half-elf alley witch specializing in efficiently incapacitating opponents. In particular they can use their greater gift of consumption hex for some truly creepy supernatural assassin vibes: imagine them drinking poison at a banquet and someone across the table starts choking, or they swing an axe into their familiar's neck and an enemy's head falls off. They can also fill a utility role with a boatload of skills and some fun alley witch shenanigans that let them turn circumstantial hexes into gadgets that anyone in the party can use.