From talking to a few people, Chan Ti discovers that something bizarre happened today. Apparently, a large gathering of sea gulls flew over the city and most of them slammed into the Cyphergate for no apparent reason. Some of their corpses are already starting to appear on the shores of the city.
ghostcat
Chan Ti notices a robed dark haired man that looks at them for a while before moving on. The monk then keeps an eye on him and it seems to him that this man isn't gambling much but he's rather examining the various clients one after the other. He also appears to be sweating more then he should and, as such, seems nervous about something.
OOC: Sense motive 19+6=25 here. Good rolls between the perception and sense motive checks.
OOC: We actually have come full circle as Saul is actually the father of the 2. It's a detail that might be important later ... Of course, in all probability, none of your characters knows about it. As for the next AP, it is set very far from Riddleport, but who knows ? Saul's progeny seem to have developed a propensity for travelling far away.
Oh and the Ghoulette's minimum wager is 10 copper.
OOC
In which case, Tolly'll bet 10 copper on each, if multiple bets are allowed.
Regarding the Vancerskerkins, I'm sure Tolly woulnd't have heard of them. I only have Crimson Throne, but I came across Orik whilst reading Jollydoc's Runelords Story Hour. Verik's background mentions several brothers who have travelled widely - could be a set up for their appearance in the other APs
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Voadam asks a quick question of Rorgar and Kronk before heading over to mingle and chat up people. "Can either of you explain what a bridge monkey or pyramid devil are? The hostess thought the noblewoman was one or the other. Seemed to imply an exiled nobility from a conquered city."
Voadam will then make his way around schmoozing with other patrons, enjoying the atmosphere, and trying to gather information, including local contexts.
If he can he will talk with the wizard, commenting on how it appears the imp is here from a planar binding and wondering whose work that is.
If that does not work out he will move on to the noble lady because Voadam has dealt with arrogant evil noblewomen before and enjoys bantering with women.
From there possibly Saul for a little bit or some of the Ulfen, who look like viking raiders he can relate to.
If he can Voadam will get a peek at the cage and see if it has a binding circle or relies upon physical confinement.
Voadam asks a quick question of Rorgar and Kronk before heading over to mingle and chat up people. "Can either of you explain what a bridge monkey or pyramid devil are? The hostess thought the noblewoman was one or the other. Seemed to imply an exiled nobility from a conquered city."
Kronk shrugs as he scrawls his signature on the contract, transposing the R and the O. "Never heard of either, as far I can recall. This place is a madhouse. I doubt either are real. Ooh. That looks promising."
And with that, Kronk starts off in the direction of the Goblin's Tankard.
It isn't long before Tosh starts to hear the sounds of dices being rolled on the table above him followed by exclamations of joy and disappointment. It wisely uses these moments of distraction to pilfer the contents of a few pockets (OOC : Tosh gets 11 more sp, as well as 1 gold chip and 20 copper ones). One man's pocket only contained a small parchment with a short message.
Get ready and close your eyes once I drop gambling chips.
As Tosh contemplates this, the little dragon can see the richly dressed gnome it saw earlier. The gnome is gambling at the Ghoulette table which isn't too far from Tosh's current hiding spot. The Ghoulette table doesn't seem to have a tablecloth but there's so many people around it that Tosh would be well hidden if it can get throught the sheer amount of legs. Tosh also see the noble woman but she's sitting at a farther Golem table and her menservants are standing above her. The kobold can't seem to spot the Ulfen men on the casino floor.
At the Ghoulette table, numerous bets are once again made before the croupier makes Dungo spin again. "Your art is so poor and unimaginative. In truth, a drunk goblin would do better !" The head says as it stops in front of the section called 'your skill'. The bets are once again collected before the croupier distributes the winnings. Tolly receives 10 silver tooths for his successful bet. A richly dressed gnome close to him wins a good amount but he doesn't seem overly happy about it. Tolly hears him mumble something as he pockets his gains but he can't quite make it out. One thing is strange however, Tolly would swear the gnome looks slightly older and paler now then when the game began.
OOC: Tolly betted (lost) 7 sp and won 10 sp so far.
After making his way pass all the eager gamblers, Kronk finds the Goblin's Tankard relatively empty. Other then a few 'succubi' coming and going with orders, there's only a large group of Ulfen men and few other clients. The Ulfens are loud, laughing and talking in their native tongue. By the look of it, they have already started drinking heavily. As Kronk approaches the bar, the barman looks at the dwarf with a curious eye but he still ask him: "What's your poison ?"
Rorgar knows that a Bridge-Monkey and a Pyramid-Devil are Riddleport slang for residents of Magnimar and Korvosa respectively. Those are the larger cities of Varisia and Riddleport's rivals.
From what Voadam can see from the casino floor there isn't any apparent circle of binding on the cage. It seems the little devil is only held by the bars of its cage. Voadam then wanders the crowd and chats with various clients. Some of them talk of their concern with the ever present Blot and the weird flight of sea gulls earlier today. Voadam also learns that the overlord of the city, Gaston Cromarcky, has offered a reward of 500 pieces of gold to anyone who can discover what is causing the Blot and whatever or not it presents any danger for the City of Cyphers. No one has been able to claim the reward so far.
It doesn't prove too hard to find the dair haired robed man. The apparent wizard isn't gambling, instead he walks around the crowd, looking at the various games and clients. He seems a bit surprised when Voadam approaches him but he appears willing to chat. "A planar binding ? I suppose it is possible. I detected some faint traces of abjuration magic with a simple divination. Conjuration and the binding of fiends aren't exactly my speciality however. But what about you ? Why are you making this supposition ? Would you be practitioner of the magical arts by any chance ?"
"Bridge-Monkey and a Pyramid-Devil are Riddleport slang for residents of Magnimar and Korvosa." Rorgar answers Voadam's question. As Kronk seperates himself from them, he follows. (He is more likely to get into trouble... probably)
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Ti can't make any sense of the tales of the kamikaze seagulls, so he will file it away for future reference.
Meanwhile he will slowly and casually head over towards the dark haired man. When he gets close, he will try to overhear what he is saying while pretending to watch the gambling.
After making his way pass all the eager gamblers, Kronk finds the Goblin's Tankard relatively empty. Other then a few 'succubi' coming and going with orders, there's only a large group of Ulfen men and few other clients. The Ulfens are loud, laughing and talking in their native tongue. By the look of it, they have already started drinking heavily. As Kronk approaches the bar, the barman looks at the dwarf with a curious eye but he still ask him: "What's your poison ?"
Kronk frowns at the "succubi" as if lost in thought. The barman's words snap him back to the present.
"Stout," the dwarf answers, wrapping a meaty hand tight around his money purse. He continues to speak after a pause, more to himself than anyone else. "Not real busy in here. Guess most drinks being delivered to the gaming tables."
While he waits for his drink, Kronk's eyes narrow and he studies the area, especially the ceiling. If goblin agents are here, they're likely lurking in shadows overhead.
The lurking dragon pockets its latest acquisitions as it studies the legs of the man from whom it'd just collected the mysterious note. It seemed the small creature wasn't the only being in the Golden Goblin with covert plans; someone else's scheme was brewing. Surveying the nearby crowd the wily dragon reaches up and pulls its smoked-glass goggles down over its glowing eyes. If its hunch was correct then one of the room's occupants would intentionally drop some chips as the prelude to a visually disorienting distraction; the dragon intended to be ready for it. No telling how soon it might occur though...
Cautiously the small cutpurse resumes its larcenous task while mulling over how best it might use the events soon to transpire to its advantage.
OOC: I'm enjoying the larcenous action, so kudos to you. Tosh will continue to work while remaining vigilant for the dropped chips signal. If it sees or hears chips fall it'll close its eyes until it hears cries of surprise. How it reacts will depend largely on the circumstances and its current surroundings when the event occurs.
The dragon will wait for the noble woman and Ulfen men to draw closer before contemplating moving on them. The ghoulette table is a tempting attraction, but Tosh will wait patiently for a good moment to breach it; such as once a few patrons vacate it following a bad loss or during the excitement following a big win. When possible, Tosh will pause in a place of safety to try and get a good look at the man whose note it stole to seize him up.
"And you're just a head on a stick," he says to "Dungo" with a broad grin.He looks down at the strange gnome. "I don't know about you, but I'm thinking of something with more skill involved," he says. "Care to join me over at the Golem table? The name's Tolly, by the way. Quite a crowd in here tonight, isn't it?"
OOC
Tolly will try to small-talk the gnome into revealing more about himself, and what ails him. If the gnome isn't forthcoming, Tolly will shrug and head to the Golem game himself, assuming that he has time for a hand or two before his performance.
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"Bridge-Monkey and a Pyramid-Devil are Riddleport slang for residents of Magnimar and Korvosa." Rorgar answers Voadam's question. As Kronk seperates himself from them, he follows. (He is more likely to get into trouble... probably)
It doesn't prove too hard to find the dair haired robed man. The apparent wizard isn't gambling, instead he walks around the crowd, looking at the various games and clients. He seems a bit surprised when Voadam approaches him but he appears willing to chat. "A planar binding ? I suppose it is possible. I detected some faint traces of abjuration magic with a simple divination. Conjuration and the binding of fiends aren't exactly my speciality however. But what about you ? Why are you making this supposition ? Would you be practitioner of the magical arts by any chance ?"
"Indeed. I long ago laid down my warrior's spear to learn the art. I've travelled far since then though and I'm new to Riddleport. Phenomena such as the Blot and a captive fiend always catch my eye though and you had the look of a fellow practitioner, though in my experience magical traditions vary widely across the lands."
"You got it, chief." The barman responds to Kronk's order. As he goes to get his beer, Kronk examines his surrounding. There isn't anything remarkable about the ceiling of the bar. It's made of plain wood planks and, unlike the ceiling of the casino floor which is hidden behind horizontal drapes, this one is lower. Kronk also see the group of Ulfen men explode in laughter at something one of them said. He doesn't take long before the barmen drop a mug filled with a dark liquid in front of the dwarf. "Enjoy ... What about your friend there, he wants anything ?" He adds while looking at Rorgar who followed Kronk in.
"Yes, yes, I've had quite enough of that 'Head on a Stick'." The gnome answers Tolly. As the little humanoid walks away from the Ghoulette table, he keeps on blathering without really adressing the human. "A game of skill ? That might be exciting. Skill is something I believe I still have, at least."
Voadam chats up the wizard, asking if he was hired to look out for cheating magics or if he is here for the ambiance. Voadam will happily discuss technical issues of spellcraft and spell lore and even ask about the wizard's theories on the blot, while sharing his own preliminary speculations based upon the darkness generating powers of dark elves and infernal fiends as possible bases. If the conversation continues Voadam will inquire about magical societies here as well as sources for wizardly resources, such as where one can obtain spellbooks, components, spells, and items.
"You're worried about knowing what you'll get, but you'll drink water in a city? Hmm. You might want to add a bit of wine to that. Spare your stomach some violence." Kronk smiles and takes another long pull at his stout.
"Are you okay? You seem a little ... peaky," says Tolly, trying to put a note of concern in his voice. "Perhaps a drink of some sort to take to the game?"
OOC
Bluff +7
Diplomacy +6
Trying to affect concern for the gnome in an attempt to learn more about his strange condition. Bar first, if necessary, then the Golem table.
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