And the Uppity Shoeshine... (DM:twilsemail; Judge: renau1g)

The party leaves Rustavich in the library and departs to begin their investigation, but where will they begin. There was mention of Reeve, the merchant’s seneschal, and the Tavern.

[sblock=Finding Mikhael]
I am using the skill challenge system presented by Iron Sky in this post.

Rounds: 3

Individuals' Skill Rolls
15-: 0 points, -2 on next round's skill check
16-20: 1 point, -1 on next round's skill check
21-25: 2 points, +1 on next round's skill check
26+: 3 points, +2 on next round's skill check
Natural 1: -1 point, lose a healing surge
Natural 20: +1 point, gain a healing surge/AP/treasure parcel as appropriate

Round Totals
0-5 points: 0 Victory Points and Disaster: -2 cumulative penalty to all future skill checks
6-11 points: 1 Victory Points and Complication: -1 cumulative penalty to all future skill checks
12-17 points: 2 Victory Points and Advantage: +1 cumulative bonus to all future skill checks
18+ points: 3 Victory Points and Miracle: +2 cumulative bonus to all future skill checks

Final Victory Points
0-2 total points: Disaster, appropriate consequences
3-5 total points: Complication, appropriate result and consequence
6-8 total points: Advantage, appropriate result and benefit
9+ total points: Miracle, appropriate benefits

Individual Actions

Repeating Skills
Repeating a skill two or more rounds in a row results in a cumulative -2 penalty to the skill roll.

Action Points
Action Points may be spent to roll an additional skill roll for the round. It must be different from the skill already used.

Aid Another
PCs may take -3 on a roll to grant an ally a reroll this round.

Heroic Effort
A PC may decide to expend a healing surge to gain +3 to a check before it is rolled or to apply +1 to a check after it is rolled or both for two surges.[/sblock]

[sblock=Finding a lead]I’m open to all skills being used, as long as their use is reasonable. “I’m using athletics to flex and impress Reeve with my muscle-y-ness” is not particularly reasonable. The PCs are, at the moment, trying to find a place or person that might have info on where the boy went.[/sblock]

[sblock=ooc]We should probably have one of the perceptive folks search the lad's room as well.

Maybe Yishim and Fredrock can talk to Reeve (just noticed that Fredrock has good Insight). Scarm can go pester the neighbors on his way to the Hanged Man?[/sblock]

[sblock=ooc]Good idea. Toeto is decently perceptive, so I'll give it a try.[/sblock]

"Will it be alright if I check your son's room for clues?" Toeto asks. She thinks it's a good place to start, but she wouldn't want to just barge in uninvited.

Assuming Master Rustavich agrees, Toeto asks for directions and heads to the boy's room. She looks around for any hints as to where he might have gone.

Scarmiglione leaves Rustavich's mansion. Thinking that he may need Yishim's help in the Hanged Man, he decides to pass some time by talking to the neighbors while the wizard is busy. "I say," he says in his most cultivated accent to some people who obviously live in the neighborhood, and so are likely to know Mikhail by sight. "Lovely weather, don't you think? Good thing too, because I've had all this fuss to get here and now my friend Mikhail isn't around. Promised me faithfully he'd be here! I thought we might get in a bit of whist and croquet and fox-hunting, you know. Gorgeous day for it. I imagine this is all some sort of joke--he's really quite the humorist, is Mikhail. I don't suppose you've seen him recently? Perhaps with that large clanker of his? I'm sure he's up to something that he thinks is terribly clever, and I don't mean to let that sly rogue get the better of me, ha!"

"Layand saykes! Ah've nevah beyin in a hayouse theyis big!" Eithal is completely out of her element in this monstrous abode, so she follows Toeto, "Hey Toto! Wayt foah me!" She looks around to see if she can be of help, but nothing seems to catch her eye.[sblock=Perception]1d20+8=17 Oh well.[/sblock]

Kaz follows Toeto to the boy's room. Using his keen eyesight, he finds an old journal that may contain clues to the son's whereabouts.

Yishim walks to Reeve's quarters. Reeve, I'm sorry for embarrassing you in front of Master Rustavich. But I do think there's more to this sword than he knows. What can you tell me.

[sblock=Insight]Insight (1d20+10=21)[/sblock]

Fredrock listens carefully to Reeve's answers to Yishim's question, trying to pick up on any inconsistancies and/or obvious gaps in his story, but the human is hard for this dwarf to read with any success.

[sblock=action]Using Heroic effort after the roll to add one to the 15 to get a 16. -1 HS, down to 12/13 Healing Surges.[/sblock]

"Will it be alright if I check your son's room for clues?" Toeto asks.

“Of course my dear. Second door on your right after you re-enter the main hallway.”


"Hey Toto! Wayt foah me!"

Eithal catches up just in time to assist in searching the room. As she lifts a small portrait of a young lady that she thinks may be of some importance, Toeto spots a book lying on the desk underneath. The book is titled “Ecologies found within the Daunton Sewers.”

“I don't suppose you've seen him recently? Perhaps with that large clanker of his? I'm sure he's up to something that he thinks is terribly clever, and I don't mean to let that sly rogue get the better of me, ha!"

The neighbor suspiciously eyes Scarmiglione for a few moments but inevitably shrugs. “I saw Mikhael and Shod returning from the docks yesterday afternoon. They seemed to be in a hurry to collect their things and depart again.”

As Eithal and Toeto are leaving the boy’s room, they find Kaz casually leaning against the wall outside. He is paging through an old journal of Mikhael’s which recounts some of his mother’s exploits. He also holds a silk kerchief with the initials “MF” stitched delicately into one corner.

Reeve, I'm sorry for embarrassing you in front of Master Rustavich. But I do think there's more to this sword than he knows. What can you tell me.

“Of course I didn’t get rid of the sword. It would have crushed poor Master Mikhael. He had his ideas on how the blade should look and, while I may have added some embellishments to reflect his station, the sword was just what he needed.”

With a bit of added questioning from Fredrock, Reeve caves a bit more.

“He pressured me into helping him find his start and I did. I heard rumors that it might be easier for those unexperienced to find work down at the docks. A place owned by Castor.”

[sblock=Round 1 results]
Toeto: 29 Perception - 3 points, +2 on next round's skill check
Scarmiglione: 19 Bluff - 1 point, -1 on next round's skill check
Eithal: 17 Perception - 1 point, -1 on next round's skill check
Kaz: 30 Perception - 3 points, +2 on next round's skill check
Yishim: 21 Insight - 2 points, +1 on next round's skill check
Fredrock: 16 Insight - 1 point, -1 on next round's skill check

Final Result: 9 Points- 1 Victory Points and Complication: -1 cumulative penalty to all future skill checks[/sblock]

"Toodleoo," says Scarmiglione to the neighbor, before heading back inside to see what the others have found out.