Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Adventures in Eberron> Chapter 32 posted 08-08-05>
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="skullsmurfer" data-source="post: 2311055" data-attributes="member: 17151"><p><strong>A meeting at the docks, Chapter 5</strong></p><p></p><p>►A meeting at the Docks, Chapter 5</p><p> </p><p> Paragon 146 to 3 made it to the docks in under an hour. His errands took longer than he expected. He met with various contacts and checked with the local know-it-alls in all the right places. There are new problems with dangerous creatures creeping up from below. Two days past, a war-forged beat the daylights out of a Watch Patrol in the lower districts before disappearing. The problem started when one of the war-forged watchmen took exception to being called a human-loving traitor. A routine maintenance crew was driven out of one of the utility tunnels by a cloaked band of war-forged the same night. Paragon 146 to 3 is convinced he has found the kidnappers out. Theodyl will be pleased.</p><p> </p><p> <Paragon, I have news, meet me soonest. Dockside 432b.> Theodyl's sending rang in his ears.</p><p> </p><p> The docks were his best lead. 432 b is a warehouse. It once belonged to House Cannith, it is currently held by a local trade company. It looks just like every other relic from the war. It is squat, over sized and ugly. The thing that peaked both their interests is the fact that it has a discrete entrance into the sewers. Paragon padded into the warehouse and searched for the tell-tale iron ring sticking out of the floor. </p><p> </p><p> It did not take the war-forged long. He found Theodyl sitting on the floor at the bottom of the steps tuning his bow harp. Paragon refused to listen to him until he could understand how they both got to the same place. It truly frustrated the war-forged that the half-elf had an itemized, step by step explanation all thought out. Sergeant Hinderfast never said anything about fixing recruits who weren't stupid. He is doubly sure that hitting Theodyl over the head wouldn't be completely justified at this moment. Making a recruit stupid and then fixing them sounds suspect. Paragon 146 to 3 decided to wait and see. Sergeant Hinderfast always said to wait and see.</p><p> </p><p> “Alright, but I will watching. You are too impulsive.” Paragon barked. He has to keep Theodyl's feet on the ground. </p><p></p><p> “Agreed, I guess, I further suggest that you bring in some of the veterans from that little war gaming club of yours. I think we will need them.” Theodyl said with some relief. Sometimes he thinks the hulking war-forged wants to hit him.</p><p></p><p> The two compared notes and argued about where to go next. They did agree that the war-forged kidnappers had to have some way of making their escape with the manuscript. They also agreed that it would be harder to get the war-forged out of Sharn than the manuscript by itself. They will have to gain control of the manuscript in order to get the gnome's wife and then have something to bargain with against the other interested parties. Fighting war-forged isn't always the best idea. Paragon isn't happy about not fighting, but he is open to other possibilities. Theodyl is convinced that the Silver Flame has plenty of cranky Inquisitors to throw at the enemy war-forged. A series of clues leading one enemy to another is a good bet. Once the hot blooded types are done playing, clear thinking might come into play. </p><p> </p><p> “Ye are forgettin' a couple'o things,” the beer stein interrupted, “'tis all a great plan 'till you take three steps and none of it matters anymore, Lads.”</p><p></p><p> “The cup is right.” Paragon said.</p><p></p><p> “If I were still hale, I'd be teaching ye the difference between a cup and a beer stein. Gods! Ye can giv'em life, but ye can't teach them to drink worth a damn.” Cried the dwarven spirit.</p><p></p><p> “Hag spit, I think I will have a drink.” Theodyl said, leaving them to their discussion.</p><p></p><p> While Paragon and the beer stein argued into the night, Theodyl drank and made plans. The gnome didn't exactly lie about his wife's kidnappers, but dangerous war-forged qualify as important information. From what the gnome said, he assumed that he was talking about a gang or rival House. Theodyl frowned, he should have asked better questions. Why didn't he ask? He sighed and moved on.</p><p></p><p> The manuscript the war-forged and the Silver Flame want is a big question. It is just a study of various artifacts recovered from Xen'dric; interesting but a bit out his league. It sounds expensive. The file the gnome is offering as payment is infinitely more useful. The names, dates and times listed create quite a picture of the dragon nation's intelligence efforts for a period of over 50 years. It is made up of a series of individual reports meticulously culled and annotated from a variety of different sources. Detailed study and further research might yield numerous benefits. From his point of view, it might be easier to just assassinate dragon agents. The Cyre manuscript is nothing compared to the file. According to the gnomish coding on the pages, it has never been copied, it is the only original. He asked for a copy, the original will be sorely missed by the gnomes; that means more trouble.</p><p> </p><p> The Sister from the Silver Flame was associated with both house Cannith and a rogue green dragon during the war. She later joined the church of the Silver Flame. It is speculated from a list of various other reports, that the green dragon was named Vergris and that it died in Cyre. There is a note about numerous donations to Sharn City officials after she took the Church's honorary council seat. There is a detailed financial analysis attached, none of her listed assets and holdings could possibly have financed her rise to power. The money did not come from the temple coffers either. Her money came out of nowhere, thus her loyalties and motivations are in question. The gnomes also have a record of his dealings with his one time draconic patron as well. It won't matter that he wasn't spying, the association will get him dead on both ends of the equation. There is a further listing of his former master's investments, properties and other possible holdings. It is quite thorough, the scary, nationally organized kind of thorough. It makes sense that after the dragons wiped out the giants everyone else would worry about their own necks. There is no doubt the dragons know about it. They are too damned good at the arts of espionage and subterfuge not to notice others doing the same thing.</p><p> </p><p> Either the gnome or his wife must be in on it somehow. The file was too bright and shiny for him to turn it down. Was it a trap? There are too many coincidences. The gnome came straight to him. The Sister came straight to him. There was a man following the gnome, but the Gorgon's Eye was raided only after he'd met with the Sister. The Watch had to either know before hand, or someone big enough to bully them into quick action had to be in charge. Big people make waves; little people will talk. The Silver Flame will have to have planned ahead as well. Clerics are known to gossip, the trick is to find their audience. </p><p></p><p> Time, information and possession are the keys to his freedom. Time and possession are still in question. He can find information, anyone with a brain and a money purse can get to know anything they want in Sharn. Theodyl has a special talent for making contacts and forging unlikely connections. There is a chance that he will fail. Events are moving quickly, he needs to gain the advantage soon. He is facing a challenge. His former Master, Stargazer Gildenscale, once told him something that changed the way he thought and acted from the moment the words touched his mind. </p><p> </p><p> “I give you my father's words. A man who fails always tries for either the easy way or the long-shot; the first requires little imagination and less effort, the other is impossible so it frees one of any responsibility for failure. I want you to seek the way in the middle. It is hard, but not impossible, and if you fail, you will always know who's at fault. Failure builds character which leads to wisdom. Do not pass a challenge because you fear to fail. Challenge yourself always, know that you are the only enemy that counts. If you want to keep warm, to put food in your belly, and to sleep in comfort, you will have to learn very quickly. Now, leave my House young one, your lessons are done. Make me proud.”</p><p> </p><p> As the door in his memory slammed in his face, Theodyl felt a renewed vigor. He made a chart in his head. Each of the players have a heading. He spent the night making links between them and testing those links to see if they made sense. His life is at stake, he should be worried, but all he can see is the challenge. Perhaps, he will feel the terror when he is done. Perhaps he is a fool. Theodyl slowly drank his way to oblivion. His last thought was that, at the very least, he had a list of people to join him in hell if he failed.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="skullsmurfer, post: 2311055, member: 17151"] [b]A meeting at the docks, Chapter 5[/b] ►A meeting at the Docks, Chapter 5 Paragon 146 to 3 made it to the docks in under an hour. His errands took longer than he expected. He met with various contacts and checked with the local know-it-alls in all the right places. There are new problems with dangerous creatures creeping up from below. Two days past, a war-forged beat the daylights out of a Watch Patrol in the lower districts before disappearing. The problem started when one of the war-forged watchmen took exception to being called a human-loving traitor. A routine maintenance crew was driven out of one of the utility tunnels by a cloaked band of war-forged the same night. Paragon 146 to 3 is convinced he has found the kidnappers out. Theodyl will be pleased. <Paragon, I have news, meet me soonest. Dockside 432b.> Theodyl's sending rang in his ears. The docks were his best lead. 432 b is a warehouse. It once belonged to House Cannith, it is currently held by a local trade company. It looks just like every other relic from the war. It is squat, over sized and ugly. The thing that peaked both their interests is the fact that it has a discrete entrance into the sewers. Paragon padded into the warehouse and searched for the tell-tale iron ring sticking out of the floor. It did not take the war-forged long. He found Theodyl sitting on the floor at the bottom of the steps tuning his bow harp. Paragon refused to listen to him until he could understand how they both got to the same place. It truly frustrated the war-forged that the half-elf had an itemized, step by step explanation all thought out. Sergeant Hinderfast never said anything about fixing recruits who weren't stupid. He is doubly sure that hitting Theodyl over the head wouldn't be completely justified at this moment. Making a recruit stupid and then fixing them sounds suspect. Paragon 146 to 3 decided to wait and see. Sergeant Hinderfast always said to wait and see. “Alright, but I will watching. You are too impulsive.” Paragon barked. He has to keep Theodyl's feet on the ground. “Agreed, I guess, I further suggest that you bring in some of the veterans from that little war gaming club of yours. I think we will need them.” Theodyl said with some relief. Sometimes he thinks the hulking war-forged wants to hit him. The two compared notes and argued about where to go next. They did agree that the war-forged kidnappers had to have some way of making their escape with the manuscript. They also agreed that it would be harder to get the war-forged out of Sharn than the manuscript by itself. They will have to gain control of the manuscript in order to get the gnome's wife and then have something to bargain with against the other interested parties. Fighting war-forged isn't always the best idea. Paragon isn't happy about not fighting, but he is open to other possibilities. Theodyl is convinced that the Silver Flame has plenty of cranky Inquisitors to throw at the enemy war-forged. A series of clues leading one enemy to another is a good bet. Once the hot blooded types are done playing, clear thinking might come into play. “Ye are forgettin' a couple'o things,” the beer stein interrupted, “'tis all a great plan 'till you take three steps and none of it matters anymore, Lads.” “The cup is right.” Paragon said. “If I were still hale, I'd be teaching ye the difference between a cup and a beer stein. Gods! Ye can giv'em life, but ye can't teach them to drink worth a damn.” Cried the dwarven spirit. “Hag spit, I think I will have a drink.” Theodyl said, leaving them to their discussion. While Paragon and the beer stein argued into the night, Theodyl drank and made plans. The gnome didn't exactly lie about his wife's kidnappers, but dangerous war-forged qualify as important information. From what the gnome said, he assumed that he was talking about a gang or rival House. Theodyl frowned, he should have asked better questions. Why didn't he ask? He sighed and moved on. The manuscript the war-forged and the Silver Flame want is a big question. It is just a study of various artifacts recovered from Xen'dric; interesting but a bit out his league. It sounds expensive. The file the gnome is offering as payment is infinitely more useful. The names, dates and times listed create quite a picture of the dragon nation's intelligence efforts for a period of over 50 years. It is made up of a series of individual reports meticulously culled and annotated from a variety of different sources. Detailed study and further research might yield numerous benefits. From his point of view, it might be easier to just assassinate dragon agents. The Cyre manuscript is nothing compared to the file. According to the gnomish coding on the pages, it has never been copied, it is the only original. He asked for a copy, the original will be sorely missed by the gnomes; that means more trouble. The Sister from the Silver Flame was associated with both house Cannith and a rogue green dragon during the war. She later joined the church of the Silver Flame. It is speculated from a list of various other reports, that the green dragon was named Vergris and that it died in Cyre. There is a note about numerous donations to Sharn City officials after she took the Church's honorary council seat. There is a detailed financial analysis attached, none of her listed assets and holdings could possibly have financed her rise to power. The money did not come from the temple coffers either. Her money came out of nowhere, thus her loyalties and motivations are in question. The gnomes also have a record of his dealings with his one time draconic patron as well. It won't matter that he wasn't spying, the association will get him dead on both ends of the equation. There is a further listing of his former master's investments, properties and other possible holdings. It is quite thorough, the scary, nationally organized kind of thorough. It makes sense that after the dragons wiped out the giants everyone else would worry about their own necks. There is no doubt the dragons know about it. They are too damned good at the arts of espionage and subterfuge not to notice others doing the same thing. Either the gnome or his wife must be in on it somehow. The file was too bright and shiny for him to turn it down. Was it a trap? There are too many coincidences. The gnome came straight to him. The Sister came straight to him. There was a man following the gnome, but the Gorgon's Eye was raided only after he'd met with the Sister. The Watch had to either know before hand, or someone big enough to bully them into quick action had to be in charge. Big people make waves; little people will talk. The Silver Flame will have to have planned ahead as well. Clerics are known to gossip, the trick is to find their audience. Time, information and possession are the keys to his freedom. Time and possession are still in question. He can find information, anyone with a brain and a money purse can get to know anything they want in Sharn. Theodyl has a special talent for making contacts and forging unlikely connections. There is a chance that he will fail. Events are moving quickly, he needs to gain the advantage soon. He is facing a challenge. His former Master, Stargazer Gildenscale, once told him something that changed the way he thought and acted from the moment the words touched his mind. “I give you my father's words. A man who fails always tries for either the easy way or the long-shot; the first requires little imagination and less effort, the other is impossible so it frees one of any responsibility for failure. I want you to seek the way in the middle. It is hard, but not impossible, and if you fail, you will always know who's at fault. Failure builds character which leads to wisdom. Do not pass a challenge because you fear to fail. Challenge yourself always, know that you are the only enemy that counts. If you want to keep warm, to put food in your belly, and to sleep in comfort, you will have to learn very quickly. Now, leave my House young one, your lessons are done. Make me proud.” As the door in his memory slammed in his face, Theodyl felt a renewed vigor. He made a chart in his head. Each of the players have a heading. He spent the night making links between them and testing those links to see if they made sense. His life is at stake, he should be worried, but all he can see is the challenge. Perhaps, he will feel the terror when he is done. Perhaps he is a fool. Theodyl slowly drank his way to oblivion. His last thought was that, at the very least, he had a list of people to join him in hell if he failed. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Adventures in Eberron> Chapter 32 posted 08-08-05>
Top