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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Demetrios1453" data-source="post: 9646827" data-attributes="member: 6801060">Curse of the Azure Bonds (Part 34): Zhentil Keep (Part 1) OK, we're back after a few weeks off for vacations and other not-so-fun stuff.[ATTACH=full]403710[/ATTACH]When we last left our party, they were on out outskirts of Yûlash, so now we need to choose where to go next. As one of the two remaining tattoos on our arms is the symbol of the Zhentarim, heading north to their headquarters in the nearby city of Zhentil Keep seems to be a good idea.[ATTACH=full]403711[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]403712[/ATTACH]Well, at least that journey was easy, even if them letting us go by makes us uneasy.[ATTACH=full]403713[/ATTACH]Let's enter the city.[ATTACH=full]403714[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]403715[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]403716[/ATTACH]Sure, "strictly routine."[ATTACH=full]403717[/ATTACH]Um, we're standing right here?The "little thief" is going to play a big role, both in her rumor-mongering and in person, as we move through Zhentil Keep, as we shall see.[ATTACH=full]403718[/ATTACH]We press forward through the aforementioned masses.[ATTACH=full]403719[/ATTACH]Apparently they hire from the same place Phlan got their guards.[ATTACH=full]403720[/ATTACH]Grumble. There are three factions wandering the streets (really, just street) of Zhentil Keep, all hostile towards each other, and towards the party. To keep this from becoming a slog of combat every few steps, we're just going to parlay to each group.[ATTACH=full]403721[/ATTACH]We parlay "MEEK", and they let us go.[ATTACH=full]403722[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]403723[/ATTACH]As we walk down the one street that seems to make up the entirety of Zhentil Keep, we'll continually overhear things like this, or notice something odd going on. It happens every few steps, although each one is unique.[ATTACH=full]403724[/ATTACH]We duck into the inn. Luckily we aren't Red Plumes.[ATTACH=full]403725[/ATTACH]We really don't need to rest, so we'll just camp to save the game.[ATTACH=full]403726[/ATTACH]That done, we continue down the street.[ATTACH=full]403727[/ATTACH]This is the weapons shop. Normally, we'd stop in to sell loot and top off on arrows, but there's a very good reason for not doing so, as we soon shall see....[ATTACH=full]403728[/ATTACH]More rumors from this mysterious halfling...[ATTACH=full]403729[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]403730[/ATTACH]Aha! We're definitely going in here...[ATTACH=full]403731[/ATTACH]Yes we do!But first, let's dump off all the magic items we've been carrying around for a bit.We sell everything extraneous off. The bracers go for quite a pretty penny![ATTACH=full]403732[/ATTACH]As you can imagine, we're quite overloaded with coins now, but that's not a bad thing at the moment. So we need to pool.[ATTACH=full]403733[/ATTACH]That's quite a bit! But, we finally have something to spend it on![ATTACH=full]403734[/ATTACH]The scrolls only contain spells we already know. If we had pure magic users, picking up some of the wands of magic missiles would be useful. But as we don't, we're going to blow it all on those nice, juicy magical arrows. Ha, all you mages - your protection from normal missiles will now be useless!I basically give my back three the maximum amount of arrows, while giving some to the front line as well, just in case (and as storage if the back line run out).[ATTACH=full]403735[/ATTACH]It costs quite a bit, but it's worth it.[ATTACH=full]403736[/ATTACH]Also, we haven't broken into the gems or jewels, so we still have plenty of money for re-stocking later. Also, we'll gain access to a much cheaper magic item shop here soon anyway.Once done, we head out back down the street again, with their continual messages....[ATTACH=full]403737[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]403738[/ATTACH]We let him go. This whole encounter is just an in-joke reference to Ralph Bashki's 1977 film Wizards.[ATTACH=full]403739[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]403740[/ATTACH]Hmm... This halfling has given us quite the reputation, it appears.[ATTACH=full]403741[/ATTACH]Meh, there's nothing much exciting they sell in there, so we continue on...[ATTACH=full]403742[/ATTACH]We file that away for future reference.[ATTACH=full]403743[/ATTACH]As you can see, we haven't made it too far into Zhentil Keep, with just about every other step resulting in a non-combat encounter of some sort.[ATTACH=full]403744[/ATTACH]How decorative![ATTACH=full]403745[/ATTACH]Our reputation precedes us, it seems.[ATTACH=full]403746[/ATTACH]Hmm, that reputation might not be the best, apparently.[ATTACH=full]403747[/ATTACH]We just parlay "MEEK" again to get around the encounter.[ATTACH=full]403748[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]403749[/ATTACH]Like any other tavern, you can go in there and spend money getting less-than-reputable rumors. This one has an arena as well, for added interest. But we're on a mission, so we just forge forward.[ATTACH=full]403750[/ATTACH]I assume that suspicious glares are just part of typical guard training.[ATTACH=full]403751[/ATTACH]Yes, it's us.[ATTACH=full]403752[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]403753[/ATTACH]Oh, that's much more interesting than scared and fleeing civilians! We'll definitely take a look at this altar when we find it![ATTACH=full]403754[/ATTACH]Ewww.  I guess that's better than other things that can be thrown out a window in these pre-plumbing days, though.[ATTACH=full]403756[/ATTACH]You know you're in a reputable place when they're dragging the bodies around the corners instead of just letting them rot in the street.[ATTACH=full]403757[/ATTACH]Sounds like fun times in Zhentil Keep.[ATTACH=full]403758[/ATTACH]OK, random.[ATTACH=full]403759[/ATTACH]Indeed it is.[ATTACH=full]403760[/ATTACH]All from us just walking down the street. We'll need to have some words with this halfling when we meet her.[ATTACH=full]403761[/ATTACH]Thank you, dream-like voice![ATTACH=full]403762[/ATTACH]Our mysterious halfling, at last![ATTACH=full]403763[/ATTACH]Olive and Dimswart are both characters from the novel. Olive, notably, claims to be a bard, but everyone keeps telling her "Halflings can't be bards!" due to 1e and 2e race/class restrictions. Her stat block has her class as thief. Of course, it's been a long time since haflings have been blocked from being bards, so this little bit of fun is a bit antiquated these days...[ATTACH=full]403764[/ATTACH]Yes we do.We'll pick up there next time as we enter the Shrine of Bane, and the horrors that lie within!</blockquote>

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