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Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 1649627" data-attributes="member: 9255">EBERRON: LOST TREASURESSEGMENT 004“The Life & Times of an Adventuring Accountant”“We do not need that. No.  No.  Oh pleazzzzze Mr. Jaykodie Blueheart- not that.  Yes to the smaller pack.”Jay found shopping for an adventure was absolutely no fun with an accountant judging everything.  To make matters worse, Nic (the dwarf already was flinching to this name given to him by Jay) had no sense of style or pinache’.  Jay had hoped for an entire change of wardrobe including maybe come clothes treated with Glamour spells to impress people but no such luck.  So far, all he had gotten was a hat and a pair of gloves.  To make matters worse, the hat was second hand!Still, it did keep the sun out of his eyes.  The gloves were a nice idea.  Though new, they were a boring dark brown in color and again …no magic enchantments.  So far, this adventure was a complete dud.  Jay also felt like a child.  Nic held all of the money.  “If you spend much as a copper of House Kundarak’s money poorly it will be taken out of both of us.”  By the five nations!  How this dwarf needed to get a life.After a few hours of shopping but buying very little for the trip, the dwarf directed Jay to the Lightning Rail.  “Where are we going Nic?” asked a downtrodden Jay.  He knew already.  They were going to the tower of the Electric Rail station for out of town travel.  This at least was promising.  At the station, Grot showed their traveling papers to the guards man.  When the guard accepted Jay immediately but looked twice at Grot’s, Grot smiled big (thus showing off his missing front tooth).  With a smirk, the guard allowed the two travelers onto the platform.  The hair on Jay’s neck and arms stood up.  The energies used to empower and direct the rail always did this to him.  It was the same effect he got when using a glow rod.  Damn, he didn’t even think of that.  No glow rod!  How he was having no fun.They boarded the Lightning Rail craft named Crackle.  From reading the schedules listed on the wall, Jay knew this craft went north into Thrane and finally into Aundair before returning.  So, were they going to Thrane or Aundair?  Did it really matter?  He was leaving Breland.  Jay had never left the country before.  He was tempted often.  The war kept him from leaving however.  Even with the vandalism within Sharn, it was much safer here than most locations. Jay was disappointed when they did not take first class.  At least they did get a cabin instead of just seats with the commoners.  If Jay was not daydreaming and Nic was not fretting about where their cabin was, one of them may have seen the man in the black leather robe and hat.  From behind the dark glasses, this stranger watched them board and walk by him.  He seemed to study Jay the most.  He listened carefully as Nic asked an attendant where cabin 15 was.  The man went back to reading his copy of the Korranberg Chronicle as if nothing had happened.With the door locked and the unlikely travelers safely in their cabin (#16 Nic needs new glasses) they settle down.  “We should reach Passage within eight days Jaykodie Blueheart of Sharn.  In that time we need to rest and go over a few rules that were within the contract you signed with House Kundarak.”Jay figured he would sleep easily after that one.  Borrrrrring.  He hoped to find a discarded copy of the Chronicle somewhere.  He loved reading the “Ask the Sage” section.  It often gave excellent suggestions of things to do or PACK for an adventure.  Obviously Nic had never read one or he would have known to get a few more supplies and of a higher standard.The Electric Rail craft Crackle began to wobble slightly as it powered up to go.  It started slowly by picked up pace once it cleared the tower.  There was a narrow slit for a window much like an archer’s window Jay had read about.  From this, Jay watched the tower where he was born go by.  He watched a tower that had red glass in sections go by.  He then saw the tower where House Kundarak was located.  The craft was still only going about 20 miles per hour at this point.  It was not allowed to go at its full rate within a city’s limits.  Soon it would go upwards of 30 miles per hour and they will leave the city.“Look here.  We are not sights seeing.  We are working for House Kundarak.” Declares the dwarf as he sits down and rubs his arm.“What is under there?” asks Jay in curiosity.  With a big smile, Nic leans forward and in a hushed voice says, “it’s a secret.” Then leans back and snickers.Jay lets out a long sigh and pulls off his jacket.  The smell of living on the streets fills the cabin making Nic wriggle his nose.  How rude this young man is thinks the proper dwarf.  Now he completely understands why Rkard came to him and asked him to aid this boy.Before this, Grot Nicklerock was nothing more than a bookkeeper.  He ate, slept and calculated within the bank’s basement level.  He has done this for 156 years now.  He was very happy here counting coins and adding up ledgers and tomes of bank accounts.  Then, just a week ago, Rkard came to him and asked if he wanted a promotion.  Since it was he that was in charge of Neadder family assets and had discovered the missing cache of goods, Rkard thought he was the best suited to do this job efficiently. Grot was not sure he was the best for this job but he could not argue the fact that knew the Neadder family heirlooms better than anyone else could.  But the house called and he will do anything they ask without question.  He felt obligated under the most recent things that have happened to him.Grot was slightly annoyed by this young human boy.  The child had obvious energy and desire for the job but he had no common sense.  A lantern?  Why buy a lantern?  He could see perfectly fine in the dark.  There was no need for it.  Clothes?  It was not his fault he didn’t bath regularly.  And enchanted clothes?  Look at how he kept the clothes he had now!Grot looked out his window for a moment.  He could count on his fingers the number of times he was outside under the sun.  The sun was so bright and warm.  It hurt his eyes to look to the sky.  Still, he had faith in his ability and reasons for going.  He looked at his arm and felt calmer.  It was going to be all right.The Crackle was moving over 30 mph now as it reached the King’s Forest.  Jay looked at it in awe.  The forest was more like a jungle.  It was thickly overgrown and had creatures unheard of.  A protective wall and the rail’s raised platform kept them safe enough from these creatures.  Jay looked long and hard.  He saw birds that were multi-colored and even small mammals called monkeys.  Jay lost track of time watching the view go by him.  After twenty minutes of this, Grot could not help himself.  He too looked out the window and watched.  The creatures were strange and oddly amusing to him.  He had signed off on many credit transfers as clients got hunting permits for this forest.  To hunt within the forest for a tiger or a wild boar was considered a sign of nobility amongst many.  Seeing only little monkeys and birds, he was not impressed.  He was rapidly counting the creatures in his mind.  3 blue winged birds, five red and purple birds a white and green monkey ...etc.Soon the light was giving way and the glow rods attached to the roof began to illuminate.  Grot smiled and felt it was time.  He went and got his pack and opened all three buckles.  He pulled back that flap and unzipped the inner bag to expose the perfectly clean interior of the pack.  Within this small back pack was a sack.  A seemly empty sack.  Grot reached deep into the sack with his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth.  His large eyes blinked several times behind his thick glasses and then he produced three scrolls strapped together.  The straps were of course protected with Kundarak runes.  If someone opened or broke these seals that were magically allowed, the wax would energize and explode.  Some of these explosions were fatal and thus discouraged many from stealing from the house or their agents.“Within these three scrolls are everything we need to get started” proclaimed the dwarf.The darkness spread into the craft hallway.  The dark man dressed in black did not mind.  He quietly strolled to the cabin marked as #15.  An attendant came by and he nodded and lifted his hat in a polite manner.  He whispered a “go’nite” to the attendant then took a few slow steps past the cabin.  Once he felt no one was around he returned to the door and stood before it.  “Room 15” he whispered</blockquote>

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