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
Family Matters - Forgotten Realms Waterdeep Campaign
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="Isida Kep'Tukari" data-source="post: 6175474" data-attributes="member: 4441"><p><strong>Session 19</strong></p><p></p><p>When we last left our intrepid heroes, they had all spent part of the winter tending to their various enterprises (see prior post). But knowing that Fate seems to have things in store for them, and business opportunities come in many guises, the group is still meeting at the Empty Grave twice a tenday to have supper and talk about anything that comes along.</p><p></p><p>Amongst other things that happened, William graduated from the Etorchul Academy. Shandri had already presented her gifts, and the others also had things for him. Evelyn had found him some dress robes (it was out of style self-defense), and Garden and Charissa had gotten him what looked like a very nice wand. But twist it, and the top came off, revealing a sharp stiletto to pierce the hide of the unwitting.</p><p></p><p>During one of these meetings at the Empty Grave, Charissa interrupted Evelyn’s delighted chatter about this party she was attending (the Jassarian’s homecoming party for their eldest) with the tentative request for an invitation. To which Garden replied that he was already going on behalf of a business venture, and Charissa could go with him as a demonstrator. (She would be both the booth babe AND the booth simultaneously.) Raising an eyebrow, William said he was supposed to go on behalf of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, to which Shandri replied that she was going on behalf of the Order of the Vine.</p><p></p><p>Realizing that all of them were ending up at a party again, and that this probably presaged disaster, everyone called for a round of drinks.</p><p></p><p>During which, Garden sneaked out to go case the joint before the party the following week. The Jassarians lived in a fine house that had extensive gardens. A large tent was being erected there, and cages moved in for the menagerie. </p><p></p><p>While Garden was doing that, Evelyn was delighted to get most of the party into fancy clothes. Charissa was going to be wearing weapons, so it couldn’t be anything too terribly frilly, but Evelyn was determined to get her into something that wasn’t forge leathers or covered with alchemical stains. William too had to look like he belonged, and Shandri wouldn’t miss Charissa being styled by Evelyn for all the waters in the ocean, so both came along.</p><p></p><p>[Also, at one point during this week, Charissa both paid several urchins and also politely asked Shandri to be on the lookout for potential bards for the Order of the Vine. She was of the opinion that they definitely needed some trained bards as soon as possible. The first few seemed a bit too rough for the clientele they usually ended up serving (half-orcs singing bloody battle ballads on drums were a touch much), they did find one fellow they did want to interview – One Olaf Alehearth, a dwarven bard that played a xylophone of tuned drinking mugs. A project for very soon.]</p><p></p><p>--</p><p></p><p>The following sixthday, the party began. The Jassarians specialized in exotica – animals, foods, weapons, art, plants, people, the works. The eldest Jassarian son, Truvan, was circulating with three wild dwarf allies (very short, slender for dwarves, painted, pierced, and fiercely scowling) he’d made during his time in Chult. The rest of his guests drifted between the displays of things brought back from the jungle, along with related items such as exotic weaponry (displayed by Charissa, orders taken by Garden). Shandri was actually wearing a dress, of all things, using the diplomatic skill she’d gained in improving air-to-water-breather relations to subtly “bless” (i.e. water) the wine of those guests who were on the verge of becoming obnoxious, thusly doing her duty as a member of the Order of the Vine.</p><p></p><p>Evelyn, Steven, and Ravinica (the Golden Queen) were doing more socializing, though with Evelyn’s new business interests she was also bringing attention to the silk trade she was invested in, as well as her fabulous gown (“made by Madame Silverleaf, of course!”). That was hardly uncommon in these sorts of parties, and she had a few tentative nibbles of interest from some of the guests.</p><p></p><p>William mostly observed this or that until the bell was sounded for guests to come to the menagerie tent (where there was a tiger, a small crocodile, several monkeys, and many exotic birds displayed in cages) where the Maztica plumacrafter, Kultaka, would display his rare craft. William began taking reams of notes as Kultaka began weaving beautiful, multicolored feathers into helmets and shields, then lacing them with dusts, liquids, and powders as he chanted over them. He picked Charissa to hold a helmet he had just treated, and she was amazed at the steel-like strength of the seemingly insubstantial armor.</p><p></p><p>But as the demonstration went on, Evelyn noticed something odd. One of the cages behind Kultaka was a large cage holding a brightly-colored bird she’d heard called a macaw. The cage seemed rather large to hold it, but then again, it was a bird. But what truly caught her eye was that for one second, she didn’t see a macaw, but a bird-man the size of a fully-grown elf. But only for a second. What in the world…? </p><p></p><p>She sidled up to William, and then Charissa murmuring her observations. William could see through the illusion pretty easily, and was not happy at what he saw. They waited until the demonstration had concluded and dinner was about to start – the guests all filing out. Snagging the others, the party gathered around the cage. Evelyn cast a spell to enable her to understand what language the bird man was speaking, and they began talking to him. He was very depressed, but suddenly elated when he realized they could see him for who he truly was. He said he was Kreesh, an aarakocra, a native of Chult, and had been brought under a spell of illusion in the baggage train of Truvan Jassarian. His feathers provided extra power for the plumacrafter’s magic.</p><p></p><p>Garden went to free him from his locked cage, though fiddling with the lock at first also put him under the illusion of being a macaw (much to the group’s merriment) until he actually got the lock open.</p><p></p><p>Alarmed at the thought of any creature being enslaved, they asked a servant to bring Truvan Jassarian and the Lady Jassarian out (the younger son, Fellok Jassarian and his significant other, Shawna Deeps, came along as well). They explained what they had seen, and the color drained from Truvan’s face. He had his three wild dwarf allies brought from the dining room and questioned them in their native tongue. They said they had brought the aarakocra as a gift, and shrugged at the notion of slavery. (It seemed the laws of Chult were very different – if you were able to be caught, you deserved slavery.) Tersely, mortified at inadvertently causing another creature to be enslaved, Truvan asked if Kultaka, the plumacrafter, had known that the “macaw” was in face, an aarakocra. The wild dwarves said yes.</p><p></p><p>Lady Jassarian immediately called for Kultaka to be summoned from the dining room. The man was brought before them, and of her own volition, on the advice of both Steven and William, Lady Jassarian sent out for a priest of Mystra and a member of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, those who helped police the abuse of magic within Waterdeep. After a delay (it was snowy), both worthy gentlemen arrived. Those present questioned Kultaka fiercely, pointing out the evidence, but no expression creased his face. Not a once. He might have been thought just very stoic and stubborn, but the party started to get a bad feeling about the man’s unresponsiveness.</p><p></p><p>Charissa felt the man’s cheek, and all but groaned and reported he felt waxy. This was a wax golem, an imposter! Lady Jassarian sent her servants to check Kultaka’s room. Shawna Deeps spoke up unexpectedly, saying he’d gone to “refresh himself” just as dinner had started. Cursing, the group realized Kultaka could have nearly an hour’s head start on them, if he had put his decoy into place just when they confronted the Jassarians.</p><p></p><p>Garden said he knew the streets of the city better than anyone, and as snow had been falling lightly, Kultaka would be leaving footprints. And a man from a warm climate would find the cold temperatures of the city punishing. The Order mage agreed, saying he was no spring chicken to go hunting people down. But he could aid Garden. He would send his familiar, a fox, with him to help track by scent when footsteps might become muddled, and who could alert them in Garden needed help. The priest of Mystra could offer a tile that, once broken, could let the user run faster. Looking around, they asked if anyone else wanted to join Garden in the chase, and who wanted to stay behind to see if any information could be elicited from the wax golem… one way or another.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Isida Kep'Tukari, post: 6175474, member: 4441"] [b]Session 19[/b] When we last left our intrepid heroes, they had all spent part of the winter tending to their various enterprises (see prior post). But knowing that Fate seems to have things in store for them, and business opportunities come in many guises, the group is still meeting at the Empty Grave twice a tenday to have supper and talk about anything that comes along. Amongst other things that happened, William graduated from the Etorchul Academy. Shandri had already presented her gifts, and the others also had things for him. Evelyn had found him some dress robes (it was out of style self-defense), and Garden and Charissa had gotten him what looked like a very nice wand. But twist it, and the top came off, revealing a sharp stiletto to pierce the hide of the unwitting. During one of these meetings at the Empty Grave, Charissa interrupted Evelyn’s delighted chatter about this party she was attending (the Jassarian’s homecoming party for their eldest) with the tentative request for an invitation. To which Garden replied that he was already going on behalf of a business venture, and Charissa could go with him as a demonstrator. (She would be both the booth babe AND the booth simultaneously.) Raising an eyebrow, William said he was supposed to go on behalf of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, to which Shandri replied that she was going on behalf of the Order of the Vine. Realizing that all of them were ending up at a party again, and that this probably presaged disaster, everyone called for a round of drinks. During which, Garden sneaked out to go case the joint before the party the following week. The Jassarians lived in a fine house that had extensive gardens. A large tent was being erected there, and cages moved in for the menagerie. While Garden was doing that, Evelyn was delighted to get most of the party into fancy clothes. Charissa was going to be wearing weapons, so it couldn’t be anything too terribly frilly, but Evelyn was determined to get her into something that wasn’t forge leathers or covered with alchemical stains. William too had to look like he belonged, and Shandri wouldn’t miss Charissa being styled by Evelyn for all the waters in the ocean, so both came along. [Also, at one point during this week, Charissa both paid several urchins and also politely asked Shandri to be on the lookout for potential bards for the Order of the Vine. She was of the opinion that they definitely needed some trained bards as soon as possible. The first few seemed a bit too rough for the clientele they usually ended up serving (half-orcs singing bloody battle ballads on drums were a touch much), they did find one fellow they did want to interview – One Olaf Alehearth, a dwarven bard that played a xylophone of tuned drinking mugs. A project for very soon.] -- The following sixthday, the party began. The Jassarians specialized in exotica – animals, foods, weapons, art, plants, people, the works. The eldest Jassarian son, Truvan, was circulating with three wild dwarf allies (very short, slender for dwarves, painted, pierced, and fiercely scowling) he’d made during his time in Chult. The rest of his guests drifted between the displays of things brought back from the jungle, along with related items such as exotic weaponry (displayed by Charissa, orders taken by Garden). Shandri was actually wearing a dress, of all things, using the diplomatic skill she’d gained in improving air-to-water-breather relations to subtly “bless” (i.e. water) the wine of those guests who were on the verge of becoming obnoxious, thusly doing her duty as a member of the Order of the Vine. Evelyn, Steven, and Ravinica (the Golden Queen) were doing more socializing, though with Evelyn’s new business interests she was also bringing attention to the silk trade she was invested in, as well as her fabulous gown (“made by Madame Silverleaf, of course!”). That was hardly uncommon in these sorts of parties, and she had a few tentative nibbles of interest from some of the guests. William mostly observed this or that until the bell was sounded for guests to come to the menagerie tent (where there was a tiger, a small crocodile, several monkeys, and many exotic birds displayed in cages) where the Maztica plumacrafter, Kultaka, would display his rare craft. William began taking reams of notes as Kultaka began weaving beautiful, multicolored feathers into helmets and shields, then lacing them with dusts, liquids, and powders as he chanted over them. He picked Charissa to hold a helmet he had just treated, and she was amazed at the steel-like strength of the seemingly insubstantial armor. But as the demonstration went on, Evelyn noticed something odd. One of the cages behind Kultaka was a large cage holding a brightly-colored bird she’d heard called a macaw. The cage seemed rather large to hold it, but then again, it was a bird. But what truly caught her eye was that for one second, she didn’t see a macaw, but a bird-man the size of a fully-grown elf. But only for a second. What in the world…? She sidled up to William, and then Charissa murmuring her observations. William could see through the illusion pretty easily, and was not happy at what he saw. They waited until the demonstration had concluded and dinner was about to start – the guests all filing out. Snagging the others, the party gathered around the cage. Evelyn cast a spell to enable her to understand what language the bird man was speaking, and they began talking to him. He was very depressed, but suddenly elated when he realized they could see him for who he truly was. He said he was Kreesh, an aarakocra, a native of Chult, and had been brought under a spell of illusion in the baggage train of Truvan Jassarian. His feathers provided extra power for the plumacrafter’s magic. Garden went to free him from his locked cage, though fiddling with the lock at first also put him under the illusion of being a macaw (much to the group’s merriment) until he actually got the lock open. Alarmed at the thought of any creature being enslaved, they asked a servant to bring Truvan Jassarian and the Lady Jassarian out (the younger son, Fellok Jassarian and his significant other, Shawna Deeps, came along as well). They explained what they had seen, and the color drained from Truvan’s face. He had his three wild dwarf allies brought from the dining room and questioned them in their native tongue. They said they had brought the aarakocra as a gift, and shrugged at the notion of slavery. (It seemed the laws of Chult were very different – if you were able to be caught, you deserved slavery.) Tersely, mortified at inadvertently causing another creature to be enslaved, Truvan asked if Kultaka, the plumacrafter, had known that the “macaw” was in face, an aarakocra. The wild dwarves said yes. Lady Jassarian immediately called for Kultaka to be summoned from the dining room. The man was brought before them, and of her own volition, on the advice of both Steven and William, Lady Jassarian sent out for a priest of Mystra and a member of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, those who helped police the abuse of magic within Waterdeep. After a delay (it was snowy), both worthy gentlemen arrived. Those present questioned Kultaka fiercely, pointing out the evidence, but no expression creased his face. Not a once. He might have been thought just very stoic and stubborn, but the party started to get a bad feeling about the man’s unresponsiveness. Charissa felt the man’s cheek, and all but groaned and reported he felt waxy. This was a wax golem, an imposter! Lady Jassarian sent her servants to check Kultaka’s room. Shawna Deeps spoke up unexpectedly, saying he’d gone to “refresh himself” just as dinner had started. Cursing, the group realized Kultaka could have nearly an hour’s head start on them, if he had put his decoy into place just when they confronted the Jassarians. Garden said he knew the streets of the city better than anyone, and as snow had been falling lightly, Kultaka would be leaving footprints. And a man from a warm climate would find the cold temperatures of the city punishing. The Order mage agreed, saying he was no spring chicken to go hunting people down. But he could aid Garden. He would send his familiar, a fox, with him to help track by scent when footsteps might become muddled, and who could alert them in Garden needed help. The priest of Mystra could offer a tile that, once broken, could let the user run faster. Looking around, they asked if anyone else wanted to join Garden in the chase, and who wanted to stay behind to see if any information could be elicited from the wax golem… one way or another. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Family Matters - Forgotten Realms Waterdeep Campaign
Top