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Story Hour
Family Matters - Forgotten Realms Waterdeep Campaign
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<blockquote data-quote="Isida Kep'Tukari" data-source="post: 6275448" data-attributes="member: 4441"><p><strong>Session 30</strong></p><p></p><p>Azkorra, I'm glad you're liking our Story Hour! Hold on to your butts, because things are going to start to get a little bonkers...</p><p></p><p>----</p><p></p><p>When we last left our intrepid heroes, they had just freed Pearl Island, a place sacred to Istishia, from a double scourge of evil water nagas and opportunistic pirates. The group had called the Dancing Duck to take a couple of their number back to the harbor to hire a ship to haul back the pirates ill-gotten gains and then clap the miscreats… well, first to a healer’s, and then probably to jail or the gallows. Waterdeep takes a dim view of piracy.</p><p></p><p>The group was just going to leave some of the found foodstuffs behind for the temple and turn in the rest for a reward, but then started having second thoughts. The whole point of this quest was because they’d wanted to help Shandri, and her temple had some them a huge (and expensive) favor. Evelyn, in a rare and extremely painful spasm of morality, said they shouldn’t keep things, but rather give the money to the rededication of the temple. Most of the group agreed. Garden grumbled, but finally agrees with minimal stock shortage (i.e. he pocked a few gems).</p><p></p><p>Thusly agreed on the plan, they carried it out, and informed Shandri’s temple, who were very pleased to have Pearl Island back.</p><p></p><p>The group then went off to their virtuous (or not) rest, with a view to meeting the next afternoon at the Empty Grave. Shandri definitely wanted to show all the people there that she was not dead. However, the next morning something odd happened to everyone. Ravinica told Steven that there was a water elemental in the bathroom. Now, granted that the bathroom was actually a globe of airy water on the Elemental Plane of Water, connected to the house by Ravinica’s planar skill, but she’d specifically shielded the place against intrusions. So… odd. They sent a messenger for Shandri to ask the elemental what it was doing there.</p><p></p><p>At William’s place, he found a small water elemental in his ablution basin. As William spoke Aquan, it told him, “Hi!” And said its name of Oogogoogoobloop. When asked what it was going in William’s wash basin, it said, “The King said it was safe.” William, knowing a thing or three about water elemental, his studies, and the fact his cousin was a priestess of Istishia, knew that one of the titles of Istishia was The King of Water Elementals. </p><p></p><p>It also turned out that Evelyn found an elemental in her finger bowl, Garden in his water barrel, and Charissa in her quench water.</p><p></p><p>None of the elementals seemed hostile, but they weren’t leaving either, and since William and Shandri were the only two who spoke Aquan (Evelyn could use the <em>comprehend languages</em> spell to understand the creature, but couldn’t speak it herself), the UPS urchins and one of Evelyn’s errand boys were kept busy trying to locate one or the other. </p><p></p><p>It turned out that William went to see the Origamis, where Garden had, by pointing, coaxed the elementals into their own barrel. With William on hand to translate, it seemed these elementals too were told that this place was safe for them against their enemies. Making profit out of necessity, Garden set up a “staircase” of small water barrels so the elementals could play by jumping from barrel to barrel in the manner of a water feature. Hey, at the least it would give the customers something to marvel over, and maybe draw new ones to the area!</p><p></p><p>Eventually, all ended up at the House of Violette the Younger for a full explanation.</p><p></p><p>(As well as entirely too much musing as to how the Violettes’ bathroom worked when it was just a big globe of airy water. After far too many poop jokes, Ravinica forebear to point out that there were various currents running through the bathroom to keep all necessary sanitary functions separate and clean. And then politely told everyone to shut up about it and they could go elsewhere if they didn’t want to use it.)</p><p></p><p>Shandri explained that since the party had been instrumental in restoring a holy place, Istishia (or one of his Lords) had taken some minor notice and marked the group’s homes as hydraulic safe houses. Bemused, the group just went with it for now.</p><p></p><p>They met later at the Empty Grave, where the party was hailed as minor heroes and Shandri received a special token that admitted her into the exclusive club of the Twice-Lived. She accepted it somberly.</p><p></p><p>After a bit of catching-up, the group wound back around to what they were going to do before the fire elemental attack – namely go to the Temple of Siamorphe (the goddess of nobility) to check their Open Archives about the Wands family for any information about Father Geb. Everyone spruced themselves up and headed off. The temple was incredibly extravagant and rich, even compared to the temple of Waukeen, the goddess of trade and wealth.</p><p></p><p>A quick look around at the clergy inside made it clear that even the acolytes were very highly bred. They were met by one, a young woman with impeccable manners, who greeted, “Lady Violette, Sir Violette,” and asked how the temple could serve them. The rest of the group was indicated to be various retainers – William a scholar and scribe, Shandri an advisor, and the Origamis as business consultants. (Garden’s long-standing policy of throwing all fame and/or publicity from the group’s exploits on the Violettes in general and Evelyn in specific made him appear to be quite properly in his place, overlooked, which was how it liked it.)</p><p></p><p>The group (or rather, Evelyn), paid a steep fee to view the Open Archives (the Closed Archives required not only an outrageous fee but a letter of intent, written permission, and several escorts). The Open Archives, which held family history and genealogies, was utterly spotless, brightly lit, extensively cross-indexed, and comprehensively organized. William just stood and stared in appreciation for a while. </p><p></p><p>With assistance from the knowledgeable attendants, the group began to collect information. In addition to what they could get on the Wands, Evelyn also got information on several families she was looking into for business purposes. </p><p></p><p>But the Wands family history… upon reading, it became clear how Father Geb had survived the group’s attack on him at the warehouse. Due to a mishap with an artifact by a family member about a generation back, any blood member of the Wands family, if outside the magical protections of the family estate, can suffer periodic but random attacks by spontaneously-appearing creatures of the Far Realm. For the church of Beshaba, a man like Geb, a bastard with a blood-curse to boot, exemplifies Beshaba’s tenants.</p><p></p><p>Sobered, and plotting careful revenge, the group left to pursue their second line of inquiry into Geb – which would be speaking to his superior at the temple of Beshaba in Skullport.</p><p></p><p>Everyone started out by swinging by the Temple of Tymora for some properly worshipful gambling, because they had much need for the luck goddess’ favor. Then, well. The only point where they felt they could enter Skullport “safely” was the Monster’s Head tavern. </p><p></p><p>One can get into Skullport through certain sea caves if one is a smuggler or a pirate, which the group was not and did not want to try to bribe or impersonate, at least not this time. One could reach it, it was said, through certain levels of Undermountain, to which the group, knowing <em>those</em> levels were ones used for city “exiles” (i.e. executions) also did not care to traverse. If one were powerful enough or knowledgeable enough, there were probably magical portals or more temporary powerful teleportation magic, but the group didn’t have access to those right now.</p><p></p><p>Which left the Monster’s Head. If one were willing to pay for a guide, it might be possible to do some business in Skullport, provided one was respectful to the denizens of Skullport, was prepared to defend themselves, and had hired a guide that wouldn’t betray them. Steven and Evelyn went to seek advice from the one person in Waterdeep they knew who might know someone in Skullport – Jukuminno, the red dragon in the Waterdeep Council of Wyrms. </p><p></p><p>He was irritated to receive them, but that seemed to be his default mood. He was amused that they were going into Skullport, and offered to eat anyone who killed them. He did recommend a couple of possible guides, a pair of ogre brothers for one, and a troll for the other. A bit disturbed, they thanked him and left to go garb themselves in something appropriate.</p><p></p><p>According to what the group knew, they needed to look too prosperous to be an easy meal, not so prosperous as to be worth robbing, killing, or being held for ransom, not so flashy as to draw too much attention, and to look competent enough to defend themselves without looking like they were going to challenge anyone. With the others were contemplating their fashion and weapons’ choices (and in the case of the Violettes, disguising themselves), Garden had disguised himself in his persona of “Old Granther,” an older one-eyed gnome with a few fingers missing on one hand, a grizzled veteran of… something dangerous, that was for sure. (This was his persona when he worked at the Marilith, the exotic weapons’ shop). He then went to the Monster’s Head alone to hunt for a guide. With careful gruff questioning, he was able to find someone suitable when the others finally arrived.</p><p></p><p>Now, the Pickled Eel tavern, which was not too far away from the Monster’s Head, could be described as cheerfully awful, with its constant brawling, horrible food and strong liquor that could take the roof off of a dragon’s mouth. But for all that it had a bizarre air of everyone having a good time. The Monster’s Head was just awful. It was down several stone steps to an overlarge door in a very sturdy stone building, and over the lintel was nailed a large, unsightly head of some unknown monstrosity, still fresh and dripping. It was said to change every few days. </p><p></p><p>The group had been warned, in the strongest possible terms, to never order the “Monster Head Stew.”</p><p></p><p>Inside the very large door was a vast and shadowy room, lit only by a few torches shedding blue light. The tables and benches were all very large and made of stone. The clientele was colorful, with dangerous-looking humans, halflings, half-orcs, and half-elves mingling with gray-skinned duegar, ogres, trolls, at least one minotaur, and a masked, hooded woman whom everyone avoided. Some people here were in chains, others with the glassy-eyed stare of one under some kind of sway (magical or otherwise). At one table sat a grizzled gnome of Charissa’s, indeed everyone’s acquaintance, and with him were four drow women in dark leathers, bearing daggers, short swords, hand-crossbows, and probably some extremely familiar vials (i.e. the drow sleep poison Garden favored). Old Granther waved the group over.</p><p></p><p>Delia Faith and her three sisters were the ones he’d picked to guide them down to, and through, Skullport. They wore the holy symbol of Elestraee (the goddess of good drow), which put most of the party at ease. A round of drinks was had by all (luckily taken from the barrels marked with a human head, rather than the ones marked with a troll face) and the beer and wine was unexpectedly good. Not just good for this part of town, but only comparable to wine Evelyn had gotten at some of her fanciest parties. Not entirely surprising, as Skullport was known for smuggling. </p><p></p><p>After the toast was done, the Faith sisters led the group through a beaded archway through the back and down, down, down a very dimly lit stone spiral. Peculiar echoes bounced off the walls, and the air was fetid and damp. They kept close to the wall, and the Faith sisters warned them to press themselves against the wall several times, and avert their eyes from people traveling in the opposite directions. After that rather nerve-wracking walk, they finally leveled out in a vast underground cavern, bordering a sea cave on one side, a vast marketplace stretching out before them, ripe with the sounds and smells and sights of danger. </p><p></p><p>Skullport.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Isida Kep'Tukari, post: 6275448, member: 4441"] [b]Session 30[/b] Azkorra, I'm glad you're liking our Story Hour! Hold on to your butts, because things are going to start to get a little bonkers... ---- When we last left our intrepid heroes, they had just freed Pearl Island, a place sacred to Istishia, from a double scourge of evil water nagas and opportunistic pirates. The group had called the Dancing Duck to take a couple of their number back to the harbor to hire a ship to haul back the pirates ill-gotten gains and then clap the miscreats… well, first to a healer’s, and then probably to jail or the gallows. Waterdeep takes a dim view of piracy. The group was just going to leave some of the found foodstuffs behind for the temple and turn in the rest for a reward, but then started having second thoughts. The whole point of this quest was because they’d wanted to help Shandri, and her temple had some them a huge (and expensive) favor. Evelyn, in a rare and extremely painful spasm of morality, said they shouldn’t keep things, but rather give the money to the rededication of the temple. Most of the group agreed. Garden grumbled, but finally agrees with minimal stock shortage (i.e. he pocked a few gems). Thusly agreed on the plan, they carried it out, and informed Shandri’s temple, who were very pleased to have Pearl Island back. The group then went off to their virtuous (or not) rest, with a view to meeting the next afternoon at the Empty Grave. Shandri definitely wanted to show all the people there that she was not dead. However, the next morning something odd happened to everyone. Ravinica told Steven that there was a water elemental in the bathroom. Now, granted that the bathroom was actually a globe of airy water on the Elemental Plane of Water, connected to the house by Ravinica’s planar skill, but she’d specifically shielded the place against intrusions. So… odd. They sent a messenger for Shandri to ask the elemental what it was doing there. At William’s place, he found a small water elemental in his ablution basin. As William spoke Aquan, it told him, “Hi!” And said its name of Oogogoogoobloop. When asked what it was going in William’s wash basin, it said, “The King said it was safe.” William, knowing a thing or three about water elemental, his studies, and the fact his cousin was a priestess of Istishia, knew that one of the titles of Istishia was The King of Water Elementals. It also turned out that Evelyn found an elemental in her finger bowl, Garden in his water barrel, and Charissa in her quench water. None of the elementals seemed hostile, but they weren’t leaving either, and since William and Shandri were the only two who spoke Aquan (Evelyn could use the [i]comprehend languages[/i] spell to understand the creature, but couldn’t speak it herself), the UPS urchins and one of Evelyn’s errand boys were kept busy trying to locate one or the other. It turned out that William went to see the Origamis, where Garden had, by pointing, coaxed the elementals into their own barrel. With William on hand to translate, it seemed these elementals too were told that this place was safe for them against their enemies. Making profit out of necessity, Garden set up a “staircase” of small water barrels so the elementals could play by jumping from barrel to barrel in the manner of a water feature. Hey, at the least it would give the customers something to marvel over, and maybe draw new ones to the area! Eventually, all ended up at the House of Violette the Younger for a full explanation. (As well as entirely too much musing as to how the Violettes’ bathroom worked when it was just a big globe of airy water. After far too many poop jokes, Ravinica forebear to point out that there were various currents running through the bathroom to keep all necessary sanitary functions separate and clean. And then politely told everyone to shut up about it and they could go elsewhere if they didn’t want to use it.) Shandri explained that since the party had been instrumental in restoring a holy place, Istishia (or one of his Lords) had taken some minor notice and marked the group’s homes as hydraulic safe houses. Bemused, the group just went with it for now. They met later at the Empty Grave, where the party was hailed as minor heroes and Shandri received a special token that admitted her into the exclusive club of the Twice-Lived. She accepted it somberly. After a bit of catching-up, the group wound back around to what they were going to do before the fire elemental attack – namely go to the Temple of Siamorphe (the goddess of nobility) to check their Open Archives about the Wands family for any information about Father Geb. Everyone spruced themselves up and headed off. The temple was incredibly extravagant and rich, even compared to the temple of Waukeen, the goddess of trade and wealth. A quick look around at the clergy inside made it clear that even the acolytes were very highly bred. They were met by one, a young woman with impeccable manners, who greeted, “Lady Violette, Sir Violette,” and asked how the temple could serve them. The rest of the group was indicated to be various retainers – William a scholar and scribe, Shandri an advisor, and the Origamis as business consultants. (Garden’s long-standing policy of throwing all fame and/or publicity from the group’s exploits on the Violettes in general and Evelyn in specific made him appear to be quite properly in his place, overlooked, which was how it liked it.) The group (or rather, Evelyn), paid a steep fee to view the Open Archives (the Closed Archives required not only an outrageous fee but a letter of intent, written permission, and several escorts). The Open Archives, which held family history and genealogies, was utterly spotless, brightly lit, extensively cross-indexed, and comprehensively organized. William just stood and stared in appreciation for a while. With assistance from the knowledgeable attendants, the group began to collect information. In addition to what they could get on the Wands, Evelyn also got information on several families she was looking into for business purposes. But the Wands family history… upon reading, it became clear how Father Geb had survived the group’s attack on him at the warehouse. Due to a mishap with an artifact by a family member about a generation back, any blood member of the Wands family, if outside the magical protections of the family estate, can suffer periodic but random attacks by spontaneously-appearing creatures of the Far Realm. For the church of Beshaba, a man like Geb, a bastard with a blood-curse to boot, exemplifies Beshaba’s tenants. Sobered, and plotting careful revenge, the group left to pursue their second line of inquiry into Geb – which would be speaking to his superior at the temple of Beshaba in Skullport. Everyone started out by swinging by the Temple of Tymora for some properly worshipful gambling, because they had much need for the luck goddess’ favor. Then, well. The only point where they felt they could enter Skullport “safely” was the Monster’s Head tavern. One can get into Skullport through certain sea caves if one is a smuggler or a pirate, which the group was not and did not want to try to bribe or impersonate, at least not this time. One could reach it, it was said, through certain levels of Undermountain, to which the group, knowing [i]those[/i] levels were ones used for city “exiles” (i.e. executions) also did not care to traverse. If one were powerful enough or knowledgeable enough, there were probably magical portals or more temporary powerful teleportation magic, but the group didn’t have access to those right now. Which left the Monster’s Head. If one were willing to pay for a guide, it might be possible to do some business in Skullport, provided one was respectful to the denizens of Skullport, was prepared to defend themselves, and had hired a guide that wouldn’t betray them. Steven and Evelyn went to seek advice from the one person in Waterdeep they knew who might know someone in Skullport – Jukuminno, the red dragon in the Waterdeep Council of Wyrms. He was irritated to receive them, but that seemed to be his default mood. He was amused that they were going into Skullport, and offered to eat anyone who killed them. He did recommend a couple of possible guides, a pair of ogre brothers for one, and a troll for the other. A bit disturbed, they thanked him and left to go garb themselves in something appropriate. According to what the group knew, they needed to look too prosperous to be an easy meal, not so prosperous as to be worth robbing, killing, or being held for ransom, not so flashy as to draw too much attention, and to look competent enough to defend themselves without looking like they were going to challenge anyone. With the others were contemplating their fashion and weapons’ choices (and in the case of the Violettes, disguising themselves), Garden had disguised himself in his persona of “Old Granther,” an older one-eyed gnome with a few fingers missing on one hand, a grizzled veteran of… something dangerous, that was for sure. (This was his persona when he worked at the Marilith, the exotic weapons’ shop). He then went to the Monster’s Head alone to hunt for a guide. With careful gruff questioning, he was able to find someone suitable when the others finally arrived. Now, the Pickled Eel tavern, which was not too far away from the Monster’s Head, could be described as cheerfully awful, with its constant brawling, horrible food and strong liquor that could take the roof off of a dragon’s mouth. But for all that it had a bizarre air of everyone having a good time. The Monster’s Head was just awful. It was down several stone steps to an overlarge door in a very sturdy stone building, and over the lintel was nailed a large, unsightly head of some unknown monstrosity, still fresh and dripping. It was said to change every few days. The group had been warned, in the strongest possible terms, to never order the “Monster Head Stew.” Inside the very large door was a vast and shadowy room, lit only by a few torches shedding blue light. The tables and benches were all very large and made of stone. The clientele was colorful, with dangerous-looking humans, halflings, half-orcs, and half-elves mingling with gray-skinned duegar, ogres, trolls, at least one minotaur, and a masked, hooded woman whom everyone avoided. Some people here were in chains, others with the glassy-eyed stare of one under some kind of sway (magical or otherwise). At one table sat a grizzled gnome of Charissa’s, indeed everyone’s acquaintance, and with him were four drow women in dark leathers, bearing daggers, short swords, hand-crossbows, and probably some extremely familiar vials (i.e. the drow sleep poison Garden favored). Old Granther waved the group over. Delia Faith and her three sisters were the ones he’d picked to guide them down to, and through, Skullport. They wore the holy symbol of Elestraee (the goddess of good drow), which put most of the party at ease. A round of drinks was had by all (luckily taken from the barrels marked with a human head, rather than the ones marked with a troll face) and the beer and wine was unexpectedly good. Not just good for this part of town, but only comparable to wine Evelyn had gotten at some of her fanciest parties. Not entirely surprising, as Skullport was known for smuggling. After the toast was done, the Faith sisters led the group through a beaded archway through the back and down, down, down a very dimly lit stone spiral. Peculiar echoes bounced off the walls, and the air was fetid and damp. They kept close to the wall, and the Faith sisters warned them to press themselves against the wall several times, and avert their eyes from people traveling in the opposite directions. After that rather nerve-wracking walk, they finally leveled out in a vast underground cavern, bordering a sea cave on one side, a vast marketplace stretching out before them, ripe with the sounds and smells and sights of danger. Skullport. [/QUOTE]
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