IC The Thirteenth Moon: Night of the Blood Moon

[airwalkrr]

OOC:
[sblock] So can Dorius have written his article in the morning that everyone is out and about investigating? Should I make some sort of check to see how good his article is? (I don't have time to write one IRL, unfortunately ).

I basically want Dorius to spend the morning writing up his article, then go post the article to Korranberg via House Sivis. After that, he will return to the inn to ask Mandyran about the rumour. [/sblock]

OOC: You may roll a Profession/Craft check for a daily roll if you don't have time to write up an article. You get half your result in sp. Typically the money would take a week to arrive, but for simplicity we'll assume you receive it immediately so we don't have to keep track.

 

[airwalkrr]

After stopping in to see Karr'Aashta's Investigations, Berrent heads down into the Cogs. As he descends lower and lower it becomes clear he doesn't belong. His clothes aren't extravagant but they aren't covered in patched holes from a life a physical labor. He's a little too clean and stands a little too straight and non-threateningly. He is, if you look closely enough, a little nervous.

He eventually finds the Rat's Market and begins looking around for a goblin selling garbage.

OOC: As always, feel free to come up with your own novel approach if the dice don't roll your way or change tack and switch to a different skill.

The tunnels and corridors at this level of the tower are narrow and dark. An occasional window slit looks out upon the crowded walls and foundations of other towers, and infrequently placed torches sputter here and there, giving off pallid pools of light and clouds of smoke. Even so, rough and dirty people crowd the narrow corridors, and the smell of sweat and sewage permeates the stale air. One tunnel opens onto a large chamber, where a mix of goblins, humans, and shifters gather around a small pile of garbage spread across three rotting blankets. One of the goblins shouts, “No pushing! No pushing! There’s always enough for everyone at the Rat’s Market!”[sblock=Gather Information DC 5; 5 minutes and 5 cp]"Aye, that goblin there selling things is Skakan."[sblock=Ask Skakan what he's heard; Diplomacy DC 10]“I’ve got a rare stick of sealing wax, only partially used, for a mere sixty coppers,” the goblin merchant says. “Or maybe you could use this fine woolen blanket with just a hint of mildew? Only thirty-nine coppers. How about a skewer of boiled rat meat? For you, just five silver. Or, perhaps, if I could tell you the latest news about the Cults of the Dragon Below, what would that be worth to you? One hundred silver?”[sblock=Diplomacy DC 15 and purchase something of Skakan's OR give him 100 sp]"I respect a fellow with a keen eye for value," the goblin says with a gold-toothed grin, "so here is whats I know. The cults been real quiet lately to be sure. I haven't heard so much as a peep out o' most of them. But I do know a group known as the Celestial Cycle has been meetin' regularly in Ash Tower. That's all I can tell you."[/sblock][/sblock][sblock=Demand to hear what he knows; Intimidate DC 10]"Eek! Please put the pointy things away! I tells you what I know. The Darkest Depths are holed up in Wheel Tower working black magic! That's all I can tells you. Honest!"[sblock=tell him you know he's lying; Intimidate DC 15]"Alright, alright! Please let me keep me ears! I needs them for hearin'. So the Darkest Depths haven't been around fer a while. True that. But there is a faction callin' themselves the Celestial Cycle meetin' regularly in Ash Tower. And that's Dol Arrah's truth!"[/sblock][/sblock][/sblock]

[sblock=Plot Hooks]Party: Speak to Denion at The Crystals of Denion about his missing daughter.

Party: Find and speak with Beige at the House Phiarlan enclave.

Dorius Mini Hook: Speak to Mandyran about the rumor.

Vigil Mini Hook: Find Brother Wayden at the Cathedral of the Cleansing Flame. (active)

Berrent Mini Hook: Visit the Rat's Market and press the goblin Skaken for information on the Cults of the Dragon Below. (active)

Brad Mini Hook: Find the dwarf grifter in Foundation before the Tyrants do. (resolved)

Alise Mini Hook: Seek Hanamelk at The Gathering Light for his counsel and meditation. (active) [/sblock]

 

[Moon_Goddess]

The door opens just a crack. Alise can see the narrow profile of an elf male inside. There is just enough light to reflect the deep green in his eyes.

"Wh...who's there?" a stuttering voice comes from behind the door. "If Hanamelk sent you, tell him I'm n...not coming in today. T...t...t...too dangerous."[sblock=Convince him you are a friend, Diplomacy/Intimidate DC 15 or charm person DC 16]The elf opens the door a bit more. You can see his face calms a bit. "I s...s...suppose you can come in."

The elf's flat is an absolute mess. Dirty dishes are stacked on a counter. Old laundry is piled on the floor. There is a straw mat in the corner with what looks like mold growing in the corner. The elf does appear to have a collection of scrolls on a shelf however, and they appear well-used. Several of these are on the floor as well. He may be well-learned.

"I am sorry, I am not a very good host. I d...d...don't have time for t...t...tidying up much. I really cannot come to see Hanamelk today though. As I said, t...t...too dangerous."[sblock=Ask why it is dangerous; Diplomacy/Intimidate DC 20 or Charisma check (with successful charm person) DC 10)]"Okay, the truth is... I am one of the dragonmarked. But not in a good way. I could never join H...H...House Phiarlan or House Thuranni with my mark. It is a...a...aberrant. If my secret is discovered, I will be run out of town. The assassins of House Thuranni will hunt me d...d...down!"[sblock=Arcana DC 5 (untrained possible)]Dragonmarks are magical marks that appear on the skin and grant powers to their bearers.[sblock=Arcana DC 10 (untrained possible)]Dragonmarks are tied to specific bloodlines. The people bearing these dragonmarks joined together to create houses, which use the powers of the mark for economic gain. Some marks are unassociated with houses however, and are generally considered a product of mixed blood. These are known as aberrant dragomarks.[/sblock][/sblock][sblock=Convince him he will be safe; Diplomacy/Intimidate 25 or Charisma (with successful charm person) DC 15]"Well, I suppose you make a good point." The elf is ponderous for a moment and seems to have a renewed spirit.

"Very well, you've convinced me. I will go to Hanamelk. There is no use hiding here all day. I have to come out some time."[/sblock][/sblock][/sblock]

"Your acting stupid, clearly it's not dangerous I'm standing out here. Don't be an idiot." The door slams in her face. "Ok, that was the wrong approach."

 

[FloatingDisc]

OOC: Dorius takes a skill point each in Knowledge (Arcana) and Craft (Journalism).

Dorius writes an article for his employers at the Korranberg Chronicle and entrusts it to House Sivis to deliver. He hopes it will be the first in a brilliant series of first-hand accounts of the drama unfolding in Sharn.

Dorius then returns to the Golden Horn and asks for Mandyran.

OOC: Dorius gets paid 9 sp for his article. See attached

 

[airwalkrr]

"Your acting stupid, clearly it's not dangerous I'm standing out here. Don't be an idiot." The door slams in her face. "Ok, that was the wrong approach."

OOC: Does Alise give up after that? Or will she attempt to sway the elf by some other means?

 

[airwalkrr]

Dorius writes an article for his employers at the Korranberg Chronicle and entrusts it to House Sivis to deliver. He hopes it will be the first in a brilliant series of first-hand accounts of the drama unfolding in Sharn.

Dorius then returns to the Golden Horn and asks for Mandyran.

OOC: That's fantastic! We're gonna have to make sure we keep these articles for posterity. They are great! 25 XP for Dorius.

Dorius arrives at the Golden Horn later that night where he meets with Berrent and the others. But before he sits down with his new friends, he seeks his mentor. Mandyran is in the kitchen supervising and Dorius is invited to go and find him. The gnome discovers his mentor singing an old war hymn with the chef as the two work together on a marvelous smelling duck soup.

"Dorius, my lad, how good to see you!" Mandyran exclaims. He is in an overly cheerful mood. Perhaps he has been into the cooking sherry. "Come over here and taste this soup. It's absolutely fabulous!"

It's almost as if Mandyran is a different person from the somber fellow who was watching over the inn last night. This kitchen is one place at least, where it seems the Blood Moon never appeared. After a taste of the soup, which is a bit salty for Dorius' tastes, he and Mandyran go sit at a corner table in the kitchen.

"Ah yes, the rumor," Mandyran remembers. "I figured you'd find this story interesting so I saved it just for you. I presume you've heard of the Sharn Inquisitive, the local newspaper. Well it is put together just a few towers down by a fellow named Haftak ir'Clarn. He is actually a friend of mine. Well he stopped by this morning and told me of a terrible tragedy. His correspondent for Cliffside went missing last night and is presumed dead. Someone found his knapsack along with his identity papers along the edge of an overlook. The authorities are presuming he fell off the side of the cliff down several hundred feet and are calling it an accident. Hardly possible for him to have escaped with his life."

"Anyway, Haftak is looking for a replacement, and I told him I knew of a freelancer who might be interested in some extra work. If you are, your first job is to investigate the disappearance the Sharn Inquisitive reporter. Haftak wonders if it might be foul play and suspects the authorities are writing it off because they are too preoccupied with other things. If you have any questions, you can visit Haftak at Haftak's Books and Binding in Quartz Tower just a few towers east of here."[sblock=Plot Hooks]Party: Speak to Denion at The Crystals of Denion about his missing daughter.

Party: Find and speak with Beige at the House Phiarlan enclave.

Dorius Mini Hook: Speak to Mandyran about the rumor. (active)

Vigil Mini Hook: Find Brother Wayden at the Cathedral of the Cleansing Flame. (active)

Berrent Mini Hook: Visit the Rat's Market and press the goblin Skaken for information on the Cults of the Dragon Below. (active)

Brad Mini Hook: Find the dwarf grifter in Foundation before the Tyrants do. (resolved)

Alise Mini Hook: Seek Hanamelk at The Gathering Light for his counsel and meditation. (active)[/sblock]

 

[Moon_Goddess]

OOC: Dice rolling isn't working for me right now i'll check this post again tonight

 

[FloatingDisc]

"The Sharn Inquisitive, eh? That rag..." Dorius mutters disdainfully.

Dorius is about to refuse the offer, but another thought pops into his head, and a sly grin crosses his pointy gnomish face. It sounds dangerous - this could be a good opportunity to enhance my reputation as Sharn's premier adventuring reporter... if I can just get some of the muscle around here to come along to protect me.

"I think I'll go meet with this Haftak. Thanks for thinking of me, Mandyran." Dorius reaches up to pat him on the shoulder. "I'll go see if any of the others are interested in making a little money on the side."

 

[airwalkrr]

OOC: It has been brought to my attention that at least one player is having difficulty keeping track of the main plot. So I felt a little clarification is in order, and perhaps a formatting change. First, a recap: Main Plot Arcs 1: The Serpentine Table. Beige was attacked by cultists of the Blood of Vol. You interrupted their ritual, at least partially, and saved Beige's life. He works for the Serpentine Table, a clandestine organization within House Phiarlan and has offered you work. Go and visit him at House Phiarlan at your leisure for further employment. 2) The Daughter of Denion. One of your party has learned that the daughter of a wealthy business owner in Upper Tavick's Landing has gone missing. The business owner is a man named Denion and he owns a magic item shop called the Crystals of Denion. Not only would it be a good idea to get on his good side for the prospect of magic item access, his daughter also went missing the night of the Blood Moon. It might not be a coincidence. You'll notice you have currently two main plot hooks. This is something of a "sandbox" campaign. You guys don't have to follow one path. There are many adventures that are possible in the City of Towers. But you will only be able to follow one main plot line at a time. Side Plots Berrent: Berrent is doing a job for his mentor to investigate whether the Cults of the Dragon Below had any involvement in the night of the Blood Moon. Brad: Brad was charged by the Black Arch Garrison commander with arresting a dwarf grifter in the Foundation district before the Tyrants (a changeling gang) got to him for working their "turf." Unfortunately the dwarf got away and probably capture by the Tyrants. Vigil: Brother Wayden of the Church of the Silver Flame believes the Blood of Vol is operating out of the Graywall district and has tasked Vigil with retrieving information from a spy residing in the district on Seeker activity. Dorius: Mandyran has told Dorius that a reporter for the Sharn Inquisitive went missing and that the owner of the Sharn Inquisitive is looking for a replacement. Dorius' first mission: find out what happened to the missing reporter. Alise: An elf named Quarion is vital to Hanamelk's work, but he refuses to come to The Gathering Light for some reason. Alise was tasked with convincing him to leave his home and assist Hanamelk. So that's a quick run-down of what is going on. From now on, let's try to keep side-quests in sblocks and treat them as flash-sideways events. They are going on either concurrently or before the events of the main plot but shouldn't influence the main plot in a significant way. They are more for character development and the building up of contacts and relationships within the city.

 

[FloatingDisc]

OOC: I'll confess to not paying a lot of attention to the other PCs' side quests. I like the idea of running them alongside the main quest.

Dorius thinks that the most pressing item on the group's agenda is finding Denion's daughter, in case she is still alive. Not sure if we're all in the same room at the moment.