The gnome watches and observes the group as they each in turn demonstrate their abilities to him. He is impressed by Thuvian's magical ingenuity. Although he is more amused than intimidated by Arianna's display (perhaps his foresight has taken the sting out of her battle form for him), he is nevertheless impressed by her performance, and not entirely for unwholesome reasons: she is a being who clearly knows how to handle and present herself, and as such, he takes her display to be indicative of far more menacing capabilities. He takes delight in his hour out on the town with Saranna, who proves to be both knowledgeable and coercive; at one point, when passing through one of the more "character-laden" areas of Venza, he remarks that it is for these sights and opportunities that one comes to the city. Finally, at the end of Ioseph's tale, he folds his hands solemnly.
"My good man, your only failure is that you under-value your own abilities. As a practitioner of the art of peering through time and space, I have often seen how words, information, and honesty can be just as effective as that giant's club you wield." Sitting back in his chair, the gnome smiles.
"In any event, it is not your time to leave yet. You and the others have proven yourselves to be everything I had endeavored to find in assistance. If you four will accept, then I would willingly ask for your aid in my task."
With that statement, the gnome leans over the side of his chair and begins to rummage around in his back pack. As he does so, he speaks.
"As a show of my...good will...I have decided to offer you...a few tomes...which may...be of assistance...during our attempt...to divine...the location of my...aforementioned items. Aha!" With a cry of victory, he pulls four large volumes from his pack and drops them with an ample *thump* onto the table.
"I have already read them from start to end, so I no longer have use for them; you may find them useful, however. Perhaps they will spark something in tandem with the knowledge you already possess, and lead us both to new insight." The four volumes are titled
The Life of the Pious: Meditations on the Religious Path,
A Practitioner's Guide to the Arcane,
Venza: Legacy and Infamy, and
Creatures of the Wild.
The gnome goes on to outline his plan: if you're willing, you will all stay the evening at the inn (at his expense) and then set out for his home in the morning. He lives in a somewhat isolated area a few hours outside of the city, on the outskirts of a small village. Once you arrive at his place, you will begin the divination ritual.
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OOC:
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Good job, All. That's 400 XP, plus four masterwork books worth 50 gp each; each of the books provides a +2 circumstance bonus to Know (Religion), Know (Arcana), Know (Local), and Know (Nature), respectively. You'll be able to use them during the divination skill challenge, and keep them or sell them as you wish after our little adventure.
Right; think that covers it for now. You all will just need to suss out a marching order for me for when we leave town "tomorrow".
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