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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Trench" data-source="post: 4222709" data-attributes="member: 40464">Elissa Gladesmere, Cipke Arnag, Deevolly BencezThe other three head toward Frickard's shop in the South Market. Already the difference between the Guildsman and South Market districts is apparent. For one thing, the burnt, industrial smell is gone. The dirty and grimy streets with belching smokestacks are replaced by simple roads with respectable two-floor houses and shops selling specially made wares. The streets are still busy, but the people aren't laborers so much as errand runners ordering supplies for restaurants and warehouses or a Delver from Midtown buying a high quality rope or vest specially made for them.It requires the three asking directions from a pair of halfling apprentices whose arms are loaded down with boxes and bottles of aromatic spices from the nearby Spice Market, but eventually the three find Frickard's Shop. It's a standard two-floor building hidden off Jasper Street on a side street called Mill near an alley. In front of it are various wreaths, an oddity as any other death would go scarcely noticed in the city save by the dead's own family and friends.Deevolly goes to check out the wreaths first. The wreaths are standard wreaths one picks up in the Necropolis for mourning. All of them are fairly generic in their sentiments, however. They seem to have all been placed by people who didn't know Frickard very well.Dee produces a key from her pocket and open Frickard's door. "Gentlemen, after you. Don't move anything."As Dee stands by the wreaths to let the others in, they get their first look at Frickard's Quills.The door opens in the corner, leading to a wide room extending the length of the shop, with a long counter opposite the front door. At the end is a long window of paned glass looking out onto the street. A curtain remains across from the door leading into the back. There is also a door way opposite the window leading intot he back as well.On the counter are many quills and pens on display as well as many bottles of various colored inks. A thin coat of dust covers everything."Hey, check it out." Deevolly points out a thin chalk line bisecting the room into two equal halves and one parallel to the curtain.Elissa follows the chalk line down the centre of the room, and along the curtain, and then moves across to the counter and Frickards' wares. She searches as she goes, looking for any trace of magical or normal concealment, and paying attention to any markings in the dust as well.Elissa finds no discernable marks in the dust that indicate any presence since Frickard's death, nor anything out of the ordinary. But she does notice that the door at the far end is locked, and also has a large "X" marked on it the same yellow chalk. Another smaller chalk line lies in front of the curtain, parallell to the wall."There's no sign of anything on the counter being moved or disturbed since he died."She pauses for a moment. "Which is odd, don't you think? Whoever took it didn't need to tear the place up searching for it. Maybe they went for Frickard first, and found it with him?"She glances up at Deevolly. "Do you think that front door key fits this door as well? No bother if it doesn't..."Deevolly shakes her head. "No bother it is then!" Elissa grins as she brings out her lockpick set and starts to work on the door.It takes a moment, but Elissa is pleased to see her training pay off as the lock turns over with a satisfying click.Elissa peers into the room she unlocked.It's a small room perhaps ten feet by twenty-five. It appears to be a small waiting room or rest area, containing a small oil-burning stove in one corner with a kettle on top. At the far end of the room is a small table and two chairs. A teacup is upended on a small saucer, but otherwise it's bare. In the corner of the room is another door.    "We are assuming he was killed because of the Writer's Ball, right?" Cipke says. "And the corpse was discovered how long after he was shot? If I had been hired to kill him over some writing trinket, I would have given this place a good roughing out. At least I would have left no door unlocked."Deevolly is silent as she searches the room.There's a mumbling sound from the entrance, and the newly minted Watchmen of the Tenth District see Baeril Underhill, his face smeared with candy and his cheeks bulging with still more, standing in the doorway.He holds out a small sack full of toffees."Wassum? Whachafineowsofah?"The others sigh and ignore Baeril. Looking around, Deevoly sees what Elissa had already noticed, an arrow in yellow chalk pointing to the western wall on their right. Besides that, there's nothing in the room besides slightly scummy water in the kettle.    The room is quite spartan. Just the two chairs, the stove, and a table for tea. Plus the door in the corner opposite of where they entered.Shrugging at the others' rejection of his toffee, Baeril wanders in to the dead man's living quarters after them, still chewing the candy."Mofuhme."He, too, begins searching the room, but not in the way they are. Instead, he eyes the corners and where the walls meet the floor and looks for any holes in the floor or ceiling. This is Ptolus: The late Cadderly Fricakard wasn't the only resident of this small apartment.    But Baeril finds no holes in the corner of the first room, nor the small waiting room. The penmaker apparently made sure none of the city's tinier residents could make it where potential customers could see.Elissa purses her lips while Cipke finds nothing under the table and chairs. Deevoly opens the door to look into what appears to be the penmaker's workroom. It's quite spacious, taking up nearly the rest of the ground floor. Another small door is almost directly opposite her at the end of the room and the wall opens in the far corner of the room where Deevoly can just see the edge of the curtain from the first room. To her immediate left against the wall is a small, polished worktable with a few large stones and multicolored stains. Also to her left, running against the northern wall is another workbench, this one longer and rough looking with tools lining the wall. A stack of parchment lies at the end, with a stone holding it down. A small rubbish bin lies under the table. To Dee's right against the wall are a few sacks.Dee notices the long chalk line again bisecting the room, as well as another arrow pointing toward the middle of the southern wall. On a hunch, Dee looks at the side of the door she couldn't see and sees another large "X".The chalk lines and Xs marked around the shop and back rooms are a mystery that don't yet have a connection and that both frustrates and intrigues the elf. Then, Elissa stiffens suddenly."Upstairs" she mouths to the others, and mimes with her fingers "Footsteps."</blockquote>

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