hippocrachus
First Post
Disappointed that he couldn't be the first to say something intelligent about the riddle, Orpheus is content to memorize it and think up new verses.
"Well, what else do we have?"
"Well, what else do we have?"
Shackled City - Chapter I
- Thread starter Majin
- Start date
As Priestess Urikas handed him the paper, Zeric looked down at her writing and paused to study the careful and precise way she had written each letter. While Zeric considered himself an intelligent man, his writing often looked as if a chicken had managed to knock over an ink vial and then ran on the paper in the hopes of running all the ink off of its feet.
~Just another example of why she leads and you follow...you do not have the patience to master the simple skill of writing, much less have the patience to lead men...~
As the half-elf scribe began writing in his own notebook, Zeric was impressed with how fast he offered a practical solution to the first line of the riddle.
"How many locksmiths does this town have Priestess Urikas? Or to be more precise, how many would have been hired to work on the orphanage?"
Thinking about his meeting with the older halfling who ran the orphanage, Zeric turned to face Raven.
"You said you were a ward of the orphanage, in the time you were there, was there ever work that needed to be done to the locks? Do you remember hearing or seeing a locksmith brought in?"
Looking to the second line in the riddle, Zeric studied it for a moment and offered another obvious reading of the second line.
"A curtain is something that can be used to block things out, section off, or conceal. A cauldron is a large kettle which can hold water, and it is also the name of the city upon which we are now in. While I do know that cauldrons are still used in sacrifices, I think that it means the city as we have to go below it. Perhaps the thieves guild is still the key. They have more than sufficient skills with locks, and if the rats seek safety, perhaps they have tunnels below the city, hidden from our eyes by curtains of everyday makings."
~Just another example of why she leads and you follow...you do not have the patience to master the simple skill of writing, much less have the patience to lead men...~
As the half-elf scribe began writing in his own notebook, Zeric was impressed with how fast he offered a practical solution to the first line of the riddle.
"How many locksmiths does this town have Priestess Urikas? Or to be more precise, how many would have been hired to work on the orphanage?"
Thinking about his meeting with the older halfling who ran the orphanage, Zeric turned to face Raven.
"You said you were a ward of the orphanage, in the time you were there, was there ever work that needed to be done to the locks? Do you remember hearing or seeing a locksmith brought in?"
Looking to the second line in the riddle, Zeric studied it for a moment and offered another obvious reading of the second line.
"A curtain is something that can be used to block things out, section off, or conceal. A cauldron is a large kettle which can hold water, and it is also the name of the city upon which we are now in. While I do know that cauldrons are still used in sacrifices, I think that it means the city as we have to go below it. Perhaps the thieves guild is still the key. They have more than sufficient skills with locks, and if the rats seek safety, perhaps they have tunnels below the city, hidden from our eyes by curtains of everyday makings."
hippocrachus
First Post
Now becoming aggravated that everyone is decoding the riddle but him, Orpheus just starts blurting out things in a sardonic tone.
"And perhaps the "doors with teeth" are caves with stalactites over the opening!" he says, taking a clichéd description from other poetry. "There are caves underground, so it would make sense," he adds haughtily.
"And it's obvious that there's a child-slavery ring going on down there..." he lets out, the idea of him not being the smartest person in attendance finally pushing him to give some incite.
"And perhaps the "doors with teeth" are caves with stalactites over the opening!" he says, taking a clichéd description from other poetry. "There are caves underground, so it would make sense," he adds haughtily.
"And it's obvious that there's a child-slavery ring going on down there..." he lets out, the idea of him not being the smartest person in attendance finally pushing him to give some incite.
Looking to his side, Zeric considers the dandy's words.
"Underground is the home of dwarves, so you could be right. What is a half-dwarf though? I haven't heard of any mixed bloodied dwarves existing? Could it just be another underground race that just looks like dwarves?"
Running his fingers through his hair, Zeric felt his frustration at the cryptic message growing.
~If the gods wished for our help, why must they always be so vague with their assistance...would a burning bush outside the guilty's door truly be so much to ask?~
"Well, I am out of ideas on what the lines could be. If we tried hard enough, I am sure we could twist them into meaning anything we wanted them to. I think the simple approach is the best one we can take at the moment. Find out who made the locks for the orphanage and see if the thieves' guild has paid them a visit recently."
"Underground is the home of dwarves, so you could be right. What is a half-dwarf though? I haven't heard of any mixed bloodied dwarves existing? Could it just be another underground race that just looks like dwarves?"
Running his fingers through his hair, Zeric felt his frustration at the cryptic message growing.
~If the gods wished for our help, why must they always be so vague with their assistance...would a burning bush outside the guilty's door truly be so much to ask?~
"Well, I am out of ideas on what the lines could be. If we tried hard enough, I am sure we could twist them into meaning anything we wanted them to. I think the simple approach is the best one we can take at the moment. Find out who made the locks for the orphanage and see if the thieves' guild has paid them a visit recently."
hippocrachus
First Post
"I can say from personal experience that dwarves are more than hesitant to mate outside of their race..."
Manzanita
First Post
Raven
Raven also waits expectantly to Orpheus' answer regarding his personal experiences with dwarven mating habits.
After a moment she interjects, "I know where the locks come from at the orphanage. I used to get try picking them regularly and sometimes got caught. The only real locksmith in town is a gnome named Ghelb. He's a clever one. He'd probably suspect I was up to something if I went to ask him about things, but perhaps some of the rest of you might have better luck."
Raven also waits expectantly to Orpheus' answer regarding his personal experiences with dwarven mating habits.
After a moment she interjects, "I know where the locks come from at the orphanage. I used to get try picking them regularly and sometimes got caught. The only real locksmith in town is a gnome named Ghelb. He's a clever one. He'd probably suspect I was up to something if I went to ask him about things, but perhaps some of the rest of you might have better luck."
hippocrachus
First Post
Orpheus curls his neck at the unexpected question, realizing he may have let out too much.
"I, uh...led a lonely childhood," he says hesitantly, choosing each word with care.
"I, uh...led a lonely childhood," he says hesitantly, choosing each word with care.
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