AVB - Foodling Around

[planswalker]

Lokio or DM only. All others will be given harshly worded letters. With explosive runes.

He arrives at the Guild of Starlight and Shadows headquarters. It is a rather nice building of alchemically treated wood, and the double doors stand unlocked and inviting.

[Lokio]

The little gnome steps forward and makes his way through the inviting doors, looking around with wonder in his eyes!

[planswalker]

There is no receptionist on the other side, but there is a man standing around in a starry cloak.

[Lokio]

Dack made his way forward. "Sir? Good morning. Might you have a moment to speak with me about the Guild?"

[planswalker]

"Depends on what we talk about."

[Lokio]

Dack smiled and said, "I was wondering what the guild's goals were, fees, administration, the usual things. I'm a wandmaker of some skill and a magister, looking for licensing and, of course, like-minded company, perhaps with some greater direction than just my own. I've been on the road alone for quite some time."

[planswalker]

"The guild costs 1000 gold per year for membership fees. Must be paid in advance, but several members are willing to loan the gold to new members at reasonable rates. We are a band of equals and brothers, although a council is elected to precede over official matters and make decisions when the full guild is not needed to fairly make a decision. There is also the founder, who is the first and greatest amongst us equals. He has earned his place of honor. As to our goals, we are a brotherhood of alchemists and crafters who seek to work together to achieve economic influence that we alone could never accomplish. The specifics? Guild Secret."

[Lokio]

Dack nodded as he listened, looking a bit like a gnomish bobblehead. "Very good, sir. I note that I've heard quite a lot about one man in your number, a Hagan Erbauer. Who is this man?" He was assessing more the way the man said it than what he said.

[planswalker]

"He is a merchant, one relatively recently entered the fold. He has... techniques that he uses to craft items at a fraction the normal price. He is also a visionary of sorts who sees all sorts of innovations in how to use already existing items for novel purposes. We're rather proud of him."

[Lokio]

Dack smiled. "Sounds like a really good guy to learn from!" The little gnome bounced slightly, resting his hands on his 'gunbelt' where two of his wands sat. "Well, I'm interested, but I do want to know, what are the benefits of joining your guild in particular over the other two arcane crafting guilds in this Quarter?"

[Lokio]

strange, i cant see my own post ooc

[planswalker]

"Membership entitles you to sell your wares underneath the guild license, saving you from having to go through the mess of getting an independent seller's license. Of course, there is the brotherhood. It also opens up many contacts throughout the city. And should you find yourself under... political pressures, you have friends."

[Lokio]

That sold Dack on giving it a try. He needed to pick a good place, and if such a famous crafter was working with these guys, they had to be pretty good. He nodded. "Okay, that sounds great! How might I arrange a loan and join you? I have some funds, but not quite a thousand gold. What is the procedure?"

[planswalker]

"Well, the process is twofold. First you must pass a test to prove your competency. Then you must get at least a majority vote in the next council meeting to approve you as a member."

[Lokio]

Dack nodded. "Sounds fun. How might one sign up for the test?"

[planswalker]

"It is a practicum test. One must demonstrate at the hearing for membership competent crafting skills by crafting at least one item to present before the board that they created no later than three days before."

[Lokio]

He thought for a moment and said, "Well, I could whip up a nice wand with a stylized grip in a fairly short period of time... any particular specifications?" He smiled. His words were confident, but not cocky; he had made his share of wands in his day and was happy to make another.

"I've got all these kinds." He opened his robe. Beneath it he wore black pantaloons and a navy blue shirt, and lining his robes were a number of wands in a bandolier, all with a unique pistol grip. Perhaps he was getting too excited, but he had never been in a guild before!

[planswalker]

"It is up to you to determine what sort of craft and how many crafts to make to showcase your talents. If money is an issue, most people willing to spot you a loan for membership are also willing to spot you a loan for craft materials."

He eyes your wands critically. "Good craftsmanship on the design. If their quality of magic matches, they are fine pieces indeed."

[Lokio]

"Each is versitile, custom made, and set for battle or whatever their purpose is, depending on the spell. Each is also far more powerful than the average wand. Tell me sir, what's your name? I'm Dack von Foodle. And its a right pleasure to meet you." Little Dack offered the man his hand for a shake.

[planswalker]

"The name is Soren." he says, accepting the proffered hand.

[Lokio]

[roll0] know local to see what I know about him

"Hi, Soren. What's your position here, and can I book the practicum through you? I'd be most interested in getting up and running. Also, can you introduce me to one of these reasonable moneylenders?" Dack was clearly an excited little gnome. While his words were not at lightspeed they were making their approach to it.

[planswalker]

He's a wizard... and he is a guild member.

"Well, as it happens, I can indeed help you. Yes, you can book through me. Kinda have to, since I'm the guildmaster. And I can certainly introduce you to a friendly moneylender." He offers you his hand. "Dack, I'd like you to meet myself, Soren Sorenson. I'll offer you that loan you need and it'll be a simple 8% monthly interest."

[Lokio]

Dack smiles and shakes the hand. "I believe I will need the entry and I will make two wands: one demonstrating the quality of my mass-produced, standard work for utility, and one of my strongest wands of destructive power to demonstrate my custom work. I will hope to sell both in the end to pay you back with interest once licensed, if that's acceptable?"

[planswalker]

"Sounds fine. How much will you need in all?"

[Lokio]

"Well, for that plan, including the 1000 for guild membership, the cost is 8031g. If you're willing to do that, I can have the items ready in just under a day. That will generate a very high power wand of fireballs that is quite difficult to avoid, as if casted by the hand of a master mage than a mere apprentice, and a wand of mage armor suitable for mass production for the City, if they have a need for such defenses for their personnel."

"Alternatively, if you're looking to just see my basic mass produced work for quality, I can make a wand of low power magic missiles for a couple of hundred gold. The fireball wand is meant to demonstrate my absolute best work."

That's a CL8 Fireball wand at DC 18 (as if casted by a fire gnome with fire domain -- ie: me) and a CL1 Mage Armor wand.

[planswalker]

"I'll make the loan for 8100. Round it up to keep the math simple. I have no opinion to give on what you should craft. Do whatever you think would be best to showcase your talents."

[Lokio]

Dack shakes the man's hand, fills in the guild paperwork and signs for the loan. "I should be set to present in the afternoon tomorrow, or the following morning if you'd prefer. I'll get to work."

If he gets the money, Dack goes to acquire the necessary cash and goes to one of the nice, less expensive Midtown inns the guard suggested. Grabbing a large room with a table and sturdy locks for a month and paying the rate, he works on a CL1 of Mage Armor until it is complete, then works on the CL8 Fireballs wand. The DC on that wand is a rather impressive 18 -- a good, solid wand. He spends a couple of extra hours crafting a clever wood pistol grip for stylization on that wand. The mage armor wand, designed to show the quality of his mass production, uses a straight grip like most wands.

[planswalker]

"Next council meeting is on Thursday. You have until then."

today is Tuesday.

The inn is 4 silver a night, meals are 1 silver each.

[Lokio]

Dack would need to spend most of Wednesday working to get the job done, as it was coming up late on Tuesday. He took it easy for the remaining hours of Wednesday after the wands were done, carrying them with him in his robes.

He listened to the gossip in the tavern for the remaining hours, hoping to catch anything interesting that might be going on around town.


Since 8k worth of crafting takes 0.8 of an 8 hour crafting day, that leaves quite a few hours left in the day to listen and chat with people.

He'll also spend 10g buying drinks for people and giving little bribes for better info.

[roll0] gather info [roll1] hours
[roll2] gather info [roll3] hours

[planswalker]

You learn that apparently, the city watch is going through a major shakedown in authority. Both the watch captain and his ranking leiutenant were arrested by the crown. You hear rumors it has something to do with the Docks. Either way, Sergeant Schlock is in temporary command and they say he's organizing a raid on the Docks.

[Lokio]

Dack files that away, having heard that the Watch was looking for manpower, and thinks about heading to the Docks after his guild presentation the next day.

With that, though, he decides to head to bed, and wakes up Thursday morning refreshed and ready for his presentation.

Bringing his wands to the GoSS building, he goes to find Soren and attend the council meeting.

[planswalker]

When he walks in the building, a warforged greets him in the lobby and says, "Hello. I am Optimus, and I will be your advocate in the guild. Before you enter the council meeting to make your case, please review it with me so I can help you strengthen your application. We can always postpone the presentation a week or two. Honestly, when I found out the guildmaster tricked you into agreeing to go to a council meeting with only one day to prepare, I nearly had a fit."

[Lokio]

Dack sighed. So the guild master had tricked him. He shrugged and said, "Hi, Optimus. Well, I'm a skilled wandmaker. He asked me to make a couple of wands and loaned me gold to make them. I have created an example of my mass produced work, and my custom high power offensive work. What should I have been doing?"

[planswalker]

"That is the general idea, yes. But most people spend at least a few days to showcase a large variety of items to show how versatile they are. Two wands are good, but most candidates try to have a half-dozen items to showcase, ensuring they aren't overlooked because the one or two items they made weren't quite what the council thought they would be."

[Lokio]

"And they all have to have been made in the last three days? Because if not..." He opened his robe to reveal the bandolier of wands. There were wands within wands within wands; it was wandception. "I'm packing all kinds of heat, all with my signature stylistics. All the wands you can imagine."

[planswalker]

"Guild rules require them to be new creations. Part of this is seeing how much you can make how swiftly. Still, showing what else you have accumulated over your time won't hurt."

[Lokio]

Dack tapped his lips as he thought for a moment. "Do you think two new creations and the demonstrated personal work in my robes would be sufficient? These wands were eight thousand gold worth of custom, high power work, after all, and I finished it up in under a day. Or shall I try to find more money and make a couple more items? If I need to make more, do you have any suggestions?"

[planswalker]

"You're borderline. Those who don't mind accepting specialists in one specific kind of craft will be more than convinced. But at least fashioning a scroll or two along with any other crafts you might be able to do, magic or not, would help seal the deal in the eyes of those who want more versatility among the members. As-is, you will likely have to make your case to convince enough to vote you in. With another two days' time and some variety, I thnk your work would have spoken for itself."

[Lokio]

The little mage shrugs, pulling out a blank parchment. "Well, how long do I have? I could put together a couple of scrolls on call, right here, right now, if I have about... five minutes. I have examples of my scrollwork.... here, too." He pulls out a couple of scrolls from his backpack. "Do you think I should wait a couple of days? Or shall I take a few minutes to put a couple of samples together right before your eyes?" He smiles charmingly, his quirky grin on his face.

Dack is nothing if not fast at putting scrolls together; they're easy enough work.

A level 1 scroll takes 1.8 minutes. A level two takes 12, if I can do ten thousand gold of work in a day.

[planswalker]

"We have 15 minutes before the meeting starts."

[Lokio]

"Well, then, sir, I'll get to work."

The little gnome finds a place to sit down and make some work happen, and begins writing furiously, infusing the parchments with his power and magic. He creates a powerful scroll of scorching ray, a specialty of his as a fire gnome, and two scrolls of spells for apprentices that might be useful: ray of enfeeblement and protection from evil. He finishes with not long to spare.

When he is done, he smiles at Optimus and holds up the scrolls, a big grin on his face as he puts his inkwell and pen away. "How's that?"


Scrolls made and noted. CL7 Scorching Ray, CL1 Pro Evil and Ray of Enfeeblement.

Total costs (btw, the time it took was 6.768 min -- I miscalc'd the first time:
141g, 9xp

[planswalker]

"Best we can do. You ready?"

[Lokio]

Dack nodded, strolling into the Council chambers with a smile on his face.

[planswalker]

You enter a large room where nine men are seated around a semicircular table. Approximately a hundred people are seated around the edge of the room.

"Dack von Foodle" the man in the center of the nine says.

[Lokio]

Dack bowed, the little gnome's smile remaining in place. "Good day to you, sirs." His raven familiar, Nevermore, poked its head out of his robe and was shooed back inside.

[planswalker]

"Please present the proof of your skill."

[Lokio]

Von Foodle whirled a pair of wands. First, there was a mahogany-based wand with a pistol grip and a silver trim. "Wand of Fireballs. For the magus forced to do battle with groups. It is valued at approximately 18000 gold and cost less than 8000 to make. It is no mere wand; it is in fact forty percent more difficult to evade, as if cast by a magus of great skill."

He held up the second, a straight wand made of supple birch. "Wand of Mage Armor. I can massproduce ninety of these in a day. I am presently working on becoming a Gnomish Maester, wherein I will learn how to make any item in half the time."

He pulled forth scrolls, offering them. "Scorching Ray. High power, firing 2 rays instead of one. Protection from Evil. I made those in six and a half minutes, just before entering this room as a time-test."

He opened his robes, revealing his bandolier. On his hips were dual wands of magic missiles, his "guns". "These are examples of older work. My guns. Consistent, fast, never missing." He indicates other scrolls and wands. "My personal shield. My scrolls of knock. My wands that speed me up in battle - nerve skitter."

He smiled as he lifted a special wand made of oak. "Invisibility on a stick. My lords, I also will be mastering magic weapons, armor and wonderous items imminently."

"May I demonstrate any magic for you or would you care to test anything yourself?"

[planswalker]

"We will have Viseris examine them for us."

A hooded man walks up and says an invocation over each one, identifying them in turn.

"They are genuine, and crafted recently." He says.

Satisfied with this, the chairman calls Viseris back. "Definite potential there. Lacking in variety but you say that you will be remedying that soon. I assume you mean that you will be going by the University and hiring the head of the psionics department to reform your mind to accommodate that. Would have served you better to have done that first."

"Either way, we will now proceed to a series of questions from the council. My first question: Why do you wish to join us?"

[Lokio]

"I will indeed be psionically reforming. As for why I wish to join, I believe commerce is best done with a brotherhood and mutual support. We, collectively, are better off together than we ever would be alone. I think this guild is well-suited to my style of commerce, and I think it will provide opportunities for me; at the same time, I will provide service and opportunities to the guild. In short, its about finding a team and working with them."

[planswalker]

"Interesting answer. I see that you understand the concept of a guild."

The man to the chairman's left asks, "Where did you learn the craft?"

[Lokio]

"I am a wizard by trade, so I learned to scribe at the apprentice stage from my master, Valeron von Doodle. Yes, that was his name." He chuckled. "And wandcrafting, I was in a duel with a Cannith Wand Adept artificer. The adept used wands like a master and defeated me, but was so impressed by my tenaicousness that he took me on as an apprentice to learn the craft. The adept died sadly in an orc raid while we were on contract to defend a village a ways east of here. I survived, protected the villagers, and made my way here."

[planswalker]

"Probably best if we don't offer to find you a mentor. Tutoring you seems to be hazardous." the fellow chuckles.

The lady to the chairman's right asks, "I take it that you have some practical world experience. Any particular stories to share?"

[Lokio]

Dack chuckles. "I was an adventuring crafter. What kind of stories did you want? Me saving a princess from an Elder Dragon? 'Cause that didn't happen. I mostly worked on caravans, crafting while guarding, and protecting villages and small towns from marauders. Important work, but hardly glorified."

[planswalker]

"No stupid boasts. I like that."

Another council member asks, "What do you think it means to be an ethical itemcrafter?"

[Lokio]

Dack gave a little smile. "I think it means we make sure our items are what we say they are, deal fairly and honestly with our clients, and follow our guild's codes regarding creation, licensing and fees. I also personally am not one to make cursed items, but that could be just me." He chuckles a little bit.

[planswalker]

"A rather thorough yet boring textbook answer. Pity."

Your fifth question comes from the fifth councilor. "What is your theory on why there are so many different expressions of supernatural craft?"

[Lokio]

The little gnome thinks for a moment and says, "I think it's about adaptability. We want our crafts to suit our particular, specialized needs, and to make our lives easier. So we make all kinds of crafts. We learn to make magic weapons and armor for the warriors among us. We learn to make wands for wizards for common spells to save room in their memory for more contingent spells. Scrolls, so that we don't have to have every spell in our book. Constructs, to aid and to serve us. Et cetera, et cetera. My point is, there are as many kinds of crafted items as there are ideas for particular uses for them. That's just my theory on it, at any rate."

[planswalker]

"I was speaking of magical talents, not itemcrafting."

[Lokio]

"Ah. Fair enough. If you mean to ask me why there are so many different ways people manifest and control magic, including the divine power of the cleric, the spontaneous sorcerers, the infused powers of the divine soul, the psionics, the artificer, the wizard, et cetera, I believe that these powers all exist because magic is, in itself, a wild and capricious thing. It does not conform to rules, although we may seek to make it do so, and as such it manifests itself in ways that make sense based on the individual in whom it manifests. Some are charismatic and spontaneous. Others are genius researchers. Others have honed minds and others yet controlled, religious souls. Yet those different expressions of magical power all are different aspects and applications of the same thing. Does that answer your question satisfactorily?"

[planswalker]

"That is... acceptable."

The sixth councilor inquires, "I can see that you are a fire gnome. Have you considered contacting the gnome embassy in town to help you settle into Aldhaven?" This council member is an elf, unlike the rest of the council, which is human.

[Lokio]

Dack smiled. "I have indeed, although my first priority was to speak with this council. Once I have settled matters of guild membership, I will be contacting both the Embassy and the Watch to see what sorts of opportunities for good and safe settlement are here in Aldhaven."

[planswalker]

"I see your priorities are straight." She smiles.

Number seven says, "What role does faith play in your life?"

[Lokio]

Dack thought for a moment, then said, "To be honest, not a lot. Don't get me wrong, I honor the Gods and respect them, and I do worship Boccob, but in terms of whether or not I am an overly religious man, no, I wouldn't say I am. There is an exception, as a crafter; where divine power infuses crafting, I am, of course, as intrigued as the next guy. It's a style of crafting I wish I could ever learn, but alas, we can't do everything in this life." He laughed.

[planswalker]

"A very typical answer."

"When is your left hand?" number eight says. Or asks. Or whatever.

[Lokio]

"It's right now, along with the rest of me."

[planswalker]

"Tries to answer nonsense like it meant something." the councilor says to the air.

"Now, final question. What do you hope to do with your life?"

[Lokio]

"I'm sorry, I thought you were being funny so I thought I'd joke around in kind." The little gnome smiles.

"What do I want to do with my life? Aside from survive? Thrive here, in Aldhaven, both as a commercial entity and as a citizen. I'd like to help the guild achieve its goals and grow. I'd like to make a shop and teach others my craft, the art of fine wandmaking, and the other skills I will learn soon enough. And of course, there are beneficial longterm contracts to be made that will make us all very comfortable, no doubt." He grins. "And, with any luck, maybe find my way into a little adventure to keep my skills sharp so I'm in touch with the real needs of my brave adventuring customers."

[planswalker]

"Interesting answer. You now have an opportunity to make a case for your worthiness to enter the guild."

[Lokio]

"Sure. I'm not your typical mage. I'm both an adventurer and a craftsman. In doing so, I have a unique opportunity. I intend to become a Maester. The gnomish Maesters specialize in crafting methods that speed their process up. In doing so, I will have time to promote our guild while doing a full load of work, which no doubt will put money in the bank for the guild's use."

"I am skilled at my work, as you have seen, but am still growing. Learning. Going new directions with my crafting. My goals to learn magic arms and armor and wonderous items of all kinds will make me a useful, all purpose, fast crafter, which is in line with what some of you prefer in your members; yet at the same time, I am also a capable specialist in wandwork, a popular niche market among spellcasters and sneaky rogues alike."

"In short, my crafting is above the standard. It will be varied to generate wide business. I am mere weeks from joining the Maesters, which means I will be doing double the work in the time, putting the guild's percentage into the coffers on double the sales." Then he grinned. "And I'm really fun to be around. We can't undervalue a bit of personality." He chuckled. "Dack von Foodle, at your service, noble craftsmen. Please, let me show you what I can do."

[planswalker]

"Thank you." the chairman says. "We will now commence formal voting.

A short time later, and the tallies come in. You have earned [roll0] of the total of 112 votes. You need at least 56 to become a member of the guild.

While the votes are still being tallied, the chairman says, "If you feel that the council has misrepresented you or you simply feel our decision is a mistake, you may appeal before a general assembly of the guild, where every active member will get an opportunity to hear your case and vote."

[Lokio]

Dack smiles as the results come in. "I think that vote will do just fine, honourable Chairman." He smiles. "May I collect my works, sir?" He indicates his wands and scrolls.

[planswalker]

"Of course. Tomorrow, we will have a small ceremony to formally induct you into our brotherhood."

[Lokio]

Dack bowed. "Thank you, brothers." He collects his equipment. If that is all, he will exit with Optimus, and ask privately, "Optimus, what are the benefits of guild membership?"

[planswalker]

"Well, first off, without it, you'll have a real hard time getting a license to sell in this city. And if you do, we and the other two merchant guilds will oppose you any way we can. However, there are positive benefits as well. Part of your membership pays for housing in case you don't have your own shop yet. You also are fully licensed to sell your wares without any paperwork beyond guild membership. You also have unlimited access to the guildhall and the workshops attached to it. Of course, this guild also has many members with whom you will be free to consult. Many of the experienced ones refuse to accept appointments with mages outside the guild."

[Lokio]

Dack smiled broadly. "Fantastic! Well, my friend, is there anything you recommend I do? Or shall I take the day to become acquainted with the city and return in the morning?"

[planswalker]

"No official guild business for you until tomorrow."

[Lokio]

Dack nodded and shook Optimus's hand. "Good day, Optimus. I'll see you tomorrow."

His powerful fireball wand secured in his bandolier and the rest in his pack, Dack von Foodle made his way to the University. Once he found his way to the psionics department, he smiled at the secretary and asked politely, "Miss, my name is Dack von Foodle. I'm hoping I can set up a psionic reformation with the head of the department?" He smiled winsomely. He expected the girl to tell him there would be a lengthy wait, but here was to hoping! "I've got good coin to pay, of course."

[Lokio]

OOC: can't see my post in the subscription menu

[planswalker]

"Of course. He has time to see you Friday morning. I'm afraid that a personal project has him rather busy at the moment and he won't be available earlier than that."

aka, a pc quest involving him has his personal time tied up.

[Lokio]

What day is it in game today? Thursday?

Dack smiles and nods. "Okey-doke. Would you mind putting me in for an appointment with him on Friday then? Dack von Foodle is my name."

Unless there's anything else, Dack makes his way toward the Watch headquarters. Their need for personnel has interested him, and Dack's adventurous nature has kicked in.

[planswalker]

argh, got you confused with Ish, with whom it is Wed.

He arrives at the outer gates to the Fortress, and one of the guards on duty stops him and says, "Sorry, fella, but state your business. These are troubled times, and the Fortress isn't open for tours."

[Lokio]

Haha no worries... wasn't I a bit back in time while we did Dack's prelude? So I'd probably be the previous Thursday.

Dack smiled. "Not a problem, sir. My name is Dack von Foodle. I'm a local itemcrafter and concerned citizen, and I understand that the Captain -- or rather, his designate, Sergeant Schlock -- is looking for some help with a few matters." He says it politely. Within his open robes, his bandolier of wands is visible; indeed, von Foodle looks quite ready for anything imaginable.

[planswalker]

"Very well. You'll have to make an appointment if you don't have one already."

[Lokio]

"As you like." Dack will go forth, and set the earliest possible appointment.

If there was nothing going on inside that needed him to stay, he would stop on the way back out, and would ask the guard, "Hey mate..." And he spoke quietly, giving the guard a golden handshake of five gold. "I understand there's been some unrest lately, both internally in the Watch and in the area. Might I ask you what's going on?"

Gawwd. Look at Dack. He's not foodling around at all. Gettin' in with a guild, getting set to assist the Watch, getting a home in order (at GoSS, which seems pretty secure)... that little gnome has his sheet together.

[planswalker]

The earliest possible time is Friday morning, but there will be no way he could make that one. The next available is Monday afternoon.

When you try to bribe the guard with some gold, he grips your hand tightly and whispers to you "Try to bribe me again and I'll arrest you for that. Consider this your one free pass." The money never enters his hand.

[Lokio]

Dack is confused -- was it a bribe, really, to ask for information that was generally public anyway? He takes his appointment, his free pass, and heads home, a big ol' grin on his face. This town was fun!

He goes looking around in some of the seedier areas of town (NOT the Docks, but the main city) after using his various wands to enchant his armor, give him a shield, empower his fortitude (False Life [roll0] hp gained) and make him invisible, sharing these powers with his familiar. The little crafter is looking to find some opportunities to help out the good citizens of Aldhaven if there are any rogues, and to learn the areas of town that he should watch his back for.

Mage Armor, Shield, Invisibility and False Life up. Time to foodle around with some bad people.

[planswalker]

He ends up wandering around in South Market and spots a kobold dart off down a side-alley. You notice that one of his footprints includes bloody smears.

[Lokio]

Dack takes a moment to cast Fly on himself, then decides to have his raven familiar, Nevermore, hold the charge for a Combust in his body, ready to deliver flaming death through a peck of his beak. Then, he recasts invisibility with the wand (which does not cause Combust to go away), and holds his nerve skitter wand in his offhand and his wand of magic missile in the other. With that, he proceeds to fly at full speed down the alleyway, his darkvision aiding him if it is needed.

[planswalker]

He arrives in the alley just in time to see the kobold seemingly vanish through a wall.

[Lokio]

Dack narrows his eyes, looking around. He went through a wall? The little mage looked at the wall the kobold had gone through, running his invisible fingers along the wall to see if it was solid.

[planswalker]

make a will save, a search check, and a spellcraft check,in that order.

[Lokio]

Will [roll0]
Search [roll1]
Spellcraft [roll2]

Dack concentrates his will, searches, and uses his spellcraft, in that order.

[planswalker]

You recognize that someone has put a major image illusion over this portion of wall, and in fact it is a gaping hole.

[Lokio]

Curious as ever, Dack invisibly flew right on through, his darkvision helping him if it was needed. His bird, Nevermore, also invisibly sat, ready -- it knew the charge of power that meant its master was ready to unleash a burst of arcane energy, just in case. But for now, Dack was safe. It was not needed.

[planswalker]

On the other side of the illusory wall, a long, narrow tunnel leads downward. It continues down and forward in a straight line farther than your darkvision allows you to see.

[Lokio]

Dack continues to fly invisibly down the tunnel, hovering above the ground and observing carefully, his wands ready if they are needed. Hmm... interesting. He takes a mental note of this location and reminds himself to tell the Watch about it.

[planswalker]

Being barely tall enough for him to stand in, hovering doesn't leave him far off the ground.

Is he going to search for traps?

[Lokio]

The clever little gnome invisibly produces his trusty ten foot pole uses it to probe in front of him, seeing as he doesn't have trapfinding himself. He'd rather not be blown to bits.

[planswalker]

Ten feet into the tunnel, the ten foot pole triggers a trap and spikes shoot out of both sides of the tunnel. They look quite painful.

The pole trips a wire and causes the ceiling to collapse thirty feet in. Oddly enough, the ceiling pulls itself back together afterwords.

Then, sixty feet in, you see that the tunnel dead ends another 60 feet further in. No additional traps are triggered up to this point.

[Lokio]

Dack looks around, knowing that the little bastard probably went through the wall somewhere along the line. After scouring the rest of the tunnel with the pole, he'll take 20 to search for a hidden entrance -- for 25. If he finds one, he'll use his anklets of translocation to pop through safely.

[planswalker]

Unfortunately, his mediocre skills at searching does not uncover the hidden door or doors that obviously must exist.

[Lokio]

Dack was not going to be deterred. Indeed, he was too clever for this crap! Hidden doors meant a hollow on the far side. So, he would go to the end of the hall, and on the far wall, put his ear to it after checking it with the pole, and tap on the wall once. If it sounded hollow, he would teleport through with his anklets of translocation. If not, he would go every five feet and do this.

[planswalker]

Checking for hollow sounds is part of what searching is...

Using an anklet of translocation only works 2 times per day, and you must have both line of sight and line of effect.

[Lokio]

Trying one more thing before giving up, Dack activates Detect Magic and looks for anything magical that would suggest an entryway of some kind.

[planswalker]

After several rounds of concentration, you conclude that the only magical auras you are detecting are the automatically resetting ceiling collapsing trap.

[Lokio]

He uses his pole to trigger the magically resetting trap safely and heads out, disappointed at his lack of success but noting the location of the hole for the future.

If he's safe, Dack will head to bed and wake up in the morning to head to the GoSS initiation, wearing his formal robes and his bandolier beneath them.

Boo, was hoping for a fight. Too bad Dack's not pro enough at searching yet.

[planswalker]

be careful what you ask for...

On your way back out, a net flies over your head and entangles you. A small trident immediately jabs at you. Luckily, even in your current incapacitation, it still fails to harm you.

roll initiative.

[Lokio]

Dack reacts quickly, and as an immediate action triggers Nerveskitter.

Initiative: [roll0]

If he wins, he will teleport out of the net as a swift action with his anklets toward the exit and point at the creature that stabbed at him, firing a magic missile from his wand, dealing [roll1] damage as the lasers go pew pew!

[planswalker]

You blast the kobold holding the net and trident for a bit of damage. However, his buddy with a crossbow turns and fires at you for [roll0] damage.

The net and trident fellow closes the gap between the two of you and nets you once again. This time, his trident hits for [roll1] damage.

[Lokio]

Dack's AC is currently 22.

Dack narrows his eyes, swift-teleports away, moves to the exit, and drops a fireball between the two at such a position taht it will hit both of them, but not Dack.

If that's not possible, let me know, but the blast will do [roll0] damage -- DC 18 for half.

[planswalker]

The net and trident fellow is down, and his buddy grabs him and starts heading away from the gnome with boomsticks.

[Lokio]

That actually was a delicious bit of actual Dack Magic.

The little mage isn't done; he fires on the guy running away with magic missiles that go pew pew for [roll0].

[planswalker]

Unlike his buddy, a fireball+magic missile combo doesn't quite down him, and then he retreats beyond the range of your darkvision.

[Lokio]

Dack doesn't give a damn -- he simply throws another fireball down the tunnel at them, using his excellent intelligence to guestimate their position (given that the fireball is a 20' radius). He notes the little kobold can't run while dragging his buddy, so he'd be cought in the radius so long as Dack put it within about 20 feet of the darkness.

Then he'll go invisible and exit the tunnel.


Dack Magic. Firing like nothing.

[Lokio]

[roll0] (non-domain FB) DC18

[planswalker]

Your fireball goes off, but you don't know what it did, exactly. However, neither does anyone pursue you.

[Lokio]

Triggering two charges of his healing belt for [roll0] healing, Dack will invisibly make his way back down the tunnel slowly, cautiously, invisibly, floating above the ground with his pole. He wants to know the result.


Btw, that's 20 feet INTO the darkness, not before it.

[planswalker]

He finds a pair of charred kobold corpses 70 feet in.

[Lokio]

The little mage will scan both for anything magical, pick both bodies up, move them to by the entrance, and loot them there.

[planswalker]

the trident user has only his magical trident left. It seems the rest got burnt in the explosion. The crossbow user, though, has a crossbow, twelve bolts, a belt, and a hat that are magical.

[Lokio]

A big ol' grin on his face, Dack takes the loots into his bag, and flies off home to sleep, taking his new-found experience and resting at the inn.

[planswalker]

900 xp.

He arrives safely and his dreams are peaceful.

[Lokio]

Dack enjoys his dreams, and realizes another dream; while his crafting had brought him below Level 6, he dings his level. Hearing a little ding, he becomes a Gnomish Maester, making his way to the GoSS temple with a new title and skill set.

Finding Soren, he says, "Guildmaster, it's good to see you again. As promised, I have mastered the secrets of Maesterhood."

HP roll [roll0] First Non 1
Dack gains Quick Crafting, Double Wand Wielder (for Lvl 6 Feat) and Craft Wonderous Items for the bonus feat for the Maestership.

[planswalker]

"And you as well. How is our newest guild member doing?"

[Lokio]

"Excellent, sir. I've been working on my theory of wonderous itemcrafting, as well as finishing my research in quick crafting. What is the plan for the day, sir?"

[planswalker]

"Well, the initiation ceremony is in two hours. After that, we'll talk about it."

[Lokio]

"Sounds good, sir. Is there anything you'd like me to do beforehand, or shall I just wait?"

If there's nothing going on, Dack will wait until the ceremony, taking a bit of time to explore the guildhouse.

[planswalker]

"You are a guild member, not some employee. You are expected to show initiative."

[Lokio]

Dack nodded and said, "Might I ask you how the initiation will go?"

[planswalker]

"You may."

[Lokio]

Dack chuckled. "All right. How will the induction ceremony go."

[planswalker]

"Oh, you may ask, but I'm not going to tell you. YOu'll have to see for yourself."

[Lokio]

Dack laughed. This guy was clever. With that, he said, "I think I'll take this time to acquaint myself with the layout of the guildhouse. Who does the least expensive identifies in the city, by the way?"

If there wasn't anything more, he would head off and get a general sense of the layout and facilities before the initiation.

[planswalker]

"Least expensive would be guild brother Hagan Erbaur. He charges less for it than the cost most of us have to do it for ourselves."

The aboveground building is of a good size, with many small laboratories of the first floor arranged around the central council chamber. The second floor is almost exlusively living quarters and a mess hall. The third floor is off limits except for the kitchen up there. The rest is the guildmaster's personal space.

However, beneath the building is a large and winding series of basements and passages that connect up with the basements of all the nearby buildings. Various experiments and exchanges are going on here. They all seem to be perfectly legal and innocuous. They just are taking place underground in a winding labyrinth.

[Lokio]

Does Dack find some dormitories or apartments?

At any rate, once he's done, he changes into his formal robes and makes his way to the initiation.

[planswalker]

Second floor of the building is a series of living quarters suitable for young merchants who can't afford their own place yet. They seem to assume that all who take up residence in the guild will seek to eventually establish themselves on their own enterprise and won't be living there long-term.

You get in your better duds and enter the large central chamber. The room is dark, and in fact your darkvision is also obscured. "May he who wishes to join our ranks step forth." the guildmaster's voice calls from the darkness.

[Lokio]

Dack steps forth, standing tall (or rather, as tall as he can).

[planswalker]

"We are gathered here today to welcome Dack Von Foodle into the ranks of our guild. He has shown his competence at crafting and has the acclaim of the council. Welcome our newest brother into the fold!"

The spotlight on you dims and the rest of the place lights up. About 300 people are crammed into the room, all masked with a goblet in their hands.

[Lokio]

Dack smiles broadly and bows politely to the assembled council.

[planswalker]

You hear the guildmaster's voice in your head. This is the part where you give an acceptance speech.

[Lokio]

Dack smiled and said, "Thank you, guildmaster, councillors, honored brothers! It is a pleasure and an honour to be inducted into your skilled and innovative ranks today. I truly appreciate your acceptance and the ability to join you as a member of the Guild of Starlight and Shadows."

"I will keep this brief, since I am not one to be long-winded -- at least, not when I can avoid it." He gives them a grin at the joke. "I look forward to working with you and offering my services as a fine wandmaker and crafter for the citizens of Aldhaven. You can rest assured that I will uphold the finest of standards and bring credit to this exceptional organization."

"I look forward to meeting you all individually and to getting to know my new guild family. Thank you very much!"

[planswalker]

"To Foodle!" The guildmaster says.

"Foodle!" is echoed across the room. Then, as one, they toss the contents of their goblets your direction. Most fall quite short, but enough make it to their targets to get you quite wet and smelling of quality wine.

"Well, that's enough formality for me. Let's break out the kegs! Party time!"

[Lokio]

Dack laughs and joins the party, getting good and drunk and carousing to enjoy everyone's company.

[planswalker]

He wakes up the next morning in a bed he doesn't recognize with a lady lizardfolk. He is wearing the robes of a priestly order he doesn't recall ever seeing before.

[Lokio]

He wakes up in the morning groggy as all hell and shocked. "UHHHHHHH -- where am I?"

[planswalker]

The lizard lady, whom you just notice has rather gaudy lipstick on, says, "Well, sweetheart, you're here with me."

[Lokio]

He jumps up, get out of bed, pulls his bandolier and pants on, and says, "Where's the privy? I need to vomit." He looked green!

[planswalker]

"Just behind the door with your pants on the doorknob."

[Lokio]

Dack put the pants on as he mentioned before, throwing the priestly robes off and vomiting up the entire world he drank last night.

Rinsing his mouth out with water and finding a mint in his bag, he nodded politely to the lizard girl and fled back to the GoSS hall after gathering up his things. "I'm going to go now. There's about six hours I don't remember. I need to see a priest to get it back."

[planswalker]

"Oh, silly gnome. You were so drunk last night that you proposed to a chair. I had to take you to my place before you embarrassed yourself too much. Then, when you were passed out, it was just too good a chance to prank you."

[Lokio]

Dack stopped in his tracks. "Was the proposal at least florid and glorious?"

[planswalker]

"Indeed. You're a very poetic drunk. And you'll be glad to know the chair rejected you. It said that it had its eyes set on the table."

[Lokio]

"Indeed." He chuckled and offered her a handshake. "Dack von Foodle. And why are my pants off?"

[planswalker]

"You said the robe breathed better. And call me Alice."

[Lokio]

Dack chuckled. "Good to meet you, Alice. Thank you for not letting me kill myself on alcohol. I need a bath. Badly. I'll see you later."

With that, Dack waved and went off for a bath. He bathed. Seriously. And then he made his way to the guild hall to speak with the Guildmaster for official business, asking about how he can sell items with the guild's license, the privileges of membership, etc.

[planswalker]

Your big-lipped alligator moment over, you proceed to bathe.

The guildmaster is not in today, but his second-in-command is. "There's a trifle of paperwork to fill out, and you will then be able to partake in the guild's unlimited license to sell alchemical goods, wands, and minor wondrous items. If you happen to sell more... interesting pieces, we will help keep it from attracting the wrong sort of attention. Just so long as you're not dealing in black market goods."

[Lokio]

"What defines a minor wondrous item? And may I fill in the paperwork?"

If he is allowed, Dack will fill in the paperwork. He really needs to find a buyer for the fireball wand so as to not be absolutely broke.

[Lokio]

"What defines a minor wondrous item? And may I fill in the paperwork?"

If he is allowed, Dack will fill in the paperwork. He really needs to find a buyer for the fireball wand so as to not be absolutely broke.

[planswalker]

"Minor wondrous items are those whose market value is placed at 8,000 gold or less." Upon request, the several dozen pages of paperwork for you to read through and sign is brought to you.

[Lokio]

Dack reads them carefully, making an intelligence check to decipher any legalese if he can.

[roll0]

[planswalker]

"Minor wondrous items are those whose market value is placed at 8,000 gold or less." Upon request, the several dozen pages of paperwork for you to read through and sign is brought to you.

[Lokio]

Dack reads them carefully, making an intelligence check to decipher any legalese if he can.

[roll0]

[planswalker]

Without specific training in legal wordings and the law, all he can get is the general concepts. But nothing he reads is screaming "hidden contract that will forfeit your soul."

[planswalker]

post... appear!

[Lokio]

Dack signs the contract, smiles and asks, "Is there anywhere I can stay for the next little while? I know some guildhouses have dormitories, is there one here?" He hands the contract back in.

[planswalker]

"You have already been told this. Think back on your question and it shall come to you."

[Lokio]

"I'm sorry, I was attempting to be politically correct. What I meant was, we have dormitories for the guild's use. May I be assigned one for my use until such time as I get my shop in order? And how might one acquire a wider license under our guild's umbrella to sell more goods for our own shop?"

[planswalker]

"You have been assigned one already. Do you not remember from last night? As for expanding your license, you can apply for a personal license to sell more. If you play your politics, you likely can even find a guild member to help you expedite the process."

[Lokio]

Dack sighed shamefully. "Was that my bedroom I ran from...? I don't remember, sir. There's about six hours of last night that's black. I think I might have to go see a cleric to clear the fog."

[planswalker]

"The one with the lizardfolk who likes putting on too much makeup? Yes."

[Lokio]

Dack facepalmed. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What the hell happened last night?"

[planswalker]

"You outdrank Thorin."

[Lokio]

"Pelor's breath... Okay. I guess I have keys somewhere then. I'm going to go find a buyer for this freakin' wand so I can pay you back and have more than a few pennies in my pouch."

[planswalker]

"Smart choices. Except that I am not the guildmaster. He is sleeping off a tremendous hangover. He came in third in the drinking contest."

[Lokio]

"Do I need to see him before I can go sell the aforementioned wand?"

[planswalker]

"Do you have the money to pay him back?"

[Lokio]

"The wand is what I need to sell to get the money to pay him."

[planswalker]

"Then there is not much point in waking him up while he has a hangover."

[Lokio]

"OK, I'm going to go sell my wand and stuff. Thanks so much! See you later." He smiled at the guy, then headed off to Erbauer's shop after listing the Wand of Fireballs, CL8 DC18 for a nicely discounted rate of 16500g. He also listed the Wand of Mage Armor CL1 for 600g (base rate 750g.)

He hoped to meet the famous Hagan. He arrived with a smile on, and asked if the grand crafter could identify the items he picked up off the kobolds the day before. If Hagan was present, he smiled and offered him a handshake. "I'm Dack von Foodle, Mr. Erbauer. I'm the newest member of the Guild of Starlight and Shadows. I'm hoping you could identify a few things for me?"

[Rizban]

Hagan looks at the proffered hand, apparently confused. Suddenly, he remembers about handshakes and grasps the hand briefly in his mechanical hand crafted of pure mithral.

"Alright, I can identify things, yeah. It's 50gp per identification."

[Lokio]

Dack smiles broadly. "Great! Thank you!" He produces a trident, crossbow, a belt and a hat. "All of these are magical. I have a set of magical arrows as well but those will be 50g each, yes? I think I can wait on those if so."

"Mr. Erbauer, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm wondering, can you also tell me if you know if there are many wandmakers in town? I can craft a few different kinds of things, but wands are my love and my specialty." He grinned.

[Rizban]

"Arrows, unfortunately, have to be identified individually. I'd suggest just using them and hoping for the best."

Hagan's eyes turn up to look at you briefly at your questions, but his face remains fixed on the items he is identifying.

"The trident and crossbow are simple plus one items. The belt is a Belt of the Camel, protecting you from extreme heat as endure elements and reducing your need for water to one tenth of normal. The hat appears to be a Watch Lamp, allowing you to create a temporary magical lantern which floats just above your shoulder and follows you.

To answer your questions, no, I don't know who makes wands. I don't deal in the things."

[Lokio]

Dack strokes his beard. "Hmm... how much would you give in gold for the items, Mr. Erbauer? Are they of some use to you?"

When Hagan said that he was not a wandmaker, Dack grinned. "I wonder, then, sir... are you looking for a wandmaking partner? Mine are the best around, if I might say so without seeming conceited. I have some of my work handy, if you're interested."

[Lokio]

OOC: I propose we move Hagan/Dack to a teamup thread and allow this one to continue.

Plans/Riz, if you agree, the following post applies:

--------------

Intrigued by having had a chance to chat with the legendary Hagan Erbauer, and potentially sporting new money as a result, Dack carries on to his meeting with the head of the psionics department at the university.

[planswalker]

use spoiler tags for OOC. That's what spoiler tags are for.

and you may move it to his shop thread.

I am not creating a teamup thread for this.

[Lokio]

Okay, lets move that to the shop thread then Riz. Your post Plans.

[planswalker]

You arrive at your appointment a few minutes late. A cart had overturned and blocked the road and it took you longer to detour around it than you had anticipated.

[Lokio]

Dack arrives and rushes in, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, sir! I apologize, we had some serious traffic issues on the way in." He extended his hand to the head of the department. "Dack von Foodle. How are you today?"

[planswalker]

He does not accept the handshake. "What have you come in for?"

[Lokio]

"A psionic reformation, if one is possible. I was curious what the costs were."

[planswalker]

"One thousand gold, and it will cost you some of your life essence."

[Lokio]

"Very good. I'll come back for it as I don't have that kind of change right now. I'll leave you to your next appointment."

With that, Dack heads off, thanking the man. That amount of gold was plainly a ripoff. There had to be other psionic play in town; but for the moment, he needed to get some cash, set up his shop, and be ready.

And yet, Dack wished to investigate more of what he had seen in Old Town. Kobolds in warrens? This intrigued him. Why were they making warrens under the city? He made his way to the Old Town Guard Outpost and asked to see the sergeant about the kobold problem in the area.

[planswalker]

"Kobold problem? What problem? Are they starting to stir up again?"

[Lokio]

Dack shrugs. "I'm new to town, sir, so I don't know, but I witnessed a kobold with bloody footprints heading into some kind of warren. I'm not knowledgable in the ways of their kind, but I noticed the warren was illusioned to look like a wall under a building... when I entered, they attacked me. I was forced to defend myself. Are the Kobolds a problem in this town?"

[planswalker]

"Normally, they stick to the sewers and spend most of their time fighting other criminal gangs. Now, they seem to kill gnomes on sight, so you might want to avoid them. A lot of gnomes disappear never to be seen again. That's why most of y'all stay in the embassy over in the Noble's Quarter."

[Lokio]

Dack narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. Well, I can't hide at the Embassy. I'm a Maester -- that is, a crafter of many magical items. Business would dry up real quick if I tried to do that. Are there any districts that are safer than here for us?"

[planswalker]

"I think they've moved out of Midtown recently. No kobolds spotted there in a month."

[Lokio]

Dack grinned. "Great! I had been hoping to set up there at some point. Is there any service I could offer to the Watch in the meantime?"

[planswalker]

"Don't think so."

[Lokio]

"Very good. Thank you very much!"

With that, Dack makes his way to try to go to the Gnomish Embassy. At the Noble's Quarter gates, he requests information as to how to report in at the Embassy.

[Lokio]

post... appear!

[planswalker]

I answered this 30 minutes ago and the forum ate my response...

"We can take a note from you to the ambassador. He will verify your identity and initiate the process to give you clearance to visit the embassy. You will then be issued a diplomatic pass into the Noble's Quarter so that you may visit the embassy freely if you are recognized as a gnomish citizen."

[Lokio]

Dack grinned. He had never had a diplomatic pass before. "Thank you so much! Give me a moment, yes?" He wrote a note with his credentials, his birthplace and all the other relevant details to identify him, then concluded with his guild membership.

He handed the guard the note and said, "Shall I wait here, then, sir?"

[planswalker]

"It may take up to a week for him to get back with you. The ambassador is a busy person and the background check is not a simple thing."

[Lokio]

"Very good. Thank you very much. I'll go about my business, then."

A smile on his face, having started the process of getting access to the Noble's Quarter, Dack decided to go home to do a bit of work. He sold the two +1 weapons to a magic item shopkeeper for 2130g (2130g for a +1 MW crossbow/trident), and went home to do a little bit of work.

Sitting down at his workbench in his shop, Dack von Foodle decided it was time to make himself an amulet of health. Bear's Endurance in his spellbook, he set to work, testing his skill and speed. In just over half an hour, his brand new toy was ready, shining and beautifully designed by the crafty little maester.


Cost is 1350g for Dack to make this, along with 73xp. Time taken: 1350g/20000g = 6.75% of an 8 hour day = 32.4 minutes.

[Lokio]

He then tends his shop for the rest of the day, doing what he can to sell scrolls, any spells he might have, and of course, his super fireball wand of doom, as well as the mage armor wand.

[planswalker]

roll a profession check.

[Lokio]

Profession [roll0]
What would the clerks profession roll be? Would she be of use?

[planswalker]

clerk wouldn't have profession trained.

You earn 26 gold in your first day of sells of the secondary paraphernalia that shops keep on hand. However, no one seems to have responded to your advertising campaign yet and is interested in purchasing wands. It may take a few days for your name to be known.

[Lokio]

Dack got a customer in his shop, an orange-haired youth, and helped him during the afternoon's work, taking time while the boy went to go get his money to go pick up a scroll of Summon Monster III for 375g to copy into his spellbook.

Returning to his sanctum, he casts Read Magic to understand it, then copies the spell into his spellbook so that he may prepare the wand for the young man.

[planswalker]

Your shopping is uneventful and you purchase the scroll at market standard.

[Lokio]

Planswalker's invisible post
Your shopping is uneventful and you purchase the scroll at market standard.

After operating his shop for the afternoon and creating and selling the wand to the orange haired youth, Dack heads to bed. In the morning, he makes his way to his meeting with the Captain of the Watch, reporting in at the usual locations on the way up; gatehouse, secretary, etc.

Starting to actually think being a Maester wasn't really worth it lol; tempted to craft back down below 6 and level again, taking Wizard!

[Lokio]

Invisible Post Hoooooooo

[planswalker]

You are admitted in immediately, as you arrive on time and Sergeant Schlock, interim captain says, "Hello, good gnome. How may I help you?"

[Lokio]

Dack grinned. "Hello, Sergeant!" He extends the man a hand for a shake. "My name is Dack von Foodle. I've heard that you folks are looking for some help with some matters... and, well, I'm a mage and wandmaker of some resources." He smiled and opened his robes slightly, revealing his stuffed bandolier of wands. "I'm happy to assist in any way I can, sir."

[planswalker]

"Of course. Before we get too deeply into how to best utilize your talents, what is your status in the city?"

[Lokio]

"Well, sir, I'm a member of the Guild of Starlight and Shadows. I joined them just yesterday and arrived in town a few days before. I've just started up a wand shop!" He grinned. He "sounds earnest, but new. "I hope to apply for citizenship once I've had a chance to get a good name going with the Watch and to make some friends in Aldhaven.

[planswalker]

"I was speaking more about your status with the gnomish embassy, but the rest is useful too."

[Lokio]

Dack nodded. "Ah! Well, I've had the chance to put in my credentials for consideration. I'm waiting for a few more days to be acknowledged for diplomatic passes."

[planswalker]

"I hope you don't mind if I learn whether you will have special diplomatic status, normal resident status, or are a fugitive of the gnomish people before I give you too much in the way of a job. Last thing I need right now is another scandal in the watch."

[Lokio]

Dack grinned and nodded. "No problem, sir. Definately. I think you'll find my citizenship is in proper order. In the meantime, what can I do for you?"

[planswalker]

"Until then, let's keep it simple. Would you give a message to Sister Seline at the Daughters of Salvation?"

[Lokio]

Dack nods. "Of course, sir. What message is that?"

[planswalker]

He takes an envelope out of his desk. "This one. Make sure no one breaks the seal but her. She will use the code word soup sometime in your conversation with her. Make sure that it is really her before you deliver the message."

[Lokio]

"Soup? Very good, sir." He took the envelope. "Is there anything else, Sergeant?"

If not, he will head for the Temple District and the Sisters of Salvation's place. Could you please describe it for me? Does it seem new, or is it an old building?

[planswalker]

You look in the Temple District, but can find no place called the Sisters of Salvation.

[Lokio]

Dack looks around for the Daughters of Salvation and a person by the name of Sister Selene, putting 10g worth of bribes into it. He'll also ask any Watchmen he sees about it, although he won't be bribing them; instead, he states he's carrying a message for the Sergeant.

Gather information [roll0] hr [roll1]

You can assume Dack will continue to search if the first bit of looking around doesn't work.

[planswalker]

It takes him an additional [roll0] hours and an additional 5 gold to learn that the Sisters of Salvation is a charity group that works out of Old Town, and pay respect to no one specific religion.

[Lokio]

Dack chuckles -- he was so far off! He should've asked the Sergeant where to go.

However, he made his way to Old Town and their building, looking around it and seeking a receptionist or some other person who worked there. "I'm looking for a Sister Selene." He would say with a smile on his face. "I have a delivery for her from the Captain of the Watch?"

Please describe the building.

[planswalker]

The Sisters of Salvation Center is a small two story plaster building with several open windows on the corner of Porter's Road and Steinbacher Hohl. The Sisters are going about business as usual, with several going in and out almost constantly. A small girl of about nine stands by the main entrance holding a basket of pale, white flowers, waiting to greet anyone who approaches the building.

also, I misremembered, it is in Midtown, not Old Town.

[Lokio]

Does it look new, like a mysterious benefactor recently assisted it?

Like a Perry with a donation? :O

At any rate, Dack grins at the little girl and makes his way in, looking for the person he was needing to deliver the envelope to and asking any of the Sisters he found if they could help him find Selene.

[planswalker]

Not from the outside...

"Please sir, buy a flower?" the girl says on your way in.

[Lokio]

Dack grins. "Sure." He hands the girl a couple of gold for a flower. "Keep the change."

[planswalker]

"Thank you, good sir!"

She guides you on in, where a middle-aged woman with a kind but stern face says, "Hello, sir. How can the Sisters help you today?"

[Lokio]

Dack smiles and says, "Hi! I'm Dack von Foodle. I'm looking for Sister Selina. I come bearing a message from the interim Captain of the Watch?"

[Lokio]

invis post!

[planswalker]

"Seliina? She's not here today. She is distributing food to the needy. I can hold the message for her until she gets back."

[Lokio]

Dack shakes his head with a smile. "Sorry, Sister...?" He leaves room for her to say her name. "I'm under orders not to give the message to anybody but her. Perhaps you can tell me her route, or take me to her? I wouldn't even mind helping out. Charitable works are good."

[planswalker]

"I'm sorry, that won't work. Perhaps she will be in tomorrow."

[Lokio]

"Very well."

Dack looked around to see how the hospital seems to be doing. "Hey, question -- I have the ability to make wands. Fairly cheap ones, at that, eternal ones -- I'd be willing to do so at a substantial discount, if the Sisters of Salvation find any arcane spells they could use on a routine basis that they'd like to have around a couple times a day..."

He smiled at her, bowing slightly.

[planswalker]

"I assume you are a registered seller for these items?"

[Lokio]

Dack nodded. "Yes, sister -- I'm a registered member of the Guild of Starlight and Shadows. My wandmaking licensing flows from the guild and my shop is in their sanctum."

[planswalker]

"Very well. There might be some wands we could use. What all can you do?"

[Lokio]

"Well, it's fairly easy for me to go copy spells from my guild's library, and failling that, scrolls are not particularly expensive. So let's say I can do anything you need me to do up to the third circle of arcane spellcasting. The question, then, is what do you need?"

[planswalker]

She looks disappointed. "I take it then that arcane spellcasting is beyond you?"

[Lokio]

He looked confused; he did just say he could cast arcane spells. "I'm sorry, to clarify, I'm an arcane caster. I can't do divine casting, sadly."

[planswalker]

"Then what sorts of spells do you think our order would even need, then?"

[Lokio]

"Well, there are a few that are always pretty useful to people dealing with people in a medical situation."

"Comprehend Languages, for example, is good if you come into patients who you don't have a translator for. Unseen Servants are great for doing things like providing you surgical impliments, making beds, that kind of thing; very basic chores that take manpower away from your nurses and clerics. Arcane Lock is good for security purposes, Continual Flame can keep your lights constantly going, Whispering Wind can allow you to do things like keep in touch with your people who are out and about doing work in the city. Levitate can allow you to easily transfer critically injured patients from bed to bed without requiring you to risk injuring them further."

"Ironguts is great for treating people who have been poisoned and isn't quite so costly as a Remove Poison. Plus, warforged are easily treated with Repair spells. No doubt you see a few of them."

He grinned. "And those are just the examples I can think of right now. Handy spells, good to have around a couple of times a day from now until the end of time. They increase efficiency, which is important in a medical context, I understand. What do you think?"

[planswalker]

"If we were a hospital, yes. None of those seem to be particularly cost-effective when we have limited resources. I will think on your offer, but I will not buy so rashly."

[Lokio]

Dack grinned. "Well, fair enough. You know where to find me. By the by -- are you folks having any problems with the kobolds in the area?"