AVB - The Fainthearted One

[Rizban]

This is a private thread for Gorgondantess and GM(s) only. If you are anyone else, PLEASE do not read it.

The interior of the Sad Flint is quite crowded. People are coming and going all over the rather large barroom. Patrons of any possible description abound, most content to drink the beers in their hands. No one bothers to turn their head when yet another patron walks in. The atmosphere of the place is slightly dingy, but comfortable.

A lone half-giant is serving as the bartender at the long bar across from the entrance. Round tables with an average of four chairs each litter the common area, although several have borrowed chairs from others nearby. More than half of them seem occupied by patrons of some description and number. A pair of armored bouncers guard a double door along the west wall.

Barmaids of many different races weave in and out of the traffic, delivering food and drinks, as well as picking up empty crockery and more than a few pick-up lines.


"Shall we find a table?"

[Gorgondantess]

Sade nods, and lets Aislin lead the way, though if given the choice will lean towards someplace (relatively) quiet and out of the way. Her stomach begins to growl even more fiercely, and she sits restlessly at their table to wait to be served.
"So, what would you advise to eat here, auntie?"

[Rizban]

"It's all good, every last thing. Just stay away from anything that sounds orcish or drow. They won't sit well with your tummy."

Looking around the table, you find a menu tucked into a little stand near the wall against which your small table sits.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade orders a leg of lamb, some roasted sweet potatoes, and a flagon of cider. She sits lightly until the food arrives, then dives into her meal with surprising alacrity. Despite being entirely non-orcish/drow, Sade ends up with something of a tummyache after the meal, eating so much and so quickly on an entirely empty stomach. Totally worth it, though.

[Rizban]

Unfortunately, the Sad Flint has no sweet potatoes this time of year. The lamb and cider, however, are quite good. Sade's meal comes to 5 gold, which her aunt pays.

"So, tell me what's been happening. It's been so long since I've seen you."

[Gorgondantess]

Hm. I kindof assumed that Aislin had been told everything. In this case, I'm gonna assume that she knows that Sade is coming to town to live with her, and about her life with Slate before he disappeared. Sound good?
Sade toys with her bone for a minute before responding, uncomfortable.
"Well, I... Slate. He left on one of his adventures and... never came back. It has been five years since he left, and I have not heard from him since. I fear that he is likely... well." She shakes her head.
"Do not worry on my account though! I have... come to terms with it... but." She sinks down in her chair, despondent.
"Our fortunes were not what I thought they were. Debt collectors came, and I was forced to sell the villa. I-I am not sure what to do- with Slate, I never really had to work before, but now... I think I may seek work with Slate's brother, Flourspar. I understand he has a... business here. Do you know where an illusionist of tenuous ability such as myself might find employment?"

[Rizban]

Just because she knows doesn't mean she doesn't want to hear your version of things or anything else you're willing to share. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone, and she's offering Sade the chance."Oh, dear, that's awful. Do you know where he went? What he was doing?

You don't really want to work with Feldspar, do you? I mean you could earn some wages, but it isn't really the kind of thing you would enjoy. Tell me, if you could do anything, and I mean anything, what would it be?"

[Gorgondantess]

She gives a wistful look, shaking her head. "No... no. Slate never told me where he was going. He said it would spoil the story. Wanted to tell it in one piece."
At Aislin's next question, Sade sighs.
"I never gave any thought to it, really. If I could do anything I... I would have just continued on as things were. With Slate. And now that he is gone... well, I need money... and Flourspar is family, after all... I-I-I guess if I could do anything..."
She looks down, blushing.
"I w-would do what Slate does. Did. H-his adventures. They sounded so... magnificent."

[Rizban]

"Well, hmm... What skills do you really have? I mean, if they're adequate, I'm sure you might be able to find some simple task here without having to look too far."

[Gorgondantess]

"Well... like I said, I am a third rate illusionist. And I know a few other spells. And, um, of course I know a thing or two about stealth and whatnot... though not as much as most members of the family.
Other than that, I am fluent in a handful of esoteric languages and know a thing or two about arcane theory. Reading is mostly all I have been doing the past few years, anyways..."

[Rizban]

"Sounds like you'd be better off finding a job at the university or getting a job entertaining children at birthday parties. Are you really sure that adventures are what you want?"

[Gorgondantess]

"Y-you're probably right. It was just a pipe dream, anyways. I'll just go looking for work at the university, then... or maybe with Flourspar as a bookkeeper." She sighs despondently, and picks at the remnants of her meal.

[Rizban]

Is it Feldspar or Flourspar? You have it one way on your sheet but say it differently in character..."I think you should do whatever you want. Look for a job here if that's what you want. You might even find one you like."

[Gorgondantess]

*facepalm*
I'm sorry, it's Feldspar. I'm just not very bright.:smallredface:
Anyways, OOC break here:
You seem to be pushing for me to look for a job at the Sad Flint- but didn't you say that that's kindof a last resort for quests and whatnot? Meanwhile I'm trying to direct things towards working with Feldspar or Aislin- who operate out of the Market and Temple districts, respectively, areas you said you wanted to cover- and yet you seem to be rebuking those attempts. Couldn't a seedy and ruthless merchant find work for a mage- one who specializes in subtle tricks no less? Wouldn't any stealthy type want an illusionist at their side? Sure, Sade is selling herself short, but Aislin should know that.
Just trying to gauge which direction you're pushing me is all.
:smallconfused:

[Rizban]

If you notice, she's essentially contradicted everything Sade has said she wanted to do from the moment she said it. She's pushing you in whatever direction you seem to not be going in... As soon as you change directions, she'll change again. Based on her character, I felt like she would do that deliberately to make it harder on Sade to make a decision, forcing her "out of her shell" a bit by making the simple act of deciding as difficult as possible. If nothing else, it's giving her a better idea of what Sade's personality and character have become since her husband's disappearance.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade groans, going on despairingly. "Should I? I am not so sure, auntie. I am not so sure about anything. You keep telling me all these different things, and I just thought I would live at the villa with Slate forever, but now Slate's dead and the villa is gone and..."
She collapses into her folded arms on the table, sighing. "I am sorry, auntie. I think I may have had too much cider."

[Rizban]

Auntie reaches across the table and pats Sade on the head.

"Well, you'll need to make a decision soon. You can sleep that cider off tonight and decide in the morning if you want, or you can decide now. It's your call."

[Gorgondantess]

Sade nods her head, though the effect might be lost on Aislin considering that her face is in her arms.
"Nnnh... getting some sleep first sounds good. I can do something later... in the morning."

[Rizban]

"You're in really bad shape, aren't you? Not used to something that strong? Good thing we're at an inn. I'll get you a room for the night and just let you sleep it off here. I'll be back by the time you wake up."

[Gorgondantess]

Aislin was dismayed at this turn of events. She didn't like staying at strange inns, and especially not strange noisy inns. She didn't like staying at suspiciously quiet inns either, for that matter.
Actually, she just didn't like staying at inns at all.
Even more than all this, though, she didn't want to refuse Aislin's generous offer of hospitality.
"Oh, um, th-thank you auntie. Y-y-you are too kind."

[Rizban]

Your aunt steps away for a few minutes to reserve a room. When she comes back she leads you upstairs and sends you to bed.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade heads on into the room and settles down for the night. She's not totally comfortable in this unfamiliar place, but the cider helps with that. In the morning she waits in the inn's common area for Aislin.

[Rizban]

You spend the night in a 10 x 15 room. There is a bed, a chest of drawers, and a large wooden chest that doubles as a nightstand. There's a rug on the floor and a single small window that lets in light.

http://www.mornproductions.com/images/AVB/SadFlint/SingleBedroom.png

The breakfast being served consists of kippers, curds, sharp cheese, blackberries, and coarse rye bread. It's 1gp if Sade is hungry.

You see no sign of Aislin. She probably assumed you would sleep in, nursing a hangover.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade wakes up from a fitful sleep and decides to partake in breakfast, nibbling on some blackberries as she waits in the inn's common area for Aislin.

[Rizban]

Moments later, a halfling bursts into the tavern and runs up to the bar in a rush. The bartender points to you, and he makes his way quickly to your table.

"Are you Sade?"

[Gorgondantess]

Sade starts as the halfling man approaches.
"Um, well, you see, I..."
She cringes.
"...Yes?"

[Rizban]

"Thank Auron I found you! Your uncle has been murdered! Your aunt Aislin sent me to fetch you immediately. Please, we need to go."

[Gorgondantess]

Sade covers her mouth, horrified.
"Oh no... Feldspar... I never even got to meet him..."
She stands uselessly for a few moments before nodding.
"Y-yes... let us go."

[Rizban]

Seeing how unsteady she is, he places a hand warmly on her shoulder. When she regains herself a bit, he grabs her by the hand and leads her out as quickly as possible.

Once back outside, he leads you across the Plaza and northeast. Ducking onto a side road, he says, "This way. We want to stay off the main streets in case they're looking for you."

[Gorgondantess]

Sade toddles after the unnamed halfling, following blindly. However, when he speaks she stops.
"M-me!? Why would anyone be looking for me? I have not done anything wrong! And for that matter, who are you?"

[Rizban]

"They're after your whole family. Aislin met with you last night, so they know about you now. My name is Stephen, a friend."

[Gorgondantess]

Sade only manages a feeble squeak and a nod, following Stephen down the alley.

[Rizban]

He drags you down the side street a few blocks before...

"Oh sh... They're up ahead blocking our path. Quick! This way!"

He pulls you towards a narrow alley. Glancing up ahead, you don't notice anyone particular.

[Gorgondantess]

"Uhhh, uhm, uhhh... Okay!"
Sade blindly stumbles after the halfing. It all looked a little fishy, really, but he seemed like a trustworthy fellow.

[Rizban]

"We can hide here."

He pushes you towards a small doorway in the side of the building. The door is shut, but the door is set into the wall about three feet, creating a small alcove that will hide you from view from the street you just left.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade follows the halfling into the alcove, and once there mutters an invisibility spell. "I am still here," she whispers in a thin voice, "I have only cloaked myself with a spell."

[Rizban]

He looks genuinely shocked.

"You could have done that at any time?! That would have made getting you out MUCH easier. Sheesh! We wouldn't have had to do all this running and hiding."

A few moments later, two thuggish men wearing batter leather armor and carrying swords on their belts that have obviously seen a fair amount of battle pass by the alley. One hesitates as he passes, squinting as he looks in your direction.

[Gorgondantess]

"I- I am sorry, I didn't know, I'm not very good with these things and it doesn't last very long and some can see through it and-"
She cuts herself off as the thuggish men run by, and presses against the wall, not daring to breath.

[Rizban]

They pass by without entering the alley. Stephen leads you down to the other end of the alley, through several more back streets, then finally to a small two story plaster building with several open windows in east Midtown. Several women in their late teens to early twenties in identical, if roughly made, uniforms seem to be tending to the local poor and otherwise going about their business.

Stephen leads you through the front door and down a side hallway without stopping to speak to anyone. Finding the door he seeks, he pushes you through. Inside, your aunt is waiting for you.You know, right up until this post, I wasn't sure whether Stephen was really working for your family or not. :smallamused:

[Rizban]

*nudge* This is your one-week bump.

[Gorgondantess]

Frankly, I'm shocked he was. Of course, Sade had no suspicions at all.
Sorry 'bout the lack of posting. Life's been weird.
Sade runs to her aunt as soon as she's through the door.
"Oh, Aislin, Stephen has told me such a horrible thing! Is Feldspar really dead? Why would anyone want to kill him? Why would anyone want to kill me?"

[Rizban]

No problem. I just give a one week bump, then a two week bump, then drop the character if I don't hear back. I know stuff comes up. It's just standard AVB procedure. :smallbiggrin:She stands and wraps you in her arms, tears flowing down her face.

"Oh, Sade, I don't know anymore. I just don't know. What has happened to us?! Whoever did this is going to pay and pay dearly."

She doesn't seem to have consciously heard your questions.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade stands there awkwardly as Aislin hugs her. She doesn't reciprocate the gesture, though that's more due to simple confusion than anything else.
"I-I do not really understand what is going on, auntie."

[Rizban]

She sighs and stares at the floor, gathering her strength to speak.

"Our family has incurred some... debts. Were it simply financial, we'd have had no problems paying it back. Your husband and Feldspar are..."

Her voice breaks, and she obviously suppresses a sob.

"were both involved in things that I don't know enough about to tell you anything meaningful. It seems that the rest of our family has paid their debts, and now we seem to have inherited them. Just after I learned of Feldspar's death, I narrowly escaped my own assassin. I... I don't know anything more really, but there's blood to be paid. I intend to pay it in their blood, whoever "they" are... Are you with me, Sade?"

[Gorgondantess]

Wait- just who is Aislin's husband?
I'll remind you that Feldspar is Sade's brother in law, a Blackroot. Meanwhile, Aislin is Sade's aunt- as in, her father's sister. Feldspar and Aislin have a pretty tenuous connection.
So, what, did Aislin's husband just happen to run with the same crowd that Slate did? And then they just happened to go for both Aislin and Sade's husbands within a small span of each other?

[Rizban]

Right, sorry, I got interrupted in the middle of writing that and just typed it out wrong. Somehow, my perspective switched over to Sade being the one speaking when I typed the word "mine." It should have read "Your husband and Feldspar". Then I got interrupted, went back to read what I had already written before continuing, and that was the result.

I'll fix it now so you can respond.

[Gorgondantess]

"I-I-I... Suppose?"
Sade gulps.
"I am not sure what I could possibly do to help you in this, auntie... This is something that you are good at, that Slate is- was- good at. I... I just know books."
She sighs, then nods.
"...But whatever I can do to help, I will. For Slate."

[Rizban]

"Yes, books, that's it! You know books. Great! I know where Feldspar kept his records. It's a secret place that he and Slate used to use for their work. I only know about it, because they needed a third party to deal with something for them... rather not talk about it. Anyway, I think Feldspar kept all his logs there. I'm going to gather whatever information I can from my contacts. While I'm doing that, I want you to search through the books. See if you can find anything that might lead us to whoever did this."

[Gorgondantess]

Sade sighs, relaxing. Books. Logs. That's something she could deal with.
...To tell the truth, she didn't know anything about a merchant's logs, but it couldn't be too complicated, right?
She nods.
"O-okay. I think I can do that. Where is this hiding place?"

[Rizban]

She writes an address on a scrap of paper and hands it to you.

"When you get there, be sure you aren't seen. Go around back and look for a large sewer grate with signs of being opened frequently. Do not go into the sewer. About fifteen paces north of the sewer is an oak tree, and there is a hidden cellar entrance behind the tree. That's where you'll find the logs."

[Gorgondantess]

Sade nods, and heads towards the address. As she nears it she activates an invisibility spell, heading in under the cover of her illusion.
Casting Extended Invisibility under Alacritous Cogitation.

[Rizban]

You must roll a Search check or take 20 (allowing your invisibility to fade) in order to find the door. You do have a pretty good idea where it is though...

[Gorgondantess]

It's a 12 minute spell. I should have at least ten minutes left.
Anyways, in the future go ahead and roll this stuff for me- pbp is slow enough as it is, I really don't care who rolls the dice. For my part, I guess I'll try a normal search check?
[roll0]

[Rizban]

Alright, I'll do that then.

You find the door and manage to open it, slip inside, and close it behind you without being spotted.

Inside, you find a narrow stone stairwell leading down.

[Gorgondantess]

See now, this is along the lines of asking you to do rolls for me: again, PbP is slow enough. Unless there's some obvious danger or something- which there doesn't seem to be- no sh*t I'm gonna go down the staircase.

[Rizban]

Sorry, I'm just used to the stance of "DM doesn't post anything unless the player actively says he does it." There's so many ways to die in AVB that I don't like just assuming actions for most players.

However, since you've asked, I'll be a little more directed with your character.You head down the stairs. Fortunately, you notice the tripwire set on the first step and manage to step over it. Slowly descending the rest of the way, you find a large stone door at the bottom.

The door is apparently counterbalanced, as it swings open very easily. On the other side of the door is a large cellar-like room that seems to have been furnished to function as both a bedroom and an office. Were it not for your darkvision, you would see nothing.

The room is furnished with two single beds that are little more than platforms for bedrolls against one wall along with an armoire, a chest of drawers, and a small wash stand. Along another wall is a door which appears to open onto a small pantry stocked with preserved food and two large casks of water. About half of the room is filled with shelves of books, tomes, scrolls, and loose papers only marginally organized. A highly cluttered desk sits amidst the papers.

Apart from the door into the pantry, you see no other exits.

A small glass orb is attached to the center of the ceiling. A wire leads from it to a small knob next to the door. It appears to be some sort of lighting system.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade closes the door behind her quietly, then opens up with a Detect Magic spell, examining anything that radiates an aura. After that, she opens up the cupboard, pours herself a glass of water, and gets to the tedious work of sorting through all these papers.

[Rizban]

You find seven tomes radiate magic. Three of them are spellbooks, two are binders containing a number of scrolls, and the last two are sealed with some sort of magic that does not allow you to open them.

After almost six hours of searching through the other books and notes, you manage to find a personal journal and a log of what appears to be business transactions but doesn't correlate to what you thought Feldspar's business entailed.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade tries to find some method of carrying all the books- a sack or something of the like- and stashes all the magical tomes there, as well as the personal journal and log. Taking her hefty loot with her, she heads back towards Aislin's place.
Once there- assuming nothing happens along the way- she breaks out the log and the journal and starts to read.

[Rizban]

There don't appear to be any sacks, bags, or backpacks around. The only storage containers you know about in the cellar are the crates of dried food and barrels of water.

With your meager strength, you would be unable to carry more than a tome or three without having to drag the bag down the street behind you.

Examination of the door leading into this room shows several large dead bolts and other security measures. You feel like this was intended to be a secret safe house and likely would be safer to stay here than it would be to drag a heavy bag down the street while people are looking for you.

[Gorgondantess]

Bah, sorry. This kinda fell by the wayside this past week.:smalleek:
Sade then reads through the journal and log, followed by the tomes that radiate magic.

[Rizban]

The journal at first glace appears to be written in Common, as it uses the same alphabet, but further study shows that it's either a language you do not know or a cipher of some kind. Without the key or extensive study, it's unlikely that you'll be able to read it.


The log, thankfully, is not encoded, at least not beyond shorthand and trade jargon. It contains several columns. The first is a list of initials, the second an abbreviated description of each item, the third is another list of initials, and the fourth and fifth are apparently prices. You guess that the first price is the "purchase" price and the second is the "sale" price, as the second column is the higher value. You also notice that there are several entries that do not list initials in the first column while there are always "cost" entries in the fourth column.

As to the magic tomes,
Three of them are spellbooks, two are binders containing a number of scrolls, and the last two are sealed with some sort of magic that does not allow you to open them.

It's not a problem. It's hectic this time of year.

If you want specifics on the spells, I'll have to generate them first. I haven't done that yet.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade then decides it is time to leave. She pockets the undeciphered journal and log, then stashes the spell- and scroll-books somewhere safe, though not before copying any choice bits into her own spellbook.

[Rizban]

Sorry! It never showed that you posted. Did you still want to play?

[Gorgondantess]

I am if you are!

[Rizban]

As per PHB rules, you'll have to make a Spellcraft check (or cast read magic) to understand the contents of each book or scroll and then spend one day for each spell, making successful Spellcraft check to copy them.

[Gorgondantess]

On a take 10 I can decipher any spell up to 7th level. Let's see what spells there are, and then we'll go from there.
This is Sade we're talking about here. Poring over old tomes and scrolls is her specialty.:smallbiggrin:

[Rizban]

Spellbook 1
Level 0 Acid splash, arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, message, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance, touch of fatigue
Level 1 Burning hands, chill touch, color spray, enlarge person, grease, mage armor, obscuring mist, protection from chaos, shield, sleep, true strike
Level 2 Alter self, blindness/deafness, daze monster, detect thoughts, detect thoughts, minor image, protection from arrows, protection from arrows, web
Level 3 Explosive runes, fly, magic circle against law, phantom steed, rage, tongues, vampiric touch
Level 4 Confusion, crushing despair, dimension door, fire shield, remove curse
Level 5 Planar binding, lesser, symbol of sleep, transmute mud to rock

Spellbook 2
Level 0 Acid splash, arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, message, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance, touch of fatigue
Level 1 Chill touch, erase, feather fall, hypnotism, mage armor, magic aura, magic weapon, mount, obscuring mist, protection from good, protection from law
Level 2 Continual flame, fox's cunning, owl's wisdom, pyrotechnics, rope trick, shatter, spectral hand, summon swarm, summon swarm
Level 3 Deep slumber, rage, ray of exhaustion, shrink item, shrink item, telepathic bond, lesser, tongues
Level 4 Geas, lesser, minor creation, phantasmal killer, secure shelter, summon monster iv

Spellbook 3Attempting to read this spellbook activates explosive runes, dealing [roll0] force damage. All but the last three pages of the book are destroyed.
The scrolls in the two binders defeat your attempts to decipher them. Three of the scrolls from the second binder, while clearly magical, do not look like any kind of magic you have encountered before.

[Gorgondantess]

Sade was used to finding all sorts of wonders in books. Shocks, surprises. This one, however, beat them all.
Blasted against the far wall, Sade lays on the ground for a few moments, moaning, before getting up and brushing herself off. Every inch ached, and she could feel blood trickling down her brow.
"That was a nasty trick..." she mutters, and gathers up her things. It was time to leave. She shoves all the books and tomes- save one- into a sack and heads outside, then opens the final tome. Weaving some magic together on the spot while reading from the tome (and using much of her energy in doing so), she summons a small chestnut pony. Loading the books onto its back and hopping on herself, she heads on back to Aislin's.
Using alacritous cogitation slot to cast extended mount.

[Rizban]

When you arrive, the house appears to be deserted.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a man duck into an alley. You have a suspicion that he is one of the men who almost spotted you earlier when you were fleeing for your life.