AVB - Shun

[Rizban]

This thread is for Thundercracker and GM(s) only. Anyone else caught reading it will be fed to the dire beavers.

The town hall is a large, two-story building near the gate into the Nobles' Quarter. The tall double doors on the front of the building stand open.

[Thundercracker]

The young man strides up to the double doors and across the threshold.

Once inside, he will look around, taking note of the type of people who frequent the town hall, and any magical auras.

[Rizban]

I'm pretty sure it's been at least six minutes since you cast detect magic, talked to the guards, walked to the noble's quarter, talked to the guard, then walked here. It's several blocks between the Plaza and the Noble's Quarter gate as evidenced by the map in my signature.Inside, you find yourself in a fairly large lobby with polished marble floors and a few benches along the walls. There also appear to be some sort of displays on the walls behind glass, most of which consist of small paintings accompanied by written texts.

There does not appear to be an centralized authority here that you can readily spot. There are several offices with small signs above the doors and a few hallways leading out of the main lobby.

[Thundercracker]

sorry, thought I activated it by the guards. For what it's worth, warlocks have detect magic at will, but my character will not activate it again at this point. What kind of people are in the town hall, commoners? Merchants? Nobles? Or is it deserted? What do the employees look like?

Katoerian will walk close enough to some of the offices to get a good look at the small signs above their doors, but he will not stop walking to stand and stare.

[Rizban]

There are maybe five people in the lobby area. Based on their dress, they are decidedly middle class but have no other obvious indication of their roles in society.

Two are sitting together on one bench whispering quietly. Another is sitting on another bench reading a book. One is examining a display on a wall. The last is examining a large city map painted on one of the walls.

None of them appear to be employed here.

[Thundercracker]

Katoerian will inspect the signs above the office doors. If the map becomes unoccupied, he will head that way to study it and get a general idea of the layout of the city.

[Rizban]

You see signs which read "City Clerk", "Auditor's Office", and "Treasurer".

Additionally, there is a hall which leads both to the left and right out of the lobby with more offices visible down each direction.

Near the back of the lobby, a large, ornate staircase leads both up and down.

[Thundercracker]

Katoerian enters the clerk's office. If the door is closed, he will knock first.

[Rizban]

There is in fact no "door" there, simply an open doorway.

Just inside the clerk's office is a long, shoulder high half wall stretching across the entire room from left to right, barring you from entering more than about five feet. There are four depressions cut into the wall which have been made into desks. Two of them have people seated behind them working, while the other two have signs which read "Next Window Please." A small sign on a pole near where you entered reads "Please wait until called."

[Thundercracker]

Katoerian waits by the sign. If nobody acknowledges him for two minutes, he will clear his throat. If there is still no acknowledgement, he will approach one of the workers with a polite, "Excuse me."

[Rizban]

Just as you are about to clear your throat, one of the two workers makes eye contact with you and silently waves for you to approach.

[Thundercracker]

"Greetings. I'm not sure if I'm in the right place," he said, smiling, "I'm looking to inquire on what the requirements for legal residency in Aldhaven are, and whether his Excellency, the Archduke, has any audience chamber or office outside of the noble's quarter."

"If you cannot assist, I understand, but I hope you might be so kind as to point me towards the correct official," he added.

improve attitude, diplomacy: take 10 for dc 37 if possible, otherwise:
[roll0]

[Rizban]

She smirks at you.

"The Archduke is a busy man. Unless you're noble born or have very significant influence, the most you could hope for is to meet one of his servants, or, if you're really lucky, one of his children.

To obtain residency, you'll need to speak with the registrar in the office of the Census Bureau. It's in the basement. Head out this door, turn left, take the stairs down. You should be able to find it from there."

[Thundercracker]

Knowledge nobility to know anything about the archduke's children: [roll0]
Or his servants: [roll1]
Or his rivals: [roll2]
Or his allies: [roll3]

"Of course," Katoerian replied smoothly, "I am, in fact, not noble born, but my employer is. Would you be able to point me towards any servants who manage the archduke's affairs outside of the noble's quarter? I would very much appreciate it, as I would prefer to make contact at a lower level at first, and I do not wish to trouble you again after visiting the census bureau."

[Rizban]

You know that he has at least two children...

You know that all but the highest ranked servants live outside of the Nobles' Quarter and commute to work each morning. No such servants are prominent enough for you to have heard of them specifically.

You know that the Archduke Rocholl is the heir designate to the throne, but you also know that the Dukes of House Dietrich and House Roestel have viable claims on the throne and seek to displace the Archduke and his family. Beyond these obvious rivals, you do not know of his enemies.

You know that the Archduke has the support of a little over half of the nobility and prominent support of several of the trade guilds, though not all support him.She suddenly seems to become nervous.

"I... I really can't give out that kind of information. I could lose my job if I did."

[Thundercracker]

"Oh, well we wouldn't want that," Katoerian replied, without missing a beat, "thank you very much, you've been very helpful, Ms..."

Whether or not she replies with her name, Katoerian will nod, flash her a smile, and leave the office, then follow the clerk's instructions to the census bureau office.

What does the clerk look like?
By commute to work, do you mean commute to the noble's quarter to work, or somewhere else in the city?

[Rizban]

To wherever they are employed, one such location is within the Nobles' Quarter."Smith..."

She is a short, plump blonde woman.


The basement is almost as well appointed as the entry level. This area is little more than a wide hallway. The lack of windows and natural lighting make it feel much more claustrophobic. There are 5 doors on the wall opposite the stairs and 1 door at each end of the hall.

[Thundercracker]

Katoerian walks down the hallway, checking the signs above the doors. Assuming one of them is the census bureau, he will enter that doorway.

[Rizban]

From left to right:

Committee Hearings
Committee Meeting Room 1
Committee Meeting Room 2
Emergency Responders' Bureau
Board of Health and Safety
Census Bureau
Office of Public Works

[Thundercracker]

After making a mental note to visit the public works and health offices later, Katoerian enters the census bureau.

[Rizban]

Sorry for the delay. I've been dealing with family members in the hospital.The Census Bureau reminds you of the Clerk's Office upstairs. It has a similar setup, except that there is only one desk for a worker to help the public. At the moment, there is no one present at the counter; however, a small bell sits within easy reach.

[Thundercracker]

Katoerian stepped up and rang the bell twice, set it back down, and waited.

no worries, as long as I'm not forgotten. Hope you're not getting bored with the methodical way my character is going about business.

[Rizban]

You move faster than many I've run. Usually, the player gets bored with his own slow, methodical pace and quits long before I do.A moment later, a woman approaches.

"May I help you?"

[Thundercracker]

quit the pace, or quit the game? It helps to have a character that has some real goals and motivation...

"Good morning," Katoerian replied, "I was told this is the right place to inquire about the requirements for legal residence within Aldhaven. Everyone's been very helpful so far, ma'am."

He smiled.

improve attitude, dc 37

[Rizban]

Usually quit the game. They go so slow that they lose track of what they're doing and with no other party members to give them direction, they just give up."Yes, sir, it is. Were you interested in Residency or Citizenship? Both have associated costs and requirements as well as different perks and benefits."

[Thundercracker]

that must be frustrating. It helps to have a character with developed goals and motivations. My character may get frustrated and try to speed things up (and reap whatever consequenses as a result), but I have yet to quit a game that didn't die out on me first. Would it be appropriate to let you know what my character has planned, or should we just see how the city reacts to his actions?

"In the long-term, citizenship, but I'd appreciate it if you ran me through the requirements for both residency and citizenship, ms...?" He replied.

[Rizban]

Your choice, but if you at least let me know some of your plans, I'll be able to have some stuff already figured out and allow me to reply to you more quickly. Either way is fine with me. I don't mind not knowing what a player is planning. Either way, you'll get the same objective responses from me."Ackerman.

Residency is simple. You just have to fill out a form, with references, and allow us to do a full background check, including divinations. You'll also have to pay the registration fees associated with it, which usually runs between 500 and 1500 gold, depending on the amount of work necessary to verify your background and lack of criminal record.

Citizenship is, at the same time, much easier and much more difficult. To obtain citizenship, you must have no criminal record within Aldhaven or our immediate allies and have a current citizen in good standing vouch for you at an official meeting of the City Council. At such time, the Council will vote on whether or not to extend citizenship to you. No direct fees are associated with citizenship; however, the citizen who vouches for you usually requests some form of compensation. Additionally, should you be convicted of any crimes within the first two years, the person who vouched for you will also be held responsible and penalized to the same extent up to but not including death."

[Thundercracker]

I'll send a pm then, probably this weekend.

Katoerian nodded.

"What of the perks you mentioned? Does lack of residency prevent employment within the city? What do citizens get that residents don't?" He asked.

[Rizban]

"Citizens may own land and participate in city affairs as well as cast votes whenever an election is held.

Residents may not.

Anyone may hold a job in the city, even if they do not have residency; however, visitors are not permitted to live within the city for longer than two weeks at a time. Both are also liable for any taxes or other fees they may accrue."

In other words no boarding house will accept you, and no inn will rent to you for longer than two weeks. The city doesn't monitor things closely enough that you can't live in the city indefinitely if you just move every two weeks. However, if you become prominently known, then they'll track down where you've been living and how you're in the city for such a longer period.

[Thundercracker]

"Thank you very much," Katoerian replied, "I'll be sure to pass the information on to my employer."

"You've been very helpful, Ms. Ackerman, Mr. Ackerman is a very lucky man, if I may be so bold," he said.

"I've just one more favor to ask," he continued (if uninterrupted), "you see, I'm obvoiusly new to the city; is there a public library I could access?"

[Rizban]

"The city does not maintain one, no. I believe that one or two of the temples maintain extensive libraries which can be accessed for a small fee, though I've never personally had any reason to do so."

[Thundercracker]

His attempt at a flirt having fallen flat, Katoerian nods and makes his way back to the map on the first floor, to get an idea of the general layout of the city.

[Rizban]

The map pretty much looks like the one in the DM's signature. The one he sees, however, is much more complete...

[Thundercracker]

Katoerian looks for a temple dedicated to a god of knowledge, a mage tower or wizard's quarter, and anything resembling a town hall or a chamber of commerce.

He'll take note of the relative locations of any he finds, then heads to the first one.

[Rizban]

Entering the Temple District, you finds yourself just outside the*temple of Pelor, which is surrounded by a thick, circular outer wall. A sense of power seems to linger in the air. The large front door to the temple stands open, and can be seen from the gate in the outer wall, revealing a large statue of Pelor sitting cross legged with open arms, welcoming his children into the temple. A gold sun the size of a troll tops the temple.

Barely a block away stands a temple quite the opposite of the grand temple of Pelor. The modest temple of Bahamut is simple and avoids the baroque and heavy ornamentations of many of the other temples. It seems to be made of rather plain stone, though the inside of front door is inlaid with Bahamut's holy symbol, wrought in platinum, the only ornamentation visible on the temple.

The twin temples to Solaron and Minrhet are two blocks west and one north of Pelor. The one on the right features a bronze lantern-shaped building that seems to glow internally. The one on the left has a draconic theme, showing chromatic and metallic dragons working together. The buildings are connected by a spiral tower that mixes the two themes. Four small shrines are located, one each, at the four external corners of the buildings.

Not far away, a great library stands in the district, the main doors watched over by priestesses in dark emerald green robes.

Hundreds of large and small temples, shrines, and small statues line every street as far as the eye can see dedicated to all manner of gods, goddesses, and pantheons. You doubt if there is any deity without some form of representation in this city district.

[Thundercracker]

Katoerian makes a beeline for the library, and will enter unless stopped or addressed by the priestesses.

[Rizban]

As you approach the entrance, one of the priestesses steps into your path.

"Welcome to the temple of Sombrius. How might I assist you?"

[Thundercracker]

Temple? Thought it was a library...

"I seek knowledge of the rulers of this city, so that I might better align my goals with theirs, for the benefit of all," he replied.

[Rizban]

The priestess smiles and nods.

"Then you do well to seek the counsel of Sombrius, as she is the greatest goddess of them all."

[Thundercracker]

Katoerian nods and enters into the library.

[Rizban]

She blocks your path.

"Did you wish to peruse Sombrius' collected knowledge?"

[Thundercracker]

"Today? Not all of it, just the parts the bards or historians have written about Aldhaven's nobility," Katoerian replied.

"Tomorrow shall be another topic, I imagine," he added, "perhaps here, perhaps elsewhere."

"May I pass?" he asked.

[Rizban]

She scrutinizes you for a few seconds before saying, "You will have to obtain permission from one of the Librarians. They are the only ones who may grant access. Proceed inside, and you will find one."

[Thundercracker]

Katoerian nods and proceeds inside the library.