AMiH Sidequest: Rinya's Road Home!

[inexorabletruth]

You sneak out through the exit with your newly acquired thunderstone to find Leena, Hali and Rou, the three barmaids working that night. The bartender, Yo, is guiding them through the labyrinthian tunnels of the exit.

After you hop down the stairs, you see a storage room full of ale to your right. There is also a desk with a log book and a rack full of very special, high end ales and beers. To your left is a dark tunnel.

Yo lights a torch and squeezes through the tunnel entrance. “Stay quiet ladies. Bats sometimes nest here, and if you make too much noise, you’ll upset them.” The barmaids pull closer to Yo at the mention of bats. Leena waves at you to hurry up, then tiptoes away to rejoin the group. The light is fading away from you. Aside from the noise of the girls, you can hear faint squeaking… probably the bats, or rats.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Aarco sighs to himself. "I'll be along in a bit. I just want to make sure no one gets hurt to badly. I can leave through here when things die down a bit." Rinya pockets her new prize, and gives a brief thought to how the bats would react to a thunderstone going off. As soon as the barmaids are out of sight, her face drops its usual smile. She pinches the bridge of her nose, her skin indenting just a bit too far to be natural. I haven't learned anything worth knowing tonight. I need something I can take to Talia soon to keep up the connection. Aarco thinks to himself. Out of the corner of her eye, Rinya notices the logbook on the desk. Thinking anything could be better than nothing she walks over and takes a look, absent-mindedly grabbing the most expensive looking bottle off the rack on her way past.

[inexorabletruth]

Thumbing through the logbook, you find sales records, purchase logs and client tabs… nothing too out of the ordinary. You do find a bill of sale for another order of Dragonbite and remember overhearing that the stuff is pretty rare. It shows the arrival date of the high value goods and that the exotic brew will be shipped intentionally mislabeled as cheaper commodities. It’s unclear if the rest of the logbook would be useful to Stiletto, since powerful businessmen rarely come to the Poor District. The only people who come here with any money are either the merchants running the shops or the occasional adventurer looking for cheap drinks and some trouble. About a third of the way through the book, you find a silver key with the head of a strange serpent at the ring.

https://img0.etsystatic.com/024/1/8011259/il_570xN.486450830_5m8n.jpg

[Vixsor Lumin]

Rinya quickly logs away the information about the shipment to sell later. Picking up the key, she looks about for anything in the room it could go to.

[inexorabletruth]

You don’t find a place for that key, but while sifting through drawers and secret cubbies, you do manage to find a small chest. It rattles when you shake it… presumable with coppers from the Ale House’s ever popular Copper Cups.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Rinya puts the chest back. A few coppers wasn't worth the attention a missing chest would draw. She pockets the key and starts walking down the darkened tunnel.

[inexorabletruth]

The hallway is narrow but you have no trouble getting through. In most cases it’s at least two feet wide. You make it to the end of the hallway to find an interesting sight. The chamber opens wide to a distillery where the house ale is brewed. The chamber smells strongly of beer here. There is very little furnishings, except for a few stools and a simple bench where ale samples are tasted.

You see the girls exiting to your right, down a much wider corridor which leads down to an even larger chamber full of crates and a large cart attached to a crank. Directly in front of you, you can see two large doors which are heavily locked. The cart leads off to the left.

Yo has instructed the girls to get in the cart. “I’ll pull the crank to bring you out to the street. Stay together. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay ladies?”

“Thank you, Yo” offers Hali with a sincere smile. Leena looks back and sees you entering the hallway. “Hey. Come on! Yo has to help Stanley.”

[Vixsor Lumin]

Rinya glances to the door, wanting to see if any markings match the key before answering.

[inexorabletruth]

There is more than one lock at the door, but a particularly strange lock, which coils around the doors main locking bar, bares a resemblance to the serpent on the key.

The lock is either of masterwork quality or magical in nature. There is definitely something back there Stanley wants to protect.

[Vixsor Lumin]

"I just need a second to myself." Rinya calls out. "Youguys can go ahead. I can follow the carts path out when I'm ready, and Yo doesn't need to stay with me. Stanley needs him now, before those brutes destroy our livelihood."

[inexorabletruth]

Shrugging, Leena settles into the cart as Yo works the crank to take them out into the street. After it’s done, Yo pulls the empty cart back down and gives you a confused/suspicious glance as he walks past you. “Don’t tarry long,” he says. “Night has fallen. And it’s dangerous to be out there alone.” He leaves, but not without looking over his should many times at you.

[Vixsor Lumin]

"I just need a minute. Its been awhile since I've been near a fight that dangerous." Rinya looks down somewhat sheepishly. "I don't do well with conflict." She leans backwards against a wall. She shifts her gaze to look him in the eye as he looks back at her, her eyes welling up with restrained tears. "I just need a minute to myself to get myself together. I promise I will come by early tomorrow and help clean up the mess."

Diplomacy if you think it is needed. If the RP is enough, thats fine to. using a point
Bluff rolls to for the same reason 1d20+8

[Vixsor Lumin]

[roll0]

ghost post

[inexorabletruth]

Yo examines Rinya's face. Rinya is a new addition to The Ale House, but she's still one of the girls, Yo reminds himself. He puts a comforting hand on Rinya's shoulder, then nods, then reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a small, shiny object and hands it to you. "You will be fine, little Rinya. But here, just in case you run into trouble on your way home. These will help keep you safe out there. Bring them back to me in the morning," he says as he walks away. He has given you his brass knuckles and a signal whistle.

The guards in town will use these whistles to summon more guards. It's a whistle guards use when there is imminent, lethal threat and backup is required. No matter what district you're in, any guard who hears this will come charging to provide assistance. It's illegal in town to use this for any reason other than absolute emergencies. Think of it as Hepmonaland's 911.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Rinya smiles at him and pockets the whistle and the knuckles. "Thank you Yo. Now go, Stanley needs you more than I do right now." She says, smiling through the tears. As soon as she is sure he is out of sight, her face clears and becomes one of satisfaction. By the gods, I should become an actor, Aarco gloats silently. Moving quickly towards the locked door, she searches it for any sign of an alarm or trap.

if taking 20 is possible i do that, for a check of 24 and i have trapfinding so i can find magical traps. If thats not possible i roll and spend a point [roll0]

[inexorabletruth]

It appears that the serpent lock is both a trap and an alarm. The lock is inside the open maw of the serpent. A fool who attempts to pick it will be ensnared when trap is sprung, closing the mouth (and the fangs) around it. You notice that the teeth of the serpent are like syringes filled with a deadly venom.

Apart from this special lock, there are 2 other locks, a locking bolt, and a bar. The two other locks are sturdy, but of significantly inferior design. You gauge them to be fairly common locks.

[Vixsor Lumin]

If Rinya were to just rake the tension wrench across the inside to get a general idea of where the pins lift, could she have some more certainty that the key is a match? Perhaps more importantly, is the trap sensitive enough to be triggered by that? It would only push all the pins up quickly, the same as putting the key in and taking it out.

If she can do it safely she does that, and provided that works and she doesn't learn the key is not a match she tries it.

Sorry for the paranoia, but the rogue with steady hands and a twitchy demeanor tends to live longer than the overconfident one :smalltongue:

[inexorabletruth]

You have no way of knowing that without trying it... all you know is that if one were to attempt to pick it, they would be trapped and poisoned. Do you proceed?

[Vixsor Lumin]

Rinya sticks the snake key in and turns it carefully.

[inexorabletruth]

The maw of the snake trembles as the key rakes across the tumbles. The eyes of the snake start to glow amber. Then the key is turned and the mouth slowly closes around the key, as if swallowing it. You have more then enough time to retract your hand, but the key is gone.

Clockwork segments of the snake retract and recoil, pulling away from various hinges and loops on the door.

Only two locks left are in your way of getting in.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Rinya smiles, pleased with herself. She quickly sets to work on the other two locks.

taking 20 gets me a result of 21 and i can only use a point for one of them to get me 23. I guess take 20 on both of them and hope the DC is 20 and not 25?

[inexorabletruth]

The first lock opens up on the first try, but the second lock takes nearly a minute to finally hear that telltale *click* of the lock releasing.

Releasing these locks allow you to move 2 sliding bars, like deadbolts.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Rinya opens the door carefully and quietly.

move silently [roll0]

[inexorabletruth]

Your efforts are are thwarted when you slid the locking bolts to open the door. When you attempt to move the bolts away, a third one, hidden inside the door, slides closed.

After fiddling with it, here’s what you learn, you begin to realize it’s a combination lock of some kind. It’s not very complicated… more like a last chance stall tactic in case the wrong person were trying to get in.


Freebie (here’s what you learn without rolling anything):
Moving the top bolt first does nothing.
Moving the bottom bolt first causes the third, middle bolt, to slowly come out.
Moving both bolts at the same time causes the middle bolt to snap into place quickly.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Rinya slides the bottom bolt first, and waits till the middle bolt is fully retracted. then she pulls the top bolt and quickly pushes on the door.

[inexorabletruth]

When both the top and bottom sliders are pulled all the way out, the middle bolt reverses it’s motion slowly, giving you only a fraction of a moment to open it. Thankfully, you didn’t hesitate. Pushing on the door with haste, it bursts open to reveal a tidy and uncharacteristically opulent shrine to some kind of cobra god. Stanley never seemed like a particularly religious individual… but here it is. The treasure’s inside are few, but appear to be of significant value, including onyx idols, vases of jade, bronze and ebony, scrolls written in some strange language and of course, six treasure chests: three small ones about the size of a jewelry box and three large ones. The large chests are made of a strange dark stone, and etched with images of serpents devouring humans. Otherwise, the chamber seems almost cheery.

http://oi42.tinypic.com/1zfjvqh.jpg

I couldn’t find a perfect representation of the treasure room, so you’ll have to use your imagination a bit. Pretend the head in the middle is the head of a man with cobra-like flaps on the side of his head instead of hair. The map up front appears to be a treasure map and the books appear to be notebooks written in a language you can’t read. The treasure chests are on the other side of the stand with the man-cobra head. The wall sconces glow a soft green, bio-luminescent light.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Rinya wasted no time. After a quick search for traps she picked up the treasure map and two or three random scrolls, and stuffed them into her pack. She puts as many of the jewelry boxes in as she can fit. Then once she is done she moves to the middle chest and sets to work with her picks.


Operating under the impression that there are no traps to save time. If the search check turns up anything she stops and tries to disarm them.

Search [roll0]
Open lock 21 from taking 20
Disable device [roll1] if needed. Using a point.

[inexorabletruth]

The smaller chests aren't even locked, but are merely held closed by a sliding latch. The scrolls are oddly heavy and seem to be made of something other than the usual vellum, and are sealed by a waxy substance that is not wax or any resin you are familiar with. As you peruse the shrine, you also notice a strange dagger mounted in it's own tiny glass chamber. It would be inaccurate to describe the dagger as "beautiful" but it has perverse nature to it that is both hideous and enticing. The dagger looks moist and slick with a sickly green coating, but nothing drips from it. Random etchings cover the dagger from pommel to tip and the end of the pommel looks like the snout of a viper. You estimate its value could buy up most of the poor district. How in the world could a lowly shopkeeper in the slums be in possession of such amazing treasures? But anyway...

When you get to the large chest, however, you find that each of them are locked with smaller versions of the clockwork lock at the front door.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Seeing that the small boxes were unlocked, she opens them quickly, to make sure there was nothing too fragile and then dumped them into her pack. She quicly tries her earlier method on the chests and glances inside. On seeing the knife though, she stops. My my Stanley, what on earth have you got here. That looks like maguc if I've ever seen it. If it's not, I could find a rich someone to take it off my hands. She tries to lift off the glass case or open it in some way. Should that prove impossible, she takes her newly aquired knuckle dusters to the glass.

Before touching the case though, Rinya stops and focuses momentarily. Her milky skin crawls unnaturally, and blotches of color spread like bruises across her skin. Her entire form shudders and grows quickly. There standing where there was once a pretty young elf, now stands an imposing, masculine form. "Test. Test. Many milk maidens may marry monsterous men." Crulmin says in a rolling baritone.

[inexorabletruth]

Inside the treasure boxes are an odd hodgepodge of treasures, but mostly gold and silver coin, jewelry and other knick-knacks of varying quality, value and style.

The glass door opens all too easily, as if the dagger were meant to be quickly accessed. When you clutch the hilt, there is an initial sting, like a mild burning sensation. It is subtle though, and not enough to do any damage, then it subsides. Then you hear a strange sound. It sounds something like, “Wi'as uhruhsus si'ailr uhr nassi'as i'arsr ar nu…” The direction of the utterance is impossible to discern until you realize that the voice is in your head.

“Massi'as... ini'ar... ilai i'asu ras su rsi'au za ranusuhnur i'asur nu.”

You realize that the sounds in your head is some kind of strange language. Then the sounds subside.

The nature of the room around you changes. Somehow, the lights seem brighter and the dark of the shadows diminish. You can see and hear insects crawling on the wall and smell decay within the corridor beyond. You can even faintly hear the sound of the battle still raging in the Ale House and the hairs on your arms stand on end.


Roll a Will Save, please.

[Vixsor Lumin]

GAH target my worst save why dont you :smalltongue: If this is gonna turn me into the BBEG and all the gold is to fund my new evil plans, I voluntarily fail :smallbiggrin: Hahahaha

Using a point to boost it since I start with a penalty. Only one left at this point, if were counting all this as one encounter. [roll0] plus 2 if its a sleep or charm effect due to racial stuffs. Seriously though, if this takes over Aarco's brain, and he becomes evil then im totally okay with it. When i made my character, I didn't think about how separated from the party he would be. If it's not, Im sure everyone will tweak their characters actions to make it all work.

[inexorabletruth]

The lights dim back to their normal glow and the shadows thicken. Ambient sounds recede back to their normal volume and you feel control coming back to you in a reassuring wave of sanity. The voice in your head is still hissing angrily, but it is faint now, locked away in a mental chamber where only echoes of its protestations can be heard.

Moving to the large chests… do you attempt to pick the locks? I was uncertain about what you wanted to do there.

Also, I should mention that in this sandbox there is no BBEG. There is only a setting, then causality. If Aarco wishes to spend the rest of his days toiling at Grundy's forge, he's welcome to do so. If Aarco wishes to become a BBEG, that can also be arranged.

[Vixsor Lumin]

After feeling himself teeter on the edge of sanity and come tumbling back, Crulmin carefully slides the dagger into his belt.Stan, what have you been doing? Crulmin decides that what he has is enough. His pack is filled with valuables and he gained the true prize of the room. He tries to make it look like he hadn't been there, by closing the small boxes and the glass case, and closing the ornate door on his way out. He begins jogging down the tunnel that the bar maids had gone down.

[inexorabletruth]

As Crulmin you have a reputation that grants you a small measure of protection in the slums. You make it, unhindered to Grundy’s forge, where you see a bit of a strange site. A large puddle of foul smelling blood coats the street near Master Grundy’s forge. The furnace fires are on inside the shop, and Solomon appears to finishing up an item.

When you are ready, I’ll give you the link to join Solomon and Grundy. At the moment, you are at the far end of the intersection, just taking it all in.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Aarco s teps into the shadows, quickly shifts back into the lanky young form of Haftan. He double checks his pack to make sure nothing is sticking out. The he checks the dagger at his belt. The whispers at the edge od his mind distract him momentarily before untucking his shirt to hide it and stepping inside the forge.

[inexorabletruth]

Stepping inside isn't easy to do. The door has been locked an barred. You see Solomon lumber up to the door.

Link to the sidequest: Grundy's Forge (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?358145-AMiH-Sidequest-Grundy-s-Forge!&p=17745952#post17745952).
What you know starts at post #27, please don't read anything earlier than that, lest you gain crazy meta knowledge.

Also, your Skill Encounter XP is 150.
Your RPXP is 80.
Please remember that skill encounter XP is not combat XP, so it is not affected by your XP handicap.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sweet. Ill go add that on and wait for Solomon then :smalltongue:

[inexorabletruth]

Again, the hissing sound pauses. This time, it pauses much longer. You can feel a chilling intelligence- a kind of calculating menace like a viper coiled to strike a mouse. But in this case, the viper cannot strike.

Frustration, anger, hatred and hunger fill your mind. These feelings are unfocused, but intense nonetheless. But then the wave of emotions recede, like a tide breaking. You feel a forced calm from the blade, the same kind of calm that you see when irritated diplomats attempt to stay their tempers in the face of belligerent aristocrats.

Symbols begin to appear in your mind. The glyphs are strange but beautiful. Then a subtle insinuation creeps into your mind. You feel your will being manipulated, but not subverted or dominated. As if this time, the magical intelligence of the blade was asking your permission for a bit of control.

(In this case, you don't have to roll a will save, since it's not trying to force you to do anything. You can simply chose to allow it some control, or chose to deny it. The measure of freedom you give the weapon, if any, will be entirely up to you.)

[Vixsor Lumin]

Aarco sends the intelligence a reassuring calm, with a subtle threatening undertone. Taking a deep breath, he lets go of himself just slightly. Enough to give it a measure of freedom, but not enough to control his body or his thoughts. He attempted to share the limited space of his mind in about a 70/30 proportion. Maintaining a solid control, but not so much as to dominate what it was trying to do.

[inexorabletruth]

A rush of letters and symbols pour into Aarco’s mind. The hissing continues, getting louder and clearer until you can understand the structure, if not the meaning, of the sentences.

Due to the subdued nature of this mental intrusion, you notice no change in your senses this time, but in a reflection in the mirror, you notice that the pupils of your eyes have narrowed slightly into reptilian slits. The transformation is far from complete, but it’s evident that your changeling body is particularly receptive to the will of the blade.

“-and you sssshould be able to underssssstand me by now,” come the sibilant sounds of the voice of the blade.

There is a pause and the flood of letters and words recede to nothing again.

“Sssspeak, morphling whelp, that I may know you comprehend the giftsssss I have given you.”

[Vixsor Lumin]

Aarco sees his reflection and is somewhat shocked. I've never tried anything non human or elven before. He says, admiring the new shape of his pupils. It would seem that whatever you did worked, he says, then adds coldly And it would be wise not to insult someone who has proven able to hold you at bay repeatedly. Now, tell me who and what you are. There is no need for hostilities between us.

[inexorabletruth]

The dagger responds quickly and with graceful ease, as if this is a question it’s had to answer many times. “I am nothing: merely a humble sssssservant. But in the handssssss of one who appreciates my sssssspecific talentssss, I can besssssstow the blesssssssingsss of Merrshaulk… the leassssst of which is the ability to sssssspeak in hisss sssssacred tongue.”

When you think about it, you now realize that the voice in your head is still speaking that hissing language. You just auto-interpret it into Common. Likewise, what you think in Common echoes back to the dagger in the very hissing language the dagger speaks.

[Vixsor Lumin]

"Who is Merrshaulk? And what makes this dagger special?" Aarco says, chilled by the thought that he was speaking a language he didn't understand without even trying. The fact that it was being converted without him trying made him uneasy. It clearly wasn't natural and he had little experience with true magic.

I'm already thinking about taking item familiar and using his connection with it to explain the arcane dilettante class feature.

[inexorabletruth]

“Merrshaulk… Masster of the Pit, The Sserpent Lord, Maker of Venom. Merrshaulk, the Ssleeping Sserpent is the patron deity of poissson and ssolemnence, who bidess his time, feeding on the ssacrifices of the devout. Those who sserve him shall be rewarded with blessings of strength and wissssdom.”

Either the dagger’s lisp is receding, or you’re getting used to the hissing speech pattern. Either way, understanding the voice in your head is getting easier.

“What I can do iss limited by the capabilitiess and… devotion of the wielder. But sstick me into ssomething you wish to kill and I s-shall show you what I can do for the likess of you.”

It sends you waves of emotional power-lust, and feelings of strength and ambition. While holding the dagger, you feel a little stronger and a little more entitled, like it would be your right and privilege to kill anyone who crossed you, inconvenienced you or if it simply amused you to kill someone.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Aarco entertains the thoughts momentarily, then pushes them away which required more effort than he cared to admit. "No. I don't do killing. If you kill someone you can only rob them once. If you leave him alive, he can be useful in the future."

[inexorabletruth]

The blade chuckles an eerie laugh that fades into silence.

[Vixsor Lumin]

In the sudden silence, Aarco shudders. He sheathes the knife and places it under his pillow, and does his best to go to sleep.