Legacy of the Dawn IC

[Scarlet Dragon]

Before the Night
Nedrane 5/15/487 PDE (Post Dragon Emperor)

Nedrane is a small city on the plains which serves as a place of trade between the dwarves of the Empyrean Spires and the bustling metropolis of Hayfalls to the south. It is here that many of mercantile guilds gather to form large caravans to take the things made from precious metals and stones outside into the wider world, and by the same token where many of the caravans to the Empyrean Spires end. As such the population of Nedane houses a fair number of dwarves who sell their wares in large warehouse style shops scattered throughout the city.

Each of you has made their way to Nedrane for various reasons, some wish for fame others wish for adventure but whatever the reason it has brought you here to become part of an official adventuring crew. To that purpose you have all made your way to a popular bar where many of these fledgeling parties take the first step of forming, The Wayfaring Dragon's Tavern. Wafting from the fireplace comes the delicious aroma of the stew kept warm there, every day they replace the stew twice with a fresh batch. At a few tables various people can be seen discussing fiscal matters and a couple house groups playing cards or rolling dice. On the stage there is a minstrel playing a stirring piece about heroic deeds of bygone days.

[Ichneumon]

Hadrian looks around. He is somewhat hesitant and doesn't know what to do. Normally, when he enters a bar like this one, people look up in awe and usually they approach him, asking who he is or to tell stories of his adventures. A big bronze-scaled dragonborn like him, his face and hands covered with scars and a trophy hanging around his neck, a big tooth of one of the monstrosities he encountered in the wilderness, is usually not ignored. But now, all these people were minding their own business. He didn't really know what to do and he was unsure about himself.

He saw people playing card games and rolling dice. He sighed. :smallsigh: I don't understand these people. I never will, he thought. Gambling, betting.... They could be doing so much with their lives, create art, do science. Instead they spend their leisure time by risking their wealth in a game of chance? How am I going to find some trustworthy companions here? Am I to put my trust in gamblers and cheaters? We are going to face almost certain death. That is not a game. You need to take risks. Fortune favors the bold, but life is not a game.

He yawned. He was tired. There were bags under his eyes and his hands trembled. He hadn't slept well. Nightmares, as always. Even though he was awake, he could still hear echoing in his ears the insane laughter and gibberish of the alien voices, that haunt him every night in his sleep. He honestly did not for a moment doubt that he would one day uncover all the secrets of the multiverse and know everything there is to know about the horrors that lurk in every shadow... he did start to have doubts though about whether he’d be able to do so before or after he'd go insane....

The young dragonborn, wearing scale mail armor and colorful robes, stood in the middle of the room for a few moments, somewhat lost. So... what should I do now? In a soft voice he mumbled, hoping that someone would hear it and take notice of him: "I've come here to join an adventuring party...." Hadrian wasn't very good at socializing and interacting with new people.

[Ridai]

After a long and, rather more importantly, making sure Sevendear is well-fed and has a nice place to stay nearby (or if he is allowed, she just takes him into the building with her), Remi enters the tavern, welcoming the smell that is similar in most places of the world, but varying in degrees. Here, it is good enough to be inviting, but nowhere near being some superfancy place. Perfect.

Cat-like steps, graceful, playful, ever light, take her across the well-treaded and cared for floorboards, winking to a nearby handsome young dwarf enjoying his ale. A few more strides and she is standing before the bar and the innkeep beyond. She doesn't get as close as the bigfolk, it only leads to a meeting of stretched necks and bent backs.

"A fine day to you," Remi greets, grinning cheerily. Another perk of her job: the know-how for keeping white, pretty teeth just the way they are supposed to be. "The smell tells me that I'd love to try a bowl of your stew. If I could trouble you for some cider to go with it, that would be most kind." Payment is quick and done with an added smile before taking a seat at an as of yet empty table near the fire, letting the warmth roll over and through her. She stretches blissfully, setting her backpack beside her. There are telltale signs of a healer's kit about it, all the equipment looking well-worn, but well-maintained. Remi knows it has seen a lot of work and it will see plenty more. But not right now. Right now, there is stew and cider to take care of, taking a deep breath and letting the smell settle within her before digging in, amber eyes sweeping the room every now and then.

And they spot something. Or rather, someone. Remi waves for the dragonborn to come closer. "Me too. Come on over here, rest your feet, eat and drink a bit." Gods know he needs some rest -- just look at the poor fellow, no good medic could ignore that -- and she is going to facilitate just that. In case he does come over, she offers him a seat. Not that it belongs to her, but eh, manners can be nice.

[Thrasymedes]

Confusion loomed at the entrance to the tavern. He noticed the other people moving around him and he wondered again what had given him the idea to come into town? Surely the demons would defeat themselves easier than he could find allies.

As he stood at the entrance, he grudgingly found himself drawn inside by the sounds of song and suddenly his roving eyes locked onto something across the tavern. Now moving quickly and purposely he crossed the tavern and stood in front of the Dragonborn:

Did you say that you are looking to form an adventuring party? For what purpose if I may ask, I am curious because I was also looking for companions as I am not able to individually deal with all of the demons and devils that seem to be about lately. My name is Confusion by the way.

Confusion has a 21 passive perception and can read lips. This is my explanation for why he suddenly crosses a crowded tavern to engage a stranger in conversation.

[Ichneumon]

"Thanks for the invitation, good lady, I will be happy to join you," Hadrian answered politely to the Halfling. Then, before he could sank dawn on the seat that was offered him, he was approached by the tiefling, Confusion.

"I am, I am!", he smiled. "Please, join us, I.." he looked at Remi. "I am sure there is room for more at the table?"

He sank in the seat that was offered him and again he sighed, partly out of exhaustion, partly just out of relief that the awkward predicament he was in was solved so quickly, and that others had made the first move.

He offered one of the seats to Confusoin and continued talking. "My... name is Hadrian, of the Sandscale clan from the South" , he says with a friendly voice to both of them. "I search for knowledge. You say you are plagued by devils and demons? I too am haunted by creatures from another world, yet I think from a realm even farther away and more alien. I want to learn more about the world. I seek knowledge, knowledge in general, but in particular of the cosmic horrors that haunt me in my dreams, and knowledge about the world they inhabit. So.. what brings you two here? You come from far?", Hadrian asked, genuinely interested in their stories and troubles. He wasn't only interested in solving his own problems, but also in helping to solve theirs.

For a few moment he stares at her bowl of stew, unable to decide whether he would order something too or not. He wasn't very hungry or thirsty, but the halfling had suggested it. I'd better just do what the halfling suggests, he thinks, and he waves his hand to the man behind the bar, ordering stew and something to drink.

[Thrasymedes]

I grew up on the far side of the Empyrean Spires for the most part so a moderate distance away. My personal goal is to help crush the demonic scum that bother so much of it and successfully gain respect as a person, not fear as a half fiend and figure out a way to prevent them coming back. What kind of beings are those you deal with?

He stood for a moment thoughtfully before sitting down and leaning his shield against the table. He then also requested a plate of stew.

[Ichneumon]

To answer the tiefling's question, Hadrian took the necklace around his neck and showed it to him. "This. I am mostly used to fight aberrant alien creatures like this one. This teeth was from a Gibbering Mouther and he was a scary little fellow indeed, roamed the streets and dark alleys of a small town for years, killing civilians. It had the habit of singing the most creepy lullabies while stalking its prey. It was about to devour a young family, when I encountered it. I almost lost my hand in that fight..." Although Hadrian tried to look 'cool' telling this story, the mere thoughts of that encounter still sent shivers down his spine. :smalleek:

[Ridai]

The pretty halfling nods, waving the tiefling closer as well, with the same inviting smile. "Of course there is. My name is Remi Foxenheart, but just call me Remi. Pleased to meet you!"

Remi listens attentively and actively to her companions' stories, sipping food and drink in between. "Guess things aren't much better for tieflings down here, eh? Damn shame," she adds after Confusion's words, stew-heated sigh twirling and disappearing in the air. Hadrian feels a tiny hand on his much larger as shivers run their course, Remi only removing it once they have passed.

"Harrowing foes you're dealing with, you two. I guess I'm a bit more mundane in comparison. I'm from Burrow's End, which... well, it's pretty damn far from here, I guess. I've been on the go for over a decade, first fleeing, then going where I'm needed. Proper medics always have work to do, so I've been touring cities, towns and battlefields with no real destination, just following the coast, until I came here. My work can be a bit dangerous at times, but I love it, strange as that might sound. Didn't plan to be an adventurer for the longest time, though I delved into all sorts of messes with several of them as part of my work, but I'm pretty fed up with getting put on the same level as all those quacks and bonesaws." She almost spits out the last few words. "So getting the pass and more importantly the healer stamp will fix that and let me deliver help where it needs to go. Plus, adventurers have a knack for stumbling upon one crisis after another, so joining a group makes sense as well. Someone's gotta look after the heroes, to boot."

Taking a deep breath, Remi scoops some cooling stew into her mouth. "So, now that I've talked yer ears off for good measure," she says between scoops. "feel like working with an actual medic who also knows how to poke things where it really hurts?"

[Thrasymedes]

Not needing as many potions would be nice.

Momentarily puzzled at the halfling's threatened ability to poke things (including him?) where it hurts, he turns to Hadrian:

Those are creatures I have rarely heard of before and sound like they also need dealing with. I wonder if we should look for others to join before we go to register it though. I wonder how long it would take to find something worthwhile to do here? One day or three?

[Ichneumon]

Hadrian was somewhat surprised by Remi's kind words. He wasn't used to people showing so much sympathy. Although he usually distrusted other people, he instinctively felt good about her. He felt similarly with Confusion, as he felt they had a lot in common.

"Burrow's End... Haven't heard of it, I'm afraid", Hadrian says to Remi. "I think we can always use a medic, whatever we end up facing, be it aberrations, demons, regular bandits or something else entirely."

He nodded, in response to what Confusion said. "We could use some more people to join our team, before we register and offer our services."

Hadrian was content and he continued talking with his new found friends.

[Recaiden]

In comes another soon-to-be adventurer, swaggering confidently through the door and flipping a coin to the tavernkeeper for a bowl of stew.
Smiling, looking around.
Meeting-places like this are the best parts of any new city.

"You look like an interesting group."
Auri pauses for a moment by the table, not actually asking permission but giving them a chance to object right before she takes a seat.
"And I hear you're looking for some help?" Pretty sure they just said that, and this tavern is quiet enough.

[Ridai]

And right there another friendly fellow to join their group when they needed one. Circle perfect.

Remi grins up to the newcomer. "Thanks! And: sure are! These are Hadrian and Confusion." She gestures to the respective owners of their names. "I'm Remi Foxenheart. Just call me Remi, in case you're wondering. I'll be the group's medic."

[Scarlet Dragon]

The barkeep thanks you for the money for the stew and quickly sends a young dwarf lass, her beard just starting to come in, to bring it over to your table along with your drinks.

In the bar you can hear various conversations going on, due to the nature of the bar you hear talk of how the caravans are just starting up after the end of the rains and how some people are looking to sign on as bodyguards.

You also hear snippets from the other end of the tavern ... Fortress of Kas the Betrayer... treasure to find ... ... one ... killed Vecna ... himself ... horde ... vampires, we aren't...

Through the door comes a person who walks up to one of the tables in the and sits down and quietly exchanges a couple words with the man there hands him a bag which the man peers inside and then gives the other man a different bag and walks out clutching his new bag. The other man lounges for a few minutes and gets a bowl of stew and a tankard of ale and goes back to sit down near the fireplace this time.

Part of the Taverns popularity is that most of the organizations have a hall just down the street, There are five guilds which are prominent here the House of Shimsha a Merchants Guild,The Alliance of Tools an artisans guild, Scholars of the Forgotten Scroll a guild dedicated to research and the exchange of information, Jovial Entertainers Incorporated which is comprised of bards and minstrels who tell tales and perform for a living, and the most prominent of all The Legion of Explorers which is a guild for adventurers, treasure hunters, etc.

I realize that Confusion can read lips if you want more than just snippets roll perception dc 15 to signify it perking your interest enough to look their way

[Thrasymedes]

Confusion briefly nodded as the other person approached the table and took a moment to examine his appearance but quickly returned to noticing the constant snippets of conversations around him. Usually he could only stand crowded areas like this for a brief time due to information overload but he determined to wait it out today. As he did so, he desperately looked around for something to focus on and locked onto one of the conversations that looked especially interesting. As he did so, he tried to decide whether or not to put on his "Eyes", it seemed like overkill but...

[roll0]
Good thing he is not wearing the Eyes right now. I realized this high a passive perception would make him one of those hyperalert people, no wonder he sometimes wants to get away.

[Isyndel]

Elui paused before entering the crowded tavern. I really wish I didn't have to do this. On the other hand, if I don't make myself useful, I'll probably get murdered or something...

As he entered the tavern, he took a quick look at the groups of people sitting around, trying to identify who looked like they wouldn't leave him to die somewhere. Hm....those people in the corner looked interesting.

"Greetings, my name is Elui Triannar. I'm a paladin of Trithereon, and was wondering if you needed any more to round out your fine group?

[Ichneumon]

"Greetings, you two. My name is Hadrian. You are correct. We could use some more people. We'd be honored if you'd join our group."

Meanwhile, Hadrian still hadn't touched his stew. He wasn't hungry and now, he was too excited, seeing this fine group come together.

[Recaiden]

This newcomer returns the halfling's smile, and this one is certainly a real smile, not just a lip-twisting scar giving an impression of happiness. Enthusiasm is infectious.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Meztli Aurichalcum. 'Auri', since we're working together."
She tastes the stew, carefully.
"Do a little bit of everything. But I expect it's the working of the old faith's magic that will be my most useful skill."
And digs into it. Can't start an adventure on an empty stomach.

[Ridai]

Remi smiles to the dwarven girl, thanking her for bringing the food over. "Oh, ah, I forgot something. Could you get me a bit of bread, please? That would be lovely." She hands the girl the currency for it and soon accepts it with a "Thanks, sweety." and a little tip. She looks at the girl go for a moment. It's a good way for her to earn money. Much better than many other ways that Remi hopes the girl will never even discover or consider.

As Remi empties her small bowl (can't blame the keep for trying to be considerate. He did charge less, after all) and the next moment Hadrian looks at the table right in front of him, his bowl has surreptitiously snuck over towards the halfling, who is dipping her bread in the stew and wordlessly invites the others to join in if they want. Healthy appetite stemming from experience. As a decoy, the bowl left silver pieces, silently giggling at its ingenuity.

She beams up at the latest newcomer as well. Trithereon is a good patron to have, provided the follower hasn't succumbed to zealotry. Then again, the last bit is true of every type of follower. "Sure do! Have a seat and some stew." What do you know, Hadrian's spoon has deserted as well from sheer boredom, joining the bowl as it travels a little closer to the paladin. "Remi Foxenheart's my name, but please just call me Remi. I'll keep you fellows in good health as we go."

The medic's lips move slowly and carefully, tasting Auri's name in between scoops like a delicacy, eventually smiling radiantly as it goes down like purest honey.

"This is a good group," Remi says to herself, knowingly with the wisdom of the years. "I think our first stop should be at the Explorers for the team registration, then whoever else you fine people want to join. I'll probably be at the former a bit longer, at least if the healer examination is worth anything, which I hope it is. I wonder if they have tiered stamps, hmm..." She rests her chin in her hands, head slowly leaning left and right, left and right, in thought.

[Thrasymedes]

Confusion silently frowns for a moment and then looks back at the table where the others are.

I am ready to leave when you are.

He then returns to his study of the tavern and almost casually removes a pair of green lenses from his pack and puts them on.

He is going to return to paying attention to that conversation, this time with the lenses for advantage.
Also, history check to remember what he has heard about Vecna, Kas and the Fortress: [roll0]

[Ichneumon]

The stoic dragonborn was amused by how the halfling swiftly took control over his stew. :smallamused:
He pretended not to notice it though and continued listening to the conversation at the table and the introductions of the newcomers, Auri and Elui.

When Confusion and Remi mentioned the guilds, he stood up. "Friends, let's go." He nodded to Remi. "Yes, good idea. After registering to the Legion of Explorers, I'd like to join the Scholars of the Forgotten Scroll, if you don't mind. Anyone else want to join another guild?"

Although Hadrian certainly didn't look like your standard wizard, he was trained as an Eldritch Knight and he did see himself more as a scholarly type than the average savage warrior.

Unless someone interrupts him or someone comes up with another idea, he'll go with the group to meet the Legion of Explorers.

[Recaiden]

Auri spares a glance at the dwarf as the bread is brought. She doesn't know Nedrane; Is she lucky to have a job in this city, or does working at this inn just come with something else?
Another moment finds a spoon leaving her quickly-emptied bowl and dipping into the paladin's appropriated stew. It would be a shame to let the food go to waste, and one can't expect a little halfling to eat two whole portions.

"I'll at least check in at the House of Shimsha. Always good to know how the coin is flowing." That said, she pushes back her chair and stands, taking a look at the other adventurers. This is going to work out great.

"We're ready already, Confusion."
And Auri will leave with everyone else.

[Ridai]

Last bit of stew is dabbed into the last of the bread, to be eaten by Remi. "All done. Sun's gonna shine tomorrow."

With a hop, Remi is faced with filled stomachs and heads out with the others. Sevendear deserves some more rest and pampering, so she leaves him where he is right now as they head to become adventurers all official-like.

[Isyndel]

"Thanks, but I already ate today", Elui said with a smile. "Perhaps we should stop by all the guilds in order and see what they have to offer and what they require of us?"

Elui will just follow along with everyone else, sparing a few seconds to check on his horse on the way out.

[Thrasymedes]

Confusion took one last look over at the corner table and then followed the others out. As he went he tried to decide whether to join the mages' guild or not.

Do you have any idea of how much membership fees are?

[Scarlet Dragon]

By the time Confusion has the foresight to put on the lenses their topic of choice has already moved on to a discussion of the journey, details mainly about the price of supplies they need to requisition for it.

It proves easy to find The Legion of Explorers guild hall, once inside they find a desk behind which a gnome in a light green doublet greets them and waves them over. Greeteengs, velcume-a tu Nedrune-a brunch ooff Zee Legeeun ooff Ixplurer I em Gredelspeck, it luuks tu me-a thet yuoo ere-a a noo perty und hefe-a chusee us tu be-a yuoor beneffecturs ebsulootely splendeed. Here-a is oooor contrect vheech stetes oooor terms, cheeeff emung zeem is thet yuoo oobey zee lucel levs ooff zee erea (boot iff yuoo du heppee tu breek zeem pleese-a dun't get cooght in zee ect) it elsu sets oooor fee-a fur membersheep et a nunneguteeeble-a unnooel rete-a ooff 50gp.

Boot unyveys hefe-a yuoo settled oon a neme-a fur yuoor gruoop yet? With that he hands the group a scroll made of fine vellum which unrolls to reveal a contract with a space at the top for the name of the group and plenty of empty space at the bottom for signatures.

For those of you that have trouble decipher his words here is the unedited version

"Greetings, welcome to Nedrane branch of The Legion of Explorer I am Gredelspeck, it looks to me that you are a new party and have chosen us to be your benefactors absolutely splendid. Here is our contract which states our terms, chief among them is that you obey the local laws of the area (but if you do happen to break them please don't get caught in the act) it also sets our fee for membership at a nonnegotiable annual rate of 50gp.

But anyways have you settled on a name for your group yet?"

As for the contract if you want to peruse it in more detail just say the word. A cursory glance confirms that their biggest concern is their reputation and dislike dealing with law disputes, but there is a blurb here and there that pertain to other matters.

[Ichneumon]

"Afraid not. Let's ask when we are there," Hadrian answers in reply to Confusion's question about the membership fees.

Hadrian didn't really care about technicalities like the group's name. Instead, he was more interested in the contract.

"Could I take a look at the contract, Sir?" Hadrian says to the gnome and he starts examining the different blurbs. He thought the idea of signing a contract without reading it first was horrific. He wanted to know if there were any loopholes, any tricks and traps.

Do you need me to roll for trying to decipher the contract? I can understand you might not have decided what is in the contract in its entirety. I'm only interested in knowing if there is anything in it that might be a reason not to sign it. If this is like a metaphorical pact with the devil or something.:smallwink: Also, you mean Confusion right, in your last post, in which you mentioned Hadrian and the lenses?

[Ridai]

"He-" And Remi isn't able to get a word in edge-wise, gnomes being gnomes. So she waits for the moment of silence longer than the one needed to take a breath to answer. "Hello, yes we are and no we haven't yet, we'll get back to you on that one," she replies cheerfully as she takes the contract form to one of the tables nearby to look at the contract specifics before she signs. She likes to know what she is giving her word on. "Whatever we pick, I think four syllables or less is the easiest to remember and shout and catch on," words directed at the rest of the party, bouncing off of scroll and ink. "Also pretty tired of 'The x of the y'. Just recommendations, though, so let's hear it."

She reads and thinks in silence, before the others see the laugh lines on Remi's face becoming more pronounced. "How 'bout 'Fortune's Favored'? 'Cause, why not? Rolls right off the tongue and we pretty much found each other right off the bat. Got something that grows with us and if someone laughs in our face, just wait 'til we make 'em eat crow."

[Thrasymedes]

Confusion stands a little back and starts reading over Hadrian's shoulder as he tries to find the relevant sections. It appeared to take some time, as he had not realized just how big the document was, but now that he started, he wanted to finish.

Could I see that since you are finished, there were a few sections I wanted to read still.

Confusion is mainly interested in reading the penalties and exact verbage of the section dealing with local laws, exceptions to the same, and common issues. Also, the one dealing with your requirements for the guild to aid, and in passing the one on whether there are any tiered badges regarding investigation, dealing with particularly nasty issues, etc. If he needs to roll, his Int mod is +2 and Investigation skill might apply; if so, it is +5

[Recaiden]

Auri presses her eyes shut to concentrate on deciphering the guildsman's accent. Okay, that's words after all.

She leans over to look at the contract, scanning it dismissively. Bunch of pointless chatter concerned with their own reputations.
"Names are for people who've already, well, made a name for themselves." An amused sigh follows as she spins names through her head.
"I do feel lucky. But we don't want to sound like we haven't earned it, do we? 'Fortune's Company', maybe. 'Remi's Favored' would be as apt, no? 'Nedrane Wisdom'. 'Lucky 6'. Or, who needs a name in the Common tongue?"
You do, Auri. It's the only real language you speak.

[Ridai]

"Probably the people whose tongues would tumble all over trying to say it until we're 'Them Fighty Fellas'. 'Fortune's Company' comes a bit slower, but I like the ways you could read it. Options. 'Fellows' or 'Lot' could also fit." She looks to the others. "You folks have a favorite?"

[Ichneumon]

"I'll sign it," Hadrian says after having read the contract and he signs it with confidence and enthusiasm. Let the adventures begin!

"Guys, the name is of no real importance. When bards and skalds in the centuries to come will sing of us, their songs will be about our deeds. The name doesn't matter. Not really. Fortune's Company sounds good. If in the future we come up with a different name, I'm sure we can change it," he says smiling.

[Ridai]

"Oh, it's not important and I could care less 'bout fame. But it's fun coming up with names." A grin like the sun. She signs the contract and puts down the team name "Fortune's Company" as well without further asking.

"Oh, I'd also like to take whatever exams are required for the healer stamp," Remi tells the gnome while she hands him the 50 gold pieces annual fee.

(While Remi still has lots of room for improvement, I figure a +8 in Medicine is a whole damn lot in 5E, especially since high level people aren't common either)

[Isyndel]

Elui takes a position behind Hadrian's other shoulder and glances over the contract, making sure that he's not signing his soul away to some foul governmental official. After he's satisfied, he'll then weigh in on the name issue. "Our name shouldn't really matter as much as how we represent it, as long as it's not something completely silly, like 'The Happy Drunkards'."

[Thrasymedes]

I will also sign once the rest of you are finished. By the way, is the wilderness expert primarily theoretical or practical knowledge? I have a decent amount of the one but not the other.

He stood patiently in line behind the others as he also glanced around the room primarily trying to see if there was any discussions having to do with the previous one going on but also getting a feel for what the other people here seemed to be like in terms of ability and focus.

[roll0]
or [roll1] take the higher.
(Yes he has the lenses on for this)

[Scarlet Dragon]

Splendeed iff yuoo vuoold gu thruoogh thet duur my feene-a helffleeng I veell nuteeffy a pructur tu ixemeene-a yuoor skeells in zeere-a. Zee Veelderness stemp is preemerily a shoo ooff precteecel skeell und usooelly cunseests ooff sumeune-a tekeeng yuoo oooot in zee vuuds joost ooootseede-a ooff toon und shedooeeng yuoo es yuoo shoo zeem yuoor skeell. Es fur zee rest ooff yuoo ve-a hefe-a un ixcellent veeeting ruum thruoogh thet duur oofer zeere-a vhere-a yuoo mey oobteeen reffreshments und yuoo cun elsu peeck up oone-a ooff oooor spere-a buoonty buuks in zeere-a, elveys useffool tu hefe-a.

When Remi goes to the examination room where she finds that the room is well stocked with various herbs and other medical supplies. After a couple of minutes a tall female half elf with flaxen hair comes in with a dummy being carried in by a male human with brown hair. The examination is fairly thorough, you are given various scenarios and are asked to treat the dummy as if they were your patient. After several such tests the proctor is impressed with your work and gives you a Tier 2 Healer stamp.

Confusion finds the room to be empty of occupants save the party and the gnome.

Splendid if you would go through that door my fine halfling I will notify a proctor to examine your skills in there. The Wilderness stamp is primarily a show of practical skill and usually consists of someone taking you out in the woods just outside of town and shadowing you as you show them your skill. As for the rest of you we have an excellent waiting room through that door over there where you may obtain refreshments and you can also pick up one of our spare bounty books in there, always useful to have.

[Ridai]

Remi is very pleased with the examination, very thorough, very modern, very no-nonsense. It also shows her where she still has room for improvement (apart from honing her skills in general and never stopping the learning process). She is able to impress with her swift application of emergency measures, and is happy to see that she can call on those skills at the drop of a hat. However, she is delighted with the result, skipping Tier 1 entirely. This is going to make her work so, so much easier, it is not even funny. Still standing on the stool beside the examination table, small arms hug the half elf heartily, happy with the whole world right now, thanking her personally once more. As she goes, she waves goodbye once more, adding a mischievous little wink.

Still beaming when she returns to the others, Remi once more makes sure everything with the documents is in order, then proudly shows the others the Tier 2 Healer stamp. "Self-praise stinks, but it's nice to be appreciated every once in a while." She very carefully puts the pass away, storing them as safely as possible, wrapping it in waterproofed leather. "So, whereto next?"

[Ichneumon]

Hadrian looks through one of the bounty books, while they are waiting for Remi to return. He'd like to take one of the books with him, but decides not to. I'd better leave it, he thinks, maybe somebody else will come around who needs it more.

He smiles when Remi returns and shows her stamp. "Impressive!"

"If it's no problem to you, I'd like to make a quick visit to the Scholars of the Forgotten Scroll too, before we go, if any of you don't mind. Maybe some of you want to register there as well? Confusion, you maybe?"

Hadrian walks out quickly, to the other guild. He doesn't want to let the other party members wait too long and he is also eager to leave himself.

Having come to the other guild, he walks in, with the loud, but friendly and mostly enthusiastic, greeting: "Greetings, seekers of knowledge! I am Hadrian and I'd like to join your noble enterprise!"

[Recaiden]

Auri, after handing over the membership fee (pricey, pricey. This will hopefully pay off) heads outside, saying she is soon to return, and heads to the merchants' guild.

[Thrasymedes]

I think I will give the wilderness Expert a try.

Confusion quickly checked his gear and went to the door. After going out he met the proctor who led him a quarter mile out and then told him: As part of the investigation, you can only take three items with you. After some hesitation, he picked a shortsword and a waterskin along with his lenses and then followed his guide for what felt like the better part of an hour (though it was probably less) along as confusing paths as possible before leaving him with no instructions other than the words: "Impress Me.

Given this guidance, he immediately started out by carefully following the sound of water that he had been hearing for the last several minutes and quickly found a stream. At this point he made sure his waterskin was full and started carefully following the stream downward while keeping an eye out for any animals that might be coming down to drink. He felt he was doing well, especially given the expressions on the face of the person shadowing him although he didn't let him know that he had spotted him in five minutes.

This lovely complacency lasted until he realized that he had almost blundered into a sunning ground for poisonous snakes. He carefully extricated himself and finally spotted a game trail which he followed to spot a small deer. He carefully moved up on it, wishing he had brought a longbow for a moment and then decided he would make do. He cut a vine off of a tree and made an improvised Bola which he used to try and capture the deer. It worked even better than he thought and easily butchered it out before realizing that it was getting late and he didn't have a torch...and the others were waiting. He quickly hoisted up a haunch of meat and set off down the trail, snagging some berries he recognized as particularly bitter for future use.

He remembered pretty well which way to go and made good time coming back, at least until he tried to double back on the proctor who it seemed was able to see him even as stealthy as he was being and motioned him to keep going.

At this point he recollected his gear, returned to where he had started out from and asked: Did I succeed and is there time for the Cartographer's Test?

[Isyndel]

"Thank you very much.", Elui says, before heading into the waiting room.
He'll take some of the offered refreshments and leaf through one of the bounty books, looking for targets that look like they're nearby and don't carry too much risk.

perception? [roll0]

[Scarlet Dragon]

Before you all leave The Legion of Explorers Gredelspeck hands each of you a copy of your groups charter with each person's name inscribed at the top of the scroll alongside the group's name of Fortune's Company.

Scholars of the Forgotten Scroll
When you enter the guild you find yourselves before a barred gate that leads in to a massive hall filled with books on both sides seated here and there are scores of people perusing books, talking amongst each other quietly and several individuals are quite focused on writing. On your left you find a female halfling who looks up from a manuscript about weather patterns and asks "How can the Scholars of the Forgotten Scroll help you today?" After ascertaining that you intend to join the guild she asks you to contribute to the pool of knowledge gathered here and motions to a blank book setting on a pedestal to her left. "Once you have shared knowledge with us you will be considered part of our fellowship, though you will need to contribute more information to retain membership."

House of Shimsha
Auri quickly locates the House of Shimsha, a very posh looking building with carved statues made of marble outside. Upon entering you are are greeted very cordially by human in very fine clothes "Can I help you ma'am? If you would like to join our organization you can fill out one of the forms alongside that wall, stated within are our terms. If however you are just here for business I can also be of assistance."


Outside Nedrane - Wilderness/Cartographer Exam
The proctor seems mildly impressed with your survival skills and asks you for your charter so he can add the Wilderness Survival stamp at the bottom. "For your cartography exam I'd like you to make a map of the area we just traversed as detailed as you can." Drawing from your memory Confusion does the best he can and ends up making a decent representation of the path he took. After handing the finished product to the proctor he pulls out a map of the area and starts comparing the two, after a couple minutes of scrutiny he coughs gruffly and says "It's decent enough to get a tier 1 grading, you still need to work on your skill at mapmaking if you wish to make a living off of it." With that he pulls out another stamp and adds it to the bottom of Confusion's charter

Bounty Book
Flipping through the book a couple of listings catch your eye, there is one Hurg Iron-tusk and his band of highwayman that are collectively worth 1,500 gp who reportedly works in the area. Another name that intrigues you is someone called One-eyed Finn who is a thug that is wanted for several counts of murder and works out of the shadier section of Nedrane worth 500gp. Finally you also find mention of someone called the Crimson Shadow a notorious thief who leaves red shadows on the walls of establishments they targets, their capture would net a fine reward of 5,000gp.

[Ridai]

Freshly-baked adventurers, all of them, they naturally should get to the adventuring. Those who get themselves extra stamps get a huge grin, a congratulation and a hug from Remi. "How about we look for that one-eyed fellow? Saves us travel time and the quicker we get into danger and kick scum in the teeth, the quicker we grow together as a team. Dunno if some of you are good detectives, but I wouldn't be opposed to looking for that thief. Maybe I could try to outsneak him at some point."

[Thrasymedes]

Confusion winced a little as he accepted the criticism and then prepared to head out to join the others but first asked simply:
Is there somewhere I can buy these myself?

He indicated the tools as he did so and once he received an answer, he returned to the front. When he attempted to pay for the membership up front, he was told that it was already paid for the group so he shrugs. As soon as he gets out of the building he turns to the others:
Ok, so who do I owe my 10 gp to?

Whoever had paid for it, he repaid 10 of it and then accompanied any others who went to the House of the Forgotten Scroll but hesitated as he entered, he didn't think he yet knew anything of sufficient import to justify entry it seemed.

[Ichneumon]

Hadrian nodded and approached the empty book on the pedestal in the guild of the Scholars of the Forgotten Scroll. He took the ink pen, dipped it in the ink and started writing. He tried to recall everything he had learned. He thought back of his encounter with a coven of Grell, about a year ago. They had ambushed him and drove him deep inside a maze of caverns. He still remembered the clicking of their beaks, while they slowly hovered through the tunnels, searching for him and his fellow adventurers. He remembered how the Grell communicated and acted strategically as ac well coordinated pack, similar to wolves. He also remembered how they finally managed to catch one of his fellow party members, used the poisonous stings on their tentacles to paralyse the poor half-elf wizard. She could not make a sound or cast a spell and without any resistance they dragged her to their lair. There had been nothing he could do, but watch. :smalleek:

After writing down what he knew, he signed any other papers he had to sign and took everything he received (like membership papers) with him.

He smiles when he sees Confusion standing at the door step and invites him to also join the guild. "From what you told me, Confusion, I'd assume you have something worthwhile to share too, about the demons and fiends that plague these lands?" If Confusion decides to join to, Hadrian will wait, but he won't press him.

When they return to the others, he listens quietly to what the group is discussing. Looking for the thief Remi mentioned seemed reasonable, but he didn't feel very strong one way or another, so he remained quiet, waiting for other suggestions, before making a final decision.

I am assuming Hadrian knows stuff about aberrations, since they are his favored enemy and as a 5th level character, I think I can take the liberty to assume he has encountered some before and has gathered some useful intel. If not, please correct me! Just to be sure, I'll make an intelligence check to see if he knows anything about them. As per the Favored Enemy rules for the Ranger, I get advantage:
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Thrasymedes]

Thank you. That is a good idea.

Confusion went up and thought for a moment followed by writing everything he had learned about Fiends as well as about the mountainous areas he had faced them in.

I am also going to attempt an Int check on Fiends to record what I know as well as on my favored terrain, mountains.

On Fiends [roll0]
[roll1]
On Mountains [roll2]
[roll3]

[Recaiden]

The charter is slipped into a scroll case and promptly forgotten about.

[House of Shimsha]

A form is quickly and neatly filled out.
"No business yet, but I hope to be back with some soon."

That quick bit of paperwork done likely finds Aurichalcum [Outside Nedrane - Wilderness/Cartographer Exam]

Or otherwise, meeting back up with Remi.
"I'd prefer to get out on the road, but I can see the value in cleaning up the city a little bit."

[Scarlet Dragon]

Scholars of the Forgotten Scroll

As each of you write your story within the blank pages of the book the air around it begin to shimmer and the words seem to float off the page swirling in patterns as if they possessed a life of their own. When you finish writing the words fly off down the hall into a room at the very end leaving the book before you once again blank. "When the book does that it means you pass, if the words just fade away it denotes a failure. Let me be the first to welcome you both to our humble abode." With that she dips her head in a small bow.

Small tidbit: Due to the magical nature of the Information Challenge there is no way of repeating the same information, to list but a few ways to pass many people will use portions of their own life story, others will write new stories to tell, while a few will create their own spells.
The only issue with this is that a person may not want to reveal certain secrets because as soon as they write it in the book it will be available for anyone in the guild to read.

[Ichneumon]

"So, the idea is to search for one of these criminals first, before we leave the city. What about that Crimson Shadow guy? It is said that he leaves behind red shadows. Maybe we could investigate the place of his last crime? Make an overview of what places he has targeted and maybe figure out where he will strike next? I am assuming he is using some kind of magic, either as a spell-caster or maybe with a magic item of some sort.", Hadrian asks. In all honestly, he loved the fact that a thief had managed to make such a name for himself to have such a nickname. 'Crimson Shadow' sounded awesome, he thought and the involvement of magic of some kind intrigued him.

[Ridai]

Remi approvingly slaps Hadrian's thigh with the back of her hand. "I like the way you think. There's got to be chronological records of all occurences. We get a map, we put in all points, see what it tells us. Look at who the victims were, too. Let's pay the guard a visit," she says, beginning the walk to their building.

[Thrasymedes]

Confusion hears Hadrian's idea and turns around to ask the woman present:

Red Shadows...Maam, do you know if the Red Shadows a thief is using locally are painted, blood residue or magic? Also, would someone have a list of targeted areas?

He prepared to follow the others down the street but he reasoned that the most likely place to find some information was right here.

[Scarlet Dragon]

Scholars of the Forgotten Scroll

The female halfling cringes when Confusion says the name wrong "It's the Crimson Shadow and we have a whole row devoted to past incarnations of them. Archibald could you take these folks to the section where we have the Crimson Shadow information in?" At that a small white cat leaps off a bookshelf to your left and leads you to the desired section. Once there you find dozens of books all dedicated to the Crimson Shadow, there are countless accounts of them being captured and hung, some were philanthropic and gave what they stole to the poor, others would steal from anyone and everyone. There are accounts of their exploits all over the world even as far as the Faburgh the City of Cathedrals and Haford the City of Runes. The chief aspect that all of them share is that they all steal from someone or something and that they all have the same cloak.

Outside Nedrane - a little earlier The proctor a half elf with sandy hair named Lier takes Auri out to be examined and asks her to demonstrate her survival skills. She starts off by casting the Druidcraft cantrip and forecasts the weather for the day, determining that there should some scattered rain showers later in the evening. After that she determines the proper type of shelter they would need to spend the night comfortably and gets right to building it, after it is finished the proctor inspects it and nods approvingly not seeing the need to actually test it. Next Auri explains the various ways she can obtain food even giving a demonstration of her wildshape into a Lion and hunting down a deer and dragging it back to the shelter area and preparing it for a proper meal. After finishing with the deer she showcases her navigation skills and quickly locates several paths that would take them to various places, for example she finds a path that would lead to fresh water, while another passes by some wild blueberries. Finally she leads them back to the city after a couple of hours had passed where the proctor gives her a Tier 1 Survival Stamp.

[Thrasymedes]

Thank you very much maam.

Confusion sighs as he looks at the piles of books.

I had not expected to become the researcher of the party, oh well.

He promptly sits down and starts organizing the books by time and trying to identify the ones that dealt with the most recent incidents. If any of the others volunteer to help, he will ask them to focus on this and on sorting which books are more applicable and which are likely to have what material. As soon as this is done, he starts digging through the books trying to identify any patterns or hints as to where he might be planning to hit next or what area he seems to work in. After about half an hour, he pulled off his goggles as they were giving him eyestrain and kept reading.

Okay, if no one volunteers to help his Investigation will be:
[roll0]

If someone does, then take the better of the previous one or: [roll1]

[Ridai]

Remi begins searching through the books for recent activity in Nedrane.

[Ichneumon]

Hadrian quickly became fascinated by the idea of generations of scoundrels all sharing the cloak and name. He started reading as well, following Confusion's suggestions. While reading about the exploits of all the different Crimson Shadows, Hadrian started to wonder and half-jokinly he murmured: "Does the man make the cloak or does the cloak make the man?"

[Thrasymedes]

That is a good question, could you see if there ever appears to be more than one of them while you are checking those? I will also attempt to see if there is any report as to what happened to the cloak. It is possible that it is a magical item that influences the user.

[Ichneumon]

"Sure, will do that. Influence... like mind-control? I've heard of intelligent and cursed magical items before... That would be dangerous, if the thieves are actually dominated by their cloak, it would mean the item is the true villain, not the individuals themselves... they'd be victims." Hadrian remembered stories of artifacts, like crowns or magical rings manipulating their owner. He had faced monsters that tried to dominate you before, but never magical artifacts that would do that. If it was true, it meant they were facing a very insidious enemy. He liked the challenge though. :smallamused:

[Scarlet Dragon]

Over the next several hours of researching you find that many of the reported hangings of the Crimson Shadow were not in fact wearing the actual cape and more often than not were part of a spree of hangings of people reported to be the Crimson Shadow but most were unproven to actually have been them. Usually the one wearing the title seems to have faded into the background and several years later a new Shadow would step up in their place somewhere else in the world with the signature cloak of the deepest crimson, silver neck clasp and gold trim along the edges.

It does however grow increasingly likely that the cape is magical as numerous accounts state that the cloak never seemed to get dirty and all the wielders had an uncanny skill to escape from the authorities and other pursuers.

After a day you find mention that the current owner of the name seems to only target wealthy merchants who make their home in Nedrane, they also seem to prefer working during the middle of the day as if to mock the security measures that are taken. They seem to pride themselves on their ability to take things while others are watching and not be noticed.

After the second day of researching you narrow down the listing of the majority of targeted merchants to a specific portion of the city near the middle of the city just south of the keep that houses the Lord and Lady Hiltain who are the rulers of Nedrane. In that area there are approximately a dozen merchants that have yet to be targeted but there are already seven merchants who do live there that have been targeted.

During one of your breaks while researching the Crimson Shadow you decide to cast Detect Magic on one of the shadows left outside a previously targeted merchants house and to your surprise it reveals nothing as if the mark were natural though all logic states that a natural mark should be able to be removed by magical or mundane means.

[Ridai]

"Hmm, B&E is common throughout the day, but mostly when targetting homes of working people who aren't at home at the time," Remi muses to herself as she goes over the results, sitting on a stack of tomes (covered with what looks like a clean lacy napkin) with her feet on a nearby stool (made to be stepped on anyway).

"So how do we catch an invisible someone undetectable by magic who circumvents all sorts of security measures with ease. Probably by not catching them in action at all, but finding their home. Maybe we should look into their motivation more. Who are the merchants, what was stolen, was someone particularly wronged by them or are they doing it for the challenge or to ridicule the rich? The target area feels significant either way." Tensing her legs, Remi boosts herself up just a bit and pulls out the second book from the top of the pile she sits on, napkin and rear neatly landing on the straight pile once more, containing court records and other matters of business.

[Recaiden]

"Doubt the rich keep records of who they've wronged."

Auri helps with the investigation as best as possible, though looking for relationships in paper is not how she'd think to solve this. But all the other ways must have been tried, or they wouldn't be doing this one.
Further research sees her getting increasingly distracted, looking through records and texts that are less and less related to the Crimson Shadow.

"Seems pretty clear that the cloak does make the criminal."

[Scarlet Dragon]

As you all delve deeper through countless boring court records you find that this Crimson Shadow has only been active for a few months and has mostly kept themselves to the district mentioned earlier. Each of the victims has reported only one thing stolen and that item was the one worth the most to them, and by the same token the one under the most guard. The next most recent records show that the Crimson Shadow hasn't been seen for ten years.

As Auri begins to peruse the less relevant material she comes across a book titled "Stealing the Shadows Heart" captured within is the story of a previous Crimson Shadow who fell in love with a paladin who had initially set out to capture her and bring her to justice. At first she approaches the paladin with mischief in mind and deliberately set him on false trails but eventually she began to care for him and became his adventuring companion. She began to steal only from ruffians and highwayman and donated her winnings to the poor and the paladin forgave her earlier transgressions. The paladin became known as the Champion of Crimson since his many encounters with her had imprinted her shadow upon his tower shield and his armor. Alas there came a time where thirteen corrupt merchants who had secretly invested hoards of money supplying the local ruffians grew tired of losing capital to the exploits of the Champion and the Shadow and formed a pact with each other to bring them down. For their plan they hired the couple as bodyguards for a small caravan headed south and once they were several miles out of the city several bands of rogues converged on their location and the men of caravan turned on their bodyguards as they had been in disguise from the beginning. The Champion and Shadow made their stand but there was just too many of them to fight. The Champion pleaded with the Shadow to flee but she refused to leave the man she loved to die at their hands alone and upon her dying breath she declared that her shadow would one day find the ones responsible and make them pay for taking the people she cared about from her. When the men who killed the couple went to retrieve their belongings they found the cloak to be missing as if by magic.

[Thrasymedes]

I do not believe we will find much more here.

Confusion closed his book with a thump, rubbed his eyes and turned towards the others.

I think that it is time to go question those who were robbed and see the actual locations. Right now, let's pool what we read on the way and see if we can reach some conclusions. Depending on what they say, setting a trap might be viable.

[Recaiden]

"The stories they tell about these thieves are certainly colorful."

The story-book, once read, is tossed down next to Remi's pile of records, as Aurichalcum gets to her feet.
"The area can't be that large. We should see what we can see."

[Isyndel]

As the party started working with the records, Elui stopped worrying as much and started to focus on the task at hand.
"Hm...maybe the cloak just makes them act out what they really want to do, like a drunk? If I had a cape like that I'd probably be drunk with power too.

It's probably a good idea to see the merchants, maybe find something in common between them?"

[Ridai]

Remi catches the book, flipping it in her hand and letting the page detailing the death of the previous Shadow fall open. "Many stories hold an inkling of truth. Plus, digging for dirt connecting those merchants strikes me as another good approach for figuring out our thief's motives." Listening to Elui, Remi lets the storybook snap close and lays it gently on the nearby table.

"Maybe. Could also just relate knowledge in some way and let the wearer have at it." Remi hops off her pile of books, rapidly placing them back to where they belong, especially noting the storybook's location. Even if it isn't true in the slightest, she is liking the story a fair bit.

"Time to get digging." And with that, Remi heads out to said district, wanting to get a look at the surroundings.

As she walks, Remi still ponders the story. "...why did she seek revenge for having multiple people taken from her? Only the paladin was mentioned and of relevance, it seems." Remi shifts her head left and right and left again, with a long "hmmmm..." noise. "Maybe a grammar error, the author seemed quite young, but they were quite good with that sort of thing otherwise..."

[Ichneumon]

Hadrian stayed somewhat quiet, his thought drifting away, thinking of vigilantes, thieves, bandits and colorful cloaks. Absent-minded as he was, he hadn't listened to the discussion and was startled when he saw Remi and the rest suddenly stand up and go away. He quickly followed them, somewhat uncertain what they were going to do. He was too embarrassed to ask though. Let's just follow them and pretent I payed attention and know what's going on, he thought. I'm sure it will become clear again once we are there.

[Recaiden]

Auri shakes her head, elated to have found this insight into the writing.
"It's a twist ending. The author claims to have known the previous Crimson Shadow and this paladin. A neat way to tie the story into the world, don't you think? Doubt it's more than that."

She walks near the front of the group, eager to get near the crime scenes and see what can be seen.

[Thrasymedes]

Confusion silently walked with the group keeping a close eye on everyone who passed him as well as keeping an eye out for cartographer's shops. At some point, he planned on picking some up to practice with.

Meanwhile, his initial speculation was very simple: The merchants who were associated with the crime are being blamed. The best way to catch them is going to be to identify who they are hitting next and trace the...goods...hmmmm.

[Scarlet Dragon]

Fortune's Company makes their way to the quarter where most of the Crimson Shadow sightings have been and also the last seven robberies perpetrated by them. They find that each of the 'houses' that have been targeted are more akin to small mansions, while these buildings are impressive on your way here you found houses much more impressive, in front of the some of the mansions one can find the mark of the their quarry. In some cases it looks as if someone tried painting over them only to find the the 'shadow' seeped through and made the paint crimson. A slightly more effective means of hiding it such as placing a tapestry in front of it only serves to draw attention to the area because it is out of place.

How do you wish to approach this? Do you intend to go door to door asking if they will talk? Do you want to ask random people to find out what they know about these seven? Also sorry for not posting sooner

[Thrasymedes]

It looks like they are trying to prepare to guard that house. Do some of you want to try talking to the servants or the owners of the other houses? We could claim to be part of the ones protecting the 8th house asking for advice...which is partly true.

Confusion made sure the lenses were over his eyes and then started looking around for any indication of possible sewer routes in or easy means of access via the rooftops, specifically whether there were any possible routes that all 7 had in common, at the same time he tried to pay attention to the 8th one as well. He decided to give the others a few minutes to try asking questions before he poked his nose in.

Okay, I am going to guess that this would be an active investigation check with possibly history and definitely perception thrown in. Fun fact, my passive perception is equal to 20+my skill. Thus it will be higher than my active in any case but a nat 20. Also, does Auri have a character sheet anywhere?

Investigation: [roll0]
Perception is the better of [roll1] or [roll2] if based on sight. If based on any other sense use the first one.

[roll3]

[Ridai]

Remi helps with the search for the best points of ingress, using her own knowledge on the subject to figure out what makes the best sense to a thief.

Wisdom + Stealth [roll0]

[Ichneumon]

Hadrian agreed with Confusion. "I think it is a good idea to maybe ask some servants or approach someone on the street, asking if they know what's going on."

As he saw the rest of the group investigate the building, he looked around and casually approached the first passerby on the street: "Hi there. Sorry to bother you. I'm just visiting this town and I was just passing by when I saw that... You know what's going on there?", Hadrian says, politely and he points to the well guarded building. "All those guards and messengers seems somewhat unusual."

I'm not sure what to roll (if anything), but since all my charisma-based skills have a +1, I guess it will be 1d20+1: [roll0]

[Scarlet Dragon]

As Confusion examines every minute detail of the targeted house he comes to the conclusion that the only thing they share in common (at least in means of accessing them) is that they all have front doors and have a walled enclosure, a couple of them have side entrances to allow servants access but those are under more scrutiny than the front doors.

Remi is certain that whoever pulled these thefts off are either incredibly skilled or extremely lucky but if they were the ones planning these thefts they would use the cover of night or some other means of going undetected and either slip in through one of the doors disguised as a courier or vault over the wall when the guards were rotating shifts. However since you know the Crimson Shadow is not pulling off these heists during the night they suspect that they are either disguising themselves as a courier to gain access or they have some other means of ingress. Though you don't know how they are managing to hide the signature cape that is so closely tied to the character.

As Hadrian accosts the man he looks at you conspiratorially "Its not common knowledge but this particular Shadow marks their prey in advance, sometimes they perform the act later that day or after a weeks time (I suspect they don't mention it in the official reports because they are to proud to let people know that they knew they were being targeted and couldn't stop it). Poor Usgard over there has been anxiously waiting around for two days now. The only people he has been letting in are couriers that he personally knows and all the food is delivered outside and brought in by the guards."



Remi you have a +5 when using Wisdom instead of Dexterity alongside your Stealth training but it only affects the result a little anyways

[Thrasymedes]

Hmm, the attacker must have either snuck in or disguised themselves to come in, or teleported.

He looked at the situation again and then turned to the others:

Whenever he makes his attempt, he is going to use some sort of distraction to give him a moment to grab and run. Do we want to head over and talk to the guards to see if we can try to be close to the target to intervene then?

[Ichneumon]

Hadrian listened to what the man had to say, thanked him and went back to the others.

He agreed fully with Confusion's suggestion. "Yes, that seems like a good idea. Our best option seems to be to try to be here when the Crimson Shadow strikes. That man just told me the guy who owns the place is called Usgard and he's been waiting for two days."

[Ridai]

(Remi has Stealth Expertise, so the modifier is correct)

Her teammates seem dead set on doing exactly what the guards have been doing for the last six merchants (and failed), so Remi shrugs and offers "We could convince them to place something over where the treasure is usually kept, replace the treasure with something else and hide away the actual goods somewhere else. We could watch both places, doesn't need to be far apart."

(I'll also go ahead and say that I was told that the stuff Remi is wondering about from the book has some hidden meanings in it. But I can't act on it, because Remi apparently failed some check. I was pretty much told so I could nudge you folks on it. Which I find pretty frustrating, to be quite honest, punishing player initiative.)

[Thrasymedes]

Confusion shrugged as he looked at the group and then had a thought:

Auri, we need to get you up close to the item before he steals it. Then tomorrow you can prepare a spell to find out where it is if we miss him taking it. I would like to stay out here and keep an eye on the street for a bit.

As he sat out there, he pondered whether there were any clue in the stories about what sort of person had tended to bear the cloak or who the person...s maybe Auri was right after all. He suddenly started trying to figure out why there were multiple referred to when just one was mentioned. Did whoever gain the cloak always do so after losing someone dear to them?

I am going to guess that investigation is the best bet to figure out such a question and/or the significance of the phrasing in the book:

[roll0]

[Recaiden]

"To mark it."
Aurichalcum nods, considering that. Not as direct an approach as she would favor.
"Let's try it."

"The one thing. How do we get them to believe none of us are the thief ourselves?"

Ah, it'll work out.
Auri approaches the front door of the place and asks for entry, displaying the company paper to prove who she is, and assure them that we are 'here to help'.

[Scarlet Dragon]

After taking a thorough glance at your credentials the lead guard motions for you all to step inside however he only allows you into the entryway while he sends one of the other sentries to go fetch the master. After a couple of minutes waiting with a half dozen eyes watching your every move, you see a moderately heavyset middle aged man who is starting to bald come into the room. "I am Usgard and the head of my guard Anton there believes you may be able to help with my pest problem so let me hear of your plan but before you speak to me of it let us adjourn to a more private location." With that he leads the party towards the inner part of the house as they are led through the house they see a few servants here and there going about their business cleaning the house. After going through several hallways you are brought to a room with a bright green door and he ushers you all in. Within the room there is a round table with 7 chairs around it "Please take a seat so that we may discuss our business in a more civilized manner, so how do you intend to help me?"

It was actually insight to understand the meaning the investigation was to notice it but noticing does not necessarily mean understanding.

[Thrasymedes]

Our plan was to both provide an additional set of skilled eyes to notice the confusion when he attempted the snatch as well as to try and identify how he came in and have a third string to our bow by having one of our party able to track them by magical means.

Confusion felt uncomfortable speaking first in such company but the awkward silence had gone on for far too long already.

[Recaiden]

Auri leans on the back of a chair, suspicious of Usgard. He's clearly going to be the thief's target, but does he deserve help? Is there honor among thieves ,and how far does it go?
"Misdirection. We replace your treasure with a fake, marked magically, and hide the original elsewhere, but obviously center security on the decoy."
"If we catch the shadow in the act, excellent, but if not, she gets nothing much, and we have a way to track her down."

[Scarlet Dragon]

"That seems like a good idea but what if they see through the ruse and take the now undefended treasure while we are left with nothing but a fake? And how do you propose to hide the fact that the fake is not the real deal? I am fairly certain they will attempt to steal my Elixirs of Health of which I have two and are capable of curing any disease, or poison, they have a distinct look to them that would be hard to replicate. The liquid is clear red with tiny bubbles of light floating on the inside."

[Ridai]

"Well, we could do it like this: we put the potions into the smallest possible case, make sure it is well-locked and sealed. Then, we place an identical case with two phials filled with the same amount of water where the potions currently rest. Meanwhile, part of us take the case with the real potions to a different corner of the house and, well, I'll place it in a corner and sit on it. If the fake case goes missing, we can track it with magic. If the thief knows what's up and goes after the real case, they need to get around a halfling sitting on the case first. Should that succeed, we can still track that case, plus we might have some more info about this thief. Sound good?"

Remi hardly cares about the merchant. Right now, though, they need to "make nails with heads", as one of her aunts used to say in her quite own manner. The halfling is still very much inclined to believe the merchants at least partially brought this upon themselves, as avarice is a common disease in their craft, but that has to wait for now.

[Thrasymedes]

I actually have an idea on that one. Every previous time the theft worked and I wonder if that was due to some form of divination or telepathy. My thought is instead of one dummy prepare two and ensure all three are sealed. Put the first dummy where we want it to be and take one dummy and the real one and have several people separately switch them such that no one knows which is the real one. We would guard both but at that point, he will have to try for both and we are twice as likely to catch him. Also, some of us are extremely good at spotting things so it should make it less likely for him to get it without us noticing.