The Closed Eye (DM: Halford, Judge: garyh)

[Graf]

Palindrome

The group splits up.

Palindrome heads to the Great Library of Daunton. The massive gleaming dome looms over the whole city from it's perch on the highest hill overlooking the inner bay.

[sblock=Palindrome gets the sblocks]Palindrome's route takes him through Cobblestop, and out into the back allies through several neighborhoods. On his way he as he approaches the library he skirts the Last Forge, lurking in the shadow of the Great Library. Deep in its heart lies ancient (and virtually broken) artifact that gives life to the 'forged; as the race once called warforged now call themselves.

The Library is open to all, Palindrome is certain he can find excellent copies of Haflod's Magical Writing and Vaithe's True Writing: The Beginners Lexicon; as well as extensive commentaries.

Or he can try to get access to the restricted stacks and Yarg's Decrypting the Hidden.
[/sblock]

 

[Graf]

[sblock=Streetwise]
Streetwise: Using this skill takes 1 hour and might be part of a skill challenge.

Arnest & the Glasstons, the L'irkashs, D'Rawth, and the Roots

You have 4 hours and 4 topics... 4 rolls seems reasonable to me. I'd like them to be "group" rolls (for my sanity). But it's just Woe with streetwise anyway right?

For the record using Streetwise to get info is "fast but limited". You have quick conversations with people. Just to keep things on track (and avoid weird time dilation 4 conversations would be probably ten or more posts...)[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

For the DM only...

[sblock=Palindrome at the Library]

RESTRICTED STACKS!

RESTRICTED STACKS!

RESTRICTED STACKS!

[sblock=Out of Character]

Or he can try to get access to the restricted stacks and Yarg's Decrypting the Hidden.

You might as well have painted it in bright neon with little dancing happy faces and sparkles!

I mean, honestly, do I want to look at the crazy guy's book?

Oh, yes.

Yes, I do.



[sblock=A veritable Russian doll of sblocks...]And you can bet your sweet bippy that Palindrome will try to steal SOMETHING in the restricted stacks. Sweet sassy molassy! Heck, he'll look way in the back under the dustiest, nastiest corners of 'nobody has ever been there' and at least rip a few pages out of a book.

[sblock=Uh...]The Perception check (with a result of 5) I rolled for Palindrome only applied to the regular part of the library that Palindrome has to walk through to get to the restricted stacks. So...

[OOC: KenHood performs a Bluff check against Graf.][/sblock][/sblock]
So, do you need thievery, bluff, and so on checks? Or shall we role-play the trip?

For the love of all that is good and decent, tell me now! Tell me! Tell me!

Oh, I feel giddy! Look, my hands are shaking![/sblock]
[/sblock]

 

[Dunamin]

“Alright Tander, let’s see what we can dig up.”

Woe leads the duo over quite an expanse of Cobblestop in their investigation of parties implicated in the case. They drop in at sites that are ripe with gossip and rumors to chat up locals in the know, including cafés, inns, markets, and the local bath house, as appropriate to those on their list who frequent such places.

[sblock=Streetwise checks]By “group rolls” do you mean assuming the +2 for Tander aiding? I’ll do that, then just subtract two from appropriate results if his aid should be unsuccessful in some cases.
Glasstons 10,
The Roots 22,
D'Rawth 17,
L'irkash 17.[/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

Although uncertain exactly what they are looking for, Tander keeps his eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary.

[sblock=Perception Checks]
15, 16, 21, 22 (to match four streetwise checks made by woe - does not include any +2)
[/sblock]

 

[Graf]

[sblock=OOC: no aiding on streetwise unless you have streetwise trained]
Sorry, I think my first post wasn't clear but....

Streetwise is a ridiculously fast way to get info. Otherwise it's a total waste of a skill. I think it makes it more meaningful for your 1 (or 2) 1st level feats if people can't "aid".

We if have some sort of "extended challenge" then I'll allow aiding, but otherwise, you've either got the skill, or you don't (and need to do actual investigative type stuff).
[/sblock]

Woe and Tander take off, the ex-guardsman is sauntering, chatting with people, poking his head into a bar; but for all his apparently casual pace he's covering ground quickly.
The Glasstons
Splog, retired mercenary, occasional bodyguard for the wealthy

Yeah sure I know alll about the Glasston's they invite me out their estate on the back bay all the time. Har! Seriously? They don't hire outsiders, and you need to have serious cred to even meet the guy who works for the guy who hires people. Pay's aces though...
​

Paxter, foodpad messenger

Yeah, I know about the Roots once or twice.
They out of Overgrowth; most folks think they're halflings, small time. Pretty tight knit.
The halfling things an image, they only about half halflings; but the non-halfs aren't faces. They hold their turf, and run protection mostly.That's all they do, flat rates, no vig, so you get a lot of independent operators. They get raided sometimes, don't have muscle but nobody got serious beef with them.
Actually, once, I heard that somebody try something; the Mulligans, from 'round the Boulder. Go in, do some thumping, do some beating. Stab that skag that run 'em, the one with all the scars?
Anyway, nothing happens for a week or two, Mulligan's act like they own Overgrowth an all that... then? They start disappearing. No bodies, no threats, no nothing. A month later, you can't find one of 'em. Actually not every one, one of them run off to Bacarte I hear. He dye his hair and all at, but Rat-face, you know, he one ugly goblin. Work for his uncle now.

Seriously, I straight up and legit now... you keep your guard buddies away from me, kay?
​

Marko the Noodleman
Best noodles in the back bay, and the -only- place to get decent cheap food there.

L'irkash? I hear it's been bad for them. Upstarts, all their success with navigating the storms; people always talked about how ships with the L'irkash flag 'r lucky. Now the elementals thing? 'n something that sounds like a sacrifice? It looks bad. They losing people, I hear, and not getting many visitors, and the ones who do come are doing the whole black cloaks, covered carriages and odd times of night, thing.
It's a hard fall, given how they were just about on the level of the Founding Families; the Haverfalls are apparently pretty happy about the whole thing, business is up, things keep like this and they'll be back to their position as the pre-ement shipping family.
​

Wes, part time bartender at Hanged Man

D'Rawth? He's been around a bit, in the private rooms; seems pretty down. I heard him telling one of the pretty waitresses that he was working on new project. Like a play or something. I suppose that was why he was meeting people, getthing their stories and all that.
He had a sword on, but obviously not doing much swinging without that arm. She said he doesn't so bad as they say, from the back anyway... well. Anyway, not so bad as they say.

​

 

[Graf]

ooc: As mentioned in my sig I will probably only be able to post M,W,F for a while (a month or two, which is probably how long this adventure will take to complete). When I do post I will try to make them substantial posts.

[sblock=Palindrome]Sorry to be so late in responding.
I hope your enthusiasm hasn't been damped too much.

Stealing from the restricted stacks is potentially extremely challenging. I think my intent was that you'd get access to a book from the hidden stacks, not free reign.

Then there is also the whole issue of it being an unusual place that is potentially under the direct influence of the goddess Mireva.


Lets say it's like this... you get a bluff check to get access to the restricted stacks, presumably depending upon your masters reputation; it's vs the senior librarian on duty, a crusty old tiefling, named Vim'gra't.

DC 10 -- gets you access to the book, for four hours. You'd be in a room, isolated from the stacks and really only get to do the check.

DC 15 -- access to the book and some commentaries; and you're watched by a senior, cranky, librarian (aforesaid teifling). The commentaries aren't really that useful, but they give you -some- chance to try to pull something. Of course, a botched theivery roll could potentially get you expelled. And Vim'gra't's probably tricky to slip things by (so +5 to difficulty).

DC 20 -- access to the book and the assitance of an eager-to-please-easily-distracted assistant librarian. Not that it gaurantees anything of course, but there won't be penalities.

When you're trying to get something let me know whether you're looking for

• GP value
• Something that would be useful to the case
• Abhorent knowneldge (which lots of GP value, but potentially dangerous to fence)

or something else

[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

Daddy needs a new pair of shoes!

[sblock=Like a kid in a candy shop...]

Sorry to be so late in responding.
I hope your enthusiasm hasn't been damped too much.

Not at all!

Then there is also the whole issue of it being an unusual place that is potentially under the direct influence of the goddess Mireva.

Palindrome's thoughts...
But that only matters if the gods really intervene in mortal affairs, and since that whole cluster-frog on the formerly extant Isle of Troian, they've been less likely to involve themselves directly.

And then direct involvement of the gods would defeat the purpose of faith. Faith is the meat and bread of godly existence. A god that acts in a direct manner provides proof thereby negating faith. Ergo, said god will starve to death, wither, and die.

Didn't that happen to that god...uh...whathisname?

Oh, right! No one remembers his name because he gave proof of his existence and therefore no longer exists.

Palindrome performs a Bluff check against himself. (1d20+7=27)

Yeah! A perfect '20'! Id performs a critical hit on super-ego!

[sblock=@#$!]And for the record, I would like to state the IRONY of rolling a perfect '20' on a roll I intended solely for humorous purposes![/sblock]

Lets say it's like this... you get a bluff check to get access to the restricted stacks, presumably depending upon your masters reputation; it's vs the senior librarian on duty, a crusty old tiefling, named Vim'gra't.

Bring it on, you horny academian!

Ugh. That didn't come out right.

---

And the roll is...
Bluff check for restricted stacks. (1d20+7=23)

In quantum physics, that would be: 'YEE' to the power of 'HA'!

DC 20 -- access to the book and the assitance of an eager-to-please-easily-distracted assistant librarian. Not that it gaurantees anything of course, but there won't be penalities.

Gimme the libralackey!

Hey, what's that over there, gopher-boy? Yeah. Why don't you go check out those weird dancing lights? :smirk:

When you're trying to get something let me know whether you're looking for

• GP value
• Something that would be useful to the case
• Abhorent knowneldge (which lots of GP value, but potentially dangerous to fence)

• GP Value

Nah.​

• Something that would be useful to the case.

Yeah. That's why I made this roll: Arcana check at the Daunton library. (1d20+10=26)​

• Abhorrent knowledge...

While monkeyboy is traipsing through the stacks to find the results of previous roll, Palindrome looks for some of these goodies baddies.

Here's the Arcana check: Arcana check for 'abhorrent knowledge'. (1d20+10=15)

Pfft. Okay, so it's a little abhorrent. But as every good rules lawyer will point out, the errata for the DMG states that DC 15 is 'difficult' for 1st to 3rd level players. (OOC: KenHood performs Bluff check.)

And here's the Thievery check for filching the abhorrent knowledge...
Thievery check for 'abhorrent knowledge'. (1d20+8=17)

hew!:

Not awesome, but it will do.

In all likelihood, Palindrome is not going to fence the stuff.​

If I only have time to go after one of the three, then Palindrome will pick information related to the case. Some folks may consider that out-of-character for him, but it's just him taking the long view.
[/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

"Woe, your connections are most impressive," Tander says at the end of their day's investigations. His brow furrows in thought. "It is hard to know what to do with the information in the Screamer since we know it has been tampered with. The story about the L'irkash seems suspect now, given how convenient it is for the other well-to-do families. But that's just speculation on my part. What you've uncovered about the Mulligans seems a more promising lead. It could well be that they were hired to intimidate the Roots so that their usual Screamer distributation would be interrupted. Why else would they cause so much trouble and then leave as soon as they came? At the very least, we should find and interrogate this goblin in Bacarte. Do you agree?"

 

[Dunamin]

As the latest contact leave their table late afternoon, Woe absently rolls a copper piece across the knuckles on his shield hand while nodding thoughtfully at Tander’s words.
“I wholeheartedly agree, the Mulligans instance by far seems the strongest lead to go on.”

“Members of the Mulligans mysteriously disappear from a supposedly lucrative and established position. No bodies, no nothing. Arnest similarly disappear from one day to the other. No body, no nothing. Both are connected to the Screamer – the former messed with the street distributors, the latter has an obsession with the paper.”

“During the Glasston visit it would seem a good idea to – Gah!” A sudden jolt goes through Woe’s left hand and he drops the coin, which rolls off the table and on the floor. The warrior cuts a grimace in pain and utters foul curses, routinely tugging the hand to his chest to stop it from shaking too much.
After a moment the fit seems to pass, and Woe picks up his coin and continues their conversation as if nothing had occurred.

“During the Glasston visit it would seem a good idea to inquire this personal butler of theirs about who Arnest has been talking to lately within “Screamer society”. If the Mulligans’ or Ratface’s name come up again…”