shitlords!

[onefellswoop]

placeholder title above! hmmmm


1) Prelude: Ill-Natured Shrubbery.
2) The Party Gathers: If a Tree Burns in the Forest...
3) Death House Pt. 1: Family, If You Wish It.
4) Death House Pt. 2: Onward and Downward.
5) Awich: The Dead All Know, The Dead All Go.
6) Awich: Investigations.
7) Awich: After the Battle.
8) Loch Bien: Complications, Concerns, Frogs.

Comments

[onefellswoop]

As for the rest of the shopping: there's a shop that deals exclusively in oddities like books from the Abyssal Plain. An odds and ends merchant has two books in Deep Speech that he claims came from uncharted reaches of the Underdark. A lot of merchants sell bones. A. Lot.

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Dima would like to take a look at the books in Deep Speech and try to determine whether they're genuine and potentially of interest. And ask the shopkeep how he came into possession of them.

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One of the books appears to be a naturalist's guide to the Underdark. The other is, apparently, a book of Dwarven poetry.

The shopkeeper just stares at Dima. This is probably an impolite question, as "came into possession" usually involves an untimely end.

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Dima begs the shopkeeper's forgiveness, and says he appreciates the chance to have encountered these books and will keep them very much in mind.

He will aLso, though, head to the shop of oddities and look at the books for the Abyssal Plain, suggesting that Faolan see whether there's anything that catches his interest around the shop.

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Faolan lingers behind a moment or two, eyeing the naturalist's guide.

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Liviana is going to stay with Fae for now, which makes Dima a little less reluctant to move on to the books.

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Fae KNEW he'd kept something from the Durst house: after a moment of searching, he produces the iron pendant with the devil's face that Rin didn't want. The shopkeeper examines it thoughtfully, then makes the trade for the book.

Fae trots back over to Dima and holds it out. "You'll be around long enough, won't you? To read this to me?"

He doesn't speak Deep Speech.

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Dima touches the book cover, letting his touch linger, then smiling up at Faolan. "Oh, yes. And it would be my pleasure, Fae.

"In fact. If you'd like, I might teach you some measure of the language? So we can read it together, of course."

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Fae holds the book close for a while, smiling to himself and not quite trusting any of this - but it feels nice nevertheless.

And as for the Abyssal Plain, the book is a deeply boring treatise on planar doors.

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Does it seem like particularly rare knowledge at all? If non, Dima would like to look around the rest of the shop for any items either containing magical properties or usual in the casting of spells.

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The book looks like it's not useful at all.

[note: Dima will pass on this one.]

However, while they're wandering, Fae finds something...else.

He almost misses it, in fact: it's thin, coptic bound, with water damage to its cover and some of the pages. However, the title is barely visible - just enough that he picks it up curiously and holds it out.

In faded gothic text are the words, "Book of the Raven".

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Dima is going to stare at it, smile slightly, and move to Faolan's side as he takes the book, so that Fae and Liv can also see.

Also Dima absolutely saying, "Oh, beautifully done," to Fae as he reads the cover.

[q: is this anything Dima (or tbh Liv) might have heard of? and/or what is it :O!
dm: This is nothing either of them have ever encountered; however, there are familiar contents within.]

And he does open the book.

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The first thing Dima will notice is that the cover is made from thin, unvarnished sheets of black oak covered with bird scratches and indentations from beaks. Within the covers are thirty-three pages bearing tiny, blotchy brown script written in an unsteady hand by an unidentified author.

It appears to be a firsthand account written in Common. The author, after falling off her horse and breaking her leg, was rescued and befriended by Vistani travelers who graciously nursed her back to health. The account details her three-month travels with the Vistani.

Though richly detailed in description of the Vistani, the book only names two: Drasha, a teenaged girl who applied the author's bandages, and Darzin, a one-armed boy with a terrible fear of wolves, who sang beautiful songs to take the author's mind off the pain from her leg.

All told, the book seems to be an anthropological study of the Vistani way of life.

The ending is abrupt, with the troupe approaching a the gates of a tall, winding castle and a description of its dreadful countenance. There are four blank pages following the ending, which comes mid-sentence.

Most intriguing, however, is a piece of parchment that has been folded and slipped between two pages. The map doesn't seem to have been a part of the book to begin with.

[q: Would Dima know anything particular or general about the Vistani?
a: Dima would probably know quite a bit about them. (+includes screenshot of info)]

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Dima is very, very intrigued by and drawn to this. He tells Fae and Liv his intention to see about securing the book, and if there are no objections, he's going to speak with the shopkeeper to see whether he might have the book as the final bit of contract payment.

[note: The shopkeeper seems only too happy to part with the book.]

Dima is pretty hype to give this a thorough read and study. And he'll be examining that map, trying to determine where it might be.

[dm: Dima will recognize some of the map locations as older landmarks in Morovsk. The names aren't the same, but Scorch of the Red Wyrm is an active volcano he would be aware of.

q: how old do the book and map appear to be?
a: it's at least seventy or eighty years old]

And Dima will not be examining this especially far right now, since there is not a whole whole lot of time in the night, but he'll keep glancing at and through it as he continues to walk with Fae, and yes he is just going to slip his arm through Faolan's, and tell him this just might be a future adventure to share.

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Faolan smiles, pleased to have found something for Dima that takes his interest so thoroughly. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of adventures besides."

"So we will. Plenty of adventures, and a life's worth of time to share between our wanderings. In peace, in fury, and in our own rejoicing." His eyes travel once more from the book to Faolan, catching on that smile, his heart hitching its bear upon the sight. And, voice softer, "You'll be very happy, Faolan. We both will be.

"When we rest, and when we burn the world just as we please."

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[onefellswoop]

At first light, the group reconvenes to continue their journey to Loch Bien. On the way, they'll pass through Awich again; it's an opportunity to sell off anything in need of selling and to restock things like rations, potions, etc.

They can also here make the decision to either walk the three or four day trek to Loch Bien or to take Awich's river to the coast and journey a half day from there. While the latter is considerably shorter an option even going against the current, it is known to be more perilous.


So begins some shopping and housekeeping!

q: Did Nerys have any info from Gower?
a: Nerys will talk to Gower on the road between markets, so as not to hassle him while he's "working.”

q: if they take the river to the coast, would they be traveling by boat to Loch Bien?
a: They can take either boat or walk the coast road.

q: when is The Gathering Of Nobles supposed to begin?
a: The gathering of nobles is meant to begin in about a week or so; everyone was arriving with ample time to enjoy the hospitality of Alfrig.

q: would the goblin's hand have found someone to stay with at the market? or does rin still have it?
a: The hand will be staying with Nerys for a while.

note: Rin gave friend golem a pouch containing ten ball bearings
dm: The golem friend appreciates the gift as it has never been given one before, and will cherish it greatly.

Rin proposes selling off the weapons they pulled from the ruin corpses unless anybody wanted to keep any of them. Dima and Rin both agree it'd be wise to buy rations and potions; Dima would also like to look into a light crossbow.

dm: For selling the weapons, probably everything prices out to about 300gp, more or less. A lot of it was damaged by golems or fire.

Dima pays 25gp for a light crossbow, then 50gp for powdered silver and iron. Fae sells a quarterstaff and scimitar for 15gp. Other items are sold and bought, money is divvied up. Sen ends up with the Ruby of the War Mage and the hand crossbow from the party’s collective inventory.

Rin has put everything they stole from Calabra (except the money and the whetstone/cloth taken from Torrio's nightstand) in the Bag of Holding, unless anyone wants to keep any of it in-hand. Dima does take the correspondence.

dm: I will allow people in the party (apart from Rin, who has no focus (lmao in multiple ways)) to work together while traveling upriver to cast an enchantment on Dima's light crossbow. I’ll say 3 days - the entirety of the journey to Loch Bien plus some time in an inn room - and no cost, as all of them are either magical or using a focus, and they're not crafting an item, just enchanting.

Rin, not having a focus, isn’t included in the enchanting work and is free to pick pockets and talk to Curio and do what Rins do. Rin can handle food prep! Maybe do some scouting around wherever they camp and practice their Elvish.

And since Dima is reading the book on the Underdark to Fae at night, roll a d20.

(Dima rolls a 5. Thankfully, Fae rolls higher.)

Dima and Fae both learn a piece of lore from the book that gives them advantage in a specific Underdark scenario: They gain advantage in attack rolls against Drow Mages.

After the first night of travel to Loch Bien, Dima would have contacted Derzhena via sending to let her know that Something Is Up with Calabra, and that Dima found 'Her' aka Liv.

Thus ends the housekeeping! And the party advances to Loch Bien.

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