Uncaged

[sageaqua]

OOC: fine with me.

[at]

The travel to Burr is short and peaceful - the group do not encounter the guard party, either they have not yet been sent or they have travelled north along the road that the party first used to approach the town with Altar, from the mill house.

Though it has not been long since Vadania and Ka'lion were last here much has changed with new structures being built and the old town returning fully to life after the population had been forced into hiding in the inner square by the siege. A significant merchant camp bearing the marks of Merebas, and a few of the eastern kingdom, lay across the southern road and the party recognises many of the barbarian tribes amongst the crowds.

Melwyn notes that the road beyond to the east, to his home past the old mines, is unusually guarded, and Brennen spots what he considers to be oddly out of place - men bearing the garb of the western ports, Blacksands and the isles beyond.



(as an aside - since the party is no longer part of the time critical demon plot downtime is optional to rebuild the underground base, study, etc. Anything that requires adventure cannot be done in downtime however and not more than a few months at a time)

[harknail]

While not feeling the same time pressure as being directly involved, Vadania is still trying to play a support role for the Demon fight. Specifically, she plans to retrieve the magic sword from the tomb in the lizard man valley and bring it back to the Silver Flame for use in fighting the Demon. So she's fine with a few days of downtime, but not weeks or months.


Vadania suggests, "Shall we start in the merchant area first so that you can rid yourself of your heavy cargo? We can try selling the promissory notes as well."

[sageaqua]

If is legal to sell the preomasery notes - selling them is fine with Ka'lion but Ka'lion has a feeling it may prove ilegal and we don't need those additional head aches. As is we may be arrested for it and Ka'lion doesn't want to loose everything we own or give anypne any additional power over the party. If it is truelly legal we canm trade the promasery notes at the castle. The rest of it we can trade with the merchents including the wagon. Hopfully Ka'lion will earn enough to pay off Melven, and but a empty spellbook and to buy a handful of wizard spells and needed supplies from Melven. It's cheaper then buying scolls and then it's off to the lake before going after the sword.

[at]

Most of the promissory notes are entitled 'to the bearer' and merchants would be happy enough to accept them, though how much of the face value they will give depends on how remote the payee and Ka'lions bargaining skills (three diplomacy tests or suitable profession skills - for the easy, moderately difficult, and finally hard notes to redeem).

The notes that are named to an individual or family are harder to profit from as a more shady individual must be located - technically all of the notes, the cart, and everything taken from it are stolen but the laws regarding such things is somewhat vague in the Steadlands and Burr in particular.


The metals can be traded for a few gold coin in the town itself. As Ka'lion tries to figure out how much money he can make though Vadania is caught up by all the odd trinkets, clothing, and other wares of the southern merchants - she had seen little of the craft of Merebas in her life and finds it fascinating, particularly the odd clockwork mechanisms sold by one individual.

[sageaqua]

easy trade promisary notes - +6+rollAyK8TpH2p_1-20=7
moderately - +6+rollp_1-20=18
difficult - turn into the authorities for any reward +6+rollp_1-20=8
sell the rest +6+rollp_1-20=171-20�1-20�1-20�1-20

[at]

Ka'lion gathers 455 gold in all, between sale of the cart, it's contents, and the various notes and junk he had collected. The guards advise him that those notes he had given in will be noted on the town board to be collected should a family member present themselves - what reward they choose to give or questions they might ask the guard cannot say.

After exchanging some of the notes for a blank spellbook, materials, and paying off Melwyn Ka'lion is left with 105 gold coins for each of the four party members - a great deal for a commoner, but somewhat short of what he yet needs for his studies. Melwyn offer to transcribe a few spells for Ka'lion in return for his share of the gold (the basic three plus cantrips of a starting wizard)

Asking around he is offered 120 gold for his horse, though he makes no commitment to sell.

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion will except Melwyn's offer, and the spells he wants are mount, mage armor and ray of enfeeblement plus the cantrips and he pays Melwyn his share and he keeps his horse. His gears still to heavy to carry. We should also deal with the huge ruby and gold and Melwyn should get a share of that. He was guarding the parties way out.

[at]

The coins from the illusionary treasure room add another 20gp to everyones pockets. The gemstone however, based on its size, appears to be of real value. Does Ka'lion have any preferences on trying to sell it?

[harknail]

Vadania will seek out the Captain of the guard, to talk about the Ogre, Gnoll, and Kobold attack. She'll give him all the information she has, especially that the ogres were more skilled than normal and that one was a spell caster.

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion talks to the party about sewlling the ruby first - I think the ruby is magical. When he does he gives the party their share of the treasure. The only place in town to sell the gem is at the castle.

[Jasmine]

Brennen can easily confirm whether the ruby is magical by using detect magic and identify on it.

Sorry about the recent inactivity, the site stopped sending me email notifications for some reason.

[at]

Brennen confirms that the ruby is magical but dormant, powerful transmutation and enchantment that defy easy control or comprehension - perhaps a part of the golem.


(an appraise roll is required for the base value of the gem, but there is more than one trader in Burr who could do it for a small fee)

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion asks around to learn whose honest and knows gems and learns what it'ts going to cost. Ka'lion thinks he knows how to actavate the gem's powers and can test it in a hay bell - if he's right it's actavated by closing the door with people nearby and then we fight a straw golem if not he can keep exsparmenting. But he thinks it just uses whatever is avalable to create the golem. That's highly useful.

[at]

Ka'lions experiment yields no results, but the group does find a somewhat reputable pawnbroker who, for a silver coin, values the gem at anything up to 10,000 gold coins - in the right Merebas auction house. It is a ruby of exceptional quality save for what at first appears to be a flaw, but which under closer inspection is an inscription in draconic - Brennen recognises it as the same challenge from the arena, "you have proven your valour and your wisdom, now prove your worth."

The pawn shop itself is an unusual mix of items, weapons, and peculiar artefacts. Those that are magical are held separate and none are weapons - Vadania and Ka'lion recall that all know magical weapons within the town had been claimed by the guards during the siege.

[sageaqua]

"Ka'lion asks about the magical artifacts thinking about trading the gem for 5 of them plus scrolls for his spell book. But it would depend on what they are and do before he'd camit to any trades. 5 magic items that the party can use with some gold in their pocket is more useful to the party. Basicly the gem seems to be a security devise and thats what Ka'lion thinks it is.

[at]

The trader seems to have mixed feelings - the gem is likely the single most valuable object he has ever encountered, but who would he sell it to?

"Let me think about that for a moment" He looks towards his small collection of magical items trying to figure out what he could part with, and what he could do with a gem of that size.

Ultimately he collects five items together on his desk, with several more set aside, and calls for his young daughter to bring out the box of scrolls. He then shows the group each item in turn:

A pair of black furred boots, "a recent exchange, comfortable and magical to save you from falls, and tough too"
A deep red hooded cloak with traceries of silver, "to protect you from both rain and magic"
A simple gold ring encircled with glyphs, "to protect you from swords and axes"
A string instrument, similar to a lute and of elven craft, "perhaps for the lady"

Finally, a wand of blackened oak, "and, ah, the wand of the wolf. A barbarian exchanged it for a loan of gold and did not return, but was insistent on it's power. That was long ago though."

[sageaqua]

"Raptoran well you identify these items please. You might want the boot's if they have feather fall benefits they would be a real treasure for your people. I can use them to as I climb a lot but I don't fall very often. We do know to get to a dangerous treasure we will likely fall 30 feet to get out again in one piece. I'm less sure about the others. But the wand of the wolf most likely summons fiendish wolves. Where none of us are evil. I don't mind using it. The rest I'm not sure of. I don't think robes and cloaks work together and I'm already resistant to weapon damage..” says Ka’lion, “What do the other items do?”

[at]

Brennen finds that both the cloak and ring possess faint abjuration magic (+1 items), the boots and wand possess transmutation magic though Brennen is unfamiliar with the spells - the magic in the former flares up when dropped while the latter seems to hold a small reserve of power to cast spells. Finally the musical instrument contains both evocation and transmutation power - but is unresponsive to command, Brennen speculates that its wielder needs to possess some capability with the instrument to wield it effectively.

Set aside the merchant also has a pair of gloves with a pattern of arcane runes across their surface, a spool of silk rope, and an old dwarven-looking mug. Ka'lion notes that he also left several items in their place - likely the most valuable ones as Ka'lions demand was for quantity over quality.

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion's intrested in the rope. He never seems to have enough. And Ka'lion asked to look at the items. He denanded nothing.