The Wandering Archipelago (D&D 5e)

[thinkslogically]

Korrik subtly tries to collect the shiny thing, but his sly attempt is somewhat thwarted by rigor mortis and he is forced to pry the hand open with both of his to retrieve the shiny thing. He glances at it briefly before putting it quietly in his pocket. It appears to be a small gold coin, but much smaller than a normal gold piece.

[spiderwrangler]

"Let's go Kal. If he's still here when we return, we can alert the watch." I'll head off for the Temple district, once we are a few blocks away, if we are in a low traffic area, I'll pull the coin out and have a look at it.

[thinkslogically]

Korrik pulls a reluctant Kal away from the body and they head uphill again towards where they saw the temple dome earlier. Once they are out of the way a bit, Kal mutters a prayer for the poor dead man, and Korrik checks his new treasure piece. It is engraved with the symbol of a dragon's head on one side and a large tree (like an oak) on the other. It is unlike anything he's seen before.

[spiderwrangler]

I tuck it away for now, engaging in small talk with Kal, asking what insignia would denote a temple of his god, etc. on our way.

((Essentially, looking to get him to his faith's temple, then slip away while he's reconnoitering with the priesthood to meet up with my contact's contact.))

[thinkslogically]

((Ok cool. I'll wait for an action from Syli then you guys should all be more or less back on the same time frame))

[Nioca]

Syli quickly heads for the chandlery and steps inside, giving only a passing glance at the other merchandise before looking for a proprietor.

► Show Spoiler

Sorry for the late reply. I'm trying to bounce back from both a head cold that doesn't want to go away, along with a 17-hour shift at work.

[thinkslogically]

Syli makes a beeline for the Chandlers and heads inside. The shop contains a general assortment of wet-weather clothing, maritime equipment, barrels of caulk, more rope that she can quite get her head around and plenty of useful tools, hooks, lanterns and the like. Stepping up to the counter, she approaches an enormous, black-haired dwarf who is standing behind the desk with his arms folded across his chest. His hair is waxed and tied behind his head in a thick plait and his beard is braided into three long strands. He wears a light cotton shirt, and wears an amulet around his neck that you recognise as bearing Melora's symbol. He says absolutely nothing, but simply watches her approach.

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Korrik chats to Kal about Pelor for a bit as they walk. Cresting the top of the hill, the pair catch a glimpse of the gold dome of the Temple of Pelor rising up over the red-tiled homes of the Merchant's Quarter, all on the other side of the river. From here, they can see an old swing-bridge spanning the river a couple of miles upstream to the east, and spot the river ferry just a little way to the west of them*. Kal also remembers that Bren mentioned there was a shrine to Pelor on this side of the river somewhere within a mile of the Town Square, and that Sam would be able to take them there if they wanted to visit (or they could just ask someone).

The others arrive at the General Store and set about collecting the rest of their lumber.

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*oops - I got muddled up over where the Temple District was in relation to you guys. Sorry about that! It won't matter in terms of time if you want to head over there, but there is definitely a river in the way.

[spiderwrangler]

Weighing our choices, I opt for the bridge... while some charge tolls, almost every ferry charges for their services.

[thinkslogically]

OK, that'll obviously be a longer walk to go all the way around (probably 4-5 miles each way), but you've got most of the afternoon to get over there and it'll totally get you out of fixing up the new store

FYI - Syli's Urchin background gets her + any companions double movement speed in cities. Obviously you don't know where she is right now, but it might be useful in future.

[Arch Lich Burns]

Gwen continues to be bored with boards

[spiderwrangler]

► Show Spoiler

FYI - Syli's Urchin background gets her + any companions double movement speed in cities. Obviously you don't know where she is right now, but it might be useful in future.

That does sound handy, not sure if we'd know that yet though, but I'm sure Korrik will go exploring with her at some point and find out she knows how to slip through the back ways.

[Nioca]

"Afternoon," Syli says to the dwarf as she approaches. "I'm a bit new to the area, and I was wondering if you might have some maps of the local area I could look over." As she states this, she leans against the counter, seemingly unconcerned with the dwarf's imposing stature.

► Show Spoiler

Indeed, albeit its mostly useful from an RP perspective. Although if you were to couple it with Longstrider, you could manage quite an impressive turn of speed.

Also, I keep catching myself nearly writing in a more elequoent voice for Syli, and have to keep reminding myself to tone it back a bit.

[thinkslogically]

► Show Spoiler

Just wait and see how much running around the city I have you do

Also, just in case it isn't obvious, virtually EVERYTHING you interact with in this game could turn into a quest hook, but it largely depends on where you point your interest. Some stuff will carry on happening by itself regardless; other stuff will wait around for someone to care about it. As your reputation increases with time, you will find people attempt to seek you out more and more but nobody really knows who you are right now.

[thinkslogically]

Syli walks up to the dwarf and asks about maps, determined not to be intimidated by the man.

"Who's asking? I've no interest in throwing decent stuff away on some tenderfoot who'll get themselves lost with it."

Korrik and Kal begin the long walk towards the swing bridge.

What route would you like to aim for? You can head straight to the river and walk along the bank or try and weave your way through the city streets. Make your choice, and then I'll take an Intelligence check to see how well you navigate.

The others trundle back up the hill towards the store. As they drag their heavy goods along they hear a horrified scream from somewhere ahead!

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I was going to try and keep you guys on roughly the same timeline, but that's going to be super boring. Just do your stuff and we'll work it out later.

[Arch Lich Burns]

Gwen drops the boards and runs to where the scream came from to see what is going on.

[Dlover]

Mehr grumbles as he does his best to collect the dropped boards, making use of Mage Hand to support a little of the weight, and picks up the pace as much as he can under the burder, unwilling to leave his load behind. It was a scream of horror, rather than terror, so there's no immediate danger to the one screaming.

[spiderwrangler]

((Head towards the river and walk along whatever roadway parallels it, using it as a guide.))

[thinkslogically]

Cool, that should be easy enough to find but give me an INT check anyway.

[spiderwrangler]

((Korrik kind of has me worried as he's not really had bad rolls yet...))

Intelligence Check: Where is the bridge?: 1D20 = [16] = 16

[Nioca]

"I'm asking, as a recently hired guide to the local wilderness. Despite never actually having been in this area before, and them knowing as such. No, don't ask how that's supposed to work, 'cause I don't have a clue myself." Syli replies cynically. "Anyway, I figure it's only a matter of time before they decide to head out into the woods for something or another, and I'd like to have at least some idea of where we're going when we do. And if it's losing your wares you're concerned about, I get it. But even if it's too risky to outright sell me one, if I could at least look one over, that in itself would be very helpful."

► Show Spoiler

Syli may be exaggerating for effect a bit, but I think the first two sentences sum Syli's job up quite nicely.

[thinkslogically]

((Syli - Let's have a Diplomacy check please ))

[Nioca]

Persuasion: Crit-Fail

((Korrik, I mostly just think you're getting my luck. ))

[thinkslogically]

Korrik and Kal hurry downhill, with Korrik picking a slightly different route to the river that seems to save them a bit of time. Now that they've reached the river, the crowds have swelled again as the crews of a dozen boats race to spend their wages. Rowdy drunk sailors spill from the doorways of the bars, to be manhandled on their way by bouncers, while more street traders mill about the crowd selling "revitalising tonics" and stodgy cakes. People float around the river here in small canoes and rafts and you spot more than a few people daring each other to leap into the water.

As they continue onwards away from the docks, they gradually leave the most lively bars behind and enter what appears to be a more upmarket part of the town. Guardsmen patrol in pairs and they realise that these are the first guards you've really seen in the city besides the two reluctant "detectives" forced into studying the pickpocketing earlier in the day. The buildings are less squashed together here and you spot small gardens and green spaces as you walk. Surprisingly, you appear to have left most of the boats behind you, and estimate that you should probably be about three quarters of the way to your bridge by now.

Let's have a perception check please, as well as rolls for anything else you fancy doing while you walk

Gwen drops her lumber and rushes up the street away from the others, as a metal washbasin merrily clatters past on its way to freedom. As she reaches the end of their street, she finds a washerwoman sobbing with her face in her hands, fully turned away from the apparently deceased drunk. A long bruise runs down the side of his broken face to his shattered mouth which is little more now than a soup of congealed blood and flies. The man's shirt twitches and a foul smell emanates from the body.

Mehriv tuts loudly and attempts to make up for Gwen having abandoned her load, but the planks are heavy and unwieldy.

"Hey Mister! You want help? Giv's a copper and me and my bruv'll carry them stuff for you."

Syli's explanation is not convincing and the dwarf snorts.

"No. This isn't a library."

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[Arch Lich Burns]

"I'm... I'm sorry. I thought....I thought he was only drunk." Gwen looks uncomfortable, not sure what to do.

[spiderwrangler]

► Show Spoiler

Perception: 1D20+2 = [10]+2 = 12

Insight: Guards' demeanor/attitude: 1D20+4 = [6]+4 = 10