Interlude 7: Rolling in cash

[monayuris]

Well.. um... yes... it is true that it is difficult to... um... the arcane arts are not to be used trivially... um... But you can clearly see, my staff is etched in the runes and sigils of my arcane order and denote my rank as an Arcanist of the Order...

Liam's staff is etched in runes... the etchings kind of glitter ever so slightly as they are read. Like, if you were to read a book and see the words glint as you read them.

... I assure you I am no failed magician... even so, my studies and knowledge of lore may be the difference between life and death... maybe a greater boon to your group than even the greatest magic.

[Stirling]

Quinn

Tosses the mage a thulian warmask. "Can you identify one of these?"

[barkman]

Randolpho flashes his blue robe "The trappings of magic are easy to flaunt, true power can only be shown through use"

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr leans in.

"What I believe my associates are trying to ascertain is: what can you actually do?"

The emphasis on his last word is unmistakable.

[Dogma]

A disheveled Ranulf, eyes red from lack of sleep, looks up from the beer he was dutifully nursing. "You see, we've had experience with some of your ilk and have found them to be a bit...lacking. Our good man Randy here being the exception." he adds with a nod to Randolpho. "So when we ask 'what can you ?' we mean can you turn our enemies into frogs? Or blast them with fire? Or make fall into a magical slumber? Or do you simple conjure pretty lights and make coins disappear up the sleeve of your pretty blue robes?"

[drpete]

ooooh, rough crowd Don't worry, they are really a bunch of teddy bears.

For reference, there's a fair amount of church/mage bad feeling in the setting, and the group hasn't had great luck with mages.

That said, let's not make this toooooo difficult

[monayuris]

Liam examines the mask...

Interesting, this appears to be a Thuliam war mask... however notice
that the mask is an image of a monstrous creature. The great Thulian genrals wore mask like this, but true masks from their age represented images of the gods or mythical heroes, not monsters. I would say this mask is from the later Termaxian age.

i have yet to master conjuring balls of Fire, but I know of the spells of magical slumber. I also posses arcane skill in reading languages that may otherwise be lost.

[kalstone]

"It appears as if you do know what you're about. We have certainly encountered enough ancient artifacts to need someone with your expertise."

[Dogma]

"There you go. Already proving yourself useful." says Ranulf, nodding his head in agreement. Grabbing his head he lets out a low moan. "You wouldn't by chance have a magical cure for a hangover? That would quite wonderful indeed."

[Stirling]

back to Dwimmermount then? do we start with finding and assisting these dwarves or something else? ask the Orcale something, kill the spider cult and kobolds?

[drpete]

Date: Ruin 1, 4:00 pm
Season: Late Fall
Weather: Cold and Clear
Moon phase: New Moon
Location: Muntberg

Having gotten Quinn healed, and found a Venturer, the group decides to head back to Muntberg. The trip is fairly uneventful, and the evenings are dark, as it is the beginning of a new moon, the last of the fall. The weather is cold, and as you approach the Wintertop mountain range, you see snow swirling around several of the peaks.

When you get to Muntberg, on the first day of the new month, you find that it is not much changed from the way you left it a week ago. You know that while you were gone, your stone house was finished, but there is no one in town to greet you, except for Solaine's assistant, who reports that a few of the guards have come by to inquire about when prayers will be held.

What would you guys like to do?

[Stirling]

Let's see our new tower base. Take some fresh supplies and winter coats, blankets, etc.

[kalstone]

Solaine will look into setting up regular services at the chapel, instructing Ide on how to perform them. If there is time, she will offer free spell casting to the town guards. She will also buy another set of caltrops if available.

[monayuris]

Liam begins acquainting himself with his new surroundings. It is pretty clear to all that he has spent most of his life cloistered in study or in the larger cities, so he is not so used to a smaller settlement.

He has some coin and would start to look for a place to spend the night and unpack his texts.

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr looks in the direction of the mountain.

"Aye. Let's go see if those stonemasons knew enough to shore up the slope before putting any load on those exterior walls. At least it should keep us dry for a while. Before it falls over, that is."

[drpete]

As Liam discovers, somewhat to his horror, Muntberg is a tiny little village located inside the protective wall of a castle, but aside from a couple dozen small wooden structures, there is almost nothing here, at least compared to Adamas. There is a small Temple to Typhon (law), a small chapel to Tyche (fortune), and a small chapel to Mavors (war). There is an inn, called the Green Dragon, and a small Tavern, called the Flask and Scroll. A general store, a smithy, and a few other merchants (a moneychanger, a gemsmith, and a caravan merchant). There's also a stable, but it seems to be, almost literally, a one horse town.

We can assume Liam will share a room in the Green Dragon as part of his regular 'upkeep' without having to pay for it explicitly. It's a simple inn with a limited number of rooms and amenities.

Liam recognizes that this village goes back to the Thulian era, and this was once a much busier place. Now, though, it seems pretty bleak up here.

Quinn finds that he can buy one thick woolen blanket (2 gp) and one fur-lined cloak (15 gp). The owner of the general store is eager to take an order from him, if he wants to buy some more, but it will take a few days to deliver, depending on how many you want. The food is included in the general upkeep of everyone.

Solaine meets with Ide, and explains how to perform a basic blessing. The space is in good shape, but it doesn't yet look much like a chapel, so there's still work to be done. So far, Solaine hasn't yet spent much time there, but at least there are a few people in town who seem like they might be interested.

Broadly speaking, do you guys want to go straight up to the tower, or spend some time in Muntberg (casting spells, placing orders, socializing, etc), first?

[kalstone]

I'm fine with going straight to the tower.

[Stirling]

Quinn

wrapped up for winter coldness, Quinn heads to the tower.

[drpete]

After a brief pause in town to let Quinn get a coat and to show Liam the inn, the group heads back out along the abandoned trade road into the mountains. A short while later, they reach the trail up the mountain. Going up, they eventually come to the group's house, a stone construction made from the ruins of a tower. As they approach, a face pokes out of the upstairs window, and waves to them. It is Ammey, one of the mercenaries, apparently on guard duty.

The mercenaries greet you, and show you the progress on the house. At the moment, though the structure of the house is finished, the inside is fairly bare. The mercenaries have set up their sleeping gear on the top floor, and they are using the bottom floor for food preparation and storage. Some camp gear and stools are set up around the inside of the house, but it has a way to go before it feels "lived in".

U Tar reports that though things were going well, and the workers finished up a few days ago. The mercenaries have been having a problem with a group of wolves which has been sniffing around, growing braver and braver. This has them somewhat worried. They moved most of the gear inside the house, but they are not sure how to proceed, and they are worried about going out in small groups while the wolves are nearby.

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr warms himself, briskly rubbing his hands together.

"I suppose we'd better take care of these beasts before venturing further up the mountain. Which direction do they seem to be coming from? Any particular time of day best for spotting thrm?"