There was a break in the incessant Dragon-Summer rain, the street and alley mouth choked with a thick roiling blue fog. If there had been onlookers at this time of night, they would see the triumphant outline of Szoo (played by Isis) erect in the middle of the street. The fog was in actuality steam resulting from two blasts of fire from his Fire-Fang. The stooped form of Fauna (played by Jenn) was feeling about on the ground. The dozen or so pirates that had tried to waylay the trio of mages had since fled with no casualties on either side.
Szoo:
“Alright let’s go home.”
Fauna:
“No! I’m not going anywhere without my knife!”
During
the brief skirmish with the pirates, the druidess had thrown her dagger and
missed her target. Meanwhile, both Szoo and Fauna could see Excor (played by
Cris) casually puffing on his pipe as he continued down the alleyway towards
home.
Szoo [after a quick detection check]: “Found it! NOW let’s GO!”
The morning of the 18th of Monsoon – Excor, Szoo, and Fauna all decided to go to the bazaar for some shopping however, their first stop was Babia’s Apothecary [Cabal of Eight Pt.6: Gold Devil], Excor and Fauna needed some smoking herbs.
In
the fragrant shop, bundles of various herbs hung from the rafters to dry, Excor
bought the usual but Fauna purchased “the good stuff” paying a gold piece for
an ounce and some high quality healing herbs. Szoo bought some of the “house
mix” which cost him 1 copper. Fauna inquired about a pipe and Babia directed her
to a peddler named “Vez”; he likely had his cart around the bazaar.
A
little while later, all three were cruising the bazaar, Fauna remained outside
after immediately finding the pipe vendor. The plaza around the bazaar and the
bazaar itself was crowded and bustling with people. The constant chatter of a
million conversations and the occasional yell or shout from a merchant trying
to attract customers mixed with the smell of food, herbs, exotic oils, fresh
fish, and the butcher stands all merged into a thick atmosphere familiar to all
residents of Ezmer.
Eventually,
Fauna settled on a pipe akin to the vendor’s masterwork. It was a carved ironwood
pipe. The stem was long and flat with a dragon holding the bowl. Afterwards,
realizing she had spent all of the coin in her purse she decided to exchange
the gems in her pockets for gold. She headed for the central market district to
find a jeweler to cash her gems.
At
the same time, Excor was seeking an “ivory-handled horsetail flyswatter”
preferably with jewels set into the handle. However, he could not find what he
was looking for. Although he had found several gold-leafed wooden handled
swatters with a few bearing “jewels” which turned out to be polished beads of
glass. Nevertheless, he did purchase five scrolls of paper at 5 coppers per and
1 blank dragonskin scroll though it looked somewhat aged. Szoo purchased a gold
chain because “it was shiny” and then headed home.
A short time later, Fauna wandered into a jewelry store the doorbell ringing as she entered. Just inside the store waiting impatiently, was a regal looking woman in a blue silk gown with a diamond tiara in her long black hair. The druid immediately received a rude remark about her “stench” from the woman. Fauna pushed past the exasperated blue clad noble and dropped a handful of gems on the counter in response to the jeweler’s snotty attitude. However, he tried to rip her off by under-valuing her haul so rightfully taking offense, she grabbed her gems and left.
She
started home but ran into Szoosha along the way.
Isis [to me, the GM]: “Wait, how likely is it that we run into each other?”
The
GM: “Pretty likely if you’re taking the main streets and going directly home.”
Isis:
“Hmm, I don’t think Szoo likes that, what if he gets ambushed or somebody’s
waiting to get him?”
*Roll*
*Roll*
After
Fauna spent some time calming down the naga, who kept mumbling something about “changing
up the routes”, they both decided to go to the bank. Fauna needed to convert
her gems and Szoo needed to stash some cash. They caught a rickshaw to the
bank, which was located among the city administration buildings.
The
building was large and constructed of marble blocks with a large dome on top.
The bank doors were a solid bronze double-door and to each side was a guard in
half-plate. At first, Fauna thought that they were city guards but noticed
their equipment was of a much higher quality and the men appeared better
trained and far more experienced. Inside the massive white stone interior,
inlaid tile floor, and its painted walls depicting unicorns of all colors and
bright fields of stylized crops of grain, vegetables, and fruit blew the minds
of both mages.
Szoo:
“Wooow!”
All
of the light was bright, natural sunlight shining down from the multiple
openings in the grand white dome above them. There were massive white columns
along the walls and several heavy wood tables where scribes and presumably
bankers were weighing coin, shuffling, signing, and reading through paperwork.
Against each column there stood guards in polished black full-plate armor each
bearing a short-spear. At the rear of the building, there were vertical slits
in the wall akin to arrow loops. A skinny old man with oiled hair wearing a purple and green silk gown with a
gold-colored shoulder sash with a gold and crystal clasp immediately walked up
to them and blocked their path.
The
Banker: “Ahem. This is a place of business…”
The druid whipped out a handful
of gems.
The
Banker: “Oh! Well, right this way, I’ll be helping you today, my name is
Xander.”
Fauna
opened an account and deposited 10 sapphires, 10 emeralds, and cashed out a
single emerald getting 900 gp as the bank took 10% for the exchange. Her
account would also be charged 1 copper piece per gem per month as long as she
kept her gems there. Szoo also opened an account and deposited 10 sapphires and
16 emeralds. He also cashed 25 obsidian pieces and 25 pieces of tiger’s eye for
450 gp. Both left the bank at the same time but split up, Szoo was headed home
but was going to take a different route than usual and Fauna wanted to go to
the harbor for some reason.
A
while after, Szoosha was pushing through a throng of people in the North
Quarter determined to cut through guildsman’s Square (for some reason) when he
spotted a pair of blue-cloaked men each armed with a high quality cutlass.
Isis:
“Aw jeeeesh! Two!?”
Szoo
took off in an attempt to flee and evade his pursuers. However, they eventually
caught up to him a few blocks south of the square. Therefore, Szoo decided to
turn and fight. As the pair approached, the naga could see that they were
twins. They appeared skilled in arms and may have had magical talents though
these were probably minor in compared to his own. Steeling himself, the naga
elementalist cast Elemental Half-Plate
Armor (fire) on himself. As red flames swirled around his black-scaled body
and hardened into plate, the blue-cloaked twins lost their reserve, turned, and
ran.
City Guard [from behind Szoo]: “Hey YOU!”
The guardsman warned Szoo about
casting magic without a special license and the guard, along with two other
partners (who were pointing halberds), recorded the naga’s name and address
with a stylus on a wax tablet. After that, Szoo was free to go, hopefully the
Sapphire Star Guild, who had authority in such matters, would ignore the write
up.
Elsewhere, Fauna had just finished strolling near the cliff at the far north of the North Quarter and enjoying the sea air and the sound of seagulls despite the gray sky. She was walking back southwest on her way home. Suddenly, a large muscular warrior with a horned helmet charged her his light blue robes flying backward held only in place by his thick black belt. Above his head raised with both hands was a tulwar aimed for her head.
His weapon smashed into her Mage Armor instead of splitting her skull in two which if she had not been wearing her gold-threaded robes of Mage Armor she absolutely would have been killed in a single stroke. She threw a Lightning Bolt his way hitting him but to little effect. He drew back and swung his massive weapon again but missing badly he lost his grip and the big sword went flying clattering onto the cobblestones of the street. She struck at him with her dagger, which he easily parried with his bronze bracer. The guards began shouting and Fauna turned to see six guards running towards her wading through the crowd, when she turned back the barbarian was gone.
Fauna spent some time getting
smart with the guards whom recorded her name. They let her go when she claimed
that the barbarian was simply trying to mug her especially after she slipped
them a gold piece each.
Fauna
(pointing at the tulwar cradled in a young guard’s arms): “Oh yeah, that’s mine
too, hand it over.”
Jenn [to the GM]: “Hey what was I doing here anyway?”
The GM [me]: “What!? *sputter* Why’re you askin’ ME!?”
After
packing up his haul, Excor made his way back towards Fauna’s house. However, he
had not gotten far when he noticed that someone in a blue cloak was following
him. As a result, Excor dodged into a nearby alley and cast Invisible to Sight on himself. He waited
as the blue cloak followed stealthily. As the man walked past quiet as a cat,
by the looks of him a professional thief. Excor spotted a silver neck manacle
on him a silver medallion dangled as his throat with black enameled
dragon-scratch runes on it. It was not long before the blue-cloaked thief
realized that he had lost his prey and fled the area.
Cris:
“Damn! Poor guy’s a slave!”
Isis:
“What?”
Cris:
“That thing on his neck, it has dragon writing and I sensed magic on it. He’s a
slave to a dragon!”
As usual,
Fauna was the last to get home. She entered while Excor and Szoo were already huddled
in conference.
Fauna [throwing the tulwar onto the edge of the hearth]: “Guys! I think we have a problem!”
The other two stared at the superior quality tulwar with a blue crystal pommel stone and a dragon-scratch marking enameled onto the blade.
To Be Continued…
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Afheesh (played by your dear narrator) went to the bursar. He collected the previous day’s pay, 95 bronze thorns (it would have been 100 but for the 5% Mezcor tithe). He spent the rest of the morning atop the thorns above the gates spotting for incoming caravans.
lamp and then set to lighting the fireplace. Afheesh (played by yours truly) from just up inside of the flue, could hear the second guard pop and pour the wine. He was shaking with anticipation. His vengeance was soon at hand. Two thuds on the floor indicated that their helmets were off.
through the crowded streets at evening. The pair neared the plaza of the Blue Well and the Dancing Rat Tavern. They were going to drown their sense of loss in a sea of cheap booze. Even possibly work off some frustration in low stakes fights there and then maybe start recruiting for their own gang. The roguish pair stepped up to the saloon doors.
crossbows. They spotted out Pabst (played by Jenn) and one took a shot. She knocked the bolt aside with her buckler (more of a targe but virtually the same in game terms). Afheesh (played by yours truly) pulled his paired weapons, matching variants on the sai, and lashed out at the Mantck who was blocking his egress through the rear door. The first blade stung the intruder but the second easily parried by a cutlass. Afheesh turned to see Wufcor (played by Isis) leap from his hiding place and engage with five more Roaches who had surrounded Pabst. Pabst lashed out with her scimitar missing horribly. Afheesh turned his full attention back to the Mantck.
Quickling was beginning to feel trapped. After a forced march around the parade ground and a breakfast of fruit, veggies, and bread in the mess, Afheesh (played by yours truly) went to the bursar. He collected the previous day’s pay, 95 bronze thorns (pay was 100 but there was the 5% Mezcor tithe). Subsequently, he spent the rest of the morning atop the thorns above the gates spotting for incoming caravans.
yours truly) and Wufcor (played by Isis) dragged Pabst’s paralytic body (played by Jenn) into a boarded up warehouse a few blocks from the South Gate. They just assumed the place was completely abandoned. Soon after, Afheesh wiped his face and donned his guardsman uniform before beating it back to the barracks.