Session 2: FirstDay - 4 days to opening

General Summary

Morning on FirstDay

  Your first morning in Caldera City was a beautiful one: sunny skies on a warm fall day. As Tess and Altair left together, you took in the sights: the floating islands above you, the enormous Heartree and its branches of flame-touched leaves reaching over the Grove and part of the city itself, the numerous new buildings spread out from the doorstep of your inn, the new Skydock, spiraling up into the sky, awaiting skyships laden with cargo, and the people! So many different people - elves and half-elves, humans, dwarves, dragonborn, vedalken, and lots of different types of beastfolk - even the odd firbolg, goblin, or kobold walking about. What a diverse city! And as you took one last look in, your eyes fell again on the Tower of Necromancy, then ran the length of it reaching up into the sky, and then down along the shadow it cast over the city.   Olaxisys, Flip, Bert, Ros, and Anakami began to brainstorm what needed to be done to prepare for the party. Bronte went inside to rest her pounding head, still aflame with dreams of hammers. Ros had made a list, and Anakami had her and people listed attentively. Eventually Bronte came back out, carrying swaths of colourful cloth, and insisting everyone take one as she had a feeling they would come in handy. Anakami took pink, representing compassion & empathy - able to connect deeply with others. Olaxisys took red, representing boldness & courage - rally the party to action in the face of danger! Flip took teal, representing relaxation & balance - the voice of calm & reason in decision making situations. Bert took blue, representing support & reliability - a steady protector of companions. Ros took black, representing prestige & sophistication - 'wow' others with confidence & learned knowledge. Bronte took purple, representing mystery & intrigue: readily embrace the unknown and the adventure. And a disembodied hand appeared to select gold: creativity & inspiration - transform mundane experience into that which is new, vivid. (And nobody took brown, representing honesty & straightforwardness - a sign of things to come !??!?!)  

The First Customer

  While reviewing their plans, a fat loxodon lawyer came up, panting and gasping for breath. "So glad I caught you!" she said. You brought her inside, only to notice a lean Tabaxi curled up in front of the fire, with a tabby cat curled up with her. "One problem at a time!" Ros decided.   The loxodon introduced herself as Nian Borowal & explained that her client would like to continue renting the back shed through to the end of the year, at a cost of 2g per day. They had a previous deal with Johno who is the registered squatter, and she didn't want that to lapse. She couldn't tell you who the client was as her client doesn't want their business to be known - due to competition. All totally on the up and up, though, she assured you - Nian showed you her legal credentials & accreditations and assured you that she has many clients with this type of arrangement. In face she is known for this - one of her specialties. A counter-proposal was made. 10 gold, up front, for the week leading up to the party, and an inspection. And then after that, discuss through to the end of the year, but also up front. Nian agreed that this sounded reasonable and said she'd confer with her client, returning either that afternoon or the next day.   After Nian left, Olaxysis took her pipes out and played a tune to rouse the sleeping Tabaxi in front of the fire. The Tabaxi rolled over and put a spotted finger up to her mouth - "Hsshht!" she said, and curled back up. Olaxisys leaned in, playing more loudly, until the Tabaxi rolled her leopard spotted body all the way over and hissed "Hsshht!" again, pointing another finger at the bar, where sat 1 gold coin. "Our first customer!" exclaimed Ros. Olaxysis put her pipes away, and Hsshht rolled over to go back to sleep. Olaxysis covered her with a blanket from the bedroom to keep her warm.  

Getting To Work

  The party finally got their morning started, and most people put their old adventuring equipment safely away for the day, donning instead more traditional leather breeches, shirts, tunics - the clothes of every day life. Some could not yet part with the surety of wearing armour, and put their clothes on over top of it. Others carried on with the no matter how conspicuous a trident may be in a landlocked central city.   The team divided and conquered: The first team of Olaxysis, Ros, and Flip started exploring the rest of their new home. They found plates, mugs, bowls, tools, more tables, and lots of old elven furniture - and dozens of cats, up on the second floor! One of the cats - a serene tortoiseshell - took a liking to Flip and followed him around for the rest of the day.   Meanwhile, Bert and Anakami tore down the wall at the back, opening up the courtyard. They found a solitary mountain lily at the center, and erected a small fence to protect it. Anakami tried to repair a hole in the back window where the cats were likely coming in.   Bronte explored around the shed and saw a hooded figure keeping watch, rooftop several buildings away. Bronte tried to get a feeling from the building and got a sense of "was once bad but is now gone". She cast Toll The Dead, making a loud ringing sound. She glanced up at the hooded figure, who ducked behind the rooftop, and after a moment, brought just the peak of her head up again. Bert came out to see what the sound was about, and townsfolk walking looked about for a bell, but saw nothing.  

FirstDay Afternoon

  After a quick lunch, Anakami tried repurposing one of her spells to grow food, and had everyone line up to grab as many plants as they could. Not as successful as she had hoped, but enough to make some samosas that she handed out to everyone. Anakami went out back to start building a garden.   Bert & Bronte took the horses out to stretch their legs, They headed towards The Grove at the heart of the city, and soon found themselves being guided by gusts of wind and shifting paths. Within a clearing in The Grove they found some cannabis, some poppy, and a huge crop of mushrooms. Bronte collected them and they followed back the way they came, but ended up leaving The Grove a half-mile away from where they had come in. And the encountered noone while they were in there ...   Ros set about building some rudimentary new stairs to replace the ruined ones, and Olaxysis was methodical in her application of prestidigitation to clean the main room, and the room fouled by cats. A young halfling named Kix came by and offered to cart stuff away. Ros told him they weren't ready yet, Kix said he'd return.  

The SkyDock

  When that was done, Olaxysis grabbed some of the samosas and along with Ros & Flip went up to the SkyDock to advertise the grand opening. They arrived just as a skyship was arriving, and awed at the ship itself: a hull like a sailing ship, but suspended from a giant balloon of sorts, with two teal gemstones, one at the bow and one at the stern, glowing brightly. As they rode up, they got to see the SkyDock kick into full gear. Dockworkers of all races swarmed the ship, carrying cargo off, using beasts of burden to pull crates up with pulleys, and then swing them around to drop them off on the elevator platform. The platform was lowered to the ground by a similar mechanism to the crane: pulleys and beasts of burden. Once on the ground, the crates were dismantled the dockworkers unloaded smaller boxes & barrels from the platform and then loaded them onto waiting carts, which were then pulled away into the Eastern Stores warehouse district.   Olaxysis set herself up near where the platform was being unloaded, and shouted to get everyone's attention. "Grand Opening of the Stoutheart Inn, this SelfDay! And we have free samples!", and she launched into a rousing tune. Flip and Ros handed out the few samples that they had - only 10, and there were hundreds of workers! - and ended up turning away a lot of unhappy customers. The samosas were such a big hit that a few pushing matches even broke out as the firstcomers refused to share. Olaxysis bent her tune to the mood, and finding herself carried away, starting singing "Food and Fisticuffs! Food and Fisticuffs!" A supervisor came to shoo them away, and got his way (plus a delicious samosa!)  

Back at the Inn

  Anakami say Degre, Quince & Splint walk by and she grabbed some samosas for them. She had even put cilantro in one of them, as Quince really likes! She offered them to the passing guards, but they refused as they could not be seen taking bribes - and no time to stop and chat, we are busy and I need to make it home in time for dinner. Anakami offered one to the harengon, but couldn't tell them apart and offered it to the wrong one. He wasn't too impressed.   Bronte & Bert took the lumber from the morning's dismantling and, along with the old, rusted tools found in the inn, repaired the shed, with a working door, and even a makeshift lock (a clever way to bar the door). The hay inside still needed to be replaced; Bronte tried to find enough to make a basket and could barely find any. They moved the two horses inside the stable, along with the cart, and barred the door.   By then, Ros, Flip & Olaxysis had returned. And just in time! Kix came back, asking if they needed anything taken away. "Well," began Ros, and Olaxysis interrupted: "You mean the dead body, right? The one downstairs? You're taking the dead body we have in our basement, right?" Unfortunately this was too much for the poor kid, and Kix ran outside, shouting for The Shield.   Not long after, there was a tired knock at the door. Degra had come by to give them some advice: maybe don't advertise as if you're some sort of necromantic chop shop with leftover dead bodies that you're willing to pay anyone to cart away. Most people around here aren't so cavalier about the undead. That's how rumors get started, you know! Also, maybe next time ask for credentials? Ros and Bert both looked pointedly at Olaxysis, who didn't seem very remorseful.  

The Welcome Party

  Shortly after a simple dinner (in which Olaxysis and Bronte mashed up at ate some poppy paste), Anakami headed out to bless the land to prepare for the garden. Soon enough, another knock at the door roused the party. A small group of local business owners had come by to welcome them to the neighbourhood! Fenir, the foppish vedalken bookstore owner they met the previous day had brought along Wuen, the stylish loxodon baker, Rafael, the sheltered firbolg toymaker, Jurak, the severe hobgoblin repairsmith, and Fallon, the dragonborn innkeeper of the "Rose & Lily". Fenir introduced them all, but it was a nervous Fallon who took the lead.   "Have you already paid your dues, then?", he asked, a bit gleefully. "You can't call yourselves an inn until you've paid your dues with the innkeeper's guild. I am sure that Hermanton will be around shortly." He then looked around the room, surprised. "This is much cleaner than I would have imagined the Shadow Blades could manage!" he said. Olaxysis explained that she had cleaned it magically, and she had gained the skills during her time as an adventurer. "Oh, you have a gimmick, too..." he trailed off, looking around. Anakami offered everyone a samosa. "Delicious!" he tittered. "This is ... This .... THIS IS BULLSHIT!" he screamed. "I DON'T NEED THIS, WHAT THE FUCK!" and he stormed out. Bronte ran after him to calm his concerns.   Bronte managed to get Fallon to open up. Times are not easy, he said. He doesn't need the competition. He's barely making ends meet, and he doesn't know what to do differently. This new Stoutheart Inn will wipe him out. Bronte suggested that perhaps he really lean in to the whole "lily and rose" theme, and assured him that that their inn would be a very DIFFERENT sort of inn - one that was focused on broadening horizons and expanding consciousness and connectedness. It would be filled with pillows, and people would come in and consume something that would put them into a dreamlike, meditative state where they break the shackles of their existence and connect with the universe on a deeper, more spiritual level. And then when they woke up, Bronte would be there, and they would talk about their dreams and the possible meaning behind them. Fallon initially expressed some reservations about whether dockworkers would go for this sort of thing, but Bronte insisted that this would appeal to everyone. Fallon was absolutely thrilled when he heard this, and assured Bronte that he had no more concerns, thanked her, and walked off, whistling, and maybe even a little skip in his step.   Back at the inn, Wuen assured them that Fallon was just a nervous sort, and to not read too much into it. She thought the samosas were wonderful, and she knew food. People would come from all over if the food was good - look at her shop! She does the same thing herself. She introduced them to Rafael and Jurak.   Rafael was talkative and friendly, and very naive. Wuen claimed his toys were so good that he should be selling in the winter market with the other master craftsmen, but Rafael insisted on staying closer to where people needed cheering up. He makes toys to make sad people happy, and there are more sad people in The Passions than anywhere else, so that is where he is needed. He pulled out a rocking horse toy to demonstrate, and Ros and Rafael connected over playing with the horse.   Jurak was polite, but severe. She had five long, braided ponytails, as is the tradition among hobgoblins - one for each member of her family, including her. She didn't talk much, but you got the sense from Wuen that she had taken a shine to you, and was quite talkative compared to her usual.   Olaxysis offered to collaborate on a play with Fenir, and Fenir seemed excited - then a bit apprehensive. "We might need a more ... private ... room to conduct the plays that I write," he said. He agreed to get started tonight, to see if he could maybe get the first chapter ready in time for this weekend.   They all gathered and wished them well. Wuen agreed to return back the next day so she could meet this wondrous cook who made the delicious samosas (without a kitchen!!) Fenir was excited to return home to start writing. Jurak performed a unique bow, which Ros tried to return in kind, but didn't get the motions quite right. She did catch Jurak's lips purse as she turned away. Rafael stayed behind talking about toys.  

Nightfall on FirstDay

  Quinn the halfling nightguard came by to check on them again, and congratulated them on a day without explosions. "An explosion-free existence" said Ros. He liked that a lot. He spied Rafael behind Ros, and assured everyone that he would get him home safely. Rafael was excited to see Quinn and told him that he was almost done making Quinn's toy, but that he had questions for him. They walked out together, and the party spied Cheff & Loryl, Quinn's guards, move out of the shadows to follow along, keeping just out of eyesight of any ne'er do wells.   The effect of the poppy paste kicked in, and Bronte & Olaxysis went to bed. Ros followed soon after. Anakami moved into the stable to sleep with the horses and bless the land, and Flip stayed watch to make sure Anakami was safe. Bertrand sat on the stoop outside, looking up at the nearly full moon as it came into view from behind some clouds. A voice whispered to him: "Come visit us," but Bert really couldn't figure that one out. He stayed up for hours more, but nothing else happened. He eventually turned in. Flip standing guard paid off; he made sure Anakami wasn't disturbed, and at the end of her spellcasting Anakami turned in, and so did Flip. The night was at its fullest, and the moon kept watch over the new business owners, asleep in their makeshift beds.

Rewards Granted

• Your first customer! (1g)
• Some old, rusted tools
• Some broken mugs, plates, bowls, cutlery
• 6 10' tables (& benches)
• 10 6' tables (& benches)
• 28 elven made beds, 12 dragonborn made beds
• Two new sets of stairs
• A repaired stable
• Some cannabis, some poppies, and a lot of 'magic' mushrooms.
• A fascinated tortoiseshell

Character(s) interacted with

• Nian Borowal, a loxodon lawyer.
• A sleeping tabaxi who said only "Hshht!"
• A mysterious hooded figure, watching the tavern from several rooftops away.
• A dock supervisor & a number of dockworkers.
• Kix, a young halfling with a cart.
• Degra, the leonin dayguard, and Splint & Quince, the harengon daywatch.
• Wuen, the stylish loxodon baker.
• Rafael, the sheltered firbolg toymaker.
• Fenir, the foppish vedalken bookstore owner.
• Jurak, the severe hobgoblin repairsmith.