Andryn Stormpeak
(2019-12-01 Waterdeep Liar's Night
2019-12-01 Waterdeep Liar's Night
In the aftermath of our giant fight, we rest and loot, getting giant-sized: 6 toes, 1 heart, 5 rations (1 = 10 days), and 1 greatclub (2x size 8x weight). Also, a sterling silver bowl and wedding card.
The next day we pass more of those cairns. Are they secret goblin code? Ordinary stones? No idea.
Liar's Night at Waterdeep. We put on our masks and head toward the manor, but we get blocked by the parade. While city watch marches by, we spot Caelynn. She's made us masks too.
The "Sea Maiden's Fair" procession goes by with an owlbear and a unicorn. Then, a stilt-walker from a carnival on the Pier of Wonders. A dwarf gets shot out of a cannon. A mechanical beholder with steam and tentacles go by. There's a joint presentation of the Temple Gone and House of Wonders, with ribbons of water and a mechanical clockwork fish. Then, avarial throwing candy to kids.
It is all very cool.
Fool's gold is thrown from balconies. We learn the hard way that Liar's Night means kids steal your coin. No one carries real money. Cameron traumatized a kid by levitating him, then tinkers coins that say, "we're all gone" in a high voice and puts them in Runt's money pouch.
At our house, we overhear talk of fixing up the place, then, "do you think it's really still haunted?" They turn awkward when they see us.
Inside, construction is done. We just need furniture and equipment.
Caelynn tells us she killed a giant rat and a giant toad. Runt panics. Also, a crawling hand in the attic. No news on our poltergeist friend, but a portrait in the attic did some weird stuff: a creepy lady appeared.
Cameron introduces Caelynn to BB8, his pet hostage. BB8 lunges at him with a dagger.
A specter appears in the far corridor and races to us screaming, then disappears. "Fascinating!" We hear vague laughter.
We find paintings in the attic that weren't there before. One is of Trollskull manor, with a woman and two small children walking inside the house. She is smiling at the viewer. Caelynn says this is the one that was super weird. Cameron gets only a faint magic aura. It's vaguely unsettling.
Andryn confirms the house is totally frog-free.
We go to the Yawning Portal, where we see Durnan and the sad guy named Jalester. We order some drinks.
The portal itself is 40 feet across and 100 feet deep. Very dark. A rope and pulley system can lower people down. No one has tried it since the troll, but some nobles are considering it tonight.
Runt is reading the broadsheets. "Meadery Mischief?" article tells of the Stoutfellow farm accusing the Snobeedle family of interfering with their crop with magical means. Also, the Snobeedle's son, Dasher, has gone missing, with a large reward for information.
We talk to Jalester, wish him a happy liar's night and sort of collectively flirt with him (according to Cameron). He mostly remembers us from before.
He tells us there's a one gold fee for going down the portal. "I can’t recommend going down into the portal," he says. "Not many people have come out, if at all." He gets a thousand yard stare. "I’ve already lost so much."
Khajit buys him another zzar.
He tells us gossip: there's a fair at the docks. Some people saw the black viper, but the black viper was around years ago and is dead probably, so people don't know what they're talking about. There was a fight a week ago between Xanathars and the tombraiders. Durnan gave them a big talking to.
We tell him about Trollskull Manor. Stop by any time!
People start to chant, "Dip! Dip! Dip!" as Durnan gives two young men a silver bell. People cheer and sing, "Deep and dark down below, where only fools and mortals go" as they're lowered down. Bets are placed.
Durnan yells last call.
Back in the bar, the guys brag about the scary stuff they saw. Runt asks Durnan, who doesn't think we should go down ourselves (not that he doesn't think we're capable). So, we head home to Trollskull, while people enjoy the last bit of Liar's Night.
(#35) 2020-04-05 Blue Alley
2020-04-05 Blue Alley
After the Cassalanters, we go back to the Gilded Compass, to tell Varric and see about Holg's funeral. Varric is more solumn than we've seen him before. Andryn apologizes, says we couldn't do anything, she didn't know what to do.
"Sometimes shit just happens," says Varric. We'll have a funeral maybe next week, after the watch releases the body.
We give him an update on our investigations into the nimblewrights, our leads, and what the Cassalanters wanted. We discuss the oddness of them asking us to find a giant pile of money for the price of less money. As we understand it now, the kids will lose their souls in a week if we don't find all this money.
"I guess she's counting on you not to be assholes," Varric says.
"People get feelings about children, I can't explain it, but I've observed it," Cameron says.
Varric doesn't know much about the son's disappearance. They are a big family in money lending. He'll see what he can find out.
To the Yawning Portal!
Durnan guestures to us, tells us a tiefling kid was here looking for us, said to send you home.
To home!
Squidly and Jenks are hazing Martrem with crabapples. Nat is catching the crabapples and signing angrily. Martrem says it's not that bad. Andryn grabs up crabapples.
There are two guards waiting for us, sent by Lord Cassalanter. They have the scroll.
When we ask about who delivered it, they get awkward (the woman embarassed; the man offended by her embarassment). Icantha said the letter was delivered, promise not to rat us out. She doesn't work there anymore though. She decided to become an adventurer.
They describe Icantha as an elven woman with dark hair and pale skin, and hooked nose.
We read the letter.
Back to the Yawning Portal!
Andryn asks about finding diamonds to buy if possible.
We ask about Icantha. Bonnie says she was talking about going to the blue alley with her crew: a human man Ander and then nice little dwarven girl, Chavara.
"What's the Blue Alley?"
As we are talking, Mirt (loud, boisterous man) says, "You all talking about the Blue Alley? It's a death trap to be sure, but if you're heading there, I might have some work."
Mirt is a famous money lender, famous, once a Harper. He tells us the Blue Alley was made by a mage, full of tricks and traps, and treasure: including a small unicorn sculpture. "250 gp to bring it back to me." He won't tell us what the unicorn does though.
When asked about the Cassalanters, he says they are philanthropists and make donations to temples to Lithander (god of good and sunshine) and Siamorphe (demi-god of nobility's responsibility to rule).
We head to the Sea Ward, to find where the glittering blue cobblestones.
There's a force field and a podeum with a book. Icantha and her crew's names are in there, crossed out. We can't get past until we sign our names too.
There's creepy skeletons and murals, arrows labeled silver and gold.
Runt points out how quiet his leather armor is.
A voice only Cameron can hear says, "Entertain me!"
Runt starts dancing.
There's a room with a solid bronze statue, labeled, "The Wizard Kellior." Scrawled on the wall is "Utter madness, pure RUBBISH."
"Well, do you have a riddle form me?" the statue asks.
We give him one.
Five creatures secreting oil run in: boggles. They attack, creating puddles and popping in and out of existance. Andryn casts Gust of Wind that doesn't really do what she meant. The boggles hit our legs with their little fists, and we battle. Runt dances and fighst, getting stuck and still dancing. We fight until the boggles are defeated.
"Do you have a riddle for me?"
(#36) 2020-04-19 - The Unicorn Statue
2020-04-19 The Unicorn Statue
We're in a once-lavish room, with dead boggles at our feet and a statue in the other room saying, “Entertain me!” It still wants a riddle.
"We'll look for the riddle and get back to you."
Runt dances out with a twirl.
We explore a room with the message, "take only what you can truly afford." It's filled with gold coins, silver, platinum. Thousands of them. Enough for to help the Cassalanters?
Cameron reads the message "All Fake" spelled out in coins.
We move on without taking any, to an inner room with a featureless iron gate. A magic mouth appears in the ceiling, "Beyond these gates lies paradise, enter them as you entered life, and you may yet find it; grasp the jewel and grasp the iron, then be whisked away to the truest of rewards."
"This may be a death trap," Cameron says.
"It doesn't mention a unicorn," Andryn adds.
We leave it alone.
Next room has a winding path of yellow tiles. Cameron's turret is OK, even after it leaves the path.
Cameron starts to go in.
"I should go in first!" Runt says. "I'm like a brick house."
"No, you're not. You're wearing tissue paper."
We go in, following the yellow tiles. An inner room has a 3' tall statue of a rearing unicorn. We can't get it out of the room until we slip it into the bag of holding.
Success!
A chest bump between Cameron and Runt sends Cameron flying to the blue tiles, where he is filled with fear and runs away until the spell wears off.
Another room is hot and contains a circular pit with creatures at the bottom, speaking ignan, which we can't understand. Cameron throws some tinder at them, which turns to ash in their hands. We see gold in their pit. They don't know where the tiefling is when Cameron minor-illusions one (we're looking for an elf). When Cameron firebolts their pit they set themselves ablaze and dance. He wants to take them home.
"They are literally made fire!" Andryn says. "Fire!" They are kind of cute, though. Caelynn and Andryn waves as they leave.
Beyond another door is Cameron’s dream room: rows of work benches, experiments, scorch marks, fire and acid smells, beakers and buckets, acrane goo.
Ooze attacks us.
"We've got to subdue it so we can take it home!"
Caelynn magic missles it. Runt maul attacks while saying "subdue." Firebolt. Dagger. As it starts to dissolve into the stone, Cameron tries to get it into the beaker.
Cameron has a vile of friend.
Next room: circular metal platforms hanging from iron chains at ground level, smoke-obstructed floor 20 feet below. There's a window in the corner.
Cameron casts levitate on himself. It's like a bag of balloons.
Andryn stays put. "This room might not even be interesting!"
Cameron investigates the smoky pots (empty), and finds a sword that has a halo of moonlight about it.
A smoke mephit attacks. Then another.
Runt goes to help and immediately falls 20 feet.
"Should I come out there, or just stay here!" Andryn asks.
"Absolutely not. Just stay there."
Scorching rays. Thunderwave. Healing word. They claw at Cameron and blind him. Longbow. Shatter. Firebolt.
We loose all sight of Cameron as the thing explodes. Runt walks over to the sword. It’s glowing above him. Cameron takes it off the chain. The little window shows a corridor, but no way to get through.
"Do you see a tiefling?" Andryn calls (again, we are looking for an elf).
The a moon-touch sword, purely astehetic, nothing special about it. It’s AWESOME.
We consider a long rest, but Cameron remembers his saved spells and so we decided to go back.
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