Doggie_arf

...I was going to post at the start of the month, and then work kicked me in the balls in the form of "our update broke your application's login have fun". It does feel hard to get back into dealing with several different events going on at once. Have to see what can be done...

It has been a lot to parse - I'll put something up this long weekend. (Since there are multiple encounters, do we treat them as the same day in terms of resources?)

I'm now imagine some random Zhent named Send welching about all the magic letters from Badmaw threatening to eat him, all day, every day.

We can pool money if we need more, I guess. ....after we figure out how much we've spent on refurbishing Trollskull Manor post-discounts.

Not sure how many were in the box , and it was logged as 1 bird. (Also the instructions on the box said "25 words" and "Send" - maybe the Zhents are just dumdums and actually have someone named "Send" on their crew?)

Rurik kinda needs to use the bird. I hope we can get more. *quickly updates message to fit the 50 word limit*

I believe Rurik will be needing to use the paper bird to send Mirt his application. Ironically enough, I think we got that bird from the very people the Harpers want to get intel on...

If a "passive" History is 10 + modifier, Rurik should be making all those checks for Mirt thanks to Expertise (from Blessings of Knowledge). Will still need to roll the Investigation.

Rurik Eversharp Gold (Hill) Dwarf Sage Knowledge Cleric of Dugmaren Brightmantle AC: 18 (Scale Mail, Shield) | HP: 19/19 (2d8+4+2) | Speed: 25 ft. Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., stonecunning, passive Perception 15, Insight 15, Investigation 13 Str:Athletics: +0 Str Save: +0 10 (+0) | Dex:Acrobatics: +2 Sleight of Hand: +2 Stealth: +2 (disadv. from armor) Dex Save: +2 14 (+2) | Con:Con Save: +2 14 (+2) | Int:Arcana: +3 (prf.) History: +5 (exp.) Investigation: +3 (prf.) Nature: +3 (prf.) Religion: +5 (exp.) Int Save: +1 12 (+1) | Wis:Animal Handling: +3 Insight: +5 (prf.) Medicine: +5 (prf.) Perception: +5 (prf.) Survival: +3 Wis Save: +5 17 (+3) | Cha:Deception: -1 Intimidation: -1 Performance: -1 Persuasion: +1 (prf.) Cha Save: +1 08 (-1) Languages: You know Common, Dwarvish, Gnomish, Undercommon, Primordial, Deep Speech Spell Slots: 1st - 3/3 | Channel Divinity: 1/1 | “My words,” Rurik says carefully | ‘My thoughts,’ Rurik thinks to himself | My actions . . . Amberlyn "It does sound like some celestial being has taken an interest in you," Rurik replies after hearing Amberlyn's story. "And said being isn't giving you direct guidance - just nudging you in how to use your abilities. It would make you a bit like a clergywoman in ability, if not in position..." Here, Rurik will continue to share with Amberlyn what he does know about possible origins for her abilities, as well as what she can expect from them based on his own experience with his divine magic. A Night At The Opera (Badmaw and Pen) "You, Badmaw, are just full of surprises," Rurik says to the snappily dressed lizardman. Exaggerated as his attire is, it somehow does fit him. "My apologies. Saer Fancymaw." Pen's plainer attire is much less suited for a night at the opera, and the cleric is starting to dither over how to persuade them to let him in - or to persuade "Saer Fancymaw" from going all Badmaw on the doorman. The theater attendant's timely arrival thankfully forestalls this from happening, and the half-elf is soon furnished with a fine set of garments more suited for the evening's entertainment. Intermission The paper bird's message had told Rurik whom to expect when he climbed up to the booth, but it was still a shock to come face to face with the (in)famous Mirt the Moneylender. Before he can react, the Masked Lord has engulfed Rurik's hand in a handshake - one that the cleric notes is very firm and fast for a human of his (apparent) age and girth. A part of him starts thinking back to what he'd read in a certain Guide about Mirt delving into the Yawning Portal - wouldn't that make Mirt older than the age most dwarves would live to naturally? "Ah, i-it's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Mirt." Rurik manages to rally, letting go of the Lord's hand (hopefully) before it became impolite. "Rurik Eversharp, devotee of Dugmaren Brightmantle, the Wandering Tinkerer." The cleric hears out Mirt's explanation of the organization he is being invited to join. While he has some doubts about his own ability at secrecy, Rurik realizes that being connected a network of knowledgeable individuals would help in locating his master's whereabouts in Waterdeep in the short run, and would be of great use in his future studies in the long term. And Mirt's explanation of how the emblems work reassures Rurik that he might be able to hide in plain sight, so to speak. An agreement made, the cleric shakes the Harper's hand again (this time of his own volition), before returning to his seat for the second half of the show. After The Opera "The tickets were from Saer Neverember," Rurik replies modestly to Badmaw as they file out of the Theater. "But thank you all the same. I do think they were going for a dramatized version of the battle at the Well of Dragons, in order to make the story flow better. A strict historical retelling might not appeal to the audience, after all..." Later in the night, after changing out of his fine attire, Rurik sits at the desk in his room and scans through what he's written on a piece of parchment that had once came from a box in a certain warehouse in Candle Lane. Paper Bird "The tunnels of Eartheart are my home, and the miners must be alert for dangers that may be. Little birds and other creatures are used to warn of deadly gases that no eyes can see. Let the birdcage be my sigil, and let the Canary be my name. - R." More poetic than normal - the Fall of Tiamat must have influenced his writing. Now if only he could speak this smoothly all the time... Sighing, Rurik folds up the parchment into its intended shape, before sending it on its way... OOC Item Interaction: — Movement: — Action: — Bonus Action: — Reaction: —

It's fine, I've also been busy, and the multiple threads going on have been hard to track. 🙃 But my Sundays should be clearing up, so I'll have more time to reply soon. 🙂

I haven't gotten the mission yet. Going to need to put in a post about the night at the opera (and slipping out during the intermission). Amongst other things. Will do so sometime within the next day.

Shifted Rurik's reply to Rani to a new post so that it'd be less confusing to read.

Rurik Eversharp Gold (Hill) Dwarf Sage Knowledge Cleric of Dugmaren Brightmantle AC: 18 (Scale Mail, Shield) | HP: 19/19 (2d8+4+2) | Speed: 25 ft. Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., stonecunning, passive Perception 15, Insight 15, Investigation 13 Str:Athletics: +0 Str Save: +0 10 (+0) | Dex:Acrobatics: +2 Sleight of Hand: +2 Stealth: +2 (disadv. from armor) Dex Save: +2 14 (+2) | Con:Con Save: +2 14 (+2) | Int:Arcana: +3 (prf.) History: +5 (exp.) Investigation: +3 (prf.) Nature: +3 (prf.) Religion: +5 (exp.) Int Save: +1 12 (+1) | Wis:Animal Handling: +3 Insight: +5 (prf.) Medicine: +5 (prf.) Perception: +5 (prf.) Survival: +3 Wis Save: +5 17 (+3) | Cha:Deception: -1 Intimidation: -1 Performance: -1 Persuasion: +1 (prf.) Cha Save: +1 08 (-1) Languages: You know Common, Dwarvish, Gnomish, Undercommon, Primordial, Deep Speech Spell Slots: 1st - 3/3 | Channel Divinity: 1/1 | “My words,” Rurik says carefully | ‘My thoughts,’ Rurik thinks to himself | My actions . . . Rani "What books there are aren't in great condition," Rurik sighs, adjusting the collar of his now-work clothes. "I've taken some time to fix the worst of the damage, but there are limits, even with magic. And our, ah, spectral tenant kicks up a fuss if I spend too long mending books. I doubt maintaining a library is one of its priorities." The dwarf is about to continue down the stairs to his ghost-sanctioned repairs, when he something that had slipped his mind during the hustle and bustle. "By the way, Rani, I've been meaning to ask you about the, er, brain-creature we encountered in the sewers. You seem to have recognized what it was trying to do to Badmaw and myself." Rurik winces a bit at this last bit, as he remembers the searing headache the little monster had somehow inflicted on him. If only he could know what exactly that thing had been trying to do. He has some suspicions, but nothing concrete. And the last few days of hard labor hadn't exactly been conducive for further study... OOC Item Interaction: — Movement: — Action: — Bonus Action: — Reaction: —

Finished up my essay too. What I could of it, anyway - there wasn't really much I could think of for Pen and Badmaw at the moment. Unless they'd like to complain about being dragged to the opera - Renaer did give the entire party tickets... (BTW, my mental image of Rurik's fine attire is pretty much Denken from Frieren, except with blue hair.)

I'll need to finish my post over the weekend. Post-Lunar New Year stuff was killer.