Chapter 0: Into the Mists

[GreysonWulffe]

Shazzar | The Wizard   Even before the paladin Altair poses the question, Shazzar has already been scouring his mind for any lore that he might have encountered above the mentioned names. However, he turns up a blank.   Leaning close to the paladin so as to not be overheard by anybody else, the middle-aged wizard whispers in reply, "I apologize, my friend, but the names are meaningless to me. Perhaps I have never encountered them before. But I am getting old, and I have been forgetting things only to recall them later - it might very well be that I have encountered the terms before and just cannot recall them in this moment."   Then, he regards the thickening fog around them. "Curious," he says, mostly to himself. "This mists grow thick much too quickly, even though there is no wind pushing them and no geographic or structural formations here to contain and gather them here. Very curious, indeed."

Stat Block Belshazzar "Shazzar" Zidon Male Human Cloistered-Scholar Wizard 1 hp 8/8 ▪ AC 12 (Unarmored) ▪ Speed 30 ft HD 1d6 ▪ Proficiency +2 ▪ Initiative +2 ▪ Senses Passive Perception 11 STR 10 (+0) ▪ DEX 14 (+2) ▪ CON 14 (+2) ▪ INT 16 (+3) ▪ WIS 12 (+1) ▪ CHA 8 (-1) Saves Intelligence +5, Wisdom +3 Skills Arcana +5, History +5, Insight +3, Investigation +5 Languages Common, Draconic, Elvish, Infernal Features Arcane Recovery♦ Arcane Recovery ♦ You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your spellbook. Once per day, when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. (1/1 use), Library Access♦ Library Access ♦ Though others must often endure extensive interviews and significant fees to gain access to even the most common archives in your library, you have free and easy access to the majority of the library, though it might also have repositories of lore that are too valuable, magical, or secret to permit anyone immediate access. You have a working knowledge of your cloister's personnel and bureaucracy, and you know how to navigate those connections with some ease. Additionally, you are likely to gain preferential treatment at other libraries across the Realms, as professional courtesy shown to a fellow scholar., Magic Initiate (Druid)♦ Magic Initiate (Druid) ♦ Choose a class: Druid. You learn two cantrips of your choice from that class's spell list: Guidance, Produce Flame In addition, choose one 1st-level spell to learn from that same list: Goodberry. Using this feat, you can cast the spell once at its lowest level, and you must finish a long rest before you can cast it in this way again. Your spellcasting ability for these spells depends on the class you chose: Wisdom for Druid., Ritual Casting♦ Ritual Casting ♦ You can cast a Wizard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook. You don’t need to have the spell prepared., Spellbook♦ Spellbook ♦ At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-level wizard spells of your choice. Your spellbook is the repository of the wizard spells you know, except your cantrips, which are fixed in your mind. The spells that you add to your spellbook as you gain levels reflect the arcane research you conduct on your own, as well as intellectual breakthroughs you have had about the nature of the multiverse. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in an evil wizard’s chest, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient library. ♦ Copying a Spell into the Book ♦ When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it. Copying that spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation. For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells. ♦ Replacing the Book ♦ You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell. If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many wizards keep backup spellbooks in a safe place. ♦ The Book’s Appearance ♦ Your spellbook is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a plain, functional leather volume that you received as a gift from your master, a finely bound gilt-edged tome you found in an ancient library, or even a loose collection of notes scrounged together after you lost your previous spellbook in a mishap. Attacks  ▬ Dagger: Melee | +4 to hit | 1d4+2 piercing damage | finesse, light, thrown 20/40  ▬ Produce Flame: Ranged 30 | +3 to hit | 1d8 fire damage Spellcasting: Wizard | Spell Save DC 13, Spell Attack +5  ▬ Cantrips: Mage HandConjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Target: A point you choose within range Components: V S Duration: 1 minute A spectral, floating hand appears at a point you choose within range. The hand lasts for the duration or until you dismiss it as an action. The hand vanishes if it is ever more than 30 feet away from you or if you cast this spell again. You can use your action to control the hand. You can use the hand to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. You can move the hand up to 30 feet each time you use it. The hand can’t attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds. Flavor: "Apókryfo chéri" The spectral hand seems to be made of bluish, wispy smoke. It is in the shape of Shazzar's wife's hand, as he remembers it, complete with the wedding band., Mind SliverEnchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V Duration: 1 round You drive a disorienting spike of psychic energy into the mind of one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take 1d6 psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn. At Higher Levels: This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach certain levels: 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6). Flavor: "Spáse to myaló sou", PrestidigitationTransmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 10 feet Target: See text Components: V S Duration: Up to 1 hour This spell is a minor magical trick that novice spellcasters use for practice. You create one of the following magical effects within range: ♦ You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor. ♦ You instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire. ♦ You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot. ♦ You chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material for 1 hour. ♦ You make a color, a small mark, or a symbol appear on an object or a surface for 1 hour. ♦ You create a nonmagical trinket or an illusory image that can fit in your hand and that lasts until the end of your next turn. If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action. Flavor: "Mageía"  ▬ 1st (2/2 slots): Comprehend LanguagesDivination (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Target: Self Components: V S M (A pinch of soot and salt) Duration: 1 hour For the duration, you understand the literal meaning of any spoken language that you hear. You also understand any written language that you see, but you must be touching the surface on which the words are written. It takes about 1 minute to read one page of text. This spell doesn’t decode secret messages in a text or a glyph, such as an arcane sigil, that isn’t part of a written language. Flavor: "Gnorízei óles tis glósses"®, *Detect MagicDivination (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Target: Self Components: V S Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. Flavor: "Epitrépste mou na do apókryfes ávres" For the duration of the spell, Shazzar's eyes turn into black, obsidian-like orbs that glow faintly with a pale-blue light.©®, Find FamiliarConjuration (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 hour Range: 10 feet Target: An unoccupied space within range Components: V S M (10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs that must be consumed by fire in a brass brazier) Duration: Instantaneous You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of a beast. Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal. When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list. Your familiar transforms into the chosen creature. Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll. Flavor: "Akoúste to kálesmá mou, kollitós mou fíle" At the final stage of the spell, the fire turns a brilliant blue, and it is from this blue fire that the familiar explodes out of, extinguishing the fire at the same time.®, *Feather FallTransmutation Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you or a creature within 60 feet of you falls Range: 60 feet Target: Up to five falling creatures within range Components: V M (A small feather or piece of down) Duration: 1 minute Choose up to five falling creatures within range. A falling creature’s rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round until the spell ends. If the creature lands before the spell ends, it takes no falling damage and can land on its feet, and the spell ends for that creature. Flavor: "Sýllipsi" A magic circle that is about 1 foot across appears in the air, over the target's head. It would seem that an invisible energy is emanating from this circle to pull the target up, slowing their descent., *Mage ArmorAbjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Target: A willing creature who isn't wearing armor Components: V S M (A piece of cured leather) Duration: 8 hours You touch a willing creature who isn’t wearing armor, and a protective magical force surrounds it until the spell ends. The target’s base AC becomes 13 + its Dexterity modifier. The spell ends if the target dons armor or if you dismiss the spell as an action. Flavor: "Panoplía tou apókryfou" Faintly-glowing pale-blue lines that form a continuous, geometric pattern appear on Shazzar's clothing. Whenever objects impact against him with considerable force, those lines flash mildly., *Magic MissileEvocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 120 feet Target: A creature of your choice that you can see within range Components: V S Duration: Instantaneous You create three glowing darts of magical force. Each dart hits a creature of your choice that you can see within range. A dart deals 1d4 + 1 force damage to its target. The darts all strike simultaneously, and you can direct them to hit one creature or several. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the spell creates one more dart for each slot above 1st. Flavor: "Apókryfa véli" Several fist-sized magic circles appear in the air around Shazzar, and darts of bluish energy shoot out of each one toward his targets.   Spellcasting: Magic Initiate (Druid) | Spell Save DC 11, Spell Attack +3  ▬ Cantrips: GuidanceDivination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Target: One willing creature Components: V S Duration: Up to 1 minute You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check of its choice. It can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The spell then ends. Flavor: "Eíthe to Oghma na sas kathodigísei" The target feels a comforting warmth spread throughout their body, radiating Shazzar's hand., Produce FlameConjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Target: Self or a creature within 30 feet of you Components: V S Duration: 10 minutes A flickering flame appears in your hand. The flame remains there for the duration and harms neither you nor your equipment. The flame sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. The spell ends if you dismiss it as an action or if you cast it again. You can also attack with the flame, although doing so ends the spell. When you cast this spell, or as an action on a later turn, you can hurl the flame at a creature within 30 feet of you. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 fire damage. At Higher Levels: This spell's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8). Flavor: "Apó to típota, fotiá" The flickering flame is a pale blue in color and takes on a teardrop shape.  ▬ 1st (1/1 use): GoodberryTransmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Target: See text Components: V S M (A sprig of mistletoe) Duration: Instantaneous Up to ten berries appear in your hand and are infused with magic for the duration. A creature can use its action to eat one berry. Eating a berry restores 1 hit point, and the berry provides enough nourishment to sustain a creature for one day. The berries lose their potency if they have not been consumed within 24 hours of the casting of this spell. Flavor: "Threptiká moúra" The berries are perfect orbs in shape and have a perfect sheen to them. Equipment Spellbook, staff (arcane focus), scholar's robes, dagger, writing kit, borrowed book (Elminster's Treatise On The Arcane), belt pouch, backpack, bedroll, mess kit, tinderbox, 5 torches, 5 rations, waterskin, 50 ft of hemp rope, 12 gp, 5 sp, 5 cp Narra | The Familiar Owl (Tiny Fey) hp 1/1 ▪ AC 11 (Unarmored) ▪ Speed 5 ft, fly 60 ft. HD 1d4 ▪ Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 13 STR 3 (-4) ▪ DEX 13 (+1) ▪ CON 8 (-1) ▪ INT 2 (-4) ▪ WIS 12 (+1) ▪ CHA 7 (-2) Skills Perception +3, Stealth +3 Features FlybyThe owl doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach., Keen Hearing & SightThe owl has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing and sight.; Deliver Touch SpellsWhen you Cast a Spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its Reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an Attack roll, you use your Attack modifier for the roll., Link With MasterWhile your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an Action, you can see through your familiar's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any Special Senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own Senses., Pocket DimensionAs an Action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an Action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you.

 

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Edited October 14, 2022 by GreysonWulffe (see edit history)

[Mamori23]

     Altaïr Abd al-Aziz | HP: 12/12 | AC: 18 | Initiative: -1 | Passive Perception: 11

IC

"Blasted," Altaïr cursed, turning his gaze towards the Samuel and the rest who chosen to speak with the vagrants,"Let us pray it turns meangliness for us. I'd have not the interest to deal with anything more than ensuring they get on their merry way and I return back to my bed. They can deal with this dreadful mist."

 

[Chylopan]

Samuel

---

HP:   10/10

AC:   14

Init:  +2

PP:   11

FeaturesSneak Attack: 1d6
Languages: Common, Elvish, Thieves' Cant

ConditionNormal

Luck♧ ♧ ♧

IC

Spells were cast, party negotiations had gone underway, and now there was an ominous mist. Alas, the aged wizard was unable to illuminate them any further to the mysteries of these people, and everyone else seemed content merely to wander in, to make light, or have their presence be relatively unknown thereabouts on the periphery of the camp, to watch, to wait — who could blame them? 

 

Samuel, however, paid no attention to much of this and, instead, focused on the role he was destined — nay, born —  to play, that for which he had volunteered. It was an attempt at civility before any impending mortal threat, and it seemed one appreciated ( and even reciprocated ) by the light hearts who huddled around their wagons and the roaring flame between them; indeed, the warmth and immediate hospitality fostered by these vagrants was... alluring, perhaps deceptively so; it felt real, but so, too, could many things that were not, Samuel had come to know.

For now, it seemed best to play one's cards close to chest.

 

Old wizard, Shazzar, feel free to interject if there's anything you might think might be lost in translation.

 

"From Daggerford, aye," the rogue acknowledged through a disarming smile. "No surprises with you lot, are there? I'm Samuel, Samuel Blessing — a sailor, of sorts." This is but idle conversation, and was added in coy recognition of the fact that these vagrants may know full-well of how they've earned the Duchess's ire. "I 'n we come to parlay and steal a little revelry since you're so obligin'." He steals a seat somewhere around the largest crowd, specifically wheresoever the noted driver of the caravan might reside, and begins the idle ministrations of shuffling the deck of playing cards in his hand.

"This here is my interpreter, Shazzar — wise beyond his years; and, believe me, he's been through a lot of them." Presumably, the wizard was nearest, followed closely by: "The dour-looking fellow is... " The rogue was searching for a name. Khalid? Abiz? Zabir? "... Altair, of course!" On to the next, the dark-clad youth with a chip on her shoulder. "Juliette." Wrong. "— don't ask her about Romeo, aye?" Another sly joke. "Let's see: she's Red," it was Dynaheir, "and Blue be around here somewhere." Giselle. "Who am I forgetting?" How anyone could forget the stone wall with horns... "Oh yeah, Sully." 

Had all of the eclectic lot been made known? Were they now past the necessary introductory phase of the encounter? Samuel thought so, as he shuffled the cards with dexterous precision, like a bonified shark.

"Anyhow, look, I know 'tis might uncomfortable — and a little uncouth on our part — but I won't shine the light in your eyes: the Duchess, she wants ye gone." Rrrrrrip, the cards fall into a final stack within the rogue's hands. "Instead of makin' this a nasty-ugly thing, I thought: y'know what, these folk look mighty keen to play the odds." Play being the key word. Cards, specifically. "Why not play for it? Blackjack. We win, you leave — unmolested, of course — and, if you win... " He trails off, playfully uncertain. "... well, I'm not really sure what you'd want, but rest assured negotiations are open."

Already the sailor is divvying up his own hand, doling out cards.

OOC

Trying to persuade the vagrants to play cards, leaving if they lose.

Trusting in the heart of the cards, and Samuel's quick-talking.

 

♧♧♧

 

 

[emotionaut]

Joliet

---

HP:   12/12

AC:   14

Init:  +3

PP:   13

FeaturesSecond Wind: 1/1
Languages: Common, Paridon Creole

ConditionNormal

Ammo⁍⁍⁍⁍⁍⁍

IC

Joliet moves over to join Samuel once he's made the initial introductions. She doesn't care that he's butchered her name. With luck, they'll all be strangers again before the night is through.

 

"Deal me in, mate," she says as she takes a seat on an overturned wash basin. She's spent many a dark and dangerous night at home before the fire with a deck of cards between her and her father. Before that, it was the same with the girls in the brothel. She's been taught more games than she can remember, with enough alternate names and variations to make the head spin. But she's fairly confident she can pick up whatever game Samuel or these vagrants might put down.

 

"And while we play, might be I can ask you fine folks as to where you've traveled and where you may travel anon," she continues while slipping off her gloves and laying them across her knee. "Was not that long ago I hitched a ride with some fellas much like you. Their wagons were painted in different colors, but I'd wager they could've been kin to yers. They ferried me out of Paridon, but I'm afraid I hadn't the inclination to ask directions back, at the time. Maybe you folks might know the way and point a girl in the right direction? Better still, if we have our way here tonight, maybe you folks would head in that direction yerselves and take a girl along with? Would pay for the trouble, either way, of course."

OOC

Might as well try to Insight check them again when she mentions Paridon, to see if there's any recognition.

[Kavonde]

 

DYNAHEIR | HP 15/15 | AC 15 | Initiative +2 | Passive Perception 12

 

Staying well back, Dyna watches the game with curiosity. Card playing isn't a common hobby in Rashemen, at least not among the men Dynaheir grew up around. Being warriors, they preferred to pass time with games like "throw the rock," "lift the rock," and "catch the rock." It wasn't that the Rashemi, as a whole, lacked imagination or creativity; rather, it was that rocks tended to be close at hand and were often painted with sacred symbols that helped warriors grow and thicken their muscles. Also, rocks tended to object less to being lifted and thrown around than bears did. Dyna's cousin had lost an arm that way.

 

She notices the older woman giving the gamblers the stink-eye and decides to approach her, keeping a respectful distance and not obstructing her line of sight. "Hello," she says. "I am Dynaheir of Rashemen. Do you need anything heavy lifted? I am very strong. I cannot understand the rules of this game they are playing, and since we are here to ask you to leave because the Duchess is paying us to, I thought you might like some help getting ready. I am also very tall, if you need anything put on a high shelf."

[Gregorotto]

Giselle leaves the group, undetected by the caravan's members, and soon they come to process what Shazzar shares with them. The names of the places are a mystery save Sigil, which is recognized as the City at the Center of the Multiverse, a cosmopolitan in the Outer Planes where demons and angels alike can rub shoulders, and only gods are barred entry. Ruled by the mysterious Lady of Pain, how will these travelers get to such a place, unless they have powerful magics of their own?

 

Samuel does much of the initial talking while the others conversed beforehand, working out irritations and plans alike. The old man smiles at Samuel's introduction, bowing with less than a full mouth of teeth. "Welcome, Samuel of Many Blessings: sailors are the kindred of Vistani, your road being the sea and ours... being perhaps a bit more literal." He looks over each one. "You will find us quite obliging, I imagine."

 

Each is introduced in turn, Shazzar feeling the caravan looking at his magical instruments, Altaïr sensing a curiosity about him. Joliet the group seems at ease about, perhaps sensing something about her, while all grow a little nervous at the sight of Dynaheir, her weapons and muscles intimidating. At the mention of another, Blue, the Vistani driver Ratka seems to nervously glance in the darkness, a few times looking directly at Giselle where she hides, but not seeming to see her.

 

Then, to business: the matter of leaving. Staminir maintains his grin while many of the caravan become nervous, most obviously the pregnant woman whose hand shifts to her belly. Her husband moves to hold her, but Stanimir is most obliging. "Ratka, Kashi; you are both good at cards, yes? You know this game he speaks of: a game of twenty and one. Let us show them some Vistani hospitality, hm?" Most notably: he does not agree to the terms.

 

Ratka is taller than his father, his hair as wild under a blue bandana. Kashi, leaving his pregnant wife, is smaller, more broad, more built, and more wild in the face, but both have a particular pallor to their skin, both are dark of hair and wild of eye, the color somewhere between amber and goldenrod. Music picks up, and Samuel is joined by Joliet. Stanimir stands behind his son, and the pregnant woman joins her husband, a hand on his shoulder. "Deal us both in," says Ratka, his voice like silk, "and we shall provide the wine, hm?" Another man grins, approaching with a bottle and four tankards, offering more to whomever wants it. Ratka grabs his hand, gives it a squeeze, and has his squeezed back. The wine-dealing man moves on after all who want to have been served.

 

Ratka grins at the mention of Paridon. "Ah, those bloody streets. It has been some time since we have been there, hm father? When I was a boy."

 

Stanimir nods. "A curious thing: you came to this land, from Paridon? Then I am afraid getting back is no easy task for your kind. Walking will only get you nowhere, fast, and the road to Paridon is not one we are going to go soon. Something dark stalks your streets, and when there is darkness, eyes turn to the Vistani, especially when we are innocent."

 

Ratka nods. "The Vistani are divided between three tasques, three tribes, three nations. We are Boem: we wander the world, where wit and luck take us. The ones who come to Paridon are most commonly Kaldresh, occasionally Manusa. Tell me more, fair Joliet, and I can identify the tasque." Ratka snaps, and Damia, the daughter, saunters over, pulling up a chair from the backside of a wagon. She produces a deck, the likes of which none can say they've seen with any ease. She touches the deck, and a series of cards come out magically, leaving behind a normal-sized deck, the backs of which are black with hints of gray and red. She hands it to Samuel to cut, expects him to pass it to Joliet, and then it comes back to her. "I will be your dealer. Test the cards for yourself, see that they are not touched by magic or jest. Everyone will deal in five gold pieces. But come: a game of twenty and one, that is a game of chance, not of skill. Let this be a game of skill. A stud, perhaps? Do you know those rules? If not, we can go with your game of twenty and one. But the house represents our interests, as much as Ratka and Kashi do. These are our terms. Accept them or do not: it matters not to me." Ratka looks at Samuel, Kashi to Joliet; he takes his wife's hand, and she moves away, grinning.

 

Stanimir laughs at Dyanheir's request. "If we lose, we will certainly need your assistance, maid of Rashemen. That is far from here, no? I went there once, as a boy. Many lifetimes ago, before the Blue Fire, I suspect. What brings you here, to these lands so far from home?"

 

Altaïr and Shazzar find themselves accosted by the pregnant woman. "Do you dance, fair sirs? I see one of you is a man of magic and wits, and one a man of a far land, but I suspect of farther than others know. Do you dance, or do you merely talk in shadows? Perhaps you can tell me more of the Duchess' demands." The music is inviting, the instrumentation reminding Shazzar of the Shining South's scholars who came from Returned Halruua, and Altaïr of home.

 

Giselle remains undetected, and has no reason to doubt the sincerity of the group, as there is no subterfuge going on behind the scenes that she can see.

Out of Character

Switching from blackjack to poker is a suggestion I'm making because it seems like it has better stakes. Either way, time for a Skill Challenge.

 

To those playing cards: between the two of you, roll Deception, Persuasion, Stealth if you're of that persuasion, or any other check you deem necessary. Roleplay to your heart's content. If anyone wants to, roll opposite stuff at a modifier of +2, though the Vistani will not cheat, not unless Samuel or Joliet do first. I'm open to you lot opposing each other in a challenge like this 😉

 

If Shazzar or Altaïr dance, make whatever appropriate Charisma check you wish, Performance being obvious. This is mostly an opportunity for roleplay.

 

Dyna, you've plenty of room to roleplay but you can help along with the Strength stuff later, once things are clearer direction-wise.

 

Giselle, if you want to scout around, feel free to, otherwise I don't have much for you. The mist is thick, yo.

 

To everyone: our fair tiefling cleric has COVID and is thus indisposed. We'll act accordingly.

 

[emotionaut]

Joliet

---

HP:   12/12

AC:   14

Init:  +3

PP:   13

FeaturesSecond Wind: 1/1
Languages: Common, Paridon Creole

ConditionNormal

Ammo⁍⁍⁍⁍⁍⁍

IC

Joliet inspects the cards as requested and cuts the deck while she's at it. She doesn't expect cheating from these Vistani, but she's not ruling it out either. She knows the lengths to which a man might go in order to win. And while she'd like to think herself a more honorable sort, she's not above putting daylight through someone who cheats her out of something that should've been hers fair and square.

 

As the cards are dealt, she continues the conversation with Ratka and Stanimir. "Somethin' dark indeed stalks those streets," she grins, thumbing through her cards. "And tonight she's goin' school you lot at yer own game. Stud, is it? Been some time, but I'm certain to recollect." As the cards come to her, Joliet makes some subtle sounds, like sucking her teeth, while also sometimes shifting her body language just so. She's consciously trying to put out false tells to confound these Vistani, while at the same time distracting them with more talk of Paridon and the Vistani.

 

"Tis a shame you folk ain't headin' back that way," she says, returning to the topic of her home. "But I understand yer meanin'. Could be much the same here, yeah? Duchess maybe got some bug up her arse, some kinda troubles, and she's lookin' to pin it on you and yer kin. Don't much care for her sort, or her sort of thinkin', truth be told. But I tell you what, you all ever find yerselves back Paridon way, you make straight for Southshore. You'll find yer in good company, with all the rest who the city shuns and despises." She is of course disappointed that these Vistani are not the same ones that took her from her home, and more so that they have no intention of going back. She doesn't quite understand their meaning on there being no easy way back, but she doesn't see it as a total loss. They know of these other tasques, and so they may be able to direct her to them.

 

"So the group that brought me out, they had different colors on their wagons. Sky blue and yellow, as I recall. They were also takin' coin from a ne'er-do-well to ferry him outta trouble. Can't say they made a habit of such work, or that they knew the misdeeds of the one offerin' the coin. But maybe that gives you something to go on?" she asks, before making another small sound and raising a single eyebrow as she accepts her last card.

OOC

She antes her 5 GP, and she would like to use Insight to watch for tells on the other players, and use Deception to bluff her own hand.

[GreysonWulffe]

Shazzar | The Wizard   The middle-aged wizard takes in the information that has been provided freely by the old Vistana, Stanimir. 'So open and so forthcoming of their people's history and culture,' Shazzar notes silently. 'I suppose that they are just folk who are truly proud of their heritage - or those who feel that they need to prove themselves and to be understood by others.'   Having no interest in card games, Shazzar lets himself be drawn in by the instrumental music that somehow melds quick and slow beats seamlessly. "Ah, but do not count me out just yet, young lady,"  the wizard says with a fatherly smile as he bows and takes the hand of Kashi's pregnant wife. "There is yet rhythm and dance these old bones. It will be my honour, m'lady, if you shall grace me with this dance. And perhaps I shall share more of the Duchess' demands if you shall share your name. A fair exchange, yes?"   As he starts a slow but still fairly-graceful dance, he whispers a phrase laced with arcane magic that is meant to guide his steps. 'I know I'm no dancer by any means, but I still have my dignity,' he thinks, chuckling silently in his head. 'I can't be tripping on my own robes now, especially not in front of this pregnant mother.'

Stat Block Belshazzar "Shazzar" Zidon Male Human Cloistered-Scholar Wizard 1 hp 8/8 ▪ AC 12 (Unarmored) ▪ Speed 30 ft HD 1d6 ▪ Proficiency +2 ▪ Initiative +2 ▪ Senses Passive Perception 11 STR 10 (+0) ▪ DEX 14 (+2) ▪ CON 14 (+2) ▪ INT 16 (+3) ▪ WIS 12 (+1) ▪ CHA 8 (-1) Saves Intelligence +5, Wisdom +3 Skills Arcana +5, History +5, Insight +3, Investigation +5 Languages Common, Draconic, Elvish, Infernal Features Arcane Recovery♦ Arcane Recovery ♦ You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your spellbook. Once per day, when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. (1/1 use), Library Access♦ Library Access ♦ Though others must often endure extensive interviews and significant fees to gain access to even the most common archives in your library, you have free and easy access to the majority of the library, though it might also have repositories of lore that are too valuable, magical, or secret to permit anyone immediate access. You have a working knowledge of your cloister's personnel and bureaucracy, and you know how to navigate those connections with some ease. Additionally, you are likely to gain preferential treatment at other libraries across the Realms, as professional courtesy shown to a fellow scholar., Magic Initiate (Druid)♦ Magic Initiate (Druid) ♦ Choose a class: Druid. You learn two cantrips of your choice from that class's spell list: Guidance, Produce Flame In addition, choose one 1st-level spell to learn from that same list: Goodberry. Using this feat, you can cast the spell once at its lowest level, and you must finish a long rest before you can cast it in this way again. Your spellcasting ability for these spells depends on the class you chose: Wisdom for Druid., Ritual Casting♦ Ritual Casting ♦ You can cast a Wizard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook. You don’t need to have the spell prepared., Spellbook♦ Spellbook ♦ At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-level wizard spells of your choice. Your spellbook is the repository of the wizard spells you know, except your cantrips, which are fixed in your mind. The spells that you add to your spellbook as you gain levels reflect the arcane research you conduct on your own, as well as intellectual breakthroughs you have had about the nature of the multiverse. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in an evil wizard’s chest, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient library. ♦ Copying a Spell into the Book ♦ When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it. Copying that spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation. For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells. ♦ Replacing the Book ♦ You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell. If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many wizards keep backup spellbooks in a safe place. ♦ The Book’s Appearance ♦ Your spellbook is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a plain, functional leather volume that you received as a gift from your master, a finely bound gilt-edged tome you found in an ancient library, or even a loose collection of notes scrounged together after you lost your previous spellbook in a mishap. Attacks  ▬ Dagger: Melee | +4 to hit | 1d4+2 piercing damage | finesse, light, thrown 20/40  ▬ Produce Flame: Ranged 30 | +3 to hit | 1d8 fire damage Spellcasting: Wizard | Spell Save DC 13, Spell Attack +5  ▬ Cantrips: Mage HandConjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Target: A point you choose within range Components: V S Duration: 1 minute A spectral, floating hand appears at a point you choose within range. The hand lasts for the duration or until you dismiss it as an action. The hand vanishes if it is ever more than 30 feet away from you or if you cast this spell again. You can use your action to control the hand. You can use the hand to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. You can move the hand up to 30 feet each time you use it. The hand can’t attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds. Flavor: "Apókryfo chéri" The spectral hand seems to be made of bluish, wispy smoke. It is in the shape of Shazzar's wife's hand, as he remembers it, complete with the wedding band., Mind SliverEnchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V Duration: 1 round You drive a disorienting spike of psychic energy into the mind of one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take 1d6 psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn. At Higher Levels: This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach certain levels: 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6). Flavor: "Spáse to myaló sou", PrestidigitationTransmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 10 feet Target: See text Components: V S Duration: Up to 1 hour This spell is a minor magical trick that novice spellcasters use for practice. You create one of the following magical effects within range: ♦ You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor. ♦ You instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire. ♦ You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot. ♦ You chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material for 1 hour. ♦ You make a color, a small mark, or a symbol appear on an object or a surface for 1 hour. ♦ You create a nonmagical trinket or an illusory image that can fit in your hand and that lasts until the end of your next turn. If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action. Flavor: "Mageía"  ▬ 1st (2/2 slots): Comprehend LanguagesDivination (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Target: Self Components: V S M (A pinch of soot and salt) Duration: 1 hour For the duration, you understand the literal meaning of any spoken language that you hear. You also understand any written language that you see, but you must be touching the surface on which the words are written. It takes about 1 minute to read one page of text. This spell doesn’t decode secret messages in a text or a glyph, such as an arcane sigil, that isn’t part of a written language. Flavor: "Gnorízei óles tis glósses"®, *Detect MagicDivination (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Target: Self Components: V S Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. Flavor: "Epitrépste mou na do apókryfes ávres" For the duration of the spell, Shazzar's eyes turn into black, obsidian-like orbs that glow faintly with a pale-blue light.©®, Find FamiliarConjuration (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 hour Range: 10 feet Target: An unoccupied space within range Components: V S M (10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs that must be consumed by fire in a brass brazier) Duration: Instantaneous You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of a beast. Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal. When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list. Your familiar transforms into the chosen creature. Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll. Flavor: "Akoúste to kálesmá mou, kollitós mou fíle" At the final stage of the spell, the fire turns a brilliant blue, and it is from this blue fire that the familiar explodes out of, extinguishing the fire at the same time.®, *Feather FallTransmutation Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you or a creature within 60 feet of you falls Range: 60 feet Target: Up to five falling creatures within range Components: V M (A small feather or piece of down) Duration: 1 minute Choose up to five falling creatures within range. A falling creature’s rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round until the spell ends. If the creature lands before the spell ends, it takes no falling damage and can land on its feet, and the spell ends for that creature. Flavor: "Sýllipsi" A magic circle that is about 1 foot across appears in the air, over the target's head. It would seem that an invisible energy is emanating from this circle to pull the target up, slowing their descent., *Mage ArmorAbjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Target: A willing creature who isn't wearing armor Components: V S M (A piece of cured leather) Duration: 8 hours You touch a willing creature who isn’t wearing armor, and a protective magical force surrounds it until the spell ends. The target’s base AC becomes 13 + its Dexterity modifier. The spell ends if the target dons armor or if you dismiss the spell as an action. Flavor: "Panoplía tou apókryfou" Faintly-glowing pale-blue lines that form a continuous, geometric pattern appear on Shazzar's clothing. Whenever objects impact against him with considerable force, those lines flash mildly., *Magic MissileEvocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 120 feet Target: A creature of your choice that you can see within range Components: V S Duration: Instantaneous You create three glowing darts of magical force. Each dart hits a creature of your choice that you can see within range. A dart deals 1d4 + 1 force damage to its target. The darts all strike simultaneously, and you can direct them to hit one creature or several. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the spell creates one more dart for each slot above 1st. Flavor: "Apókryfa véli" Several fist-sized magic circles appear in the air around Shazzar, and darts of bluish energy shoot out of each one toward his targets.   Spellcasting: Magic Initiate (Druid) | Spell Save DC 11, Spell Attack +3  ▬ Cantrips: GuidanceDivination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Target: One willing creature Components: V S Duration: Up to 1 minute You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check of its choice. It can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The spell then ends. Flavor: "Eíthe to Oghma na sas kathodigísei" The target feels a comforting warmth spread throughout their body, radiating Shazzar's hand., Produce FlameConjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Target: Self or a creature within 30 feet of you Components: V S Duration: 10 minutes A flickering flame appears in your hand. The flame remains there for the duration and harms neither you nor your equipment. The flame sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. The spell ends if you dismiss it as an action or if you cast it again. You can also attack with the flame, although doing so ends the spell. When you cast this spell, or as an action on a later turn, you can hurl the flame at a creature within 30 feet of you. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 fire damage. At Higher Levels: This spell's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8). Flavor: "Apó to típota, fotiá" The flickering flame is a pale blue in color and takes on a teardrop shape.  ▬ 1st (1/1 use): GoodberryTransmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Target: See text Components: V S M (A sprig of mistletoe) Duration: Instantaneous Up to ten berries appear in your hand and are infused with magic for the duration. A creature can use its action to eat one berry. Eating a berry restores 1 hit point, and the berry provides enough nourishment to sustain a creature for one day. The berries lose their potency if they have not been consumed within 24 hours of the casting of this spell. Flavor: "Threptiká moúra" The berries are perfect orbs in shape and have a perfect sheen to them. Equipment Spellbook, staff (arcane focus), scholar's robes, dagger, writing kit, borrowed book (Elminster's Treatise On The Arcane), belt pouch, backpack, bedroll, mess kit, tinderbox, 5 torches, 5 rations, waterskin, 50 ft of hemp rope, 12 gp, 5 sp, 5 cp Narra | The Familiar Owl (Tiny Fey) hp 1/1 ▪ AC 11 (Unarmored) ▪ Speed 5 ft, fly 60 ft. HD 1d4 ▪ Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 13 STR 3 (-4) ▪ DEX 13 (+1) ▪ CON 8 (-1) ▪ INT 2 (-4) ▪ WIS 12 (+1) ▪ CHA 7 (-2) Skills Perception +3, Stealth +3 Features FlybyThe owl doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach., Keen Hearing & SightThe owl has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing and sight.; Deliver Touch SpellsWhen you Cast a Spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its Reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an Attack roll, you use your Attack modifier for the roll., Link With MasterWhile your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an Action, you can see through your familiar's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any Special Senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own Senses., Pocket DimensionAs an Action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an Action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you.   OOC Shazzar will Perform a dance, I guess, and he'll put in some Guidance so he doesn't make a total fool of himself. :D

 

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Edited October 21, 2022 by GreysonWulffe (see edit history)

[Mamori23]

    Altaïr Abd al-Aziz | HP: 12/12 | AC: 18 | Initiative: -1 | Passive Perception: 11

IC

Altaïr stayed content with his drink in hand, draining large amounts in each swallow as if dying from thrist. "I'll refrain for now given my current attire would not be the most comfortable to dance along with," he gestured a hand to his armor, smiling almost giddy like,"but perhaps later as this music is...oddly soothing." More than soothing, it made the sour knight turn sweet from nostalgia with a face turning wistful at each note from the music played. Altaïr could understand perhsaps this was the spell used on the Duchess knights, for he too was caught under their magics. He did give one curious eye to the woman, sipping away at his wine, "I'd love hear how much you know of my land if a turn comes again, as from what I understand it you all are quite traveled. I wager there is more than just my far away home you've been too." Even the spirited one knows of them personally it appears, Altaïr moves an over to Juliet in curiosty of the game starting to play. 

 

[Kavonde]

 

DYNAHEIR | HP 15/15 | AC 15 | Initiative +2 | Passive Perception 12

 

Dynaheir glances at Damia before answering Stanimir. Her question had been directed towards the woman, and it strikes her as a bit rude of the old lorekeeper to butt in like that. Then again, Damia doesn't seem particularly inclined to be friendly to the newcomers, or her father, or anyone in her immediate vicinity. Taking her continued silence as a rejection of Dyna's attempt at friendliness, she turns to the older man and the ongoing card game.

 

"I am on my dajemma to prove myself as a warrior. I decided to travel to Baldur's Gate, where my great-great-great-great-great granduncle, Minsc the Brave, once lived and had many grand adventures. Also, many less-grand adventures. Most of them involved finding an item somewhere and bringing it to someone. I think these sorts of adventures generally became much more interesting when he went to Amn." She frowns thoughtfully for a moment, trying to locate her train of thought. "Anyway, there is a statue of Minsc and his wise companion, Boo, in Baldur's Gate. I thought I would travel there to see it, and help everyone I could along the way!"

 

"Of course," she adds after a moment's thought, "to complete my dajemma and honor my great-uncle, I think I will need to do more than deliver lost items and rescue pets from trees. I hope to stumble into a great adventure, just as Minsc and Boo did. Perhaps some ancient evil whose butt needs kicking. Maybe a city crushed beneath the oddly-shaped boot of a tyrant. You know, this sort of thing."

Edited October 21, 2022 by Kavonde (see edit history)

[Lukenary]

   

Giselle the Drowned

---

HP:   11/11  |   AC:   17  |   Init:  +3  |  PP:   11

Features

Divine Sense PHB, pg. 84
As an action, you can detect good and evil. Until the end of your next turn, you can sense anything affected by the hallow spell or know the location of any celestial, fiend, undead within 60 ft. that is not behind total cover. You can use this feature 4 times per long rest. 3/4

 

Lay on Hands PHB, pg. 84
You have a pool of healing power that can restore 5 HP per long rest. As an action, you can touch a creature to restore any number of HP remaining in the pool, or 5 HP to either cure a disease or neutralize a poison affecting the creature. 5/5

Traits

 

Darkvision BR, pg. 39
You can see in darkness (shades of gray) up to 60 ft.

 

Fey Ancestry BR, pg. 39
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Spells

None

IC

Giselle takes a few more beats to map out the encampment and spot anything suspicious.  After this, she emerges into the firelight, a figure of shadow given form and function.  She ghosts up to the Vistani leader, utterly silent.  Marked, potentially, by the other Vistani.  But though she is silent, she is no assassin.  She acknowledges those watching her warily, including Ratka, and nods.  When she reaches Stanimir, she draws herself up to a courtly pose as best she can.

 

"Greetings, good Stanimir.  I am the one the scoundrel Blessing named 'Blue,' though I know not where he came by such an epithet for me.  I am Giselle Kelyre, a paladin of Lathander, called 'the Drowned,' by still others.  I seem to have a penchant for collecting names.

 

"I apologize for any rudeness in not introducing myself earlier.  One cannot take too much caution when meeting strangers by the road, I hope you understand."  And here she relaxes visibly, quirks her head to the side and grins.  "It looks like my companions have made themselves at home with your people.  Before I can completely discharge my duties, is there anyone with your troupe that needs healing?  Is the pregnant woman dancing there in good health?"

 

"Then mayhap you need some help in emptying some kegs, no?"

OOC

Investigation for the camp.

Persuasion to put Stanimir at ease with the group.

Medicine if anyone needs any 'normal' healing, or I'm happy to Lay On Hands if someone's in trouble.  Oops, somehow I rolled twice.

 

[Gregorotto]

The card game begins, and immediately, Joliet begins reading the two Vistani whom she and Samuel gamble against.

 

There's a lot to take into this situation, because it's more than a card game. Every aspect of this encounter is a well-planned endeavor not just on their part, but on the part of the Vistani. They know how to handle strangers. They know how to deal with strangers, they know how to divide and how to conquer. And that is exactly what they have done: they have divided the group from Daggerford into parts, and now plan to study them, just as Joliet is studying the Vistani.

 

The first round of stud goes to Samuel, by sheer luck, while the second one goes to Kashi. Throughout, a conversation is maintained, putting Joliet's interests at a strained intensity while she maintains the strength of her hand and conviction. "And what a beast you are!" notes Kashi, taking in his chips. "You are a wily fox, Joliet of Paridon: I will have to watch you close." The next hand begins, as Dyanheir takes a hint from Damia and moves to speak to Stanimir and the dance progresses elsewhere.

 

The pregnant Vistana dances around Shazzar first, grinning at his uncertain but guided footwork. "You move with your brain in the way too much, I think: but you move well!" She does not immediately give him what he wants but waits for the up-tempo. "I am Kezia, one of the songstresses of our clan. Come, come: tell me of your Duchess, her intentions."

 

Nearby, Altaïr sits by the playing musicians, a beautiful-eyed Vistana who calls her Vittoria. "Ah, Zakhara: the Land of Fate is beautious indeed! I went as a child, when still with my father's clan. We visited Huzuz, and I had my fortune told by a, how do you say... orc seer. She told me I would marry a man from that fair land, and that I would give him many children, and find contentment, but perhaps not fulfillment: for my ways of the road would lead us down different paths. Perhaps you can prove her a liar, hm?" She winks, clearly being playful, but it's true: in the cities of Zakhara, the race of a being has no real importance. Races intermix freely without the old discriminations: half-orc, half-elven children are as common as not. The cosmopolitan nature of the Land of Fate means in cities there is a fair diversity, but in rural areas? The old ways reign. "I remember the food most, the smells. They say those linger with us longer. I had some once, in Sigil, but it was not the same. Lentil beans, fresh spices... what were they, coriander? Cumin? Delightful, and on lamb, too! The sauces, how they enticed the flavor from the meat! And I remember something of your prophetess, the Lore-... bringer? giver? I do not remember. She seemed impressive. Tell me, farlander, what is the nature of fate?"

 

Joliet is ready to make her play.

 

She bluffs, using the nature of her coming to Daggerford as a way to distract. "Those colors are very distinct... I think Manusa. Perhaps Zarovan... I cannot say with certainty. Perhaps you will see them soon enough, hm?" But then the cards come down, and everyone folds before Joliet's meager hand: she wins a sizable pot, putting Ratka out of the game. He clicks his tongue but remains seated, smiling widely at Joliet.

 

Nearby, Dynaheir speaks to Stanimir, who watches the game with interest but is always giving her his full attention. "Ah, the dajemma... I recall those, I think, in my time spent in Rashemen. What a journey it is... not unlike our own wanderings. A curse, they call it: but what else could I do but wander? I could not settle down if I felt the need in my bones: for every step is one I find closer to love and life itself. You go to your ancestor, well, I go to my destiny, which is the next land over. Hm?" He grins, but his grin soon fades.

 

The Vistani save Kezia notice Giselle as she approaches, and Kezia is simply too busy dancing.

 

"A trump card, I see: welcome to our fire, Giselle of the Morninglord. Partake of our wines, of our food, and be as our guest, with your companions, I think." Giselle has done her reconnaissance: the three vardo, their wagons, are all but packed save the people who dance and eat and play cards, and they see the writing on the walls. There are weapons, but on the carts, and there are wares on the carts too, things to sell and thinks with which to cook and many many things indeed she does not understand. Her investigation was thorough, and there is nothing to fear.

 

Before Stanimir can stop her, Giselle offers to look at Kezia, who stops dancing and steps on Shazzar's foot, before realizing her mistake. "I do not need medical attention, thank you!" She seems quite irritated at the patronizing suggestion, but that's just as well: Giselle can't make heads or tails of her state anyway.

 

Soon, in the backdrop of all this, Samuel has been quite persuasive and bluffing, and puts Kashi out on a fine bluff. Damia grins to her father, and nods.

 

"Well well! We have some cunning souls among us this night! And just as well: we will ride for fairer lands in the morn: but first, sit by our fire, partake of the sausage. I have a tale for you, one you may find... interesting. Will you sit and listen? Then, we will go without delay."

 

The music dies down. This is the crescendo they have waited for: but what story is worth this?

[GreysonWulffe]

Shazzar | The Wizard   Taken in by the music and Kezia's youthful spirit, Shazzar loses himself in the dance. It is as if the lively music and the pregnant woman's hypnotic dance are able to draw out the last vestiges of youth that yet remain hidden in the core of his being, and the middle-aged wizard becomes uncharacteristically energetic - much to his own pain, as he discovers soon enough.   "Ah, but these old bones cannot keep this up for too long, Kezia my dear," he admits, panting heavily as he slows his dance to a stop. He ignores the woman stepping on his foot - the many years of standing in Candlekeep have deadened much of the sensation there anyway. "I can only speak to what the Duchess has shared with us, and not to any other intentions she might have. From what she has told unto us, her only intention is to have you and your kin to no longer be in and around Daggerford. If I have to wager a guess, I would say that your lifestyle, while still valid, does not meet her expectations and her standards. While I might not agree with her, she wields authority in this place. I must defer to her judgment and her ruling, I am sorry."   Upon hearing the old Vistana's offer, Shazzar raises an eyebrow in surprise. "A story in exchange for the completion of our task?" he says. "I think that exchange more than fair. Perhaps we should hear their story. What say you, companions?"

Stat Block Belshazzar "Shazzar" Zidon Male Human Cloistered-Scholar Wizard 1 hp 8/8 ▪ AC 12 (Unarmored) ▪ Speed 30 ft HD 1d6 ▪ Proficiency +2 ▪ Initiative +2 ▪ Senses Passive Perception 11 STR 10 (+0) ▪ DEX 14 (+2) ▪ CON 14 (+2) ▪ INT 16 (+3) ▪ WIS 12 (+1) ▪ CHA 8 (-1) Saves Intelligence +5, Wisdom +3 Skills Arcana +5, History +5, Insight +3, Investigation +5 Languages Common, Draconic, Elvish, Infernal Features Arcane Recovery♦ Arcane Recovery ♦ You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your spellbook. Once per day, when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. (1/1 use), Library Access♦ Library Access ♦ Though others must often endure extensive interviews and significant fees to gain access to even the most common archives in your library, you have free and easy access to the majority of the library, though it might also have repositories of lore that are too valuable, magical, or secret to permit anyone immediate access. You have a working knowledge of your cloister's personnel and bureaucracy, and you know how to navigate those connections with some ease. Additionally, you are likely to gain preferential treatment at other libraries across the Realms, as professional courtesy shown to a fellow scholar., Magic Initiate (Druid)♦ Magic Initiate (Druid) ♦ Choose a class: Druid. You learn two cantrips of your choice from that class's spell list: Guidance, Produce Flame In addition, choose one 1st-level spell to learn from that same list: Goodberry. Using this feat, you can cast the spell once at its lowest level, and you must finish a long rest before you can cast it in this way again. Your spellcasting ability for these spells depends on the class you chose: Wisdom for Druid., Ritual Casting♦ Ritual Casting ♦ You can cast a Wizard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook. You don’t need to have the spell prepared., Spellbook♦ Spellbook ♦ At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-level wizard spells of your choice. Your spellbook is the repository of the wizard spells you know, except your cantrips, which are fixed in your mind. The spells that you add to your spellbook as you gain levels reflect the arcane research you conduct on your own, as well as intellectual breakthroughs you have had about the nature of the multiverse. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in an evil wizard’s chest, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient library. ♦ Copying a Spell into the Book ♦ When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it. Copying that spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation. For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells. ♦ Replacing the Book ♦ You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell. If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many wizards keep backup spellbooks in a safe place. ♦ The Book’s Appearance ♦ Your spellbook is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a plain, functional leather volume that you received as a gift from your master, a finely bound gilt-edged tome you found in an ancient library, or even a loose collection of notes scrounged together after you lost your previous spellbook in a mishap. Attacks  ▬ Dagger: Melee | +4 to hit | 1d4+2 piercing damage | finesse, light, thrown 20/40  ▬ Produce Flame: Ranged 30 | +3 to hit | 1d8 fire damage Spellcasting: Wizard | Spell Save DC 13, Spell Attack +5  ▬ Cantrips: Mage HandConjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 30 feet Target: A point you choose within range Components: V S Duration: 1 minute A spectral, floating hand appears at a point you choose within range. The hand lasts for the duration or until you dismiss it as an action. The hand vanishes if it is ever more than 30 feet away from you or if you cast this spell again. You can use your action to control the hand. You can use the hand to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. You can move the hand up to 30 feet each time you use it. The hand can’t attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds. Flavor: "Apókryfo chéri" The spectral hand seems to be made of bluish, wispy smoke. It is in the shape of Shazzar's wife's hand, as he remembers it, complete with the wedding band., Mind SliverEnchantment Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V Duration: 1 round You drive a disorienting spike of psychic energy into the mind of one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take 1d6 psychic damage and subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn. At Higher Levels: This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach certain levels: 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6). Flavor: "Spáse to myaló sou", PrestidigitationTransmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 10 feet Target: See text Components: V S Duration: Up to 1 hour This spell is a minor magical trick that novice spellcasters use for practice. You create one of the following magical effects within range: ♦ You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor. ♦ You instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire. ♦ You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot. ♦ You chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material for 1 hour. ♦ You make a color, a small mark, or a symbol appear on an object or a surface for 1 hour. ♦ You create a nonmagical trinket or an illusory image that can fit in your hand and that lasts until the end of your next turn. If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action. Flavor: "Mageía"  ▬ 1st (2/2 slots): Comprehend LanguagesDivination (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Target: Self Components: V S M (A pinch of soot and salt) Duration: 1 hour For the duration, you understand the literal meaning of any spoken language that you hear. You also understand any written language that you see, but you must be touching the surface on which the words are written. It takes about 1 minute to read one page of text. This spell doesn’t decode secret messages in a text or a glyph, such as an arcane sigil, that isn’t part of a written language. Flavor: "Gnorízei óles tis glósses"®, *Detect MagicDivination (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Target: Self Components: V S Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. Flavor: "Epitrépste mou na do apókryfes ávres" For the duration of the spell, Shazzar's eyes turn into black, obsidian-like orbs that glow faintly with a pale-blue light.©®, Find FamiliarConjuration (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 hour Range: 10 feet Target: An unoccupied space within range Components: V S M (10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs that must be consumed by fire in a brass brazier) Duration: Instantaneous You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of a beast. Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal. When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list. Your familiar transforms into the chosen creature. Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll. Flavor: "Akoúste to kálesmá mou, kollitós mou fíle" At the final stage of the spell, the fire turns a brilliant blue, and it is from this blue fire that the familiar explodes out of, extinguishing the fire at the same time.®, *Feather FallTransmutation Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you or a creature within 60 feet of you falls Range: 60 feet Target: Up to five falling creatures within range Components: V M (A small feather or piece of down) Duration: 1 minute Choose up to five falling creatures within range. A falling creature’s rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round until the spell ends. If the creature lands before the spell ends, it takes no falling damage and can land on its feet, and the spell ends for that creature. Flavor: "Sýllipsi" A magic circle that is about 1 foot across appears in the air, over the target's head. It would seem that an invisible energy is emanating from this circle to pull the target up, slowing their descent., *Mage ArmorAbjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Target: A willing creature who isn't wearing armor Components: V S M (A piece of cured leather) Duration: 8 hours You touch a willing creature who isn’t wearing armor, and a protective magical force surrounds it until the spell ends. The target’s base AC becomes 13 + its Dexterity modifier. The spell ends if the target dons armor or if you dismiss the spell as an action. Flavor: "Panoplía tou apókryfou" Faintly-glowing pale-blue lines that form a continuous, geometric pattern appear on Shazzar's clothing. Whenever objects impact against him with considerable force, those lines flash mildly., *Magic MissileEvocation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 120 feet Target: A creature of your choice that you can see within range Components: V S Duration: Instantaneous You create three glowing darts of magical force. Each dart hits a creature of your choice that you can see within range. A dart deals 1d4 + 1 force damage to its target. The darts all strike simultaneously, and you can direct them to hit one creature or several. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the spell creates one more dart for each slot above 1st. Flavor: "Apókryfa véli" Several fist-sized magic circles appear in the air around Shazzar, and darts of bluish energy shoot out of each one toward his targets.   Spellcasting: Magic Initiate (Druid) | Spell Save DC 11, Spell Attack +3  ▬ Cantrips: GuidanceDivination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Target: One willing creature Components: V S Duration: Up to 1 minute You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check of its choice. It can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The spell then ends. Flavor: "Eíthe to Oghma na sas kathodigísei" The target feels a comforting warmth spread throughout their body, radiating Shazzar's hand., Produce FlameConjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Target: Self or a creature within 30 feet of you Components: V S Duration: 10 minutes A flickering flame appears in your hand. The flame remains there for the duration and harms neither you nor your equipment. The flame sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. The spell ends if you dismiss it as an action or if you cast it again. You can also attack with the flame, although doing so ends the spell. When you cast this spell, or as an action on a later turn, you can hurl the flame at a creature within 30 feet of you. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 fire damage. At Higher Levels: This spell's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8). Flavor: "Apó to típota, fotiá" The flickering flame is a pale blue in color and takes on a teardrop shape.  ▬ 1st (1/1 use): GoodberryTransmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Target: See text Components: V S M (A sprig of mistletoe) Duration: Instantaneous Up to ten berries appear in your hand and are infused with magic for the duration. A creature can use its action to eat one berry. Eating a berry restores 1 hit point, and the berry provides enough nourishment to sustain a creature for one day. The berries lose their potency if they have not been consumed within 24 hours of the casting of this spell. Flavor: "Threptiká moúra" The berries are perfect orbs in shape and have a perfect sheen to them. Equipment Spellbook, staff (arcane focus), scholar's robes, dagger, writing kit, borrowed book (Elminster's Treatise On The Arcane), belt pouch, backpack, bedroll, mess kit, tinderbox, 5 torches, 5 rations, waterskin, 50 ft of hemp rope, 12 gp, 5 sp, 5 cp Narra | The Familiar Owl (Tiny Fey) hp 1/1 ▪ AC 11 (Unarmored) ▪ Speed 5 ft, fly 60 ft. HD 1d4 ▪ Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 13 STR 3 (-4) ▪ DEX 13 (+1) ▪ CON 8 (-1) ▪ INT 2 (-4) ▪ WIS 12 (+1) ▪ CHA 7 (-2) Skills Perception +3, Stealth +3 Features FlybyThe owl doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach., Keen Hearing & SightThe owl has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing and sight.; Deliver Touch SpellsWhen you Cast a Spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its Reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an Attack roll, you use your Attack modifier for the roll., Link With MasterWhile your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an Action, you can see through your familiar's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any Special Senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own Senses., Pocket DimensionAs an Action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an Action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you.

 

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Edited October 31, 2022 by GreysonWulffe (see edit history)

[emotionaut]

Joliet

---

HP:   12/12

AC:   14

Init:  +3

PP:   13

FeaturesSecond Wind: 1/1
Languages: Common, Paridon Creole

ConditionNormal

Ammo⁍⁍⁍⁍⁍⁍

IC

Joliet collects her winnings with a sly grin. She nods to Ratka amicably enough as he exits the game, pockets empty. She then turns her hunter's eyes on Kashi, as if to say he's next. Though it is Samuel who forces the other Vistani out of the game. Joliet turns to Samuel to see if the sailor wants to go for broke against her one-on-one, but Stanimir speaks up at that moment to propose a story. Shazzar makes a fine point about it. No sense belaboring things if these folk are willing to cash out for a song. Joliet pockets what she's earned and leans back.

 

"Sounds like more 'an a fair trade to me," she says with a nod to Shazzar. "Tell your story. There's been no shortage of interestin' as of late, but I'd tip my hat to the one who could put all those other happenins to shame. Let's hear it." She rests her feet up on a spare log and lets her boot heels feel the fire while the man spins his tale. She declines any offer of drink. Her papa has shown her family to be too easily affixed to the bottle, and she has vowed to keep her wits about her at all times. She likewise declines the sausage, as she does not partake of meats unless she's seen or made the kill herself. Too many suspect butchers in Paridon peddling steaks without an easy source of cattle...

OOC

I assume she makes back her 5 gold, but did she get any extra?

[Kavonde]

DYNAHEIR | HP 15/15 | AC 15 | Initiative +2 | Passive Perception 12

Dyna consults her mental map of the area. "The next land over? In which direction? If it is south, then I think we are both headed to the same place."

 

The expression on her face is completely sincere and bereft of guile. The cryptic meaning of Stanimir's words is clearly completely lost on the young warrior.