Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Apr 24, 2019 12:05 am

Renaer, Floon, and Volo wish you well, choosing to depart. Renaer does give you his contact information, attached with a genuine offer: "Give me a chance to pay back my debt some time, alright?"

Still having use of the carriage, you ride to the North District to investigate Trollskull Alley and the titular Manor which are now the owners of. Much to your surprise and Tallulah's lament, Trollskull Alley is right across the street from Lady Haventree's Ulbrinter Manor. "Oh gods, we are going to be neighbours? This can't be happening," she moans out of Xelia's earshot, all the while prying a goblin off of the back of one of the horses. "Can this day get any worse?"

The alley itself is a small commercial hub in the middle of the posh North District, serving the needs of the nobles and successful merchants who live nearby.

[ +- ] Trollskull Alley, Map

Trollskull Manor itself, however, leaves a lot to be desired:

[ +- ] Trollskull Manor, exterior

Opening up the creaky main doors, you discover a spacious yet dilapidated interior. You get a chance to walk it from cellar to turrets:

[ +- ] Trollskull Manor, Map

Alastriona

CancerMan

Apr 24, 2019 12:39 am

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Alastriona treads across the dilapidated floor, almost measuring the building's dimensions with her paces. She runs her hand across the countertops and bannisters as she walks through the manor, climbing all the way up to the attic.

When she reaches the garret, Alastriona sets her pack down. She looks at the goblins and gestures for them to do the same.

Prince Alexander Starr

Jabes.plays.RPG

Apr 24, 2019 1:17 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

"It doesn't look like much now but it's got potential."

Stitches

EvilSansCarne Inactive forever!

Apr 24, 2019 5:42 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Stitches closely examines every room, testing windowsills and rattling door locks, poking suspicious walls and even scrambling up a chimney. After dusting himself off, and satisfied with his peculiar inspection, he drops his heavy pack in the library and places his new spellbook in a prime spot on a bookshelf. he drops his heavy pack outside the library and opens all the windows in the study to air it out. Surveying his new room, he repeats Prince's assessment. "It doesn't look like much now but it's got potential."

OOC:

There aren't enough bedrooms anyway, so Stitches is claiming the library, in tune with his newfound love of books and study. With our first bit of downtime, he'll buy studded leather (selling off his leather armor), a pitcher of wine, and a bedroll and blanket for his new room.

Last edited April 25, 2019 3:37 pm

Len

Apr 25, 2019 8:11 am

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

The goblins filter into the building in Alastriona's wake, jabbering excitedly in goblin. By their oohs and ahhs, it's easy to tell they are impressed by this abode. "Dirge Mother, your fortress is mighty!" exclaims one of them (it's hard to tell which). They settle themselves into the appointed room, fitting right in with the mess and filth.

The crew discovers the following with their careful exploration of the house:

[ +- ] House Survey Report

First floor:

-The hearth is physically in good shape, but the chimney is completely clogged, and the hearth is covered in black soot
-There is a single dusty, unbroken glass sitting on the bar
-One of the large windows is broken.
-All the light fixtures are broken.
-There is a keg of beer behind the bar. It's beyond bad, the keg rusted out
-There is some major water damage on the floor behind the bar, from the keg leaking, the floor sags as you walk on it.
-There is a small Plaque behind the bar, hanging on the wall that says "Employee of the tenday: Lif"
-The Cellar door is completely swollen shut from the keg leak, and needs to be broken to open.
-The pantry is an absolute mess, it looks like mice/rats got into everything and feces and food is strewn all over the floor, the cabinets are in good shape still, just need some major cleaning
-The kitchen is in relatively good shape, but as you explore it you find that the hearth used to cook is completely cracked and will need repair/replacing before use.
-There is no stairs to the upper level, it looks like there used to be, but it was closed off to separate the tavern from the living quarters above at some point.

Basement:

-The cellar smells really musty and strongly like vinegar.
-The Ale Cellar is empty, looks like it was cleaned out at some point, but there is an inch of standing sewage/water, and you see some broken plumbing hanging from the ceiling.
-There are 2 large wine casks in the wine cellar, but they've turned to vinegar. There is one good bottle of wine that fell from a broken wine rack that's behind one of the casks.

2nd Floor

-You have to access it by going up the external stairs in the back.
-The door is locked, you don't have the key. Stitches pops it open without much difficulty.
-Common room Fireplace is in good shape, looks like it was better cared for, but the chimney needs cleaning out and some work done on it, there are birds nests in it. Stitches does a pretty good job of clearing it out as he climbs through it.
-The Den has a nice sitting area in the turret
-Much of the furniture is unsalvageable
-The Bedroom has a rotten bed, as you walk in a little further you hear a noise under the bed, something jumps out at you! It's an old stray ginger tomcat. It jumps out the window.
-The spare bedroom is completely empty, nothing but dust.
-The hallway has a small end table that has a worthless vase and dead flowers. There are some pictures hanging there, but they are faded and worn away.
-The Hall Is empty

Third Floor

-the privy is nice and clean actually, it’s basically a little stool with a hole in the floor, the plumbing goes down to the cellar and is the pipe that’s broken.
-The library is in total disarray. The ceiling collapsed after a leak, and probably a heavy snow, and the 20 or so books left in the room are completely unreadable. It reeks of mold.
-the private bath has/had a large copper tub, it’s full of rust and debris and half full of water, the water ripples a little. A frog and tadpoles have decided it's their new home.
-the master bedroom is empty except for a large wardrobe, when you open it it’s full of dried up pine branches.
-the other bedroom is really plain, and the bed in it is actually in pretty good shape, it smells of mothballs and dust. There is a painting on the wall of Trollskull alley taken almost from a bird's eye view.

Attic

-one bedroom is full of junk, it looks like whenever a piece of furniture or whatever broke they put it in this room rather than throwing it away.
-the other room has a broken window and as you open the door 2 ravens startle from their nests and fly out the window. Everything in this room is ruined.

Turret peak

-Contains a single chair and an empty painting easel.

As Alastriona and Stitches explore the old house, they begin to note some strange occurrences, especially in the taproom. At first, you think it might be the goblins, or maybe even the cat, but anything that is moved finds itself put back in place eventually, usually when nobody is looking.

Len

Apr 25, 2019 8:29 am

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

After a while, there is a knock on the door. A grey-haired, handsome half-elf introduces himself as Tally Fellbranch, the owner and chief artisan of The Bent Nail down the street. He couldn't help but notice somebody in the old manor and thought he'd come by and check on the place. His mannerisms are respectful and he addresses each of you as if you were nobles. He tells you he's been in Trollskull alley for a long time, and he seems genuinely excited with the prospect that somebody might restore Trollskull Manor to its former glory.

"I'd be happy to take stock of the damages for you if it pleases m'lords and lady! Estimate the bill of repairs to get this old beauty running again, parts & labour, the whole shebang. No charge for the estimate, of course. Consider it a 'welcome to the neighbourhood' gift." I could get it done before sundown, or another day if it pleases you better."

[ +- ] Tally Fellbranch

Stitches

EvilSansCarne Inactive forever!

Apr 25, 2019 3:27 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Stitches is pleased to have a visitor and pulls out a chair for Tally. He grabs the dusty glass off the bar and wipes it clean with his cloak, then rummages for something to pour into it. Finding nothing potable, he settles for a few glugs of clean water from his waterskin and offers it to the man.

"Take stock of the damages," he repeats back in Tally's own voice. "No charge for the estimate, of course." He glances up at Alastriona, as if half expecting her to weigh in. For a few moments, he looks around the room and then seems to remember none of the others are there. "Get it done before sundown," he says, nodding to Tally and motioning to the mess with an outstretched arm.

Len

Apr 25, 2019 7:50 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

"Excellent, Master Stitches. I'll be back with a few things." As Tally sets his glass down and gets up to leave, the glass mysteriously rises into the air and floats back to the bar. A dirty rag flops out from a cupboard of its own accord, wipes the glass down, and the glass comes back to a rest where it began.

"Oh, Lif old chap, you're still around?" Tally calls out sadly into the air. He turns to Stitches to explain: "Don't be alarmed, a lot of old buildings in this town have a spirit or two. Lif is pretty harmless, usually. This taproom was his life's work. It must torture him to see it like this if he sees it at all. Maybe fixing this place up'll bring a measure of peace to his soul. There's a nice thought, hmm?"

Tally spends the rest of the day inspecting the manor down to its joists. He delivers the bill around supper time.

"Well, it's as bad as I thought. Here's my report. The final bill comes out to 1000 dragons and would take a tenday to get done. And hey, I'd be willing to knock off 50gp, for old Lif's sake. Let me know! Oh and stop by The Bent Nail sometime, if it's made of wood I got it! Shields, staves, bows ... you name it."

[ +- ] Itemized List of Repair Costs

At about the same time, Talulah retrieves the magic items that Remalia Haventree lent you, accounting carefully for everything. She leaves on her way, grumbling. You're left wondering how you're going to pay for such expensive repairs.

OOC:

Anything you'd like to accomplish during this time before we move on to the next day? I believe evilsanscarne has some shopping to do, for example.

Alastriona

CancerMan

Apr 25, 2019 9:47 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Alastriona watches the glass rise and settle impassively. Seeing that it was only cleaned and returned from whence it came, the aasimar walks behind the bar and over to the plaque. She takes the dirty rag and wipes the employee's name plate to clean the accumulation of dust and grime, and stares at the name Lif. Grasping her holy symbol and running a thumb across the skeletal hand, Alastriona meditates on her next course of action as a paladin of the Lord of the Dead.

Later, Alastriona stomps up the stairs all the way to the attic, carrying buckets, mops, and a variety of rags. Her armor is doffed, her leathers traded for common clothes, and her dark hair tucked under a protective cloth. With a glare, she shoves the cleaning tools into the goblins' hands and points to the garret and adjoining storage, and shepherds the goblins into the process of a top-down cleanup of the old manor.

OOC:

Alastriona will spend the rest of this time cleaning.

Prince Alexander Starr

Jabes.plays.RPG

Apr 26, 2019 3:40 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

"You know, I've grown rather attached to these stylish goggles and cape!" Prince croons at Talulah. "Any chance you'll let us keep them?"

OOC:

Not an icicle's chance in hell, apparently! LOL!

Last edited April 26, 2019 3:41 pm

Rolls

Persuasion - (1d20+5)

(5) + 5 = 10

Stitches

EvilSansCarne Inactive forever!

Apr 26, 2019 5:35 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

While Talulah is distracted with Prince's protests, Stitches tries to surreptitiously fling his pair of goggles into some nearby bushes to retrieve once the angry tortle is gone.

* * * * *

In the taproom, he watches as the glass levitates and cleans itself. "Nice trick," he says in Butler's voice, staring. Once Tally is gone, he hops over to the bar and examines the glass, turning it upside down to peer at it from all sides, even checking under the bar for anything suspicious. Not finding anything, he eventually tires of the search and sets the glass down.

Upstairs, he tidies a corner of the study and unpacks a few meager possessions, making sure not to place anything under the hole in the ceiling. Pulling a quill and a scrap of parchment from a polished wood case, he scratches a quick shopping list in perfect script, then folds it and tucks it into a pocket.

Outside, he pauses, glancing at the shops in the alley, but then heads for his old haunts in more familiar parts of the city to pick up some supplies. Later that night, back at the manor, he tries a preliminary cleaning of the taproom, testing to see how much Lif will let actually him tidy.

Rolls

sleight of hand - (1d20+5)

(16) + 5 = 21

Len

Apr 26, 2019 11:00 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Prince's plea falls on deaf ear holes. "These are the property of House Ulbrinter. I do not possess the authority to alter the terms of your loan. If you wish to borrow them again I suggest you have Lady Xelia make a formal petition." Talulah's snout is high in the air as she makes this pronouncement.

She counts out the items and discovers the missing goggles, which nobody in the room noticed Stiches ditching in the bushes. She demands their immediate return! "You have breached the generous terms offered by House Ulbrinter! This failure will be accompanied by steep consequences! " she fumes.

She clanks out of the house in a huff.

Alastriona

CancerMan

Apr 26, 2019 11:27 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Alastriona is too busy cleaning to interact with the tortle or intervene on anyone's behalf, as she moves from room to room starting from the top.

Prince Alexander Starr

Jabes.plays.RPG

Apr 27, 2019 4:05 am

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

"It wasn't me, I swear!" Prince says to his friends. "Though I almost wish I'd thought of it. Almost. I imagine the issue of the...misplaced item will put a damper on our good relationship with Lady Remalia."

Stitches

EvilSansCarne Inactive forever!

Apr 28, 2019 4:17 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Stitches turns out his pockets, dumping the keys from the Xanathar hideout, a length of string, two candles, a pack of playing cards and a bar of soap onto the ground. He peers around the area for a moment, looks at the others and gives an innocent shrug before packing his belongings back into his tunic and heading inside to continue cleaning.

After dark, he slips outside to the bushes to retrieve his new toy and stows it in his pack.

Len

Apr 29, 2019 8:52 am

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Alastriona conducts a thorough cleaning. Her goblins quickly tire of the task and soon find any and every conceivable reason for slacking off and dragging their feet. However, the cleaning does get done.

Stitches' experiments with cleaning the taproom are meet with nonaggressive interference from the spirit world. Lif seems okay with the tidying and cleaning, which he does not resist in the slightest, but he returns any furniture that gets moved back to its original spot. Not immediately, but slowly over the course of the day, usually when nobody is looking.

Stitches ventures out into the larger Trollskull alley to acquire improved armour, and finds the Steam and Steel foundry. Smoke and steam billow from the many windows around this indoor forge where metal weapons, armour, and tools are made. Stitches discovers that the forge is owned and operated by a married couple: a fire genasi named Embric and a water genasi named Avi. You mostly deal with Avi, who is laid back and speaks plainly, while Embric's hammering and cursing ring out in the background in equal measure.

[ +- ] Embric's Curses

The pair of smiths have a wide variety of metal wares on display, from finely wrought jewelry and precise clockwork mechanisms to stalwart armour and deadly weaponry. Their quality is excellent and their prices fair (as per PHB). They even offer a trade-in price of 5 gp for Stitches' old leather armour, to round out the price of studded leather to an even 40 dragons.

When Stitches goes to recover the Goggles of Night, he finds them gone! However, within a few minutes, he realizes that one of the goblins has picked it up. He finds them trying to pry the lenses out, and when they confront him, they toss it back and forth between them trying to keep it away from Stitches. However, they are no match for Stitches speed and not terribly invested in the goggles with their "stupid glass". They relinquish the prize quickly.

Butler Ashdown

mcneils5 Inactive for 7 months

Apr 29, 2019 2:20 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

As they arrive at their new home butler leaves most of the rest of the party to things, leaving the borrowed items with Talulah. He quickly heads upstairs finding his way into the peak of the turret before settling down with his dulcimer and beginning to play a mournful tune as he looks out over the city as the sun sets

Alastriona

CancerMan

Apr 29, 2019 4:53 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

Alastriona gives disappointed glares at the goblins when they slack off. However, once the cleaning has been completed, she smiles and places a hand upon each goblin head for a job well done.

Without rest, Alastriona dons her traveling clothes and armor in practiced form. She knots her weapons and slings her shield over her back, leaving the rest of her equipment in her new garret bedroom. Finally, she takes the sack with the severed head and prepares to make a direct non-stop journey for the grave district, pausing only to show her companions the City of the Dead on her map.

Her purpose is clear. The dead must find peace, and lacking any means of identification the aasimar will take the body part to the Temple of Kelemvor. Alastriona trusts that the priests, who once gave her shelter and communion, will know what to do.

Len

Apr 30, 2019 3:27 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

The sun rises on Trollskull Manor, and the party awakens to the sound of small green feet scampering about on the roof.

ALASTRIONA

[ +- ] City of the Dead

Alastriona sets off to the City of the Dead. The size of an entire city ward, this is no drab cemetery. It is a great park of grassy hills, tended flower beds, artfully placed clusters of trees and bushes, beautiful sculptures, astounding architecture, and gravel paths that wend intriguingly through it all. Long ago, Waterdavians largely abandoned the practice of burying their dead, instead entombing them in mausoleums. For centuries, the major mausoleums here have each been connected to an extradimensional space where the dead are taken, mourned, and interred.

Those who can afford it memorialize the departed with sculptures, making the City of the Dead an open-air museum that features some of the most stunning, haunting, mournful, and downright eerie statues ever crafted in marble or bronze. Nobles and wealthy merchants have competed to erect the grandest markers for their dead, leading to a wide variety of styles and concepts created by artists at the height of their skills.

One of the cemetery’s most impressive attractions is the Warriors’ Monument. This intricate, sixty-foot-high sculpture depicts a circle of women and men striking down trolls, orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, and barbarians, all of which are falling backward and outward around the warriors. Above all of them, a flying griffon rider spears a skeletal knight whose breastplate bears the symbol of Myrkul, god of the dead. But this statue is also a fountain, and the wounds on these combatants gush water.

Alastriona makes her way to the monastery where monks and priests dedicated to Kelemvor venerated the god of death. She finds the grey-robed wrapping up their prayer mats as they finish their morning ritual of praying in the shadow of Mount Waterdeep, the site where Kelemvor and Midnight ascended to godhood long ago. Their prayer is timed to mark the Driftmarch, the moment when the hundreds of driftglobes that watch over the City of the Dead by night float back into the city.

As the glowing globes begin their migration, one of the priests sees Alastriona and approaches. He pulls back his grey hood to reveal a dark-skinned and grey-haired armoured warrior, Sir Ambrose Everdawn. The aging human knight is finishing his legendary watch; every night he patrols the City of the Dead, warding away grave robbers and worse.

He bows to you and softly acknowledges you by speaking your name, but then says no more words. The silence invites you to make your petition.

Len

Apr 30, 2019 4:44 pm

Re: Chapter 2: Trollskull Alley

TROLLSKULL MANOR Part I

As everyone else begins their day, a paper messenger bird similar to the one that Stitches found on Kara-Turan Beauty arrives and flies right into Xelia's hands. It is unmarked with no name attached, and as you unfold it the words are completely incomprehensible. After a moment, however, the ink magically begins to flow across the parchment and form into words into pictorial Draconic script. It reads:

Dear Matron,

I hope this note finds you well! My little birdies around the city have told me that the young man you rescued has been telling everyone of your daring undercity escapade. Quite the heroic display, even if half of what he says is true. I believe this city is in need of good people who are willing to get their hands dirty and do the right thing. You once told me it is up to those living to make sure that change is for the better. If that is something you truly believe, I have arranged a meeting for you, and any members of your team.

Oh, and a final trifling matter, I found my castellan planning a covert strike on your new residence. Something about one of the borrowed items gone missing? Let us smooth over this misunderstanding as soon as possible.

A small envelope is attached. Unwinding the red string, you pull forth a pebble from the paper satchel. After touching it, it forms itself into a silver pin emblazoned with the symbol of a harp. In addition, there are tickets for an opera titled The Fall of Tiamat at the Lightsinger Theatre in the Castle Ward.

[ +- ] Harper Pin

Preview

Post Preview

Rolls

Rolls

You do not have permission to post in this thread.