[Game Thread] Chapter 1.8: Leaving for Karrnath

[PsionicRanger]

After a night of following leads, you all prepare to meet Barrett at The Grey Sword. He is sitting in the same place you met him the day before. This time he appears to be eating some sort of gruel. Ah, good morning, I see that you've made it back in one piece from last night! Good, good! What news before we leave? Oh, and whatever you want to eat before we go...

[MorganLockbreaker]

Kelvin sits down, Breakfast sounds good. He passes a ledger to Barrett and points out a note, A message for you from our friends. He then begins to tell Barrett about the previous evening, The place hadn't been touched for a while and we didn't find much, but we all got the feeling that we were being watched.

[PsionicRanger]

Looking up from his porrage, Barrett grabs the ledger and begins looking through it, Watched, he says, by who?

[MorganLockbreaker]

Kelvin knits his brow in memory,No clue. We had closed the door to the Joy's office and were looking around when it opened inexplicably. Cole, Phin, and I all turned to see nothing there. We heard nothing; Harold didn't smell anything, but we all felt like something was there. It may have been nothing, but we didn't stick around to find out. Kelvin then leans toward Barrett to show him a small siver orb, we also found a small something, but I'll need to study it a little before I can tell if it has any significance. I need Andreal to tell me if it has any magic to it first, though.

[Huhart]

Phin joins Kelvin and Barrett and has some breakfast. "I'm still on edge over what happened yesterday. I don't like loose ends." He looks around the place, wondering if some invisible thing is watching him even now. Bah! I'm getting paranoid in my old age

[Acheron]

****COLE GENISIS (MIDDLE AGED VERSION)****

"You don't like loose ends." He said as he took a seat with the others. "Something gives me the feeling that Joy would have given us a little heads up if they meant for that to happen... but then we did break in. It could have been nothing more then a door-trigger."

[PsionicRanger]

Barrett looks up at the three of you, Well, we can speculate all day, but that will get us no where. The bottom line is that good or ill, we do have confirmation that Tainted Joy has left here for Karrnath. So, the intelligence that I got was correct, and we also know that they haven't been here in Sharn in a long while, and that tells me that us meeting here wasn't a huge waste of time--if it were, why didn't we just meet in Karrnath?

This trip will be treacherous, and I received a letter this morning. Apparently, Dawn is no longer interested in helping us out, and Roc has gone with her. There is some good news however--you know, before you get all upset. We're being joined by another former member of our group. I know that not everyone has joined us, and I'm sure that we'll meet others of our team along the way--and possibly loose some of you, but in the mean time, our friend Daega Blackwand has joined us. I think he'll be here any moment, actually.

OOC Jai hasn't responded to anything I've posted, and without her to character to be Roc's foil, I've agreed to allow AoSaw to play something else. I'll post what he's given me on the character thread, and we'll move ahead here. AoSaw, feel free to enter when ready, and Pilgrim, you can have gone back to the inn with Roc and Dawn and in the morning they're not here--this could even be the first you've heard of it. I'm ready to move ahead and I think I've given everyone ample time. Jai, if you read this later, and are ready to play Dawn again, I'd love to have you and her in the game. Let me know if you can at any point play her again, and we'll use your absence as a storied reason to be MIA.

[MorganLockbreaker]

It's unfortunate to see Dawn and Roc leave us like this, may The Host watch over them. I have wanted to see Daega for some time, though. He and I had a wager going on who would call the party back together: Cole or Barrett. I owe him a bottle of brandy. Kelvin looks at Barrett a bit confused, Daega? Barrett, did you hit your head? I saw Roc strike him down dead all those years ago. His soul passed on!

[Aosaw]

ooc Morgan, you may want to revise your post after reading what I put in the character thread. Something gives me the suspicion that you'd have no reason to want to see Daega - primarily because, as far as anyone knew, it wouldn't be possible.

[Huhart]

Phineus looks confused and upset. "Daega? Isn't he....dead?" He still remembers his attempt to reincarnate their fallen comrade, one of the few times his magic had failed him.

[PsionicRanger]

I know...I know... Barrett nods his head at Phineus' comments. We'll let him explain when he gets here, but for all intents and purposes, I had no reason to not believe it to be true. We'll need to make sure that this isn't a farce though, so hopefully we can cast appropriate spells and be ready. I'm sure he'll understand our desire to show scrutiny. I'm just glad that Roc won't be here when we see him.

[Pilgrim]

Andreal stumbles down from his room, plopping down in a seat at the table. "Good morning, everyone. How is the tea in this place?" The man looks a bit haggard, his hair unkempt and with stubble on his face. He appears to be wearing the same clothes from the previous night. It makes sense - Andreal's always been a night person, and it takes him time to wake up in the morning.

The sorcerer pours himself a cup of tea. "Roc hasn't changed. He made a bugbear lose bowel control yesterday afternoon. But we received useful information, about some caverns below an Emerald Claw base." Andreal perks up as he sips his tea, becoming more awake. As he does so, he tells the group about Yot's news - that Tainted Joy stole a map from him, a job involving a large Khyber crystal in Korth. About the secret passage on the map leading under the base of the Emerald Claw, and the passage between that and the royal palace. About Yot's suspicions that the Emerald Claw also keeps their undead army in catacombs in the vicinity. "He was telling the truth. I was reading his mind the whole time." He nods to Kelvin in recognition of the man's efforts. "So what other news is there?"

He listens to the others speak, frowning when he hears about Daega, and the leaving of his companions from the previous day. He says nothing however. When he has been caught up, he holds out a hand. "Let me see the orb. I'll examine it."

OOC Casting detect magic, and will study it for maximal information.

[MorganLockbreaker]

Kelvin passes Andreal an Identify extract with the orb. I don't like that our two strongest set of swordarms have decided to leave us. We'll have to feed Harold particularly well so he doesn't quit on us too, Kelvin smirks and nudges Phineus with his elbow.

[Pilgrim]

Andreal accepts the extract, quaffing it before he studies the item in question.

OOC Forgot I had to actually roll... looking to gauge aura strength and school, and properties of the orb. Dice Knowledge: Arcana: 1d20+12 (9)+12 Total = 21 Dice Spellcraft: 1d20+13 (2)+13 Total = 15

[PsionicRanger]

After investigation of the orb with the halfling face on it, Andreal can sense moderate illusion on the object with his detect magic spell.