"Wonderful," Saran says to himself.

He looks at the city wall and tries to determine how hard it might be to climb over without being noticed by the guards. (Can I get a DC on that?)

Also, does Saran have his ears pierced?  I didn't think that he would, but I've got all these magic earrings...

Are there any holes in the wall the Saran could see through?

If you don't think Saran has pierced ears, then, by definition, he doesn't.

The walls of Neverwinter are robust, stone walls (remember that it is posted in map Game Map link). There might be murder holes or grates along the wall, but you see none from where you are.

The guard sees your disappointment and says, "Sorry, wish I could help..."

"Surely you can make a small exception."

Persuasion check 8

Assuming that the guard isn't persuaded, Saran walks around the wall, looking both for a hole that would possible allow him to see inside the wall, and for a good place to camp for the night.

looking at the map there are some buildings at the mouth of the river that are outside the walls.  Perhaps one of these buildings is an inn. Saran heads in that direction.  Which gate is he at now?

The north-northwest gate. Let's say I noticed that and the Guard told you that you can head over there, but that the land between the wall and the sea can be treacherous, even though it is quite wide ~15'. "Many a drunken sailor has dropped to their doom there. The buildings are mostly inns, storehouses, and shipping businesses. Because ships come in after hours, it is convenient to have them outside the city walls. Be careful at the inns as well, the crowd can be raucous."

+1 Inspiration for good cartography.

Saran heads over to see if he can find an inn by the mouth of the river.

The guard walks along the wall, keeping you in sight. He doesn't appear to be menacing you, just walking like he is doing his rounds, but obviously modulating his pace to stay near.

If you do not interact with him, you get around the wall without much issue. The space between wall and ledge is slightly sloped and wet with sea spray. It is mostly large bare stones, but you navigate it without falling (no roll).

You see a couple buildings with the lights on and hear music and loud laughter. There are a few sailors still toiling on ships by lamplight, either unloading the last of the day's cargo or getting the ship ready to sail at first light.

Saran pays little heed to the guard and expects he is just being catious as a guard should be.
 Saran attempts to find room and board at a reasonable looking (not too expensive, not too shoddy) inn.

Saran skips over the first tavern/inn he sees in favor of one closer to the city gates. It appears that the former is where the sailors go and the latter is where travelers and senior crew members stay when they dock after hours.

Despite being more upscale, it is still a bit of a dive. There is a small stage with a colorfully dressed half-elf playing a lute and singing a suggestive, but pg-13, seafarer's song. Some of the patrons are singing along. The clientele is mostly men, a few with busty women sitting on their knee. The common room is well lit with candles and lamps, even though it is not fully dark out, but the windows are shuttered so very little of the waning light filters in anyway.

The side of the room opposite the stage is a bit more quiet, with a few people already taking an evening supper.

OOC: I just reread you last post and realized that maybe you want to skip to morning. That is fine if you do.

Fine to skip to morning or play out the inn if there is something to be played out.  However, Saran isn't really looking for anything but a warm bed and meal at this point.  He would gravitate toward the quieter supper end of room.

If anyone asks about the sprite poking out of his pack he claims it to be a "play thing"

Thereby characterizing it in the creepiest way possible. Unless you want the Sprite to be showing, it's not.

The innkeeper, who has seen all kinds, at first insists that there is a more suitable place for you down the way, considering your state of filthiness.  Assuming you stay, he informs you that he will have a bath drawn up and have your clothes cleaned (he employs a hedge mage that prestidigitates things for a small fee).

You pass the evening by quietly. It costs 1gp, 2sp for a hot bath, 1sp to have your clothes cleaned.

In the morning you go to the Library/Temple. It is as it was before. You go through the same routine of signing in and go up to see... Francis (had to go back and read that whole part).

When Francis sees you, he gives a quick clap, "The hero has returned! Please don't take that as jest and I hope you don't think me voyeuristic, but I have had quite the time watching your adventures. Some good fair bit of cleverness there!" He shakes his head, "There was quite a lot that I missed. I turned off the scrying apparatus when there were others in the room. I don't wish to turn your adventures into a sport for others. And to be honest there is a fair bit of walking and waiting I see, punctuated by intense danger!" he pauses for a second then says, "I noticed a couple times when I checked in, that you were off the path, in one small cottage or another, and perhaps there was some violence done. Your business is your own, and I have judged you to be reliable, but I can't help being curious about who that bloodied man was on the floor, and... well, the scene of blood in the kitchen of that farmhouse. You must understand, I must not become entangled with someone who is involved in... illicit behavior.

"And please, if you have any questions for me, I have many thoughts about what you saw in the ruins."

OK, I subtracted 1 gp and 2 sp from my character sheet inventory.

“Indeed quite an adventure.  I believe I learned quite a bit, and have some studying to do now.  The man in the cottage was quite an unfortunate and regrettable incident indeed, and I am embarrassed that you saw it, but I believe he will recover without any permanent harm.  I am reluctant to recall it, and while it could have possibly been handled better, I don’t believe I was too far in the wrong on the matter.

The farmhouse is another matter altogether, and one which I wish to ask you about.  I believe there may be a necromancer at work.  I found these markings on a zombie who attacked me along the road. Saran gets the copied markings from his pack and shows Francis. My studies have not focused on necromancy, and I can’t decipher any meaning from these.  I was attacked in the same location by zombies previously.  I thought I should investigate and warn anyone nearby that something may be afoot.  That is when I found the farmhouse in the state in which you saw it, and similar markings I found there also, along with scraps of clothing that matched those on the zombie.  It is one of the matters I planned to study while back in town, and any insights you may have would be welcome indeed.

As to the ruins, I am very interested in your thoughts, and my prime interest is this specimen.”  Saran pulls out the sprite and shows it to Fancis.

The night before, while sleeping in the inn, Saran sees a similar dream of two blue butterflies fluttering randomly on the breeze, and gradually their movements becoming regular and predictable.

Portent dice for the day: 16, 17

Francis looks at the drawings of the markings and frowns, "I do not recognize them either. I think I would recognize almost any ancane sigils, so I am not convinced that is what they are, but I could be wrong. If I were to make a guess, they seem almost artistic in nature, though there is a lot of crossover between sigils & runes with art. Meaning that practioners often put thier own artistic flurishes on the characters of power. Sometimes serendipity strikes and new magics are uncovered in such ways. In any case, we can probably find someone here who might know more.

"The idea of a rogue necromancer is disconcerting, while at the same time all too common. Every once in awhile one pops up to wreak havoc on simple folk, or to desecrate their corpses.

"You said you found these on the zombie? You also said that you were attacked previously by zombies in that area. How many total? Please describe them and your encounters."

OOC: We'll get to the sprite in a minute after the zombies.

“Two zombies total, one male, one female.  I might presume the master and mistress of that farmhouse, but that is a supposition.  Perhaps the zombies ate the master and mistress. Saran shudders.  The first encounter occurred during the night on my way to the ruin.  The second a day later on my way back from the ruin, but in the daylight.  The bodies seemed only a few days deceased and were not excessively decayed.  The markings were cut into the flesh of the female body on the face, neck, hands and arms, symmetrical from one side to the other.  I didn’t notice markings on the first, although it was dark and I may not have looked as closely.  The city guard also made mention of zombies on my arrival to Neverwinter last night.”

"I think you are right to suppose they were the owners of the house, or similar nearby dwellings. My initial thought was that the cuts were perhaps an arcane or fiendish rite to animate the dead, or some similar such experiment. That is the issue I was alluding to, necromancers experiment like any other arcanist, but the subjects of their tests are not as readily available. Experimenting on the dead is taboo to most people. Records of such texts are often illegal. So some necromancers resort to producing their own test subjects.

"Like I said, that was my initial thought. The fact that it was only the woman who was cut up, it may be you every day run of the mill sociopathic mutilation. No less grisly. Perhaps more so even.

"Whether it was for necromantic purposes or not, I will make the supposition that the perpetrator enjoys the ritual, or is otherwise fastidious. The woman's body was cut up on the table, based on what I saw, and it looked like the necromancer cleaned up the blood either during or afterward. Was the woman's clothes covered in blood and are you sure the cuts were only where you described? I would bet that there were more cuts on her body, which was then cleaned, then re-dressed. To what purpose? your guess is as good as mine."



"Ah yes, let's have a look." He casts detect magic, "I believe you did this already, but..." he inspects the sprite for a few moments.

He begins to chants softly with his hands pressed together and light begins to emanate from where they touch. He separates his hands and gently presses them to the Sprite. You recognize this as divine magic. You see color and vibrance enter the sprite's complexion, then he wakes with a start and immediately starts coughing and wheezing.

Saran looks on with amazement and waits expectantly for the sprite to say something.  If it says nothing Saran asks it what it's name is, and how it's feeling.

The old man gets the Sprite some water which it drinks then coughs and wheezes, losing most of it. After a couple times he is able to drink. "Slowly now," Francis says, "You feel like you want to gulp, but you won't hold it that way."

The Sprite replies to you by saying, "My name?" You see him searching his memory. "My name is..." He frowns, "I don't remember my name, which is a strange thing for a sprite, I know. I know I am a Nevernot."

Francis draws out a piece of parchment and starts scribbling, "excuse me, did you just say, 'Never-Not'?"

"No, not a Never-Not, an Ever-not."

"Ah, I see, Ever like always, and Not, as to negate, like Not-Ever, or Never. Or is it Naught, like Always-Nothing?"

"Neither of those, 'Ever', that is correct, but not a negation, and not nothing, but naut, as it pertains to seafaring, but used more generally like, like an astralnaut who travels the astral plane."

"Ah, so like you are always travel faring across... what?"

"Everywhere. Anywhere. But, Nevernot works too, for being an Evernaut means to never expire, and if one is destroyed, they will return."

Francis scribbles furiously on his paper, while the sprite sips tiny sips of water.

OOC: Sorry to use Francis as a foil for that conversation. I really wanted it to happen, but I don't think it ever could through text and without prompting, or scripting.

"Or like one who travels faring through the Ever, or through time itself or something...Fascinating! Do you know where I found you, or what you can last remember? I think it was a dormitory and laboratory of sorts if it helps to bring anything to memory"

OOC: Quite clever, I am sincerely impressed, and that is cool.  I think I would probably have taken Nevernot at face value for granted and moved on from there, so I'm glad you did it how you did.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:56, Wed 21 Mar 2018.

The Evernaut shudders.

It sounds to me that you found me in the place of my last remembrance which was a dark and gruesome laboratory, though it might be better named a chamber of horrors. A dark wizard there carried out foul experiments in which I was made to participate.

He reaches behind his back and runs his fingers where wings should be, then begins to sob softly.

After a few moments he recovers.

He... took, my wings and used them in foul brews, to what ends, I do not know. For a long while he kept me, in a large jar, forcing me to drink experimental potions and noting the effects. It is a wonder I did not die.

The wizard was quite most of the time, but he would sometimes mutter to himself, or curse his fellow scholars. I puzzled out a few things. This lab was secret and his activities would not have been accepted. Also, there came a time when the rest of the people living in whatever complex we were in, I never saw anything outside of the  lab, evacuated. The wizard was gleeful. He hid himself there while they left. I don't know why the rest left. After that he began bringing creatures, anything from beasts, to elves, humans, a halfling, and others, to the lab and torturing them, operating on them, animating them after death, and so on. I longed for death, despite the costs.

I awoke one day to a great ruckus going on outside of the room, I believe it was a wizard's duel. The wizard rushed in and shut the door laughing about how "That fool will soon be dead and I can get on with it!" When he tried to leave the room after what he deemed to be long enough, he was not able to. Not even through magic could he open the door, cackling about how clever it was to seal the outer portal. He was himself injured and possibly mad.

After a few days he gave in to thirst.

I managed to knock my jar off the shelf and found myself in the same desperate situation, though I am not constrained by most physical needs of mortals. It is my dark blessing. I could not escape, but was not a novice to potion-making. My time in his lab had even taught me more secrets of the craft, which I must begrudgingly admit. I concocted a sleep drought so I could pass within a dreamless sleep however long was needed to be discovered or rescued, or be killed by some means.

I expected to either wake again in that place of death, or back in the Feywild, which is the place of my eternal rebirth, I was not expecting to find myself here...

In fact, where am I? And yes, Ever is unbounded by time. The others of my kind see ongoing life to be an extension of time to explore spacial vastness. I ponder whether I will find myself once more at the beginning or if we all move always forward.

Francis nods bemusedly.

"Yes, I found two corpses there, one within the sealed room where you were, and one without.  Both appeared to have been magic users.  I am sorry for the trials you have endured, and though currently of humble means, I will try to help you if I am able.  You are now in the Temple of Boccob, in the city of Neverwinter, and it is the year ___ of ___.  Can you estimate how long you were trapped?"