Tegan nodded in a vaguely disinterested fashion at the dotty old Gnome's patter. The half-Elf wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he figured that he would know it if and when he saw it -- something in the nature of a hint, something that would give him some guidance on where to start looking for the person whom he was supposed to seek out here in Tideswallow.

As he moved down the aisles, the first thought that came to Tegan is that he should look for something that showed the bright-violet hue that the Messenger in his dreams sometimes seemed to favor. He suspected that whatever he found might be something that was incongruous or inconsequential to most everyone else, but the color that he remembered was a little unusual, so he reasoned that it would stand out to his eyes.

Nothing caught his eye in the first aisle that he perused. Then another thought occurred to him, and he turned to the Gnome. "Blood and honor -- does that mean anything to you? Do you have anything in here that has any sort of a connection to that phrase?"

---

OOC: 10:47, Today: Tegan rolled 3 using 1d20.  Investigation Check .

Notes: Well . . . about all one can say about a 3 is "Meh, at least it wasn't a 1." :)
This message was last edited by the player at 15:34, Sat 31 Oct 2020.

In reply to Tegan (msg # 47):

The pile you begin with seems to hold little of consequence. The broken bits and pieces you pull out appear to be just what the shop advertises them to be: junk.

“Blood and Honor? Hmmm... nope. No. Nothing. Doesn’t ring any bells.... oh except for the brown scroll over under the pile of almanacs there.”

He points to a particularly overstuffed bookshelf where sits a small mountain of crumbling tomes and sheets of parchment. One particularly badly creased scroll of brown parchment paper is currently being crushed beneath the rest of the pile. As best you can guess, it likely hasn’t moved from its spot in years, if not decades.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:01, Sat 31 Oct 2020.

In reply to GM (msg # 48):

Tegan's eyebrows shot up in an expression of surprise when the Gnome responded to his "Blood and Honor" inquiry by pointing out an age-browned parchment that was resting at the bottom of a stack of dusty tomes.

"That . . ." he began, clearing his throat in an off-hand manner, "it might be of interest to me," he replied.

"But I hesitate to touch any of your items. Plus, seeing as how the parchment rests at the bottom of a pile . . . stack . . . whatever -- of other volumes and parchments . . . well, if I moved anything out of the way, I might not get it back in the right order."

"Would you like to move the other items away from the parchment that you mentioned? That way everything can be put back, just the way you like it . . . errr, just as it should be."

In reply to Tegan (msg # 49):

“Oh no, don’t worry about the pile. All junk, the lot of it. Just stack it on the floor if you want the scroll. It’ll be 10 gold as I’m quite sure it’s one of a kind and very very old... probably.”

He seems to be thoroughly distracted with the crossbow, seemingly trying to remember where he picked it up from and how best to set it back down there. He’s not even looking at you as he speaks.

In reply to GM (msg # 50):

The Gnome's comment had set Tegan to wondering how a scroll -- and seemingly quite an old one, if the shop-owner was correct -- could have some sort of a connection with the phrase that he had heard on that night.

He also took note of the oldster's about-face in telling him to have at the "junk" that covered the scroll, and to just stack it on the floor. The fact that the Gnome still had the crossbow in hand -- and was looking rather befuddled about what he should do with it -- was also a matter of no little concern.

Finally, the Half-Elf gently suggested "Under the counter, friend -- that's where that crossbow goes. Lean down and . . . (~Well, mayhap on second thought, someone of your stature need not lean down~) . . . if you look under the counter, and I'm sure that you'll see just the spot for it."

And so it was that Tegan began removing the items that covered the parchment and starting a new stack of junk down on the floor, turning and eyeing the old Gnome every now and again to make sure that the crossbow was not being aimed at him.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:16, Sun 01 Nov 2020.

In reply to Tegan (msg # 51):

“Under the...? Oh the hook! Right, right. Of course. Yes. That’s more like it...” He continued attempting to fit the crossbow back into its hiding spot with varying degrees of success as you made your way over to the shelf.

Removing the tomes crushing down on the scroll, you find that many are barely even legible anymore; their pages long since turned to dust or so badly water damaged that the print is completely unreadable. The scroll you find beneath them, meanwhile, isn’t in particularly great shape itself. Tattered, beaten, and creased beyond smoothing, a good deal of the text written upon it is impossible to make out. The language it’s written in likewise doesn’t exactly fill you with much confidence. The long, spiraling letters (if that’s what they are) and jagged pictographs aren’t any written form you recognize.

In the dead center of the scroll is a complex arcane formula, something you’ve seen in various forms before but never had a much luck actually deciphering. More of a wizard’s sort of thing to work with. Some of the lines have faded with time and you suspect whatever spell or ritual was once printed on here has long since lost its potency, if it ever had any to begin with.

In reply to GM (msg # 52):

Tegan breathed a sigh of relief once the crossbow was somewhere under the counter, as opposed to being above the counter, where hands responding to the urgings of a failing mind could easily have aimed it at him. He found himself imagining hearing the Gnome mutter ~What does this little thingamajiggy right here do? Oh, my stars, that was a trigger, wasn't it? Oh dearie me, look what it did when I pulled the trigger! Who could have guessed that such a thing would happen? I'm so, so sorry . . .~

Once he was able to view the parchment, to say that Tegan was disappointed would be an understatement. ~Well, what did you expect, Tegan-me-lad?~ he chided himself. ~Did you think that all the answers to your questions would be just handed to you on a silver platter?~

Holding the parchment carefully, the Half-Elf turned to face the Gnome. "In all truth, I can make no sense of what is writ down here," he admitted.

"How is it that you know that these scribblings have anything to do with that phrase that I spoke a few moments ago -- 'Blood and Honor'?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:41, Sun 01 Nov 2020.

In reply to Tegan (msg # 53):

“Oh I read it once upon a time. Back when uh... someone? Hmmm... Somebody? Yes that one. Back when somebody traded it for coin enough to leave this dingy old port on a ship northward. Said it was worth the weight of the coin, at least, so that’s what I gave her for it. The speech is called ‘Undercommon’ unless the name’s changed in recent years. Not all legible but what’s there is in that.” He slowly climbs down from the counter and totters over to you with some effort.

Looking up at the paper, possibly reading the back of the scroll, he begins reciting what he either remembers or sees; you’re not entirely sure. “Ressin. They’re here on official business. Just a lie. Not an exploratory team at all. They come from the main branch. From the Chorus. The grail’s in their possession, but only a small one. Gift for the town. To keep things strong.”

“Elleck. Even if that’s true, we must be keeping eyes upon them. I fear the Chorus has made a mistake this day. These people are not to be trusted. Keep tabs. Send word. Eyes up. Eyes bright.”

“Eyes up. All Night. Will send back what I find. Need to create a cipher still. Until then, no more talk of choruses and grails. I’ll see you when this is over, my love. Blood and Honor.“

“Watcher willing, Elleck. Light and Knowledge, my dear.”

He stops a moment, catching his breath a bit. “Afraid that’s all I could ever make out. Some sort of correspondence. The spell engraved on it I believe let these two send the paper back and further to one another. Teleport it across a great distance. But that magic’s been lost since the parchment’s suffered such abuse over the years. Might be more you could make out from it, but that’s all I could ever read.”
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:55, Mon 02 Nov 2020.

In reply to GM (msg # 54):

Tegan listened intently as the old Gnome read from the parchment -- from the way he spoke, it even looked like he might be reciting it from memory, but the Half-Elf had trouble crediting that the old codger's recall was that sharp.

~"Blood and Honor" -- glory to the good gods, it's in there, right enough -- the old fellow got it right. And there's another catchphrase -- "Light and Knowledge" -- that might also mean something. And who's this Watcher, I wonder -- the one referred to in the "Watcher Willing" wording . . . that could be helpful to know.~

"That's . . . interesting," Tegan said after the Gnome had finished his telling, "but sadly, I have no clue as to what any of it means."

"Still and all, I'd like to be able to study the words from time to time, in the hopes that understanding will come to me at some point. And I have no chance of remembering all that. Do you some paper, ink, and a pen? I'll pay you for them."

"Then, I'll trouble you to read . . . recite . . . those words again -- slowly, if you please, so that I can write them all down. Or, if you think it better, you can write them down yourself. Either way, there's a little extra coin in it for you as a recompense for the writing supplies."

---

OOC: DM, what sort of a roll would Tegan need to make to see if he knows anything about "The Watcher", or the "Light and Knowledge" catchphrase? Thanks.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:23, Mon 02 Nov 2020.

In reply to Tegan (msg # 55):

At the suggestion of more coin, the old man scrambles back toward one of the junk piles closer to the counter. “Ink and parchment, right enough! Easy to put together here. Let’s see...” He fishes about through the various mounds of bits and baubles, eventually producing a sizable vial of black ink and a somewhat shabby writing quill. “Here you are. I’m not much for.... um... what’s the word? Foundation? No... Dictation! Yes that one. But you can certainly write while I repeat it.”

He reiterates the back-and-forth message to you again while you take some time to jot down what’s being said, all the while pondering on the meaning of certain aspects of it. Casting your memory back as far as possible, you search for any inkling you might have of the meaning behind the words.

---

I would say for this, give it a History or Religion check; your choice which.

In reply to GM (msg # 56):

Tegan wrote down the words as the old Gnome spoke them, sometimes asking the oldster speak more slowly, sometimes asking him to repeat portions of what was writ on the old parchment.

As he wrote, he turned a portion of his mind towards trying to trying to grasp any bits of understanding of what was writ down so long ago. By the time the merchant had finished reading the words again, Tegan was shaking his head in silent exasperation. He felt certain that there were clues to be had here -- the Blood and Honor catchphrase seemed proof enough of that, at least to his way of thinking -- but he could not make sense of any of them.

"Thank you for your assistance, sir," he said to the Gnome when the oldster had finished.

"Now, then -- what is the final tally of what I owe you? And please add a scroll case to your amount. I need to protect this old parchment from further harm, methinks, and would like to purchase it from you."

---

OOC: 12:19, Today: Tegan rolled 2 using 1d20.  History Check re: Old Parchment.

Notes: Let's see . . . that's two die-rolls for Tegan, resulting in a 3 and a 2. Thanks to the good gods (and the DM's good judgment) that we did not roll for Attributes in this game. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:11, Mon 02 Nov 2020.

In reply to Tegan (msg # 57):

Despite your best efforts, the words are no more familiar now than when you first heard them so long ago. Blood and Honor. You can’t get the phrase out of your mind... you can feel this has been a step in the right direction. And in quite quick order too. But still so far from a definitive answer.

“Erm, right. Good. Excellent. Now then, that is all well and done. I will be needing that coin now, if you please. 10 gold for the scroll, and another... we’ll say... 5 for the reciting and writing implements.”

In reply to GM (msg # 58):

Tegan nodded when the shopkeeper named his sum. The Half-Elf thought that he was probably overpaying if one went by market price alone, but he could not help but feeling that the old parchment and its words were worth quite a bit more to him personally than the market price would indicate.

"All, right, then -- here's your 15 Gold Dragons, as the buying-price, plus an extra Golder for that scroll-case that I mentioned," Tegan said, counting out the coins on top of the counter, in plain view of the Gnome.

After carefully placing the old parchment in the scroll case, Tegan shrugged the straps of his backpack off of his shoulders, set it down atop the counter, then opened the flap and packed everything away.

Then, slipping the straps of his backpack back on his shoulders, he nodded in parting to the old merchant. "Good day to you, sir. And many thanks for your very helpful assistance."

---

OOC: I shall deduct 16 GP from Tegan's available coins, and add to his Inventory: Old parchment, paper (one piece, containing translation), ink, quill, and scroll-case.

In reply to Tegan (msg # 59):

Without even looking, the gnome reaches over into one fo the nearby piles and pulls out a fairly well-made looking scroll case that appears as though it should fit your purchase nicely. He hands it to you and takes the gold; eager to see the deal completed.
“A pleasure doing business Mr...?”

In reply to GM (msg # 60):

Tegan had turned to lave the store when the Gnome spoke to him. Turning back to face the oldster, Tegan smiled and replied "Tegan. Tegan Adalondor, from Saltspire."

"And yourself, sir?"

In reply to Tegan (msg # 61):

“That’d be Milo. Milo of... uh... this town!”
You can tell the mental strains of this entire transaction has been quite taxing on the old gnome. Little more of worth seems like it’s going to come from him at this juncture. He bids you farewell and returns to his counter, looking for all the world like he is planning on going right back to sleep.

In reply to GM (msg # 62):

Tegan smiled a kindly smile. He was pretty sure that the recent transaction had favored both Milo and himself. "Well, then -- good day to you, Master Milo," he said as he turned to leave the shop.

Stepping out into the Town Square, the Half-Elf found himself wondering where he should go next. ~Mayhap I am going about this the wrong way~ he decided after a moment's thought. ~Mayhap I am pressing too hard in trying to force some sort of a resolution sooner rather than later.~

~Who knows the mind of an entity as powerful as my Patron, whomever he or she may be? Mayhap I just need to show a little patience, and await some guidance.~
This message was last edited by the player at 15:53, Wed 04 Nov 2020.

Tegan glanced around the Town Square. He felt like the ancient parchment that he had purchased in the junk shop would aid him in his quest, although in what measure he was as of yet uncertain.

~Where to next?~ he wondered.

---

OOC: GM, do any of the shops and market stalls other than the junk shop appear to be open for business? Thanks.

The businesses all around you appear to be open for business and accepting all visitors. As best you can tell, only one or two buildings are devoid of life of some form or another; boarded up and shuttered for who knows how long.

Around the square you see what you believe to be:
-A general store.
-The Adventurers’ Guild.
-Temples and small shrines to various deities,
-An infirmary.
-Several small offices.
-The lesser town bank.
-The stables.
-Shops and businesses of varying degrees of quality.
-The lesser town library.
-The town junk shop.
-A book store.
-A butcher.
-A few small dining facilities.
-Town Criers
-And stalls where all manner of trade goes on, often changing hands on a regular basis.

In reply to GM (msg # 65):

The fact that there was a library located on the Town Square caught Tegan's attention. ~Hmmm -- an interest in learning must be more common in this city than I had anticipated.~

~I never did much reading myself, but a place like that could be helpful to me in my present circumstances. Hopefully the librarian will be a person of substantial learning and academic knowledge. Only one way to find out, I suppose.~

With those thoughts in mind, Tegan made his way over to the library and stepped inside.

In reply to Tegan (msg # 66):

The building passing for a library in the Town Square betrays a bit of the city’s own lack of care for its populace’s education. A small warehouse of stone and wood, it has been dressed up over the years to at least resemble a place of learning from the outside. However, once within its interior, you find that much of the place has become a means of housing untold stacks of books, scrolls, and outdated paperwork. Some is certainly organized in the way you’d expect a library to be and is entirely browseable to any and all visitors. A great deal more, however, is locked away in unsorted piles behind a curtained-off portion of the warehouse.

A man of drow-heritage runs the front desk and greets you as you enter. “Welcome my friend. Please browse to your heart’s content. Just let me know if you need anything...”

He seems wholly bored with the job and is barely even paying attention as you enter; merely passing on the greeting as a pleasantry more than an actual heart-felt salutation.

In reply to GM (msg # 67):

Tegan smiled at the man behind the desk who had spoken to him. "Actually, I do have something that I could use some help with," he replied.

"I recently picked up a very old parchment that contains some wording that is supposedly writ in Undercommon. I couldn't say -- I do not speak nor read that tongue, myself."

"If you do, I would like to check the translation that I have been given against what you can read on the parchment. It is also possible that you might understand more of the original wording than the fellow who spoke the translation for me."

"So, then -- can you aid me?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:07, Sat 07 Nov 2020.

In reply to Tegan (msg # 68):

“Undercommon? Curious... I suppose I should be a bit insulted you’d just assume I know it, but quite honestly, I’ve not had an excuse to practice the tongue in quite some time... so certainly, I’ll give your document a look over.” Insulted or not, you catch no hint of actual offense in his voice or tone. It seems more likely he’s just trying to see if he can make you uncomfortable.

Taking the parchment, he glances over it a few times. You watch as his eyes travel across it over and over, occasionally betraying some semblence of difficulty before seeming understanding takes hold. “Fascinating... and you found this... where? Exactly? Because if it’s the least bit recent, which I’m quite hoping it’s not, you my friend may be in quite a bit of trouble. Seems you’ve intercepted some manner of missive between... spies, perhaps? Cultists? I’m not entirely sure.”
Over the next ten minutes or so, he slowly confirms the majority of what the gnome had recited from memory.

In reply to GM (msg # 69):

If Tegan was affected by the other man's reaction to the Hal-Elf's asking if he knew Undercommon, he did not show it. ~If that sort of thing offends you, you are way too thin-skinned,~ he thought to himself. He shrugged and said "I. myself am a Half-Elf. It does not offend me when people assume that I can read and write Elven -- which I can."

He listened as the man behind the desk by and large confirmed Milo's previous translation. In response to the questions asked by the man of Drow heritage, Tegan responded "I picked this up in the junk shop over on the other side of the Square. It was buried under a pile of old books and scrolls, and the proprietor of the shop told me that it is quite old."

"To my eye it does look old, but I suppose that there can be clever ways to fake that sort of thing. Although to go to that effort and then bury the parchment away in a nondescript junk shop makes little sense to me. So I am assuming that it is as ancient as it looks to be."

Tegan cocked his head to one side and regarded the other man in silence for a moment. "Now that you have had an opportunity to read it over, do you recognize any of the catchphrases -- 'Blood and Honor', 'Watcher Willing', and 'Light and Knowledge'? And what about the reference to the Chorus and Grails -- do these things ring any bells with you?"

"Is one of these phrases or references the reason that you suspect that Cultists may be involved? And if so, do you know anything of the cult, and who -- or what -- they serve?"

In reply to Tegan (msg # 70):

He nods along as you speak, clearly a little more interested now having seen the piece that’s held your interest for himself. “Milo’s? Oh well that would make sense then. Always does seem to have a way of attracting tourists with that old hovel of his... If that’s the case, I’d wager this is indeed an old, forgotten artifact rather than some clever bit of subterfuge. That old gnome’s mad as the day is long, but he’s got an eye for antiques.”

At your question of familiar phrases, he shrugs. “A few I’ve seen in passing here and there. ‘Blood and Honor’ is a surprising versatile one. Not really bound to any single organization I know of. More just a typical show of respect between warriors, I should think... though... the usage here does raise some questions, I must admit. Shame I’m not paid enough to look into such things really. I do love a good historical mystery... This mention of a ‘grail’ though is troubling. Town’s got a rough history itself going back a few hundred years. And in all that time, there’s been the very, VERY occasional mention of relics that might fit the description of a grail. Not a chalice or cup, precisely, but a vessel to be certain. Capable of terrible displays of power. Don’t know any details though. Just the sorts of folk tales that’ve faded into the background over generations.” 

It’s only when you bring up cult directly that he seems to clam up. “I uh... that was a slip of the tongue on my part. Best not to concern yourself with such things. Cults don’t really exist in this part of Veltria. Never get a chance to. No way to gain a foothold in towns like this. A few smaller religions might resemble them, but they’re harmless and basically isolated to the west coast. Not here. Tideswallow’s a pretty god-respecting place for the most part. Amaunator’s got a bit of a monopoly on the souls here, if ya ken.”