The same mustachioed guard from yesterday greeted Mallory and Idrianthe when they came out of the gate of the Host Tower. Idrianthe found it strange that a guard was necessary for a Knight and a Wizard who had more than proved her aptitude, but she conceded the matter quickly. It was not as if she had a choice  – the guard was rather persistent he fulfill his obligation.

Luskan was sunny and chilly on this fine morning, and its citizens were participating in what was a very lively city. A large vessel from Baldur's Gate bearing salt, fish, and dyes had docked earlier, stirring merchants and sailors into commotion as coin and wares readily changed hands. It all made it hard to believe that Luskan, just a few decades prior, was a mere ruin and no city at all, its population comprising only skulking Kobolds, Goblins, and Ghouls.

It was through the Markets on the way to the Winter Palace that Idrianthe produced a pin in the shape of a kite in beige metal, branching white metal arcs completing the trademark. "So," she said, holding the pin in her palm, "have you come to a decision, Lady Mallory?"

---

Said pin.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:01, Fri 26 Jan.

A good long while spent in the library had been a pleasant way to enjoy the morning, as far as Mallory was concerned.  She was frankly surprised she and Idri had been allowed to remove any tomes from the archive itself, but said tomes would remain in their chambers all the same.  Warding glyphs or no, Mallory had absolutely no intention of putting precious writings at risk by taking them from the Host Tower.  She'd never be able to forgive herself if original works came to harm on her watch!  She thanked Maccath profusely and left the Tiefling with every assurance that the works would be returned promptly before her return to Icewind Dale.  Though, with the rest of the day ahead of her and still so much to be done, Mallory found herself increasingly curious as to if she'd need to extend her stay in Luskan a bit longer.  She'd be off-schedule with what had been discussed with the rest of the group but, with the help of a spell she'd found amid the archives, she could inform the others easily enough if need be.

To step out into the sea breeze on a bright and pleasantly brisk morning was something the young noble found both enjoyable and saddening.  Her gaze once more drifted southward as she felt a deep pang of homesickness take her; the ocean wind didn't quite smell the same as back in Neverwinter.  But Luskan and Neverwinter had their similarities, both in the nice parts and in their shared, perilous pasts.  So much of her home city had been wiped out in the eruption of Mount Hotenow but it too had come back from ashen ruins and deep scars.  Her own family had been key players in the restoration efforts.  The thought of it darkened Mallory's expression as the weight of her whole reason for leaving her home city returned to her mind... rather, it never quite left her, but usually settled into a quiet ache rather than a sharp pang.

"So, have you come to a decision, Lady Mallory?"

"Ah?" the young noble was jolted out of her reverie by Idrianthe's question.  It took her a moment of owlish blinking before she could get her thoughts back into gear.  "I'm sorry, Idri, I was off in my own world.  How do you mean?" she queried, her gaze drawn to the insignia pin of the Host Tower's emblem Idri brandished.

Meanwhile, high in the air above the trio, Astre glided through the chilly wind.  The cold ocean breeze was a lot nicer than the biting, frigid winds further north and he rather enjoyed being able to more lazily ride the air currents.  He went from rooftop to rooftop, following after Mallory and company.  While it was the mustachio'd guard's job to protect the ladies on foot, Astre was ever the vigilant scout from on high to make sure no trouble would approach unnoticed.

---

Astre's following Mallory from the skies, while remaining within Telepathy range.  Passive Perception 15 for the time being - just keeping a general eye out to make sure there's nobody tailing them, watching for pickpockets, and the like.

Idrianthe looked onto Mallory somewhat incredulously. "When I was presented with this, by the handmaiden this morning I assumed it was an invitation. Perhaps I misunderstand?" It had been delivered to her in a folded piece of silk cloth along with a modest breakfast. She wasn't sure what else it could be.

---

Mallory:

Passive Perception 15

Blergh, Passive Perception. An entirely dysfunctional mechanic as far as I (and many others) am concerned. I'd rather have him roll an active Perception, so that is what I will do.

Astre's Perception to spot anything amiss [25!]: Critical success!

---

This clear day was Astre's – not even the Seagulls who began circling as he briefly took to the skies to bridge the rooftops could rattle him. They shrieked loudly, stating in no unclear terms that he was egregiously infringing on their territory, but as long as he held his ground and soared with confidence, shrieking would be all they did. They were a far cry from the Hawk he had challenged in Hopswood.

Although he didn't immediately notice anything untoward, to believe there was no dishonesty in a town like Luskan on a day like this would be the paragon of naivety. It was just a matter of spotting it. So he kept watch, and sure enough, it did not take long until he saw a conspicuous ruffian in the markets who seemed to be taking mental tally of every coin exchanged in the vicinity. With a guard in tow, Mallory and Idrianthe hadn't even entered the markets before he noticed them, then he retreated into an alley and moved southeast toward the more decrepit part of town.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:57, Sat 27 Jan.

I don't necessarily agree on the matter of Passive skills, as I find them useful for a general application where a singular effort isn't involved.  But it's hardly something to whinge about either way, I'll keep that in mind for the future and roll for Astre's monitoring next time.

---

"No, I daresay you have the right of it.  That's simply an invitation I wasn't extended." Mallory hummed with soft realization as to what the badge meant, not just in the moment but in the immediate future as well.  When the group had first met Idri, she'd already been working for Vellynne as a personal choice while the rest of them were simply a hiring of convenience, so there was a lot more trust invested into the Elf.  But Mallory herself?  Her thoughts reflected back on what she - as a mage - had accomplished that worked in favor of Vellynne's goals and general uses.  At the same measure, she'd technically worked directly against the Arcane Brotherhood just as much in her dealings with Arkemos and Dzaan.  All in all, her own experiences were far more of a mixed bag.  "I'm honestly the sort who prefers contractual relationships with organizations... even if membership to the Arcane Brotherhood had been offered to me, I'm doubtful I'd have accepted it.  Besides, for all the good I've done Madame Harpell, I do believe I've rubbed her the wrong way on more than one matter.  I think being a freelance associate, myself, is the better option."

She offered Idri a tilt of her head in consideration.  "So I suppose the real question is: have you come to a decision, Dame Mar?" she echoed with a curious smile.

At first, Idrianthe just looked surprised, then confused. She wouldn't in a million years assume only she would be extended an invitation. Lady Mallory was the arcanist! Idrianthe was merely a smith. Sure, one that dabbled in magic, but, still, she had presumed a Wizarding order to be composed of Wizards. Athough she was hesitant to accept Mallory's explanation out of earnest humility, she recognized the truth of the matter regardless of the Brotherhood's reasoning might have been. Or perhaps Mallory would be extended her own invitation later?

She looked onto the pin with thoughtful melancholy when prompted of her choice. "No," she answered before closing her palm around it and tucking it back into her pocket, "I have not decided. Although I am technically a Knight still, it has been long since I belonged to an order. I was also sworn to it, but whether or not I still am in its complete absence is . . . a difficult matter to contend with. We served our purpose, and Witchholm is no more, yet I still adhere to the tenets."

She sighed as she and Mallory moved past Tavern Row, the Winter Palace getting close. "I can't deny its wealth of resources, but I am left unsure of what the Brotherhood actually wants. What they truly strive for. Vellynne seems honest enough, but she's spoken extensively of the divisions within. Am I comfortable belonging to an order accepting Red Wizards into their fold?"

At the heart of the matter, Idri perhaps underestimated herself - or overestimated Mallory - when it came to matters of standing.  Her order may have been long gone but she still belonged to one and, in being an Elf, was a living repository of Witchholm itself.  Vellynne was a child of the illustrious and well-renown Harpell family.  Harai was a truly unique facet of a poorly misunderstood people, region, and multiple forms of magic alike.  Maccath was a specialist with considerable personal experience and actionable goals she was in pursuit of.  Dzaan had been an evil man, but he'd been skilled enough to merit the title of Red Wizard, which was no small feat and spoke of considerable accomplishment.  But Mallory herself?  She may have been a noble, but that meant little on its own - she was the only mage of a merchant family.  By comparison to the likes of the Brotherhood's ranks, she was a nobody with a few clever tricks and a hunger for gold.  If she had no feats to her name enough to make the Brotherhood - or any organization, really - see value in investing in her, then she was more likely viewed as a useful networking asset at best or a potential rival at worst.  No doubt Vellynne had no desire to risk another Lantomir.

"Alas, we've only a glance at arm's length to gauge the Brotherhood's intentions for now.  In my eye, their current state reminds me of the colleges and academic lodges further south.  Disparate groups of researchers and scholars all cloistered together for convenience and hopes of organizational funding, rather than any unified goal.  Not an order of greater merit, like that of Witchholm or the Harpers, but simply a gathering of opportunity." Mallory mulled aloud.  She thought perhaps to ask their guard his opinion on the matter, but she figured he wasn't about to speak ill of his employers.  "These days, the Brotherhood lacks any driving ideology as far as I'm aware... which means they're ultimately out for accrual of wealth and political influence.  And that is a callous numbers game, where ethical concerns of its membership are of no real matter.  Master Harai's inclusion in their ranks does not make the greater organization any better than Dzaan's inclusion makes it any worse."  While she may not have been privy to the inner workings of the Brotherhood, Mallory was keenly acquainted with the ways of the noble court and their industries, and such things often held deep similarities in practice.  When one sought profits of any form, morality was a secondary concern either way.

It was a matter to give fair consideration, all in all.  Despite having not been given an invitation herself, the young noble found pondering on Idri's behalf just as weighty a subject.  She frankly wasn't sure there was a good answer to be given.  Ultimately, it fell to what Idri might have considered worthwhile to her own goals in whatever form they took.  "Regardless, I'm certain they won't expect an answer immediately.  Such affairs demand proper time to be considered and, should they press you to decide quickly, then that itself is a red flag worth noting."

"I believe you are correct," Idrianthe concluded after a moment of internal deliberation. She wasn't much interested in influence or wealth, but at the same time didn't deny the usefulness of both as simply means to an end. Her own included. "I shan't be hasty in my decision. Thank you."

Late this fall, and this fall in particualr, Idrianthe and Mallory were not alone in their intention to pay the Winter Palace a visit. As the stone pillars, cracked and irregular, came into view above the roofs, a family of three was seen walking ahead of them in the direction of the temple. The child held the hands of his mother and father who both carried small sacks of grain on their shoulders. As peasants, they looked tired and worn, but yet they smiled. This was a day in the city for them, after all.

The temple itself, although beaten and broken from the times Luskan laid in ruin, was still a splendid structure. Pillars, bridged by arches, were layered in rings of six, and the white stone which made up all the material was polished smooth, making it take on an almost crystalline gloss as the sunlight bounced and magnified. It was easy to imagine how the construction could have inspired awe when it once was whole.

Inside, under the open roof, there wasn't much in terms of items, decoration, or furniture. Against a select few pillars a few benches were arranged, atop one which sat a friar either engaged in prayer or exceedingly drowsy. But judging by his garb he did not appear to be a devotee of the Frostmaiden. His simple robe was brown, and around his wrists were wrapped red bands, and beside him were washrags and a bucket of water. His most striking feature, however, was his face, hideously marred by burn scars.

The family had made their way into the very center of the temple and was engaged in conversation with someone who did indeed appear to be of the church of Auril, a middle-aged, bearded man leaning on a pair of crutches. Although his white robes were long, it was evident he was missing his left leg. He held the one of the bags, having placed the other onto the altar along with the offerings of food made others. ". . . so worry not, it is more than enough," he said to the father before smiling warmly to the mother and the child. "Remember, it is in the harshest times we need to be strongest. Preserve and Persevere!"

As the family left and the priest had put the bag upon the altar, he hobbled his attention Mallory's and Idrianthe's way. "Hail and well met. May Winter's Blessings be upon thee!"

"However you decide, you should know that you have my full support, for what it's worth.  I have every faith in you, Idri." Mallory laid a fond hand to the Elf's shoulder.  They hadn't known each other for long yet had already been through much together, and Mallory found a kindred spirit in her as readily as she did Dannika.

Matters of faith, such as they were, sat at the forefront of the young noble's mind as they made their way into the temple of Auril.  Even in what seemed like a diminished condition it still held a sort of glamor to it that made Mallory hitch her cloak a bit more snug about her shoulders.  There was no distinct cold in the air and her enchantments more than handled what little chill carried off the sea... though perhaps it was more the memory of Auril's frozen footprints in the Netherese hall that urged such a shudder.  Mallory's dark eyes watched on as a peasant family gave a tithe of their farmed goods, amid so many other similar offerings.  She recalled the actions of folk up in Icewind Dale - those who sacrificed food, warmth, and even blood to the Frostmaiden.  To endure hardship was a noble thing... but to inflict it upon oneself as a means of worship was entirely lost on her.

As the little family left the temple, Mallory smiled warmly and offered them a polite nod of her head in passing.  Once they had gone though, she covertly retrieved two gold coins from her breast pocket and palmed them at her side.  Her cloak ruffled with motion briefly as Astre was conjured under its cover, out of sight where he clung by his claws to his mistress' side, before he quickly took the coins into his mouth.  With the gleam of gold hidden from view just as well, he dropped down and scampered away to follow after the family on their way out into the city.  As soon as he could, he flapped up into the sky and tailed after the farmers to watch over them until it seemed like they would be away from the crowds or on their way out to the roads.

---

Astre - Stealth, leaving unnoticed and tailing the farmers
Mallory Bonheur rolled 13 using 1d20+4 ((9)).
Astre is on his own task now and will leave Telepathy range temporarily as necessary.

---

"Hail and well met. May Winter's Blessings be upon thee!"

The hobbled priest was likewise greeted with a friendly return.  Mallory bowed her head politely and dipped into a half-curtsy; even if she didn't personally have any good association with Auril, that was no reason to forget her manners.  Doubly so when her attendance was that of a fact-finding mission.

"And upon you as well, Father.  A good day to you, indeed." she replied congenially.  "My name is Mallory and my companion here is Idrianthe.  May we borrow a bit of your time?

You see, we're headed north to Ten-Towns rather soon - my family is setting up a trade office in Bryn Shander.  Word has it that the Frostmaiden and her followers have eyes upon Icewind Dale these days, and the various towns are performing sacrifices and rituals in her name.  I feel it to be quite prudent that we educate ourselves, lest we offend the Cold Goddess or fall prey to those who blasphemously use her name to mask their own personal ends." A bit of context was afforded; not a lie by any measure, but one survived the noble courts by knowing how to gently bend topics and conversations as need be.  She gestured briefly to the pile of goods laid upon the nearby altar.  "I'm afraid I know precious little of her or the faith surrounding her.  There's so much rumor and fearful hearsay that I dare not trust at face value.  Please, could you inform us a bit of your fellowship?  What does your goddess wish for and demand of her followers?  How does one pay due respect to her, or prove they are no enemy to her faithful?"

The priest regarded Mallory with pale, piercing eyes as she posed her questions. He noted the guard standing a few paces behind them and would inevitably conclude this was more than an ordinary meeting with a pair of commoners wishing to pay tribute. "I see," he answered, tilting his chin austerely. "I shall enlighten you, miladies, but allow me to take a seat first. I have been standing for a while." He hopped over to the closest bench and sat with some effort, resting his crutches against the pillar. As he did, he rolled up his sleeves, and it was clear a leg was not the only appendage he was missing as several of his fingers were revealed to be nothing but stumps.

"Burden befalls us all," he said with a sigh after the effort, "but one shall be reluctant to take on more than one can shoulder. Trials can be failed, too. If they couldn't what trial would it then be?" He drew his lips into a smile once more. "I am Father Mathur. Once I was a Frostwarden, but now I am a Chillbringer, carrying our Cold Goddesses' word across the North and preparing its good folk for her touch.

"There is much to know about Auril," he went on. "She is a deity of many faces, and thusly often misunderstood. She inspires both fear and respect in her cold and cruel ways. And while her demands are tall, her rewards subtle, so it is easy to understand why she is seen as a force of malevolence as opposed to benevolence. But in actuality she is neither. She is merely the constant ebb to the flow, the reminder that the world remains indifferent to your plight, whatever it may be. She is the hard truth. She is apathy incarnate, the antithesis to naivety. She forces you to endure and overcome. She is the cultivator of true strength, the whetstone to the blade." He gestured toward the altar and the food atop it. The pile was most certainly not stacked high, the two sacks of grain accompanied only by a bowl of fruit and a couple loafs of bread. "Do you see that? This evening I will be sending it adrift at sea. We impose this burden upon ourselves and make these offerings in times of excess so that we are reminded of the troubles we have and will face. It is this reminder that is important to Auril, not the offering itself."

Having spoken for a while, he allowed for a moment's pause, for he knew this doctrine was difficult to swallow. "My advice to you would be to reconsider your journey to Icewind Dale. The people there face a difficult trial indeed. Why? I cannot say. But I can understand the extent of their measures. How they reach to prove their strength. After all, what is a greater burden than the loss of a loved one?"

---

Astre's Stealth to tail the family of farmers [13]: The family was headed to the markets to visit the stalls, although it was quickly evident they did not have much coin to spend. They didn't seem to draw any attention or be up to anything noteworthy. If they had come with any wares to sell, they had already done so.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:17, Mon 05 Feb.

While Mallory made a gesture of aid for the Father as he moved to sit, she didn't coddle the man if he'd rather do it himself.  Her first instinct was to be of help but she knew full well how readily such an offer could be taken the wrong way depending entirely on personal feelings.  All the same, once Father Mathur had settled into his seat, Mallory sat beside him to listen with knees crossed demurely and her Lantern Rod rested to one shoulder.

Mathur's description of Auril was... less than convincing, so to speak.  But Mallory had come to learn and was intent on keeping an open mind; she could gain no understand if she went into things with her thoughts already set right from the get-go.  As the priest spoke of enduring hardships, her gaze drifted momentarily to the burned fellow nearby who looked like a faithful of Ilmater from her assumption.  Mallory's attention was not pulled for long, however, and she paid it properly to the impromptu sermon she'd requested.  "My trip isn't one that can be avoided, which is why I hope to learn.  Believe me, I'd far prefer to travel south and wile away my office hours in the Waterdeep branch.  But if we're speaking of enduring a trial, then this is mine for the moment."

A look of mild consternation furrowed the young noble's brow before she spoke again.  "I'm afraid I don't quite understand.  You speak of Auril as if she has no desired outcome or intent; to be apathetic is to simply be, without concern for which way the wind blows for better or worse." Her gaze lifted to the ice-like structures and arches that encircled the place of quiet worship in consideration.  "Growing up, I'd always been under the impression that sacrifices of warmth made during Auril's Blesstide, for example, were in hopes of assuaging Auril and currying her favor to avoid a harsh winter.  That such things pleased her and thus would direct her cold winds elsewhere.  Is this not the case?  Does she truly not care at all, and these offerings are meant more as a means of personal commitment and self-discipline?"

---

It wasn't until the little family of farmers had passed fully out of the markets that Astre would finally reveal himself.  Not until he was certain they were away from watchful eyes and potentially sticky fingers.  Only when he was sure the three were unnoticed on the road did the snowy-furred Tressym finally loop down into a wide, slow descent, circling around the family to take their attention up on him.

Tressym were quite commonplace further east in Cormyr but a true rarity on the coast.  Even as Astre's sharp gaze met the farmers' one after another, obviously keen with intelligence greater than that of a mere animal, he presented himself affably so as not to make the peasants worry they'd caught the attention of some dangerous beast.  He landed daintily on the path a short ways ahead of them and, with a broad flare of his speckled wings, offered an unmistakably polite and intentional bow.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:55, Mon 05 Feb.

The priest closed his eyes. He proceeded to touche the black pendant engraved with a snowflake that hung from his neck. First, he drew with one intact finger two diagonal lines crossing at the center. "With her I am watchful." Then a horizontal line. "With her I am everlasting." Then a circle. "With her I am independent." Then finally a rhombus, the shape of his pendant. "With her I stand strong."

He drew a deep breath and allowed a second to pass in lieu of the prayer. "Those are her four tenets — cruelty, preservation, isolation, and endurance," the priest explained. "It is with these pillars she inspires us, and she does in callous, bitter ways. Now, does she care about a collective prospering? Hardly. Quite on the contrary, she is very individualistic in her judgements. And while she is a Goddess and mostly beyond our understanding, she can be as capricious as any other deity. Her presence in Faerûn is but one of her commitments. As for these offerings," indicating again the altar, "I fear you misunderstand. The offering is not the food or warmth — it is precisely this self-discipline and personal commitment of which you speak. A fine, but important distinction. And my experience is that it does quench her ire, especially when these offerings are made in times of surplus. However, unlike our kind Father Lackman over there," he nodded to the dozing friar, "I do not believe someone else must experience the suffering one does not. The winds are not redirected elsewhere but simply dissipate, and even if they were to be, it would be away from any who would encounter them."

---

The family had spent a while browsing the inventories of the various vendors, and while the child was enthused by one selling simple wooden toys, they ultimately only purchased a single bag of apples and some textile for the mother.

When they then entered a less crowded street on the way to the stables and Astre revealed himself, it was to no small surprise of the farmers and their child, the father initially screening them both. They quickly eased, however, when the Tressym indicated his friendly nature. The mother and father were unsure of how to approach, but the child was not. He stooped and scooted a bit closer, holding his knuckles out invitingly.

---

Astre is getting a bit out of sync here; the family will spend more time at the markets than Mallory and Idrianthe will at the temple. Therefore, consider Astre indisposed for a while.

"I do admit my own dealings with divinity have always been a more transactional manner.  Tymora, Waukeen, Mystra... the give-and-take is more clearly defined.  What you propose is a rather difficult outlook for me to wrap my mind around." Mallory admitted with a gentle shake of her head.  "I do apologize if I come across as frustrating or ignorant in my questions, Father.  I do wish to understand, but I'm the sort of person that needs to be able to quantify things to know them.  If you would permit me a few hypotheticals?"

"Let's say two people wish to show reverence to Auril by eschewing warmth and comfort, facing the cold instead.  They endure this state, falling ill and suffering as a result.  Someone else takes mercy on them and brings them blankets to warm themselves with, lest they die for their display of faith.  One accepts the gesture with gratitude, the other refuses and scorns it." she summarized a scenario, though it was far from hypothetical given her own experiences in Bryn Shander with those cast out of shelter by the local temple.  "How would such a scenario fall within the views and teachings you endorse?  Would the person who refused relief from the cold be held in greater merit, even if they die as a result?  Or would their death be seen as a failure, while the other who ultimately accepted warmth and survived be considered a success?  Would the person offering mercy be seen as insulting of their faith, even if they'd already endured up to a point?"

---

The child's offer of a friendly touch was met in kind as Astre gingerly trotted over, sniffed momentarily at those curled knuckles, and then brushed his brow across them with a low purr that rumbled within his chest.  He nuzzled over to press his face into the child's palm but, rather than linger for scratches and petting, opened his mouth to deposit two gleaming gold coins into the boy's grasp.  With that done, Astre promptly shimmied his way out from the child's touch and trotted a few paces off before he began to work his claws at the dirt path itself.  A feline's artistry left much to be desired.  But a simple symbol was worked into the dirt - a trio of stars enclosed within a triangle: one of the holy symbols of Tymora, the goddess of good fortune and luck.

"Mrrrlp." Astre chirruped simply.

---

Yep, I figured that would be the case with Astre sooner than later.  He'll be in travel on his way back to Mallory after this, so I'll consider him outside of access until you say otherwise for the timing to sync back up.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:28, Mon 05 Feb.

"In either case, the person who gifted the blanket would be looked unfavorably upon by Auril. If the person refused the blanket, they would gain Auril's favor, and if they accepted her favor would in part be rescinded. Remember, Auril cares not for life or death. She is not concerned with what end the pot is put to, but rather the act of pottery itself. Liken it to an examination – the goal for the person is to succeed, but the goal of the test is only to determine merit." He took a moment, folding his hands over his lap. "I personally care who lives and who dies. It is in my nature. In pursuit of that, if it is necessary to bring the man the blanket, I would.

"If it helps, you can, in a sense, consider these deals you make transactional. You volunteer a burden upon yourself and are spared hers. The greater the burden, the greater the mercy."

---

Though they were initially skeptical, Astre was received well by all three in the family. They had never seen a Tressym before, but the father had heard of them. When the boy showed the gold coins this magical creature had conjured for him, audible gasps of surprise was heard, and when it came time for Astre's departure he was watched with fondness, all three waving their farewells before walking on to notice the etched symbol of Tymora. This event, which was nothing short of a miracle, they would remember for a long, long time.

In his parting, Astre gave the family another bow and took to the air once more with a swift flap of his owl-like wings.  He twirled skyward and, with one brief circle about the trio themselves as he'd greeted them with, flew off over the city out of sight.

---

Father Mathur's explanation did seem to land with Mallory as a more confident sense of understanding came to her expression.  She kept her conclusions to herself, however, and instead posed another scenario for the sake of further clarification.

"If you would please:" she began "A man fears the coming winter and seeks Auril's mercy, that he may survive to see the spring.  He empties his home of its comforts, keeping only its barren walls as shelter.  He empties his larder of nearly all food, keeping only enough that he does not starve to death.  He even forgoes his neighbors to isolate himself and avoids their aid, scorning them if they offer help.  "How dare you!  You blaspheme against Auril and invite her wrath!", the man cries when his neighbors try to help him.  He eschews all he can, sacrificing his ability to thrive in Auril's name, and choosing to endure the cold with the bare minimum, alone.

Amid the depths of this winter, there is a vagabond who shelters amid the forest and scavenges game to survive, with each day very likely his last if he cannot fend for his own survival.  He looks upon the barren house and its depleted larder, and he is enraged by what he sees as gross excess and luxury compared to his own lifestyle.  "How dare you!  You blaspheme against Auril and invite her wrath!", the vagabond cries.  He smashes the man's walls to let in the icy winds and sets vermin into the larders to devour what scraps of food remain.  Though the vagabond has little, he destroys all the man has.  The man quickly succumbs and dies to this, when otherwise he would have made it through the winter."

Naturally, Mallory's thoughts were on that of Targos, where Streamseeker - and potentially a pair of unfortunate Ice Trolls - had been set upon the already suffering town to deprive them of their food and security.  While the vengeful Druid who orchestrated such an assault was not assured to be acting in Auril's name, the parallels were enough that it seemed apt for the case of an example.  "If Auril isn't concerned with the ultimate fate of either fellow, even as they both sincerely revered her and acted how they believed she would wish, then which would she favor for their intent?  The man who gave up all he could to her while aiming to survive in the end?  Or the vagabond who judged others by his own standards, then brought about immediate, greater suffering that even he himself could not have withstood?

Is the vagabond in the wrong for interfering and cutting short the man's discipline, as much as the neighbors would have been for bringing him succor?  By who's measure is a trial determined?  Is it only when Auril herself chooses to let the winter relent that one's suffering may rightfully end?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:27, Tue 06 Feb.

"Yes. We remain at the whim of Auril, whether we like it or not. Winter is an inevitability," he answered the last question quickly. The others deserved more time to think, so he sat quietly for a moment. "I do not believe Auril suffers hypocrites. By taking away all the man has, the vagabond places greater suffering upon him than he expects of himself. By making others take the brunt of the trial, he violates the pillar of independence and therefore falls out of Auril's favor.

"Now, here's where a contradiction slithers its way in. Say the vagabond had done what he did with full awareness of the outcome – he invites Auril's ire intentionally. By doing so, he increases the suffering he has to endure. Would this be a viable way of worship?" He awaited Mallory's answer, but his expression of confidence indicated he had more to divulge on the matter.

A healthy round of discussion and debate rather enticed Mallory, further adding to the scholarly indulgences she'd been able to enjoy since coming to Luskan.  Father Mathur's return brought the young noble a moment of quiet consideration as she mulled on the question, albeit with what little she truly understood to begin with.

"Hm... if Auril is concerned only with sharpening the blade and not where it is plied, so to speak, then she perhaps may appreciate one who invites greater challenges upon themselves.  After all, if one can withstand Auril's ire, what other winter chill could ever compare?" she reasoned one way, though even as she said it, other notions rose to mind.  "That said, even the most benevolent of deities are historically loathe to be challenged; I cannot imagine the likes of Auril taking kindly to someone who would defy her specifically to invite retribution.  There is a great difference between beseeching someone to test your mettle and spitting in their eye to make them retaliate.  Further, if Auril is indeed apathy incarnate, would she even care about the hypocrisy or the intentional provocation in the first place?"

Another bit of consideration was given to the subject before Mallory shook her head.  "No, I don't believe such behavior would be seen as valued worship.  But perhaps as servitude.  If one brought her attention onto themselves in the worst way, then swore to suffer Auril's cold hand on their shoulder and act solely in her service, giving up all they would have in life otherwise to carry out her will.  To do as she wishes while ensuring they would never enjoy her mercy either." she proposed, along with a curious look to the Father to invite him to continue his own additions.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:49, Tue 06 Feb.

"There are things Auril cares about," Father Mathur reiterated, "and it is derived from her tenets. 'A man who expects more of others than he does of himself is a weak man'."

When it came to the topic of viable worship, he was happy to hear Mallory's answer. "While I am inclined to agree with you I do not truly know the answer. I choose to honor Auril in a righteous way, but I cannot claim it to be only way. Many in my church adhere to the concept we now discuss, to bring about wanton destruction in her name so that more may feel her wrath. It is this I believe is happening in Icewind Dale. But to what end? To ultimately attain true enlightenment, or perhaps even transcendence, to sit beside Auril in her Winter's Hall? There is no end to the endless cycle of suffering if all one does is use it to invite more suffering. That is not the Frostmaiden I shall worship."
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:09, Thu 08 Feb.

"Mn... fractured outlooks within a given faith are far from uncommon, especially when a deity is perceived to hold a somewhat neutral stance themselves.  Waukeen is the goddess of commerce; she smiles upon the act of business and trade, no matter if it is above or below the table.  Her ire is raised when one stifles commerce but she approves equally of both honest and illicit trade." Mallory added to the topic with a nod of consideration.  Indeed, those who followed the golden goddess herself were just as likely to be merchants as they were smugglers.

As Father Mathur spoke of lofty ideals such as spiritual enlightenment, Mallory couldn't help but feel a sense of dismay within the pit of her stomach.  She kept it from showing in her expression so as not to offend, but she didn't truly believe his generous interpretation of the destructive side of Auril's faithful to be true.  Not after what she had seen herself, of both the likes of Sephek Kaltro, and of the Frostmaiden herself in the apparent flesh.  Mathur himself seemed a merciful sort at heart.  That even he confessed that he would have offered comfort against the cold in the previously discussed hypothetical spoke well to his character, Mallory felt, even if it was an apparent contradiction to his faith.  That even the most benign worship of Auril seemingly necessitated some level of dissonance with the very core of human nature - compassion - was not something she could accept so easily.

"You've given me much to think on, Father, and for that I am truly grateful.  Your earnestness and perspective have been very enlightening; while I don't yet know how to reconcile everything within my own thoughts, I do believe I've gained a measure of certainty thanks to you." In that much, the young noble was genuine and afforded the priest a grateful smile.  "That said, if you would permit me one last hypothetical for the sake of your insight:

A village is caught in the depths of an intense winter.  It has gone on unseasonably long and only grows colder with each passing day, defying the usual order of the seasons.  The villagers fear Auril has become angered and seek to appease her.  They all agree that, for the survival of the community, they must make increasingly costly sacrifices, suffering greatly from the cold and their own efforts to assuage the goddess' presumed wrath.  Ultimately, the villagers decide to take truly drastic measures.  Each night, they draw straws and the loser is put to death as a blood sacrifice to Auril.  This goes on time and time again, with more villagers being killed.  The community they hope to save dwindles, yet the winter persists.  As far as any can tell, the villagers are doomed yet they persist in their efforts.

One day, as yet another villager is about to be sacrificed in Auril's name, a brother and sister arrive.  The siblings disagree on what is happening before them.  The brother is outraged by what he perceives as barbarism and interferes with the sacrifice, sparing the villager's life and instead putting himself to work with the villagers, in hopes of finding an alternative to ease their suffering and avoid further killings.

The sister, however, feels Auril is not to be denied her promised due.  She takes it upon herself to carry out the sacrifice in secret - she ambushes the spared villager, slaying him in his own home.  Not only does she kill the man who was to be sacrificed, but his family as well, even though they were not part of the deal.  With her bloody work done, she vanishes into the night and leaves the slaughter in her wake."

A grim scenario indeed, and one that still made Mallory's heart ache to think on.  She habitually ran her gloved fingertips over the simple button stitched onto her collar as her recollection of that awful sight Astre brought her sat at the fore of her thoughts.  "In such a situation, which sibling bears merit or fault?  The brother interferes, but he commits himself to the village's suffering as well.  The sister performs the sacrifice, but she takes more than was promised and leaves the village to its fate.  How do you feel Auril would judge them for their actions?"

The priest considered it for a moment. "Auril would favor the sister," he eventually answered. "She makes a difficult decision and takes justice into her own hands. Perhaps she killed the rest of the family out of spite, or as atonement for the delayed sacrifice. In either case, her actions are not in violation with any of the tenets.

"But I believe Auril would scorn the very raffle itself. For any in the village to agree to it, they must also draw, lest they demand more of others than they do of themselves – they violate the Pillar of Isolation. However, if they do, and they elect not to fight when their turn comes, they undermine their own chance of survival – they violate the Pillar of Preservation. I assume it is out of fairness they choose this approach, but Auril does not care for fairness!" He leaned forward, becoming slightly animated in the moment.

Leaning back, he continued, "I know why you ask. In some of the Ten-Towns they have indeed elected to hold such raffles. However, Bryn Shander is not one of them. They sacrifice food instead of lives, so you may worry not. Should you and your family have the means not to starve, of course."
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:11, Thu 08 Feb.

When Father Mathur presumed to know Mallory's reasoning, she didn't correct him.  He would've been right on the mark had their conversation taken place a tenday prior, perhaps, but his reassurances held no merit to her by that point.  Loyal followers of Auril aside, she couldn't exactly trust that the desperate townsfolk who had resorted to blood sacrifices even understood Auril's tenets in the first place and were not simply acting on vague superstition, or had been pressed to such a course of action by some interloper's machinations.  Not that she had any reason to trust in dedication to Auril's tenets either.

Instead, she offered a wan smile Mathur's way - an expression as though he'd read her mind and predicted her worries as he assumed he had.  "You speak as if you have knowledge of what's happening in the north, Father.  Is this simply a matter of your skilled experience or have you been getting news by some other means?  Luskan isn't altogether that far from Icewind Dale, though I can't imagine there's much in the way of communication coming in and out of the tundra."

"Of course," Father Mathur said, standing as the conversation drew to a natural close, "what follower would I be if I paid no attention to my Goddess' return to the Prime Material? The state of affairs in Ten-Towns is of much interest to me. Soon I shall pilgrimage, but we Chillbringers are also needed south of the Spine. I have arranged communication numerous times by purchasing information from merchants, although it is becoming more and more difficult. I was also lucky to speak with a fellow priest and dear friend of mine after she had visited the Ice Temple near Andora, a remote village comprised of rangers and Druids. Much of what I know is thanks to her."
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:37, Fri 09 Feb.

Mallory wasn't inclined to wear out her welcome and took the Father's rise as a cue for her own, where she gingerly sorted out her dress and cloak to drape properly once more.  "Well, as luck would have it, I'm a merchant on her way northbound and have my own means of keeping contact at long distance.  Is there anyone I should I keep an eye out for while I'm there, in case the opportunity presents itself to pass on a word of welcome on your behalf?  No charge at all, of course - it would be the least I could do in return for your enlightening conversation."

She gave an idle titter and shrug.  "I've heard all sorts of names and gossip coming down the grapevine thus far as I've been preparing for my journey, though I fear I've no context for any of it.  Perhaps I've already heard of your friend?" she counted off on her gloved fingertips one by one.  "There's been word of a Druid named 'Ravisin' operating near the town of Targos, and someone named 'Avarice', of all things, who's an ally of Caer-Dineval's Speaker.  Not sure what they're on about, but they're apparently eager for allies... something about locating a 'Codicil of White'?  Hm... something or other.  A document of some interest to the Speakership, I presume."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:52, Fri 09 Feb.

"Oh, sit if you'd like," the priest said as he found his footing on his crutches. "I have simply had my rest.

"I must disappoint you, for I've not heard of neither a Ravisin nor an Avarice," he answered. "My friend's name is Demetrios of Sossal. Where she is now I know not. And while I appreciate your kind offer, I am afraid I must again disappoint. My connections north of the Spine are few and far between. Although, should you happen upon a sage named Macreadus, I am very curious how his endeavors have gone. He approached me much in the same way you did, to question one of the Frostmaiden's faith, before setting out for Ten-Towns.

As to the Codicil of White, you've come across mention of one of our most fabled tomes. It is said to be able to part the very glaciers themselves, and that it was 'ferried into the full moon'. More has not been revealed to me."

"You've already been more than generous with your time, Father, so I really shouldn't keep you much longer.  I couldn't possibly abuse your graciousness any further, especially not with how ignorant so many of my questions have been."  While Mallory certainly felt she could quite happily sit in theological discussion for the rest of the day, there were other plans already on the docket.  She had learned most of what she'd hoped to ascertain in any case; there were elements that still eluded her, but she could dwell on them with her own consideration moving forward.

As Mathur spoke of his connections and explained a bit on the Codicil, Mallory withdrew her Emerald Pen to jot a quick note in her log book.  "Demetrios of Sossal... Macreadus... very well.  Should I chance upon them, I'll be sure to keep you in mind, Father." she assured with a congenial nod of her head.  "Likely while in the midst of advising my own family and associates to relocate their business out of Icewind Dale, as that surely seems the wisest course of action..."

While the young noble gathered herself in preparation to depart, she did spare another moment in thought all the same.  "Father, you said that Auril has returned to the Prime Material.  While the gods may tread where they please... well, historically speaking, when one manifests fully on this Plane it's often indication that something terrible has happened in their Divine Realms, and that further tragedy will soon follow." While global events like the Time of Troubles and the Sunderings were before her own days, she would be a poor scholar indeed to not know of their broad events and continued impact on the world in the modern day.  "Are you certain Auril walks Icewind Dale?  It's not simply one of her Petitioners, or perhaps even an Avatar?  Have you ever... seen her?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:06, Fri 09 Feb.

"No," Father Mathur said without hesitation, "but I know it. There she flies the night, the aurora dancing at her tail. It can be none but her. None else is capable of such powerful magic! When you go there, you will see." He smiled the most sincere smile he could, but his features were worn and rugged. "Where she is between sightings is uncertain. To our knowledge, nothing is wrong in Winter's Hall, nor in Pandesmos where it soars."

He walked a pace and peered upward to the tallest pillar, as in a gesture of piety, or perhaps expecting Auril to look back. "Auril has retreated to Icewind Dale because it is where she historically had allies. She has broken her alliance with her sister Umberlee. It happens from time to time, that the four Gods of Fury feud, and we mortals watch. Following the falling out, strange movings with Talos were observed, when Lords of the Tempest joined in heralding the onset of winter in Fireshear two years ago. Malar is suspected to also be in league with our Brittle Lady, for the same Chillbringer, Demetrios, who had visited Andora spoke of Taers, who exclusively revere Auril or Loviatar, bearing aspects of Malar. Though the wilderness in Icewind Dale is colder than ever, it is fiercely spirited. One is wise to heed it."

There was a contrarian part of Mallory that wanted to correct Mathur about the limits of magic.  Controlling the weather to such an extent was certainly a rare power, but it was indeed within the grasp of mortal mages, even if there were few since the days of Netheril who could manage such a feat.  But it was hardly a point even worth making when the expression of his faith was the more important matter.  It wasn't as if Mallory doubted Auril really was behind the winter freeze... at least, not anymore.  Before the encounter at The Spire, some niggling doubt had been in her mind that it had all been the machinations of some circle of druids or even perhaps a hag coven.  But even the cynic in her couldn't contradict the soul-shaking encounter that left no doubt in her mind that the Frostmaiden herself - in whatever odd form she may have incarnated in - had been within spitting distance while on the hunt for Mallory and her companions.

Talk of the mixed alliances and divine bickering, however, brought a look of consternation across the young noble's features.  Her own gaze lifted to follow Mathur's to the highest pillar, where it gleamed like ice in the daylight.  Malar's involvement was apparent from what she'd encountered in the forests outside Ten-Towns, though it was the first she'd heard of a falling-out amid the Gods of Fury.  Their ensuing cooperation perhaps spoke of mending bridges, but... "If the gods quarrel, and Auril's status with the other three Furies is in flux... Could her presence in Icewind Dale be biding her time for tempers to cool or...?"  Despite her musings, Mallory stopped herself from completing the thought aloud.

But if Umberlee's alliance was lost while Talos and Malar were pushing their own level of influence over the winter then, could it even be possible, that they were forcing Auril from her frozen throne?  Was the goddess' presence in the Prime Material Plane one of exile?  The seemingly everlasting winter nothing more than her lashing out as an expression of her anger, rather than any sort of orchestrated plan with greater goals?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:17, Sat 10 Feb.

". . . to muster an effort?" Father Mathur added. "We cannot ascribe the gods our own, mortal intentions. Icewind Dale is the act we are privy to, but the play is much grander. It shall climax, but I do not foresee it happening soon." He took a moment to appreciate the clear blue sky and the chilly breeze. "Auril was drawn here byour devotion, both right and wrong. She exerts her will, waits, and strengthens all at once. However," he continued, a doubtful expression pulling on his coarse features, "there seems to be something I'm missing . . . something she has yet to tell me . . ."

Turning to Mallory, he smiled an appreciative smile. "Or, more likely, it is just skeptic in me surfacing unduly." Leaning against his crutches he extended a hand toward Mallory, inviting hers into it. In addition to finding it awkward due to a missing middle and ring finger, she would find it cold to the touch. "Thank you, milady. Few undertake the efforts you have today. I hope my answers, as inadequate as they may be, will aid you on your journey to Ten-Towns."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:24, Sun 11 Feb.

Though it was odd to feel the cold through both her gloves and enchantment, Mallory tolerated it all the same as she clasped Mathur's hand with sincerity.  "Thank you as well, Father.  You've given me much to consider and I'm certain your insights will be of great value in the coming days.  If you'll pardon another bit of my prose: I've felt rather lost in a blizzard in this regard, but your guidance has helped me see a path forward.  With luck, I'll be able to walk it."

There was a part of Mallory that wanted to reveal more to Mathur.  She felt somewhat bad over concealing the depth of her encounters from him, as well as depriving him an illusory glimpse of the Frostmaiden from her own experiences.  To see a manifestation of his goddess would surely mean much to him.  But, even as she'd come in friendly pursuit of answers and information, she remained wary.  A kind of uncertainty lingered within her when it came to revealing too much or expressing her actual feelings within the subject to a leading priest in his own temple.

"There's still much to attend to before we set out, so I'll bid you good day and good luck, Father." she offered a polite word of parting along with a prim curtsy, then gestured to her companions of her readiness to go.

Idrianthe had her own, more cynical perspective on both the Frostmaiden and the conversation, which she let Mallory know as soon as they had left the Winter Palace behind – this was a lot of fancy rationalization. In her experience, Auril did more to tear people down than it did to strengthen them. What use was reverence? If the net result was negative, then her evil surely wasn't worth enduring. But she let the matter rest. Despite being misguided, Father Mathur had seemed like an honest person.

---

That takes us to the shopping segment. We'll montage the markets first, then we'll do a scene at Colmarr's.
Mundane items (easy to come by):

• Herbs
• Foodstuffs (preserved or candied fruits, pickled or fermented vegetables, nuts, dried grains)
• Brass censer
• Books?

Mundane items (harder to come by):

• Electrum
• A lockable lead or iron container about the size of a music box
• Timepiece

Magical items:

• Bag of Holding

Roll me an Investigation. I'd give you the option to roll a Persuasion instead, but I doubt you'd choose it.

Once back out into the city streets and well away from the possibility of dropped eaves, Mallory was frankly in complete agreement with Idri's summation of the whole matter at hand.  "I quite agree with you, Idri.  But this was a fact-finding endeavor and I certainly wouldn't have been able to get candid replies from Father Mathur had I challenged his views."  It rather annoyed her how often the skill of 'shutting up and smiling' was both effective and frequented in the noble courts, but it had been worth cultivating given its many applications.

"One would never expect members of any faith to cast their worship in a poor light.  Even followers of Cyric and Asmodeus rationalize their own actions to make themselves justified, after all.  It's the nature of mortals to try and make sense of our situations or to attribute greater meaning to the chaos of our lives.  Indeed, there is a cause behind every event, but that doesn't inherently mean either serves a good purpose." she shook her head in dismay at the very idea.  "Father Mathur seems a good man: it's a shame he would twist himself into knots to excuse Auril's cruelty.  He reminds me of a battered spouse who refuses to leave, and speaks in defense of their abuser, no matter how many wounds are suffered.  Because admitting to the suffering is somehow worse in their mind than recognizing it.

The hypotheticals I posed to him, after all, were not intended to uncover contradictions - there are many apparent on the face of things already - but to confirm a constant.  All scenarios had the same ultimate outcome: Auril's nature is to make others suffer and die for no reason other than whatever she personally gains from it.  In this way, she is no different to me than the Undead or Illithids, and the woe she visits upon others must be confronted in the same measure." Through mystical means, Mallory had witnessed Auril herself when the goddess was not in the midst of her faithful: the Frostmaiden's first and only line of action was to kill without hesitation or reason.  That, and when her followers were willing to commit abhorrent sins or excuse such atrocities, allowed for no doubt to remain.  The young noble could see the shades of grey in the likes of Naerth, but Auril starkly cast things in pitch black and snow white.  "In every scenario I posed to Father Mathur, I was the one who acted against Auril's will.  I brought blankets to the chilled, undermined her followers who would force others to suffer, and interfered with an attempted blood sacrifice.  When both revering or opposing Auril results equally in nothing but her callous scorn and ice, then I am all the more convinced to do all the good I can before I freeze."

---

Mallory's Persuasion is actually pretty good, but her Investigation is still higher all the same.  I rolled with Advantage just in case I could reasonably employ Idri's Help with the search, but the potential Advantage roll was lower than my flat roll, so it doesn't make a difference.

Also, with Electrum: while ingots or slugs would be ideal, Mallory wouldn't be adverse to going to a money trader for Electrum Coins if necessary.

Investigation - Mallory Bonheur rolled 14 using 1d20+7

Idrianthe was relieved Mallory was in agreement with her. "While I mostly pity him, Father Mathur is in a sense quite a dangerous man. There are clear evils in the world, but the ones who obfuscate, intentionally or otherwise, perpetuate." As she walked alongside Mallory to the town square, she beheld her right arm, missing from the elbow as it was. She had it wrapped in her shirt, forgoing both her prosthetic and conjured hand on this rare occasion where she was a civilian. "A shame he has come to such conclusions."

On the matter of electrum, the guard escorting them was the obvious person to inquire. He had introduced himself as Tamthan earlier that day, and though he kept mostly quiet behind the two ladies, he had seemed friendly enough. "Electrum? I'd reckon ye'd 'ave to pay a visit to the Red Dragon," he had told her. Then he recognized neither of them were familiar with Luskan and added, ". . . Trading Post. Don't worry, 's long as I'm with ye it'll be no issue."

But first was the market and its numerous stalls. While not quite as sprawling as the one in Neverwinter, nevermind Waterdeep's, it was still considerable and in bloom on this particular day, the recent moorings injecting both wares and customers. A duo of minstrels drew crowd and coin as they jumped and performed the I Flounder an' Den I Lobster, fairly competently at that. "I flounder an' den I lobster..." one sang twice as she plucked on her lyre, and the other responded, "but wit' all my sole, I know she'll be a-swimmin' home to me!" The old whimsical pirate shanty was, unsurprisingly, quite a hit in Luskan, and the innuendo it contained was subtle enough the parents didn't care the children heard.

There were numerous vendors selling the herbs and food Mallory sought, so she had her pick. Among much else, she could find honeyed blackberries, confit carrots with garlic and thyme, assorted nuts and cashew butter, and, of course, hardtacks, a staple of any seaside town.

The censer she could purchase from a chandler in Delver's Square. The one the owner had in brass was well crafted and expensive, excessively so due to the lack of competition he faced in Luskan.

While the atmosphere in the market was friendly and cheerful, the North Bank was another matter. Every entrance and gate was closely guarded, and the only merchants doing business were those on official errands. Had you not a permit or seal of representation, you had no business in neither the Mirabar District nor the Red Dragon. All dealings were officiated, recorded, stamped, and archived. Or, rather, that was the thoroughly enforced facade. Tamthan had gotten Idrianthe and Mallory across Harbor Cross and Blood Island, but he was not able to get them into the lodge itself. While Idrianthe was hesitant to – she disliked lying, even if it was harmless – her pin signifying membership to the Arcane Brotherhood would be enough should she present it, and none would question the status of her membership. Alternatively, Mallory would be able to leverage her Bonheur name and connections to Neverwinter, although the process of confirming her association was much lengthier. No doubts she would receive comments prodding at her family business' footing as well.

Inside the big, circular office she was expedited by a Half-Elf with a knack for their job. They had both Electrum slugs and bars available for her to purchase in any quantity within reason. They took a five percentage fee for the service offered and had her sign a certificate as proof of purchase, but made no inquiries into what Mallory intended for her exchange.

They also had a strongbox close to what Mallory requested, although the clerk had to confer with his superiors as to whether or not it was available for purchase. When they confirmed it was, she was presented with a small iron strongbox, originally meant for valuable gems, that was just slightly larger than the dimensions she had specified. It was decorated with the characteristic metal strips and stud rivets, and had no less than three padlocks, each with its unique key. Furthermore, they were able to supply her with loose lead in the form of bearing balls or shavings should she wish it filled.

---

Food: Since this is bought piecemeal I say we just settle on a bulk sum, then you can add whatever flavor (heh) you'd like  - 5 gp.

Brass Censer - 10 gp

Electrum - however much she wants to buy x0.05

Strongbox + lead filling - 20 gp
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:32, Wed 14 Feb.

While the broader experience at the Winter Palace had been rather heavy with its implications for the near future, a trip around a busy marketplace was just the thing to liven one's spirits.  Mallory had greatly missed such a busy atmosphere and savored the varied dins of hawkers, barter, and workmen's shouts just as much as she enjoyed the playful tune being sung for the passing audience.  She made sure to steer clear of the crowd around the performers though; Astre had not yet returned to watch her back and such clusters of distraction were a surefire way to get one's pockets pilfered.  As they traveled, Mallory remained close just at Tamthan's shoulder for the good an attentive guard would yield in dissuading any cutpurses from trying to pass within reach amid the busy streets.

As both Idri and Tamthan accompanied Mallory at her request, she was certain to be as gracious to them as she could when it came to taking up their time.  Had it just been herself alone she could have spent hours perusing the markets and haggling for goods, but she didn't want to tax their patience.  Especially when she ended up fluttering her eyelashes and gently coercing Idri to use the badge of the Arcane Brotherhood in order to grease wheels where necessary.  The Bonheur name was well-reputed enough to throw a bit of weight around, certainly, but Mallory didn't want to leave so obvious a trail or have others prodding into her family's state of affairs.  The last thing she needed was more sharks in the already bloodied waters.  Identifying as a guest of the Arcane Brotherhood suited her needs far better in the moment, especially when it came to requesting some of the larger purchases - namely things like packages of foodstuffs or a stout iron strongbox - be delivered to the Host Tower before sundown rather than trying to lug them around the marketplace herself.  At the very least, Mallory was quick to purchase some fresh Chultan mangoes right off the dockside for the three of them to snack on, as both gratitude and apology... and, admittedly, an indulgence on her own behalf.  She didn't know when she was going to get the chance to enjoy any fruit - let alone tropical fare - next and was keen to toss coppers for such treats while she had the chance.

The other purchases were of less concern when it came to Mallory's consideration.  She was in a "beggars can't be choosers" situation and thus had no room to complain, as she was unlikely to get a better or more timely deal without dedicating a few more hours of searching.  The strongbox in particular was outside of what she actually wanted, but commissioning a blacksmith for a tailored container was simply not an option for her time frame.  Perhaps Idri or another handy hammer could do something with the strongbox to retrofit it later but, for the moment, it was good enough to serve its purpose.  A simple palm-sized plate of processed Electrum pressed with a serial number and merchant brand was likewise entirely serviceable.  The brass censer, meanwhile, was not given any complaint at all.  Mallory needed quality craftsmanship when it came to materials used in her magical enchanting, so a handful of gold pieces for a finely wrought piece of brass work was well within her level of comfort.  Though she did still try to get the most out of her coin - given the obvious mark-up on the censer, she did her best to talk the merchant into throwing in another small item to sweeten the deal.  She pointed out a some simple elements - a bolt of plain, thick copper rings and a spool of copper wire used for binding rather than decorative accents; minor aspects of his trade acquired in bulk rather than any particularly outstanding items.

---

No haggling on any of the purchases, though Mallory will attempt to finesse some blank rings and copper wire into the cost of the Brass Censer.
Persuasion - 17

Total GP spent on all mundane purchases: 36 GP, 5 CP (Assuming my math is correct and 5 CP would be the markup for 1 GP worth of Electrum)

Also, if it was possible to swap the 400 GP diamond Vellynne paid out for 4 100 GP diamonds from the Red Dragon, that would be something Mallory would go for.  If they don't do gem trades or have a significant processing fee, she'll abstain and hope she can do a swap at Colmarr's instead.

With access to any given forge, as Idrianthe's time in Caer-Konig could attest, Mallory's request regarding the metal container was rendered trivial. She wasn't sure what she could do here in Luskan, however, as said access would likely hinge on purchasing a time slot, and at that point it may be cheaper to just commission the local smith directly. Although, she was curious as to how the strongbox was unfit for storing the pearl and asked Mallory to elaborate.

The minting and processing of Electrum was a more specific service than simple gem exchange, which the Red Dragon was able to offer at common market prices¹. When all was said and done, the trading company thanked Mallory for her patronage and hoped the Brotherhood would continue doing business with them at their convenience.

A couple of hours passed with Highsun bidding farewell as the visit to Colmarr's remained. Harai's acquaintance's shop was located on the serene Half-Moon street, home to two of the city's High Captains, although it was closer to Rat Alley than it was their lavish Court. Overlooked by the tall wall, this part of town was one of the least trodden, so it came as no surprise then that Mallory and Idrianthe with their guard in tow was his only customers at the time of their visit.

The shop itself, despite being located in an unfrequented part of town, was far from unassuming at first glance. Clear and pragmatic letters were printed on the display window reading 'Colmarr's Fantabulous Contraption and Magical Errata', along with a few items put there either on exhibit or because it was spatially convenient. One was a gramophone, overelaborate in design, another was a wound wooden Gnoll bashing together a pair of cymbals, and one still appeared to be a mechanical calculator composed of no less than five cylinders. Most bizarre, however, was the robotic spider skittering across the window, pulling a strand of silk as it went. Further in, the store seemed to hold many similar curiosities, and the Gnome owner himself was visibly sat on a high stool by a workbench wielding a soldering iron and a spool of wire.

When the door was opened, a jingle of bells played a happy tune, although one rang in blatant disharmony. That earned a cringe from the Gnome who reared his head and pulled a heavy pair of goggles away from his face. "Urgh . . . I thought I had that fixed," he murmured, his full and generous mustache bobbing impressively. Then he promptly turned his back to his customers, put his goggles back on, and continued soldering.

---

¹ Mallory can exchange the diamonds at a fee of 1%. So 4 gp.

Unless otherwise instructed, the guard will remain on watch outside the store.

The frankly audacious shop was one that had Mallory practically bouncing on the balls of her feet at the very sight of it.  Her outright delight was clear to all and she barely seemed able to contain herself as she took in the varied contraptions even just on the approach.  She was the proverbial kid in a candy store even in spite of the off-key twang of the entry chime - if anything, she found it all the more charming for its discordance.

"Good afternoon, sir.  Don't mind us - we'll browse on our own for a bit." Given that the Gnome - Colmarr, presumably - had already settled back into his work without care made the call merely a token gesture of consideration.  She'd already assumed they'd be ignored in the first place and was perfectly fine with it.  All the better to have the chance to explore a bit and not be pressured.

---

Mallory will Ritual Cast "Detect Magic" to help her scope around the shop and spot interesting items amid the purely mechanical works.

Regarding the strongbox: It may just be a case of crossed wires or differing interpretations, particularly since we've yet to sit down and actually discuss the matter in any detail.
Mallory wants something specifically for holding the Pearl of Hadar which, though unspecified in exact dimensions, I assume is something that comfortably fits in one's palm.  So Mallory wanted a suitably small and relatively light-weight container, lined with an interior sheet of lead, and a single lock that she could eventually cast "Arcane Lock" onto.  From the sound of the strongbox's description, it's much larger and heavier than she would prefer for the intended purpose.  We still have the Silver Chest taken from The Spire that we could use to hold the Pearl of Hadar if all we needed was a metal box.

"Grhmmsshb-darned-wildebeast-thing, you," the Gnome mumbled under his breath as he reheated his soldering iron on the candle beside him. The object he was busy with seemed very much a work in progress, indescribable as it was with springs, cogs, and rods galore. "I shall be with you in a moment!" he proceeded to shout, with the jury out on whether or not he had paid attention to Mallory's introductory statement. A marble rolled onto the floor.

The interior bore similarities to Culver's shop, although it was not entirely so chaotic on the sheer virtue of being more spacious. And fortunate was that, for had it not been, one would have had to be nimble as a cat to avoid being skewered by every sharp edge and jutting piece of metal.

A large item stood in one corner just by Colmarr's desk, bits of machinery peeking out from underneath the cloth that covered it. Aside from that, a magnificent grandfather clock was one of the first items to greet Mallory, pendulum swinging wide as it ticktocked with gusto. Even more impressive would it have been had the hands been accurate. Another was a mounted spyglass in brass, and yet another, on the wall, was what appeared to be a bird box sans hole. When Mallory cast her spell, nothing magical advertised itself loudly. Instead, many small items and trinkets pinged on her radar, scattered on shelves and drawers all across the shop; smallish potions next to a crossbow clearly designed to fire them instead of arrows; a set of spectacles with a golden frame and blue lenses; a small amulet whose magic beat faintly; a plain wooden box hinting at treasures within.

Behind a short door with a heavy iron lock Mallory could spy more powerful magical effects. She could also spy the iron key hanging from a ring on Colmarr's tool belt. "Casting magic in my shop, hmm? I shall permit it so long as it is harmless," he commented, inspecting a metallic sphere he held in his gloved fingers.

---

List of items immediately apparent to Mallory:

• Grandfather Clock (Mundane): 1,000 gp
• Various Timepieces (Mundane): 150 gp each
• Spyglass (Mundane): 400 gp
• Bird Box (Mundane): 200 gp
• Potion Firing Light Crossbow (Mundane): 40 gp
• Tinker's Tools: 50 gp
• Potions (Magical):
  
  • Potion of Healing x5: 50 gp
  • Potion of Greater Healing x1: 150 gp
  • Potion of Flying: 500 gp
  • Potion of Poison: 100 gp
  • Potion of Speed: 400 gp
• Eyes of Charming (Magical): 2,500 gp
• Clockwork Amulet (Magical): 500 gp
• Mechanical Spider (Mundane) with an Orb of Thread (Magical): Not for Sale
• Bag of Tricks, Rust (Magical): 2,000 gp
• A Wooden Box (Mundane) containing several Portable Holes (Magical):
  
  • 8″ x2: 750 gp each
  • 1′ x2: 1,000 gp each
  • 4′: 3,000 gp
  • 6′: 8,000 gp
• Gramophone (Magical): 3,000 gp

This message was last edited by the GM at 13:54, Wed 21 Feb.

"I do apologize if that was a bit gauche of me, sir, though it's just a simple spell to check for dweomers.  Saves us both the trouble of my pestering you about the details of every fascinating article." Mallory begged for pardon as she swept low to snatch up the marble that had gone skittering across her path to offer it back to the distracted Gnome.  It was a good thing Astre wasn't back from his errand yet - he'd have gone absolutely berserk in such a shop.  "I was recommended this shop by a professional acquaintance, but I had no idea what to expect.  Goodness knows I could be underfoot all day with such delightful craftsmanship you've set out here.  Is every piece a personal creation?"

The young noble's words may have been flattery but they were far from hollow.  A genuine gleam of excitement made her dark eyes sparkle like no other, both out of her love for such curios and her own skills as an enchanter.  The carefully set arcane inlays that shimmered nearly invisibly across her boots were likely amateurish compared to a Gnome engineer's far more practiced works, but they at least spoke of a legitimate knack and appreciation of the work that went into such crafts.

Idrianthe was similarly enamored with the fascinating shop and all its little gizmos. The smith in her took note of the . . . adequate metalwork, but she did fancy herself a tinkerer, too, and that part of her recognized ambition when confronted with it. She took a small box from a shelf to inspect, finding it unlocked when she tried to open it, and out sprang a device of paper and copper resembling a dragonfly, fluttering along for a good few seconds before it miracoulosuly circled back and deposited itself into the box.

"Indeed!" Colmarr said as he put the sphere down, puffing his chest at the complement. Then he cranked a lever and his stool promptly spun, him with it, until his feet touched the floor. "What Gnome would I otherwise be? Have you perhaps come for my potions? Has the Brotherhood at last come to its senses?" As he raised his goggles he revealed a hopeful expression, his gray mustache twitching enthusiastically.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:00, Mon 19 Feb.

"While we are both associates of the Brotherhood, I'm afraid we're not representing any sort of professional outreach.  This is purely a personal visit." Mallory tried to let the Gnome down gently on that matter.  She recognized aspirations when she saw them and didn't want to dash his mood, but it certainly wouldn't do for her to spin up his hopes.  "Still, when I mentioned a desire for items of magical interest, your shop was the first to recommended by name by Master Harai, so you must be doing something right."

Mallory primly cleared her throat and moved along with a brisk effort to keep things going, rather than risk the Gnome going back to his tinkering too quickly.  "I'm an enchanter of some middling talent and have quite a few commercial projects in the works.  Plus we're also set to travel north, where useful supplies are going to be quite hard to come by.  So I was hoping to stock up before we set out." she explained and gestured about to the surrounding array of trinkets.  "While your works on display are wonderfully charming - and quite a few certainly pique my interest for possible purchase - I believe any stores of supplies and reagents you may be able to spare are more to what I was aiming for.  Particularly anything you may have that could be used in the summoning of Familiar spirits, or extradimensional storage."

A thought did take the young noble as she considered the sort of oddities she'd collected during her misadventures in Icewind Dale prior.  "Though... are potions a particular subject of yours?  I happen to have some potions and materials of rather unusual origin in my own collection that might be of interest to you."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:30, Mon 19 Feb.

"Hrmph," the Gnome tutted, rolling his feet as he puffed his chest. "Yes, I would be happy to inspect whatever you've brought along, for I know my way around potions. A veritable whiz, some might describe me as. It is the reason this very shop exists!" He began pacing in circles, swirling a finger theatrically in the air. "A skilled mage I am too, but alas, few appreciate my talents. Don't misunderstand, it is not that I am fueled by gratitude, far from it! While the Brotherhood may have their reasons for not allowing a Gnome into their folds, should they have extended me an invitation, why, I would refuse! My work serves the masses!"

He hurried over to a nearby drawer, opening it to reveal numerous schematics and parchments, along with bundled charcoal. After scooping some up, he grabbed a small wooden box from a shelf he could just reach before darting back to Mallory with surprising spryness for such an old Gnome. "Here, I have some materials which can be used to conjure familiars. I may have some herbs and incense laying around if you would permit me a minute to search, and I also have these." He opened the box and pulled out a circular sheet of pitch black fabric, then whacked the lid shut and folded the cloth on top. For a demonstration, he dropped the marble Mallory had handed him, only for it to disappear straight down the material as if it had been a fully functional hole. Then he reached in and pulled the marble back out, chuckling. "Quite handy, wouldn't you say? More than a fun trick, although that it is too!"

---

The dimension of the smaller Portable Hole is approximately 8″ and costs 750 gp. He also has some in 1′ (1,000 gp), 4′ (3,000 gp), and the standard 6′ (8,000 gp).

I have updated the inventory in #msg 35 of this thread with prices for every item.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:50, Wed 21 Feb.

"A kindred spirit!" Mallory chimed at Colmarr's insistence over the application of his works and wares.  "I quite agree, sir, and I've been in my own efforts to set up distribution of minor enchanted goods throughout the communities of Ten-Towns.  I've already made personal inroads with the Speakers of Bryn Shander, Targos, and Caer-Konig with the goal of mass-producing small items of my own design to help protect against inclement weather and rough conditions so commonplace there."  That wasn't entirely true, of course... Mallory had indeed been building various rapports with the Speakers, but only Trovus had shown any direct interest in her project.  Duvessa and Naerth were yet to be appealed one way or another, but she was quite certain they'd be eager to invest... especially if it meant one might gain an upper hand on the other, given their animosity.  Still, one couldn't be entrepreneurial without talking up one's own works and aspirations to entice investors.  "The trouble, of course, is finding skilled hands capable of handling the work.  I can only do so much on my own."

The Gnome's eager demonstration of some of his wares was met with a patient smile on Mallory's behalf, at least to begin with.  She wasn't a commoner gawking at simple trinkets as mystical marvels, after all, and her own earlier sweep had clued her in to what the box contained.  But it was the varied sizes of the Portable Holes that really caught her attention and drew her focus nearer with genuine fascination.  "My goodness, I've never seen anyone manufacture these to smaller scales.  Idri, darling, come see!  Phase spider silk is an utter nightmare to work with... you must truly have a remarkable knack to be able to weave it this densely!"  Mallory mused as she brushed her fingertip along the edge of the hole and gathered it up over a palm to more closely examine its craftsmanship.  Was it small Gnomish hands that made the difference, or perhaps he'd engineered a tool capable of such fine manipulation of ethereal threads?

"Does this compressed structure have any impact on the usual Astral sundering issue?  Back when I was at academy, a work group I participated in actually managed to develop a method of Prime Material-folding rather than extradimensional extrusion to avoid that very problem.  Not that it really went anywhere... turns out this Plane doesn't like to be folded and is very stubborn about correcting such creases.  On the plus side, I was able to write a lovely thesis document on Planar elasticity..."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:54, Wed 21 Feb.

The Gnome twirled his mustache and rocked most contentedly. "From first hand experience I shall attest the extradimensional subset paradox is yet to be resolved! It was precisely how my first workshop disappeared! And believe you me, working the silk was the easy part of making these," he said as he knocked on the box, having folded the hole back up. "Purchasing it was the true trick. High and low I searched, until I found some in stock with a Dwarf from Mirabar. That was nearly two hundred years ago. I left the spinning to a device similar to the spider you see crawling about — don't mind him, by the way," he nodded to the spider Mallory and Idrianthe had first seen on the display window, "he is simply casting an abjuration to deter thievery. Although," he added as he sniffed the air, "it appears he is running low on sulfur . . ."

Indulging the train of thought, Colmarr approached his workbench and rummaged through his drawers for the ingredient. "I should have realized when the tune was off! Now where . . . aha!" He pulled out and unfolded a sheet of the foul smelling yellow substance just as the mechanical spider found its way to him. He unscrewed the orb and opened a compartment, then, with a pair of pliers, carefully loaded some into it before quickly stowing the sulfur away. The spider was released and resuming spinning the nearly transparent, intermittently knotted thread. "That'll get him right as rain! Should you in the meantime get the inclination to steal something, I implore you don't, lest I . . . err, call the guards."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:03, Wed 21 Feb.

"I'm sure you made some Ethereal Filcher quite happy that day." Mallory tittered with a sympathetic shrug.  Just as much as she'd savored speaking at length with the likes of Harai and even Father Mathur, getting to talk shop with a fellow practitioner was a balm to the young noble's soul.  Goodness, how she'd missed such things in her long months of travel!  Back home in Neverwinter, such endeavors were a nigh-daily normality - that it had become a rare indulgence for her by the present day only served to steel her resolve to get things back to how they once were.

Colmarr's remarks about not wanting to be robbed earned him a gentle laugh and shake of Mallory's head in reply.  She hoisted her satchel up onto the countertop to begin sorting through her own belongings, rather than chance to try and shuffle his in.  "Sir, I wouldn't dream of it; I'm certainly no petty burglar.  Besides, as a guest of the Brotherhood, my behavior reflects upon them and I would never dare besmirch their reputation with such audacity."  In all genuine honesty, however, she couldn't help but think that theft would be a lot easier to manage given the cost of some of Colmarr's works.  Mallory knew full well the expense of such productions, let alone the required markup that came with bespoke items of Gnomish quality, so she couldn't fault the man for his fees.  But it did severely cut down her options all the same.

"That said, I'm afraid my on-hand funds fall short of letting me purchase as many of your items as I would like all at once.  Would you be interested at all in entertaining a bit of bartering?" she broached the subject with as much care as one could, knowing full well it was the sort of idea that would put most merchants instantly on the defensive.  "As I mentioned before, I have both potions and a number of extremely unusual reagents, trinkets, and tomes - some of which that I can guarantee neither of us will encounter again in our lives.  I'm not willing to part with all of them, mind you, but much can be gained simply from the chance to examine them."

"Bartering is how I prefer to do it! What purpose does coin serve other than purchasing goods? Better to cut out the middle-man, I say!" Colmarr proclaimed. He cleaned a portion of his workbench for Mallory to utilize. "Please!"

"Ah, wonderful - you truly are a man after my own heart." Mallory set her Lantern Rod in place just behind her with a click to lock it in space, to comfortably take a bench seat of her own making while she sorted out the various items she'd come across.  Some of the larger items were still back at the Host Tower, as she was quick to inform, but she had helpful illusory magics to demonstrate their actual appearance when necessary.

"So, I've recently come from all sorts of business throughout Ten-Towns and I've acquired quite a few oddities as a result.  Some of which I've already put to use in my own works." she gestured demonstrably to the Ice Troll hair lining that adorned the tops of her tall boots; a testament to her faith not only in her own handiwork, but the quality of the materials used.  Among the items presented were smaller separated vials of Ice Troll blood and bundles of drawn tendons that were taken from larger portions still kept with the rest of her cart's worth of goods.  "I collected these Ice Troll materials myself and they're quite fresh - only a few days old at this point.  I've much more blood, fur, hide, and bone samples; while I'd like to keep enough to construct at least one more set of these boots of mine, the rest is up for sale.  I've also got an intact Ice Troll heart in preservation; its chilling effects are fully active, though I've made sure to contain it so as to stunt regeneration."

From a slim wrap of unrolled spare leather, Mallory presented a calcified black crystal.  "This is the necrotic bezoar drawn from a particularly nasty Wight, defeated by a squire of the Order of the Radiant Heart I'm allied with.  Rather potent as well, given its size and age.  The Wight it was drawn from was quite the piece of work..."

"Here, I've samples taken from a pack of Werewolverines local to the woodlands surrounding Ten-Towns.  However, these are a particular case as the origin of their lycanthropy is attributed directly to Malar, not by secondary exposure and transmission of the curse.  So there's no generational degradation or dilution in these samples." the fangs, portions of carefully bound fur, and robes still marred with Werewolverine blood and traces were set out as well in careful arrangement.  Mallory was particularly careful not to get her fingers too near to the sharp tips of those fangs either, just in case.  "And speaking of lycanthropes, I also happened to acquire these while encountering an ill-fated Werebear outside Bryn Shander." A carved rune stone with the Ise rune engraved on its side, a pouch of still-frozen (though potentially thawing, by that point) cloudberries, and a gleaming, dark shard of Chardalyn.  Technically, none of those were really hers to give, but she genuinely doubted she'd see their true owners ever again...

"Let's just begin with this smaller fare first, before we move on to the more unusual items, shall we?  I don't wish to overwhelm your workspace."

---

To summarize this first batch from Mallory's frankly bursting inventory of items:

- Pouch of Frozen Cloudberries (from Werebear)
- Rune Stone - Ise/Frost Rune (Magical? from Werebear)
- Shard of Chardalyn (Magical)
- Ice Troll Fur/Hide/Blood
- Ice Troll Heart
- Wight Necrotic Bezoar
- Tattered Werewolverine Robes x3
- Werewolverine Fangs x2
- Tuft of Werewolverine Fur
This message was last edited by the player at 00:44, Fri 23 Feb.

"Hmmmmm," the Gnome droned on, rubbing his chin as he leaned in close to inspect each item as they were presented in turn. Out of all of them, the shard of Chardalyn piqued his interest the most. "This is a curious material indeed, but certainly not something I wish in my shop. I have heard tales of Svirfneblin driven mad from it, although I know not at what concentration. A shame, since it's property to store magic is frankly unprecedented."

Nor was Colmarr particularly smitten by the Wight residue for similar reasons. His work was often daring, true, but not in this way. The Ice Troll items were therefore also disregarded, as were the Lycanthropic items harvested from Malarites.

That only left the Rune Stone from the initial batch. Well, that and the Cloudberries, but those appeared mundane to his trained Gnome eye. Spoiled from thawing, too. The Rune did seem rather valuable to him though. "Do you know its magical properties, perchance? I cannot say runes are my forte."

---

Mallory's retroactive Identify on the Ise Rune:

Ise Rune (requires attunment):

Frigid Touch. As an Action, you can touch a body of water and freeze the water in a 10-foot-radius sphere around the spot you touched. Once you use this property, you can't use it again until you finish a Short or Long Rest.

Winter's Howl. As an Action, you can cast Sleet Storm (Spell Save DC 17). You regain this ability after you finish a Short or Long Rest.

This message was last edited by the GM at 21:41, Sun 25 Feb.

A lack of interest in the more... hostile... components didn't surprise Mallory all too much.  One naturally had to milk a snake of its venom to create a cure, but there wasn't often a need for things like lycanthropic counters outside of groups that specialized in their use.  Still, she didn't know what sort of eccentricities Colmarr might be interested in, so it was best to lay everything out and see if something caught his attention.  "I've been handling this portion without ill-effects for a fair while now, so I doubt a shard of this size is of any danger.  I would imagine one would need a rather vast localized outcropping for there to be any negative impact.  The real trouble is finding a way to process it into a more useful state. beyond mere magical containment." Mallory noted on the shard of Chardalyn as it, like the other samples, were shuffled back into tidy storage within her satchel as they were turned down.

The rune stone, meanwhile, was brought to the fore upon request.  "The rune is 'Ise', or 'Frost' in the Jotun vernacular.  I'm not particularly versed in Runic Magic myself either, though my friend here is far more adept." she gestured once more to Idri before she continued.  "Once a person synchronizes their energy with the rune, it grants rather potent ice-related magical influence.  Once or twice a  day, potentially, you can use its power to freeze a volume of around thirty-thousand gallons of water instantly.  Unlike common spell methods of freezing water, this ice would melt at its natural rate rather than at the end of the magic's immediate influence.  Further, it can conjure a localized blizzard and all that entails, lasting for about a minute depending on one's conditions." Mallory held a palm aloft as small arcane illusions whirled into the air to demonstrate visual examples of the stone's magical effects - a massive sphere of water erupting to the surface of a body of water, or a tall cylindrical area of space filled with a dense winter storm while the area around it was untouched.  "Its industrial applications can be quite remarkable... but not especially useful in a place like Icewind Dale in the depths of winter, for obvious reasons."

---

Had to use an online calculator to pull up the formula for how much water could be contained within the volume of a sphere that size.  That's a lot.  o_o
This message was last edited by the player at 20:48, Sun 25 Feb.

"Fascinating," Colmarr droned as he pulled an arm-mounted loupe close to inspect the carving in detail. "And undoubtedly useful! The simple convenience of creating large amounts of ice is not to be understated, most certainly."

---

I'll value the selling price at 1,000 gp, par for the course considering it's a rare item. Roll Persuasion if you want to trade it for something that is worth more than this. Let's set the DC to 10 + 2 per 100 gold over.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:55, Mon 26 Feb.

I'll go ahead and save the actual number values for the end of the whole process, just so we're not getting things muddled up midway through.

---

"Indeed; were my own projects not currently centered around Icewind Dale, I'd be loathe to part with such a device since there's so many other potential uses for it.  But such is life and business.  I'm fairly confident I could recreate the enchantment, if pressed, so it's not a total loss it to change hands now.  Though this particular piece being the creation of a genuine runesmith does give it a level of authenticity superior to any facsimiles I might cobble."

"Oh, and speaking of genuine articles, that brings me to the next array of items.  I've acquired these while delving in the ruins of a Netherese enclave tower - they are all confirmed pieces of original works predating the Fall of Nethril.  The ruin I explored was some manner of research and production facility, helmed by at least one lead arcanist and an assistant from what I've been able to discern." Mallory left out the finer details of The Spire, as she didn't want to risk divulging any information that Vellynne would rather keep under wraps.  She laid a series of very ancient tomes across the countertop.  "Please do be careful in handling these.  In case you're not versed in the language, allow me to elaborate..."

Mallory had acquired a handful of tomes from the Netherese library, though she personally felt Colmarr might find the most interest in "Magical Wonders XII", given its focus on magical artifacts and contraptions.  She was quite happy to translate and summarize any tidbits he had questions on and, once he was finished examining the books one way or another, moved on to the next elements she'd acquired.  While the Netherese skulls - normal or Nothic - were intended as reserved for Vellynne's use, Mallory had retained the Thri-kreen skull and limbs, marred with aberrant fractals as they were.  She also produced the Potion of Force Resistance and two different vials of black sludge that shone with a strange, golden inner hue.

"Among the facility were various elements of research as well.  There was some kind of aberrant spread throughout the ruins associated with Hadar, though these markings are merely a side-effect and have not shown any adverse properties... aside from being ghastly to look at.  I'm frankly curious to see what sort of effect they might have in the processing of Thri-kreen chitin to utilize in psionic-based works, if any." the Thri-kreen bits were more of a curiosity and Mallory drew focus to the potion and vials of sludge.  "This potion here is truly vintage, both in brewing composition and glass work.  It was part of a four-piece set which has unfortunately been separated since, though totally sealed and untouched since its creation.  It confers the ability to endure kinetic trauma on the drinker for a period of time, though its effect is frankly less valuable in my eyes than its historical worth." she explained, then gestured to the vial of sludge.  "This here is a sampling of a Black Ooze that was uniquely developed at the facility.  Its exact properties still remain unexplored, though it had a distinctly different appearance than the usual variety of such creatures.  Further, the Black Oozes appear to be born from a form of acidic run-off from a greater Netherese artifact that utilized Super Heavy Magic construction in its operation--" she indicated one of the sludge-filled vials, tagged with a colored string around its neck, which had been drawn from the artifact site "--rather than being a naturally-manifesting creature."

---

So that's:
- various tomes Mallory found (Chapter 4: The Lost Spire of Netheril - Msg #98)
- Potion of Force Resistance
- Thri-Kreen Body Parts, and
- Vials of Black Ooze Remains collected from both the Giant Black Ooze the Party killed, and from the acidic pool at the Spire's peak.

Mallory's not necessarily willing to part with all of the Tomes, but she is willing to make copies of the ones she'd rather keep if Colmarr is interested in the contents rather than the books themselves.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:10, Mon 26 Feb.

Hadn't Mallory mentioned Hadar, this batch of items would have registered as far less cursed than the previous. Her reassurance the spread was purely superficial was however more than enough to convince him, for when he examined the Thri-Kreen skull he was unequivocally smitten by the intricacies of the fractal spirals on it and very much wanted to be convinced. "Ghastly? My, what peculiar equations! Could they perhaps be worked out from the patterns alone? Is there order to them? Oh, I itch for a pen!"

The mention of Super Heavy Magic likewise piqued his interest. The tomes, however, seemed more at home in a dedicated library than his workshop. It wasn't as if he minded reading, it simply wasn't his preferred approach to research.

---

The value of the presented items are very ambiguous. I have some prices in mind, but I suppose a better approach would be to ask you what you want for them.

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:41, Wed 28 Feb.

"Your sense of priority is truly fascinating, sir."  Mallory dryly remarked even as she withdrew her Emerald Pen from within her coat's lapel and offered it over to Colmarr to sate his need for immediate note-taking.  Was it his skilled eye and experienced depths of knowledge that let him ignore things she herself drew intense wonder from, or was it just a case of the Gnome being so fixated on his own interests that he missed the value of other neighboring treasures?  She thought back to her own excitement of the historical implications of the spells she'd found in the Netherese spellbook - and how absolutely nobody else had seemed the least bit keen, even Vellynne - and felt a slight blush warm her cheeks in retroactive embarrassment.  She really had no room to judge, after all.

...damn it, Dannika would have been excited, the young noble inwardly pouted.

Back to business, though.  "Well, perhaps my view of the fractals is colored by my experiences at the ruins.  It was rather... perilous.  Not everyone made it out alive." Even as she tried to refocus herself to the task at hand, her dark eyes grew passingly distant as she dwelt on the likes of poor Knerk and Apple.  She stilled her thoughts and softly cleared her throat to orientate herself once more.  "Idri and I took extensive notes on the unusual structures and fractal presence within the ruins, and I can also present an illusory illustration of the presumed origin point of the phenomenon.  Though I consider that sort of information to be worth a fee in and of itself: I am currently its only outlet."

There were many spoils and tidbits of information Mallory could present to Colmarr to tempt his coffers, but she frankly didn't feel it to be wise to do so.  Telling him of The Spire's artifact, the Pearl of Hadar, or the still-frozen Nautiloid seemed foolish.  The last thing she wanted to do was inspire him to try and found an expedition for The Spire himself and meet the same fate as the lost mercenaries.  Her heart wouldn't be able to take it if she knew she'd been the cause of further tragedy.  Certainly not for something as banal as mere profit.  "These last few items are of a particularly troubling variety, so I apologize if they're at all disturbing.  The larger specimens are currently being stored elsewhere, but I've brought some samples with me and can arrange for delivery if you've further interest." Mallory prompted as she produced two particular sealed containers, each containing a viscous-seeming tentacle steeped in a low pool of purple-black ichor.  One particularly larger and more muscular than the other.  "While exploring the ruins, we encountered a Bulette which had undergone ceremorphic mutation.  It was slain and I collected various samples of its remains, including what parts of its armored carapace I could manage.  Mutated or not, it is still a Bulette, after all." she raised a hand over the larger of the tentacle samples and projected another illusion - her recollection of that awful, warped beast bursting from the ice in all its horrible glory.

"This smaller sample, meanwhile, came from a fully realized Illithid and presumably the one responsible for the creation of the Bulette.  Most unusual in that regard is that the Illithid was the result of a Gnomish host, which is normally impossible to achieve as far as modern studies have determined.  I performed my own additional research into the matter with the help of shamanistic aid to speak with the animating spirit of this Illithid and was able to learn a bit of the means behind its successful ceremorphosis." As before, the illusion shifted as she gestured over the smaller tentacle sample to shift into the wicked visage of the Gnomish Illithids they had encountered.  Mallory had never actually seen them alive with her own eyes, but Astre's recollection and her own familiarity with the corpse was more than sufficient.  In the illusion, the Illithid bore its strange laser gun weapon in hand and, sure enough, Mallory produced the exact same device from her satchel next.  Though she had long since taken the precaution of unloading its Psi Crystal chambers for the sake of safety.  "Further, the Illithid was armed with a most peculiar weapon - the likes of which I've never known.  From what we've been able to discern, it operates by use of Psi Crystals to produce a variety of spell-like effects based on the calibration of the crystals.  It is quite a deadly weapon but also features utility effects, such as size alteration and polymorphic transformations of a target."

---

Mallory wants to reserve portions of the Bulette Ceremorph and Gnomish Illithid corpses for her own work (especially since she couldn't collect the entire Bulette), but is willing to share parts and allow study for a fee.  Further, Mallory's not willing to sell the Illithid Laser Pistol, but hopefully giving Colmarr a chance to at least examine it and take some notes is worth something.

As for the value of the other items, it really is up in the air.  Their mechanical function is less valuable than their narrative value, so to speak.  For example, Mallory would be inclined to keep the Potion of Force Resistance purely for its historical worth rather than ever use it, unless she was offered a sum far greater than a Potion of its standard price range.  Obviously this is entirely subjective and not useful in pricing out, though.  Since it doesn't seem like Colmarr is interested in history over immediate functionality, she surely wouldn't get much from him on that item than she would if she perhaps submitted it to Candlekeep's repository or found a historical collector.

Based on Colmarr's listed inventory, Mallory wants to purchase:

3x8 Portable Hole       - 2,000 GP
5x Potion of Healing    -   250 GP
1x Potion of G. Healing -   150 GP
Familiar Components     -   100 GP
         Sub Total      = 2,500 GP

If the Ise Rune can cover 1k of the costs, then it depends on how much Colmarr is willing to give in return for research opportunities for the information/samples Mallory is willing to share, since those represent the bulk of her offerings.  Mallory is banking on the idea that he'd be willing to part with potions/items he already has an abundance of/can make more of for items/information of far greater rarity.  Mallory doesn't have anywhere near enough GP to address such costs otherwise.

While Mallory continued to speak at length, Colmarr scribbled along with the presented pen as he turned the Thri-Kreen skull to get a proper gander at the swirling patterns. "Hmm, yes, apply the surface integral . . . don't forget the cosine . . ." He rubbed his temples, unable to get it right in one go.

It was when Mallory then mentioned Gnomish Ceremorphs that he was torn from his train of thought and turned abruptly to face her. "Gnomish hosts? You must have mistaken, young lady, Gnomes are as you say not susceptible to ceremorphosis. Perhaps it was a child you saw, or a Halfling, but it surely could not have been a Gnome!" The inventor was quite firm in his tone, indicating that he would be hard pressed to yield the issue. Less certain did he become when the strange shooter was brought forth. "Let me see," he said, gesturing for it. He proceeded to study it, opening whatever compartment he could, rotating the chamber, and pulling the trigger. "My, I can see why you would think this Gnomish! Fascinating . . ."

---

Thri-Kreen Skull: 250 gp
Potion of Force Resistance: 400 gp
Vials of Black Ooze: 50 gp (total)
Bulette Parts: Not interested
Laser Pistol: 200 gp for the opportunity to study
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:03, Fri 01 Mar.

"Sir, I assure you, I was equally skeptical of the very notion myself when I first encountered it.  I would not make such an implausible statement were I not positive of its truthfulness." Mallory gently insisted on the matter despite Colmarr's denial otherwise.  "Common understanding of ceremorphosis posits that lower body mass subjects are incompatible with the process, so children and Halflings never survive the attempt.  Normally that would apply to Gnomish folk as well, but this instance was the result of tinkering with the normal processes.  Still, my investigation has yielded that the methods used to induce such an unusual ceremorphosis perhaps may not be repeatable.  At least not easily so.  I still have the remains of one of the Illithids and am frankly looking forward to an in-depth dissection.  I'll be sure to send you a copy of my thesis when it's ready for publishing."

Whether or not Colmarr accepted the notion was of little matter in the end.  Mallory did indeed doubt there would be some kind of mass outbreak of Gnomish victims at the Illithids' hands... at least, no more than usual.  More to the point, she had to worry about her funds for the moment when it came to bartering and bargaining.  She certainly didn't want to bother Idri for any financial backing, especially while her friend was mulling over more important matters of her immediate future career.

---

Revised Shopping List:
3x8 Portable Hole        - 2,000 GP
5x Potion of Healing     -   250 GP
5x Familiar Components   -    50 GP
         Sub Total       = 2,300 GP

Items being Bartered:
Thri-Kreen Skull         -   250 GP
Black Ooze               -    50 GP
Laser Pistol Study       -   200 GP
Ise Rune                 - 1,000 GP
         Sub Total       = 1,450 GP

   Remaining Difference  =   850 GP

---

"All that unpleasantness aside, I'm curious as to your own interests, sir.  Is there anything you're looking for in particular, or a service that could be rendered?  My friend and I are quite talented in manners of magic and artifice, if there's something you perhaps could use assistance with?" Mallory did, however, cast Idri a gently pleading glance in hopes that she might be willing to volunteer some of her time.

---

While it might come down to a Persuasion roll for the barter and reducing the shopping list further to cut costs, Mallory would like to at least gauge as to whether or not there's some task she and/or Idri could perform for Colmarr to help make up the difference.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:41, Fri 01 Mar.

The Gnome considered Mallory's proposition for a second. "Well," he said, "there is perhaps one thing. You see, I am quite certain the Brotherhood undervalues my machine." He nodded to the draped large apparatus in a corner of the shop. "If you would allow me to demonstrate its potential for you to relay, or perhaps you can talk with a representative who can visit me, it would mean, well . . . everything!"

---

He'll give Mallory a 500 gp discount if she is willing to satisfy either request.

Keep in mind Mallory will still be able to roll her own Persuasion to potentially get a discount regardless.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 20:20, Sat 02 Mar.

Yep, I just wanted to get all the potential numbers out in the open before rolling any kind of modifiers to the whole thing.  Less chance of mix-ups and confusion that way.  So, let's get to the Persuasion roll then.  I'm assuming no Advantage via assistance from Idri, and Mallory's Portent is low, so it's not worth using here.

Persuasion - Haggling
Mallory Bonheur rolled 10 using 1d20+4 (6)

Exactly 10, when the DC is supposed to be 10 + X, based on the the amount of cost over the value.  So that's a failure with no discount based on that result, if I'm understanding it correctly?  Also, lol, the die I ended up with equals Mallory's undesirable Portent anyway.

---

"I can't personally make any promises of results, but I'd be happy to put my foot in the door for you.  I still have a planned meeting with a particular member of the Brotherhood pending, along with a few other avenues that could be worth exploring." Mallory agreed quite readily to that - so long as Colmarr didn't demand a profitable contract result out of such a deal, then simply affording him an opportunity was well within what she felt to be appropriate for her relationship with the Host Tower.  She gestured to the covered machinery.  "By all means, please go right ahead.  I'd love to see a demonstration and indeed must insist on one before I'd be willing to promote anything to the Brotherhood on your behalf."

On another matter, and surely while Colmarr was in the process of readying his device, the young noble mulled inwardly in a moment of consideration.  "That said... if you're at all interested, I may be able to offer you an additional business opportunity.  As I mentioned before, I'm in the process of making in-roads with the varied leadership of Ten-Towns and plan to develop minor enchanted items to help improve the quality of living for the local citizenry.  I've also learned of a particularly interesting potential trade route and untapped market further north, though that's still in the works."  Mallory elaborated.  "What I'm really lacking is manpower and skilled hands to actually create the devices I design in the volume required.  While matters are still very much in development, would you have any interest yourself with joining into such an endeavor once I've been able to set the foundations in place?"

Colmarr's initial reaction was to throw up a dismissive hand. Trading, economics, business, coin — in his mind all hoops one had to jump through to get to real engineering. The less he had to contend with it, the better. But he took a moment to consider it, a more altruistic version of himself pushing through as he wanted to reciprocate the thoughtfulness Mallory had shown him. "Hmm, perhaps . . . I can certainly help with prototyping should you have a particularly captivating concept?" he offered as he rubbed his chin. "But I know myself better than to commit myself to menial replications. My mind is simply too fleeting! No, you'd sooner find yourself with a myriad variations of your own schema."

This was all well and good conversation, but Colmarr was practically jumping at the opportunity to show off his machine. He hurried over, grabbed the ends of the cloth that covered it, and cleared his throat. "Behold! My fantabulous contraption!" The curtains parted to a squarish machine, seemingly unassuming despite its prodigious size. There was some complexity, sure, and one would be hard pressed to miss the large pipe that traveled straight through the floor, but overall it verily appeared to adhere to a 'form follows function' philosophy. That is to say, it was safe to call it fairly ugly. Colmarr scrambled over to his desk again before retrieving an empty flask similar in make to the potions he had laying around. He proceeded to position it in a dedicated slot where it was held up by a brass ring, then he cranked a lever at the side of the machine. It whirred to life with heavy thunks and quite a bit of rattling as the Gnome watched it work with a big grin.

After a bit, it began dispensing a dull red liquid into the flask, slowly filling it over the course of a good minute. When it finished, Colmarr retrieved the flask and presented it for Mallory to inspect. "Voilà! A working, genuine Potion of Healing!"

---

I meant for you to set the DC prior to the roll, that way it incorporates an element of 'how far do you wish to push your luck?'. But it doesn't matter if the roll is 10 anyway, that's going to be a fail. For fun, the calculated DC would be 21, adjusted by how much gold Mallory wanted to spit in to shrink the difference. If she had spit in half, that is to say 425 gp, the DC would have been 14.

But this is all moot when you rolled 10 anyway.

"That's quite understandable, sir.  But nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I'll be sure to keep you in mind for later opportunities all the same, should I come across something that may better suit your methods."  Mallory conceded on the matter easily enough.  She didn't expect the Gnome to leap at the offer in the first place, but it was better to put out such feelers whenever the chance arose.  If nothing else, she could perhaps make use of the connection later when it came to sourcing materials.

As Colmarr presented his wondrous machine, Mallory waited patiently and withheld any given response one way or another throughout the demonstration.  The clunky machinations didn't bother her one bit - she was far too well-versed in arcana to dismiss anything based on mere appearance, especially after witnessing the fine spider automaton or the quality of Colmarr's handiwork with the Portable Holes.  The Gnome clearly had more than enough skill to refine a device to precision, so such a cumbersome state was likely either a matter of necessity or proof-of-concept convenience.  That said, once presented with an alleged potion, Mallory didn't seem all that impressed as her expression hadn't changed one bit.  If anything, she looked a bit more expectant of Colmarr to explain what exactly he was trying to demonstrate... though the Gnome himself perhaps thought such things would be self-evident.

Gloved fingertips delicately plucked the offered vial up and held it to the light so that Mallory could examine the liquid luster with a little shake to disrupt the contents.  Rather than be so brazen as to taste test, she instead held the vial within her grasp as a series of arcane sigil rings manifested in gradual orbit about the backs of her knuckles.  "Allow me a few minutes to examine the contents, please.  In the meantime, could you perhaps elaborate on this device and its processes?  Surely it's not merely a dispenser; we have Unseen Servants for that.  Am I to assume you've developed an automated apothecary?"

---

No worries on the haggling; I misunderstood the order of things, but it doesn't matter in the end either way.  Moot issue is moot.

As for Colmarr's Fantabulous Contraption: did anything ping on Mallory's "Detect Magic" while it was in operation, or is it purely mechanical?  She'll also Ritual Cast "Identify" on the potion to inspect it.  Normally I'd be inclined to just have her dip a finger in to taste test, but she's not that trusting of a manufactured product in this case.

Am I to assume you've developed an automated apothecary?
"Precisely!" Colmarr snapped his fingers. "It fashions these potions from scratch, using mostly the minerals naturally occurring in sewage as ingredients. Granted, it's of a slightly lesser potency, but any healing, potent or otherwise, is surely useful, wouldn't you say? Imagine the applications!" He opened a compartment to reveal a tiny inserted ruby, hot steam warping the view of it. "Its function is contingent on a heated gemstone that will slowly lose its durability, but a single one is enough for dozens upon dozens of potions!"

---

Mallory:

As for Colmarr's Fantabulous Contraption: did anything ping on Mallory's "Detect Magic" while it was in operation, or is it purely mechanical?

Eh, like 99% mechanical. The inclusion of the treated ruby does add a magical aspect to it. The end result is also magical.

Mallory's Identify on the Potion: It is, as Colmarr says, a less potent Potion of Healing. Upon drinking it restores 1d4 + 1 HP.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:00, Sun 03 Mar.

The notion that such potions were produced from recycled and processed sewage was one that Mallory could imagine others instantly balking at.  She, however, had been shoulder-deep inside an Ice Troll's chest cavity not days before and was wholly accustomed to the often gruesome and filthy origins of so much required in magical production.  She recalled a conversation with some young ladies at a prior social event who had expressed disdain at the idea of what fertilizer was made from when discussing their gardening habits.  Frankly, that level of disconnection struck her as very limiting on top of just being silly.  Part of her feared what they would think was involved in the feeding of their cattle or the crafting of their fine leather shoes...

"Well, you're quite right, there.  Normally it's the rate of production and investment cost that prevents lower-tier potions from being accessible by the masses... bypassing such limitations would be an incredible boon." Mallory noted as she gingerly sniffed at the potion to see if it still carried traces of its chemical origins in the cisterns.  No matter how useful a medicine was, it would be relegated to a last resort if it was truly loathsome to the senses, which defeated the purpose of mass production.  "I'm from Neverwinter.  While the eruption of Mount Hotenow was before my time, I grew up hearing of its destruction and the ruin it brought to my home and its people.  For as terrible as the eruption itself was, the bulk of suffering followed afterward as the survivors struggled with basic medicinal care.  Had something like this been in place at the time... it would have saved many lives."

Though her tone and demeanor darkened over such thoughts, Mallory shook her head and got back on task.  She gestured to the exposed gem where it was mounted within the machine's innards.  "What is this gemstone here?  Is it a common ruby or is it a unique element?  How is this device powered?  How much required processing do the potion ingredients go through prior to being set within the machine?  The chemical composition and volume of sewage varies so wildly based on region - have you tested this using sourced ingredients from outside Luskan?  Has it ever exploded and, if so, what color was the blast?" she had many questions on the contraption but didn't expect Colmarr to answer all of them, given that he would likely fear stolen ideas if he revealed too much.  All the same, Mallory would eventually insist on a written document detailing some of the specifications of the device's output: mainly information like how fast it operated, requirements for sewage access and necessary volume per potion, its output rate, and other forms of reasonable, non-confidential statistics that would be expected of any investor.  She wasn't about to go to the Brotherhood espousing a device she had no concrete information on, after all.

---

No need to actually go into deep specifics on the functions or such.  Just a generalized idea of "is this machine actually cost effective versus standard potion brewing", "can it be used for other applications/different kinds of potions", "does it have obvious hazards or shortcomings", that sort of stuff.  Broad-strokes information is perfectly fine.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:27, Sun 03 Mar.

The potion did have faint odor, although not one of honey and orange blossoms one typically associated with healing potions. Without being told, Mallory could likely have surmised something amiss, but while the brew was perhaps tainted, it was not offensively so.

The prospect of intellectual theft didn't even cross Colmarr's mind, for he was tunneled on the opportunity dig into the details of his machine. Nor did he particularly care that Mallory was prying so deeply to uncover flaws, not because it didn't have them, but because he felt confident despite them. He answered the rapid-fire questions in turn; "A ruby. A common ruby, valued to approximately fifty gold. Coal, but it could use wood as well. None! No, it is an integrated design so I have only sampled Luskan sewage. Twice, but only once catastrophically! Although I covered my eyes at the explosion, I could verify the resulting cloud was red, stemming from an over-treated ruby that shattered into a trillion fragments!"

Colmarr was happy to supply Mallory with written statements on the machines specifications, and, although he certainly had them, it would take a moment to collect it since they were scattered across numerous parchments and notebooks he kept.

---

Colmarr's Fantabulous Contraption:

This one-of-a-kind machine is able to manufacture Lesser Healing Potions (healing 1d4 + 1 hp) from Luskan sewage at a rate of 1 Potion per liter. It is powered by heat and utilizes a ruby as a catalyst to induce the necessary magical reaction to turn the water and minerals into a healing mixture. Working at capacity, the machine can produce one potion after two minutes, but must cool down for one hour upon each use.

Every time the machine produces a potion, roll a 1d100. On a result of 90+, the machine overheats and ceases to function for the next 4 hours. On the result of 100, the machine fails spectacularly and will require 1d4 of manual repair by a character Proficient with Tinker's Tools.

Rolling to see if Colmarr's Fantabulous Contraption overheats or fails
DM Bears rolled 20 using 1d100.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:01, Tue 05 Mar.

As eager as Colmarr was to discuss his contraption, so too was Mallory to take notes on it and prod around where she was allowed.  She gathered her long hair back into a quick bundle to keep it out of the way of any inner workings while she examined the interior structure with a critical eye.  She was no engineer herself, but anywhere magic was involved in mechanical processes offered a crossover point where she could ply her own experience.

"Fascinating... you know, this actually reminds me of a steam-powered kaeth brewer I saw in demonstration several years ago.  Steam-heated water was passed through a compression of ground kaeth beans at high internal pressure, which forced the oils out in a rapid drip.  It could produce a highly concentrated, piping hot beverage in a matter of seconds." Mallory noted as she looked about this way and that amid the device's structure to try and see where there was heat damage from proximity to the ruby.  "Of course, the ingredients involved all had a level of complexity and processing to them required before they could be used, and it too had an issue with exploding given the high pressure and temperatures it operated under.  Worst of all, if the temperature wasn't controlled very precisely it would result in a horribly bitter, scalded drink.  Though a few folk liked it better that way, for some reason..." she sounded particularly baffled at that, but there was no accounting for taste.

There were already a variety of potential alternatives or improvements Mallory could suggest to further refine the machine, though she'd need to verify more information with Colmarr first to see if he'd already considered such things prior.  But, before all that, there was an obvious question already being begged: "Sir, you mentioned the Brotherhood undervalues this device.  You've already demonstrated it to someone from the Host Tower, then?  Why was it turned down in the first place?"  In all honesty, she could already see a dozen reasons why such a device would be denied outright despite its obvious potential, but that was beside the point.

---

Mallory is, of course, functionally describing an espresso machine in her earlier example.  In a universe where coffee exists, I refuse to believe someone wouldn't eventually develop an automated cafe press sooner or later.

"There was an older gentleman here," Colmarr explained. "On two occasions, really, although I only suspected he was with the Brotherhood on his second visit. I demonstrated my machine for him much to his . . . apprehension. Perhaps I was too heavy-handed in my pitch, but his initial reaction was to tell me to improve it! Imagine!" He huffed and puffed theatrically. "According to him, the inclusion of sewage in the recipe was a weakness and not a strength! Frankly, he gave the impression he hadn't the faintest clue on engineering. Had it not been for his otherwise respectful behavior I would have called out his rudeness for what it was."
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 19:33, Wed 06 Mar.

"Hm... well, I can understand where he might take that opinion from, despite the obvious merits in recycling sewage into a useful state.  It's a volatile ingredient; far too prone to drastic changes in chemical make-up based on a staggering, unpredictable number of factors.  For example, you've managed to get the device to produce Potions based on current sewage pulls, but what happens if there's a heavy rain season or a shift in population that changes the sewage composition?  The device could potentially be rendered useless outside of Luskan's specific conditions." Mallory had gone into troubleshooter mode without missing a beat, though she made sure she kept her tone civil.  She'd known far too many mages during her schooling who took very poorly to criticism and took even constructive comments as personal affronts, so she didn't want to risk wounding Colmarr's pride.

"I can already see a number of potential modifications and refinements that could possibly improve the design, though I'd need a far more in-depth look at its functions before I could really say for certain.  Honestly, it depends most of all on the source materials.  Studying the chemical make-up of the sewage here in Luskan and figuring out exactly what it contains would be a first requirement; any other mechanical alterations would be entirely dependent on that.  I wouldn't dare criticize your engineering choices without understanding the necessity behind them first." she summarized.  "Still, the fact that you've been able to develop an automated means that yields Potions at such an accelerated rate is quite remarkable in and of itself.  I daresay the mechanical process alone bears more potential than anything else.  I most certainly have no qualms with presenting your work to the Brotherhood, though I can't promise any results.  Have you perhaps tried speaking with the Church of Gond in Baldur's Gate to gain their patronage?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:59, Wed 06 Mar.

"Nay, I have not considered contacting them," the Gnome responded. "I do not hold Duke Silvershield in high regard. The last thing I want is for bureaucrats to wrangle every last copper out of something that should be a boon to the people. It is the reason I have not approach the Red Dragon with my inventions either, surely much to their chagrin!"

---

Let us wrap this segment up in our next couple of posts.

"I do understand that feeling sir... quite dearly, in truth.  But I'll offer you two things in this regard.  One for free and the other for barter, if you're so inclined to accept it."

"For free: a bit of sound advice.  It may gall your sensibilities and put your work at risk of exploitation, but you need to reach out to others who can help bring your creations to light.  It's bothersome, stressful, downright exhausting even..." Mallory shook her head knowingly.  She was very much speaking from experience in that regard; contending with matters of business and figures of authority had been a daily affair for most of her adult life, after all.  Yet she gestured about the room - to the potion-brewing contraption, to the container of uniquely designed Portable Holes, to the refined arachnid construct busy at its task in the window.  "But the skill and crafts you've shown are truly remarkable, and your intention for them admirable.  Works like these have the potential to be revolutionary beyond what you've even intended them as.  If you don't take a chance on building bridges with others, your creations will simply languish and do no good to anyone.  That would be a far greater shame than any."

She pulled at the edge of her long glove to draw it off and show her bare hand to Colmarr.  Sat on her middle finger was her signet ring with her family seal - a lily of the valley blossom - inlaid in delicate platinum filigree.  An unmistakable sign of noble standing, and not something carelessly flaunted.  "For barter: an opportunity.  My family operates a trading house in Neverwinter and bear connections up and down the Sword Coast.  Including in Baldur's Gate.  But more importantly, we employ or contract a number of very experienced quartermasters, secretaries, accountants, lawyers - the sort of people who truly make any operation thrive and have little interest beyond their document cases.  Exactly the sort of people who would be able to help manage your business affairs and permit you to focus wholly on your creative endeavors." She gestured next to the array of items gathered on the countertop - both her own offerings and Colmarr's goods she hoped to purchase, as well as his hastily scattered and poorly organized notes.  "By my tally, there's a difference of three-hundred and fifty gold to our transaction.  If you would waive the difference - or even simply reduce it - I would, in return, pen you a letter of introduction to my family's most trusted accountant.  Someone who does not offer their services to the general public or businesses of ill-standing.  They often have talented proteges eager to gain hands-on training who could be assigned to help you with the nitty-gritty; such an assistant would be a great boon, at little expense beyond nominal pay."

While Mallory allowed all that to settle in Colmarr's thoughts for a moment, she demurely pulled her glove back in place and folded her hands into her lap.  "My family was granted its title not through bloodline, but by our charitable works to secure and aid Neverwinter's people in the years following the eruption of Mount Hotenow.  We've always worked to help others; to be of service and succor is our greatest pride, and something I hold dear.  Above of all other matters, sir, I genuinely wish to see your works improve and gain the recognition they deserve.  There is so much good you could do in this world."

---

Just for a Hail Mary attempt, Mallory is invoking her Background Feature: "Position of Privilege" and offering a useful connection otherwise unavailable to non-nobility, in hopes of sweetening the deal and reducing how much she'll need to pay out of pocket.

Noble Background - Position of Privilege:

Thanks to your noble birth, people are inclined to think the best of you. You are welcome in high society, and people assume you have the right to be wherever you are. The common folk make every effort to accommodate you and avoid your displeasure, and other people of high birth treat you as a member of the same social sphere. You can secure an audience with a local noble if you need to.

Colmarr spent few moments rocking on his feet to consider Mallory's proposition, to really consider it. He was never in this to make coin, but the woman had a point — he had never gotten far without it. So it was with some trepidation and a few taps of his fingers upon his wooden desk that he turned to address her, deciding that this wasn't a simple dupe, that he wasn't being conned in this very moment. "Very well, young lady. If you pen the letter you may consider the difference settled. I shall look forward to a fruitful and wholesome cooperation!"

An outstretched Gnomish hand greeted her.

In all honesty, had Colmarr refused to discount the purchase further, Mallory would have penned a letter for him regardless.  She wasn't so craven as to withhold the good she genuinely believed Colmarr could achieve with a little extra help over a few hundred gold pieces... but she was still a merchant at heart, so profit was profit.

"And I look forward to hearing great things of you in the coming years, sir." Mallory accepted the offered hand in both of her own to clasp in warm agreement.

---

That should reasonably conclude things.  Mallory will spend some time writing out a proper missive and marking it with her Noble Crest, though she'll leave it up to Colmarr to actually have it delivered once it's all signed and sealed.  In addition to the bartering, she'll also buy a pocket watch timepiece for 150 GP and actually front coin on that one.  I figure she should be decent about it and actually spend some money rather than try and bank everything on trade alone.  ^^;

Colmarr had a few timepieces lying around, although only two were in working order. He offered Mallory the nicer one, an ornate hunter-case watch in hardened palladium. He'd synchronized it to the water clock in Neverwinter some years prior and had faith in its precision, indicated by the fact that it did seem to tell the time Mallory and Idrianthe would have guesstimated. That was to say close to Tharsun. He showed Mallory how to wind it with its watch key, which he reckoned she needed to do every three days, and how to set it should she forget.

Over the course of their visit, Idrianthe had contented herself with just browsing, seeing that her funds weren't quite as extensive as Mallory's. She hoped she could at some point return and that she was richer then.

---

When Astre fluttered among the rooftops to arrive at Half Moon Street, it was to a peculiar sight. The hooded thug he had spotted earlier that day stood in the shadows of a worn back alley just around the corner of Colmarr's shop, and he was joined by three other mean-looking ruffians. They wore shortswords at their hips and daggers on their belts, appearing very much like the more hardened kind of sailors the tides washed in, two of them particularly broad and muscular.

But the peculiar part was that they were joined in conversation by Tamthan. Astre was too far away to hear, but the guard pointed to a side alley at the cross section just past them which had the parties nodded along in some reached agreement. The talk was short, because not soon after Astre arrived did they scatter, one of the thugs heading a short way down the narrow alleyway they had indicated earlier and Tamthan resuming a slouched position by the display window of the shop just in time for the two ladies to exit.

Spitting out some tobacco he had chewed, he straightened and raised an eyebrow. "Ready to go?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:22, Tue 12 Mar.

It was just as Mallory was in the midst of packing several of her more cumbersome belongings into her newly-acquired Portable Hole that she paused for a moment with a faint quirk of her head to an angle.  Astre had returned within range and his report rang in her mind, both for the success of the task she'd sent him on and on far less pleasant matters that awaited.  She showed no outward disdain, however, as she folded up the Portable Hole into a longer orientation and fitted it about her neck, tucked within the interior lining of her collar.

"Well, we should be off for now.  Again, thank you so much, sir.  This has been a most excellent experience."  Mallory offered Colmarr a fond word of parting as she reached once more to grasp his hands and give them a pleasant shake.  She leaned in a bit nearer to him though and spoke in a low voice, for his ears alone.  "However, my Familiar outside has just told me of a handful of unsavory sorts skulking about in the nearby alleyways.  I suggest you lock up shop after we leave and find a place to secure yourself.  Hopefully they intend to follow us rather than burgle your establishment." she warned.  Tamthan had witnessed a lot of money pass from Mallory's hands into others' that day, including Colmarr's, so she figured she was the more likely target if foul play was indeed on the immediate horizon.

In much the same manner, Mallory took Idri by her good arm with a cheerful smile on her painted lips.  "Idri, darling, wasn't this a delight?  We should come back soon." she chimed as she rested her head to her friend's shoulder in a lackadaisical manner, only to whisper a similar warning to Idri's long ear.  She relayed what Astre had told her of the number and positions of the men outside; she didn't know if things would come to violence, but it was best to keep on guard all the same.  Things would only stand to go further awry if they away their awareness right then and there, so it was perhaps safer to play along for a bit and see how things developed.  If nothing else, Mallory was quite confident in her ability to problem solve on the fly.  They'd evaded a dragon and a deity - surely a few ruffians would be of no comparable risk.

Once outside and back in Tamthan's company, Mallory nodded at his gruff question.  "Indeed.  It's high time we head back to the Host Tower.  I'm expected for a meeting soon." she confirmed.  "Oh, but before we go - I do wish to express how much I appreciate your patience, sir.  I know it's all part of your duty, but you've truly been a wonder today.  Thank you so much for your hard work and help with a clueless out-of-towner like me.  Rest assured, I'll put in a glowing report of your work today and urge that you receive a sterling bonus."

---

Meanwhile, up above amid the rooftops and eaves, Astre crouched low to keep an eye on the scene.  Of greatest import was keeping track of the ruffians as they shifted about to warn Mallory well ahead of time should they try to make any kind of move on her and Idri.

---

Inventory has been updated and shuffled around with a fair bit of stuff going into the Portable Hole for the time being.  More will be moved there once Mallory gets the chance to retrieve her other stuff from the Host Tower.

Meanwhile!  Astre will be Mallory's eyes in the sky and keep within Telepathy range of her to be an early warning system.  Mallory is going to keep right at Idri's side but also maintain at least a 5' distance from Tamthan as they travel.  She'll be ready to cast a spell if Tamthan or any of the ruffians make a move.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:55, Wed 13 Mar.

"Oh dear," Colmarr piped upon the warning, "yes, I best lock the door. Thankful you were here now that my security system is momentarily dysfunctional!" When Mallory and Idrianthe exited, a soft click followed in their wake.

---

Tamthan nodded politely upon Mallory's praising review. "Much obliged, milady. I am simply fulfilling my duty, although . . . should you be in need elsewise, I have leave this evening. Luskan has much to offer." His blonde mustache tipped as he gave Mallory a brash smile and something to think on before he started for the alleyway, opting for the first time today to go ahead of his two protectees.

It didn't take long until Astre saw the pieces move into place. Three of the thugs had taken position in the main alley, prepared to confront their targets head on, while the last had stepped into the narrower side alley to prepare the ambush with a lumpy sack in hand. It was clear they meant for Tamthan to step past it in the confrontation. When Tamthan emerged into the alley, so too did the muggers move, the foremost of which brandished his scimitar and leveled it at the guard. He was a tattooed fellow in a long coat and had an uneven, mangy grin. "Now, now," he rasped, giving his weapon a twirl. "Ain't no need for this to get bloody, neither for ye nor the lasses!"

He awaited Tamthan who briskly stepped forward, pulling his own sword from its scabbard and indicating Mallory and Idrianthe behind him. "Stay at my back! I shall ensure no harm will befall you." The other thugs drew swords and readied crossbows as Tamthan and the one at the helm locked blades with each other, a short step ahead of where the side alley joined the main. The blades kissed for artificially long before the surprise was sprung and the ambusher jumped to whack Tamthan in the back of the head with the sack. Tamthan then proceeded to topple, his sword clanging as it bounced on the ground as they both fell motionless.

The thug kicked his limp body aside, directing his ugly glare to his targets. "We only want yer valuables. Hand 'em over!"

---

I am currently traveling, so I don't have access to photoshop to whip up a battlemap. It'll all have to be theater of the mind. Since they encounter is fairly simple I think we can manage.

Initiative

• Bandits [19]
• > Mallory [17]
• Idrianthe [4]

The two bandits with swords will ready an Action to chase Mallory and Idrianthe should they flee. The two bandits with crossbows will Ready an Action to attack if Mallory and Idrianthe attacks.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:11, Wed 13 Mar.

Even as Tamthan was "knocked out", Mallory barely even quirked a brow or bothered to play the part of a distressed maiden.  She would've been genuinely frightened of such a situation had it not been for Astre's warning; knowing that the hired guard was in league with the brigands really took the potential for distress out of her.  She'd hoped an appeal to his better nature might change his mind about the whole stunt but that just wasn't in the cards.  As one ruffian demanded their valuables at threat of violence, the young noble just slowly rolled her eyes and slowly lifted a gloved hand.  Lest the crossbow-wielding brigands think she was making a move, she was rather showy in making a steady, purposeful reach into her satchel to withdraw a bound leather pouch that jangled in her palm, weighty and packed full of what sounded a lot like loose coin.

"Honestly, this day was going so nicely too..."  Mallory remarked dryly as she tossed the leather pouch to the side where it landed with a dull thump on the pavement a few feet away.  The moment watchful eyes followed the movement of the pouch, however, she gripped closer to Idri and hummed a soft tone off her lips.  It only took a moment but, by the time the supposed coin pouch hit the ground, Mallory and Idri alike both vanished into thin air.

---

Neither an attack nor fleeing, unless the crossbow folk would consider any kind of spellcasting a potential attack - Mallory upcasts "Invisibility" at 3rd level on herself and Idri.  The pouch Mallory tossed as a decoy to draw attention is her Bag of Ballbearings.

---

In the instant Mallory's magic took hold, she raised her other hand to Idri's mouth to urge her companion to silence and pulled her aside, quietly bringing the both of them to a close crouch near a neighboring wall in hopes that they could remain unnoticed and out of the way.  Obscured as they were, it would be easier to make a break for it if necessary, but she'd rather keep still than make a risk.

---

With Mallory and Idri both Invisible, they are considered "Heavily Obscured" for the purposes of hiding or being targeted.  Attacks made against them have Disadvantage and attacks they make have Advantage, though Mallory would prefer to avoid violence and not break Invisibility, intending to wait it out and let the bandits leave on their own accord.  Not sure if you want to bother with a Stealth check if this is supposed to be a quick encounter (plus I don't know what Idri's Stealth is based on her armor), but if someone attempts to make a Perception check to find them, Mallory will burn her 6 Portent as necessary to hopefully ensure their failure.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:23, Wed 13 Mar.

"Clever," the frontman said while making his way to kick up the pouch. "No need for this to be any harde-"

He stopped when the two targets disappeared. The band collectively spun around in befuddlement for a glimpse of where they'd gone, but all stayed their hand. A few insults and curses were slung in between some angry steps before they had the idea to check the coin pouch for actual coin. When they found anything but it was thrown hard to the ground so the bearings scattered.

Their continued course of action was to split up either in hopes of finding them or simply because the plot had failed. The still feigning Tamthan being offered complaining boot before they set off. He laid motionless for a little while longer just for good measure, but eventually stirred, grabbed his sword, and bitterly continued down the alleyway.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:50, Thu 14 Mar.

Mallory didn't dare move until a few minutes after the last of the would-be muggers, Tamthan included, had left.  Even as she and Idri lingered pressed in seclusion to a wall, Astre scampered across the rooftops after Tamthan to keep an eye on the traitorous guard and see what he got up to in the wake of the failed scheme.

Once it finally seemed safe enough to move, Mallory sighed and gently squeezed Idri's good arm, making sure to keep close.  They couldn't see each other, after all, so losing hold would make finding one another again needlessly difficult.  "Let's take a more circuitous route back to the Tower, shall we?"  Part of her was tempted to try and collect her scattered pouch but there was no use crying over spilled ball bearings.  She stooped just long enough to pluck a few from the cobblestones into her pocket, then set to a brisk pace up the alleyway for the distant Host Tower.  She had quite a report to give to whoever was responsible for arranging Tamthan...

---

"Invisibility" lasts for an hour, so that should presumably be more than enough time to head straight back to the Host Tower unnoticed.  Mallory will drop the spell at the steps of the tower though.  She's also going to collect a few ballbearings, but that's just for flavor or future crafting needs rather than any mechanical use.

Meanwhile, Astre will tail Tamthan for a while and see where he goes.  If Tamthan enters a building or otherwise becomes inaccessible from a rooftop view, Astre will leave and return to Mallory.

Without any further fanfare,Tamthan took a direct route to Kurth, the fortress island that connected to the Host Tower, to recoup in the barracks. It was a short walk, but it did still give him time to reflect on events.

---

That’s basically it. We still have her meeting with Dendybar the Mottled and any further communication Mallory wishes to have with the Host Tower.

We’ll continue discussing in the OOC to determine how best to proceed.