Post by Andy D on Jul 19, 2024 15:50:43 GMT
On Questionably Suitable Adventuring Missions
I shall have words with the City Watch to see if they wish to have questionable adventuring notices reported to them. I found myself in an adventuring party responding to a transport and protection notice where the cargo was heavily implied to be obtained illegally.
The employer of the mission, a man calling himself, ‘Weasel’ met us at the Swamp Gate, himself having exited The Hung Rabbit. Weasel, who introduced himself as a ‘businessman’ wrote the adventuring note. Mr. Weasel uses the term ‘business’ euphemistically as substitution for a more accurate description of his activities; crime, and in this particular case; ill gotten goods. In Weasel’s notice there were transparently false claims such as, “TOTALLY LEGAL transportation” and “TOTALLY LEGITIMATE goods - the bold text was his emphasis, not mine.”
Following Weasel’s written dishonesty and his in-person introduction, it was breathtaking how honest Weasel was thereafter, admitting freely to using illusionary coins to purchase the cargo. Admissions to people smuggling were also made!
My fellow party members agreed to undertake Mr. Weasel’s mission, not to be complicit with his criminal activities, but in order to inspect the cargo mid journey to Port Ffirst - our employer would not be joining us, as he fully expected his cargo and himself, if present, to be apprehended by the people he conned the goods from.
The goods in question turned out to be a variety of currency; silver ingots, insurance contracts and house deeds, and then finally and most horrifically; six soul coins. All the currencies were claimed to have been sold by the Di Florias Mercantile Company, who are newly set up in Port Ffist. We later settled into an agreement with representatives of the Di Florias to continue transporting the goods to the intended recipient in Port Ffirst, who would pay us on behalf of Mr. Weasel, but we would give the Di Florias our rendez-vous location, so they might reacquire the goods of which they were scammed. There were unexpected twists to the mission. But, I am pleased to say that the mission was carried out successfully, and thankfully legally, too.
On Sudden Twists and Coincidentally Encounters
And so I discovered that an adventuring ally of mine is actually two adventuring allies, and at one time a bearer of a third identity, of which is not their original identity either.
Cechec, the brass dragonborn adventurer and Dulgrun the mountain dwarf are in fact the same person, who is in fact a shape-shifter by the name of Wik. Wik was quite reluctant at first to reveal their true shape-shifter form. Wik’s explanation of this reticence is that it isn’t common among his family to reveal the shape-shifter form. Curiously, the identities of Cechec, Dulgrun and the one I never met, Ylana, are all real people. Wik’s parents knew them, and used their identities themselves before passing them on, so to speak, to Wik. The two individuals; Cechec and Dulgrun, to Wik’s knowledge are alive and present in the world. Unfortunately Wik does not appear to know much of the lives of the identities they play, which partly led to an altercation they, and we, were flabbergastingly blindsided by - a thrice repeated coincidental accosting!
First to encounter us on the road was Robert Hall, a paladin from Neverwinter charged to bring in Cechec. Secondly, appearing from the woods was a bounty hunter called Valen Hargreaves who had been tracking Cechec to get to Dulgrun. Finally, appearing from the opposite end of the road to Robert Hall, was Annika Velik, who wished to find Ylana, who murdered her husband.
Wik, in any of their forms, was innocent of all crimes - unfortunately it can not be confirmed whether their parents are innocent too,or if the true identities are to blame.
An altercation with Robert Hall ensued. However, this was resolved amicably with Wik revealing their true self to all interested parties on the road.
Paladin Response Team
Dr. Archie Halturh (myself) - I employed the Greater Invisibility Spell and Bigby’s Hand to good effect, one spell removing Cechec from view for a time, the other helping to suppress violence from the Neverwinter Paladin.
On an unrelated note, my young clone is one third of the way through its development.
Crow - I had not met Crow before. Crow appears to have a magical relationship with the actual animals themselves, something akin to nature magic, or indeed exactly that. Crow has lethal precision with bow and sword, and was perhaps a bit too eager to demonstrate the talent.
Raine - I am pleased to hear from my friend, the half-elf bard, that they are a step closer to aiding in Queen Merla’s recovery.
I do not have the magical gift for the viol that Raine has - the casting of variant Hex and Eldritch blast spells were most impressive - but given time I may be able to play a non-magical song or two with her on the viol, following my instruction from Zaspar.
Wik/Cechec/Dulgrun - Less of the familiar rapier dueling I’ve seen from both Cechec and Dulgrun were on display. Wik instead initiated a diplomatic approach to the conflict. A wise and honest choice of action - perhaps, in retrospect, Wik should have decided on this approach sooner. A bloody end to the conflict was avoided nevertheless.