Post by Fernleaf on Oct 30, 2024 7:18:10 GMT
I’d been experimenting with the See Invisibility spell for several weeks, using it in various quadrants of the city. A few formerly invisible things were obvious, like security measures, but there didn’t seem to be anything major, like a dragon around the new clocktower. Part of the challenge is that invisible things look normal, so they didn’t stand out if they are where they were supposed to be.
However, one evening when I was practicing with the spell in Swampside I saw a ghostly figure dart across rooftops and disappear into a building, leaving a faint flute noise in their wake. Now this was interesting! I wanted to know more, but it might not be wise to do so alone…
—
I’d gone looking for a lost cat with Dee’arna and Erron just last week, so quickly asked them along, and ran into Aegis for the first time in a couple months. The four of us were standing in Portal Plaza and I was explaining my experiments with See Invisibility (including what appeared to be a set of invisible spider eyes that winked at me!) when I was interrupted by a half-elf interjecting that they were interested in spiders. He is followed by a large red drake that looks decidedly grumpy. I explain the goal to this fellow, Alferron Blackbriar, and invite him to join us. He accepts, and introduces his companion as Delenarr.
The five of us head to Swampside. It is a bit earlier than I saw the figure, but I go ahead and cast See Invisibility. Dee’arna casts Pass Without Trace so we don’t stand out to the locals. While Erron climbs to the roofs to get a higher view, Alferron tries to question the local wildlife. He doesn’t seem to learn much, but the birds seem to enjoy the seeds doled out. Dee’arna gets approached by an officer of the Watch while pondering what buildings would be good targets and learns that two local artisans have experienced theft. Delenarr scares a street seller and Alferron goes to apologize. In that conversation he learns that the merchants friend had found their safe to be empty but still secured.
We decide to question the cooper mentioned by the Watch officer. Alferron leads the discussion, but the only new information we learn from Dawn about what happened was that a simple wooden flute was left in the safe. She fetches it and suggests we talk with the other person robbed, Pyrus Goldborn. The barrel maker lets us take the flute with us. As we walk towards the masons Alferron tries the flute. I cast Detect Magic but it appears to just be a flute. Our current theory is that the flute is just for attention. A cat comes over and gets Alferron’s attention, he casts Speak with Animals again. The cat confirms hearing a flute near the big round sleeping boxes (after some discussion we decide the cat means the barrels Dawn makes). Interestingly the cat also wants seeds. I haven’t seen a cat try to lure its dinner before!
We find Pyrus in a townhouse, and after initial confusion that we are either solicitors or the thieves responsible for his loss he starts asking us why we adventure. I ask him about the stones he uses and he is passionate about the subject. I love rocks of all types and would like to adventure to the Sunset Spine someday to see the glacier and the salted rocks he mentions to Aegis. Getting back to our investigation Pyrus explains he woke up in the middle of the night about a week ago, heard flute noise, and went back to bed. In the morning he found the safe empty and the flute inside. The dragonborn tells he’s been learning to play it because it was a “free flute,” a comment that we all think is incorrect but don’t bother pointing out that it actually cost quite a bit!
—
Leaving Pyrus we ponder how to catch a thief with such unique abilities. The afternoon light is fading as we discuss our options. I don’t know a lot about etherealness, but ponder whether a trap could be set. Alferron mutters about needing an animal that could hear better and that reminds me to call Otus forth and set him to listening for music and watching the area. We’re pretty sure the flutes are a calling card and don’t think a successful thief will move to a different area of town. Dee’arna suggests using the Snare spell and Erron spots a good alcove to set a trap. When she returns from casting the spell she mentions seeing large clawed prints in the dust where the trap was set. We wait. Waiting is hard, especially when we shouldn’t draw attention to ourselves.
—
Otus hears the trap trigger and I alert the others. We briefly see a tortle-like figure in dark clothing appear, then disappear, then reappear. Somehow they have released themselves from the trap! Dee’arna invokes her duplicity and starts to go after the thief. The figure says “You thought you could catch Spirit Fingers, master thief!”, then they disappear and we hear the sound of a flute. Alferron and Erron climb onto buildings while Aegis strides down the street in the direction it looked like the thief might be going. I mentally curse myself for not recasting See Invisibility earlier and cast Fly so I can follow from the air. The thief realizes I can see them and slips into the ethereal plane. They reappear in a bad spot, taking a dagger from Alferrron’s spell, then run into Aegis and her sword. Dee’arna and Erron move to cut the tortle off. I cast See Invisibility so I can keep track of them and use my telekinetic shove to help get them cornered by Aegis, Erron and Delenarr. Though badly injured they manage to break free and slip into invisibility again. This time I can see them with my spell, and I manage to give enough of a location for Erron to knock them unconscious with an arrow.
We gather around Spirit Fingers. Aegis stabilizes them and I cast Tenser’s Disc to transport them. A quick search of the thief reveals many pockets filled with gold and a simple blueprint of a local wine merchant. I check for magic on their person, they have nothing that would allow them to shift. While I do magic others in our party deal with a bemused Watch, convincing them that our work was done at their request.
—
Eventually we end up at the main barracks for the Watch, and are there when Spirit Fingers wakes up. She is still hurt too badly to run, and we learn that her gift comes from being born on the ethereal plane, she can shift without a spell or magical item. The tortle confirms that the flutes are her calling card and agrees to not steal in Daring Heights and to hand over the stolen gold in exchange for not being pursued. We are given a reward with some grumbling about how much it is compared to the salary of a Watch officer.
As the group of us leave the building we are met by a strange sight: A tall woman in an elegant pink ball gown, white and grey hair fashionably done up, is at the entrance demanding to speak to “the prisoner”. They are quickly admitted, referred to with deference by the Watch as “The Duchess”. When we question her involvement, the officer we’ve been talking to doesn’t want to reveal anything, but the woman's voice drifts back to us “Tell them I’m a spy”!
It has been a very interesting day. We learned quite a bit, but I feel like I was left with more questions than I started with!
DM: Andy
Participants: Aegis, Alferron, Dee’arna, Erron
However, one evening when I was practicing with the spell in Swampside I saw a ghostly figure dart across rooftops and disappear into a building, leaving a faint flute noise in their wake. Now this was interesting! I wanted to know more, but it might not be wise to do so alone…
—
I’d gone looking for a lost cat with Dee’arna and Erron just last week, so quickly asked them along, and ran into Aegis for the first time in a couple months. The four of us were standing in Portal Plaza and I was explaining my experiments with See Invisibility (including what appeared to be a set of invisible spider eyes that winked at me!) when I was interrupted by a half-elf interjecting that they were interested in spiders. He is followed by a large red drake that looks decidedly grumpy. I explain the goal to this fellow, Alferron Blackbriar, and invite him to join us. He accepts, and introduces his companion as Delenarr.
The five of us head to Swampside. It is a bit earlier than I saw the figure, but I go ahead and cast See Invisibility. Dee’arna casts Pass Without Trace so we don’t stand out to the locals. While Erron climbs to the roofs to get a higher view, Alferron tries to question the local wildlife. He doesn’t seem to learn much, but the birds seem to enjoy the seeds doled out. Dee’arna gets approached by an officer of the Watch while pondering what buildings would be good targets and learns that two local artisans have experienced theft. Delenarr scares a street seller and Alferron goes to apologize. In that conversation he learns that the merchants friend had found their safe to be empty but still secured.
We decide to question the cooper mentioned by the Watch officer. Alferron leads the discussion, but the only new information we learn from Dawn about what happened was that a simple wooden flute was left in the safe. She fetches it and suggests we talk with the other person robbed, Pyrus Goldborn. The barrel maker lets us take the flute with us. As we walk towards the masons Alferron tries the flute. I cast Detect Magic but it appears to just be a flute. Our current theory is that the flute is just for attention. A cat comes over and gets Alferron’s attention, he casts Speak with Animals again. The cat confirms hearing a flute near the big round sleeping boxes (after some discussion we decide the cat means the barrels Dawn makes). Interestingly the cat also wants seeds. I haven’t seen a cat try to lure its dinner before!
We find Pyrus in a townhouse, and after initial confusion that we are either solicitors or the thieves responsible for his loss he starts asking us why we adventure. I ask him about the stones he uses and he is passionate about the subject. I love rocks of all types and would like to adventure to the Sunset Spine someday to see the glacier and the salted rocks he mentions to Aegis. Getting back to our investigation Pyrus explains he woke up in the middle of the night about a week ago, heard flute noise, and went back to bed. In the morning he found the safe empty and the flute inside. The dragonborn tells he’s been learning to play it because it was a “free flute,” a comment that we all think is incorrect but don’t bother pointing out that it actually cost quite a bit!
—
Leaving Pyrus we ponder how to catch a thief with such unique abilities. The afternoon light is fading as we discuss our options. I don’t know a lot about etherealness, but ponder whether a trap could be set. Alferron mutters about needing an animal that could hear better and that reminds me to call Otus forth and set him to listening for music and watching the area. We’re pretty sure the flutes are a calling card and don’t think a successful thief will move to a different area of town. Dee’arna suggests using the Snare spell and Erron spots a good alcove to set a trap. When she returns from casting the spell she mentions seeing large clawed prints in the dust where the trap was set. We wait. Waiting is hard, especially when we shouldn’t draw attention to ourselves.
—
Otus hears the trap trigger and I alert the others. We briefly see a tortle-like figure in dark clothing appear, then disappear, then reappear. Somehow they have released themselves from the trap! Dee’arna invokes her duplicity and starts to go after the thief. The figure says “You thought you could catch Spirit Fingers, master thief!”, then they disappear and we hear the sound of a flute. Alferron and Erron climb onto buildings while Aegis strides down the street in the direction it looked like the thief might be going. I mentally curse myself for not recasting See Invisibility earlier and cast Fly so I can follow from the air. The thief realizes I can see them and slips into the ethereal plane. They reappear in a bad spot, taking a dagger from Alferrron’s spell, then run into Aegis and her sword. Dee’arna and Erron move to cut the tortle off. I cast See Invisibility so I can keep track of them and use my telekinetic shove to help get them cornered by Aegis, Erron and Delenarr. Though badly injured they manage to break free and slip into invisibility again. This time I can see them with my spell, and I manage to give enough of a location for Erron to knock them unconscious with an arrow.
We gather around Spirit Fingers. Aegis stabilizes them and I cast Tenser’s Disc to transport them. A quick search of the thief reveals many pockets filled with gold and a simple blueprint of a local wine merchant. I check for magic on their person, they have nothing that would allow them to shift. While I do magic others in our party deal with a bemused Watch, convincing them that our work was done at their request.
—
Eventually we end up at the main barracks for the Watch, and are there when Spirit Fingers wakes up. She is still hurt too badly to run, and we learn that her gift comes from being born on the ethereal plane, she can shift without a spell or magical item. The tortle confirms that the flutes are her calling card and agrees to not steal in Daring Heights and to hand over the stolen gold in exchange for not being pursued. We are given a reward with some grumbling about how much it is compared to the salary of a Watch officer.
As the group of us leave the building we are met by a strange sight: A tall woman in an elegant pink ball gown, white and grey hair fashionably done up, is at the entrance demanding to speak to “the prisoner”. They are quickly admitted, referred to with deference by the Watch as “The Duchess”. When we question her involvement, the officer we’ve been talking to doesn’t want to reveal anything, but the woman's voice drifts back to us “Tell them I’m a spy”!
It has been a very interesting day. We learned quite a bit, but I feel like I was left with more questions than I started with!
DM: Andy
Participants: Aegis, Alferron, Dee’arna, Erron