Book 1 - The Edge of Anarchy

[pringerbeam]

  You find written on the parchment a message written.  "Thank you for coming.  I had to step out for a bit, but shall return shortly.  Please have a seat while you wait.  The basket contains bread and drink for your refreshment."

[InhumanRonin]

Beldan follows slowly and cautiously Eliora before taking a seat at the the table. As Beldan passes Eliora he notices her reading some sort of note. "Whats the note say?" Beldan asked with a bit of curiosity in his tone. Beldan then takes a seat at the table as he awaits the response.

[Oath]

"Just that whoever summoned us 'ad to step out a bit and will be back, there's food and drink for us to partake in, if ya so desire. 'N' I most definitely desire, feelin' a bit peckish, if ya know what I mean." Eliora handed the note over to Beldan and removed the cover from the basket, grabbing some bread and searched around for a cup to put some drink in before sitting in a chair along the side of the table with a grin on her face.  "What are ya'll waitin' for, seems to be safe in 'ere."

[jammermoore]

As Eliora and Beldan enter the house, Shenzu decides to follow but keeps an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Spoiler

Perception check

Rolled 1d20+8 : 4 + 8, total 12

[close]

As Beldan asks what is on the note, Shenzu pays attention to Eliora for the response. As Eliora reads the note aloud Shenzu settles down at the table ready for a drink. As Eliora looks for the cups, Shenzu speaks up and says "I'll help you look for the cups I need a drink too ha ha."   

[Mysticsage]

Aeraloth entered in then as the group began to make themselves at home. None of them seemed to be any particular threat and the way the talked about their supposed common enemy seemed genuine enough for him at the moment to wait and see the next act of this little performance their mysterious benefactor had in store. He moved to one of the chairs flipped it around and then straddled it his mother's lute sitting comfortably between his shoulders before he took the bread from his bag and began to munch on it slowly. Even an animal new bwtter then to take food on sight alone. He continued to eay as he took in the sights of this small room. He did always enjoy a good magic show and hopefully who ever was calling on them might be as good as they led on.

[pringerbeam]

     Simple wooden cups are found sitting on one of the tables along the walls.  Behind it a tapestry of angels dancing upon a snow covered mountaintop.

[SleepingSkeleton]

Triss sighed heavily.  "Don't eat that.  And especially don't drink it."
She walked through the door, glancing to check if there was a lock on it, either from the outside, much less likely, but possible or the inside.  "If I were a crime, for lack of a better term, lord," Triss continued, "Like Lamm, and I were to have lost an enforcer recently, which he has, I might look into who my enemies are.  I would then think seriously about dealing with them.  Perhaps gathering them through an anonymous note, and then killing them.  None of you seem to be bent on killing me so far, so that's a good sign.  But blades and blows aren't the only way to kill someone."  Triss stalked over, and took up the bottle.  "He has the right idea," she said, gesturing to Aeraloth.  "But I have some knowledge in the subject, so before we go testing the old fashioned way of drink and pray, I'll take a look at this.  The bread is more likely to be safe, it's harder to poison, unless it has any filling. I'd still follow his lead, but its your choice.  Finally, I'd use my own flask or vial for drinking, you never know what was left in your cup."

Spoiler

Perception to check for locks

Rolled 1d20+4 : 5 + 4, total 9

Craft Alchemy to check for poison

Rolled 1d20+9 : 9 + 9, total 18

Craft Alchemy to see if any of the incense in the room smells like anything besides incense, ie drugs, poison etc.

Rolled 1d20+9 : 4 + 9, total 13

[close]

[pringerbeam]

     You find the door to have a simple exterior lock like any other house with a keyhole on the outside and a turning bolt on the inside.  The bread and wine from the basket appear poison free, as does the incense floating throughout the room.

[Mysticsage]

"Hey, someone close the door It's getting colder and I'd prefer not to sit freezing in a stranger's home for the guard to find later. If it's a trap let it come so that it can be dealt with. Otherwise we can wait at least in relative comfort." He placed his harrow card on the table and studied the tapestry for a moment before continuing. "So anyone have any idea of the meanings behind these things our host must have chose them for a reason I've been trying to think it out all morning and have come up empty." He tapped the harrow card once before looking at the others. Talking was key if he wanted to set these people at easy they seemed all to jumpy for his taste it was better just to expect the worst and relax until it was time to face it. Bad stuff happened everyday in this city and it was a fool's errand to think that they could see it all coming ahead of time.

[SleepingSkeleton]

"These seem to be safe," Triss said, placing the subjects of her examination back down.  "All the same, I'd rather not partake of the 'generosity' of mysterious strangers."  She remover her card, and examined it.  "We are in a fortune tellers house.  Perhaps just the easiest thing to get a hold of?  Or some blessing of good fortune upon us.  I don't know much about divination." 
Satisfied that nothing was likely to poison them or explode,  Triss walked back over to the door, and shut it before pulling up a chair and sitting down at the table.  "Do all our cards belong to the same set?" She asked, placing hers on the table, flipping it over to look at the back, and reaching to Aeraloths to do the same.

[Oath]

Eliora chucked while pouring a drink. "It's good to be cautious of course, but if someone went through the trouble of gathering five strangers, do you really think they would try to get rid of us all at once? It would seem like the type of thing to put 'em at a disadvantage when they coulda just sent a knife at one o' us in the night. I'd wager that Lamm has done something to wrong this fortune teller of ours too." She removed her card from her scarf once more and tossed it towards Triss, before taking a bite out of a chunk of bread and a drink from her cup. "I'd say it looks to be that the cards match. The same person gathered us all from the sounds of it. Now we just wait for 'em to show up. Should just be a matter o' time."

[InhumanRonin]

Beldan silently sat at the table observing the rest of the group that had been summoned here it seemed. Seeing Triss setting down her card on the table and starting to gather up some of the others Beldan reaches into his pocket and throws his card down on the table next to Triss's. Also during his observing Beldan notices that the food and drinks seem to be edible with no side effects at least right away. "Ay someone pass me a mug I could use a drink feelin kinda parched." A few more minutes pass as Beldan drinks from his mug the incense started to get to him. "Achoo! hey I know its cold out but can someone crack a window these incense are getting to be a little bit.

[jammermoore]

As everyone places there card on the table Shenzu pours a drink into his cup and places his card on the table too. "Well the cards have the same message on them. So I'll say they were meant to bring us together, hopeful someone will tell us why they need a group like us. Can some pass the bread over? I haven't ate since this morning. Shenzu ponders why this group is together, did Lamm murder someone close to "all" of them or is it something else.

[Oath]

Eliora looked at the monk with a smirk. "I'd imagine we've been gathered 'ere to administer a dose o' revenge to our old pal Lamm. Don't think we need whoever went out o' their way to get us 'ere to tell us that much. Cards say as much." She slid the bowl of bread over towards Shenzu. So far his actions hadn't made him seem like a particularly capable ally. Beldan and Aeraloth hadn't given her too much to go on and Triss seemed reliable. Perhaps not trust worthy, but it was a start.

[Mysticsage]

Aeraloth took the lute from his back and began to carefully delicately tune the instrument as if it was second nature. He kept his eye to the others around him, the table, and the cards while simply listening for one golden note after another. Anything to keep his attention to the task at hand. "Anyone an artist?" He asked nodding to the painting pf the angels on the back wall. "I'd bet ten silver that kind of thing is for more then just decoration." The notes of the music helped clear his mind of his own thoughts and the sounds of the people around him. The thrumming of the strings mixing with his own heart beat as he saw the place from a new perspective. Even though he never had much in the way of proper education. His body seemed to work as if on instinct to show him the arcane nature of things

Arcana check on the cards and tapestry

Rolled 1d20+3 : 14 + 3, total 17