Sigil

Forgotten Realms: Tales of the Dead

It was the trick with the candle, wasn't it?

That oddness aside, taking the merchant's offer would effectively make him miss his appointment with the Thayan historian. Don't get me wrong, he has serious misgivings about dealing with wizards in the first place, so it's probably not a total loss. Money is money, after all, and supplies will be necessary when he figures out where he's going next. If he's going anywhere for a bit.

Forgotten Realms: Tales of the Dead

Concerning the work offered, I had the oddest idea of accepting both jobs. Then I could cram both the merchant's inventory and the girls into a room with a bucket and slide a pancake under the door every now and again to keep their strength up. Protect both interests at the same time. Two birds, one stone.

Or not. Mostly not. Yeah, we're going with not.

N'mind. Though I do get the feeling I'd have made an ok villain.

The Other Guys: Heroes (almost)

Just going to give this a quick bump... still in need of creative but not overpowered characters to make this happen.

Forgotten Realms: Tales of the Dead

The two offers of employment that stuck out in Keystone's mind, and subsequently the only ones from which he requested further detail, came from a merchant and a lady of means. Working for the merchant may ensure his goal of being properly supplied, though working as a bodyguard for a family might be a more noble undertaking. Otherwise good people became animals with the threat of war approaching. He asked for terms of service from each of them, before providing his own:

"I have appointments to keep today and tomorrow morning, including an audience with Grandmaster Shein-Fang. My business with the Temple is important, but I'm otherwise at your disposal. Responsibility goes to you during these times. Further, while under your employ I'll need my expenses covered. Food, lodging if necessary. I'm not a picky man. If either of us want to exit contract mid-through, pay me for time spent and I'll be on my merry."

(Specifically to the lady in need of a bodyguard:) "If'n you find me acceptable to guard your family, I will answer to you, not them. I am not their servant. In matters of their safety, I am in charge until you dismiss me from service. If anybody goes running off or does something outside my advisin', what happens is on them. Otherwise I will do everything in my power to keep them from harm, whether they like it or no. Terms acceptable?"

(To both:) "Jolly. Before we continue, there's the vulgar subject of coin. To risk sounding like a chiseler, what's your offer?"

---

Feeling a little sheepish and somewhat embarrassed at frightening a priest of Tyr, Keystone set a humble look to his face. "Stress, sir. Lots of stress. Thank you for your advice. Take care of these people, and if you see me again, let me know if I can help." He turned and left without incident, features held by stone neutral expression.

Outside of the Hall of the Avenging Hammer, his thoughts turned to his one remaining opportunity to locate that one Dwarf in town that may or may not be able to translate his bracers. Last chance for a while, anyway. Merchant's Square, then, while he had a couple of hours before things got really busy.

The Other Guys

@JGBPhone
I appreciate that, Joe. Looking for interested parties now.

Final Fantasy - The Red Mage Chronicles

Bump, do the bumpty bump. Everybody do the bumpty bump.

-G. Clinton & the P. Funkadelic

Forgotten Realms: Tales of the Dead

No better accommodations available than the Inn housing the refugees near the slums. Panic, or something near to it, beginning. Prices skyrocketing on food and supplies. Keystone started looking a few hours too late, and cursed himself for it. He had a little money; his traveling companion had already made his decision to stay and fight. How he envied the Half-Orc. Raa knew exactly what he had to do. Smart decision or not, it was (with certainty) the right thing. Keystone hated running, but for now understood his limitations.

The best option was probably to keep moving, try to blend into the crowds of people fleeing for their lives. This was not the path he wanted to take. Doing nothing was going to kill so many more people. Just not today, probably not tomorrow. He needed to know more.

First, he had promises to keep.

The Xiang Temple for morning calisthenics. Keystone stepped onto the training grounds, bowed as best he could considering his ignorance of their protocol, and respectfully entered the lessons. He was curious to see how the present monks had a method of combining internal power and their own outer strength, and focus it into marvelous effects of damage.

His own style and method of training was very heavily slanted to physical technique and body conditioning - hands of iron and dense flesh, reflex training, knowing where to strike. Keystone knew how to ignore weapons and bypass armor. He was lethal, moreso than most armed soldiers. These people, though, had a disciplined way about them that allowed for truly mystical abilities. He could easily keep up physically. He could outpunch and outlast most all of them in raw strength and stamina, but that was not the point of study today. Several times during his training session that morning, Keystone felt himself coming near to a breakthrough, a familiar energy trying to express itself through him, but the execution simply fell short.

He had heard of something like this before, when he was younger. Older, more experienced brawlers in the underground boxing arenas said they were able to focus themselves to cause more damage. Even practiced a bit, to the same lack of success as the present. In his youth, he thought they were saying "Cheese Attacks". Without a mentor or the writings of a master to guide him, he had only halfway figured out how to harness his Inner Cheese before he gave up to focus on what became his signature Iron Fist technique. Given his situation, it was time to give it another shot.

It wasn't until he said his goodbyes and began walking from the Temple that he slapped his forehead with his gargantuan hand, putting two and two together from his conversations inside. "Chi! Chi Attacks! Dear gods, I am a moron..." This was something to speak about with the Grandmaster at his appointment the next day.

Keystone spent the next couple of hours shopping around for offers of employment, trying to look as solid yet approachable as possible. The offer of coin aside, he let it be known that he was willing to take partial payment in quality traveling supplies. Money was fast losing value in this city, nearby places very soon, as well.

Around midday, a curious scratching sensation came from his pocket, as if someone were bearing down on him to scribble on parchment. Taking out Meriv's note, it seemed someone was. As a matter of coincidence (yeah, right), the exact amount of money required to speak with a junior historian for five minutes was how much he was given the previous day for his Fireball scroll. Maybe it was a bargain, but he doubted it. Keystone immediately turned and walked to the Hall of the Avenging Hammer.

He tracked down the priest he had spoken with the previous day. Busy or not, the second he was finished helping parishioners, he began in a moderate voice, "Glith. You know something, I could see it in your face yesterday. You're pushing an ally to the Red Wizards to keep from saying. GLITH. How do I fight him, or how do I hide from him? I need time and I need knowledge to make this right, and you're keeping me from it, priest."

He could sense that his urgency was coming off as an attempt at intimidation, and softened his voice slightly, "I'm in a special position to actually do some good. Real good, if you can help figure out my visions. If you've good reason why you can't help me, let me know now. We ain't got a lot of time."

Forgotten Realms: Tales of the Dead

The funny thing is, it was 42.

Douglas Adams has corrupted us all.

Forgotten Realms: Tales of the Dead

Upon exiting the enclave, Keystone gave the note that Meriv handed him a good inspection before tucking it away on his person. Looking around, he took in the sights of Telflamm from an almost nostalgic point of view. It was not unlike his own home, in certain ways. Most large human settlements must be like this.

Sadly, it might all come crashing down in a storm of rot and death magic. Might as well have a drink, toast the coming apocalypse.

Securing his valuables to himself in the manner of a man accustomed to dealing with less polite elements of society, he walked the main thoroughfare until he found an alehouse that suited his needs, and decided to spend an hour or two rubbing elbows with the locals. Check the rumormill. Have a pleasant, sit-down meal that demonstrated the local cuisine. Gods forbid, ask around to see if there are any lucrative ventures for a man of his abilities. If they had underground boxing anywhere in Telflamm, all the better. If not, he'd rarely had issue securing temporary muscle work.

Perhaps he'd sit in the stereotypical dark corner, as adventurers often do upon entering taverns. It seemed cliched, but appealed to a childlike sense of humored importance. He was one of "those guys" now, looming threat of death and eternal servitude trapped in a rotting husk notwithstanding.

Making certain not to become impaired while taking his break from otherwise pressing matters, he made a mental list on what he wanted to accomplish over the next day and a half. Tonight, he needed to find out what he could and return to the Inn with the other refugees. No doubt the paladin would be doing something selfless for the survivors, it was kind of his thing. He needed to know what Keystone found out this day.

Tomorrow morning, he rose early and got busy:

1) Check Meriv's note, see where that takes him.
2) Return to the Xiang Temple, participate in morning training. Explore the similarities between their unarmed style and his own - maybe there are lessons that could be incorporated into his own repertoire.
3) Make a charcoal rubbing of the inscription on his bracers. Find that Dwarven smith, see if he can make any sense of it.
4) Find someplace secure to set up residence, if only temporarily.
5) Purchase supplies. He'd been around refugees and people preparing for battle before, trust becomes rare. If the city came under siege, they needed to be able to hole up with supplies AND have a plan to leave quickly.
6) Try to think calm and benign thoughts. Kaylee likely needs reassurance that he wasn't a monster. On the other hand, he sometimes needed that reassurance about himself, too.

Forgotten Realms: Tales of the Dead

Yeah, this isn't exactly sit-down D&D where I can tell you as I go along. Unless you're psychic. (What number am I thinking of right now?)

As I cannot count on you having amazing mental superpowers, here's the plan for the remainder of the evening for Keystone:

Leave the enclave, treat himself to a drink or three and a good meal. Speak to the locals, get an idea what's going on with the rumormill and possible areas of lucrative employment, above board (what kind of work could a man in his position get on the quick?) or his old standby of underground brawling.

Sleep on it, check the paper Meriv gave him, and see what opportunities the day may bring. The next day will likely involve Dwarf hunting.

I'll make an IC post to that effect shortly.