Episode 2: Do You Consent To A Security Hole?
We rejoin our adventurers back in the bar room of The Bottled Current….
Zynamo continues his lighthouse impression beside the table while the party decides what to do next. Dantiel suggests the group get to know each other, which Karlock agrees with and Taka thinks he’d maybe like to drop his gear in their rooms. Karlock starts to introduce himself and then realizes that maybe people in the bar are marking the unusual behavior of Zynamo and suggests the whole group relocate to The Bolt Suite.
The party heads up to their suite. The party realizes that Iona has essentially provided them with an apartment for the time being. Discovering that there are individual bedrooms, the party starts by each claiming a room. There is a brief discussion between Zynamo and Silfrey as he doesn’t like the layout of the rooms as he feels his current mission is to keep both Silfrey and Citronella safe and he thinks he needs the room closest to the door, while Silfrey suggests he take the empty room between the two of them- this suggestion is eventually accepted by Zynamo and the party all unpacks and begins to settle in to their accommodations.
They all gather in the main seating area. Nythis sits a little away from the group in the more private seating area near the fire place and the group waits for Citronella, Silfrey, and Zynamo to join them. Karlock tries to get Nythis to come closer to the group, but he rejects that idea.
During this waiting period, Zynamo gets a random idea to try to punch a hole in the wall between his room and Citronella’s so that he can keep watch on her while she’s in her room. Citronella runs out of her room after the initial thump of his fist while the rest of the party tries to figure out what is happening. Citronella tells him to stop as the party doesn’t own these rooms. Zynamo informs her that he was trying to make a security hole. Citronella begins to argue that this is unnecessary as Silfrey runs out of his room and into Zynamo’s. Dantiel decides that with Silfrey involved the rest of the party doesn’t need to intervene. Silfrey also instructs Zynamo to stop making security holes that someone will have to pay for. Karlock briefly interjects that they probably wouldn’t pay, which Silfrey cuts off. Citronella goes out to join the group in the seating area. Silfrey proceeds to explain that consent is important and the security holes are not necessary. Zynamo asks Silfrey: “Do you consent to a security hole?” Silfrey does not and after a bit of further discussion the two join the rest of the parting in the seating area.
There’s a bit of back and forth between Dantiel and Karlock over who’s idea this introduction session was, but they quickly move on.
Karlock then begins a more thorough introduction of himself to the party. He tells them that he has joined this mission because he’s fallen out of favor with his father because he aired some of his dirty laundry in public, which he’s not feeling particularly guilty about, but his mother and sister would like for him to mend the fences at least a little bit. He tells the party that his father was carrying on multiple affairs and he revealed it publicly which embarassed his father. He sums it all up by telling the party that he is a consulting detective.
Dantiel introduces himself next saying that he’s sometimes referred to as a “professional bad influence” among other things. He says that he flies around tries to keep people alive as his specialty. He says that his previous occupation was a professional fugitive but after being corrected that he wasn’t paid to be a fugitive he amended this to full time fugitive saying that he wasn’t sure if he’s still a fugitive or not. The party was confused by this but settled for Dantiel’s explanation that he was a fugitive from some not above board people.
Taka suggests perhaps not revealing so much to each other at this time and Silfrey suggests that this feels like a support group meeting, but never the less he goes next.
Silfrey introduces himself as a teacher and says that he fought in the war and then joined an adventurer’s guild called Brick’s Brigade and he is the leader of Team Dawnstride within that guild. The team currently consists of himself and Zyne as everyone else is on sabatical. After a bit of further questioning the other members of the team are revealed to be injured and taking a break.
Taka then tells the party that he grew up in Hilltop and because he wasn’t very fond of it, he moved to Armada and became a navigator. The navigation job “dried up” so now he’s doing this.
Throughout these discussions several party members used metaphors to describe things, leading to Zyne’s very literal nature to come out. The party tried explaining what metaphors are… it’s a work in progress.
Zynamo tells the party that his name and that Silfrey calls him Zyne. He says that he was found in the desert about 3 weeks ago and he doesn’t remember anything before that.
Citronella tries to avoid the spotlight, but tells the party that she’s from the marshes of Polaris and that she’s trying to recruit laborers for The Order of Chikitsakah. It’s just that simple.
Nythis rounds out the group introductions by telling the party that he is a hired sword and that he likes long walks on the beach and puppies- introducing a little sarcasm for Zyne much to the amusement of the party.
The party discusses what they want to do next. Karlock suggests the party may want to find out some more information about the storms, Dantiel suggests that the Gods are bitchy. Silfrey, Citronella, and Zyne decide that they are going to go fishing. Dantiel, Karlock, and Taka head to the market. Nythis decides to go take a stroll around town.
The marketing group easily find their way to the shops and carts. The streets are busy with people. While they are making their way Taka finds himself pickpocketed, though he did avoid the thief’s knife. Karlock and Dantiel immediately give chase, Karlock on foot and Dantiel on wing, Taka is moments behind them, but due to the crowded market place they lose the masked thief and Taka’s coin. Dantiel says he’ll split a meat pie with Taka since he now can’t afford to purchase his own. Karlock seeks out and obtains fish and chips for himself. While wandering around, Taka spots an old friend- Jory- who is haggling with a cloth merchant. Taka slips away from the group with Karlock keeping an eye out and goes over to greet his old friend. Jory immediately pulls his knife on being called by name and is surprised to see Taka. The two friends complete Jory’s negotiation unsuccessfully and then the two friends have a momentary catch up. Jory inquires if he can help with Taka’s job and Taka tells him that he could maybe use a spotter. Jory gives him his address so he can be found later and Taka returns to the group.
Nythis strolls around town keeping an eye out for a symbol he recognizes carved on any walls or symbols- and eventually he sees the carved hand with a slash that he recognizes on a shop with a sign that says “Books”. He goes inside and finds a shop full of books, dusty and not apparently frequently visited. An elderly looking gnome with a hunch greets him. He asks the gnome if they work for The Mask to which they reply that they have one in a shadowy cupboard. Nythis then asks for any information they might have that he should know. They share with him that the city is full of many folk of varying kinds, including the occasional pick pocket in the market, but really pretty typical. They tell him that the frequency of the lightning storms in the valley can vary from multiple in a day to none for weeks. Having provided him with this information they also give him an extremely dusty copy of A History of Althas before Nythis heads back out into the city.
The fishing crew head back down to the docks. The port is bustling, there is no one fishing off the docks, individuals fishing have to go around the wall to the rocky areas off the shore to fish. Silfrey approaches a fungril guard that is very tall and stout and asks about fishing off the docks. The guard tells him that they don’t allow fishing off the docks and the locals who hire out their boats typically do so in the morning. He is advised that the rocks are slippery so be careful and Silfrey makes a comment about being a cat with nine lives causing Zyne to comment that he only has one. The group easily enough makes their way around the wall and out onto the rocks. Zyne makes a point of telling both Citronella and Silfrey to be careful on the slippery rocks. Silfrey pulls out his fishing pole and Citronella cobbles together a fishing pole using supplies she has. Zyne suggests that perhaps he could shoot the fish, Silfrey says maybe Zyne should just watch. A fish leaps in the water not far away and Citronella (after a brief internal debate about diving) jumps into the shallow water after it, scattering the fish that were there. The same fish then leapt as if taunting her from about 25 feet away. Silfrey then casts out in that direction and just a few minutes later reels in an 18 inch bass, showing it to Zyne. Citronella climbs back onto the rocks and Zyne asks Silfrey to teach him to fish. Silfrey puts the bass in his bag and proceeds to teach Zyne to fish. Zyne ends up briefly accidentally hooking the same fish as Citronella before catching a small goldfish. Citronella has caught a decent sized bass.
Eventually the party makes their way back to The Bottled Current - the group from the market takes a seat at the bar and order drinks which is where Nythis sees them on his return, but he heads up to the suite. The fishing contingent returns and finds them there as well. Silfrey approaches the bar and dumps his catch on the bar with Zyne following suite- much to the dismay of the minotaur barkeep who orders the fish off the bar- he does advise that the kitchen entrance is out back if he wishes to have his catch cooked he can take it out to the kitchen where they will cook it but it needs to be off his bar immediately. Silfrey picks up his fish and deciding he doesn’t want the hassle of asking for wood to be brought up for the fire place to cook it himself, he decides to throw his fish away, so Zyne follows suite. Citronella hears all this and takes her catch out back to the kitchen and asks them to smoke hers for her so she can take it on the road when they go traveling. Silfrey heads up to the suite followed by Zyne.
Bridgette the barmaid meets Silfrey and Zyne at the door with a note from Iona telling them that Clover’s party is arriving in Lightning Valley this evening and a meeting is requested tomorrow at RID Supply at 10 am. The pair leave the note on the dining table and head to bed- or well Silfrey does. Zynamo goes back to the top of the stairs to wait for Citronella to come up. She does arrive next and the pair head back into the suite. Zynamo points out the note from Iona to her. Citronella heads for her room and Zyne asks if she will consent to a security hole, she does not and goes into her room. Zyne takes a post in his doorway watching for the rest of the party to come up.
Karlock orders some soup to be sent upstairs and tells Dantiel and Taka that he has some reading to do. Dantiel seems briefly taken aback that Karlock reads for fun while Taka inquires what he’s reading. Karlock tells him that he’s reading a book called The Fall of the House of Asher. He also tells Taka that he has some questions for him when they get upstairs as Taka has decided to also head up. With Taka also ordering some soup to be sent up.
At about 9:30 pm the storm siren goes off as it did before. A storm that is worse than the previous one they experienced strikes, lasting 10 whole minutes. The thunder physically shakes the building, the lightning is more blinding. It wakes the party members who were sleeping. Dantiel hears chatter in the bar that the storm was worse than any they’ve had recently.
The food had arrived just before the storm hit, so after the storm the two sit down to tuck in and find the note from Iona. Karlock also takes this opportunity to question Taka about Jory briefly. Taka then mentions wanting to find a library as reading sounds nice. Karlock offers to share one of the other books he has offering up Murders on Fleet Street about a werewolf murderer or The Mask of The Red Flower. Taka asks to borrow the second title.
Dantiel continues to carouse at the bar. Chatting up the crowd trying to learn anything he can. Other than telling him that the storm that just happened is worse than typical, no one has anything of note worth sharing. He heads up to the suite at about 10:30 to join the party. Zynamo stays on guard in the doorway of his room waiting for Dantiel and Karlock is still at the table reading when he comes in. Dantiel tells Karlock that the chatter in the bar is about how bad the storm is. Karlock tells him about the note. Dantiel doesn’t think it’s a coincidence with the storm. It’s at that point that Karlock asks Zynamo if Nythis knows about the meeting and when he says no, Karlock goes and knocks on Nythis’ door and tells him in a brief conversation through the door, ending by telling him to get his beauty sleep.
Zynamo inquires if sleep affects the appearance of beings. Karlock and Dantiel attempt to explain bed head to him. Karlock asks Dantiel if has a nickname to which he replies not yet. With this everyone retreats to their rooms for the night, with Zyne powering down for his rest while standing in the doorway.
What will the next day bring? We’ll have to wait and see.
