[Other] Halforums Heist
- Thread starter MindDetective
- Start date
Yarp! I thought @MindDetective was just making us shiver with antici ...
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This. Thought the ball was in the GM's court after the responses by Marten and Brad. My bad.
Paging @MindDetective
Been moving to a new Airbnb. Sorry. We'll get going with much better regularity after today.
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Okay, welcome back to the next session of Halforums Heist! Where we left off: Marten and Brad responded to Mirt.
Mirt looks thoughtfully at Brad and turns his question around on him. "Let's say you heard about some hopeful recruits from your good friend, who was rescued by said recruits. But you wanted to see for yourself. What would be the pros and cons of meeting them in their own place of residence versus in a public venue such as the opera?"
He lets them think for a little bit before any of them respond. As they do so, he adds, "The Harpers are a loose organization that rely on wits, networking, and understanding the role of one's setting to gather information and, if necessary, put an end to...the selfish sort that aspire to undermine the good aspects of society."
Mirt looks thoughtfully at Brad and turns his question around on him. "Let's say you heard about some hopeful recruits from your good friend, who was rescued by said recruits. But you wanted to see for yourself. What would be the pros and cons of meeting them in their own place of residence versus in a public venue such as the opera?"
He lets them think for a little bit before any of them respond. As they do so, he adds, "The Harpers are a loose organization that rely on wits, networking, and understanding the role of one's setting to gather information and, if necessary, put an end to...the selfish sort that aspire to undermine the good aspects of society."
Charity
"So you're spies," Charity interjects, though without any real judgement in her voice. "Brad, Ran or Ty, I can understand. Even the Wizard. Why Marten? Why me? We're not very good at the whole...you know. Sneaking about." The farm girl tries not to squirm too much in her seat. The opera was mostly above her understanding, being in Giant, though she liked the fervor with which the actors performed, despite her own discomfort with the clothing.
"So you're spies," Charity interjects, though without any real judgement in her voice. "Brad, Ran or Ty, I can understand. Even the Wizard. Why Marten? Why me? We're not very good at the whole...you know. Sneaking about." The farm girl tries not to squirm too much in her seat. The opera was mostly above her understanding, being in Giant, though she liked the fervor with which the actors performed, despite her own discomfort with the clothing.
"Well," Mirt says shrugging his shoulders, "Not spies, really. We have people from all walks of life committed to the causes of fairness and equality. Sometimes we need a silver tongue and sometimes a shield. Every once in a while we need a sword. All too often we need some kind of spell. Ours is a vast network across many cities and towns intended to share information and help when and where we can. We are no army or thieves guild. We are not assassins. Harpers are...beacons. We aim to shine a light into the dark places of the world."
Marten says "Hmm," while looking around for something vastly more interesting to capture his attention than the opera or the prospect of being a spy.
"Don' mean ta cause any offense," he says. "But I'm a simple man. See a problem, fix a problem. I think tha Order of the Gauntlet would suit me more."
He pauses to consider his next words. "But tha' don' mean we can't still be friends."
"Don' mean ta cause any offense," he says. "But I'm a simple man. See a problem, fix a problem. I think tha Order of the Gauntlet would suit me more."
He pauses to consider his next words. "But tha' don' mean we can't still be friends."
Mirt nods with a friendly smile. "Of course," he says. "The Harpers and the Order have worked well together in the past. What of the rest of you?"
Charity
"I like "bringing light to dark places" a lot better as a pitch, admittedly. The Great Mother has not given me much direction when she saw fit to gave me her blessing, but I feel like that's a good start." Charity gives Wirt a gentle smile. "May I think it over? My momma always told me never to rush things, and I would hate to make a hasty decision."
"I like "bringing light to dark places" a lot better as a pitch, admittedly. The Great Mother has not given me much direction when she saw fit to gave me her blessing, but I feel like that's a good start." Charity gives Wirt a gentle smile. "May I think it over? My momma always told me never to rush things, and I would hate to make a hasty decision."
Ran observes the conversations and doesn't speak up much. The message he received earlier weighs heavily on his mind. He doesn't trust it but he doesn't want to let anything past. He wonders if it has to do with this increase of interest in him and his mighty Ran's Rangers.
He makes a mental note to get some exclusivity contracts drawn up real quick.
In the meantime Ran resists the urge to liberate a few coin purses from those who don't need them.
He makes a mental note to get some exclusivity contracts drawn up real quick.
In the meantime Ran resists the urge to liberate a few coin purses from those who don't need them.
Mirt chuckles at Brad's comment. "My dear young man, I invited you to a sold out opera at the last minute," he says. "I have done very well for myself in my many decades as a Harper. In fact, wealth and influence can be useful tools for shining the light into the dark areas of the world."
Mirt gives Charity a fatherly wink.
"Please, do think it over."
The man provides his address to the party as the lights begin to dim and they must head back to their seats.
The rest of the show is delightful, even in a foreign tongue, and the party leaves the opera with buoyed spirits, arriving back at the manor well after dark. Erythro checks his slate to find that it has only been scribbled on illegibly.
The next morning promises to be another day of heavy cleaning, although progress is obvious, even at the end of the second full day in the manor.
(What does the morning of the third day bring?)
Mirt gives Charity a fatherly wink.
"Please, do think it over."
The man provides his address to the party as the lights begin to dim and they must head back to their seats.
The rest of the show is delightful, even in a foreign tongue, and the party leaves the opera with buoyed spirits, arriving back at the manor well after dark. Erythro checks his slate to find that it has only been scribbled on illegibly.
The next morning promises to be another day of heavy cleaning, although progress is obvious, even at the end of the second full day in the manor.
Post automatically merged:
(What does the morning of the third day bring?)
Marten goes down to the Halls of Justice and swears himself into the Order of the Gauntlet
Erythro sends a feeler to his criminal contact to find a fence for purloined portraits. But otherwise cleans the manor for a while and uses his funds to transcribe the half orc's spells to his own spell book. And naturally keeps an eye on Ran. But also the mysterious "ghost" of the manor as he cleans.
More interested in the Blackstaff group than the Harpers, but can we join both? I would like a Waterdeep specific group, and from other modules I know the Harpers are wide spread spies.
[speaking of funds, have we split them and I missed it? I still have starting gold. Also, what's happening to all the trinkets I've been finding and tossing into party loot?]
Ran wakes early to make a few preparations before going to Blackstaff Tower. He tries to recall what he knows about this tower and the owner but it (probably) doesn't really ring any bells.
[History check of 7]
Ran would like to go to a bank or any kind of trustworthy storage place to stash the extra weapons and loot he has in a storage locker or safety deposit box if that's something that exists.
Assuming he can do so and get back to the manor with time to spare, he will leave the key and instructions to go nuts with it of he's not back in a day or two with...Brad? Brad feels like that sweet spot of "not a lot of questions" and "won't just loot it behind my back"
Otherwise he'll just leave it at the manor wherever he's been sleeping. He intends to travel light in case of capture or the need to flee.
[Subtracting the following from my inventory
-fancy globe thingy he found the other day
-scale mail
-war pick
- rapier
- leather armor
- 3 daggers
- disguise kit
- 1 plat, 45 gp
End of list]
He then sets out to his appointment, stopping before the tower to scope it out a bit and see how "bad idea" this really seems.
[History check of 7]
Ran would like to go to a bank or any kind of trustworthy storage place to stash the extra weapons and loot he has in a storage locker or safety deposit box if that's something that exists.
Assuming he can do so and get back to the manor with time to spare, he will leave the key and instructions to go nuts with it of he's not back in a day or two with...Brad? Brad feels like that sweet spot of "not a lot of questions" and "won't just loot it behind my back"
Otherwise he'll just leave it at the manor wherever he's been sleeping. He intends to travel light in case of capture or the need to flee.
[Subtracting the following from my inventory
-fancy globe thingy he found the other day
-scale mail
-war pick
- rapier
- leather armor
- 3 daggers
- disguise kit
- 1 plat, 45 gp
End of list]
He then sets out to his appointment, stopping before the tower to scope it out a bit and see how "bad idea" this really seems.
I gave you 18 gold a couple days ago. I think we split a little more back around the Warehouse
Duh, it's there..i was looking at the wrong sheet. I made a copy for fiddling around with. lol
Charity
As soon as they get home, and Charity has the time to free herself from the ludicrous outfit, she takes her time to weigh the decisions on her mind. The Order's goals were concrete, yet 'smiting evil' seemed a bit too...narrow, for what she found herself wanting to do. The Harpers, on the other hand, had a better aligned goal with her own, yet the proposed activities are at best vaguely defined.
When the morning comes, she waffles still at breakfast - though eventually shakes herself out of it, accepting that unknowns are just part of the deal, and you can't know everything about everything. A few minutes after both Brad and Marten have left, she grabs her sword and hustles to catch up to Brad, joining him on the way to the Harpers.
As soon as they get home, and Charity has the time to free herself from the ludicrous outfit, she takes her time to weigh the decisions on her mind. The Order's goals were concrete, yet 'smiting evil' seemed a bit too...narrow, for what she found herself wanting to do. The Harpers, on the other hand, had a better aligned goal with her own, yet the proposed activities are at best vaguely defined.
When the morning comes, she waffles still at breakfast - though eventually shakes herself out of it, accepting that unknowns are just part of the deal, and you can't know everything about everything. A few minutes after both Brad and Marten have left, she grabs her sword and hustles to catch up to Brad, joining him on the way to the Harpers.
The ceremony is short and to the point. The swearing-in ceremony involves the recitation of an oath to find and destroy evil in all its forms. The oath is spoken while every candidate wears a silver gauntlet. Marten finds many like himself in the Order. Men and women of faith with an urge to squash evil when they see it. They are direct and serious about their work.
After the ceremony, Savra Belabrantas takes Marten aside. "I very much appreciate your joining us," she says. "I suspect you, like myself, are set to get down to business. Well, I have that opportunity for you. We hear that the Zhents are paying gangs in the Field Ward to attack suspected Xanathar Guild members. Fights are breaking out in the ward daily. Stop a fight before it happens. We need to send a message to these thugs that further altercations won’t be tolerated.”
Ran is able to secure a private security box at a bank for 5 coppers per day, which seems pretty steep. (let me know if he takes the deal or leaves stuff at the manor.)
He arrives at Blackstaff Tower just ahead of the appointed time. Erythro arrives not far behind him, still in disguise and with no suspicion on Ran's part.
"Hello, Ran," says a tall, confident woman with dark hair and skin. "I am called Blackstaff. But that is more of a position. My name is Vajra Safhar."
Neither Ran nor Vajra notice Erythro eavesdropping on the conversation. "One of my primary duties is to lead Force Grey and the Grey Hands, trainees for Force Grey. Force Grey are the best of the best. An private, elite group of protectors for Waterdeep. We are looking for those loyal to the city as recruits to work their way up as Grey Hands to become the next generation of elite security for this city. And you, as well as your friends, have the makings for fine recruits. Yes, we heard about your rescue of Lord Neverember. No doubt you've heard from several other organizations with similar prerogatives to Force Grey. They are fine organizations, but they are not the best. I noticed you came alone. Did the others decline to join you?"
Brad and Charity find themselves at Mirt's expansive estate, greeted by his butler at the front gates and shown into the parlor. It is more than 2 hours of waiting before Mirt crashes into the room, profusely apologizing. "I'm sorry my friends. I am something of a social butterfly and spend much of my time flitting about the city. I'm very happy to see you have chosen to join the Harpers."
He provides both Charity and Brad each with a silver pin of a harp within a crescent moon and directs them to keep them pinned in a hidden place but easily revealed as needed, such as under a collar.
"We have need of your help already. One of the drays working in the city is pulled by a talking mare named Maxeene. Locate her, find out if she’s learned the identity of any Zhent operatives, and if so, determine their whereabouts.”
Ran accepts and pays a week up front. [subtracting 3 silver and 5 copper]
"I didn't tell them. I don't know you and the way you contacted me isn't exactly the way you go about doing above board business. I don't want to get my friends into trouble over what may be someone out to get the ol' Ranster. While we're at it, Friends is kind of a strong word anyway, right? I mean I met these people a week ago. I don't even know Marten's last name. I want to say Prayerington but I just know that's wrong. I think the wizard doesn't like me because I can use magic but didn't go to school for it like he did. Ty just stopped talking to us completely but honestly at this point I'm just venting some things that have been on my mind for a bit
So if i'm hearing this right, you want me and my friends, The Ran's Rangers (copywrite pending), to join your group as...Grey Hands? Just out of curiosity what's the next rank? So many questions.
Anyway, I'm not saying 'no' but I feel like It would be kind of reckless to just join an organization without seeing first hand how they operate but hey, I'm just crazy like that.
Sorry, did my voice get kind of loud there? I'm having a weird week. Hows about you show me a thing or two and I can report back to my team?"
When Marten is back at the house, he'll wait til everyone else is home and tell them what's up.
"Seems like the Zhents are behind the gang fights happening in the Field Ward. The Order'd like me to go out and break some fights up before they start. So, maybe no fighting will have to be done. But I'm just one man. I'd feel a little better, and maybe have more sway with these ruffians if I had a few people at my back. Anyone wanna join me in facing down some street toughs?"
"Seems like the Zhents are behind the gang fights happening in the Field Ward. The Order'd like me to go out and break some fights up before they start. So, maybe no fighting will have to be done. But I'm just one man. I'd feel a little better, and maybe have more sway with these ruffians if I had a few people at my back. Anyone wanna join me in facing down some street toughs?"
"Well, I'm not likely to send you out on a mission unless you are a member. But let me give you an example of what the Grey Hands do. Last year we got word that an underground fighting ring had been busted by the city watch. Several of the monsters they had illegally imported into the city escaped into the sewers. One Grey Hands team visited the jail to get a complete list of the monsters we were dealing with. A Force Grey team was dispatched to handle the dangerous creatures in the city."
Blackstaff smiles wryly. "No, not precisely. But the Grey Hands and Force Grey are powerful allies, both politically, physically, and, yes, financially. Our teams work in an on-call basis and, as such, they tend to reap their rewards on the job rather than in advance of it."
She casts her eyes to the sun, gauging the time of day.
"If there are no other questions, I do have a class of mages waiting for me. Please pass along this information to the others in your group. I hope to see you again soon."
And with that, the mage departs back into Blackstaff Tower, leaving Ran to return to the manor and Erythro to follow him home.
"I ain't a piece of meat, lady!" He makes a gesture some might find rude if they happened to be from his home town.
" Nerve of some people. Too much time away from decent folk I guess. Anyway, I'm probably late for getting murdered by a ghost."
Ran looks down in shame and amazement.
"I... really should be asking these people what they know about our ghost. Hey wait up! Madam staff! Uh Safhar!"
Ran waddles after her to try to catch up, but giving the very rude halfling a wide berth"
" Nerve of some people. Too much time away from decent folk I guess. Anyway, I'm probably late for getting murdered by a ghost."
Ran looks down in shame and amazement.
"I... really should be asking these people what they know about our ghost. Hey wait up! Madam staff! Uh Safhar!"
Ran waddles after her to try to catch up, but giving the very rude halfling a wide berth"
"Oi! Where do you two think you are going?" says the guard inside the door to Blackstaff Tower.