(G242 12/06/2015 via Roll20 - Guru(GM), JF)

(G242 12/06/2015 via Roll20 - Guru(GM), JF)

Well, we sat and thought about how to defeat the construct, but after a while we felt like relaxing so we
asked Sylvia to tell us more of her tall tale of a place called Riverbek...

[GM note : Al not playing so Guru did some more 5th Edition with JF as the player]

''
So, some time had passed for Random. He was still robbing houses and things in Riverbek. Things were
going ok for him on the whole and after his last job with his boon companion, Skeldrog, he had enough
money to relax for a while.

He may have been a wicked rogue in many ways and have some pretty sticky fingers, but when it came to
his family he had a heart of gold. His wife, while not a nag exactly, liked to keep her husband informed
of the goings on with their children and she had been telling him that Tulip, their eldest had become
friendly with some other girls from a background that she as a parent did not approve of.

At first he didn't pay much attention to her, his wife's social climbing was well known to him. He was
more interested in how the twins, Wyvern and Naga, were getting along as apprentices to a teifling
warlock called Varus and how to shift a giant mirror he had stolen during a time recently when dragons
had been flying about and terrifying the citizens of Riverbek.

Random was also still heavily involved in Thieves Guild business with Kaleb, Varus as mentioned and
a female smuggler named Eon.

Still, his wife's constant reminders filtered down to him and when he reflected that his daughter's
delinquency could affect his standing in the Guild he decided to take matters in hand.

Now, in Riverbek there was a, what you might call, healthy population of Teiflings and one of these
was named Lady Shazuno, a priestess of Tutu (The God of Children and Wealth) and she, among other
things, was involved in an orphanage in the docks - and across the street from it - a brothel.

The orphanage, to a certain extent, supplied the brothel with employees and two of the young girls
who were headed that way were friends of Tulips. Fearful that her friends would lead her into an
ill considered profession Random decided to go check things out.

Not being able to lay his hands on Skeldrog, Random took a house guest with him called Tah'ran.
Now, not to go into the details too much, Tah'ran was a high elf thief, a refugee from the city of
Lot Tharel, recently destroyed by the dragons I mentioned earlier and an old pal of Random's.

These old friends turned up at the orphanage unannounced and were met by some of the children.
Random noted with approval that the children all looked reasonably well fed and not all that
scruffy.

Not long after their arrival a human woman in her mid twenties met them. She was Rosana and
worked at the orphanage and she had once been a member of the thieves guild and indeed had
once had a special understanding with Random if I can put it like that (and I'll just note that
she was far from the only woman in town that Random had special understandings with!).

Rosana was pleased to see him and took them both into the kitchen and offered them tea. She
discussed with them the orphanage and the brothel, which she deeply disapproved of.

After a short while Lady Shazuno arrived. It might surprise you to learn this fact, but despite
being both notable Teiflings of Riverbek, Random and Lady Shazuno had never met.

Random approved of her shapely figure but did not let that deter him from his task, namely,
finding out what was going on. Lady Shazuno answered all his questions with apparent honesty
though and Random felt mollified.
'Are you trying to lead my daughter into prostitution?' he asked bluntly.
'No, although I think it a reasonable enough profession for a girl of poor prospects.'
Random nodded but said, 'That may be true, but Tulip is no orphan. She has two parents and
a family. What of these other girls then?'
'Well, he friends are Juna, who has joined the thieves' guild and Edna who has gone to
work across the road.'
'I thank you for your candour.' said Random as they left.

Outside, he said to Tah'ran, 'What do you make of that?'
Tah'ran did not venture and opinion and when Random decided to enter the brothel 'for research
purposes' the high elf blushed and headed for home.

A scantily clad lady named Maxine met Random in the reception area. In the name of research Random
spent nine gold. Needless to say, nine gold bought him a great deal of research indeed!

Afterwards he asked for Edna to be sent to him, and his lusts sated for now he had nothing more
than a chat with the girl back in one of the common rooms. Edna was happy to talk and although
she was not particularly happy with her lot in life she felt that things could have been worse
for a girl born out of wedlock such as she.

Random noted that Kaleb and a couple of other lads from the Guild were in the brothel as well,
up to no good and hiding from their wives. Random was in no position to judge.

Content for now Random headed home and told his wife not to worry. Tulip was in no danger,
Lady Shazuno appeared to not be a pimp after all and all was good.

..

Not long after this though Random happened to be in his back garden, an area that backed onto
the Crusty Crab and noticed that there was a hole in it.
When he asked his wife about it she rolled her eyes and said,
'I told you about that days ago! Ask the twins.'

Random called in Wyvern and Naga and asked them to explain themselves. The whole story came out.
'Who dug the hole?' asked their father.
'A bird man and a weird druid.'
'How were you involved?'
'We didn't help or anything!', pleaded the twins, 'We didn't help try and rob the Crusty Crab
or anything!'
'We'll see about that.' said their paterfamilias.
Silently Wyvern handed over a drawing she had done. It was a drawing of a bird man holding
a large staff in the shape of a snake. It sparkled with magic.
The world closed in on Random and a single quiet, but commanding, voice seemed to speak in his
head, 'I .. Will ..  Have ..  That .. Staff.'

With the drawing folded up in his pocket Random went to see Kaleb at the Crab and was shown
the basement.
'Yeah, so you can see Random, old friend, old bean, old boon companion, they dug in here. They
were after my treasure. Didn't get it though, I had to get the Gauntlet out. In the end it was a
stand off and we came to an agreement.'
Random rubbed his chin and surveyed the destruction,
'They dug up my garden. They involved my kids. I can't let that stand.'
'I appreciate that, old spoon, but I made a peace pact with them.'
'I've made no pacts. Where can I find these jokers?'
Kaleb simply smiled and took a feather from the leaves of a nearby book then handed it to
Random.

Now, as luck would have it, Random had a second high elf lodger in his house called Lumiel. She
was an enchanter and using her magic she charmed the feather to always point in the direction of
the bird man it had come from.

Random sat at his kitchen table looking down at the feather as it quivered and pointed northwards.
He carefully unfolded the drawing and looked at the staff.
'It will be mine..' he whispered.