Rising Phoenix Gaming

Arrick was abit late to the idea of checking out his room, or at least, to actually getting round to it. As he moved to the steps, his armor jangled loudly, and he sighed. "Sometimes it's annoying to be prepared for everything." With that, he wished his comrades luck and head back to the common room. Whatever assistance he could have offered, it wouldn't do to get them all caught.

The apartment was a simple two room affair, with fairly basic furnishings. The first room held little more than a writing desk and chair. On top of the desk was a neatly folded calligraphy set of hinged wood, containing an inkpot, powdered ink, several quills and a penknife. There was also blocks of red and green wax and a small candle. A wastebasket was on the floor next to the desk. Inside the second chamber was a rather stiff looking bed, an iron stove for both heating and cooking, and a chamber pot.

Kimmiz, as soon as he heard the cooing, headed stealthily up the stairs. His booted feet were making very little sound. Once he arrived at the Dwarf's room, he quietly opened the door. Inside, he began to carefully look around, at first making sure not to disturb anything's position.

Anyone who wants to sneak upstairs to check out the dead dwarf's room can do so. You have advantage on Stealth rolls due to the sound of rain and Kleio's distraction.

Kleio frowned and shook herself like a wet cat, allowing the illusion of Ankabut's form to dissipate like drops of glowing water, once again revealing her lovely self. "I cannot say for sure if I'm in danger, but my limited experience with criminal gangs leads me to believe they don't like any loose ends. And yes, I spoke briefly to one of the officer's outside." "I don't think Mr. Galavrakas would object to the search to help find his tenet's killer; as far as any investigators go-" And here she smiled and wrinkled her nose. "I think I can distract them. Our cult teaches us that charm, flattery and persuasion are all tools that can be used for either good or evil; it is up to us as individuals to choose the right path!" She paused to look up at the ceiling, and then briefly poked her head out in the rain before pointing up at one the balconies. "Frostfinger's room is up there, on the fourth floor; I will create the sound off a cooing dove in the courtyard once I have the investigators distracted. But please be stealthy! One humble priestess of Aphrodite can only do so much!" The young woman puts on her helmet, braces herself for the elements, and then dashes outside. About five minutes later, the sound of cooing can be faintly heard. - - - In the fourth floor hallway, the door to Frostfinger's apartment stood slightly ajar. Just outside it, a few feet further down the hallway, a young man in a watch uniform with this back to the stairs spoke with Kleio, who listened to him talk with rapt, wide-eyed attention, nodding her head and slightly biting her lower lip. The investigator stood very straight and gestured expansively, oblivious to anyone but his 'captive' audience.

"I will help," said Aelia crossing her arms under her breasts, "I have no stake in the dwarfs affairs, but if the pirates are involved, I have score to settle with them and those who would ally with them."

Arrick stood quietly, and then nodded. "I agree. Since I believe we're all staying here, I think you should as well. I agree that if we're going to further involve ourselves, then we need to go through his room. The Guards may miss something, unintentionally or not. " He largely trusted the guards, but they were mostly human, and didn't always think like a dwarf, certainly not a paranoid dwarf. Of course this was all predicated upon being allowed to inspect the room by the proprietor.

"Regardless of what happened to your friend, if they have the evidence he possessed, why would you still be in danger?" Aelia purses her lips and shakes her head thinking. "You have not spoken to the investigator?" She didn't wait for an answer, "Then we need to protect you and ascertain whether or not the deceased had hidden a copy of what he was bringing you, elsewhere. His room here is the first place to start but the investigator is probably already their."

In response to Kimmiz' question, Kleio nodded slowly. "I have heard that name before, as well as seen a symbol marked on walls and doors with chalk or charcoal." She hummed a simple tune and waved her fingers in the air. A glowing character appeared in the air, similar to an upside down number 4 or lower case letter 'h'. "This I have seen scratched onto walls near victims who've been killed like Mr. Frostfinger; if you don't know to look for it, it just looks like a child's graffito. But I believe it's the symbol of the Chair." In regards to Ankabut's line of reasoning, the beautiful blonde shook her head. "The Night Terrors don't always use poison; they often use magic to deceive their targets. This is why I suspect them, because Mr. Frostfinger was, well, rather paranoid; I don't think he would walk into a darkened market at night unless he thought it was safe." Then the priestess rested her hand on her holy symbol and muttered a prayer. Shimmering motes of light swirled around her, coalescing into the image of Ankabut, though her voice remained unchanged. "But if he thought he was talking to a friend, he might have been lured to an out-of-the-way spot."

Ankabut shook her head. "Nothing besides the words themselves." With a glance at Kimmiz she adds, "As for the Night Terrors, from what I understand they operate almost entirely in the Illyrian Empire, yes?" Ankabut shrugged. "I did not see any sign of poison on Frostfinger's wound, but there...may be poisons that don't leave traces like that. In the end, I admit I do not see the issue here though." "It is not so unusual for criminal groups like this to cooperate to some extent, as long as they do not compete directly. They share the shadows, and are often customers to one another after all. The real question here is if they have ties to a non-criminal group. Which you did mention, I think?"

Kimmiz shuddered at the mention of the Night Terrors. After Arrick mentioned what he knew of the pirates, Kimmiz spoke up. "The Night Terrors? Are you sure? I've heard of them and come accross mentions in my research, but really? I've heard stories of them since I was young. They are the ones that come and take away bad children. Now I doubt that they do that, but the image still remains. WHat I came across in some research was they prefer working with knives and poison. There are many rumors about them. Some say they are Shapeshifters, other say they are magic-wielders. All the stories agree they are massively dangerous. Oh, you said there was something you were looking into. Does the name the Empty Chair mean anything to you?" He then looked around at the rest of the people in the room, "Or does it mean anything to the rest of you either?"

Name: Kimmiz Race: Earth Genasi Class: Monk Player: Veral/Jeff Ht: 5’9” Wt: 168 lbs Hair: Black Eyes: Black Skin: Dull iron w/rust spots Languages: Common, Draconian, Dwarvish, Primordial HP: 20 Strength: 12 +1 Dexterity: 14 +2 Constitution: 14 +2 Intelligence: 10 +0 Wisdom: 15 +2 Charisma: 10 +0 Proficiencies: Short swords Simple Weapons Tools: Woodcarver’s Tools Skills: Acrobatics +2 Animal Handling +2 Arcana +0 Athletics +1 Deception +0 History +2 * Insight +2 Intimidation +0 Investigation +2 * Medicine +2 Nature +0 Perception +2 Performance +0 Persuasion +0 Religion +0 Sleight of Hand +2 Stealth +4 * Survival +4 * Proficiency: +2 Passive Perception: 12 Passive Insight: 12 Passive Investigation: 12 Saving throws: STR: +3 Dex: +4 Con: +2 Int: +0 Wis: +2 Cha: +0 Feats: Alert Initiative: +7 Weapons: Quarterstaff 1d6+2(1d8+2) Dart x 10 1d4+2 Armor: None Items: Bedroll Backpack Mess Kit Rations (5 days) Rope, Hempen (50’) Tinderbox Torch (10) Waterskin Stakes (3) Crowbar silver coin Holy symbol Magic Item: Bag of Holding

Ankabut Neutral Human Monk 1/Rogue 1 Background: Courtier Inspiration: 0 - Str 8 -1 Dex 16 +5 Con 12 +1 Int 10 +2 Wis 16 +3 Cha 14 +2 HP 18/18 AC 16 Profiency Bonus +2 Initiative +3 Class Monk 1 Unarmored Defense Martial Arts 1d4 Rogue 1 Sneak Attack 1d6 Expertise: Athletics, Deception Thieves' Cant (Court language?) Proficiencies Weapons: Simple, hand crossbows, long/short swords, rapiers Armor: Light Tools: Thief's Saves: Intelligence and Dexterity Skills Athletics +3 Acrobatics +5 Perception +5 Stealth +5 Deception +6 Persuasion +5 Insight +5 Performance +5 Languages Imperial, Parnathi, Skinspeak, Cadence, Coptic, Kolak, Elvish, Halfling Feats Actor: +1 Cha, Adv on Deception/Performance checks to pass as different person, mimic speech/sounds Equipment Cash: 5gp Weapons Rapier Shortbow - 20 arrows Armor Gear Adventuring garb Explorer's pack Background Features Courtier Feature: Court functionary - Understand bureaucracies and how to navigate them Personality: I always have a proverb or aphorism, I don't part with money easily Ideal: Reserve - As I am new to these lands, I will be cautious and respectful in my dealings Bond: My freedom is my most precious possession. I'll never let anyone take it from me again. Flaw: There may be people from home trying to find/arrest me; I need to keep a low profile

A place for people to put their character sheets.

History roll of 19 on the night terrors.

You can also roll History to see if the Night Terrors ring a bell.

The Sons of Set, now that was definitely a name he'd hoped to not hear again for some time. "Damn." He shook his head. "This gets worse and worse. They're not just pirates of the seas, they're slavers and involved with the drug trade here on land. They're most active in the eastern areas of the Inland sea." Arrick knew a fair bit about them, even their flag, if only due to his travels across the continent. "My guess is he found a payoff by someone, to either of the groups, or both, linking them for something that has already happened, or worse to think of, has yet to happen."

"But I want to hear about the pirates," Danika protested as she and Mr. Galavrakas were ushered towards the door. "Oh, you want to hear about pirates? I know just the tale!" Looking back over his shoulder, the conservus whispered, "Take all the time you need. I'll look after her." Kleio nodded slowly at Ankabut's assessment of the dwarf's killing. "You're absolutely right; a Serpent would never kill like that. But one of the Night Terrors would." The priestess leaned up against the desk, crossing her long legs. "Our concern was that these two criminal gangs might both be working for a third, unknown party. I've found some limited evidence of coordinatation, but nothing concrete; Frostfinger said he found a link he wanted to share." She shrugged forlornly.

"Maybe," mused Ankabut, "But I do not think that this murder was carried out by pirates. Frostfinger was methodically stalked, taken by surprise and killed nearly instantly without raising an alarm. Pirates can be formidable warriors, but they rarely bother to learn the arts of stealth and the subtle kill." She focused on Kleio. "You said he wanted to share notes. What did you have to share?"

Now this had caught Aelia's attention. She pulled a few coins from her purse and handed them to Mr. Galavrakas, "Danika has had enough sweets for this morning, what she needs is a good bath and a real meal." she nods toward the door and then smiles down at the little tortle girl. "We'll keep an eye on things, Mr. Galavrakas." Aelia moved with the Innkeep and the little girl ushering them out the door where she turned to block anyone else from entering. "Those dogs of the sea, then if they are after you, you and all you hold dear may be in danger. The sea is not a safe or easy place and one of the most dangerous things to be found are pirates. There are many different bands but the Sons of the Serpent they are the foulest, most dangerous, and the largest. They deal in piracy, slavery and murder."

aelia rolled a 13, she doesn't have history but she does have religion so i don't know if she gets her +2 prof bonus or not

Give me a History check if you want to know more about the Sons of the Serpent. Aelia gets to roll with Advantage due to her nautical background.

Kleio looked first to Kimmiz and then to Ankabut, the unicorn fading out of existence as she dropped her focus on it, and she nodded at the Parnathi's explanation. "It is as you said; Mr. Frostfinger was bringing some information he hoped to discuss. His family handles insurance as well as banking, especially maritime insurance, and he had noticed a pattern." She stood up, and began pacing as her finger twisted around each other in agitation. "Our temple believes in serving our community; priests are assigned to specific neighborhoods, and encouraged to assist the residents in anyway we can. We are taught that there can be no beauty where there is suffering, and so we try, within our neighborhoods, to do what we can to reduce that suffering." Here Kleio stopped, seemingly unsure if she wanted to go on. But then she took a deep breath and steeled herself to push on. "There is something...sinister in this city. I mean, no city is free of crime or danger, but there is something else here, something beneath all that. I've felt this for some time, and I recently found out Mr. Frostfinger felt the same." She leaned forward conspiratorially. "He told me he felt there was a connection between the Sons of the Serpent, the pirates and smugglers that operate throughout the Inner Sea, and some of the wealthier citizens of Heliopolis. He wanted to meet at a nearby tavern, the Laughing Ape, to discuss the issue and share notes, but...he never showed up."

Ankabut passed some coin to the proprietor of the inn for her room, and made as if she was not listening to the priestesses words, when in fact she was hearing quite well. What caught her ear most particularly was not that this Kleio feared she was next...but rather that she'd been planning to meet with the deceased. Ankabut did not know a great deal of the temples in these foreign lands; it was possible Aphrodite's chosen were up to their gills in intrigues and that this was no exception. Certainly no one else seemed to find the notion odd. But here was this priestess...doling out teachings and delighting children on one hand; and having meetings with furtive dwarves who had been marked for death on the other. And had she waited until the watchman had left before she came inside, or was that happy coincidence? She had her room though. It was time to go. The dead dwarf, the child, the priestess...these did not concern her. She'd had more than her fill of schemes, and their consequences, in Parnath. But... These others, naively shouldering the burden. They were earnest and true. The kind of people who would make good friends, if their loyalty were earned. The kind of friends she would almost certainly be needing sooner rather than later. Perhaps it was she who was being naive. "She was meeting with him," Ankabut said in answer to Kimmiz's question. She turned around to eye Kleio speculatively. "I imagine whatever that meeting was going to be about was what he was killed for. It's not unreasonable to expect they'll want to clear up any loose ends." "A fine pickle for an initiate priestess. However did you get mixed up in such matters?"

Kimmiz turned to Mr. Galavrakas, "I, too, am in need to a room for the forseeable future." He turned to the cultist of Aphrodite, "What makes you think you are next? I am Kimmiz, and I have seen something like this before, so I'd like to prevent this happening to anyone else. I have business with the Library in town, but I think it can be put off for a couple of days." With those comments and questions, Kimmiz crouched down near the stove, his eyes still on Kleio, trying to warm the chill that the brush with death had brought to his bones.