Chapter 1.2.12: You all gather at the tavern...
[x] (Helen's 3rd-Level Feat) Spell Sniper - gain a ranged option and be very good at using it!
[x] (Where do you go?) Go back to the Keep, spend some money maybe and hit some new rumors.
You pause and consider. "... I'm thinking, track this location, and head back to town first. See if we can track some new rumors for one. Preferably ones we haven't created."
Eira's tail kinda saunters from side to side as she considers. "Spending some of the gold we've got on a couple things could be cool, too. Don't think we've got enough for any of the really shiny stuff, but…"
Helen pauses. "After the last few things… Yes, I think that's prudent."
Stepping out of the apartment quickly, you teleport… Directly to your room at the inn in the Keep. Followed by the door, to get your teammates inside.
"Mind," you say, "It's going to be a few hours until anything of note's much open…"
Eira nods. "Or, in other words, we've got time to kill."
"That's. One way to put it," Helen responds.
You blink. "... Hang on. I'd like to look into how to use it a bit."
You quickly drag both Helen and Eira to your room - and specifically to your computer. And you pull out a small bag you've kept at your side.
Helen blinks. "Your coins."
"Yup."
"... Oh, I see what you're thinking."
Eira tilts her head, as you explain, "The gold pieces, in particular, are what I got thinking about. They're made of solid gold, which would be insane where I'm from - for one, other than its inherent value, it's terrible for coinage due to how relatively soft it is."
Helen blinks. "... What is the price per pound of it? The stuff's trivially replicable in my timeframe, which is great for certain kinds of electroconductive and light-reflective surfaces."
"One pound - 50 pieces - of gold goes for…" You check. "Twenty-two thousand US dollars and change."
Eira blinks. "Isn't your entire paycheck for your work only $3,000 every two weeks? That's only seven and a half gold pieces."
Helen pauses, doing some of her own math. "... In other words, our gold from this world is, relatively, worth an extreme amount more if we can sell it on Senaz's world."
You shake your head… Then stop yourself. "I mean, yes, but there's two problems. The first is that anyone who'd buy our gold would want to then sell it closer to that true value - so we'd get less, possibly a lot less. The second is that gold is often a highly-traced good."
… Helen smirks. "And you just solved the first problem. With the second."
"What?"
"Your company, Senaz. They've already said they're interested in working with you, and let's face it, they seem kind of the shady sort. The type for whom gold that is outside of any existing tracing networks would be super valuable."
"... Are you worried that it could then be used for evil purposes?"
"It's possible that could happen," Helen responds. "But… I think the harm it could deal, compared to the good we can do with it, works out in a favorable balance in the short term. And if they do go evil, we either stop and find a new source of sales, or we find a solution then."
Eira pauses. "You're thinking of going… Some kind of inter-world, to screw with a thieves' guild?"
Helen shakes her head. "A large corporation is very different from a thieves' guild as you'd think of them, Eira. Their capacity for evil is far grander, but their theoretical default state doesn't guarantee they are such."
You consider. "Conversely, the usual shareholder mandate doesn't apply here because my employer is private. So in other words, it'd only be as evil as its owners, rather than bound to Maximum Short Term Profits At All Costs. Though, uh, that's debatable."
"That, in turn," Helen continues, "means they're potentially vulnerable to the Paladin's most important tool."
"Guilt trips?"
"I prefer to think of it as 'moral inspiration'," she says with a certain expression. "... Regardless, it's an option we should consider when acquiring things."
You pause. "Except, of course, stuff that isn't likely to be as attainable in the 21st century."
"Like the kinds of weapons we know how to use," Eira says. "Like, I was poking on one of your tablets, and the knives that are common in your age are… Really, really different from my daggers and swords. Shorter knives meant to be super concealed."
You nod. "I never learned how to use a firearm, and I think my inherent talent for weapons as a demon wouldn't extend that far."
Helen nods. "And most of the swords I've seen are display pieces, props for performances, or just… Not great."
"Though," you consider. "... A smith with access to better steel than anything made in this time period might be able to produce us top-notch swords cheaper."
… That gets Helen thinking. "Though at that point, we might want to think a bit bigger. Learn more advanced metallurgy and start operating a business for it."
Eira shakes her head. "I mean, yes, that'd probably be capable of some absurd stuff, but that's way outside what we can manage in the short term. We've discovered Chaos Mountain, and we need to focus on readying for that, not waiting who knows how long for the money to come in and then to spend it!"
Right. Last time you ordered entirely through Glamazon, which was two days turnaround, which strained Eira's patience something fierce. Just a few days ago, even. So, maybe save acting on this topic, but…
"I'd say if we leave the room in two hours," Helen says, "it'll be good and early and a good chance to talk to people when they're in the early day."
This draws a sigh from Eira. "By which you mean we can safely keep talking ideas for this…"
You nod a bit.
"I'm making some coffee. And taking a shower."
---
(QM Note: What started as a way to quickly correct for that last fight being in darker conditions turned into discovering some crazy opportunities.)
---
A few hours later, you step into the actual hotel room, banishing the door behind you once Eira and Helen are out.
"Stick together or fan out?", you say.
Helen pauses. "... I think our reputation is going to be better reflected if we appear together right now, so that's what I would think."
You nod. "Though, do let me lead the talking… I think some useful lessons have come to mind recently."
Helen blinks, but nods, as you start out with your typical saunter (and more normal guise), and a few just right questions.
(Persuasion Check to collect some rumors: 18 + 10 = 28.)
---
By noon, you're back at the tavern, down a few silver pieces and up a few flagons of acceptable-ish beer.
"So, what we've learned," Helen says.
"Still the Orcish shepherd tribe to the southeast," Eira says. "Still the spiders in the Nopewoods, which sound like they'd have to be south of that Lizardfolk mound we found."
"Think we could take the spiders on?", Helen says. "If they're an actual problem…"
Eira bristles at the mere thought of dealing with giant spiders, but doesn't say anything this time at least. You'd guess several previous harrowing encounters have mitigated her fears a bit, but you're not going to pry yet.
"There's a couple 'weirdoes' in the woods to the north," you say. "I spotted a trail when we slid into the woods after escaping that pit of undeath, good odds that relates."
Helen nods. "And supposedly some tiny folk of some sort have been spotted along the river a couple times lately. One person said they've seen them decades ago, whether we believe that or not is a good question."
You pause and nod. "No thoughts for Torgo and group yet. But I'd bet people haven't been heading out much."
"Also, Eddis' group got credit for the lizardfolk - our names have come up as 'important allies'," Eira says with a bit of a sniff, "but they've gotten thanks as a bit of a hero. So, less reputation for us maybe, but good on them I guess?"
Helen nods. "They'll rebuild their numbers and move on to new things."
You nod. "So. Still no shortage of quests."
"And the more we do, the better," Helen observes. You're… Not sure how much you agree compared to the bigger issue, but you're not gonna protest too hard.
"That leaves what we pursue, then."
[ ] (Next Quest?) The unspecified "tinyfolk" are apparently south, not too far from that safe crossing.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Time to raid the Nopewoods! Maybe with help.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Check out the Orcish shepherds; they may benefit from some help or be trading partners.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Check out the 'weirdoes' in the woods.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Try the pit again, with you nontrivially stronger.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Beeline for the finale and hit the Caves of Chaos!
[ ] (Torgo?) Go check out Torgo's camp and ask for assistance with the quest you've picked.
[ ] (Torgo?) Go check out Torgo's camp, offer some advice, but don't ask for help on the quest.
[ ] (Torgo?) Don't head out to Torgo's camp.
QM Note: Given Senaz got a 28, I went ahead and listed basically everything left in the book except what's inside the undead pit, Chaos Mountain itself and all within, and one other Major Encounter.
[x] (Where do you go?) Go back to the Keep, spend some money maybe and hit some new rumors.
You pause and consider. "... I'm thinking, track this location, and head back to town first. See if we can track some new rumors for one. Preferably ones we haven't created."
Eira's tail kinda saunters from side to side as she considers. "Spending some of the gold we've got on a couple things could be cool, too. Don't think we've got enough for any of the really shiny stuff, but…"
Helen pauses. "After the last few things… Yes, I think that's prudent."
Stepping out of the apartment quickly, you teleport… Directly to your room at the inn in the Keep. Followed by the door, to get your teammates inside.
"Mind," you say, "It's going to be a few hours until anything of note's much open…"
Eira nods. "Or, in other words, we've got time to kill."
"That's. One way to put it," Helen responds.
You blink. "... Hang on. I'd like to look into how to use it a bit."
You quickly drag both Helen and Eira to your room - and specifically to your computer. And you pull out a small bag you've kept at your side.
Helen blinks. "Your coins."
"Yup."
"... Oh, I see what you're thinking."
Eira tilts her head, as you explain, "The gold pieces, in particular, are what I got thinking about. They're made of solid gold, which would be insane where I'm from - for one, other than its inherent value, it's terrible for coinage due to how relatively soft it is."
Helen blinks. "... What is the price per pound of it? The stuff's trivially replicable in my timeframe, which is great for certain kinds of electroconductive and light-reflective surfaces."
"One pound - 50 pieces - of gold goes for…" You check. "Twenty-two thousand US dollars and change."
Eira blinks. "Isn't your entire paycheck for your work only $3,000 every two weeks? That's only seven and a half gold pieces."
Helen pauses, doing some of her own math. "... In other words, our gold from this world is, relatively, worth an extreme amount more if we can sell it on Senaz's world."
You shake your head… Then stop yourself. "I mean, yes, but there's two problems. The first is that anyone who'd buy our gold would want to then sell it closer to that true value - so we'd get less, possibly a lot less. The second is that gold is often a highly-traced good."
… Helen smirks. "And you just solved the first problem. With the second."
"What?"
"Your company, Senaz. They've already said they're interested in working with you, and let's face it, they seem kind of the shady sort. The type for whom gold that is outside of any existing tracing networks would be super valuable."
"... Are you worried that it could then be used for evil purposes?"
"It's possible that could happen," Helen responds. "But… I think the harm it could deal, compared to the good we can do with it, works out in a favorable balance in the short term. And if they do go evil, we either stop and find a new source of sales, or we find a solution then."
Eira pauses. "You're thinking of going… Some kind of inter-world, to screw with a thieves' guild?"
Helen shakes her head. "A large corporation is very different from a thieves' guild as you'd think of them, Eira. Their capacity for evil is far grander, but their theoretical default state doesn't guarantee they are such."
You consider. "Conversely, the usual shareholder mandate doesn't apply here because my employer is private. So in other words, it'd only be as evil as its owners, rather than bound to Maximum Short Term Profits At All Costs. Though, uh, that's debatable."
"That, in turn," Helen continues, "means they're potentially vulnerable to the Paladin's most important tool."
"Guilt trips?"
"I prefer to think of it as 'moral inspiration'," she says with a certain expression. "... Regardless, it's an option we should consider when acquiring things."
You pause. "Except, of course, stuff that isn't likely to be as attainable in the 21st century."
"Like the kinds of weapons we know how to use," Eira says. "Like, I was poking on one of your tablets, and the knives that are common in your age are… Really, really different from my daggers and swords. Shorter knives meant to be super concealed."
You nod. "I never learned how to use a firearm, and I think my inherent talent for weapons as a demon wouldn't extend that far."
Helen nods. "And most of the swords I've seen are display pieces, props for performances, or just… Not great."
"Though," you consider. "... A smith with access to better steel than anything made in this time period might be able to produce us top-notch swords cheaper."
… That gets Helen thinking. "Though at that point, we might want to think a bit bigger. Learn more advanced metallurgy and start operating a business for it."
Eira shakes her head. "I mean, yes, that'd probably be capable of some absurd stuff, but that's way outside what we can manage in the short term. We've discovered Chaos Mountain, and we need to focus on readying for that, not waiting who knows how long for the money to come in and then to spend it!"
Right. Last time you ordered entirely through Glamazon, which was two days turnaround, which strained Eira's patience something fierce. Just a few days ago, even. So, maybe save acting on this topic, but…
"I'd say if we leave the room in two hours," Helen says, "it'll be good and early and a good chance to talk to people when they're in the early day."
This draws a sigh from Eira. "By which you mean we can safely keep talking ideas for this…"
You nod a bit.
"I'm making some coffee. And taking a shower."
---
(QM Note: What started as a way to quickly correct for that last fight being in darker conditions turned into discovering some crazy opportunities.)
---
A few hours later, you step into the actual hotel room, banishing the door behind you once Eira and Helen are out.
"Stick together or fan out?", you say.
Helen pauses. "... I think our reputation is going to be better reflected if we appear together right now, so that's what I would think."
You nod. "Though, do let me lead the talking… I think some useful lessons have come to mind recently."
Helen blinks, but nods, as you start out with your typical saunter (and more normal guise), and a few just right questions.
(Persuasion Check to collect some rumors: 18 + 10 = 28.)
---
By noon, you're back at the tavern, down a few silver pieces and up a few flagons of acceptable-ish beer.
"So, what we've learned," Helen says.
"Still the Orcish shepherd tribe to the southeast," Eira says. "Still the spiders in the Nopewoods, which sound like they'd have to be south of that Lizardfolk mound we found."
"Think we could take the spiders on?", Helen says. "If they're an actual problem…"
Eira bristles at the mere thought of dealing with giant spiders, but doesn't say anything this time at least. You'd guess several previous harrowing encounters have mitigated her fears a bit, but you're not going to pry yet.
"There's a couple 'weirdoes' in the woods to the north," you say. "I spotted a trail when we slid into the woods after escaping that pit of undeath, good odds that relates."
Helen nods. "And supposedly some tiny folk of some sort have been spotted along the river a couple times lately. One person said they've seen them decades ago, whether we believe that or not is a good question."
You pause and nod. "No thoughts for Torgo and group yet. But I'd bet people haven't been heading out much."
"Also, Eddis' group got credit for the lizardfolk - our names have come up as 'important allies'," Eira says with a bit of a sniff, "but they've gotten thanks as a bit of a hero. So, less reputation for us maybe, but good on them I guess?"
Helen nods. "They'll rebuild their numbers and move on to new things."
You nod. "So. Still no shortage of quests."
"And the more we do, the better," Helen observes. You're… Not sure how much you agree compared to the bigger issue, but you're not gonna protest too hard.
"That leaves what we pursue, then."
[ ] (Next Quest?) The unspecified "tinyfolk" are apparently south, not too far from that safe crossing.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Time to raid the Nopewoods! Maybe with help.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Check out the Orcish shepherds; they may benefit from some help or be trading partners.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Check out the 'weirdoes' in the woods.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Try the pit again, with you nontrivially stronger.
[ ] (Next Quest?) Beeline for the finale and hit the Caves of Chaos!
[ ] (Torgo?) Go check out Torgo's camp and ask for assistance with the quest you've picked.
[ ] (Torgo?) Go check out Torgo's camp, offer some advice, but don't ask for help on the quest.
[ ] (Torgo?) Don't head out to Torgo's camp.
QM Note: Given Senaz got a 28, I went ahead and listed basically everything left in the book except what's inside the undead pit, Chaos Mountain itself and all within, and one other Major Encounter.
