Nodding to Shiro, the traveller stands up rather suddenly. “If so I will be on my way. But one last thing to consider, I believe we should purchase some preferably local gems using the group fund. This way we can put it to use rather than it gathering dust. Then once said gems are worked and sold we can divide up the profits as if everyone had put in an equal share.” “Besides that, I will be taking 200 golden coins for the supplies, and deposit those left, keeping the money from the gems separate to be split later.” Whilst Ohmen walks to collect the satchel of gems from where it had been left, Wisdom retrieves the list of supplies from the table within their beak. Only then fluttering onto the traveller's shoulder as she looked back. “We will return in a few hours, before dark.” and with that, Ohmen throws up their hood, pacing forward, along the path toward Kithmali.
Bang bored, looks around for gems in the local market buying 200 gp worth of uncut amethyst (2 lumps). Bang wants to invent rock candy and will see this mini project flourish.
The walk was long, Quiet too… Peaceful in a way, bar the handful of silhouettes that soared above, their eyes watching heavy on the pair of changeling and bird. Passing the baking earth, dust kicked up onto the salty breeze, Ohmen eventually arrives at the gate, first sighting the bright shining of several guards armour as it reflects in a blazing sun. their figures taking shade beside the impressive monolith of stonework, that which was the welcoming city gates, a thousand opportunities sealed behind it. Exchanging a few words, Ohmen is in, And quick to follow the path he and Shrio had the day before. Wisdom too now able to soar between columns of thick scented smoke and weave past higher rising buildings to guide him. Minutes later, the familiar, yet somehow foreign face of the shop front greets him. taking her hood off, the traveller walks into its cool air with a welcoming smile, reaching out to shake an employee's hand as they begin. As usual, he starts with the friendly talk, gently placing the gems onto the desk. and now, a few minutes later they are replaced with Gold well earnt. Turning to leave, he once more intrigues about god shards, asking of their nature and origin... especially with the word... well, 'God' in their title, something more than just another fancy, fickle name for some shining stone... Either way, Ohmen reasons that if he wishes to buy more gems, he will first wait to hear Drakk’s say upon them. Other than that, however, Ohmen follows the weaving market paths in search of cheap ship supplies, else returning to the port to purchase the food and divvy out the gold.
Shiro gathers Drew and Izema and they head towards the town with the scroll in hand to locate the armoury.
At the armory, you hand the scrip over to one of the guards. They look it over, call a Captain, who authenticates it, nods, and directs you to one of a dozen storage sheds over against one wall of the compound. It turns out the scroll is more than just a scroll, it is also an enchanted key! To open the storage shed, you hold the scroll's seal against the chains, and they just kind of... fall apart... Inside you find a curious device. The Captain explains it is called a double-ballista. Looks kind of like this: Well, without the crew, anyway. You'll need to keep on that tripod base once mounted on the ship, but it does disassemble into several parts for transport. The Captain tells you that you can fire it either as a single-shot (lets you shoot one bolt a round while the other arm is being re-cocked), or a double-shot (two bolts at once with a higher crit-chance, but takes two rounds to reload, so you only get to shoot every third round). You will have to source your own ammunition for it, but really it will fire anything roughly the size of a short-spear. He adds that if this arrangement does not work for you, they do have one of the older models with the bows stacked horizontally, one over the other. That model is more compact and sits closer to the hull, making it a little more protected, but this model is much easier to maintain and repair.
Ohmen, as you are speaking with the gem-merchants, you continue to be stymied in your attempts to learn about God-shards. Eventually, you give up and leave, taking your gold back to the ship. But something is different this time. Upon reaching the port facilities, a curious - but familiar - figure waves you over and pats the bench next to her. The lion-person (Leoni) from the front gate the other day is dressed like one of the gun-toting guards today, instead of like one of the gate-guards. Her scale mail armor is battered and worn, obviously secondhand. Her helmet, likewise, is not new, having been dented in several places over the years. But she keeps her gear polished, and her long-gun looks well-cared for. "I think you and I should have a chat," she begins, once again patting the seat next to her. "You want to learn about Godshards, and I can tell you what I know, but asking around the city about them is a good way to make the city guard wake up and take notice. My name is Banikah bint Nadirah. If you do not know what that means, I am the daughter of the Master Sha'ir Nadirah bint Zaynah." She pauses to take a sip from the wineskin she holds loosely in one hand. "I am also attached to the retinue of Harafkyn Hreeshkyar, Defender of Kithmali. This means that people asking questions that people do not like are my problem. Now seriously, take a seat."
Whether you do or not, she continues. "Godshards. Where to begin." Pursing her lips, which twists her feline muzzle in odd ways, she let out an annoyed sigh. "Well, easy answer. Godshards are iridescent purple crystals, charged with the magical energy of one or more long-dead gods. Hence the name. Mages can, if they are careful, use them to empower spells they are casting. The issue - from what I understand - is that the energy contained in them isn't exactly pure. Apparently, overuse of those shards corrupts the mind and body." Shuddering, she casts a glance to the Northwest. "The late and un-lamented Sorceress-Empress Minashi used them to purposefully warp the bodies of some of her more devoted followers. Mallion Lygar, the so-called Duke of Lygaria, has warped his own form so much that he is not fully in control of his actions anymore." She casts you a dour stare. "Point being, Godshards are powerful tools in the hands of a skilled, disciplined spellcaster, and a danger to everyone in the hands of one who is not. You may be able to find a few for sale, but be warned that they tend to run into thousands of gold for a single shard these days. Mallion Lygar and Tvashtri of the Silver Crescent have caused a bit of a shortage with their own corrupted overuse of them."
First seeing the guard approach, the traveller shoots her a smile only then realising that they actually wished to talk to them… In response, Ohmen walks over, staying relatively quiet, yet maintaining a friendly face and voice, replying. ‘Ahh, the Godshards.. Should I not have asked about them? I was told about them being, well, prohibited from use or whatever that means, and well, so many people have told me I do have a curious mind..” Gently nodding her head, the traveller sits down. “You know the first time I didn’t get a response I thought they simply didn’t hear me over the chaos of the market and all.. Honestly now I suppose with them having ignored me a second time it adds up… strange how they sell something and don't explain to the customer what it is haha..” they give a nervous chuckle, an inkling of fear in their innocent eyes and facial expression. Let the guard feel that power they strive for. Meanwhile whilst this happens, Wisdom settles onto rooftops far above, out of any and alls sight and mind to watch and wait. all the while murmuring in a slight tune. "Weave the web." “Paint the picture” "A person" “A tapestry born.” "The womb" “The loom deception.”- “The string words and actions." And now, with the guard continuing on about Godshards, the traveller gives an interested expression, a slight wonder in their eyes as the guard mentions magics and mages. “Godshards..” the word lingers on their lips, a newfound meaning in it. ‘They are a bigger deal than I thought, I suppose its no wonder you take interest into them, this is your job after all.” “The price to pay for power I suppose… Very interesting, thank you for your time and approaching me, I was bound to stumble into this with my asking.. I think I will be keeping myself far away from the shards. I mean, they are for what, expert spellcasters, And well I could barely call myself a spellcaster haha, let alone an expert." Ohmen gently stands up, looking the guard over, their equipment, their gear and their expression before continuing. “Thanks.. Thanks for your time, you know, I'm not sure if you get told this often, but thank you, thank you for your duty and your work, to ensure and protect this great city..”
She nods, dusts crumbs from her lap - you realize that she has been sitting here for a while, waiting for you apparently - and gets to her feet. She stretches, a long, languid action that is oddly enticing, then picks up her long-gun. "Probably for the best. I have seen what misuse of Godshards can do to one. Sometimes it is enticing, sometimes horrific, but it always corrupts in the long run. They are powerful, and incredibly dangerous." She shoulders her gun, then waves goodbye and heads down towards the town. Soon she is out of sight. In the meantime, the knollosi in charge of the ship-supplies store out here at the docks is approaching. Unlike the harbormaster or guards, he is dressed simply in a tunic and loose trousers, with long, linen wraps binding and covering his feet. "I have that list of prices you wanted," he tell you. Unlike the harbormaster, this knollosi speaks Trader's Tongue perfectly, without an accent. Barrel (empty, for water): 2gp Oil (5 gallons): 4gp Rope, general purpose (per 50' of length): 1gp Rope, hawser (per 50' of length): 5gp Barrel of apples: varies by variety of apple, but usually 5gp Wheel of Cheese (Kithmalian Yellow): 1gp Wheel of Cheese (Felinian Blue Swirl): 3gp Wheel of Cheese (Kirsanthian White): 2gp Cask of Cheese (Kirsanthian Crumbled): 5gp Ale: 4gp/20 gallon barrel Wine (Red): 10gp (per bottle) Wine (White): 12gp Wine (Apple): 8gp Wine (Amber-apple): 9gp Wine (Blackberry): 15gp Wine (Plum Brandy): 30gp Blackjack: 10sp/bottle Scumble: 40gp/bottle Whiskey (apple): 50gp/20 gallon barrel Rock-chicken (live): 3cp Chicken coop: 3gp Chicken feed (per chicken, per week): 1cp Decanter of Endless Water: 9000gp (made to order) Spyglass: 1000gp Hand-glass: 250gp
Glancing back at the list, he frowns. "Oh, I missed a few things. We also have pickled cucumbers at 4gp per barrel, hard-tack at 3gp per barrel - that will feed your entire crew for a month, if you were wondering, but you might wish you had something different to eat. Um, we do have salted beef if you want it, at 20gp for a 10 gallon barrel's worth. You'll want to scrape off some of the salt if you plan on eating it in something other than soup or stew though. It isn't bad, but you get really tired of the salt after a while. Oh, and lemons - you'll want some of those, whether you like them or not. A basket will cost you 5sp."
With the guard now out of view Ohmen’s eyes flicker a little, Relief? No.. Anger? Opportunity? Either way, He takes a deep breath before scratching down a quick note about the Godshards, locations and people mentioned. Better that than have them stay gnawing away, lingering in his head. And now, watching and listening, a slight tiredness in her eyes, the traveller looks over to the Knollosi and their words. Thinking about each item and price before responding. ‘Alright, For food.. Hm, If it were just me I would normally just stick with the essentials, You know, Lemons. Water, and good old Hardtack...But here I am buying for a whole crew… And well, Salted beef, Hardtack and matured Kithmalian Yellow, Well that doesn’t sound too bad, too bad at all… “ They lean back a bit, taking a deep breath “And you know what, We just completed a pretty nice trade deal too, So why not… Ill put some apples in there too… Brings me all the way back.. At home we used to have the most wonderful apples. Some relatives actually owned one of the orchards, went up there in the summer. Will never forget the sweet taste of those rosy apples…” Shaking their head slightly, they get back on track. “Anyway, In total, we’ll take 3 Barrels of HardTack, a barrel of your finest salted beef. A barrel of hearty apples, the basket of lemons and wheel of cheese. " Smiling, Ohmen figures that the others' thirst for intoxication and alcohol could be fed cheaply with the ale they had on offer. Speaking of such only after having thrown four weeks worth of Chicken feed into the mix, reminded by the raven who hangs over their shoulder. “Oh, and of course, we will take two barrels of the ale. Good stuff. Not for me personally, but it will certainly go down with the others.” Patting the shopkeeper on the soldier, they point behind to some of the other items before finishing up. “And Now for well, the less edible things… We will take three of your Hawser ropes, strong n steady as they are. Three five-gallon barrels of oil, and.. Hm lets say.. Considering how cheap the stuff is, twelve lengths of rope. “ Spoiler: List Hard tack barrel x 3 (12) Lemons basket x 1 (0.5) Wheeled of Cheese, Kithmalian Yellow. x 1(1) 10 Gallons barrel's worth of salted beef x 1(20) Barrel of apples x 1 (5) Ale x 2 (8) Rope x12 (12) Rope Hawser x2 (10) Oil x 3 (12) 80.5GP.. Decent Food for a good 3 and a half months.
The fifth day after touching down in Kithmali dawns dark and gloomy. Odd-looking clouds are rolling in from the North. They are grey, like rainclouds should be, but tinted with brown and streaked with white. Curious, you watch the storm-front approach the mountains around late-morning. When the dark clouds hit the mountains, they begin to climb and pile up, looming higher and higher. Wind buffets the ship, strong enough to actually move it until the heavy ropes used to tie her down take up the slack. As the wind gets stronger, the harbormaster begins running about, shouting at the ships' crews to batten down and prep for the coming storm. She orders you to unship the wings on your ship and stow them in the mounting brackets under the cargo-section of your hull. You manage to get them in place as the first of the storm hits, but it is not rain falling. It is sand. The first blast makes you recoil in shock and strips paint from the hull of your ship! Rain does come down within a few minutes, but the water is leaving grains of wet sand behind on the decks and the docks, along with a strange, whitish substance. You manage to snag a sample before taking refuge inside. It appears to be crystalline, and looks a little like some kind of salt...
With the last barrel being dumped into the ship’s cargo hold, Ohmen stands for a minute, leaning against the wall with deep breaths. All the weight lost from his pockets was replaced with well.. Food… barrels and barrels of food. Eventually, Ohmen picks up the pace once more, blinking as ‘she’ exits the cargo hold, the late afternoon sun bleaching through the ships boards in gentle beams. And now with the sound of footsteps against a wooden deck and fluttering feathers, Ohmen leaves Wisdom To note what they had bought before approaching to Drakk. At first his, or well her eyes say more than words, before they speak in a soft voice, something about sourcing local gems and selling them off just as they had done before, all the while presenting his previously mentioned list to him: Fist-lump prices for gems at Kithmali: Jacinth (very rare): 2000gp Cat's Eye Opal (very rare): 1000gp Ruby: 1000gp Garnet (purple): 500gp Garnet (red): 100gp Spinel (red, brown, or red-brown): 100gp Amber: 100gp Onyx: 150gp Jet: 50gp Jasper: 50gp Amethyst: 100gp Godshard: varies by side and demand
Drakk turns to Ohmen and nods before saying "Hmmm after we figure out each members contribution, I could come and help pick out what gems we could invest in. Do you need anything else from me?"
Motioning Drakk to follow, Ohmen speaks. ‘Yes.. .Yes we should do that.” before firmly placing his hand on the table. The small pouch, weighted heavy with a concealed shine, slumping down as if it had a full stomach. And now as the pouch throws up its contents, firm, perfectly rounded coins spilling over the table with an, undoubtedly satisfying metallic jingle. The chime of riches, wealth. Though despite it being slightly underwhelming compared to the sheer bulk of gold that watched from their fortress, their barrel. It still made the eyes fill with that certain.. Glimmer? Either way The final values for each person come out to be: Drakk - 326.5, Ohmen - 283.01, Izema 1567.44. A reward well earnt. With a nod, looking over this sea, this puddle of silver, Ohmen turns to Drakk before shifting his pile to the side and ushering the coins into the previous pouch, like a shepherd herding his sheep. “So. You knowledge lies In gems much more than mine.” The traveller notions to the note. “Which ones do you see the most potential in? If it would even be wise to invest right now.” And with what could only be described as a mix between a sigh and a deep breath, they rub down their clothes before gazing outwards. “If you’re willing, lets make our way to the markets. Dont shy away from the gold, We can gather other Items whilst there too.”
"I am more then willing to take a look at their gems, unfortunately I can't really judge what gems to buy without seeing them first. Either way we should see who is willing to invest, and how much they will invest before purchasing."
Ohmen and Drakk walk to the gem shop. They put down this gold from each of these people in exchange for raw gems only after Drakk sells his gems for 190. Ohmen - 607 Drakk - 900 Big bang - 300? Izema - 1500 Shiro - 500 Drew - 93 Group fund from 12000 = 3000
Having done that, they leave the gem shop and go in search of mercenaries and magic items the following day.
Bang, having waited two weeks for this moment, picks up his high tension spring. He brings it to the ship and immediately begins to assemble the bolt thrower
As they were inside the gem shop, Drakk was able to sell his 4 Chrysoberyl to the merchants and ended up paying 900 gold into their group fund. In total, various crew members paid a total of 3600gp and an additional 3000 was paid in from the ship fund. Overall, private investors bought 3 purple garnets (1500 altogether), 5 amethysts, 5 spinels, 5 red garnets, 4 amber (1900 altogether), 1 onyx, 1 jasper (200 total). The group fund was spent on 1 cats eye opal (1000gp) and 4 purple garnets (2000gp). After they paid for the gems, Drakk deposited them in his Bag of Holding before him, Ohmen, and Shiro, went to look into potentially hiring mercenaries to serve onboard.