Chapter:1 Home sweet Gnome!

[GreyWolfVT]

Zendur "Call me Zen. For me the war just means an unwanted headache. The only gain I get form this is the slavers join the fight and take some orcs as slaves that kills two birds with one stone. Gets the slavers closer to gone an takes some orcs outta the way. Killin the chief an shaman i know ya can do it faster than meself an that you'd provide proof of death as well. I can see yah know yer trade and are professional about yer work. You aint gonna lie ta me about it."

[Synthalus]

EUSTACE VICAR

" Hey now! Ill kill whoever you want and whoever the co-leader of the new thieves guild wants in order to run my operation un-molested here in gnome vale. I'm not trying to go to war with a tribe of orcs. True they would make good slaves and ill pay you handsomely for every orc you take alive but me and my guild a primarily city based and my men are not used to fighting orcs on their ground. I promise you that if you both give the word that the head of this snake will be severed within a ten-day in order to seal our pact but that is all.

[GreyWolfVT]

Zendur "I think yah misunderstand me. I don't aim ta send you or your guild to war. I just ask to lower the number of orcs we face me n my adventurin guild not the thieves guild not the city not yer guild nor the slavers. So far Sotha only wants me n my adventurer buddies to go to war with the smell orcs. I'm just askin for a bit of back up. I promise you as much as one rogue can entrust the word of another I will allow the assassins guild to run here unmolested. I'll make sure ta keep the authorities off yer guild I'm payin him fer it already so you have that on the honor of a dwarf, a warrior and a thief. If you'd grant me the head of the orc shaman and chief as a favor ta me and me alone Saph here can take a target for his own if he so wishes. Is that a deal? I as I said don't mean ta send you or yer folk to war. If I have to I can even sweeten the offer er counter off as it were. I can pay yah some backin now if yer willin ta do the two hits fer me an me alone."

[Synthalus]

EUSTACE VICAR

" Consider him dead brother Zendur. I have never failed to fulfill a contract and I don't expect to now. Give me three days and I will remove the orc chieftain from your companies path. The shaman will still be alive and be able to rally the remaining orcs to attack gnome vale. Unless your co-guild leader Saph orders me to kill the shaman.

[GreyWolfVT]

Zendur "I mean to pay you for the shaman's death as well."

[GreyWolfVT]

Zendur "Never mind just the chief then. Guess the Shaman will be up ta us Saph."

[Dram]

Saphjawx- Sorry muteness I am just trying to soak in all of this in. I say your tribute will need to be 3500gp if you still insist on working these slavers for the next 2 years. I will agree with Zen on the 2500 if you break ties with them your guild will be able to run here in this city unmolested. As for the Orc tribe we agree that the Orc Leader and shaman both need to meet their fate by your hands. With the death of the leader and shaman your friends the slaver would be able to enslave the tribe within 60 days. If I am being to greedy please inform me. I do not like to work with slavers as you noticed I am Drow. It is common practice where I come from. They are the lowest form of being in existence they would sell their own mother for a profit. You had suggested the removal of the Krakan. We also may be to work together on a trade or deal. Whatever you wish. We just have other commitments at this time. What I am suggesting is that you take of our Orc and we will take of the Krakan, if my Friend here also agrees or has a better suggestion,as we work together in the decision making within our guild.

Intel Check
Roll [1d20] = 19



Sorry about the absence there was a death in the family. Had to travel north out of cell service.

[Synthalus]

EUSTACE VICAR

Eustace takes a sack of gold out of a bag hanging from his belt that couldn't possible hold it, and tosses it on the floor at saphs feet.

" Here is the 3,500GP, you run a steep bargain Saph. As for the Kraken I have no intention of killing her, She pays me to well for all of that. I will kill the Orc Chieftain as I said before, but the shaman is another story. You cannot afford my price Zendur that is why I said that Saph here would have to use his one kill to cover it. The Kraken has far to many orc slaves already and there is little to no profit in enslaving this tribe for me. So you will have to remove them from your path the old fashioned way an kill them yourselves. Even without the Chief an the shaman 200 orcs is still a lot of orcs. A new CHief will arise quickly, The shaman on the other hand will take some time to replace. I will set out in the morning an in three days time the chief will be dead. If your party should head right for the Orc tribes territory you may have an opportunity to take them down swiftly well they are trying to replace their chief."

Eustace once again reaches into his mysterious bag and pulls forth a bottle of Blackberry Brandy with a visible amount of dust caking the outside of it. It appears old, very old, and the bottle is shaped in a very unique fashion that neither the dwarf or elf have seen before.

" This is a bottle of Blackfire Brandy from my private stock. I offer it to you as a token of our new partnership. It is extremely rare and you will more then likely never see or taste its like again. It comes from One of the oldest tribes of my people. You my not trust me because I am evil and you are not but like I said before I respect the law and I respect those that do not back out or break bargains. Respect means that you live. Lose my respect at your own risk, and so I leave you with this parting gift. Savor it and keep it safe for one day you might need it.

Eustace places the bottle of a table to his right and then turns around a walks through the marked door.

" Until next time gentleman, I have business else ware and I suspect you do as well. (Says goodbye in a very old dialect of elvish that Saph has a hard time placing)

1 Bottle of Blackfire Brandy worth 2,500GP-10,000GP

Blackfire Brandy has the magical quality of +1 Prayer when drank which lasts for 20 Rounds. There is said to be only half a dozen bottles of this brandy to exist in circulation. Making it a very rare and much sought after drink. In Pandathaway this bottle could fetch as much as 10,000GP to the right buyer.

[Synthalus]

GM
Saph reveals much as he thinks back on the stories he heard as a child about his ancestors known as the Grugach.

The grugach are wild elves, akin to sylvan or wood elves, but smaller, lighter, and very pale. When not in their tribal bands, they dress in leather armor decorated with the shapes of leaves or of the animals of the deep forest. Except where otherwise noted, grugach conform to the speafics of wood elves and of elves in general.

While it is true that many bands of wood elves are secretive and even dangerous when stumbled upon, it is the grugach who have given the wood elves a reputation for ruthless xenophobia. As a rule, a party that meets with a band of elves who do not speak common (grugach speak only elvish, treant, and certain other sylvan creatures’ tongues) should consider themselves in trouble.

Grugach are a type of wood elves who long ago withdrew into the deep forests. They welcome no intrusions on their territory, not even by other elves, or such woods-loving people as druids. Two old elven poems cite this as the reason that the grugach enjoy the effects of animal friendship with the animals of the forest. Indeed, grugach might ride stags as steeds.

Bands of grugach consist of about six family units of five to ten elves each, living in a widespread camp of several ground-level or tree-level huts. If intruded upon by well-meaning but innocent characters, the grugach immediately capture the intruders and lead them, drugged and blindfolded, to distant areas of the woods where the intruders might be released without endangering the security of the grugach. If the intruders are evil, or if they offer resistance to the grugach, the wild elves almost certainly attack to kill.

Grugach seem particularly attracted to platinum, a metal they find beautiful and well-suited for their jewelcraft. Grugach are sometimes hunted for their riches, but thieves who attempt this are usually disappointed by the small amount of treasure carried by grugach (thieves are also horrified by the dedication the wild elves demonstrate in hunting down such villains).

The grugach live in harmony with their surroundings. They are the only intelligent race in their neck of the woods. They dedicate themselves to protecting the woods against intrusion by other intelligent races.

[GreyWolfVT]

Kind of sounds like the Delzoun Dwarves. That all present forms of dwarf started from.
Delzoun Dwarf
Known commonly as Shield Dwarves because no purebred Delzoun are left, except for Danica.

The ancient Delzoun Dwarves lived apart from the other clans of dwarves for thousands of years, and their lifestyles affected not only their cultures but their physical appearance as well. The history of the shield dwarves can be traced back through millennia. The sons of Taark Shanat the Crusader founded eight kingdoms, which fought, made alliances, rose to greatness as one nation, and then fell into separate states before vanishing from the face of the world. The last great dwarven kingdom was Delzoun, and few are the Shield Dwarves who do not claim a connection to the bloodline of that realm.

Said to be the pinnacle of dwarven culture, Gauntlgrym was the capital of Delzoun.

[Dram]

Saphjawx- Lets leave here and move to the guild hall. We will have to discuss our new friend away from this place. This has been a very eventful day so far. Lets see if it gets any better. Gimble, Bamble show us the way. We have much to discuss and a short to do it.

[GreyWolfVT]

Zendur spits on the floor "Fine wit me this place smells like a sewer." the dwarf downs the mug of perfectly aged dwarf ale and snatches the bottle to take with him. Seeing Eustace leaving his mug of ale behind Zen downs that one as well before departing.

[Dram]

Saphjawx- Yes lets leave. I have smelled stables that smell nicer than this place. He walks to the door cautiously. Watching for any movement towards the group.



Bamble is also very wary of his surroundings.

[GreyWolfVT]

Nimble still on the alert as the leave leads with Bamble to the guild as Zen and Saph follow.

[Synthalus]

NARRATOR

The two novice thieves lead the two senior thives through the twisting turning back streets of the gnomish low quarter to a squat unimpressive stone building that looks more like a tomb then a house. Nimble produces a brass key from one of his pouches and unlocks the metal gate that bars the entrance. Once the door is open he takes out a flat yellow stone and tosses it down the stairs inside. A few moments later the door at the bottom of the highly trapped stairs opens and an ugly on eyed gnome yells up;

" What's the password?

NIMBLE
" CHEST OR COPPER POT!"

DOORMAN
" That'll do pig, come on in an make yourself at home or don't see if I care.

The door man pulls several levers on the inside wall next to the door and the PC's hear the satisfying click on many traps disarming. When it is safe to enter Nimble motions the group forward.


WELCOME TO THE THIEVES GUILD!

[GreyWolfVT]

Zendur "Best get us a couple o them there keys and remember a stone to toss in." the dwarf comments as much as asks of Nimble, Bamble and Saph. Commenting to Saph telling or asking the other two.

[Synthalus]

NARRATOR

As the PC's enter the Thieves guild they are surprised to see that it is a fairly large. There is a 1100 square foot common room with tables and chairs all over and two backrooms. One being the Chief Thief's office and the other being the Fence office. The fence office has an impressive glassteel bank window separating the clerk from the members with no visable entrance into it. The chiefs office has an ornately carved door depicting Sten standing on top of a mountain of gold with a pair of dice in his hand.

Egglend strides up to the four thieves as they enter and says;

Egglend
" you've got a lot of balls showing your face around ere after what you did to the boss! I have half a mind to kill you where you stand, but of course I wont because Sten was a pompous ass always strutting around like a proud peacock! Thanks are in order come to think of it.

Egglend extends his hand in a sign of friendship to the dwarf Zendur well keeping a close eye on the drow.

[GreyWolfVT]

Zendur returns the gesture of friendship "Eh ya should be grateful we didn't let them slavers take over." pointing at the statue of Sten "That's the first thing that has ta go." hefting his axe "Time for change lads and lasses." and Zen takes a mighty swing at the wooden statues legs around the ankle.

Battle Axe +1 [1d20 +4] = 9+4 = 13 to Hit [1d8 +3] = 8+3 = 11 Dmg

[Synthalus]

NARRATOR

The statue topples to the ground and the head breaks off from the impact and rolls across the hall.

Just then the Chief Thief's office door swings open an out runs Wort Andropolis, Sten's dim witted son. He looks panicked like the guild is under attack, then he stops in his tracks and notices the dwarf standing over fallen statue of his father.

Wort
" You killed my father you dung heap! What right do you have to enter my families guild and dessicrate my fathers statue too? Egglend see these gentleman off of the premises at once and make sure they never come back!

Egglend
" At once your lordship!"

Egglend claps his hands together two times and four Orc thugs proceed to beat Wort within an inch of his life. Then Egglend briskly walks over to the now broken son of Sten and leans over his haplessly battered body and slits his throat in front of everyone well saying to him;

" The Andropolis family ends with you Wort and so does your reign!"

[GreyWolfVT]

Zendur "Well done Egglend. You've taken care o one of the dirty jobs I needed ta deal with." he looks at the orcs "Good bit o work there boys. You aint related ta this orc clan that is in tha near by area are yah?" hoping the answer is no. In the mean time Zen pads the gnome Eddlend's palm with 10 gold. "Call it a bonus."