A few days after your return to Malinbois, you receive a package from Blanchfleur. She is delighted with your gift, it seems, and has responded in kind: an embroidered and fur-trimmed cape, a fine leather jerkin, vividly-dyed doublet and hose, to be fitted for you by the castle seamstress. Garb in which you may present yourself appropriately among the nobility!

(You rolled a 3, spending 450gp and gaining 450xp. Your saving throw is a 20: dramatic success!)

Quendalon: Pritchard Hood may have been too flustered, but he was going to try to find out who made Blanchfleur's gowns so he could sell them the feathers, in an attempt to reverse carouse.

Naraoia: As you've inferred, the nobility are most likely to go to Glantri City if they want to purchase clothing. Otherwise, I assume they'd have it made by a member of their own castle staff, who you would not be in a position to pay. So we're going to go with the Glantri City rate (unless you want to do something else with the feathers).

Is the amount of gold listed for Pritchard Hood on the gold/XP page correct?

Quendalon: Pritchard Hood may have been too flustered, but he was going to try to find out who made Blanchfleur's gowns so he could sell them the feathers, in an attempt to reverse carouse.

Sure thing. I'll take care of it after lunch.

Should we start a dedicated carousing thread after each session to keep these things together?

You're soaking in it!

Should we start a dedicated carousing thread after each session to keep these things together?

Potion of Growth
Potion of Healing
Potion of Extra-Healing
Oil of Invulnerability
Scroll of Mirror Image

A trio of Marais men-at-arms bring these items to the Smoking Owl, along with a bundled-up pavilion and a pair of folded four-man tents. They convey Lady Blanchfleur's best wishes and a reminder to vacate the inn's premises as discussed.

Quendalon — any chance the Oil of Invulnerability could be used twice on a halfling or gnome? I'd say Hanna has less than twice the surface area of, say, Martin! :)

You're welcome to try it and see what happens.

We will need to trot off with our potions and scroll to wherever the CCS is allowed to sleep tonight. Suddenly we seem much smaller, a mere low-level crew with a dungeon packed with demons and a slavering army on the horizon!

"There are treasures down there beyond imagining. And I will not deny that we covet their wealth: fabulous lost magic, and more gold than in all the rest of Glantri together, or so it is said. But there are also horrors down there. Demons, elementals, dragons, the legendary gorgauril, and who knows how many of the living dead, many of them more powerful in magic than the archwizards at the Great School? Few of those who went down into the catacombs when the Chateau fell returned to tell the tale, and the tales the survivors told were dreadful.

"So there were few concerted efforts to loot the place in the years that followed. Such expeditions as were mounted did poorly, with many men — of whom Glantri had few to spare in those days — dying for little profit. And there was always the fear that further delving would awaken something terrible that would rise from the ruins and do harm to the rest of Glantri. Meanwhile, Darokin's grip tightened on the southern provinces. The Great Houses agreed to let Ambreville lie for a generation, until the matter of Darokin was resolved. We were only kicking the pebble down the road, of course, as none of the Houses wished the others to claim the spoils.

"And now, with war against Darokin doubtless to be declared by the start of summer, we have broken the truce. Who knows what will happen now? Will the Darokinese gain the upper hand and conquer more of Glantri? Will Malinbois be beset by forces sponsored by rival Houses? Will assassins come into Chateau Malinbois to murder my brother and I in our beds? I don't know.

"Frankly, we would be best served to deny everything, accuse you of lèse principé and hang your entire band from the gallows tree before the Council has your minds probed for the truth. But we abide by our word, and you are under our protection. You would be best served, however, by taking our colors and our oath in overt service. The Company of Crossed Swords is well enough known that you can no longer take refuge in anonymity.

"As to the Torchbearers, I have hope that they will do the same. They are well regarded in Nouvelle Averoigne, and for good reason; they have slain bandits, rescued children from gnoll raiders, and other such reputable deeds. Your acrimony toward them — which is well known, even here within these castle walls — has done you no favors. We would be displeased if you were to act against them — unless, of course, they were to act against our interests.

"And what we would have of you? Slay the creatures beneath the Chateau, ensuring that nothing rises up from that place that cannot be put down again. Bring back the riches of the place, for they are riches of Nouvelle Averoigne and belong to this land by right, not to the snakes of House Ambreville, the greybeards of Glantri City or the witch of Touraine. And for the gods' sake, do not make our political situation any worse. Our people have suffered enough without some new army on our doorstep or our town walls ensorcelled into mud."

He sighs and looks down at his boots. "We have acted in an improper fashion, and I offer my most sincere abasement for this. We are your servants, and must do as you ask, so I have only two questions, and the first is this: what will you have us do? What service may we perform to earn forgiveness?"

"Perhaps related to this is my second question. My audacity in asking it is matched only by the great need. The Chateau is no longer safe from incursions. Though I doubt even the Torchbearers will make much headway in those haunted halls, I am frankly gladdened by their attempts. There is so much chaos down there, and we paltry few Captains of the Crossed Swords can only do so much. Perhaps if we had a more focused approach to our explorations we could achieve your ends better."

He takes a moment to collect himself before getting to the point. He can only hope she will forgive him for his familiarity. "Milady. When first you employed me in your service, you suggested it was not gold you sought in the cellars of Ambreville. That mere cupidity was not the reason for your engaging us. We have brought back magic and strange things from that place, and you have rejected them summarily. Perhaps… perhaps if you told me what it is you seek down there, we could actually begin the process of retrieving it. I understand that loose talk can be dangerous." He glances sideways at Hannah. "Especially now. But perhaps the time has come to speak plainly. If your house and family are in danger, if the political situation in Glantri has become unstable, then it behooves us all to act quickly, does it not?"

He stares her right in the eye.

"What is it you want from the Chateau? And how best can we secure it for you?"

He knows better than to expect an immediate response. While he allows Blanchfleur to collect her thoughts, Pritchard indicates his selections of the magical items on offer. He would like to take the following:

Potion of Growth
Potion of Healing
Potion of Extra-Healing
Oil of Invulnerability
Scroll of Mirror Image

…and let's not forget why Pritchard is really here! He wants to find out who makes Blanchfleur's gowns! Strictly for the purpose of reverse carousing, of course.

So many questions, little one! And I had meant questions about the political firestorm you've lit.

Hanna is out of sorts. Her curiosity reflex keeps firing dry, prompted for questions on a topic for which she hasn't any.

"To tell the truth, Miss Blanchfleur, none of this makes sense to me. I know I messed up. Those gnoll-legged ladies advanced on me and I spilled the beans, but part of me thinks, if you want to go to the Chateau, go to the Chateau, if you want to stay home, stay home. I know I don't understand a lot of this. When you talk about your family, you're not talking about your brothers and sisters and cousins and such, you are talking about the men outside, Lord Marchosias, your troops and Luc-de-Luc. When you talk about your house you aren't talking about your house with its walls and roof, you are talking about your family, which is not really your family but this other sort of family.

"And when your family has a secret messed up by some stranger - who is me - it is sometimes to the wrong of your family and other families, but not necessarily. The damage is done to the strangers who make up your family. It is to the wrong of your family named Ambreville and Marsais but not the ones named Hector and Martina, and these other families called Aubergine and Cuarenze and such, but not to those people in your family who are not actually part of your family have families of their own they keep in real houses who carry around pikes and shovel sand but for some reason they don't count in the family part of the family.

"I don't get any of that."

Now… the period for their gathering force over, the questions come:

"What families are closest and most affected? What insignias are we to look out for? Do we know how they operate? You didn't answer the question about the Torchbearers. Why was the Chateau considered off-limits to exploration? Families rise and fall; hasn't that one just about fallen? Are other nobles going to attack us, or you? Isn't it probably true that other houses are doing this same exact thing everywhere else in the country? Can we drop secrets about Marseil to convince people to attack there? There are undead armies and gnolls around the Chateau - it takes professionals to even try it. Once they get inside they'll probably die.

"What you can tell us will be a big help. We have some friends who also need to know."

I'd take the Xtra healing instead of two of the healing potions.

The potion of Growth could be a boost. Meta — I believe it increases strength and allows double damage per hit. I'd like for us to have it, but it's your call, Naraoia.

Quendalon — any chance the Oil of Invulnerability could be used twice on a halfling or gnome? I'd say Hanna has less than twice the surface area of, say, Martin! :)

"Marseil d'Ambreville was perhaps two centuries old at the time of the civil war. He was a master of the elements, of the arts of summoning and enchantment, and of necromancy. If he is still alive, he is extraordinarily dangerous." Though she speaks to Hanna, her attention drifts often to Pritchard. "I cannot advise you too strongly in this regard.

"The blue portals you speak of? They were said to be a method for refreshing the air in the deep places beneath the castle. The pipes and machines were magical, a peculiar sort of enchantment that only the Ambrevilles truly understood. And the room with the tree? I have been there, when I was young. It was meant as a winter garden, so they said, always green and warm, where they could enjoy the summer even with snow on the ground above."

Oil of invulnerability! I agree, that could be pretty useful!

Pritchard observes that this oil (which is most useful against mundane weapons, providing complete invulnerability, rather than a much more limited defense against magic and powerful monsters) will require completely covering the user's skin, meaning several minutes of taking off armor and clothing, applying the oil and then getting dressed again. It's the downside to the oil's great effectiveness.

In AD&D, an extra-healing potion can be used in thirds; don't know if that is the case here.

Pritchard has heard of these "potions of extra-healing," classically known as "potions of threefold healing" by their makers in the Church of Trianoma. They can indeed be used in thirds, though a third of such a potion is not quite as effective as an ordinary potion of healing.

Sadly, your fellow adventurers are not present for this discussion. Part of the fun is watching them yell at you afterward for making decisions they hate! ;-)

Otherwise, it's like Blanchfleur becomes Bob Barker, and we're all yelling prices at you. Cryptofrench nobles are way classier than that.

Sadly, your fellow adventurers are not present for this discussion. Part of the fun is watching them yell at you afterward for making decisions they hate!

If naked samurai's choices are the ones we go with, I will not yell at him.

She wished she could slip a dagger into this woman's throat, blood welling up around the steel, the arrogance expiring with her dying breaths. Hanna has been through a lot lately! She has gone through a major life change! She didn't dislike Blanchfleur, but still… she was trying to grasp ahold of something. That wasn't quite it.

Questions… Didn't she mention questions? Questions? And how!

The fear burned off quickly, the sadness was pushed aside as the motors of curiosity threshed to a start inside her: "The Torchbearers have been hired by you, too, right? How long have you been sending them to the Chateau? Why did you ask them to concentrate on the graveyards? Do you know about the blue portals underneath the Chateau? What do you know about them, how do they work? How do we close them? There is a wizard named Marseil who is very old and maybe even too old, if you know what I mean. What do you know about him? There are these strange magic spiders, about yay-big, that crawl over the magic lights of the chandeliers and these spooky statues. Why are they there and what are they doing?

"We met some dwarves from another plane of existence, if you can believe it. This was a while back. They said they slipped in from another place and possibly another time, also some alfs or elfs or alf-elfs. Was this another version of the blue portals, do you think? There are some strange pipes and machinery on the first dungeon floor with magical writing. What are those? There is a magical room that has a tree and a green hill open to the sky, but it is underground. What is this? There is a contraption with writing all over it that speaks words back to you whenever you say something to it, but the words don't make sense. I was a bit scared of it and did not want to go into the room. What do you think that is?"

Hanna looks at Pritchard. "Oh well, maybe you won't want to answer all those. I figured as long as we are in the open with each other I might as well ask you."

She hops over to look at the list of magic.

"Healing is good. Goldfinch guzzles that stuff like mother's milk. The mirror image scroll seems pretty important because the mages can protect themselves: you don't have that one yet, do you?

"Oil of invulnerability! I agree, that could be pretty useful! A growth potion, wow, imagine that!"

(In AD&D, an extra-healing potion can be used in thirds; don't know if that is the case here. I vote for three potions of healing, the mirror image scroll, oil of invulnerability, and the growth potion. The latter two can swing a tough battle.)

The choice of magic items should be up to everyone with a stake in the horn: Naked Samurai, Blizack, Charlatan, Quendalon (yes), and me (I'm not forgetting anybody, am I?).

Sadly, your fellow adventurers are not present for this discussion. Part of the fun is watching them yell at you afterward for making decisions they hate! ;-)

I'm assuming here that there are multiple healing potions available.

Multiples are not currently on offer. The Marais retain a strategic reserve of magical items; they aren't going to exhaust their supply of, say, healing potions and risk not having enough for themselves if an emergency arises.

Pritchard is insistent, however, and Blanchfleur relents. "If you truly need them, I will provide two more potions of healing from my personal supply," she tells him.

My choice would be five healing potions and one oil of invulnerability. The oil would be perfect for getting us past the magic doors of iron, lead, etc.

I'm assuming here that there are multiple healing potions available.

We have plenty of magic arrows. Shield and sleep are both spells we already have; potions of extra-healing aren't worth it (IMO), since we don't have the hit points to justify them. The javelin is interesting, the scroll of mirror image is interesting, the other potions are interesting but not as useful as healing potions.

She turns her gaze upon Hanna. "We had good reason to ask that none of you speak of our arrangement, little one. Now the word is out. Stories have spread about the wealth beneath the Chateau d'Ambreville, and even though we have yet to gain any of that wealth for ourselves, our guests at the hunt are convinced that we've become rich off Ambreville treasure and that there's no reason why they, too, shouldn't get a share for their Houses and themselves.

"Gérard is already preparing to set off for Glantri City for a meeting of the Council. Fortunately, the border skirmishes with Darokin should keep the other Houses too preoccupied to do anything rash and militaristic, but I have no doubt that there will be trouble on the way.

"We will have to ask your entire party to withdraw from the Smoking Owl, lest some rival House's agent 'accidentally' burn the place down with you and your friends inside. We have only so many public houses in Malinbois, and we'll not have them get caught in the cross-fire. We will provide you with a pavilion so you can encamp at the edge of town until your lodge is complete.

"So. Take some time to think about what you have gotten yourself into, and what questions you may wish to ask. In the meantime, here is a list of trinkets that you might find useful. Perhaps they will help you survive." She hands over a sheet of parchment.

Choose six of the following:

10 arrows +1
12 sling stones +1
potion of growth
potion of healing
potion of extra-healing (2 picks)
potion of heroism
potion of protection
oil of striking
oil of invulnerability
scroll of shield
scroll of sleep
scroll of mirror image
javelin of piercing (2 picks)

He can also take the horn with him, which would make sense. It'll give him a better excuse to request the audience, after all.

Lord Bodacious: Love the ending of the tale! Especially the destruction of the ratty warren. I was worried Snickwick was going to become the king of the rats!

1) Selling the toys for the 200gp determined last time (no saving throw required), or
2) Reverse carousing a second time for the toys from last time, to see if you can get a higher total (and hopefully not missing your saving throw again)?

Number 2, of course!

An unusual quick of the Gnomish psychology makes it very difficult for the lovable little fellows to learn from their past mistakes.

That being said, I'd like to reduce the multiplier by 25xp/gp and improve my chance to save.

1) Selling the toys for the 200gp determined last time (no saving throw required), or
2) Reverse carousing a second time for the toys from last time, to see if you can get a higher total (and hopefully not missing your saving throw again)?

(Making new toys from scratch without the astounding benefits of the leprechaun urine will not be worth a reverse carouse; that's assumed to be general-purpose "pay your room and board" income, like a fighter guarding a caravan, a mendicant priest begging for alms, or a magic-user working as a mundane scribe.)

Grittlesby's steady paintbrush, and Frognettles adroit woodcarving gives the curios an unprecedented level of craftsmanship. With any luck, the wealthy clientelle of Glantri city will help him recoup his losses back in Malinbois…

Snickwick will reverse carouse in Glantri city to sell off the remaining toys left from his formerly failed reverse carouse!

(Quendalon, from our discussion last week, I believe this is what you had in mind. I have removed the 200gp I added after my last reverse carouse, but it sounds like the toys should still be intact - indeed, upgraged!)

If there is music to be faced (so to speak), now is the time to face it, with gift in hand. Hopefully her friends will remember her fondly as her head rolls across from the gallows.

(Hanna will take the horn herself.)

Is Pritchard reverse carousing in Malinbois (1d6x100) or in Glantri City (1d8x150)? [Sooner or later, I may open up Wizards' Hill (1d12x200) for carousing… crazy, eh?]

Who's going to bring the horn to Blanchfleur to negotiate?

Pritchard can. They seem to like that guy.

On Questingblood: I sold mine, figuring the m-us might keep theirs for spell components or study. I can distribute this in kind.

Ok, I'm behind having the honor of returning the horn to the Marais in exchange for various one-use magic items.

Who's going to bring the horn to Blanchfleur to negotiate?

Quendalon, Pritchard Hood would like to reverse carouse by selling the feathers he took from the questing beast. As usual, the cash would be split up among the party. He has a feeling these feathers would be quite fashionable among the ladies of Malinbois and Glantri City, following the Wild Hunt. He'll seek an audience with Blanchfleur, ostensibly to ensure there are no hurt feelings among the courtiers (the Company did kind of show up the local peerage), but actually to find out the name and address of her milliner. Then he'll approach said milliner with the feathers.

Sure, I'll handle that in a bit.

Quick note: Right now I'm going to rule that unless the DM says otherwise, items procured in bulk have to be reverse-caroused in a single lot. That is to say, while Pritchard and Wintergreen both picked up feathers, only one of them can actually reverse-carouse to sell feathers. Otherwise we get silly situations where we divide up the feathers among 20 PCs and each of them gets to reverse-carouse. (I'll say that Wintergreen gave all his feathers to Pritchard, or that Pritchard got most of the feathers and Wintergreen doesn't have enough to carouse with.)

Obviously, the DM can rule otherwise if appropriate. If the whole party goes to the Dragon's Graveyard and everyone fills their packs with dragon bones, then everyone in the party can reverse-carouse to sell dragon bones.

In this case, barring disagreement from Pete, I'll say that it's possible to reverse-carouse once each for each of the three types of Questing Beast leftovers: feathers, blood and dung. Does this sound fair?

LordBo seems to abstain, judging by a recent PM. He also raises the possibility of keeping the horn.

Yep, as a non-player I don't think I have rights profit from or opine on the to the goodies.

Maybe it could blow a door down in the narrows of a room (or just blow out eardrums), but I don't think that property was suggested in its use.

Blanchfleur told Hanna that the horn had no powers other than its ability to be heard over long distances, and that it was used as a signaling device outdoors. From their conversation, Hanna intuits that the Marais deem it useful more for military purposes (signaling to other military units) than for the hunt.

If we do trade it, I'm not fond of gold, which is fungible and can be replaced at any time. I may be hoving back to getting a cache of healing, etc., which may eventually be more valuable than a short bow +1 (for example). We may need a Charlatan to tie-break. (I am assuming Quendalon will not vote.)

Note: I discovered from Quendalon that Blanchfleur is unlikely to have any armor suitable to halflings or dwarves.

But that we might also just take the cash. I know a lot of us are short on funds.

Cash is also "boring", but Goldfinch is low on funds, and I like exchanging it for XP (or funny mishap stories). Money would be my second choice, but that might just be because Goldfinch already has a magic weapon. I honestly can't fault the idea of boosting our fighting strength with weapons or armor.

That being said, they certainly have been making a difference lately.

Magic armor is extraordinarily tempting—it can turn a dwarf into an absolute tank, which is something we're short on right now.

Some day maybe I'll find a +1 dagger… sigh. I have the piccolo of levitation, which is often useful. So I'll bow out of the dithering, other than to say Blizack makes a good point. But that we might also just take the cash. I know a lot of us are short on funds.

So… guys, this generous offer… while the single-use items could save our bacon here and there (we are out of healing), this is a chance to upgrade something else. I think we should go for a suit of magic armor or a magical weapon that is not a sword. If we go that route, a short bow might be an idea, since non-swords are rare and bows rarer still.

I look forward to dithering over this!

Quendalon, reminder on trading the Horn of Resounding to the Marais.

After consulting with the family's chamberlain, Blanchfleur informs you that the House is willing to pay as much as 2100gp for the horn — which comes to 350gp for each member of your hunting party. Alternatively, she will provide a half-dozen assorted single-use magic items, or a single magic weapon or suit of magic armor. She will negotiate the details with an individual liaison delegated by the rest of the party.

Charlatan, holy crap, dude.

There is a great, puffy fool of an apothecary- Gerald Mauvoisin- that Richard knows from his academy days. He's an imbecile from a well-to-do family, and he runs the horribly named Prince & Reagent Apothecarium. Richard sold him the glowing beetles recently (his haggling cut short so as to escape an amok halfling in the markets), and will return to his shop in Glantri to try and dispose of the carefully rolled man vine remnants, as well as a flask of man vine blood sap.

Mauvoisin's eyes light up as he examines the vine remnants and their sap. "Ah, Loubeau my friend! I have a client for which this may prove to be just the thing! I must investigate to see whether or not it will be suitable. I will contact you in three days' time, at which point we will know if the sale has been made!"

The apothecary proves to be true to his word. Three days later, when Richard meets him again at his shop, Mauvoisin turns over a substantial sum of money for the blood and remnants.

(You rolled a 7, earning a remarkable 1050gp. Your saving throw was a 15: success!)

The goblin's eyes roll up the house's wooden frame.

"This?" Hop-Frog shields a cloak hanging from a nail. "This?" It is dark blue, with embroidered moons and stars on its outward face. "This is how I understand them. This is mine. Marcel, if we only understood our place, things will work much better for us."

After a deep pull on the pipe, he mutters to his manservant… "Marcel, zis little dwarf, he seem quite involved here, who is he? What is his name?"

"Master, it calls itself HOP FROG. Richard Loubou found it outside of Quasqueton, and then it came back here and started banging nails."

"Hmph… I suppose ze company needs uh… le administrative staff… he seems good with ze help and a hard worker… okay, I'm going to give him some orders! You tell him we'll be moving into the basements, and to provide drawings of ze underground levels of ze house for me to write on… The top floors have entirely too many windows, and the rooms are too airy. We need dank, gloomy spaces, and plenty of little nooks and crannies for your cousins when we move the rest of the gang in, eh?"

"Yes master. I will proclaim your command."

Tapping the last of the pipe's exotic mixture out on his heel, Martin gives a vague and imperious wave and strolls off towards town.

Hop-Frog wants to carouse in Malinbois. His aspiration is to become Steward of the Crossed Swords' new house. He wants to oversee its construction by first ensuring it is secure from intrusion: locks, shuttered windows, etc.

As a dwarf, Hop-Frog finds that the workers are predisposed to viewing him as an authority on construction. The frame of the house has been built, but the walls and roof are still being assembled, so there is little to do in terms of locks and shutters, but Hop-Frog makes sure that the proper orders are placed and pays for additional locks with his own money, which will be sent to a locksmith in Glantri City.

(You rolled a 2, spending 200gp and gaining 200xp. Your saving throw was a 15: success!)

Hanna would like to reverse carouse to sell her three flasks of blood of the Questing Beast. She'll do this in Malinbois. Still in debt for her gown and crippety-crap, she needs the money. Idea: maybe some visiting nobles or the gentry want an expensive souvenir?

Hanna sells the flasks of blood to the mysterious, reclusive seeress Neva, who comes to her door claiming to have foreseen Hanna's need for remuneration and to have brought appropriate funds for the purpose.

(You rolled a 2, gaining 200gp. No saving throw was required, which is good, because your d20 roll was a 5.)

A handful of elderly locals traveled north from Malinbois earlier in the week, allegedly with the intent of finding wealth in the Chateau. They returned with stories of sneaking into a dragon's lair and coming away with an invisible magic sword and a handful of magical luck-bringing stones. Their neighbors mock these "adventurers" as liars and buffoons and label their tales as fabrications.