Session date: Monday, January 16, 2017
Game date: Saturday, May 17, 209
PCs:
Gulleck Stonefoot, Dwarf 4, hp 23, xp 13399/17000
Caryatid, Magic-user 4, hp 19, xp 14917/20000
Retainers:
Manley "Meat" Smythe, Fighter 3, hp 17, xp 5024/8000
Brother Chase Pike, Cleric 2, hp 11, xp 1793/3000
It was a short session this evening, without much dungeoneering to speak of. We had only two players, and I think we got started extremely late, so the session was mostly about taking care of some loose ends in town rather than braving the monsters of the undercity. In the two weeks game time since the last adventure, Caryatid successfully researched the Sleep spell (using the Cook Expert rules of 1,000 gp and two weeks of game time per spell level). The crew had their sights set on clearing out the orcs from their lair in the middle of the second level, and another Sleep spell would help that significantly.
And so, this sunny spring morning, Gulleck and Caryatid, along with their loyal retainers, visited the hillside neighborhood of The Steps, its ramshackle and decrepit houses clinging precariously to the erratic slope at the west end of the city. They made their way through the twisting narrow streets to the derelict house in which they had discovered a magical wardrobe cabinet that appeared to be linked to an identical one deep in the dungeon. The house - #6 Gullsbeak Lane - seemed untouched since the last time they had seen it, planks and boards crudely nailed to cover the windows and doors. The adventurers looked furtively around, making sure the street was deserted, before prying the boards off the door of the house and slipping inside.
Inside the house it was much as they had last left it. The sounds of outside seemed muted, and the dust that laid heavy on the floorboards gave a feeling that nothing ever changed here. They proceeded up the narrow staircase, past the second floor landing, up to the third floor and into the room with the wardrobe. It too was as they had left it, sitting incongruously alone in an empty room containing nothing else but dust motes floating idly in the sunbeams streaming through the cracks in the window shutters. The first experiment was to try to move the wardrobe, but alas, it appeared to be fixed to the wall of the room.
Next, the adventurers opened the wardrobe, and pushed through the moth-eaten coats and robes into the dark of the bedroom in the dungeon on the other side. They lit up a lantern, and then attempted to move the wardrobe on this side. This one seemed to be freestanding but was quite heavy and difficult to move. They started to explore the rest of the apartment, but quickly ran into a dozen goblins in the music room mischievously tearing off the strings of a lute and harp and generally causing trouble. Gulleck exchanged awkward greetings with the goblins, and the adventurers retreated to the wardrobe room. Caryatid locked one of the bedroom doors with Wizard Lock, and they returned to the house in the Steps via the wardrobe and left the house, replacing the boards across the door as well as they could.
As they were doing this, they became aware that they were being observed surreptitiously by a shabby man dressed in filthy clothes, poking around in a nearby pile of rubbish with a sharp stick. In his other hand, he held a rope snare - evidently, a ratcatcher. Gulleck and Caryatid approached the man cautiously, and asked if he knew who owned the house. The man seemed to deny any knowledge at first, but then hinted that a gold coin or two might aid his memory. Gulleck sighed with distaste and gave the man a few coins.
"Yeah, I seen a man come round here, months ago. Real posh fella, didn't really fit in this neighborhood, if you know what I mean. Not like you and I do."
The adventurers pushed for a name, and after a few more gold pieces exchanged hands, the ratcatcher offered, "He had a helper with him, with a bunch of papers. He called him... something startin' with a P. Patricky, Patrooza..."
"Patrenzi?" Gulleck asked.
"Yeah, that's the one!"
Vincent Patrenzi was well known to the party. They had met twice at the magical auctions. He was a very wealthy businessman, but seemingly possessed of no good taste, always dressed in gaudy and flashy clothes meant to show off his wealth. Still, he had always been friendly enough to the adventurers, so they made their way back down the hill and across the bridge to the city proper. They stopped at the Runcible Trading House, and inquired with Lord Runcible as to the address of Mr. Patrenzi on the pretense of wishing to arrange a private sale. Lord Runcible gave them directions, and they walked the short distance through the wealthiest streets of Idalium, soon arriving at the gaudy mansion of Vincent Patrenzi. Marble and granite statues decorated the lawn behind a sturdy iron fence. They spoke to the doorman and obtained an audience. They were brought into the house, where Patrenzi was seated at a desk going through some ledgers with his accountant.
Patrenzi greeted Gulleck and Caryatid with warmth, apologizing that he was quite busy and unable to properly entertain them. What could he do for them?
"Well," said Caryatid, laying on the charm, "we were considering using some of our recent earnings to get into the real estate business, and we heard that you would be the perfect person to talk to for advice!"
"Advice?" said Patrenzi, a bit confused. "Buy low, sell high, that's the real trick!"
After dancing around the topic for some time and flattering Patrenzi, they got around to asking about the house in the Steps. Patrenzi didn't seem at all sure, but his accountant informed him that yes, indeed he did own a house there. He had bought it in a larger lot of properties last winter, and hadn't decided what to do to with it yet.
The adventurers asked idly if he might be willing to sell that house to them, to jumpstart their budding real estate career. Patrenzi didn't see why not, and gave his asking price as 50,000 silver shekels. The adventurers protested that this seemed rather high for a house he only just learned he owned and that was vacant and decrepit, barely secured from the elements. Still, Patrenzi was unmoved. "Look, you come to me and ask if I'll sell you this house, that's my offer. You don't like it? Don't buy it. You're the ones asking me to sell it to you. I'm in no hurry."
"Thank you, we'll take it under consideration," said Gulleck, and the party left without taking any bold steps into the exciting world of Idalian real estate investment.
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