OOS 107

Korrinoth 22, during the morning while waiting for Belxari to return with the Raquesval for their next adventure. It occurred during session 49. It occurs concurrently with OOS 108. It is followed by OOS 109.
==Transcription==
The party splits up to do some beach prep. Teer has taken Sors to get her a bathing suit, while Ephemera, Lei, and Veggrek go off in search of hoard materials for Akaros and some potions for Sors.
Presumably potions are simple enough to obtain, and we find an outfit that just screams "Lei should wear this!" so we get that too.
Ephemera:
Ephemera looks down at Lei and Veggrek and realizes, perhaps not for the first time, just how short they are. Or perhaps how tall Kiono is. But there's still some height missing... She shoves the thoughts aside and puts her hands on her hips. "Alright, now what sort of things do we want to get for this hoard?"
Lei:
lei turns to veggrek. "what types of things have you seen in dragon hoards?"
Veggrek:
“Oh, all sorts of things.” Veggrek responds, counting on his claws. “Gemstones, weapons and armor, pieces of art, even fabric and clothing... saw one with a spinning wheel once. It’s mainly coins, by volume. Heard once that dragons sleep on coins so they’ll stick to their soft underbelly and protect it, but the stomach’s just as tough as the rest of them.”
Ephemera:
"Hm, perhaps a few of the coins can be used simply as hoard material then. Gems will be simple enough to fit in a box."
Lei:
lei bounces her backpack to jingle the bag of coins teer gave her.
Ephemera:
She turns to Lei. "That reminds me, what size box is Teer planning? So we don't try to fit too much into it."  
Lei:
"teer just said to get as many things as we can."
"since he's making the xbox container himself, he will probably make the size work with whatever we gather."
Ephemera:
"Ah."  
"Well, we should find some interesting things that are... relatively small. We still need to carry it with us for a time at least."
Lei:
that makes me wonder what the shape of the box is. i had assumed square or rectangular, but what if it's X-shaped? hmm....
"good thing you're letting us use the bag of holding." lei grins.
"oh, hm....i bet i know somewhere that is guaranteed to have interesting things..."
Veggrek:
“We’re not using the mirrors.”
Ephemera:
"If the box is too big, it won't fit in the bag, Lei," Ephemera says, holding up the bag to display the mouth of it. "But yes, as long as you have a non-mirror idea, I'd be interested."
Lei:
"the mirr--? oh, i suppose that would be interesting too, but no, not quite what i had in mind."
Lei:
"no, i was thinking of the place teer and i acquired one of the mirrors from."  
Ephemera:
Ephemera half-squints at Lei in suspicion. "An... interesting proposal. Where was this store?"
Lei:
"in addition to the mirror, they had a tarot card. and some floating rock. and..." thinks "...there were some other odd items as well. a ring, a sword..."
"hm, i think i can find it again?"
"it was nighttime, and it was in a back alley, and....hm, what was it called again?"
"something about Treasure?"
Ephemera:
Ephemera furrows her brows. This is beginning to sound entirely unsafe.
Gloom:
[You can make an investigation check to try and find it again.]
Lei:
[19]
Gloom:
Lei leads you though the bright, sunny streets of Oceanside. The din of life everywhere- merchants hawking wares, people talking and laughing, gulls divebombing discarded and un-discarded food alike. As she goes, attempting to retrace her steps from so long ago. You pass under a bridge, into a darker space where many banners and signs hang overhead, obscuring the sun. You head down a stairway under a passageway- gaps in the boards above provide illumination in the form of small shafts of light that disappear and reemerge as people pass overhead. You come to a small door set in a stone wall, a small sign that reads "Another's Treasures" nailed to it.
Lei:
"aha! found it!" lei exclaims, and points to the sign.
she opens the door to go inside.  
Ephemera:
Ephemera looks at Veggrek like, "I'm not entirely certain about this, but I'm curious," then looks to Lei. "You said Teer was with you last time you were here?"
Lei:
lei nods and holds the door open for ephemera and veggrek.
Veggrek:
Veggrek half-shrugs back at Ephemera and quietly thanks Lei as he passes into the shop.
Ephemera:
Ephemera follows Veggrek, but in such a way as to not loose sight of either of them.
Gloom:
The shop is a cramped space, filled with things that are clearly junk: shelves and shelves of rusted metal and brittle rocks. The shopkeeper is sitting behind the counter atop a stool, legs drawn to their chest, resting their be-hooded head on their knees. They're still humanoid, but their face is obscured by both their own legs and what appears to be a par of pants tied around their head like a hood. "Welcome," The shopkeeper says, without moving.
Lei:
“hello,” lei says with a wave. “do you have any special wares you’re offering today?”
Veggrek:
“Hullo,” Veggrek calls back, immediately interested in the wealth of objects on display but keeping his guard up and his perception sharp.
Ephemera:
Ephemera looks around the room, somewhat skeptical about this place. She sticks to Lei, suddenly more suspicious of a trap.
Shopkeeper:
"I have Spatial wares and Special wheres, and more and less to see." The Shopkeeper whispers. "It is all where you find yourself."
Ephemera:
"I'm not exactly big on the Space part of... Time and Space," Ephemera chuckles.
Shopkeeper:
"Yet it heeds your call regardless." They say.
Lei:
“what sorts of...wares are you offering?” lei asks, heading toward the counter.
Shopkeeper:
"Most of the things in the shop are for sale, if you know who to ask." The shopkeeper says.
Veggrek:
“Right, yes, well, we’re just looking for a couple of bits and bobs to fill out something of a gift basket...”
Shopkeeper:
"Feel free to peruse."
Ephemera:
Ephemera hesitantly glances about the room, then back at Lei, then back at the wares, then back at Lei.
Lei:
lei starts looking around.
Ephemera:
Not entirely confident Lei won't somehow get absorbed by this strange shopkeeper, Ephemera risks a perusal of the wares on some of the shelves.
Gloom:
[Anyone who would like to can make an investigation check]
Lei:
[11]
Ephemera:
[14]
Veggrek:
[1]
Gloom:
Lei uncovers a rusty shield, Ephemera finds a moldy book, and Veggrek discovers a rock that kind of looks like a face.
Lei:
lei tries to lift the rusty shield up slightly, to showcase it to ephemera and veggrek. "probably not shiny enough for a dragon hoard, eh?"  
Ephemera:
Ephemera looks it over. "I suppose not. I'm not sure he would be particularly interested in a shield to begin with. He seems like the... offensive sort."
Veggrek:
“Still, it adds bulk. Maybe we could polish it up?”
Ephemera:
"But rusty things can always be cleaned, and maybe someone else might be interested in it," she adds, shrugging vaguely toward Veggrek.
Lei:
"hmm...it would be interesting to learn how to derust something...." she cocks her head, looking closely at the shield.
Ephemera:
"It would certainly be an interesting task the next time we have some downtime," Ephemera nods.
Lei:
still with a hand on the shield, she turns back to the shopkeeper's counter. "do you have anything behind the counter for sale?"
Ephemera:
"Are there any symbols or anything on— Ah, sorry," she adds quietly, Lei's attention turned.
Veggrek:
“Ephy, check out this rock...”
Ephemera:
Ephemera leans down to examine the rock in Veggrek's hands, then smiles. "Ah! There's a face on it."
Veggrek:
”Yes!”
Ephemera:
"I'd keep that for myself, I think," she chuckles.
Veggrek:
“I’m willing to share it.”
Shopkeeper:
The shopkeeper looks up and peers at Lei, not that anyone could tell. "If that's what you wish to see." They lean forward and pull a tray up onto the counter, with several things on it. 
*A stoppered vase 
*A mummified goblin hand 
*A small black pearl 
*A roll of red thread 
* Three silver bells  
Ephemera:
"That's very kind of you," Ephemera says warmly. "Shall we see what mischief Lei has managed to dredge up?"
Lei:
lei is going to check out each of these bad boys. she ditches the shield and heads for the counter.  
Veggrek:
“Absolutely.”
Ephemera:
Ephemera nods and moves to stand behind Lei, looking over her shoulder.
Veggrek:
Veggrek clambers up Ephemera’s leg and then onto her shoulder so he can see too.
Ephemera:
Ephemera will help him in this endeavor.
Shopkeeper:
"Do any of these catch your eye?" The Shopkeeper asks.
Lei:
"would you be able to tell me anything about......" points to the bells "um, these!"
Ephemera:
"Honestly, she'll probably ask about each of the items," Ephemera says softly, offering the shopkeeper a somewhat sly smile.
Shopkeeper:
"Bells for warding and summoning." The shopkeeper says.
Lei:
"summoning what?" lei asks curiously.
Shopkeeper:
The shopkeeper shrugs "That's up to the summoner."
Veggrek:
“That would be the purchaser of the bells, yeah?”
Ephemera:
"Or whoever the purchaser gave them to, I imagine. That is how most magical items work."
Shopkeeper:
"Whosoever uses them."  
Lei:
"i wonder if we could summon nox," lei mutters under her breath in jest.
"might you be able to tell me a bit about this?" lei points to the red thread next.
Ephemera:
"Don't even joke about that," Ephemera whispers in horror.
Shopkeeper:
"You can summon all manner of things if you invoke their names carelessly." The shopkeeper sighs. "The thread is used to tie together the destinies of those it binds."
Lei:
lei's eyes widen and she gazes precariously at the bells. "oh...whoa."
"with those, or are you implying just in general?"
Shopkeeper:
The shopkeeper offers no explanation, and merely stares at Lei.
Lei:
lei points to the pearl. "can you tell us anything about this?"
Shopkeeper:
"No." The shopkeeper says.
Lei:
lei's eyes linger on the black pearl. "interesting."
Ephemera:
Ephemera eyes the shopkeeper, amused.
Lei:
"how about"--pauses a moment, glances at veggrek before turning back to the objects on the counter--"how about this?" points to the goblin hand
Shopkeeper:
"The severed hand of a powerful mage. Said to bring fortune to those that possess it."
Lei:
not very fortunate for the mage that hand originally belonged to, i 'd wager, lei thinks but does not say.
Veggrek:
“Neat.” Veggrek says.
Ephemera:
"Wealth or luck?" Ephemera asks.
Shopkeeper:
"There are those that consider wealth to be lucky." The shopkeeper says unhelpfully.
Lei:
"okay, what can you tell us about this one?" lei points to the vase.
Shopkeeper:
"It contains a minor godling, bound to perform a single task."
Veggrek:
“Any task in particular?”
Ephemera:
Ephemera frowns. "How much for the vase?"
Lei:
"how did they get bound?" 
says at the same time as ephemera
Shopkeeper:
"Two hundred platinum coins," The shopkeeper says, answering no other questions.
Ephemera:
Ephemera's frown deepens. "What is their name?"  
Shopkeeper:
The shopkeeper's gaze shifts to Ephemera beneath the inscrutable hood, "Perhaps they could tell you."
Lei:
"i....are there any alternative forms of payment?" lei looks back and forth between the shopkeeper and ephemera.
Ephemera:
"They appear to be in a state that won't allow that," she seeths quietly, trying to not speak over Lei's question.
Lei:
perhaps the bells could be used to summon the godling from the--okay, fat chance of that one....
Shopkeeper:
"Two hundred platinum coins exactly." The shopkeeper whispers.
Ephemera:
"I suppose gold doesn't count?" Ephemera grumbles.
Shopkeeper:
"Correct, but since the DM hasn't made you keep track of coin denominations, we can assume it's just to make the payment slightly creepier."
Ephemera:
"Oh, well in that case," Ephemera hands Veggrek the book she's been holding and digs out 95 platinum pieces and 1050 gold pieces which she places less than kindly on the counter.  
Lei:
lei watches ephemera worriedly.
Ephemera:
Ephemera keeps her eyes focused on where she assumes the shopkeeper's eyes are, hidden in his...hood.
Kiono's face isn't quite suited to the angry? frustrated? face Ephemera is making.  
Shopkeeper:
The shopkeeper takes the coins and dumps them into a jar and removes the vase from the tray, placing it on the counter in front of Ephemera.
Ephemera:
Ephemera takes it gently and holds it to her chest. She can't deal with whatever this is here.
Veggrek:
“How much for the fortunate mage hand?”
Lei:
“um, ephemera, uh....”
Shopkeeper:
"one copper piece."
Ephemera:
"Yes, Lei?" Ephemera asks almost calmly as she reaches up to take the book back from Veggrek.
Lei:
“no one deserves to be imprisoned like that,” lei says very quietly to her, “but, um...you should be, well, careful....um. i’m—i’m sure you will be....are, um, are you okay?”
Veggrek:
Veggrek turns it over.
Ephemera:
Ephemera gently sets the vase on the counter and attempts to gingerly open the book. She gives Lei a small smile as she does so. "I'll be alright."
Gloom:
The moldy book has multiple pages that are stuck together, but appear to be some sort of journal.
Ephemera:
[is the writing legible?]
Lei:
“o—okay...” still looking at ephemera, doubtful
Gloom:
[difficult to read, but barely so]
Ephemera:
Ephemera glance at Lei, a trace of sadness in her eyes, a hint of a smirk on her lips. "You weren't there when I confronted Noah."
Ephemera attempts to make out the writing!
Lei:
“no, but what does that have to do with—? um. nevermind. is...is that all you’re purchasing, veggrek?”
Gloom:
[Make a perception check]
Ephemera:
[19]
Gloom:
[Obviously you can't read all of it right now, but it appears to be an expeditionary record of a voyage to what the author is calling "the center tower"]
Veggrek:
“Oh! Right.” Veggrek places the rock with a face on the counter. “How much for this?”
Shopkeeper:
"Two rocks."
Veggrek:
”You rocks.”
Shopkeeper:
The shopkeeper says nothing, but you think maybe you sense a slight smile beneath the pants-hood.
Ephemera:
[Does Ephemera know anything about a place called the Center Tower?]
Gloom:
[Doesn't sound familiar to her.]
Ephemera:
The topic isn't of particular interest to her. She retrieves her vase and, once she has set Veggrek down, returns the book to where she found it. She takes another quick gander at the items around it.  
Lei:
lei turns her gaze from ephemera to the shopkeeper. “how much, um, individually, are the black pearl, bells, and shield?”  
Shopkeeper:
"85 gold, a song no one has heard, and I can't tell you," The shopkeeper says, "Reverse-Respectively."
Ephemera:
"What if I tell you the price?" Ephemera asks as she returns to the counter.
Lei:
lei takes 85 gold from the coin bag teer provided, and sets it on the counter. she is going to learn how to make this shield nice and shiny for akaros’ hoard! then she thinks a moment on a song.
Shopkeeper:
"You may try." The Shopkeeper says to Ephemera.
Gloom:
They take the gold and indicate that Lei may take the shield.
Lei:
lei nods and then starts singing awkwardly, to a tune that isn’t quite coordinated
“i am here in oceanside buying things for a cloak—“
“with veggrek and ephemera .....shopping—until, until we’re broke??”
“i am not the best with song um, but i hope this is okay?”
“la la la la la um, this is—er, izora is gay?”
she waves her hands around while singing.
Ephemera:
Ephemera listens to Lei's song, amused. She looks at the shopkeeper to see his reaction.
Shopkeeper:
"Luckily, I am not one of my competitors, such that actually singing it invalidates the price..." The shopkeeper muses, before handing the bells over
Lei:
lei sheepishly runs her hands through her hair and accepts the bells. “thank you. um, as for the pearl, how does it work, paying a price that you are unaware of?”
Ephemera:
"I could offer a song that hasn't been heard in thousands of years," Ephemera says with a shrug.
Shopkeeper:
"It is, perhaps, the hardest price to pay." The shopkeeper says.
Lei:
lei’s brows furrow.
“how does one know it has been paid?”
Shopkeeper:
"One would have the item in question."
Lei:
“i would merely have to accept the price, and the black pearl would be mine?”  
Ephemera:
Ephemera raises an eyebrow.
"That feels dangerous," she says softly.
Lei:
lei waits for the shopkeeper’s answer.
Shopkeeper:
"You'd have to pay it," The Shopkeeper says.
Lei:
“do each of us have the means to pay it?”
Shopkeeper:
"Yes."
Ephemera:
"Is it beneficial for us to pay it?" Ephemera asks, somewhat sarcastically.
Lei:
“...is the cost something material?”
Shopkeeper:
"I cannot tell you. You must only pay it."
Lei:
sighs, opens her mouth, then closes it. “okay, i think...i will pass on that one. thank you for answering my questions.”
Veggrek:
“...Is it ‘attention?’”
Shopkeeper:
"I cannot tell you."
Ephemera:
"I'm sure it's a delightful item, but I think it's time we leave," Ephemera says, feeling like there's something she's just barely missing here.
Shopkeeper:
"As you wish." The Shopkeeper says. "Enjoy."
Lei:
“thank you for these sales.” lei says, pocketing the bells and trying to hoist up the rusty shield.
Shopkeeper:
The Shopkeeper nods his head, "Come again, if you can."
Lei:
lei heads for the exit with the others.
“he stated before that he doesn’t sell anything you trade to him until after you perish,” she tells ephemera and veggrek once they’re outside. “when he refers to ‘competitors,’ he means the mirror merchants. possibly others? i’m not certain.”
Ephemera:
Ephemera raises an eyebrow. "I don't think I like any of that."
Lei:
"well, at least we acquired some cool items!" she counts them on her fingers. "a rock, a shield, 3 bells, the vase..."  
"veggrek, what materials do I need to derust the shield for akaros' hoard?"
Veggrek:
“I happen to have a pot of metal polish burning a hole in my bag.... Oh, don’t forget the lucky slash wealthy hand.”
Lei:
"oh, right! is that for the hoard?"
Veggrek:
“It can be! I’m— actually, I’m not sure, would that be weird? Feels a bit... I don’t know, morbid. Disrespectful, even.”
Ephemera:
"He was the sort to include goblins in his hoard in a manner of speaking before..."
"Perhaps we should take some time to study the items properly before deciding whether they belong in his hoard."
Lei:
nods "I don't think I intend to give akaros the bells, if I'm being honest. I'm curious about how they work..."
adds hastily "I promise I won't use them without studying them a lot first!"
"and, um, not alone!"
"i won't try them out alone."
Ephemera:
Ephemera was definitely looking suspiciously at Lei, then inclines her head. "See that you do. The last thing we need is for you to summon Nox or something."
Lei:
nods vigorously
Ephemera:
"Shall we rejoin Teer and Sors then?"
Lei:
"um--first, what do you intend to do with the vase?"
Ephemera:
Ephemera looks at it and rubs a thumb along the edge of the stopper. She sighs. "I, ah... I'll need to figure out who is in here, how they're in here... It could be a cruel entity or a benevolent one... and I have no way of knowing which right now."
She looks at Lei and offers a smile. "I'm going to store it for the moment. I'll... work on this project when we have a moment."
"Which isn't today because we have an entire child to... figure out today," she adds with another sigh.
Lei:
slight blush "can i, um, help at all?"
Ephemera:
"I'm not certain. If it's a minor godling, I'll need to check to see if there's a... a registry of deities or something. See if any are.. missing or something..."
Lei:
"i wonder if there is a way to use a spell to communicate with the being within?"
"or identify what sort of magic lurks inside?"
Ephemera:
"I was intending to ask Kiono to help with that last one at least."
Lei:
"belxari seems to know some things about containers for gods, too..."
thinking out loud
"i wonder if whoever is inside can hear us? i wonder how long they've been trapped there?"
Veggrek:
“Hopefully not long, for a deity.”
Ephemera:
Ephemera gently places the bottle in her personal bag that is decidedly not the bag of holding. She closes her eyes and takes a deep, not-quite-shakey breath. "I... don't really want to talk about it right now."
Lei:
"i wonder how they--oh. sorry....sorry."
"um, well, i’m glad we, um, had a successful mission, acquiring items for akaros' hoard!" waves towards the bag of holding  
"can i put the shield in there until there's time for veggrek to show me how to derust it? it's pretty heavy."  
Ephemera:
Ephemera holds out the bag and allows Lei to put the shield inside.
Lei:
lei does the thing. "i can't wait to tell teer what we got."  
"covertly." narrows her eyes and dramatically puts a finger in front of her mouth
Ephemera:
Ephemera smiles and shakes her head. She returns Veggrek to his place on her shoulders and heads back the way they had come. "Let's get to the beach, shall we? Can't leave them alone for too long."
*