95. The Umbral Market IV: Negotiations

* The party remain in the Umbral Market, making money, buying interesting items and equipment, and passing the time. Each night's sleep brings them closer to their destination as it's currently set: the Cocytian Docks, a way up to the Third Hell. But each day that passes is also one less day to figure out how to fulfil Aerendyl's contractual obligation to Dispater -- to inform the archdevil of the market's destination so that he can deal a decisive blow against it -- while also contending with the many non-disclosure clauses built into the market contracts they've all signed. 27 nights remain until the market arrives at the Cocytian Docks.
* The party are in their rooms in Rhapsody in the Shadows, discussing a few plans and particulars.
	+ On the subject of simulacra, Wilfred feels pretty confident that even if they used the services of A New You to get one made of Pyt, it would lack his genie-granted contract destruction power. Further, Clwyd chimes in that under the tenets of the Pact Primeval, all simulacra in the Hells are bound to the conditions of the contracts signed by the one that controls them. If they just used a simulacrum recklessly, they could easily end up under breach of contract.
	+ The group whittle their options down to two possibilities: either they break into the weird, extra-dimensional place where Ibrahim keeps the market contracts, find the ones they've signed, and then Pyt touches and destroys them, or, they come clean with Ibrahim and negotiate terms.
	+ They opt to do some recon, thinking that voiding the contracts would be best, because then, even if they don't want to screw over the market afterwards, they could negotiate with Ibrahim from a position of power.
	+ Wilfred fails in casting Arcane Eye, concluding that while general divination spells are ok in the market, ones that conjure a sensor (such as this spell, Scrying, etc) have been warded against.
	+ Next Wilfred tries True Seeing, learning that all the matter in the hotel is actually made of illusory shadow stuff.
* The group decide to go (nearly) all in on Clwyd making them money, since she's already the best equipped to handle the Infernal stock exchange.
	+ While the rest of them spend the night in their rooms, Clwyd goes to Sweet Dreams and partakes in the services of Willow and the Hagman. Under the hag couple's guidance, Clwyd dreams a thousand thousand different paths and possibilities she could have chosen in her life. After a night of lucid dreams about decision making and pulling from one's experience, Clwyd awakes with a temporary boost to her Wisdom score -- making her even more capable of doing well in Hellish finance.
	+ The group pool a bunch of their money. When Clwyd goes in to Play the Market again, she invests a whopping 360 souls.
	+ And then she's busy living that lifestyle for a week once more.
* Next, Aerendyl plans to do some recon on the contracts.
	+ They buff him like mad. He ends up with True Seeing, Nondetection, Protection from Good and Evil, and Invisibility on him, as well as the Telepathic Bond up connecting his mind with Pyt's and Wilfred's, and his own Locate Object spell up to hone in on the contract he signed to get into the market.
	+ With all of that in place, Aerendyl, wildshapes into the form of a dragonfly and tries to fly up to where the contracts are kept.
	+ Meanwhile, Pyt and Wilfred go to the fountain in the centre of the market and make small talk to the weird scarecrow there.
	+ Aerendyl's flight around the inside of the hotel reveals there's no way up to the hidden levels -- Ibrahim must make such a pathway as and when he needs to.
	+ Aerendyl goes outside and flies up so that he's level with the contract he's sensing through his spell. He ends up very near the top of the market space, next to a windowless spire that tops Rhapsody in the Shadows.
	+ Aerendyl circles the spire and concludes that while the contract is somewhere in the centre of the modest-sized structure, it appears to be moving ever so subtly -- perhaps being kept on some sort of creature that's moving around.
	+ Going back inside, Aerendyl waits around for half an hour until someone requests to speak with Ringleader Ibrahim. The changeling attendant disappears into the shadows and Ibrahim returns soon after, but with True Seeing still active, Aerendyl can tell that it's actually still the same changeling.
	+ Pyt and Wilfred go to the hotel lobby to meet Aerendyl. As they enter, another Ibrahim, the *real* Ibrahim, comes to greet them and offer them the Deal of the Day as usual. Aerendyl sees that this one is no changeling. Rather, he is a humanoid with the imposing head of a tiger and backwards hands. As Wilfred has suspected, the real Ibrahim is a rakshasa.
	+ Pyt asks about the scarecrow and Ibrahim is all too happy to reveal that he's someone that tried stealing contracts from him long ago. He had him changed into his current form in the hotel's spa and keeps him where he is for a number of reasons.
* The trio reconvene in their rooms, Aerendyl drops his wildshape, and through the ending of a few concentration spells, the more circumspect of the effects on him end. The group wait a while so they aren't too suspicious and then go speak to the scarecrow, lighting a Zone of Truth candle they'd gotten from Molly when they get there. Pyt serves as both good cop and bad cop on his own and gets the scarecrow to talk about a few things the creature wasn't very keen to discuss.
	+ They learn that where the contracts are stored, there are 'fast things and strong things' and also 'lots of walls'.
	+ The scarecrow used Dimension Door to get in to the area, but apparently it's much easier to get into than to get out of again.
* At this stage, the group (minus Clwyd, who's too busy to comment) thinks that opening negotiations with Ibrahim might be the better way to go.
* Aerendyl, Pyt, and Wilfred busy themselves for the remainder of the week while they wait for Clwyd to finish Playing the Market so they can discuss what to do next as a group.
	+ Wilfred gets a comfortable, portable cage made for the pseudodragons at the Flaming Heart forge. It sets him back 1 soul coin.
	+ Aerendyl gets a Sending spell tattooed on his lower arm, connecting it with the Invisibility spell he already got on the upper arm.
	+ Pyt and Aerendyl put in some more days at the ranch learning to ride Nightmares.
	+ Aerendyl finishes his basic training. The ranch hand that's been working with him and the infernal horse then assesses the duo and concludes that while Aerendyl now has the basics down, he still doesn't have the respect of the nightmare yet, and won't for at least 36 more days of hard riding. Until that time had passed, Aerendyl will have to contest his will against that of the fierce beast to get it to do what he wants.
	+ The market stops for another three nights trading.
		- Pyt works his stall, making 35 soul coins total over the period.
		- Clwyd gets charged 10 soul coins for not manning her stall while she was stuck Playing the Market.
		- Wilfred tries working for Grace the tattoo artist on the first day but the partnership doesn't work out and so he returns to Molly for the remaining two days. This bags him another pay check of 7 soul coins.
	+ When the market pushes off again, Clwyd's got one day left Playing the Market. The group spends it idly, with Wilfred trying once more to make friends with the abused pseudodragons. He's been trying to convince them to come with him to visit the little piece of the Golden Hills that Molly has in her shop's back garden, since it should make for a nice break from all the Hellscape. He'd been unsuccessful up to now, but does manage to have a little bit of a breakthrough with the terrified male dragonling. The angry female continues to respond with threats of harsh violence whenever he tries to reach out though.
	+ Clwyd successfully doubles her initial investment and then walks away, returning to the group with 720 soul coins that she divvies out in proportion to their initial contributions.
* With Clwyd back, the four of them decide to go have a look at the new arrivals to the market from the last stop.
	+ First, they notice that the For Pot or Pet lady and Tatiana the fortune teller have both gone now.
	+ And then they go to the three new stalls:
		- **Frogs from a Sack**: the inside a massive burlap sack resembles a dank, humid swamp. Flies buzz about in the air and tonnes of frogs in many, many different hues hop around on the floor. A strange woman sells the frogs at a rate of two for a soul in general, though the golden frogs are a soul each. When asked if she's got any particularly good or interesting frogs, the woman pointed out the following:
			* Green colouring with copper bands: tasty frogs that provide a day's nourishment and won't go bad from the influence of the Styx, like most foodstuffs, so long as you keep them alive a while.
			* Yellow with black stripes: taste awful but can be thrown up to 120ft as a bonus action. They pop with sudden concussive force on impact with a creature, knocking the target prone if they fail a DC15 Strength save.
			* Blue with white bands: tickle under their chin and they start singing a lovely tune. Be warned that it's some sort of mating call though. Oh also, the woman says they can't do it forever.
			* Golden frogs: great eating. They're the same as the green and copper frogs except they taste better and also give 2d10 temporary hit points when eaten.
		- **Dwarven Brew**: a low ceilinged tavern clad with dark wood. The brown-skinned dwarven barman, an affable guy named Stein, is always ready to lend an ear or pull a pint for a thirsty patron. And while his chat is fine, his drinks are indeed the real draw. His meads give their drinker the ability to speak another language, while his ales convey skill with a tool, and his stouts give proficiency with skills. The meads or ales will set you back 1 soul for three pints, while the stout is a flat rate of 1 soul a pint. Drink more of the same and the effect might last longer. Just be careful not to overshoot your limit!
		- **Red Rona's Styx Juice**: a 12-year-old girl mans a shop reminiscent of a lemonade stand. She insists she's a normal 12-year-old human child and will remain so until her 13th birthday, but Red Rona is also apparently her aunt and the girl is busy selling four packs of the Hell Hag's famous bottled Styx Juice.
	+ Having checked out the new stalls, the group does a bit of buying.
		- Aerendyl buys two of the singing frogs and leaves them with the lonely, crazed scarecrow. A small act of kindness that makes the scarecrow cry with sheer joy, though in his current form he can shed no tears.
		- Wilfred buys two of the throwing frogs and two of the golden frogs. He's advised to feed them some flies once in a while. Overall though, the saleswoman seems pretty lax on aftercare for the animals, mostly shrugging her shoulders on the matter when asked.
		- Pyt buys and sinks three pints of Animal Handling stout from the dwarven barman. It turns out to be very tasty stout too, and he bags himself 6 days of proficiency with the skill.
* Aerendyl then readies himself to go and open negotiations with Ibrahim. The others are reluctant to go with him, considering the whole affair kind of the elf's own problem.
	+ He takes 100 soul coins from Clwyd, mostly just in case Ibrahim demands payment while he's got Aerendyl on his own.
	+ Aerendyl goes and drinks a pint of Persuasion stout, bagging himself proficiency with the skill for three days.
	+ He takes Clwyd's witch totem from Wilfred and keeps it on his person. He also attunes to Pyt's Gambler's Ring to protect his thoughts from being read without his consent.
	+ Wilfred links the four of them with the Telepathic Bond.
* The group then readies themselves for the negotiations.
	+ The other three are planning on waiting in the bar and common room of Rhapsody in the Shadows while Aerendyl negotiates.
	+ They take advantage of the Deal of the Day, which gives them all day happy hour: unlimited drinking for a single soul each.
	+ The group find Zadimus in the bar already. He points out some of the interesting characters about the bar -- including the two Students of Pan, one of the duos wanted in the Fourth Hell. They're the two fey creatures hanging around with the other bards.
* Aerendyl goes into a private booth with the real Ringleader Ibrahim. The ringleader shuts the entrance passageway behind them when they sit, locking the duo in the small room. They sit, a table between them, and the negotiations begin.
	+ Aerendyl tells Ibrahim about the deal he made with Dispater.
	+ Ibrahim points out that Aerendyl being stuck between two contracts, forced to stay in the market indefinitely, is nothing but a benefit to the ringleader. Eventually, he'd run out of money, default on his bill, and then Ibrahim would gain a new helper about the place.
	+ Aerendyl says that there must be things that Ibrahim needs accomplishing, things the party could do.
	+ But it's not only a vague offer from the elf, it's quite unattractive to the ringleader. Ibrahim explains that Aerendyl is asking him to give up the status quo of the market, to risk it entirely as well as potentially the ringleader's own life, by allowing Aerendyl to tell Dispater the information necessary for the archdevil to launch an attack. All of this Aerendyl wants Ibrahim to put into motion *instead* *of* simply doing nothing and eventually getting another servant.
	+ All the same, the ringleader does eventually make an offer. He says Aerendyl is right that there are things he sometimes needs done, things that require creatures more robust and capable than the imps or changelings that Ibrahim has at his disposal.
	+ His offer comes in two parts:
		- Firstly, the party would transport some precious cargo for Ibrahim. They will not be informed what the cargo is, nor will they seek to find out while they serve as couriers for it. They would take the cargo up to the first hell and then open it in the presence of one of the two archdevils that frequent the front lines of the eternal war being fought there: Geryon, Lord of the First, or Zariel, Lord of the Second. Either would be fine with Ibrahim.
		- Secondly, since Aerendyl cannot guarantee that the party would be a great deal of help in the fight Ibrahim would have against Dispater as a result of Aerendyl fulfilling his contract with the archdevil, Ibrahim would require a substantial contribution from the party. 1000 souls.
	+ Aerendyl asks Ibrahim for leave to go and talk to his fellow party members about the particulars (though they're already aware of the details because of Telepathic Bond). Ibrahim is happy to let Aerendyl leave, but assures him that he and the party will be watched from now on.
	+ Aerendyl goes to the bar, joining Clwyd, Pyt, Wilfred, and Zadimus there.
	+ If they're really going to consider this deal, the party need money. A lot of it. To that end:
		- Zadimus says that he'll make someone a true vampire -- something he's been reluctant to do. He thinks the party should be able to auction off the opportunity to the power hungry types that are fairly common in Hell. Should be able to make a bunch of cash from it. Zadimus's conditions are that he isn't the one to take the hit from the Red Rona contract and also that the person that becomes a vampire agrees to two caveats: they're to never speak of who sired them and never go to Faerie.
		- Clwyd could also try playing the market again.
	+ Clwyd, Pyt, and Wilfred accompany Aerendyl back to the negotiating table with Ibrahim.
		- The ringleader refuses to tell them what the contents of the cargo will be, but he assures them that it's portable and well within the realms of possibility to be carried. Above all else, he assures them that he does want this cargo delivered.
		- When asked, he reveals that opening the cargo in the presence of one of the archdevils is almost certainly going to incite violence.
		- And when the party points out that they don't have 1000 souls at present to give, Ibrahim says he will simply put it on their bill then.