City Dwarves: Episode 01

Logo by Velannal

## Cast

Neal Pass Erickson - Dungeon Master

Anna Prosser - Lazuli Cobblefeet

Geneviève 'livinpink' Forget - Pebble Cobblefeet

Rachel 'Seltzer' Quirico - Bouldara Coubblefeet

## Synopsis

The 3 sisters wake to find their shop as been broken into and cleaned, and all their repair work done, and cookies made in the kitchen. After tricking some loan-shark collectors to delay payment for a week, the sisters investigate a set of tiny footprints that lead away from their home. They find a forest gnome living inside the tree in a nearby park. The sisters befriend the Forest Gnome and arrange for her to work with them in repairing more shoes in the future.

After the sisters deliver all the repaired shoes, they investigate the guild of the cobblers they have been excluded from. They find that it is run by Francesca who is engaged with Bouldara's ex named Bethany. The sisters get into the opening event of the guild hall though deception.

## Recap

*You three are the three children, just coming of age, of a pair of dwarven cobblers. You've lived in this city your whole life and rarely travelled beyond its walls - just for weddings and family visits to cousins, aunts, and uncles. All was going well for your trio until the sickness came through town. Both your parents succumbed to the illness as it burned through the city. The clerics helped where they could, but there weren't enough of them. As quickly as it came, the sickness left.*
*In its wake the three of you inherited the workshop, the sales front and upstairs house. While you are all daughters of these cobblers, and you know your way around a shoe, none of you are experts in the field yet. You are all pretty young.*
*To make matters worse, when you came home from the big funeral the city threw for all the plague victims, your workshop has been ransacked. The tools broken, the repair jobs ruined, prototype shoes smashed, money stolen. And in the middle of the floor, and placed on a small pillow stolen from one of your bedrooms was a left boot. A left boot from a set that had come in from a few days ago to be repaired and hadn't gotten to yet. And it was fixed; perfectly. This intentionally fixed and placed boot was a message: get out of the cobbling business now or else. There are many other cobblers in town, but one of them is starting to play dirty.*
*In the meantime, in order to make ends meet, you had to take out some money from a loan shark (500 gold). To get some repairs done, and to make ends meet. There have been rumors spreading around that the quality of your work is pretty bad. Whereas your parents had loyal customers, those customers have vanished. So it is now just the people who live on their block to repair their stuff, rather than any new business coming in.*
*Things are getting tight around the dwarf household. Ends are not getting met. You've had to borrow money from some sketchy people. Clients have been leaving you, word out on the street is you are not your parents daughters when it comes to shoe making (although you do have some good ideas for the future, you just don't have the skills to make it happen). You're still getting some repair work that you can manage, but you're getting behind on it.*
*You come down stairs one morning to find the workshop clean, all the repairs scheduled done, and your larder/pantry broken into.*
(Their grandparents were created into the world directly by the gods, it is very early on in the creation of The World.)

### Break and Entry

It is early morning and the three Cobblefeet sisters wake to find their workshop clean, and all the repair work done, and their larder/pantry broken into. Lazuli checks the pantry and finds her chocolate gone. Lazuli looks for clues and finds eggshells on the ground a flour spread around, like somebody cooked something in the middle of the house. Inside the oven is a small tray of chocolate-chip cookies.

There are tiny footprints heading out the door to the shop out into the street. Bouldara follows the footprints outside and runs into 3 thugs just outside their front door. The thugs work for the loanshark the family owes money to, and here to collect their weekly interest fees. The lead thug, Pad, says it is time to pay up (the other 2 are Barbara & Quincy). Lazuli bluffs that they paid another group of collectors just 20 minutes ago.

The thugs are convinced and ask for a description. Lazuli describes 3 humans with brown hair (one with dark-brown), no visible weapons. The thugs take the description and go investigate.

Pebble is confused by all this, and thinks Lazuli is telling the truth. Lazuli convinces Pebble to add the transaction to their accounts book.

The sisters then go investigate the tiny boot prints trail. Lazuli asks their western neighbours (the pastry shop) to keep an eye out when the sisters are gone from the shop. Bouldara asks about fey creatures breaking into houses, repairing shoes and baking cookies, but as this is early on in the creation of The World, there isn't any lore or legends about such things. Their neighbours to the east is the tavern called Ramspiral (Bouldara can't go to the Ramspiral anymore due to a prank).

Pebble, wearing her inspection cap and holding a magnifying glass, follows the trail of tiny boot prints, with her sisters following after.

### New Friend in the Park

The tracks end at a park. The party is empty at this time of day. Lazuli casts  as a ritual so she can speak with a squirrel. Bouldara searches around and finds nothing as Lazuli does her ritual. Pebble checking around to see if the tracks leave the park and they don't.

Lazuli asks about who has come into the party, and the squirrel says they were 5 squirrels tall, with vanilla ice-cream color skin. And they live in the park and leads the sisters to a tree in the centre of the park. Lazuli notices a small door built into the back of the tree. Lazuli knocks on the door.

Inside the tree lives a forest gnome, Proton, who is scared of getting into trouble. Proton apologises for breaking into their home. Lazuli and Pebble speak softly and kindly to Proton. Lazuli says that Proton is welcome to come to their store whenever she wants to repair shoes. Proton is overjoyed they aren't mad but happy at her. Lazuri says after she and her sisters delivery the repaired shoes, they will get new shoes for Proton to repair.

### Back to the shop

After delivering all the shoes and some cookies, the sisters return to Cobblefeet Quarry (their store) to find Pad and the other 2 thugs there waiting for them. Lazuli pays off their weekly interest of 2 gold.

Afterwards they put the new shoes to be repaired in the workshop.

Lazuli makes plans to go out to find out who has been bad mouthing them.

### Investigation the Town

The sisters arrive at the Ramspiral. Lazuli gets a warm welcome, Pebble is barely noticed, but Bouldara isn't allowed in. Lazuli manages to sweet talk Bouldara to be allowed in.

Inside Lazuli greets fellow bard Royboy. He tells the sisters that the Cobblers on the other side of town are trying to form the Guild of Cobblers. The sisters were unaware of this new guild. that Francesca. They also learn that Francesca married the blacksmiths' daughter, Bouldara's ex, Bethany.

Royboy reveals that the rumors are being spread that the Cobblefeet Quarry are unable to repair shoes since their parents died.

Lazuli and Pebble make plans about their next place to investigate. Lazuli disguises herself goes to Sammy's Shoe Shop, the nearest shoe store to see what they know. Sammy seems entirely unaware of the threatening nature of the break in.

Lazuli then visits the "Temple of Shoes", a far more pretentious shop. The worker, Sister Hellen, is far more negative about the Cobblefeet Quarry, calling them liars.

Lazuli returns to her sisters at the Ramspiral and reports what she has learned.

### Guild of the Cobblers

The sisters make their way across town to the bar where the members of the guild hang out to find out about it.

There is a new large stone building under construction with a banner saying "Guild of the Cobblers" upon it. The ground floor of the guild is a tavern with a sign saying "for Guild Members only". It is opening night of the Guild Tavern.

Pebble is sent in to ask how to join the guild, but she is unable to get inside without being a member. The security guard however is friendly and gives Pebble a high-five The security guard at the door, named Rex, explains that to join you must create a masterpiece and then present it the guild committee. The security is unsure how you are allowed to present your masterpiece if you aren't allowed inside without being a member.

The sisters make a plan to get inside, with Lazuli to make a distraction so the others can get inside.

Lazuli tries casts  a few times to make a sound of a window breaking to distract the 2 guards on the door, but it doesn't work. One guard goes to check while the other guard goes inside. Pebble and Bouldara sneak inside. Bouldara is too conspicuous so is kicked out.

Lazuli manages to go inside herself by pretending she had just come out. Inside Pebble spots Sammy.

Outside Bouldara sees Francesca and Bethany coming towards the building as she is being thrown out. Bouldara breaks down crying then greets Bethany. Bethany tries to invite Bouldara inside, but Francesca brutally points out they are acquainted and that Boldara's parents are dead. Francesca and Bethany then head inside. Rex consoles Bouldara.

Pebble scouts for a membership card that Lazuli card that steal from a drunk person. Before Lazuli can act she is sported by Bethany. Pebble is forced to take the card herself as Lazuli talks with Bethany. Bethany and Lazuli engage in some passive aggressive contest of words. After the card is taken Lazuli excuses herself from Bethany and goes over to flirt with Francesca. Bethany gets upset as Lazuili gets close to Francesca. Lazuli then gossips about Bethany to Francesca. Lazuili then leaves the guild hall.

Pebble says in the guild hall to learn more about the situation with the guild.

At the end of the night pebble leaves and sees Francesca giving Rex new instructions.