Sylvanie Toussaint of the Conférencière

 [written up by Max for the scholar NPC he introduced to the milieu--thanks Max! Any purchases made by characters (in the comments or on Discord) must be annotated with a week-ending (Saturday) so that per-week, &c. items can be properly tracked; "purchases" without a week-ending will be considered invalid. ~the Scribes]

A foreign sorceress woman with hair of gold, fair skin, and blue eyes. Sylvaine claims to hail from a land not of this world, but of one called Terre. Her blue robes and white sash mark her a member of the Conférencière. She professes her order to be seekers and record keepers of knowledge. Sylvaine herself has a particular interest in knowledge of restless dead and of creatures she calls ‘Suceurdesang’, or in the local tongue a drinker of blood.

Sylvaine can often be found maintaining a small shop in Gadeed. Selling medicines, potions, and other tools for fighting the restless dead while also buying books or other information related to her interests.

Magic-users and others seeking knowledge should be able to cultivate a relationship with Sylvaine. When rolling to advance the relationship, complications must be rolled for on a dice result of 6-9.

Tick 1 - Inconnue

At this level, Sylvaine will offer any common knowledge she knows and will sell the below items:

Item	Cost	Availability
Medicine, Common	3s	25 available per week
Medicine, Uncommon	1g	10 available per week
Holy Water	20g	4 available per day
Antitoxin	40g	10 available per week

Sylvaine may refuse selling her whole stock to those who buy her out too often, citing others may need what she has to offer. Sylvaine will buy the following items without you having to spend a downtime to find a buyer:

• Books, scrolls, etc.

• Spellbooks

• Spell Scrolls

• Magic items

• Anything relating to the restless dead

Items sold to her in this fashion may end up for resale in her shop.

Tick 2 - Connaissance

At this level, Sylvaine considers you an acquaintance and will offer any uncommon knowledge she has for sale and sell the below items:

Item	Cost	Availability
Scroll, Cure Light Wounds	50g	1 available per two weeks
Scroll, Light	50g	1 available per two weeks
Scroll, Mage Armor	100g	1 available per two weeks
Scroll, Shield	100g	1 available per two weeks
Scroll, Invisibility	200g	1 available per two weeks
Scroll, Bless	150g	1 available per two weeks
Scroll, Dispel Magic	300g	1 available per month
Scroll, Daylight	250g	1 available per month
Scroll, Remove Curse	200g	1 available per month

In addition she is willing to help with research involving books, scrolls, other written forms of knowledge, the restless dead, magic items, and curses. This includes assisting in translating texts from one language to another. She is also willing to be hired for a negotiable amount to adventure as a hireling.

Tick 3 - Ami / Amie

At this level Sylvaine considers you a friend and will offer her knowledge free of charge and offer a 10% discount on items she has for sale. She offers to teach the following spells:

1. Cure Light Wounds, Light, Mage Armor, Shield

2. Bless, Continual Light, Invisibility

3. Dispel Magic, Daylight, Remove Curse

You may ask Sylvaine for favors, though they may come at some cost. Sylvaine also now offers her ability to create custom magic items. She may also mention you are a good fit to join her order, the Conférencière.

Requirement: To roll to this level, you must have demonstrated interest in knowledge, record keeping, or otherwise impressed Sylvaine in some manner. This can be done by donating large amounts of books or scrolls to Sylvaine, detailed knowledge on the restless dead, or other negotiable means.

Tick 4 - Nouveau Venu

At this level Sylvaine offers to train you to join her order, the Conférencière. Sylvaine trusts you and is able to offer her secret knowledge and spell list for training.

Requirement: To roll to this level, you must have shown interest in joining Sylvaine’s order, the Conférencière. Further requirements are dependent on your past interactions with Sylvaine.

Tick 5 - Conférencière

At this level you become a member of the Conférencière and all that entails. The details of how to advance to this level are secret. Those who are at “Tick 4” may request information about this next level from the referee, and pursue it as they desire.

Complications in befriending Sylvaine (d8)

1. You have offended Sylvaines order in some fashion. Your relationship decreases by one tick and cannot be advanced until you make amends.

2. Sylvaine is unavailable. Either she’s off assisting others, has her nose buried in a book, or is creating an item. You may not advance your relationship with her during this downtime.

3. A religious sect has noticed your dealings with Sylvaine and in their eyes, heretical teachings. You now have a rival, who takes every opportunity to make your life hell.

4. Sylvaine has given you a special task that must be completed before you may advance a relationship tick.

5. Sylvaine has been treating a sick, diseased, or cursed patient and now you’ve got it! Roll on the chart below:

   1. Sickness: You’ve caught a cold and roll with a -1 on all rolls until it is resolved, typically with 1 week's rest.

   2. Diseased: You’ve picked up some disease. The effects of the disease vary and are up to the Referee's decision. The disease can be removed by spending two weeks in Sylvaine or some other doctor’s care.

   3. Cursed: Some curse Sylvaine was working with is now moved to you. The effects of the curse vary and are up to the Referee’s decision. This curse may or may not be removable with the Remove Curse spell.

6. Sylvaine is low on the supplies needed to run her shop and sends you to buy them. Spend 500g resupplying her shop.

7. You have caught the eye of some restless dead assassin, which may appear at any point during your downtimes or adventures to claim your life.

8. Roll again on the table above, unless the Referee takes a personal hand in developing some other complication.

Session #83: The Return of ... Avin?

[written by Jacob, who ran much of the session, while Max handled the final confrontation--thanks, guys! Minor edits by the Scribes]

Having met a few weeks prior, Sesel and Najm collect together several other compatriots from the Survivors and other barbarous adventurers about the taverns. The discussions at Cothon-Under-Star, as the group collects, may seem somewhat confusing, given recent other expeditions in which the members of the expedition indicated they were carrying Avin up to the Necropolis for burial. It would seem the group has gathered with the intent to revive Avin from her state, and return her to adventuring status. And with this goal in mind the following adventurers set forth, loaded to bear with all their weapons and tools they had at their disposal.

Barlow (Magic User 4)

Sesel (Fighter 8)

Bart (Magic User 8)

Gan (Fighter 6)

Durham (Fighter 8)

Pako

Heijo (Magic User 6)

Najm (Magic User 5)         May (Fighter 2)

Additionally joining the party, Sylvane (a magic-user) is seen to be walking with the group, obviously focused, and perhaps somewhat concerned about the upcoming expedition.

The band of adventurers set off to Gadeed, Sesel at their head guiding them out through the Pylaean Gates. Seen only a short time later returning to the city, a strange covered cart hauled behind the party. They then set off deeper into Cothon, towards the stairs down to the Medina al Tahat.

This portion of the adventure lasted much longer than the Gadeed visit, the group returning many hours later, all having obviously seen quite a beating but both in--and also having obviously consumed--good spirits! Behind them they continued to tow their strange cart back off to Gadeed. The only exception is that of Barlow, who seemed to have seen the brunt of the expedition--or perhaps he simply imbibed more of those spirits than the others--for he was draped atop the cart as they hauled it through the city.

The Lucre

• 3 magical scrolls; one in particular has a golden leaf edging, silvery shining text, and a small golden string tied around it.

• These are not spell-scrolls, but rather contain formulae a magic-user could learn from

• A pair of swords

• A simple, if perhaps somewhat dated in design, sword. Detected as magical and employed by May during the melee.

• Another recovered from the monstrosity that attacked, slender and straight blade of fine steel with an ornate design, and a golden hilt. Detected as magical by Sylvane.

• A large tower shield, 4’ tall and obviously heavier than any normal human could comfortably wield, but easily picked up by the handle with both hands (seemingly much lighter than its appearance), also recovered from the horrible creature and detected as magical by Sylvane.

• A pair of dark metal brazier-sconces, crudely cut at what would presumably connect to a wall mount.

• A pair of old (but not entirely destroyed) tapestries, rolled around 2 thin rods of the same dark metal as the brazier-sconces. Possible value if repaired and sold to the right buyer: 1500 dinars (both together). Note: these have obvious imagery of the Bayt al Fasad

• The first depicts a bright scene of a sacrifice upon a raised platform, the onlooking robed cultists raising their arms in elation, as their sacrifice is accepted by the gods, the center of the tapestry showing a pillar of light ribbed in darkness.

• The second a darker, much less successful scene. The cultists' heads hung low, a body being dragged from a ritual circle, ringed in an eerie green flame.

• A pair of scrimshawed bones, symbols and drawings on the bones showing a series of small images, not unlike some of the ‘writing’ interpreted by Bart during the expedition via Read Languages. Possible value if sold to the right buyer: 500 dinars (together). Note: these do not have the Bayt al Fasad marking

• A strangely finned head of some purplish monster (claimed by Najm)

• 9 gems worth 480 dinars (3x10 gp, 3x50 gp, 3x100 gp)

• 720 nisab (pp each worth 10 dinars)

• 

  Not the pair, just an example of scrimshaw

  2,808 dirhams (sp)

The Learning

• 11,988 xp from treasure

• 960 xp from the shades

• 2900 xp from the horrible many-limbed monster

• 445 xp from the weird sonic creature

The Cut

•  96 nisabs (pp worth 10 gp), 64 dinars (gp), 375 dirhams (sp) to all player characters

• 48 nisabs (pp), 32 dinars (gp), 187 dirhams (sp) to Gan, Pako, and May

• 2238 xp to all player characters

• 1119 xp to Gan, Pako, and May

• The 3 magical scrolls (for learning)

• The 2 magical swords

• The magical shield

• The 2 tapestries (and their black–metal mounts)

• The 2 brazier-sconces

• The 2 scrimshawed bones

• The monster's finned head

Session #77: Another Jaunt through the Stacks

[written by Max, who ran the session--thanks, Max!]

 

Curious patrons of Cothon Under-Star are once again shooed away from a strange door in its library by adventurers.

Durham, fighter 7

• Pako, renyu

Najm, magic-user 5

• Alianor Drake, fighter 1

Heijo, magic-user 6

Arngeir, fighter 5

The party exits some time later. Onlookers notice Durham’s renyu, Pako, clutching a small book. Rumors have begun to circulate about how every time the adventurers enter with a hmela, but don’t leave with one. Perhaps some dark magic is necessary to use the door.

The Lucre

• Barrel, precious stones 2000* dinars (gp)

• Book, The Ninja’s Handbook (claimed by Pako)

• Notes on serudla, copied from A Bestiary of Strange Heraldic Monsters (claimed by Arngeir)

• Miniature door

• Marble #20 (claimed by Najm)

• Femur of Gustav Durst (1400g)

• Librarian Summoning Bell

The Learning (3,568 xp)

• 3400 xp from treasure

• 75 xp from Furious Catalog

• 28 xp from Library Slug

• 13 xp from Dust Elemental, Injured

• 35 xp from Yawper

The Cut

• 892 xp to each player-character
  446 xp to Pako and Alianor Drake

• 400* dinars to each player-character
  200* gp to Pako and Alianor Drake

• the miniature door

• the Femur of Gustav Durst

• the Librarian Summoning Bell

• Marble #20 and serudla notes claimed by Najm and Arngeir respectively)

*This “raw” dinar-value assumes selling the precious stones at “market” value and without trying to go through the Piedrejoya Guild—any characters with connections to that guild of Jewelers and Lapidaries could well net a higher value and win the company more “take-home” lucre

Session #75: Return to the Library

 [write-up by Max, who ran the session, a couple weeks back--thanks, Max!]

A group once again gathers in the library of Cothon-Under-Star with a hmela in tow.

Sesel, fighter 7

• Raoden magic-user 5

Bart, magic-user

• Gan fighter

Najm, magic-user 5

• Alianor Drake, fighter 1

Heijo, magic-user 6

Revna, magic-user 5

The group returns once again from the library sans hmela. They seem in good spirits but otherwise say little of what they are up to in the library. Patrons continue to talk about a mysterious door with seemingly no way to open it.

The Lucre

• 120g

• 600s

• Dice, bone (40g)

• 7 Books
  Ciamar a mharbhadh torc
  Essays on Gambling
  Shipping Documents
  ᴁ (Claimed by Revna)
  Дракула
  Tave Jidai Tvarka
  The Blessed Light, a spellbook: I. Light, II. Bless, III. Continual Light
  

• 5 Flasks of Ink
  Black (100g)
  Red (200g)
  Blue (200g)
  Green (200g)
  Infernal (500g)

• Strange Crossbow like metal tube

• Stinger, trapdoor spider (Claimed by Revna)

The Learning

• 1440 xp from treasure

• 125 xp from Trapdoor spider

The Cut

• 313 xp to each player-character
  157 xp to Raoden, Gan, and Alianor

• 18 dinars (gp) and 92 dirhams (sp) to each player-character
  10 dinars and 47 dirhams to Raoden, Gan, and Alianor

• Dice, bone (40g)

• 7 Books
  Ciamar a mharbhadh torc
  Essays on Gambling
  Shipping Documents
  ᴁ (Claimed by Revna)
  Дракула
  Tave Jidai Tvarka
  The Blessed Light, a spellbook: I. Light, II. Bless, III. Continual Light 

• 5 Flasks of Ink
  Black
  Red
  Blue
  Green
  Infernal

• Strange Crossbow like metal tube

• Trapdoor Spider stinger (Revna)

It is up to the company to decide whether to sell the various strange inks claimed from the so-called Infinite Library, or to keep them. Those in the company who wish to claim something may pony up the dinars from their personal hoards to "buy out" the item, the money thence to be divided by the remainder of the company.

As always, write-ups or art will earn a character 100 xp per level ... the scribes doubt that any map of the Library would prove useful, other than as a piece of art ...