There's a mechanical clatter from deep inside Faber's chest, like a handful of poorly fitted gears shifting and rattling, the closest the warforged can come to a hearty chuckle of amusement.
His metal form leans forward from where he's been looming in an attempt to look imposing in the background.
"That's good, Lady. Let me buy you a drink. What'll you have?"
Counting on her fingers and spelling under her breath, Pierce solved the riddle of Jordanna's name before saying "Ah, yes, thank you Faber! An ale for me, if you please."
Gator gave the group a weary smile. "Let's hold off on the alcohol until we find out if this is a 'leave tonight' or a 'first thing in the morning' job, hmm?"
"That's good, Lady. Let me buy you a drink. What'll you have?"
"Oh I'm content with tea," responds Elaydren. She then reaches into a coat pocket and places a mithral ring, inscribed with the House Cannith sigil, on the table. "It took Provost Geldem some manner of time to figure out the activation method for the journal he unearthed. You'll need this ring to reveal the book' secrets." Elaydren then pulls out a map with basic markings. “As mentioned previously, the location of the lost foundry is deep within the Dorasharn Tower. Fifty-seven levels below the tower’s present-day sewer system.”
She softly pushes both the map and the mithral ring towards Gator.
"You may burrow the ring, returning it alongside the relic upon success. Now, tell me, is anyone here familiar with schema?"
To know what a scheme is, you can roll an Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (History) check.
Finally having something of value to contribute to the proceedings Faber pulls an unoccupied seat up to the table and launches into an in depth monologue about the historical precedence and origins of schema, along with the differing theories from many schools of thought on how the schema may be reworked to improve their functionality. By the time he starts describing the theories of the Third Master Scholar of The Forge, he notices the eyes of his companions largely glazing over and realize that, once again, he's botched the social interaction at hand.
"Sorry, this was a topic of some interest of mine while I was off duty at The Forge..."
OoC: To be clear, I have no idea what schema is (or are), but Faber obviously knows a great deal.
Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
edited July 2020
As Faber describes, in intricate detail:
SCHEMA
Schemas are the magic of Eberron in recorded form. Dating back to the time of the Giants, schemas have been used to pass magical knowledge through the generations. An individual schema might be a few sigils carved into a stone tablet, or an elaborate scripted presentation on the torso of a warforged titan.
In most cases, an individual schema represents a specific magical building block. These blocks can be combined into magical patterns, storing power ranging from simple cantrips to world-shaking destruction. For example, a House Cannith magewright might use a simple pattern to quickly create hundreds of continual flame stones for use in street lamps.
"Oh, you're a fountain of knowledge!" cries out Elaydren. “The relic I seek is an adamantine plate in the shape of a seven-pointed star about the size of your hand. It has no special power by itself, but is an ancient schema, a piece of a pattern used by the Cannith artificers of old to craft unusual items. Recover this piece of history for us, and House Cannith will be extremely grateful.”
Faber's curiosity is sparked.
"Can you tell me what kind of items this was used to craft? How many additional components are required to accomplish the crafting? I hope you don't mind if I examine this closely before returning it to you, detailed sketches may further my knowledge and personal experiments..."
Faber continues chattering to himself long after the rest of the party as tuned him out.
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Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
"Can you tell me what kind of items this was used to craft? How many additional components are required to accomplish the crafting? I hope you don't mind if I examine this closely before returning it to you, detailed sketches may further my knowledge and personal experiments..."
Faber continues chattering to himself long after the rest of the party as tuned him out.
"Oh, that sort of information is beyond my domain. I was simply asked to assist the late Provost Geldem when he alerted House Cannith of Fairhaven of his discovery. Besides, I doubt anyone is to possess such information as its a relic from days far before our own. As to your second question, I put no such restrictions on any detailing you might do of the discovered relic prior to delivery. I do ask you refrain from any experiments, as I'd hate for the item to be damaged or changed in any way via scientific exploration."
Lady Elaydren d'Vown begins to pack up your small, personal items.
"Now, before I depart, are there any other questions on your end?"
OOC: Use Insight on the "that sort of information is beyond my domain / I doubt anyone is to possess such information as its a relic from days far before our own" bit; there's something about it Gator doesn't trust.
Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
Gator definitely senses that there is something that Lady Elaydren d'Vown is hiding. It isn't nefarious and certainly isn't connected to any schema, but she's been dancing around some secrets of her own.
"My lady, where shall we meet you after the quest is complete, to deliver the relic and relay the details of our glorious victories?"
"A fair question. I'll arrive here at the Broken Anvil at 8 p.m. the next three consecutive nights. If I don't see you after the third night, I must presume the worst."
Gator nodded. "For the safety of all involved, I will ask two things of you. First, stay safe. You've been seen with us, and we're connected to Bonal Geldem's death. The Lord of Blades might come after you as well, and his agents don't seem friendly to House Cannith.
"The second is, perhaps, more difficult. I sense you're holding something back. I will not pry into your personal affairs, as that is none of my business. But if you're hiding something that would endanger me or my comrades, it hurts your chances of us retrieving the artifact. If it is something we should know, please tell us. If not, we'll be on our way."
Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
"Oh, Gator. For the time being, I think I should be okay. As to your 'senses.' They are keen. But aren't we all beholden to secrets? Don't fret over mine, they mean you no harm."
Lady Elaydren d'Vown stands up and gathers herself before leaving your presence.
"Now that I think about it, Bonal did say that he would definitely need to bring fire on the expedition. I wonder what he meant? Anyway, I urge caution, but I am completely confident that you can handle anything you may encounter in your search.”
With that she leaves the Broken Anvil tavern.
It is noon and you are left with 100 gold coins, the map, and the mithral ring.
Noticing that it is about noon and time for the meeting, John finally moves from his watchout spot and heads inside the tavern. Seeing the group all around one table, he heads over.
Gator stood, welcoming the half-orc. "Well, the good news is that we have a job." The shifter picked up their pack, and slug it over their shoulder. "The bad news is that we should start on this now. Let's head back to the office and see what we can make of this situation."
OOC: Gator will head back to the somewhat shabby office, and lay out the book, map, and ring for anyone who wants to take a crack at investigating / decoding them. Gator will assist (give Advantage?) to anyone they can in their efforts.
“Back in a moment,” murmured Owenn, putting a final touch on the letter to Jordanna with two ‘n’s. “Don’t have time to wait for an answer before we move on the schema, but with a little luck, we might hear something back within three days.”
With a flourish, he pulled the parchment from the table and—leaving the quill and ink behind—left the Broken Anvil for the nearest Sivis message station.
OOC: Owenn is prepared to pay the messaging fee, plus—depending upon what’s left afterwards—up to 5 more gold pieces to bribe the gnome(s) he deals with it into haste. Even so, he knows it’ll take a couple of days to hear back from Jordanna d’Cannith.
In the (very formal) letter, Owenn says that he—a representative of the Mason’s Tower Detective Agency—has been tasked by Lady Elaydren d’Vown the retrieving an item in Sharn (he does not get more specific than this), but—due to sensitivities in the case—is checking with Lady Jordanna as Lady Elaydren’s cited character and professional reference. As this is time sensitive, he also requests a response to the Mason’s Tower Detective Agency at the Lady’s earliest possible convenience.
Sneaks on
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Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
Okay, so while Owenn is off at the nearest Sivis message station, you all are free to plan out your quest. This is the time where you'd study the map, procure any necessary equipment, assign team-roles during the quest, ect.
The map shows the way to reach the hidden foundry through a deeper exploration of the sewers of the Dorasharn Tower. Through reviewing the notes within the journal and the map, you come to understand that somewhere beyond the E-213 Valve Cluster you’ll find a sealed door with the same mark as the one on Bonal’s journal. As Bonal's writing suggests, opening the seal should reveal the tunnel beyond that will take you to the long forgotten level far below, where the foundry resides.
Faber excuses himself briefly and returns to his small domicile, grabs his mace and shield, as well as the rest of his adventuring gear, and utters a short prayer to the god of chains before returning to the meeting place. Unlike some in the group, he doesn't carry his arms with him as he moves through the city.
The chainmail is considerably more time consuming to remove or or reattach, so it tends not to be removed.
Returning to the party, Faber resumes a seat at the table, and studies they map closely, copying it onto a spare sheet of parchment while trying to commit as much of it to memory as possible.
While the quill pen darts across the paper he lays out his abilities to the party as they would apply to exploring a hostile environment.
"I have some limited ability to reforge flesh, but it'd be preferable if we could avoid reliance on my abilities to keep you intact. Instead, it'd be preferable if I took the hit instead of one of you.
Likewise, I lack the dexterity to disarm traps, and my ability to be stealthy is all but non existent. If we're planning on stealth being part of this mission, it's not going to be my part.
OoC: I'm thinking Zonugal meant "Discuss your characters abilities and limitations to determine what you'd normally be doing for the team on a dungeon crawl". I don't know how familiar we are with each others character preferences or play style, and while we're all level 1, there's still options when building that can alter the way a character plays. Spell lists, dex vs str, how important you consider Con, etc...
I like tanky clerics, so I built with that in mind. @zonugal, do we have cash to pick up some healing potions? If we have the money, are they available nearby?
Let me know if you want a roll for copying/memorizing the map.
see317 on
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Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
OOC: Is there any sort of preparatory research we can do? What sort of traps or creatures we can expect to face, how many rations we'll need, etc?
You could perform an Intelligence (History) and/or Intelligence (Nature) check to inquiry into what challenges you might face down in the sewers of the ancient parts of Sharn.
OoC: I'm thinking Zonugal meant "Discuss your characters abilities and limitations to determine what you'd normally be doing for the team on a dungeon crawl". I don't know how familiar we are with each others character preferences or play style, and while we're all level 1, there's still options when building that can alter the way a character plays. Spell lists, dex vs str, how important you consider Con, etc...
I like tanky clerics, so I built with that in mind.
This is correct. I just offered it as a suggestion for you all to possibly outline some general team roles during this delve ("I'll lead the group as I have experience in disarming traps" or ""Should we end up engaged in combat I'll offer ranged support from mid-distance"). Just a loose suggestion.
@zonugal, do we have cash to pick up some healing potions? If we have the money, are they available nearby?
Let me know if you want a roll for copying/memorizing the map.
You six have whatever equipment your class & background afforded you following character creation, and now a combined 100 gp from this meeting. Anything given a price in the Player's Handbook is readily accessible in Sharn (as its a metropolis). As to the map, if you want to recall something later it'll be an Intelligence roll (if you wanted to remember it perfectly you'd need the Keen Mind feat).
"I can be fairly stealthy when I need to be," John says "Though I'd rather dodge a hit than take one, I'm not too shabby at that. Suppose I'd better keep an eye out near the front of the line."
John tries to think if he has heard about anybody who has ventured down into the lower sewers of Sharn, and makes a plan to grab a Potion of Healing (50g) on the way out of town.
Zed nods to John, "I'll bring up the rear, keep everyone in front of me," nodding to the team, "nobody left behind." Zed had lost troops before, it's not a feeling one ever gets over.
Not overly familiar with Sharn's underground, Zed doesn't imagine he'll have anything meaningful to contribute to any preliminary recon
OOC: I’m assuming Owenn makes it back to the office by the time the book and the map have been reviewed, meaning he’d been on hand for the “course(s) of action discussion.
“I can keep my head down. Should be up front with John. If things get hairy, I’ll find cover and use the bow.”
Owenn sank into thought for a moment, then. His chair creaked as he leaned back in it.
“…Back when we first opened the journal, I thought—for just a second—that it might’ve been a decoy, looking blank and all. It wasn’t, of course, but if it had been, Geldem could’ve just handed it over, then arranged protection… or skipped town. He’d probably still be alive.
“With a decent kit—should run about five gold—I could assemble a decent forgery of the book. Given that it looks blank without the ring, I really only have to get the cover right. Could be a handy get-out-of-a-tight-spot card if the Lord of Blades tracks us down while we’re working… and we know he’s been staffing up.”
OOC: Owenn already has a forgery kit, but given that he’s talking about modifying the cover of a blank book, I figure leatherworker’s tools would also be necessary; that’s what the 5 GP would be for.
"A decoy journal is a good idea, but, assuming they know as much about the book as we do, that's only going to work until one of them tries to write in it or singe a page. The nature of the true journal prevents any such damage from affecting it. It might buy us a few seconds, but expecting it to be an exit for a tight spot...
I don't know, seems like we'd be relying on the enemy knowing a lot less about the journal than we know."
"I'm a guide and a scout," Gator offered. "I like to lead from the front, then fall back a few steps and shoot arrows over the shoulder of anybody carrying a shield or ridiculous amount of armor." The shifter grinned to themselves. "Though I do have a pair of short swords I can use if necessary."
Gator's focus changed to the cleric. "Faber, you've been around these parts for a while - or at least studied them, I presume? Let's put our heads together and see if we can come up with a list of possible threats that might be waiting for us."
OOC:@see317 Gator would like to Assist Faber on an INT/History check (give you Advantage on the roll).
"I can be fairly stealthy when I need to be," John says "Though I'd rather dodge a hit than take one, I'm not too shabby at that. Suppose I'd better keep an eye out near the front of the line."
John tries to think if he has heard about anybody who has ventured down into the lower sewers of Sharn, and makes a plan to grab a Potion of Healing (50g) on the way out of town.
John can't quite recollect anything of notable value.
OOC: see317 Gator would like to Assist Faber on an INT/History check (give you Advantage on the roll).
As he's drawing the copy of the map, Faber engages in a muted conversation with Gator regarding the history of the area, aligning them with Gator's own knowledge of the underground history and rumors, with a focus on the sewers of Dorasharn Tower.
Geth, roll 1d20+3 for history check
Geth, roll 1d20+3 for history check advantage
Edit: OoC: Now that may be the most advantageous advantage I've ever seen.
"A decoy journal is a good idea, but, assuming they know as much about the book as we do, that's only going to work until one of them tries to write in it or singe a page. The nature of the true journal prevents any such damage from affecting it. It might buy us a few seconds, but expecting it to be an exit for a tight spot...
I don't know, seems like we'd be relying on the enemy knowing a lot less about the journal than we know."
“You’re assuming they’ll be eager to sit down and test it in a sewer, quite possibly with us shooting at them. But even if it can’t be used to encourage a retreat, I’m absolutely willing to pay a little money and time now for a ‘few seconds’ between life and death later.”
Geth roll 1d20+5 for Forgery (Dexterity)
EDIT: Christ, why do I even try doing things?
Forgery (Dexterity):
1d20+512 [1d20=7]
Sneaks on
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Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
Oween Kemble manages to create a fake copy of the journal, but its real rough. From a distance it sort of looks like the journal, and would fool anyone who didn't examine the book with a keen eye or by just physically examining it.
Posts
His metal form leans forward from where he's been looming in an attempt to look imposing in the background.
"That's good, Lady. Let me buy you a drink. What'll you have?"
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"Anyone else want a drink?
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"Oh I'm content with tea," responds Elaydren. She then reaches into a coat pocket and places a mithral ring, inscribed with the House Cannith sigil, on the table. "It took Provost Geldem some manner of time to figure out the activation method for the journal he unearthed. You'll need this ring to reveal the book' secrets." Elaydren then pulls out a map with basic markings. “As mentioned previously, the location of the lost foundry is deep within the Dorasharn Tower. Fifty-seven levels below the tower’s present-day sewer system.”
She softly pushes both the map and the mithral ring towards Gator.
"You may burrow the ring, returning it alongside the relic upon success. Now, tell me, is anyone here familiar with schema?"
To know what a scheme is, you can roll an Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (History) check.
Geth, roll 1d20+3 for a history check
"Sorry, this was a topic of some interest of mine while I was off duty at The Forge..."
OoC: To be clear, I have no idea what schema is (or are), but Faber obviously knows a great deal.
"Oh, you're a fountain of knowledge!" cries out Elaydren. “The relic I seek is an adamantine plate in the shape of a seven-pointed star about the size of your hand. It has no special power by itself, but is an ancient schema, a piece of a pattern used by the Cannith artificers of old to craft unusual items. Recover this piece of history for us, and House Cannith will be extremely grateful.”
"Can you tell me what kind of items this was used to craft? How many additional components are required to accomplish the crafting? I hope you don't mind if I examine this closely before returning it to you, detailed sketches may further my knowledge and personal experiments..."
Faber continues chattering to himself long after the rest of the party as tuned him out.
"Oh, that sort of information is beyond my domain. I was simply asked to assist the late Provost Geldem when he alerted House Cannith of Fairhaven of his discovery. Besides, I doubt anyone is to possess such information as its a relic from days far before our own. As to your second question, I put no such restrictions on any detailing you might do of the discovered relic prior to delivery. I do ask you refrain from any experiments, as I'd hate for the item to be damaged or changed in any way via scientific exploration."
Lady Elaydren d'Vown begins to pack up your small, personal items.
"Now, before I depart, are there any other questions on your end?"
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Geth, roll 1d20+5 for Insight
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"A fair question. I'll arrive here at the Broken Anvil at 8 p.m. the next three consecutive nights. If I don't see you after the third night, I must presume the worst."
"The second is, perhaps, more difficult. I sense you're holding something back. I will not pry into your personal affairs, as that is none of my business. But if you're hiding something that would endanger me or my comrades, it hurts your chances of us retrieving the artifact. If it is something we should know, please tell us. If not, we'll be on our way."
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Lady Elaydren d'Vown stands up and gathers herself before leaving your presence.
"Now that I think about it, Bonal did say that he would definitely need to bring fire on the expedition. I wonder what he meant? Anyway, I urge caution, but I am completely confident that you can handle anything you may encounter in your search.”
With that she leaves the Broken Anvil tavern.
It is noon and you are left with 100 gold coins, the map, and the mithral ring.
"So..." He says, "Did I miss the party?"
OOC: Gator will head back to the somewhat shabby office, and lay out the book, map, and ring for anyone who wants to take a crack at investigating / decoding them. Gator will assist (give Advantage?) to anyone they can in their efforts.
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With a flourish, he pulled the parchment from the table and—leaving the quill and ink behind—left the Broken Anvil for the nearest Sivis message station.
OOC: Owenn is prepared to pay the messaging fee, plus—depending upon what’s left afterwards—up to 5 more gold pieces to bribe the gnome(s) he deals with it into haste. Even so, he knows it’ll take a couple of days to hear back from Jordanna d’Cannith.
In the (very formal) letter, Owenn says that he—a representative of the Mason’s Tower Detective Agency—has been tasked by Lady Elaydren d’Vown the retrieving an item in Sharn (he does not get more specific than this), but—due to sensitivities in the case—is checking with Lady Jordanna as Lady Elaydren’s cited character and professional reference. As this is time sensitive, he also requests a response to the Mason’s Tower Detective Agency at the Lady’s earliest possible convenience.
But I want you to remember that everything that proceeds from this was because of this.
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The map shows the way to reach the hidden foundry through a deeper exploration of the sewers of the Dorasharn Tower. Through reviewing the notes within the journal and the map, you come to understand that somewhere beyond the E-213 Valve Cluster you’ll find a sealed door with the same mark as the one on Bonal’s journal. As Bonal's writing suggests, opening the seal should reveal the tunnel beyond that will take you to the long forgotten level far below, where the foundry resides.
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
The chainmail is considerably more time consuming to remove or or reattach, so it tends not to be removed.
Returning to the party, Faber resumes a seat at the table, and studies they map closely, copying it onto a spare sheet of parchment while trying to commit as much of it to memory as possible.
While the quill pen darts across the paper he lays out his abilities to the party as they would apply to exploring a hostile environment.
"I have some limited ability to reforge flesh, but it'd be preferable if we could avoid reliance on my abilities to keep you intact. Instead, it'd be preferable if I took the hit instead of one of you.
Likewise, I lack the dexterity to disarm traps, and my ability to be stealthy is all but non existent. If we're planning on stealth being part of this mission, it's not going to be my part.
OoC: I'm thinking Zonugal meant "Discuss your characters abilities and limitations to determine what you'd normally be doing for the team on a dungeon crawl". I don't know how familiar we are with each others character preferences or play style, and while we're all level 1, there's still options when building that can alter the way a character plays. Spell lists, dex vs str, how important you consider Con, etc...
I like tanky clerics, so I built with that in mind.
@zonugal, do we have cash to pick up some healing potions? If we have the money, are they available nearby?
Let me know if you want a roll for copying/memorizing the map.
Getting to the tower would take you likely an hour, but the bigger issue is finding the E-213 Valve Cluster.
You could perform an Intelligence (History) and/or Intelligence (Nature) check to inquiry into what challenges you might face down in the sewers of the ancient parts of Sharn.
This is correct. I just offered it as a suggestion for you all to possibly outline some general team roles during this delve ("I'll lead the group as I have experience in disarming traps" or ""Should we end up engaged in combat I'll offer ranged support from mid-distance"). Just a loose suggestion.
You six have whatever equipment your class & background afforded you following character creation, and now a combined 100 gp from this meeting. Anything given a price in the Player's Handbook is readily accessible in Sharn (as its a metropolis). As to the map, if you want to recall something later it'll be an Intelligence roll (if you wanted to remember it perfectly you'd need the Keen Mind feat).
John tries to think if he has heard about anybody who has ventured down into the lower sewers of Sharn, and makes a plan to grab a Potion of Healing (50g) on the way out of town.
Geth, roll 1d20 for History
Not overly familiar with Sharn's underground, Zed doesn't imagine he'll have anything meaningful to contribute to any preliminary recon
“I can keep my head down. Should be up front with John. If things get hairy, I’ll find cover and use the bow.”
Owenn sank into thought for a moment, then. His chair creaked as he leaned back in it.
“…Back when we first opened the journal, I thought—for just a second—that it might’ve been a decoy, looking blank and all. It wasn’t, of course, but if it had been, Geldem could’ve just handed it over, then arranged protection… or skipped town. He’d probably still be alive.
“With a decent kit—should run about five gold—I could assemble a decent forgery of the book. Given that it looks blank without the ring, I really only have to get the cover right. Could be a handy get-out-of-a-tight-spot card if the Lord of Blades tracks us down while we’re working… and we know he’s been staffing up.”
OOC: Owenn already has a forgery kit, but given that he’s talking about modifying the cover of a blank book, I figure leatherworker’s tools would also be necessary; that’s what the 5 GP would be for.
I don't know, seems like we'd be relying on the enemy knowing a lot less about the journal than we know."
Gator's focus changed to the cleric. "Faber, you've been around these parts for a while - or at least studied them, I presume? Let's put our heads together and see if we can come up with a list of possible threats that might be waiting for us."
OOC: @see317 Gator would like to Assist Faber on an INT/History check (give you Advantage on the roll).
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John can't quite recollect anything of notable value.
As he's drawing the copy of the map, Faber engages in a muted conversation with Gator regarding the history of the area, aligning them with Gator's own knowledge of the underground history and rumors, with a focus on the sewers of Dorasharn Tower.
Geth, roll 1d20+3 for history check
Geth, roll 1d20+3 for history check advantage
Edit: OoC: Now that may be the most advantageous advantage I've ever seen.
Geth roll 1d20+5 for Forgery (Dexterity)
EDIT: Christ, why do I even try doing things?