Sands of Vishdar: An Arabian Nights D&D 5e Adventure

David laughed a bit, "Oh man, just like the stories back home. Trust me, they always talk in the end buddy, they always talk in the end."

He had a few ideas, he couldn't cast charm person but if he rested first...

For now, "I may have a few suggestions on interrogation, if we can find one of his friends we could use the Ginger Beer trick."

...Wonder if he realizes the most people kinda ran off... The rogue did their best to stop themselves from giggling at the dramatic drow, oblivious...or simply being unsure what to suggest to help the guards...and looking slightly concerned at the tiefling and tried to give a reassuring smile.

"Hey...hey, are you alright, Ifrit?"

Ifrit shook her head and flashed a quick smile. ”Im fine. Just a little shocked at everything”

Ifrit then turn to face the guards. She had crossed the guards. Well maybe one or two but they were regulars. So she guessed a harmless prank was ok. But today she hadn’t cast harmless magic, she just hoped she wouldn’t get in trouble for fighting.

”Ummm.. Are we in trouble? I didnt mean to add to the trouble..”, She hesitantly asked.

Amaar laughed slightly.

"Trouble? No, you're in no trouble, tiefling," he assured her. "The only ones in trouble here are these thugs here," he pointed out, gripping the struggling figure currently bound in the rope in his arms. "Now if we're quite done, we should get to the palace. If this human really has some ideas on how to get answers out of them I'd like to find them out."

As the assembled group started to make their way towards the palace, the guard helping to keep the incapacitated figures still while they were carried back to the palace, Mirahzad looked at the new heroes.

"I must say, you were all brave back there," Mirahzad told them. "It takes courage to stand up to people like that. I'm Mirahzad, that's Durkhan, and this is Captain Amaar. What are your names?" she greeted.

Edited by AllHailThrall on Jun 13th 2020 at 10:53:00 AM

"My name is David Helstram, I'm a Wizard. I'm looking to learn more about the different ways magic and arcana interact with the world," David said.

He looked across the group, he had a few ideas and he'd need them, "Ginger beer trick back home, it's an effective means of interrogation, especially what I have in mind."

"I already said it my friend; Orphie Highcavern, bardic master."

He smiled, stepping back to his chest to close it up given the frackas has scared away the local customer base.

"I heard you lot had princess problems. How wonderful then that I myself am a most perfect professional princess procurer of patient p-"

He stumbles over his words a little, it seems his lapse into alliteration was mostly accidental and he's struggling with a proper word to fit where his mind was going.

"Demeanor. Patient... Demeanor. And I would be glad to assist with the effort to return the missing scion of the ruling family because it is the right thing to do and the fact that there is a grand reward is merely a bonus."

Amaar raised an eyebrow slightly but nodded.

"I see," Amaar responded. "Well, any assistance is greatly appreciated, as I said. As it stands you can help with getting some answers out of these ruffians. Your.... uh, ginger beer trick may come in handy yet, David," he said, seeming unconvinced but regardless leading the assembled group towards the palace, climbing the flights of stairs towards the entrance.

Architecturally speaking, the palace was the crown jewel of Vishdar. Sparkling sandstone and marble walls decorated with gold and stained glass windows made the palace seem to glow. Lush trees and flower bushes decorated the palace grounds, irrigated with a combination of highly sophisticated waterworks and magic. The palace guards at the front door held firm but stepped aside once Amaar approached the doors.

"At ease, men, they're with us," Amaar told them. A couple more guards helped to bring the unconscious and newly-waking robed figures into the palace.

If the outside of the palace was impressive, the inside was breathtaking. The inside of the palace was lavishly decorated with the finest silk and imported rugs. Austere pillars supported walls decorated with intricate and colorful mosaics.

Palace servants darted from place to place while guards stood watch at every corner, looking at the newly-invited outsiders carefully.

"We're heading towards the dungeon," Durkhan explained. "To drop off our new guests."

"The decadent filth of the royals knows no equal..." one of the prisoners murmured venomously.

"Silence!" Amaar shouted at him.

David smirked a bit, "It'll work. Trust me... Incidentally," David said looking between the Bard and the Dancer, "I may need an extra set of hands, tell me, which one of you two want to help? It'll be very important."

"I'm quite the social butterfly. Though depending on the 'mood' you're going for it might be a problem having such an ominous and intimidating elf as I with you."

If that was a joke, it wasn't obvious. Orphie did not cut a particularly imposing physical figure so if he thought himself frightening it was probably purely due to him being a Drow.

"At least we're alright~ Could've been a lot worse~" Feli cheerfully replied to the tiefling.

Although it did take a few moments for the half-elf to notice the guards and that wizard guy asking two different questions and giving a slightly nervous smile. "...Huh?! Oh, uh, F-Feli. Kinda live here already, actually." They replied before turning to David, twirling a strand of hair around a finger.

"That depends on what you need me to help with~? I dunno if some nice words will get 'em to talk if that's your plan, but...~"

”I’m Ifrit.”

Ifrit looked around as they made their way to palace. This was her first time anywhere near the palace, she just wish it was for a better reason then beating up some people. She gave David a weird look when he bought up ginger beer. A little uncomfortable with David attitude she decided to stay closer to Feli and Orphie.

”Im not sure if I can be much help.”

David smiled, "I have my methods, I'll let you know how they work once these guys aren't listening," he said gesturing to the robed figures.

Safie gave the dark elven bard the occasional glare as they returned to the palace, but said nothing, merely falling in with the other guards. As they arrived, she promptly realized neither she nor Mirahzad had introduced her. Whoops. Well, there'd be an opportunity later. Or not, and it would just be awkward. Or someone would call her out, and it would be even more awkward. That was a 'later' problem though.

For now, there was this matter of interrogating the miscreants. The wizard had proposed an idea which sounded rather innocuous... which meant it was probably incredibly unpleasant. That was how interrogation techniques usually went.

She pushed such thoughts out of her mind. That was, again, a 'later' problem. For now, she simply kept a close watch on the prisoners - sure, they were bound and, for the most part, rather beat up, but they still seemed spirited enough to try and make a break for it if they saw an opening.

After passing through a few beautiful halls, Amaar led the group to a door flanked by two more guards. The guards stepped aside and let the group enter a hallway descending down a dimly-lit staircase.

After an uncomfortably long time descending, the group reached the bottom, finding cramped dingy dark cells. Finally finding an opportunity, the guards firmly stood the tied up prisoners and tossed them into the cells.

One of the guards began to search the prisoners to confiscate any of their weapons (including their scimitars) while Amaar looked on, hands behind his back.

"Now that we've got these ruffians down here, they shouldn't be any more trouble," Amaar pointed out. "Once we've made sure they're not hiding anything else, follow me into the guard quarters, David, and tell me about this plan you've got."

Finally, the prisoners' robes were pulled away from their bodies, leaving them in trousers. They were a group of humans, shaved bald with bizarre-looking tattoos on their shoulders and backs. One of them, a younger man with a stubbly mustache, glared at Orphie in particular, while the others mainly focused their ire on Safie and Amaar.

Mirahzad was examining something odd she pulled from the robes of the prisoners.

"Hey, anyone know anything about magic?" she asked. "Check this out. I found these on their person. They look like potions," she said. Indeed, they were small vials filled with wispy grey liquid.

David nods and follows the Guard Captain, smirking a bit, before letting out a evil sounding laugh in the direction of the prisoners as he walks off.

Orphie looked at the potion vials and let out a soft hum.

"Give me ten minutes and a pearl worth at least a hundred gold pieces and I'll have a little Identify ritual warmed up in a jiffy. The pearl is not me just trying to get paid, it is legitimately required for the spell and I can't just substitute it for playing my lyre."

Which is correct. If a price is listed for an item in a spell's casting cost you can't use a Component Pouch or Focus (which for Bards can be their instrument) to replace it. Orphie is of course intending to cast Identify ritually because he doesn't have any spell slots to do it quickly.

It was a little difficult for the half-elf to remain composed as they couldn't help but happily glance around at what the palace interior was like, eyes sparkling and a smile on their face try their best to avoid staring at anything expensive or flashy and give the wrong idea.

"Huh? Oh, yep, better to leave the magic to...uh, anyone else that isn't me." The half-elf shrugged before looking rather bewildered at the drow.

"How...how exactly does something that small and shiny and that much gold make magic happen? Is the pearl also magic?"

Ifrit decide to ignore David and his activities for the moment. Instead she decide to inspect the prisoners. While true she wasn't formally trained in magic, She did know a little.

“I wonder what kinda marking those are?”

+4 to arcana checks

Amaar nodded at David, starting towards the guard quarters.

"Durkhan, keep an eye on the prisoners," Amaar ordered. "I'll be back momentarily while I listen to what this western mage has to say." With that, he exited the room, smirking a little as David played up his plan for the prisoners, who looked among each other with barely-hidden concern.

Making a Persuasion check for Orphie with disadvantage. 1d20+5 = 8 (3+5). Just because it's correct, doesn't mean that he'll just give valuable jewels from the treasury to an outsider he doesn't know yet for free.

When Orphie asked for a valuable pearl, Durkhan's face turned stone-cold.

"Do you expect us to give a jewel from the palace treasury to a stranger like yourself?" he asked, incredulous. "An outsider, no less? You've got to be joking. Of course not." Mirahzad furrowed her brow and looked at the dwarf.

"Durkhan," Mirahzad responded. "He's trying to help. And he's being honest about this, I can tell. Sure, he's not from around here. But—"

"What would the Sultan say about this? With His Majesty on his deathbed, I will not hand away the royal jewels to just anyone who asks!" Durkhan insisted. "It's just not done. I know how important this is, but the kingdom is already balancing on a knife's edge as it is."

As Durkhan and Mirahzad argued, a smirk formed on the faces of the prisoners, just watching the heated discussion ensue.

David talked with the Captain for a bit, laughing a bit, and then saying loud enough for the room to hear, "Make sure they're extra fizzy!"

He turned back to everyone else, and motioned for the Bard to come over.

GM and I have already discussed plan.

"Egh, fine. Someone can take a sip of the potion and check it. Not me though I'd rather not risk it."

Orphie then perked an eyebrow at being beckoned over and of course stepped right on over there.

"And what do you need hm?"

David pulled Orphie close and started to whisper the plan, gesturing to the prisoners.

Safie kept watch over the prisoners, seeing as all of the other guards were distracted either arguing or plotting. She unbelted her greatsword, setting it aside and leaning it against the wall. She pulled up a chair, sitting in it backwards a short distance from the cultist. She folded her arms on the back of the chair.

"I'm sure you've noticed the wizard and Captain Amaar have a plan. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure it won't be particularly pleasant. We can all avoid that unpleasantness if you cooperate."

Hopefully, given their concerned looks earlier, they'd be more amenable to a reasoned plea which would let them avoid that.

Hoping to roll persuasion at +4, and hoping that David counts as helping.

Orphie smirks as he steps back, giving a little bow before clearing his throat.

"I told you, I'm just a traveler, I'm not with—! Aaaaaah!"

Orphie visually is perfectly fine, he's just trying to vocally act super hard as long as he's out of line of sight (but still within earshot) of the prisoners.

"R-reeeeeal funny inflicting pain like that! Cool trick but I'm still not part—"

He feigns a splutter, throwing in a couple of stomps against the ground.

"I'm an outsider but I'm not—! Is it because I'm a Drow? Is that it? ... What, I just use Sleep cause I don't like hurt—"

And now, one last labored cough and a line a little quieter than the rest.

"N-no, you're a..? That's how you... A Flayer..? I never stood a chance..."

Orphie falls silent and tries his hardest not to start laughing because that would ruin the trick.

Performance or Deception roll I suppose?

Ifrit jumped a little when Orphie start his little rant. Since David and Orphie were attempting a plan to get more info, she decide to share the info she gained with Safie and Feli. She attempts to draw them to the far side of the holding cells.

”I learnt some thing~”, she whispered.