diff --git a/sections/5-the-carrion-bird.md b/sections/5-the-carrion-bird.md index 997be2f..d2f9391 100644 --- a/sections/5-the-carrion-bird.md +++ b/sections/5-the-carrion-bird.md @@ -55,6 +55,12 @@ Do not tell any of this to your players. All of this will unfold gradually, as the PCs search for Rennick, and explore the city of Sigil. +Finding Rennick in the City of Sigil is a very nonlinear +part of the campaign. The PCs can go in any one of several +directions, and can pursue any one of several leads. The +DM will have to tie all of this together into a story that +flows together coherently. + ## First Sights of the City When the PCs emerge from the scrap dealer's tent, they step @@ -105,10 +111,225 @@ to get started, introduce them to Rico Sparks. ## Rico Sparks, the Tout -- Finding a Kip -- Searching for Rennick +As the PCs gape at the bazaar, a Tout named Rico Sparks +notices that the PCs are obviously not from Sigil. He sees +a business opportunity. Touts are information brokers, +their bread and butter is selling basic information +about the city to clueless visitors. -## Healing Pig +Rico is always over-the-top brash and cheerful. He uses +a *lot* of Sigil slang, and he also like to say "hey, baby!" +His favorite gesture: finger guns. + +He approaches the PCs and says, "Hey, cutters! I'm your +friendly neighborhood drug dealer, and the drug I sell is +easy access to information! Be careful, it's addictive!" + +Rico Sparks is a dwarf-human hybrid - technically, a "Mul." +He is the height of a human, but he is quite muscular. Muls +are entirely hairless. Rico is also plane-touched: his +fingers crackle with little sparks. + +Rico stands there grinning: "What do you think of the Cage? +You looking for a Kip? Or you want to get some bub first?" + +Rico is deliberately using slang that the PCs don't know +in order to make the PCs feel disoriented. This is a +business strategy that works for him, the more clueless +people feel, the more they want an information broker. + +If the PCs ask Rico what his race is, or why he gives off +sparks, Rico grins and says, "that information costs more +than you can afford, baby!" + +If you ask Rico why he calls himself a drug dealer, he says, +"Touts provide easy access to information, and easy access +to information is a drug. It makes you lazy, it makes you +stop trying to solve problems for yourself. Soon you'll find +yourself calling me because you need me to tell you how to +tie your shoes. That's my income stream, baby! Addicts who +can’t stop calling me to tell them what to do every minute +of the day.” + +Rico’s price structure is simple: "it costs 5GP to have a +conversation with me. First conversation’s free, baby, like +any good drug dealer!" During a conversation, he will gladly +answer all the questions you have, as long as he knows the +answer off the top of his head. Rico knows a lot about +what’s going on around the city, and he has good general +knowledge about many subjects, but he’s not a database of +all information in the universe. If you ask something that +requires research, he’s willing to do research, but he +charges 10GP per hour, sometimes more, depending on the +challenge level. If you ask Rico for information that might +put Rico in danger, then that’s a hard no. + +"If you want, you can retain my services. If you do that, +I'll show up every couple of days and see if you have +any questions. However, if I'm going to the trouble +of making myself available, there's something I want in +return: customer loyalty. You don't do business with +any other tout." + +"If you want to ask me a question and I'm not around, you +can summon me. To do that, tell any tout that you want to +talk to Rico Sparks. They'll get a message to me. +Summoning me costs 10gp, because it means I have to drop +everything and travel halfway across the city. If you do +that, it'll take me a few hours to get there." + +"You can also summon me fast. If you do that, I'll use +shortcuts to get to you - portals. But that costs me a lot +of money - I have to pay the owners of the portals. So +summoning me fast costs 30gp, but I can usually get there +in an hour." + +Rico is very good at extracting money from his customers. +However, he also does develop a fondness for some of +his customers: he is meant to become a friend to the PCs. +He will always charge quite a bit for his services, but +his information is reliable and he is going to do his best +to provide useful information. + +The PCs should probably ask Rico where to find Rennick. +Rico will ask the PCs, "what do you know about this Rennick?" +If the PCs point out that Rennick is a member of the +Fraternity of Order, then Rennick will suggest visiting +the courthouse. + + +## Taking Care of Pig + +If the PCs brought Pig along, then Pig follows them for a +while, and then gets tired. He settles into an empty spot +at the bazaar and starts playing his mandolin, and attracts +a small crowd. + +Eventually, this draws the attention of the landlord. The +bazaar is spread across several dozen plots of land owned by +several different landlords. Pig can play music for a few +days without being noticed, but eventually a landlord will +show up and ask the PCs, "does this Ogre belong to you?" +The PCs will have to negotiate to rent a plot of land where +Pig can play his music. + +Pig's artistry is good, he brings in enough money to pay +for food, shelter, the landlord, and maybe a little more on +the side. Pig is not picky about shelter, he doesn't mind +sleeping outside. + +Of course, the real reason Pig is tagging along is because +the PCs promised healing. Sigil has many powerful priests, +several of whom can cast "Greater Restoration," which is +what Pig needs. + +Rico Sparks can tell the PCs where to find a priest: he says +that temples are not allowed in Sigil ever since the +incident with the shattered temple. However, priests are +allowed to gather in "healing centers," which are not +allowed to hire more than one priest of a given god, in +order to avoid the perception that they are a temple. +Rico can point to several reputable healing centers in the +bazaar. + +If the PCs go to one of these, they will have to pay for the +Greater Restoration spell, which is expensive, but it gets +the job done. Pig doesn't heal immediately: the priest +explains that "Pig is recovering now, but he has lost a lot +of muscle mass. He will need lots of protein. Make sure he +eats like an ogre, and over the course of the next few +months, he'll get very strong." + +We are deliberately timing this so that Pig cannot provide +real combat assistance in *this* chapter, but he *will* be +able to fight in the next one. In the meantime, Pig will +play his music in the bazaar, mostly take care of himself, +and he will be *very* grateful to the PCs because he's +regaining his strength. + +If the PCs ask Pig to fight in *this* chapter, Pig refuses: +he's humiliated by his weakness and doesn't want anyone +to see him fight in this condition. But that will change +in a month or so. + +## Sergio and Jinn, the Xaositects + +After the PCs have had a chance to wander around the bazaar +a bit, have them make a perception check. They hear somebody +say the name "Rennick." It turns out that two Xaositects, +Sergei and Jinn, are searching for Rennick. Their strategy? +Just asking people at random on the street: "We're looking +for Rennick. Have you seen him?" + +Sergei is a Xaositect who has learned through the grapevine +that Rennick has gained the ability to predict random +events. Sergei, like most Xaositects, thinks this is an +abomination. He is on a mission to find an kill Rennick. +Fortunately for Rennick, Sergei is not very efficient. + +Sergei insists that he is the president of the Xaositects. +He occasionally changes his mind and decides he's the +"chairman" of the Xaositects, or the "emperor", or sometimes +even the "factol." + +The other Xaositect, Jinn, refuses to make any assertions +about anything. She explains: "Your friend tells you that +there's an excellent cheese shop about two blocks north. +But think about it: they could be lying. They could be +telling the truth, but they may have a bad sense of +direction. They may be misremembering. You may have +misheard them. They might just have terrible taste in +cheese. There are just so many different ways that our +knowledge can be broken. We act as if our knowledge is +good, but over and over it just turns out our memories, our +perception, or our communication is flawed. It's safer to +just assume you know nothing." + +Jinn has no hostility toward Rennick, because she doesn't +know anything about who Rennick is, or what he did, or... +well, she doesn't know anything about anything, really. + +However, Jinn has a supernatural ability to just be where +she needs to be, when she needs to be there. She does what +she needs to do, without knowing why she's doing it. Right +now, the universe has a purpose for her, and it involves +Rennick. So, she's searching for Rennick. She has no idea +why. + +Sergei calls Jinn "my secretary," or "my assistant," or "my +manservant." When he does, Jinn gets an irritated look on +her face, and sometimes she replies: "I'm not your servant." +Sergei knows how to push Jinn's buttons: "How do you know +you're not my servant?" Jinn has no answer for this. + +Sergei is a male bariaur, a LV4 fighter. Jinn is a female +water genasi. Her class is unknown - she has different skills +on different days. Jinn carries around a "loot bag," which +contains unexplained items that she has no idea where she +got them, but it often contains something relevant to what +she needs. + +The two Xaositects both come across as morons. For Sergei, +that perception is entirely deserved. Jinn is +knowledge-free, but also, extremely intelligent, which is a +strange combination. Unlike Sergei, she doesn't act like she +knows everything, and she actually does seem to be competent +at times. + +Each time the PCs go to another location, there's a +substantial chance that Sergei and Jinn will already be +there. This will happen over and over. The PCs show up, +and there are Sergei and Jinn asking passers-by about +Rennick. + +The reason for this is Jinn's special ability to +just be in the right place. But it's not the right time +yet, so she can't do what she needs to do yet. + +In addition to asking around about Rennick, the two +of them both enjoy drinking. Sometimes, when the PCs +show up, Sergei may already be passed out on the floor, +with Jinn just hanging around until he wakes up. ## Rennick's Office at the Courthouse @@ -120,8 +341,6 @@ to get started, introduce them to Rico Sparks. ## Rennick's House -## Sergio and Jinn, the Xaositects - ## The Mercenary from Ysgard ## The Greatest Show in Ysgard