The Town of Brentwood: Day 1

Like I said before, most of the escorted group moved on to Silverport, but the Valshans and the Telari stayed for the wedding. The Valshans were the the Ruby Clan members with the Topaz servant and the Telari were the family with the kids that Kniana seemed to buddy up with. The city was erupting with people everywhere it looked to me like the festival of jewels part two. After our little group split to go about our day, I ended up finding the Cracked Tankard. It was the local handyman store and general goods. Seemed to have everything from raw wood to some rather shoddy tools. I mean who doesn't sell all masterwork??? I don't think they often have Snaggletooth come through here, or if they do none with quite as much demand. The cleric was quite pleasant if not a bit dumbfounded by my purchase. I told him I was wanting to purchase all of his supplies to which he asked me to wait outside for about 5 minutes while he closed the store and ran off to find someone else. I took my time to haul by material bag out of my cart and he returned with a kitsune woman from the Kaze Clan I believe. Laurena was to witness this transaction as I don't think this man has ever seen this much money let alone have to explain it to anyone. Overall I spent 8400 gold on the more mundane components for my work. Though after sorting through it I only netted about 7000 gold of supplies. I suppose it can't be helped since they are the only shop of the sort in town and I bought almost everything, but still was sour for me trying to manage supplies. I even helped clear out their storage shed in back. It took quite a while for them to count it all up, verify inventories and all the paperwork, and pack everything away into my bag. The shopkeep told me that for the supplies that are more magical in nature I would have to go find Carla in the Firelilly Tavern. So that is were I went after making a local man very wealthy.
I ended up at the tavern which seemed strangely short staffed when I came around {Laurena lol}. After a bit of waiting and a bit of asking, she pointed me to a local alchemist just outside of town. She does brews and crafting locally and receives supplies often enough. She lives right on the edge of the forest but tends to make more finished items than supply selling. I should have the coin to sway her into sharing some though.
On my way out of town to the alchemist, Eval found me and joined. Apparently he had business with this alchemist too. He heard around the town that they are growing the blackened flowers. This worried me a bit as RRRoshin's worries seem to be appearing to me at the time with this masked group with the flowers after the amulet in the wedding. I might be able to learn some from them regardless of their affiliation, I just have to leave out that my group are interrupting the masked cult's plan. Well, we took a path that lead out of town and about five minutes outside we saw a fence. We followed the path through and around a bend there was a hut. This hut had several large plants and flowers like those of the Wildflower Forrest we visited. Some of the plants were four or five feet in diameter! I don't really like being amongst this after what happened last time, but no lake and I need supplies! The area was very pleasant, very colorful with the house overgrown with these plants and a glass greenhouse in the back. A catfolk that looks like she is 120 [years old] was smoking a pipe on the front deck as we rode up. I asked if she was the one we were pointed to and she said yes that she does alchemy and amulets, salves and healing. I asked her if I could purchase some of her supplies and she agreed. She shakily grabbed her walking stick and went inside her house to grab a ring of keys. Eval and I followed her around the side of her house and peeked at the glass greenhouse. Inside a large center bed grew about a dozen of the strange flowers. Eval asked her about them to which she replied that they were a new discovery that have popped up in the last few months. She said that they were quite odd and resilient and that they grew best in a humid environment. Much to my dismay, Eval mentioned that I've been carrying a few AND mentioned their nefarious connections. I would have liked to ease into it more and try to judge her motivations about the flowers... She did come to mention that the bees in the area started avoiding the flowers after a few days. We did mention that the flowers tend to spawn when certain individuals come and go {the tainted}. She said that she hadn't noticed any unusual goings on round her area of the forest. She ended up opening her workshop in the back after opening many locks with her many keys. I should guess to keep the more mischievous fey out. Once open she used a simple spell to light up various candles around and opened a high up window so that we could see. Eval whispered to me to be ready to run as he was getting a bad feeling. Eh, there was a horse just chilling inside but now that I think of it why lock in a horse? Don't they need space? Not really my concern for now though. I looked around and she had shelves on shelves of materials! A plethora of ingredients and useful items. Their was so many nice things. She mostly makes her own things and lately has been more healing stuffs and even some anti-venom. Sounds like the increase of people has also increased number of injuries. I should hope whoever needed the anti-venom had the creature dealt with, I might have to be careful. She did say that she is getting a rather large shipment of materials in a few days so that I can buy what I need of her stock. Heh, little she did know how much I have. She did point out a placard and showed me an award for being the armature crafter of the 235 Coppertail and Snaggletooth Brotherhood crafting competition! Ah, a fellow coinsure of the fine makers! We chatted about the GOW a bit and I agreed to pass a letter to the GOW from her signed as from the Old Woman of Brentwood. This nice lady gave me an incredible deal for supplies! she gave me a 50% discount! I only took 6000gp of supplies as to not clean her out completely, but I gave her a total of 3600gp for being so kind and going through the trouble. I still end up with an extra 1000gp worth of supplies ahead of what I spent today so I'm happy.
While moving everything around, we kept chatting a bit. Turns out she's lived here since Brentwood was built. Her and her late husband built this house and became good friends with the mayor's family. I ended up giving her a copy of the letter I have for the guild and gave her some of the notes I had over the flowers as I have had them. When I mentioned the color change in the wood she told us of a tree near where she found a flower had darkened bark where the flower was. One darkened tree even had crimson grassy moss growing near it. She didn't mess with that at all. She talked about the "terrors" of the forest that are told to keep the children out. Eval is worried by the mention of it and wanted to go check it out, but it was four hours deeper into the forest and was already getting late. I still want to take advantage of our early arrival to sell.
On our way back to town Eval asked about winds being strange inside her storage. He is suspicious of her for it. Other than the horse being locked in, it doesn't really bother me. She seems to be beneficial to the local community and at least familiar to the GOW. I tell him that everyone has their own motives and drives. I don't tend to fault others for that. I even mentioned to him that although I don't like our masked man; I'm not convinced that he is pure evil or corrupting or whatever. I do wonder what she does with the regular large shipments though... I might have to try to convince the others to stay in Brentwood a bit longer. Might even try to visit her and maybe learn some of her crafting tricks.
 
Once we made it back to town we went to a building with a wooden front and a stone back. I had a slip to cash at the local bank. It wasn't busy and I was able to get everything settled quickly. I hand over the promissory note from the Valshans and get the receipt. I end up leaving 5250gp in the bank to pay back Maki once I catch up with him. As safe as my cart is, I'd rather keep what is his separate. The other 6750gp I secured inside of the box that the Rubies gave to me originally and put that inside my material bag. I'd like to have liquid assets with me for any unexpected material acquisition.
After that little bit I was ready to set up shop. Most people that stopped by were more curious of Bessy than last minute gifts for the wedding. Many asked if I was some sort of bakery or other shop. Ugh, just an unfruitful afternoon. I packed it in and headed to the Firelilly to meet Kniana and the others for the evening. On the way Eval came with and asked about possibly going north after this wedding. I said sure It'd be cool to see Grenwell. Just a misunderstanding he meant like 2 days to check out a well or something. I agree as I would rather travel with this group after our little fey run in before. I told him I sill want to get back to Naan to get et the vault again. He asked when I was in it before, and I told him it was during most of their fights of the competition. He seemed crestfallen that I wasn't there for the whole fight, but I told him I did see most of the last match and how good they were.
 
Once we got to the Firelilly, we met up with pretty much everyone about 6pm. Kniana was talking to some strange looking figure dark skin, bright eyes, and human? Named something like Emery of the South. I've never heard of such a title before, and it sounds kind of stupid since Naan is already about the furthest south main city. This one may have a screw loose. Kniana mentioned that he poured some dust into a lake or pond or something in town then plucked something out after the water level fell. I told her it sounded like he created a Bead of Water from some Dust of Dryness to me. After listening to everyone talk to him a bit he seemed uncomfortable and kept trying to leave. Kniana was able to keep him around longer with threats from Clan Dire and accusations of stalking or something. They made mention of some group called Silver Knights. They are some holy order zealots founded by the mad king Islomon that fight all things evil. Apparently Kniana's clan has dealt with them before hunting down some individuals. As Kniana was telling us this Emery slipped away. She said that he used illusinary spells? Eh, easy come easy go. Kniana then pulled out of her bag a bundle of tea she had purchased from an intresting vendor. I went and grabbed my jug for hot water and Eval pulled out a strange apparatus saying he was going to make coffee what ever that is. We start a tea sampling party as Skrel pulled out a jar of Holigold tea [healing] according to him. He gave it to Eval as he seemed to attract injuries in fights. He also offered an Ubral brew saying somethign about flexability? That is one strange ratfolk but I can't blame him for getting 2 meals from this tavern, smelled great. I sampled a bit from the various teas and watched Eval fiddle around with steeping some kind of bean in his device. The stuff was pretty bitter, but some honey from kniana offset it. Turns out that this coffee is stronger than the teas I'm used to as I became absolutely WIRED and went on a crafting rampage. This all happened around 7pm as Kniana went to go to some meeting and I think Lilly went too?
 
~raw~
valshans (ruby with servant) and telari (catfolk with kids), staying for sedding, others to silverport and beyond, big event, like fest of jewels pt2, fin the cracked tankard, handman and general store, check out what they have for supplies, lots of mundane crafting, some other general crafting mats, talk to carla at firelilly for more magical local sourcing, in more mundane to buy entire section of the store, leave to get bag of holding out of cart, he closes store to go off to get another person, 5 mins later, get a person from the Kaze clan to oversee trade, laurena sp? is person. spend 84o plat for 700 plat of mats, I manage to take everything i need from store, and a lot from the back, spend considerable time to count and pack it all, now to go find carla, bar seem short staffed at time, carla comes from the back, local alchemist just outside of time does brews, does crafting, receives supplies often enough just outside town tward west edge near forest. tends to do finished more than supplies. meet eval on the way, said that person outside of town is growing the blackened flowers, i see rrroshin's potential issues. path to forrest about 5ish mins outside of town see fence and find hut deeper around bend, see several large plants and flowers at 4-5ft in diameter, lot like wildflower forest, very colorful pretty, house very overgrown, glass greenhouse in back, woman in front on approach smoking pipe. she does alchemy and amulets, she shakily gets up and grabs stick to walk across porch goes inside, gets ring of keys and i follower her around side of house, Eval looking around the area, see inside glass house large center bed with about 12 of THE flowers planted. eval asked about those, is a new discover popped up in last few monts, "quite odd quite resilient" seem to do best in humid conditions, eval tells her about how I have a few, and mentions nefarious connections. says bees seem to not like them, not noticed many strange interactions, bees avaoid after a few days. flowers tend to spawn when certian individuals come and go, nothing really unusual came and go round forest, unlocked several locks on door, many keeys many locks, she lights a fe candles with magic and opens windows, eval wispered to be ready to run as the area fealt off, a horse just chillin inside, lots of shelves and plethora of materials, so much nice stuff! she make her own things, lately need more healings and stuff and an anti-venom. she's getting a rather large shipment in a few days, she points at plackard, takes it and shows me she was the amature crafter of 235 coppertail and snaggletooth brotherhood crafting competition!, agree to help pass a letter to GOW, she can give me half pay 300plat for 600plat of materials (catfolk that looks like 120 years old), end up slipping her an extra 60 plat for her for her trouble. still have a gain of 1000gp of material value, she lived since brentwood was built, she and late husband built house, good friends with mayor's family, explains that bark on side of tree bark was as as dark as it was by flower, one tree dark in nature had a reddish grassy moss growing around face was crimson in color. she didnt touch or go near it. about 4 hours deeper into forest, eval is worried by it, i have other bussniess in town, warning about "terrors" of forrest to keep children out, get GOW letter from the old woman of brentwood, head back to town, eval asks about winds being strange insider her storage, he has suspicions of her from it, i dont really care as she seems to be benificial to the community, everyone has motives and drives, I dont tend to doubt them for that even say dont like the masked man, but not convinced that he is pure evil or w/e.
go to bank wood front and stone back, not busy, banker charges letters and gives recipts and cashes promisary note, leave 525 plat in bank to pay back maki, set up as a shop to craft, most people just currious about bessy ask about if im this or that for shops, bakery ect. no bussniss that evening. approx start at 5 pm. Eval asks about maybe an adventure up north 2 days after this, I say sure like to travel with them for protection (nicer), want to make it back to naan for vault, Eval seems crestfallen that I wasnt ther for the whole fight after telling him i was in one before, we head to the firelilly to meet up with group kniana and lilly and skrel, about 6 pm, talking to emery of the south? used some powder of dryness in a water body or something (He created a an bead of water with dust of dryness by knianas description). he keeps trying to leave, but Kniana keeps him arround with conversation and threats from clan dire. silver knights?, he slippes away as we talk amongst ourselves, he used illusinary spells? silver knights attending wedding, knights are holy order founded by mad king in isolomon, fight all things evil, very zealot, kniana's clan has deat with them b4, they hunt down individual, kniana pulled out bag from a bundel of tea, said she found an intresting tea vendor, i grab jug eval get a weird upperattus and we start a tea trial parts shady skrel gave a jar of <holigold tea> to eval as a heal for our fights. also offers an umbral brew. try each of the teas and coffee from eval, get WIRED from caffenine, bout 7 pm, go on a crafting fueled rampage!
-before leaving, get sugar, get fruit tree logs-