Chapter 6, Part III: Tales of Boymin
The Platinum Talons woke up in the Shoalbank Inn, ready to head off to find some quests that would up their reputation and ranking at the AGI.
J3551CA alerted them that she was able to fully synchronize with the AGI main server, and could access nearby quests from Platinum City. Connecting to this server also allowed her to add in the AG job they did for Grooge in 351 EoW, their new score pushing them up to fourth place in the Novice tier.
They began the voyage back to Boymin with their horses and wagon, and are stopped at a bridge between Shoalbank and Boymin by a few Boymin officials who were collecting a toll for the re-building of Boymin following the destruction caused by the Darkness. The Platinum Talons argued that they shouldn't have to pay the toll because they were responsible for helping to clear the darkness. The officer recognized them and let them pass. A few of the Talons offered some donations, totaling less than the original requested toll, before they continued on to the city.
They headed to the AGI, where they picked up a quest for Holden Veeps, the captain of a mercantile boat which had sunk right off the pier. He asked their help, specifically, with retrieving his most important object, a mid-sized box with a single wax seal of a rat. He also offered them a much smaller reward for any additional boxes they managed to collect.
As they prepared to dive in, the ships deckhand called out to be careful of the shark that was spotted in the area. Xerxes and Drez tied two 50 foot ropes together and donned their caps of water-breathing. After swimming about halfway to the bottom, Xerxes's cap broke and he began to drown.
Drez saved Xerxes from drowning, and the group managed to both kill the shark and retrieve almost all of the boxes, totaling a very solid reward from Captain Veeps.
Xerxes investigated his cap in order to figure out why it had suddenly stopped working. The Brawlmart logo on the inside rim gave birth to a new theory regarding the craftsmanship of the product.
Talking with the captain, the crew learned that he is related to Jebediah Veeps, the first known shark hunter from Ardesia. Firebrook gave money to the Captain to invest in his mercantile company.
After completing the quest, the Talons grabbed another quest from the AGI, and headed over to Baxter Corners to learn why Cal Badgley owed him money and why the other man hadn't paid. They learned that Cal was supposed to fix the hole in Baxter's roof, but never did.
They went to see Cal, and when they mentioned Baxter, he ran further into the house. Firebrook broke in via starlight step and confronted the man in his home. He explained that he couldn't fix Baxter's ceiling because the money was stolen from him and also, he contracted some kind of disease that affected his hands, called Chicken Croup. Xerxes healed Cal's hands with a blast of lesser restoration from the Warden's shield, and the party said they would gather up the resources necessary to help Cal complete the job. They were able to cobble together the necessary items and Cal then went to fix Baxter's roof.
The party investigated the area where Cal said he was robbed and were unable to find any leads. They also headed to Lumi's Temple and found out from their favorite clerics, Hermes and Yobin, that there was an outbreak of Chicken Croup that they had been healing over the last few days.
They visited Fodley Farm, having learned that Cal had repaired a barn there the night he was mugged.
Hitting a dead end, the Talons collected their reward money from Baxter, promised Cal if they found his money, they would get it back to him, and returned to the AGI, where they picked up the last available quest, assisting Mr. Fodley with issues surrounding his crops getting trampled at night.
They staked out the farm, watching the cornfield until after the sun went down. Near midnight, they saw movement in the field, and quickly learned that some of the scarecrows had come to life. They took the monsters down, and, upon investigating the straw bodies, found valuables and a pouch with 300 GP in it, which they easily determined was Cal Badgley's money.
Would our heroes return this citizen's money, or would they consider it Hero Tax? Only time would tell.