Ulf reckons that Colour Spray and Magic Missile are much better than Spook or Floating Disc.
Ulf is very happy to follow Osvald around. He wants to make a Totem! 
Maybe all the senior Vikings should go trading together. Does anyone else want to stay with the ship, or would Hendrik, Redbeard and the thralls be enough?
The problem with holding onto the eggs is that they may hatch. A longboat is no place to bring up babies.
Faster we cash in, the better.
Oh, I do. This has piqued my curiosity.
Is there a chance I can make that substitution? A Color Spray for Spook?
Leave 'em for now. Spook isn’t that bad - potentially it could get someone really big and mean off your back for a few rounds, and it’s handy if you want to cast a spell which has no obvious effects to a third party.
You can perfectly well leave Henrik, Redbeard and the thralls in charge of Black Snake while you spend an improving morning investigating the fleshpots of this fair city - the two henchmen are quite happy to boss up a score of thralls for you. Asking around, you soon find that there is a locksmith in town, and on receiving your assurance that the box has been vetted by a Find Traps spell, he promises to get right on with it. He says he’ll make you a new key for 5gp, it’ll take a day.
There is a wiseman in town who maintains an extensive library of his own, and also answers questions. You could take the iron snake to him if you like. There is also an exotic-animal trainer.
Well this is clearly the place to be! 
Ulf asks the locksmith if he can recommend a (local) craftsman to help make a Bear-Teeth necklace.
And can he say if the Wiseman the only one who might trade in magical items?
Ulf suggests the party visit the exotic animal trainer next, so we don’t have to keep lugging Owlbear eggs and cubs around.
Vikings, do we mention the Owlbear transformation amulet to him?
(DM, I can’t find my original cash. :o Should we assume that expenses like food, missiles and even a 5gp locksmith fee are covered by our trading?)
[COLOR=Blue]Spook does need the caster to wave his hands and speak the words, plus advance menacingly to within a few feet of the opponent; so there is a chance onlookers will realise what’s going on.
If the opponent makes his initial save, he can promptly attack the caster :eek: (and even if he does flee, he gets a new save every round).[/COLOR]
"Yes - go up the road and turn left, ask for Alfred Hairybreeks. Mostly works with amber, jet, bluejohn and such stuff, but I shouldn’t think bear teeth would give him much trouble. Sets them in silver mostly, gold if you bring your own.
“Wise Huw doesn’t collect stuff as far as I know, but he can probably find you someone who does.”
Yes, absolutely. Unless anyone wants to get seriously into trading, I’ll just leave that on the back burner, and day to day expenses will be considered covered. But to accumulate wealth or acquire high-value items you’ll need to keep track of treasure hauls. I’m substituting your shared possession of a ship and the goods aboard her for ready cash - you all began with a magic item or three in addition.
All true. However: a) They’d need to be pretty magic-savvy to be aware anything much had happened other than the caster saying something menacing which they didn’t hear properly, whereas a bright flash of colour is quite unmistakable even to those with no Spellcraft. b) I know, I didn’t say it was a killer spell - it is only first level. OTOH Osvald could plausibly Spook a not-too-bright fighter of quite high level who would otherwise only be stunned for a round by a Color Spray - and would also get a save against the latter spell. There are pros and cons either way, that’s all I’m saying.
If the party will indulge him, Ulf would really like to visit Alfred Hairybreeks next.
(Ulf will be wondering what a ‘breek’ is, but not mention it in case of spoiling his chances to make his Totem.)
Ulf will ask Alfred if he can help make the item as this seems right and proper to Ulf.
If this means Ulf has to stay and work, he is happy for the party to go on and sell the Owlbear eggs and cubs.
Ulf would certainly like the party to ask Wise Huw about trading in magic items here in Harwic.
Thanks for letting us off keeping track of minor expenses - I will concentrate on the BIG stuff!
I take your point about [COLOR=Blue]Spook having a place in the scheme of things. I suppose I was thinking that because Ulf and Jorund are so ‘unsubtle’ that Osvald just needs the aggressive spells…[/COLOR]
Without significant difficulty, you locate the said Alfred, and his breeks (trousers) are just as hairy as his surname implies - he has a rather eccentric fondness for animal-skin trousers, which would be rated rather sweaty and smelly in many places and times but passes largely unremarked in Dark Ages England. He’s happy to take the job on - you’ll need to debit your account 100gp when you’ve done your buying and selling, for both raw materials and his time and expertise, for he naturally charges pretty high.
He’s interested to hear of your associations with the Bear, and wonders what else you will need to do to make this a genuine totem and not just a fancy necklace - he’s heard of such outlandish customs, but only as travellers’ tales.
While Ulf is seeing to this, the rest of you are able to seek out Wise Huw. He examines the iron snake curiously and says he has heard of these. They’re a kind of automaton that some wizards build as guards - not very powerful for what they cost to build, but some consider them good practice for greater artificing and suchlike, and of course they’re tireless and don’t need feeding. The venom they inject generally varies according to what the user has available at the time - either a pet monster or snake of some sort, or else one of the alchemical brews if he is skilled in the art.
Wise Huw doesn’t have an iron snake for his collection, and he’ll take it off your hands for a hundred if you’re willing to sell. As to the amulet, he’s no great need for it himself, but he could offer you a thousand gold. Sometimes he finds it useful to contract out for a Legend Lore spell, and the caster has to burn a magic item to power the spell. (And you thought Identify was burdensome.) He doesn’t have any item by way of trade, though, nor does he deal in spells. He freely admits, though, that you might get a better price from someone who had a use for such an item.
By this time you have used up most of the morning and are working up an appetite for something other than ship’s rations, and a thirst to go with it. While you attend to this, Redbeard pops up. He reports that the thralls have cleaned out Black Snake as thoroughly as can be managed at her moorings, and he has something to show you. It’s a dead ship-rat, in similar condition to your mystery rabbit - stab wound, discoloured flesh, and a bite or two out of it.
Snakes on a [del]plane[/del] boat!
I find it difficult to gauge financial matters. One thousand gold sounds quite high to me for a magical item for which we have little to no use; but I have no idea whether or not it would be better to wait for a better offer. I guess the decision is up to Osvald.
The ship should be searched perhaps?
“We maybe being followed . . . We finish up in town and maybe we go out to island and make trap for fellow follow . . . He He fellow follow, me funny . . . We get box open then we stop poison stab thingie.”
How about casting a Detect Magic on the ship?
DM, did we confirm the metal snake inflicts the sort of damage found on the rat and the rabbit?
DM, do we know what magic items sell for? i.e. how valuable is 1000gp in terms of say a +1 weapon?
Vikings, in general Ulf thinks the snake is not worth a lot and the Amulet is risky to use. Plus we should make good money from Owlbear eggs + cubs - and we still have the contents of the box.
So Ulf is inclined to take the two offers, as we are carrying round a lot of gear we don’t intend to use…
“Yes we no need these stuff lets get rid of so we can deal with poison stabby thingie”
The evidence points to a larger version of the snake being responsible for the dead rabbit and rat.
Fact: The rabbit had weird discoloration.
Fact: Application of the (small) snake’s fangs to the rabbit produced similar discoloration.
Fact: The holes in the rabbit are bigger than the fangs of the (small) snake.
Fact: The rat has similar discoloration as the rabbit.
Fact: The small snake is dead.
Conclusion: A larger version of the snake exists, is alive, and killed the rat on the boat.
Excellent analysis!
Let’s ask Wise Huw how you capture or tame one of these iron automatons - and would he pay more for a bigger one?!
Do they register with Detect Magic?
In any case we search the boat… :eek:
Wise Huw listens with interest to your story, and ventures the following. "Excellent analysis indeed, but not the only interpretation of the facts. It may be that the creator of this iron snake had some pet monster which yielded the poison for the automaton’s fangs. I cannot help you further with that question - I am not an alchemist.
"Such an automaton as this would certainly register as magical - although this specimen will not, now it has been broken - and some may be at least temporarily immobilised if you have some spell or device which suppresses magic. If you could do this - and perhaps secure it in a strong sack or box - I would indeed be willing to pay for a functioning automaton.
“But I suggest you ask yourself how such a creature would follow you unnoticed and even stow away aboard your ship.”
Do you now wish to return and search Black Snake?
“We finish work in town then dealing with poison stabby thingie. It only kill bunny and rat, no people. . . One thing at time but do right.”
I agree- let’s continue our shopping and then return. I’d like to look around for a blacksmith, personally.
Ulf is happy with Jorund and Ivar’s suggestion that we finish selling, then search the boat.
So we sell the broken Automaton for 100gp and the risky Amulet for 1000gp*.
Next we visit the exotic animal trainer and sell all the Owlbears.
(There are 5 senior Vikings, plus Henrik and Redbeard get a 50% share each, making 6 shares in all.)
Return to the Black Snake**, ready to use Detect Magic and then Dispel Magic to cpature the larger automaton.
DM, what sort of price is a +1 weapon?
**DM, could there be any significance to the name and the snake in residence?!
“Me want to go with Ivar to Blacksmith or weaponsmith see if I get bigger hammer”
What were the size of the fang marks on the dead rat in comparison to the dead bunny?