Suny skips from stall to item to object. Chirpily fingering, poking, feeling ogling anything and seemingly everything that is on offer. Always quick to ask the vendor how much their item(s) would be worth.
The lanky, brown skinned Elf also does not seemed to mind being gently dragged along by the arm as her friends continue to remember where it is they have to go.
Upon seeing the Establishment, Suny is again all 'agog' at its lay out, staff and patrons. She cranes her neck, closing her eyes the better to take in the smells and sounds of the 'Exotic'.
The tangy aroma of the basting meats has Suny wandering towards the cook pit. She opens her eyes and grins at the 'Chef' and what he's preparing.
"How much be it fer a bite?" She asks, even as she twists and reaches into her pouch still seeming intent on spending her coins freely with the folk around her. Upon purchasing a 'kebab', she nods a polite "Thank'e" before again skipping back to her friends,
"I gots 'Meat on'a stick!" (^_^) She proudly presents her find to her companions, quickly beginning to take small bites from said purchase.
The sound of the children's voices attracts Suny's attention inside and she pauses just within the door frame to watch their antics and interactions as she absently licks and nibbles at her purchased 'Meat on'a stick'.
Hearing the woman's sobs, Suny drifts towards her/them, listening and looking intently as she tries to discern what ails the lass.
"Hey-ya there?" She asks tentatively.
"My boyfriend is away and I don't know if he will be back." The older woman frowns and gives a nod of her head to Suny.
The older woman looks at Suny suspiciously, "You are not from around here are ya?"
Suny smiles, even as she shakes her head to show the negative,
"Nu-uh! I jus' came in on'a last boat..." (^_^) And then she pauses, "Actually, t'is been a while back now, so's said boat is prolly gone with th' tide." Suny absently points over a shoulder towards her friends.
"Me mates are showin' me aroun' things here abouts." And she turns to the younger woman/girl.
"So, where'd this t'other toddle off to, then?" Suny asks inquisitively,
"If'n ye dun't mind th' askin', that is?"
At the sound of new voices in the open "courtyard" below, Thalas ceased polishing his sword. Something about one seemed pecular; an accent he'd become unaccustomed to, perhaps. Sheathing his sword, he checked his various accoutrements and descended the stairs from his small room to investigate.
The sight awaiting him was not at all what he'd expected. A tall elf woman with the same dark skin as himself stood talking with one of the human women.
An Elf! But is she alone, or has she companions? Our people have fallen far in the intervening years of my... slumber. Has the time come at last to resume our rightful place?
Walking up to the Elf woman, and human woman she appeared to be trying to console, he introduces himself with a deep bow.
"In the name of Labelas Enorath, I greet you good day. I am Thalas Lebarath. May I have the courtesy of your name, lady?"
Despite being quite Wil had been watching his comrades, Suny most of all. AS her nature would easily lead her down the wrong alley with the wrong sort and he always kept his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. An old habit from his time among the companions. When the newcomer approached her he remained quiet, watching and waiting as he tried to understand this ones goals.
Suny crouches, the better to be at the weeping woman's level while she continues to try and get the whole tale, as well as help console her, from the lass.
At the approach of this 'new' Elf, Suny stands quickly and then bows, fluidly flopping allmost double before standing straight and replying,
She looks Thalas up and down smiling, "Ye be decked out right swank." She adds in her Human cant.
"Whut be it t'bring our courses on't same tack?"
Seltyn, too, has been quiet. He watches as Suny talks with this unexpected elf. If anyone can get on his good side, she can.
The older lady yells to the man turning the skewers, "Where are our manners? Lefty, take the fair folks' orders."
The man on the skewers with one left arm looks at you expectantly, "We can set a mean table here. Are you staying for a meal?"
Thalas smiles at being addressed in Elvish, but blinks in surprise at Elesandriel's use of the human's common tongue. Pausing a moment to parse the meaning of her words, he responds in Elvish,
While speaking with Elesandriel, Thalas takes note of the protective gaze of one of her companions.
Wil not wanting to be rude to the one armed cook, or the newcomer, nods as he says. "We would love to dine at your table please ready a meal for our party." He steps forward and waves a hand to the nearby table. "It would please us greatly if you joined us for a meal Brother. My apologies for not introducing myself earlier. I am Wilaml of House Fmelvam, one of the few Elven houses to serve alongside mankind in their endeavors. We can speak more over a fine meal and some decent drink."
Suny nods at Thala's words/statement and chirpily replies,
Oh! Aye, we met 'em when we wus lookin' aroun' a place some where yonder." And Suny waves a hand absently off in the general direction from which the group has come. "Though I be buggered t' remember exactly where from here. I find th' curvy, twistin' of th' streets confusin' so." And she quickly skips forwards and gives Thalas a hug in greeeting before again turning her attention to the girl and woman she was first addressing,
'Now then, luv. Back t'ye trouble. How might m'self an' friends be able t'help ye an' yours?" She again asks, crouching down before the girl and her consoling companion.
"Greeting, Wilaml of House Fmelvam. A fine meal and drink shall indeed be found here, courtesy of our hosts. Tell me, who are your companions?"
In Elvish, "Your concern is noted friend, but your weapons are not needed here. I suspect your words and the agitation of these human women are linked in common cause: their husbands have been gone far too long on some illicit foray to continue to expect their safe return."
In the common tongue, for the benefit of the humans around them, "Come, take your ease at the table. We shall talk more, afterwards."
Thalas smiles ruefully to consider the ways to which Labelas Enorath went about his purposes.
Continuing his conversation with the so-far-unidentified elf in Common, "I am neither offended, nor a stranger to the mysterious ways of my patron. As I said, we shall talk later: there is much to discuss. Have you a name, friend? I have made acquaintance of only your companions Elesandriel and Wilaml of House Fmelvam."
Suny ignores the gabbling of her kin and continues to talk quietly to the upset lass.
Wil sits at the table and smiles at the question. "These people are the Foxes and we are the newer members of the band. That is Seltyn, the leader, Flamberuex their Bannermaiden, Elorin their Beautiful Diplomat and Talon Bowmaster." He indicates each of them separately as he speaks. "You've already met Suny and no I don't know where her endless energy and good will comes from. This fine warrior is Azlain. Including myself We are the three new Kits in the fox band." He pulls out a set of the keys he received from Labelas and offers a set to Thalas.
"Your god has a newly resurrected shrine that has access to the sewers, we've left it locked up and have extra keys.It is only right as one of his followers that you have a pair. I can show you where it is if you wish as well."
Thalas, about to greet the others, pauses at Wilaml's last comment.
"Access to the sewers? How did that come to be?"
Wil nods in agreement with Talons simple assessment. "Best not to hang on details Thalas, the key is yours and it gives us an easy haven while within the Depot if we need it. We discovered it in our first incursion into the sewers and were able to secure it with the help of your Patron."
Wil smiles at Talon. "We all have a distance to cover before we become masters of our art but out of all of us you are the best with a bow, you've proven that."
He watches Suny as she speaks with the locals about their troubles and continues his pleasant conversation with his comrades new and old.
A gnome enters the patio with a leather case. He has light gray skin, and thin, aquiline features. He takes a well-used flute from the case and sings while the younger woman who was moping about her missing boyfriend stands up and sings with a beautiful, clear voice.
The first song is eerily familiar. First song
After playing some more common songs, the locals clamor for a song called about the prophecy. This song has not been heard before but seems to be called Trick of the Tail.
Trick of the Tail
At the conclusion of the final song, Talon and Thalas have an inspiration that this song has strong meaning for Labelas Enorath in addition to those gathered here.
The young woman returns to the older woman and Suny. The older woman remarks: "It is interesting that there is a fine line between superstition, magic and religion."
Elorin having sat quietly whilst those around her introduce themselves and listening to the songs. She was little lost in her own head. The things that had transpired recently, one of the group dieing and then being returned to life. Meeting a new person not long after. Those children. She Didn't Realize that she had not yet introduced herself to Thalos. Her manners soon kicked in and she shook out of her deep thought.
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Elorin. My apologies for the quietness." She smile's softly at Thalas and speaks in a tone that was low and soft, it was not one she was used to using. last she remembered it was when She first met Derrick in the Human Kingdom. "It seems your God has plans that are set many moves in advance. My thoughts are that there is very little coincidence when it comes to Gods, and access to the sewers and temple are all part of that plan. I am glad of more company and very happy to meet you here today."
She looked around and upon hearing the line from the old lady, almost agrees out loud with her, But for now she keeps quiet and listens.
For those of you who don't like to suffer through classic Genesis, song lyrics of last song:
Bored of the life on the city of gold
He'd left and let nobody know.
Gone were the towers he had known from a child,
Alone with the dream of a life
He travelled the wide open road,
The blinkered arcade,
In search of another to share in his life.
Nowhere.
Everyone looked so strange to him.
They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence.
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried
And wept as they led him away to a cage
Beast that can talk, read the sign.
The creatures they pushed and they prodded his frame
And questioned his story again.
But soon they grew bored of their prey
Beast that can talk?
More like a freak or publicity stunt.
Oh
No.
They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence.
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried
And broke down the door of the cage and marched on out.
He grabbed a creature by the scruff of his neck, pointing out:
There, beyond the bounds of you weak imagination
Lie the noble towers of my city, bright and gold.
Let me take you there, show you a living story
Let me show you others such as me
Why did I ever leave?
They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance, he cried
And wept.
And so we set out with the beast and his horns
And his crazy description of home.
After many days journey we came to a peak
Where the beast gazed abroad and cried out.
We followed his gaze and we thought that maybe we saw
A spire of gold - no, a trick of the eye that's all,
But the beast was gone and a voice was heard:
They've got no horns and they've got no tail
They don't even know of our existence
Am I wrong to believe in a city of gold
That lies in the deep distance
Hello friend, welcome home.
Thalas listened patiently through the gnome's first song . When he began the second song, he felt something inside him resonate with his "link" with Labelas Enorath. He listened to the song with rapt attention, barely aware of his surroundings, as the song continued on. When the bard finished singing, that feeling of resonance sighed through him as it gradually diminished.
When the older woman spoke, he replied, "Indeed there is. Often, it is only a matter of which face of a coin has landed."
"Greetings, Elorin. You are quite right to speculate that there is little coincidence where the divine are concerned. A more," he pauses for a moment to consider the most appropriate word, and smiles in gentle amusement as the word comes to him, "worthy, as it were, line of thought is how the plans of the divine affect us. Like Talon, here, and his amazing resurrection. And the creation of an entire temple for himself, with abutment to the sewers - though the significance of this latter fact escapes me entirely. Or myself, I suppose, though that line of thought is not one I'm accustomed to pursuing."
After noting the exchange between Thalas and the elves, the young woman looks at the older woman and seems to gather some courage.
"Lionel has one of the most dangerouse jobs, so I have a right to be worried. He has yet to gain his appelation, but this job is his chance."
She looks at Suny, "Our loved ones have put their lives on the line and are making an attempt against the POWERS THAT BE to gain a large fortune at great risk. Conditions here are not the best, and many here do not work in many of the sweatshops all their lives."
A young boy comes up to the man turning the skewers and whispers in his ear.
The one-armed man announces, "They are still inside, but no alarm has been raised. I would say this is good new."
To a few of the others including the young messanger, he uses a strange combination of quick hand gestures and inflections of the face. The young messengers leaves almost as quickly as he comes after a quick nod.
One of the younger women remarks, "The vigil continues." As it gets later it is obvious that the partial families gathered here have brought sleeping rolls and foodstuffs. They will not be leaving anytime soon, and the lanterns have plenty of oil to last through the night. The gnome plays some songs for the children, and they sing along and clap their hands.
Thalas watches the exchange between the one-armed man and the boy, frowning in concentration. When the boy leaves, he asks the man, "What can you tell us of the details of this job; how long have the men been gone? You need not fear our betrayal of your plans to the authorities, but it seems to me that even though the alarm has not been raised there could well be other dangers that could have been encountered."
Suny nods in understanding at the woman's words, reaching out and offering a friendly hand in way of consoling her before standing and walking back to where her companions have seated themselves.
Wil starts to dread sitting down here for food and drink, if these people were doing something illegal he'd be prompted to say something to the proper authority but he didn't know the Depot well enough to make that call. Instead he sat and quietly watched the exchange and sorted through his remaining kit, counting up his supplies.
The man with the skewers points to Wil as he addresses Suny. "We were told that you were a scrupulous lot and very respectful of the laws and authority of this city. We were also informed that you had taken commissions on behalf of the city government. It would be unwise for you to elicit information that you would be honor-bound to reveal. If the paladin takes an oath to keep everything heard here in confidence, then I would think the young lass here may think about betraying oaths she has made to others. Otherwise she may be sentencing her betrothed to losing an arm for crime against the city as I once endured."
At the words of the older one armed man, the assembly is silent and looks at Suny and Wil in turn.
The young woman wipes her tears and looks at Suny, "are you truly in the employ of the city?"
"No they are not in the employ officially, I am, they were honorably mentioned as a group on the commission I accepted. I am also not a lawmen but..." He stands up. "I am unfamiliar with the laws of the Depot, I assume you lost an arm for theft? Or was it something else?"
He shakes his head. "Regardless, I don't agree with any law that destroys a man's ability to an easy livelihood. So I will simply remove myself from this to make it easier, I have made one too many oaths of late." He stands and sets ten gold coins on the table, nodding to the upset girl respectfully. "I am heading back to the shrine for meditation, I will see you all later then brethren."
Gathering his things Wil makes his way out of the area swiftly and back to the locked up shrine.
Suny hugs the woman in return/reply,
"Oh aye, I were found by me friends in'a 'Lost property office'." (^_^) She giggles at finding some aspect of the event amusing,
"Now...Oaths? They'd be like them 'Guidelines' I be hearin' about, aye?" She grins at the woman,
"Now then, my name be 'Suny'. Whut be yours?" She asks of the lass.
Azlain was used to enduring long meetings and exchanges of pleasantries (whether genuine or feigned). He was also used to remaining quiet and attentive during such niceties. He had once found them the hardest to endure of all his trials, but he had spent a very long time being reeducated on how little he really knew about things that were difficult to endure. To his surprise he found himself listening without the feelings of exasperation that had once accompanied all such moments.
It seemed every hour had a new revelation of how profound his "rebirth" really was. If he had still been able to smile, he would have.
The distraught young woman looks at Wil, then the one-armed thief, and finally at Suny. She returns Suny's hug, "My betrothed is risking everything so he can marry me. All I can do is wait."
Rooms are prepared for anyone who wishes to stay. Thalas and Talon remain as Labelas seems to feel something significant will shortly happen.
The cook approaches Azlain, "I once thought the measure of a man was in how he looked and his physical capabilities. Now I realize I was very wrong."
At dawn the young messenger returns, and the news is excellent. "They all have returned,"..the cook relates in a relieved tone. An hour later a large freight wagon appears out front, and the rear door is unbarred. A group of four human men, two human women, a gnome female, and a halfling male jump out of the wagon and smiles are everywhere. A young man no older than 17 is the first out and is wearing a cloak with a small creature on multiple backgrounds. In each scene the creature has duplicated the color scheme of the backround he is in.
Spider jumps down and announces, "I now present the chameleon. We use the name Lionel no more."
Two large kegs are unrolled and the celebration begins. Each of the humans joins his family and many an fervent embrace is shared.
Spider displays a small box covered in gold with many arcane runes along the outside. There is a large gasp at seeing the box. He speaks, "Sorry we took so long, we had to make three trips. And, obviously, we found the box."
A young woman rushes to Spider and shakes him, "Brother, I thought you had pressed your luck one too many times."
Wil meditated in the shrine until morning, it was not a shrine to his god but it was an Elven shrine nonetheless. He also kept the street level door unlocked for those few who would wish to enter. He meditated on the oath he had undertaken, the one that would rain ruin down on him if his god found him unjust in his actions.
Suny wanders about the Tavern/Inn during the evening pleasantly chatting with any who wold care too.
Come the morning she watches things unfold, giving a little bounce and wave to Spider when she sees him. Through out the vents she watches for the lass to be reunited with her beau.
arcana:
It's good to see you, Spider. We were all a bit worried. But not too much.
Seltyn approaches the human when he has a moment, and looks at the box.
What is this, then?
The gold box wrapped in arcane symbols is placed on a table.
The gnome whispers a series of arcane words and the one side of the cube becomes transparent. Inside is what looks to be a small woman (female human) of surpassing beauty. Her tiny voices is immediately heard by those gathered around, "Release me from my prison and I will grant you fortune and favor all of your days."
The gnomish bard is also curious, and after seeing the small figure he remarks, "She truly has no horns and she has no tail. I bet she also doesn't care about our existence."
Spider engages Seltyn in conversation, "We may be able to do so business. We may be able to exchange some items for the set of the master thief of the Swirling Shadows. I have found a very nice composite longbow, but it requires someone with a great strength to use it properly. The enchantments on it were not minor."
The one-armed man approaches. "Getting her to reveal the city of gold will not be easy."
Seeing Setlyn and the others congregate, Suny as well wanders over and peers over people's shoulders.
At sight of the box and its contents her thoughts are summed up with.
"Hee! In't that cuute!" (^_^)
The lady in the box replies, "I am just a poor maiden under a spell to make me small and forced into this box. My name is Elsbeth. I do not like it in here." She glances at Suny, but attempts to meet Talon's gaze.
Spider moves to the large freight cart and returns with two bows. One is the composite bow requiring a great strength (16) to use. The other is a normal longbow with no special requirements to use. They both are made of an exotic wood and have elven runes carved into them of Haledrin Fingol, a famous elvish bowyer.
Talon meets the eyes of the creature and feels her desire to be free.
When the one-armed man mentions a city of gold, Thalas is suddenly more more interested in the humans' plunder.
"City of gold? What do you know of such a place, master thief?"
Spider laughs at the comments of the dimunitive lady, "A poor lady put away in a warehouse for who knows how long without food or drink. Anyway, we do not know the location of the city of gold, she does."
Spider points to the small lady in the box.
The returning group begin to eat a great bit of the roasted meat, especially the halfling, who eats three skewers of meat by himself. The two beautiful human females quickly remove wigs and remove large amounts of makeup and change their boots. When they are done their appearance is completely different than when they came in.
The young human lady (not the one in the box) smiles at Suny as the Chameleon drapes his new cloak around her. "Thank you for spending this wait with me. Your presence and comfort was a great help."
Suny smiles and hugs the lass who's beau has returned, then skips back to the box and looks at Spider,
"Okeys then. Tell me whut ye know about this critter in'a box." And for once Suny's expresion actually becomes serious.
"Jus' so ye know, we be friends -and friends well, they dun't hide things from one another, ye ken? So, as fer this lil' one in'a box is concerned, why in't we lettin' 'em free?" She crosses her arms and begins to wait for an answer from Spider or any of his group. Then she glances at Thalas,
"Ah, sorry I am fer kind'a stealin' yer wind there fer a moment..." She mutters quietly.
Thalas suppresses a flash of irritation at Spider's lack of attention to the nature of his question - but is interrupted by Elesandriel. With a small smile to her in a gesture of no hard feelings at her muttered apology, he resumes questioning the human.
"You misunderstand me, Spider. My inquiry pertains to the Genesis for your knowledge of this city of gold, not its location. Should such a thing exist, it is almost guaranteed to be much different than whatever your avaricial imagination has concocted. Furthermore, it is most unwise to taunt a creature of power: most especially one who - you think - has something you want."
How these illiterate oafs came to dominate my descendants escapes me entirely.
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