I am not aware of any temporal constraints on our investigation, so we may freely extend it, if doing so fits our purpose.
|
"Alright, maybe we extend the investigation until we are finished, with that, eh?"
"Yeah. I like how yer thinkin." So it seems I'm reduced to the level of scrounging for scraps like a Qadiran scraps. As we are scrambling to gather arcane scraps, I guess I can justify that type of 'scrounging' to myself, no? Arrghhh. All for lack of a beard...
"I am not aware of any temporal constraints on our investigation, so we may freely extend it, if doing so fits our purpose."
Ahhh, that is the type of legal interpretation I can very much appreciate.
"Eh, there enough room up there for more, Zeelchoos?"
Aodan will accompany the others, and follow Zilchus up the stairs. Taking in the sight, he blinks his over-sized elf-touched eyes.
"What in Yueral's name is all of this? How much power is there in watching the sky? I mean, if an evil wizard is doin' it, it's gotta have power, right?"
"Especially with some sort of Dwarven or foreign device?" Is this what the Qadirans are after?
"I'd say it all looks Osiriani to me, but don't even they do this type of stuff."
Zilchus finds himself in a glass domed chamber with an enormous telescope that sits on a platform over a veritable sea of metal gears. An angled metal chair sits below this device, within reach of a cluster of pedals and levers that enable its occupant to perform adjustments to the telescope's orientation.
"Yeah, tons of room, Darkrose," Zilch calls back, entering the room.
Zilch takes a seat at the device and immediately begins to fiddle-faddle with the pedals and levers, contenting himself with trying to see if there are any angels in heaven who happen to be floating around near-naked.
"This is kind of neat, I suppose, but not really dangerous, eh? We're done here, right?" Zilch says, grinding gears left and right.
"Are we done here? We just need to rescue the creature caught in the light and we're done, huh?" Zilch asks, spinning in the chair.
"Say, Eugene, what else you measure we need to do?"
Save for the contingency that the device you've uncovered poses a threat, the 'creature in the light' is the sole remaining potential hazard that I am aware of. As Sir Davros suggested, an arbitrage opportunity presents itself in terms of our access to the library of Hunclay, which is not prohibited to us. Therefore, we may consider procuring the calligraphy supplies required for a duplication of the arcane magic in question, fulfil our arcane glut, and then report and complete the terms of our contract.
|
As Zilchus has fun in the chair he soon realizes that this was not the best idea as a jolt of electricity is sent through his body.
:::::::::::Surprise round::::::::::::::
A bolt of lighting comes down from the corner of the room at Aodan. Followed by some strange infant like laughter.
A plump infant looking creature with with four leathery wings and two large horns protruding from it's forehead steps out of the shadowy ledge that circles the. It lets out another infant like giggle and points at the crispy form of Zilchus. It points a wand down at the others.
:::::::::::::Round 1::::::::::::::
22 Davros
19 ZIlchus
14 Eugene
7 Aodan
6 Ugly baby
Round 1, Init 19
"What the piddlespot was that?!" Zilch says rolling away to hide behind the telescope.
Zilch touches himself in ways that many might consider better done in private.
Healing
Round 1; Init 20
The sound of lightning and maniacal infantile laughter draws Davros up the ladder.
"What in the?!?" Davros says as surveys the scene and draws his scimitar.
That is a rather aesthetically unpleasing postnatal. I can only express the hope that this is not the offspring of a prolific procreator. Eugene says, hoping Davros gets the joke.
Round1, Init 14
Euegen moves over, drawing his longspear, and tries to stab the ugly baby.
|
|
Aodan and Eugene both manage to wound the creature ending it's giggles and causing it to hiss. It spreads it's wings and swoops down at Eugene biting at the man before flying over to Aodan.
:::::::::::::Round 1::::::::::::::
22 Davros
19 ZIlchus
14 Eugene
7 Aodan
6 Ugly baby (11)
Round 2, Init 19
"No one knows? Speak up! I can't save us if I don't know what it is!...or can I!?" Zilch tries to answer his own question by running the uglybaby through with his longspear.
to hit;
cold iron damage.
Adverse, with what severity? Eugene asks Aodan while he tries to discourage the homunculus from living.
Round 2, Init 14
Including, but not limited to, delirious incomprehensible rambling? Any maladies with an inhibiting impact on my conversational eloquence are of low preference.
Round 2, Init 22
"Eet is a cun-struct of Meester Hunclay - a Homunculus. Aodan is right, no let it bite you." Davros says as he steps forward and slashes at the wee beasty.
|
|
Eugene stabs the thing as it flies past and Aodan puts an arrow in it. It looks severely wounded, but it moves forward to bite Aodan.
Aodan manages to avoid the attack and it shouldn't take much to finish the creature off.
:::::::::::::Round 2::::::::::::::
22 Davros
19 ZIlchus
14 Eugene
7 Aodan
6 Ugly baby (11)
Round 2, init 14
Eugene sees a window of opportunity to stab the creature in the back
Zilch rushes in to help end the threat, his longspear equally darting at the ugly baby.
to hit;
damage.
His feet tangle and he nearly trips during his thrusting and he misses wildly again.
"Oh, nice one, Eugene! We did it! You helped me get it!" Zilch announces as he stabs he Hunky-look-us on the ground, and then again.
"That was a nasty beast! Zapping me on the chair, then Aodan!" Zilch pulls out his now bloody spear to wipe it on a handy curtain or carpet.
He takes a few moments to make sure others are okay before going back to his toggling on the telescope.
Eugene sighs a sigh of relief.
At least he doesn't call me baby-killer
Versed as I am sure you are with devices of this kind, might I suggest refraining from pointing it at any solar objects, as observing such objects can only be attempted twice in each life-time, barring restorative magic.
Zilch jumps out of the chair with another jolt of anger matching the jolt to his pants.
"Good thing I tested this chair again! Lest it harm others in violation of our contract. This chair is clearly a bad one, should be destroyed!" Zilch announces with concern. "Unless you can fix it, can you Aodan?"
Zilch takes out the wand of CLW to ensure that his next plan works.
CLW
CLW
Zilch uses his longspear to poke the chair away from he gears and telescope. If that works, he will build a new chair out of a box or books (or whatever his handy) so that he might toggle and explore the heavens for a bit.
|
|
Watching the bearded one get zapped, Aodan sighs. "Careful, Zilch." As trying as this work has been, you seem to bring some kind of obnoxious luck.[/
"Don't know much about clocking stuff, but I could look."
Aodan will cautiously examine the chair.
The half-elf casts [i]Detect Magic.
"Yeah, it's magic. Don't think I can stop that."
"Probably shouldn't destroy it. It's not ours - it's the Lady's." Hopefully she is honorable and trustworthy enough to dispose of this device correctly, and not endanger any of her people.
"Trapped chairs, homunculus, bed-bears - eet is no wonder he sided with the scalykind with the affinity for traps and the like. I am no liking this place. Is this the whole of the house? Have we 'secured' everything, You-geen? Aodan? Scale-brain?" Davros says to his companions.
This can't be everything? Where is the damned book? Should I continue to look for such a thing, after all I have learned about this Hunclay? Mistress, I fear for you and what knowledge you seek.
While I lack the tools to properly disarm this trap, perhaps a liberal application of aqueous material will prove opportune. I would advise you to stand back.
Eugene casts Create Water on the zapping chair, hoping to short-circuit it.
Davros takes a stroll around the room looking at the odd implements and contraptions in the room, taking inventory of the contents while waiting for an answer from his companions.
It would seem that we have arrived at a juncture where we can claim fulfilment of the contract, thereby earning our compensation and releasing us from further obligation, Eugene says to Davros in his plainest common. We may, however, prolong our investigations here as we like, allow us an arbitrage opportunity to procure arcane chirographs. As my function here is one as chaperone, I shall merely seek to create an overlap between my position and your vicinity.
|
|
"Yeah. Prolong." Extending our visit as long as possible to give us time to study these tomes would be very educational, and potentially empowering and lucrative, too.
Aodan will examine the homunculus stick, and show it to Davros. Is this a Qadiran trick? Creating such a beast and teaching it to use magic? He pats his bow, sure that his Elven form of bonding with the arcane is much better.
"Accord! So then, there are things here that, eh, I would like to transcribe. If I may. I would appreciate the opportunity to trek to, eh - Xemmne's to buy some supplies unless someone knows a better place. I am no from here so..." Davros looks askingly at Aodan.
Please Lady of Luck, watch over me, guide me in my endeavors and may your countenance shine upon me as I travel through this land... oh, and if you can make sure that I don't die whilst in Taldor, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Zilchus stands ready to return to town, but only if they are to return again, and return quickly.
"Yeah, we should take our time and learn what we need to. We can return with what we need and come back here for the night. We should spend at least one night here to be sure it's safe," Zilch says commandingly. "Then we need to go to the cave like we promised the one below. Scalebane still has some rescuing to do before we finish here."
Zilchus, assuming others will agree, makes ready to go back to town.
Regaining strength by means of a somnific cycle seems beneficial at this juncture, at which point we may set out for the subterranean feature pointed out to us in general terms. Would our time in the city perhaps be combined well with elucidating the position of this cave? The local knowledge base may help us if we phrase our inquiries correctly.
The rumours you shared with me so far have included a 'large boar eating dragon'. Where I fail to see the significance of an oversized omnivore with a limited gastronomical preference, I would suggest prudence when venturing outside urban limits, for the contingency that this boar changes its preference from reptile to mammal.
Zilch goes down to the cellar to get a bottle of wine to enjoy while he waits for others to scribe.
"You know," Zilch says, taking a drink, "that we don't really know where these caves are, do we? It might not be part of the original contract, now, is it? Everything in there might be fair game, if we can find it."
Zilch takes another drink, heroic like.
The contract only referenced the manor. Brightly coloured wildlife was not involved.
Zilch rolls out of bed, looking at Aodan.
"You still working there, Mauler?" Zilch asks, pushing the empty bottle of wine away from him. He then takes the bottle back to relieve his morning bladder in the corner of the room. He puts the warm bottle on a table.
"So...you going to be working more today on that crap?" Zilch picks up a spellbook and begins to thumb through it. "I don't get it. Never was good at this kind of magic."
Zilch puts the book down, bored.
"Maybe I'll go back into town whilst y'all work here. I'll try to find out where that cave is. I still have some heroics to do," Zilch begins to play with another of Aodan's books.
* * *
Zilch goes back into town, taking his backpack with him (obv).
He will begin to ferret out the location of the cave, seeing if any of the locals know of such a place. While he is out there, naturally, he will let people know about the numerous kobolds he slew in defense of the town. And there were a lot.
If that fails, Zilch will buy a sledgehammer on his way back.
|
|
Most of the people are thrilled to meet one of the people that eliminated the kobolds and one of them points you in the direction of Abrassus Ranch. "Prake lets his flock graze out that way. If anyone knows about a cave in those parts it'll be old Prake Abrassus." The friendly local points Zilchus in the direction of the sheep farmers ranch.
|
|
During the morning handover, Aodan returns a grunts at the increasingly uncouth bearded one. "Lots of knowledge. Worth lots of gold. Worth the time." The power contained in these tomes will be especially useful if we encounter more kobolds, evil wizards, or extra-planar beings.
"Gotta copy now, as it's probably too pricey to buy if it's auctioned." I would imagine the wizard's heir or the Lady would know not to auction Hunclay's treasures for anything less than they are worth. Still, if it is a true auction, it's possible the price may be lower - or higher - than it's typical cost.
As Zilch cavorts, the half-elf works assiduously to copy what he considers to be the most useful bits from Hunclay's library.
Zilch returns, pretty pleased with what he had learned.
"You done yet, Aodan? I think I found the cave...it's not far up on the north side of town. Off Wolf Hill Road. We should go check that out," Zilch says, heroically leaning on his scale-killing longspear.
"What about you, Plume de Doom?" Zilch says, looking at Eugene. "You want to come with us? You're not a bad follower and all. And you're useful with that divine spark you got."
|
|
After Aodan and Davros finish up their work with Hunclays spell books, Zilchus leads the way to Abrassus ranch. A large fenced off area out front holds a large flock of sheep. Not to far from the pen is a modest sized home with a large front porch. An older gentleman is sitting on the porch smoking a pipe while watching the flock.
An opportunity presents itself to add value to this endeavour, so I shall remain close vigilance.
Eugene accepts the invitation of Zilchus, having his own motivations to do so.
At the ranch, Eugene does his best to make kind conversation with the older gentleman
An acceptable evening, flock-tender. Are you having optimal returns on the risk enterprise that is sheep-herding?
|
|
The man perks up as he is greeted by the adventures. "Things are looking up now that you are here. Them wolves have been taken a toll on the flock, specially the big one. It can run off with a full grown sheep in it's mouth. Hopefully the four of ya can take care of it and I'll gladly pay the promised bounty, but not a coin till their dead."
Zilch looks at the man, then over at the meadows.
"Yeah, we'll take care of them wolves, but that's not why we are here. Is there a cave around here? One that the wizard Hunky might have been using?" Zilch asks, confused.
"Don't get me wrong, we can handle the wolves, Ol' Mauler and I," Zilch continues. "It's just that we were looking for something else too."
Zilch casts an eye about for any milkmaids who might be a-milkin', and who might want to glimpse a hero in the flesh.
|
|
"There are plenty of caves round these parts, but I did see the wizard traveling back and forth from a certain direct." The old man rubs his hands together as a wide grin spreads across his face. "Why don't I sweeten the pot on that bounty and tell you what I know as well as pay you the 800 gold once you come back with proof them wolves is dead."
|
|
The mention of gold perks-up the half-elf's already pointed ears. He flexes his ink-stained fingers, realizing just what an expensive business it will be for Aodan to learn even a fraction of what Hunclay did.
"Wolves? Would that be 800 pieces per pelt?" He grimmaces a little after that slips out of his mouth. Heladel would not be pleased about hunting down the forest creatures for such worldly, greedy profit. However, without a manor of my own, it's enhancing my bowshot with more power is an expensive proposition. And I need a more powerful bow - and more powerful magics to.... be a better Taldan beardless noble-wanna-be, right?
Besides, those wolves are a danger to the good folk of the town, right? "So, ahhh, yeah, ya' could tell us the direction of the cave and the wolves too?"
Davros wearily scratches at his hair, being careful to keep all of his locks under the keffiyah.
All this transcription is hard work. Tiring and draining. I am glad I had someone to help. Even if it was Aodan.
Davros takes note of the farmer and his extortion leverage. The Qadiran smiles widely at the farmer, pleased at the business acumen.
A shrewd bargainer, my Mistress would approve.
"We are humbled by your offer, sir. Thank you, sir." The Qadiran says from the back, meekly.