Easily fending off the fortune-teller, Edda thinks out-loud without meaning to do so.
"Esmerelda...Marcescu?"
Thinking carefully for another minute, Edda makes a new decision.
"I will attempt to dispel the domination from her. We...I need her help. I cannot guarantee success, but I have to try.
Stand back or help restrain her. Either way, I pray that Desna is watching and listening."
Edda draws three cards (Harrow Casting-Wisdom cards will be the only thing that really helps here I think.) to try and
augment her dispel and tries to target the domination effect (Dispel Magic target's the Highest level cast spell first anyway).
-The Rakshasa (Int)
*+1 bonus on caster level checks made to penetrate spell resistance
-The Tangled Briar (Con)
*heals 1d6 points of damage
-The Mountain Man (Con)
*heals 1d6 points of damage
Seeing no change, Edda moves away and sits to contemplate. Seeing no other alternative, she states her feelings.
"I need to enter the Harrowed Realm and help this woman. She could be family and...I need to know.
The rest of you do not have to go, but I must release her by defeating this Lord that has her in its clutches.
So I will need to access that Harrow Deck you have 'appropriated' Sczarni."
Edda's speech would look a lot more solemn if she wasn't casually holding down with one hand a feebly grasping Hajeck. After a while, however, the exhausted woman loses consciousness.
"Well that's fortunate." Basil murmurs. "Her mewling was starting to annoy... So, how do we use the deck?"
He does not explain his sudden willingness to go, though he still hasn't put away his starknife.
Desna, grant me the fortune to make it through this to the other side. If I don't, I will be coming into your loving embrace soon enough.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Niklos glances at the exit, momentarily considering the prospect of absconding with the deck. The thing was worth a fortune. However, the other three seemed capable enough, and he did not want to try his luck too much. That, and the chance to have a little chat with the scholar while coming out with some treasure was tempting as well. In such a venture, having capable help seemed more like a boon.
"Now, now," he says to Edda. "I was just holding onto it, like. Always glad to help a fellow Varisian, especially in family matters."
The rogue grabs the deck from his pack, laying it down on a table and unbundling it from the handkerchief. "And the name's Niklos, in case you want to make use of it..."
Seeing Niklos glancing towards the exist, Gisele will try as discretely as she can put herself between him and the exit in case he suddenly changes his mind, while stepping back closer to the table to get a better look at the deck he has placed on the table.
Her own deck still available in her hand in case things turn ugly.
"Gisele", she states in response to his introduction.
The magical aura coming from the deck is so strong that you can perceive it even without casting any spell. It was surely created by an extremely powerful artificer.
Gisele says a quick incantation.
"Hmmm... Definately magical, but nothing I am familiar with."
"Edda Winterclaw."
After quickly introducing herself, she fires off her Detect Magic Spell again and looks at the deck.
"This is beyond me. We may have to wake her up and use her compulsion for our temporary benefit, although it galls me to do so."
The rogue scratches his chin and cocks his head, inspecting the deck. "I'm no wizard, but I've some experience with coaxing out the magic from these thingamajigs. Want me to give it a whirl?"
Basil scratches his furry chin but has little to say about the deck. "I would feel better if we all knew how to activate it, so that we have more than one person who can get us out if things go badly." he says. "If we only have one of us who can use it, we are going to be distracted keeping that one person safe. It's a liability."
"Well, we've all tried to figure this out separately, what if we pooled our knowledge and worked together?"
"Well, we've all tried to figure this out separately, what if we pooled our knowledge and worked together?"
"Don't know much about private realms or such, we don't know what kind of time we're looking at either. We could be gone days or minutes. Should we pick up food and such before we try and go? Or other preparations?" Gisele gestures outside, the general direction of her horse. "Should we bring horses, I don't want to leave Taru if we gone long."
"It may also take us some time to figure out this deck. We should put up a closed sign outside so we are not disturbed."
Edda throws her hands up in frustration.
"That scholar will be in more danger the longer we wait, and this poor woman will be in the clutches of a madman until we stop him!
Although it would not hurt to prepare ourselves first I'm sure, even if it is a demi-plane. The horse should be fine too, as long as
the plane can sustain the creature normally."
Niklos' stomach rumbles slightly at the mention of food. "Hm. I don't know about ya'll, but I can't eat ink..."
"We could take the deck to Theumanexus," he adds slyly. "One of them wizardly academies. I've, uh... loaned a couple of books from there previously. The place is less illustrious than the Acadamae, I'll give you that, but also less likely to get you killed. I'll betcha there's a tome about this somewhere in there. If we get our supplies in East Shore, we wouldn't even have to cross the river..."
"If the deck opens the portal, then so long as we carry it with us we have nothing to worry about." Basil calms slightly. "Food-and supplies, like rations, is a good plan"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Edda nods.
"I have all I need with me for now. I will stay here with HER and try and keep her comfortable until ya'll return."
"We should take care not to show this deck to anyone, especially if we hope to rescue Meloigne anytime soon. If wizards get wind of it, they'll want to study it." Gisele ponders a moment, "We might be able to find some books on planar activation devices, but each one is usually unique to the devise."
"Perhaps if we split up to get any errands done faster? One go fetch books, one get food, etc?"
"If thats the case give me part of the deck." Basil says. "I don't want any of us leaving without me."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Niklos flashes his teeth at Basil, once again impressed by the rabbit-man's acuity. He cuts the deck in four and hands everyone an equal share of the cards. "Clever. You have a name, friend hare?"
"Excellent," he then states to no one in particular. "We'll split up, then. I'll take care of the books, don't you worry. The markets might be a bit empty, what with the carnival and all, but Endrin Square should have a few stalls open. Just take the Kroft Boulevard down the East Shore. Can't miss it. The Horse Shop is just along the way too, if you need some grub for your steed..."
Edda sits next to the unconscious woman, and begins to tie her up.
"Hurry back. Time, I fear, is our enemy here as well."
The Lagos will nod his head to the Sczarni and reply. "My name is Basil. I am the Desnan Inquisition in these parts. And don't worry, I'm not interested in your past... This is part of a personal venture of mine."
Edda easily ties Hajeck using one of the woman's scarves and hides her behind one of the cushions as you are speaking.
Suddenly, you hear a crystalline laughter, then a rustling sound outside the door, just as the face of a young, blonde girl peeks inside. Her eyes sweep the tent, looking only briefly surprised when she sees on the rabbitfolk. "Oh, hiya there! Which one of you is Hajeck? Me and Magda, we want to have our future read and we heard there was a fortuneteller here, so, well, we wanted to ask you about our love life, you know."
Smiliing sincerely Edda looks apologetic.
"I'm sorry young ladies! Hajeck is feeling ill. Try back in a few days?"
Niklos exclaims loudly while clapping Edda on the shoulder.
"Just go along with it, yeah?" he whispers to 'Hajeck.' "To avoid arousing suspicion, like."
Niklos motions for the others to follow, winking at the blonde girl and her friend as he moves to exit the tent. Before he leaves for the Theumanexus, the rogue stops to put up an 'out for lunch' sign to deter other potential customers from wandering in.
"Please, Miri, no, it's embarassing" Magda tries to intervene, but her friend keeps talking.
"Magda wants to know what she has to do in order to finally get boys to like her, and since she won't listen to me when I tell her to let her hair down and put on some makeup, I figured maybe she would listen to the cards." She fishes two cold coins out of her purse and drops them on the table before slumping on a cushion in front of you, opposite to where Hajeck is hidden. "One for me, one for Magda. Come on, read me the cards, I'm curious!"
Behind her, Magda's eyes leap towards the exit, as if she were considering flight. She is still standing and her body language cries embarassment and discomfort.
Basil's tail twitches as he watches the exchange.
"Go on." he encourages, patting the fortune teller on the shoulder. "I know you're busy but Magda needs her fortune."
He turns to the other girl. "Are you intending on staying for a harrowing as well?" he asks. "Perhaps you should come outside with me while Magda is given her reading. I am a Harrower as well, and I could use the practice."
Looking at the blonde girl and sensing trouble, Edda grits her teeth.
"Yes of course! Please...one at a time however. The cards must only divine a single person at a time for such questions."
Quickly pulling out her family deck, Edda shuffles the cards and looks the blonde in the eye.
"You wish to know...if you will meet a handsome AND rich man for the ball? A tall order, and a rare one in these parts! Touch the deck please and let your heart open to the Harrow."
Edda holds out the now shuffled deck. After the girl touches it with a giggle, Edda will shuffle once more and deal three cards.
-The Idiot
-The Desert
-The Queen Mother
+Basil's re-roll
"The Harrow reveals your possibilities! You must be careful. You will have to choose between two different men: One a simple man, with little mental acuity, and the other is a stern authoritarian and prude. But chose you must! Otherwise you will be alone at the ball! Both are men you seek, but the devil is in the details they say!
Gisele takes care not to draw attention to herself during the interaction with the chatty female. Not really relaxing until she bounces from the tent, she can finally let out a long breath.
She makes her way to the tent opening to see if she can hear anything from outside that gives away the young woman saw anything suspicious.
"Looks clear, I will hurry back. Keep up the deception if anyone else comes in. Hopefully the sign Niklos posted will keep most away." Gisele waits another few seconds to ensure the ladies have left the immediate area before slipping out of the tent.
Once Gisele rounds the corner to another alley, she casts Detect Magic to help look for anything hidden or illusioned.
Basil winks at the girl and draws a single card from his deck, waiting for Miri to come out the tent before speaking.
"And that's the Courtesan! A very good sign for you." He says, twirling the card in the air in front of her. "I believe that concludes our reading. May the Harrow grant you the luck you desire."
Magda thanks Basil with a grin and hurries away together with Miri, who is overwhelming her under a torrent of words.
As you wander through the carnival you don't see anyone acting out of the ordinary, only the usual small-time scams you would expect. Loaded dice, marked cards, trick coins and such. Your detect magic only shows various prestidigitation spells cast by the various performers, tricksters and conmen.
Behind the counter is a gruff-looking old dwarf, scribbling on a sheet of paper, and a half-elven assistant is carrying a pile of books towards the shelves.
Niklos stops at the entrance to take in the scene, looking for a suitable target. Deeming the stern-looking librarian ill-suited for his purposes, he homes in on the reedy assistant as his mark. The rogue approaches the half-elf, tapping them on the shoulder. He instinctively changes his mannerisms and speech patterns to present a more servile demeanour, lowering his voice as if to not disturb the students.
"Excuse me," he whispers. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm to fetch some volumes for Professor Vellichor. I would appreciate it if you'd lend me a hand here... as would the professor, I'm sure. It's an urgent matter."
Not finding anything suspicious around the carnival, Gisele will head back to the tent and keep Edda company until the guys get back.
"I did a search around the carnival, not finding anything suspicious looking or under illusion that could be our mystery "Lord". Now to just wait for the men."
Basil will go out to acquire 20 day's more rations. Just in case. Then after he's got that safely stowed away, he will see if he can acquire a couple of pounds of powdered silver. (50 gold worth). After that, he returns to the tent.
Basil will sit around the front of the tent where the sign is and dissuade others from trying their fortunes. Stating that he's Hajeck's replacement while she's tied up with a personal matter.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Oh, yes, sure." the young man says, laying the books he's carrying on a nearby table. "Just tell me what you need and give me the request slip, I'll get them for you right away."
Niklos smiles and nods, reaching a hand into his breast pocket. He masterfully feigns surprise and frustration, urgently tapping all his pockets and pouches with a wild look on his face. "Ah, wouldn't you know it, I seem to have forgotten the slip at the professor's office. Very urgent matter, you see. I barely had time to grab my coat on the way out!"
The rogue shrugs apologetically at the assistant. "Oh, well. I think I still remember some of the names on the list. Something about, uh... demi-planes? If you show me around, I should be able to point them out to you. I don't relish the thought of going back to the professor empty-handed..."
He nods sideways at the grumpy dwarven librarian, grimacing. "You know how it is..."
With those words, he picks back up the books he was carrying and hurries towards the dwarf.
There are two shelves filled with tomes, among which the following strike you as possibly related to what you need:
- A Guide to Genesis
- Demi-planes Time Manipulation: Prison or Infirmary
- Methods of Practical Domain Optimization
- Magic Traits - Theory Primer and Practice Exercises
- Most Renowned Wizard Sancta
- A Modern Approach to Planar Morphism
Niklos thanks the assistant and starts going through the books, specifically looking for any mentions of powerful magical items that could be used to open planar portals.
Niklos: You spot the sigil . Also, after about an hour spent looking at those tomes, you have now a good understanding of the most common planar traits: time, magic, gravity, alignment. The most interesting book to you, however, is A Guide to Genesis, which contains many useful practical information about the creation of demiplanes.
One chapter, in particular, deals with transportation to and from them: usually spells such as plane shift are enough to reach them, provided that the caster is familiar with the demiplane in question. However, some can only be accessed through portals, because it's possible, when the demiplane is created, to block specific spells or even to make the demiplane a dead magic zone. These portals can be either fixed or linked to specific objects, acting as keys. These keys usually allow for transportation both to and from the demiplanes, but there are examples of planes that were easier to access than to leave or vice versa.
You also look for informations about Sonnorae, but can't find much, other than some legends according to which she did indeed create the first Harrow Deck.
Niklos sets down his haversack and sits down at a table, pretending to take some notes. He produces a playing card from his sleeve, folds it, and uses it to scratch away the protective sigil, feigning the act of writing as he does. As he concludes his business, he 'accidentally' drops a few books off the table, surreptiously sticking A Guide to Genesis into his haversack while he gathers up the other volumes. As the rogue gets up and moves to put away the books, he smiles apologetically to anyone who might have noticed and been disturbed by his supposed blunder.
Niklos walks past the assistant's desk, tipping an imaginary hat in his direction.
"Thanks for the help," he says. "I think I got what I needed. I certainly hope I did, or the professor is going to make me run all the way back! See you around, yeah?"
The Varisian then heads back to All-Seeing Hajeck's tent, presenting the book to the rest of the group with a flourish.
Niklos: You exit undisturbed, the volume safely stowed away. The half-elf waves at you as you leave the building.
Niklos sets down the book and starts flipping through its pages, eager to show his findings to people with more magical expertise. "Okay! Wrap up your sleeves, ladies and gentlebunnies. This might be a looong night..."
Staring at the book Niklos brings, Edda will read the highlighted passages the man shows the group.