"You'll learn nothing from me maggots. Nualia will skin you alive, burn what's left and grind your bones to dust to be sprinkled into the winds. Kill me or not. I shall return to this world eventually. I've been here for centuries, what's a few more. And when I return, I will stalk your names and wipe out your lines. Release me at once or I will end your seeds!"
With a grim determination, Kadrian walks toward the imp.
"Hold him steady," the nobleman says to the eidolon.
The swashbuckler reaches out his hands and grips the imps' small head and attempts to snap it's neck.
"Oy, Cayden, this is a mess." Rak holds his rapier steady, parallel to the ground, and then jabs it forward into the space between Algon's hands.
It takes more effort than one would have thought possible to put down the squirming little quasit, but it eventually succumbs to its wounds. The tirade of vulgarity continues to its last breath before its head lolls back and its body slips from the material plain. A tiny dagger clatters to the floor. An eerie quiet falls over the room.
A passageway runs south out of this room and ends in a door about 30 feet down the hallway. It also branches off to the east about half way down.
"Well, my friends," Akuleh says, panting after the exercise of joining in destroying the demon, "Shall we carry on? Surely there must be an end to these tunnels somewhere." He begins moving along the southern passage, checking for traps and hazards as he moves along.
Akuleh carefully scouts the passageway all the way down to the junction. To the east lies a twisting flight of spiral stairs that descends downward into darkness. The stairs are currently blocked off by a large amount of rubble and are impassable. Cracks in the ceiling cause speculation into whether this room is safe or stable.
The door to the south lies closed.
Akuleh grabs the weapons and offers them to his companions, "These seems to be of good quality. Aside from the dagger, though, I'm afraid I would do more harm than good with them. Perhaps one of you could use something here."
He looks at the weapons more carefully to determine their quality and value.
"Definitely keep that dagger around; there are thing that can only be struck by such weapons." He looks over all of the weapons, casting detect magic and examining them for their craftsmanship.
The longsword itself radiates a faint aura of transmutation magic. The dagger and the hand axe do not seem to have been enchanted with any magical powers.
The longsword is a +1.
The door to the south, once open, reveals a strange room with a fifteen-foot-diameter sphere. Several objects float in the room, spinning lazy in space-a ragged book, a scroll, a bottle of wine, a dead raven surrounded by a halo of floating and writhing maggots, and a twisted iron wand with a forked tip. Yet perhaps the most unnerving aspect of the room is the walls, for they are plated in sheets of strange red metal that ripple every once in a while with silent black electricity that seems to coalesce into strange ruins or even words far too often for the effect to be chance.
Rak stands at the doorway, watching the objects float lazily through the air in the room. He looks to the others, his eyes settling on Izbela. "Whoa; can you make anything of this?" He glances back at the objects, trying to see if he can find find any logic to what he's seeing too.
He then calls on Cayden for the ability to see magical auras again, and tries to see what that tells him about the room.
With a look of distaste, Izbela pulls the long sleeve of her Academy robes over her hand and retrieves the only thing that remains after their protracted battle with the fiend: its little dagger. While the men look over the mutated goblin's weapons, Bela tries to identify any magical properties the blade might possess.
The quasit's parting words weigh heavily on the conjuror's mind, making her second guess her findings. As the group moves on from the room with the many pitfalls, Bela offers the dagger handle-first to Rak in case he cared to do his own inspection of the blade.
When they come upon the chamber seemingly unaffected by the laws of gravity, the ever curious student in Izbela is eager to venture forth and discover the room's secrets while the battle-weary adventurer she's quickly become recognizes how poor of an idea it could be to cross the room's threshold. Caution wins out, and Bela tries to learn what she can of the strange chamber from the safety of the hall. "This is unlike anything I've seen, read, or heard about in one of my lectures," she answers, briefly meeting Rak's eyes before her awed gaze continues to take in all the otherworldly details of the room. She finally settles on the eldritch energy shaping itself into words and runes on the wall and attempts to decipher the meaning behind them.
"Before anyone goes in there, let me try something..." she asks, reaching an open hand out toward the floating book. "Veni!"
The swashbuckler walks over to stand next to the summoner, looking on with interest.
Izbela's magical sight confirms her suspicions about the tiny dagger. It is indeed magical, and powerful. She is unable to deduce the nature of the magical affects enchanted into the blade.
Again she extends her will outward, reaching through the floating debris to mentally grasp the book. It floats back to her and quietly ends up in her hands. It is obviously magically preserved as there is no doubt it is ancient. Written in words she cannot read, the tome is well-read as smudges along the edges reveal fingerprints of various sizes.
When Akuleh peers into the room, he spots words coalesce from the seemingly random words and runes. Violent words, like ravage, destroy, and murder form together for brief instances before dissipating again. They are written in Thassilonian.
The book is valued at 100gp.
The wand is a wand of shocking grasp with 28 charges remaining, caster level 1.
The scroll is a scroll of burning hands, caster level 3.
The wine is a local vintage from Sandpoint and not very old for wine. It does not show the age that the other objects does.
"Ravage...Destroy...Murder... this room is a place of great violence and death. If only we had the ability to cleanse it of its darkness. Miss Isbela, may I see the book as well? Perhaps it is written in the same language as the runes which are appearing here before us."
He looks on until Izbela offers him the book.
"Do we dare go in? Or can you call the rest of the items to us, Izbela? It seems they might be of some importance. This book at least is worth a fair sum--about 100 gold pieces at a guess."
Rak can make no sense of the magical objects that Izbela reigns in, but quickly identifies the wine. "By Cayden's everflowing flagon, that's a Sandpoint local vintage. I was drinking some of it in town the night or two before I met all of you! It's pretty young, too. Honestly thought they should've left it in the barrel a bit longer, to my tastes. But regardless of that, it's certainly younger than anything else in this..." he waves his hand at the other objects floating around "...strange floaty room."
"More signs that this place was being used by someone who was coming into the town. This is troubling." Akuleh heaves a sigh and leans against a nearby wall. "Speaking of town, do you think we might be able to head back any time soon? I am exhausted, and the power my ancestors have granted me has long since expired for the day."
Before heading back, Akuleh helps check out the other magical items.
"Ach! No use. I am tired."
Izbela gives a weary sigh as Akuleh translates the meaning of the alien words that form upon the wall. "I suppose I should have guessed as much. The mood of this room wouldn't really lend itself to more inspirational words," she remarks, handing the book over so that Akuleh can attempt to decipher it.
"I can tell from here that the items are certainly useful. That wand contains a spell that can deliver a nasty shock to the person on the wrong end of it, while that scroll causes a gout of flames to shoot from one's hands." She turns slightly toward the Shoanti warrior, adding, "I believe I saw you cast a similar spell the night of the goblin attack." As for retrieving said items... "I can try to pull them out as I did with the book, but the spell usually fizzles if the items themselves are magical. Something about the arcane energies cancelling each other or somesuch," Izbela explains with a soft shake of her head, clearly too tired to recall the finer points of her Theoretical Magiphysics lessons. Nevertheless, she tries to gather the remaining objects from the dismal chamber with similar applications of her previous spell, starting with the wine bottle, then the scroll, then the wand.
"Oh? A scroll that carries the spirit of flashing flame? I could use something like that, I believe. If you would not have more use for it." Akuleh is obviously interested in the scroll, but leaves it up to Lirotha whether she might prefer to take it, since Akuleh at least has his weapons.
"Oh, no, by all means, you can have it. I recognize the spell but I've never been able to recreate it myself." Izbela focuses her will on the floating bit of vellum, trying to pull it from the strange gravity affecting the room. As she does, she waits to hear what Kadrian and Rak have to say about Akuleh's suggestion of going back to town for the night. She remains quiet, certain she's made her thoughts on the matter clear many horrible chambers ago.
Kadrian listens intently to his friends speak on arcane matters. It's all very interesting, but over his head for a simple brewer like him.
"Ach! No use. I am tired."
Sighing to himself, the human noble looks to his other 'spiritual advisor'.
"Rak. What do you think? Akuleh..and the rest of us are tired. I am prepared to go end this tonight if it is the will of the group. Please share your thoughts."
"I've been agreeing with that for years, it seems. Cayden will accept my praise all day..." and--as if he's reminded of it by his own words--he slings his tankard forward on its rope and wiggles his fingers over it. It fills with ale, and Rak drinks deeply from it until it's empty. "All hail the Lucky Drunk!"
He brings a hand up to cover his mouth, shielding an unavoidable burp from echoing down the hall. "As I was saying, I can do that all night, and he'll still answer no more of my prayers today. Let's go get some rest."
He brings a hand up to cover his mouth, shielding an unavoidable burp from echoing down the hall. "As I was saying, I can do that all night, and he'll still answer no more of my prayers today. Let's go get some rest."
Kadrian noticeably frowns, but accept the wisdom of his friends. "I suppose cooler and real-rested heads will prevail tomorrow. When and where should we meet?"
While the bottle of wine answers to Izbela's call, her theories prove true as both the book and the scroll remain hovering in the strange room.
Considering the last several hours, the walk back to Sandpoint is a welcome relief of uneventfulness. Few words are spoken for most of the journey as fatigue saps whatever little energy the heroes had left. Boots seem to drag through the dirt and across stone, footfalls barely echoing. It's late in the day and the sun has nearly met the horizon upon your return.
When the group of friends get back into Sandpoint proper, Kadrian addresses his friends.
So, unless anyone else offers a better time, I suggest we all get some rest tonight and meet at The Rusty Dragon at dawn."
Turning to the summoner and her eidolon, the nobleman asks, Bela? Algon? May I escort you back to the Vauni House?"
"Yes, dawn will suit me well. Rak, let us venerate your god tonight. I have seen many dark things this day, and I have need to soften the memory."
Although weary from both physical and magical fatigue, Kadrian's chivalrous offer is enough to bring a warm if tired smile to Bela's face. "I'd like that, thank you. " The conjurer turns to glance up at Algon, her smile taking on a slightly coy quality. Some silent communication must pass between the guardian and his charge for the warrior grumbles lowly before going to stand some paces behind the couple, giving them the illusion of privacy. Inclining her head toward Rak and Akuleh, Bela bids them both a good night. "Good night gentlemen. Enjoy your revelry. I'll try not to keep Lord Deverin too long."
Wearily, both varisians and eidolon part ways with the dwarf and shaonti. Once out of earshot of Rak and Akuleh, Kadrian confesses, "I had originally planned to escort you and Algon home, then gone straight to bed. Now it looks like I must go honor Cayden Cailean before entering Deverin House." Sighing, the nobleman continues. "I suppose it's for the best. We all had some very close calls today. It's only right to toast The Drunken Hero for his part in our survival"
Offering his arm while they walk, Kadrian looks concerned at Izbela and asks, "How are you, Bela?"
Izbela gives a quiet chuckle at Kadrian's confession. "Is Sandpoint's most eligible bachelor getting old?" she teases, stepping closer to companionably bump into the swashbuckler's side. "I would have thought you'd be looking forward to a night of carousing after the adventurous day we've had." Briefly glancing down the nearby alleyways, Bela checks to see that no one is within earshot. "Wereboars in the Tickwood and ancient evil tunnels hidden beneath Sandpoint," she mutters incredulously, shaking her head in disbelief. "I remember when this used to be a sleepy little town."
Happily hooking her arm under Kadrian's, Bela uses her free hand to wave off the nobleman's concern. "I'm fine. That little demon barely scratched me. It'll be healed over by tomorrow morning, I'm sure. I'm more concerned about Ameiko to be honest. As strained as their relationship was, she lost her father today. And by her brother's doing, no less." Bela shakes her at the thought of what the innkeeper endured and pauses their stroll to turn to Kadrian. "You'll ask Bethana how she's doing for me when you get to the Rusty Dragon, won't you?"
Once she has Kadrian's assurances, Bela continues walking alongside the man. "How are you, Kadrian? Are you hurt?" she asks, looking him over for injuries. "You and Algon seemed to take the brunt of today's attacks. I feel like I should be helping you to the Cathedral instead of letting you walk me home."
Izbela gives a quiet chuckle at Kadrian's confession. "Is Sandpoint's most eligible bachelor getting old?" she teases, stepping closer to companionably bump into the swashbuckler's side. "I would have thought you'd be looking forward to a night of carousing after the adventurous day we've had."
Kadrian smiles into Bela's beautiful eyes. "Perhaps maturity, not old age, has finally caught up with Kadrian Deverin. I feel we will need our rest, to regain our strength, for whatever horrors still lurk in those tunnels."
Briefly glancing down the nearby alleyways, Bela checks to see that no one is within earshot. "Wereboars in the Tickwood and ancient evil tunnels hidden beneath Sandpoint," she mutters incredulously, shaking her head in disbelief. "I remember when this used to be a sleepy little town."
The swashbuckler nods in agreement. "Almost make the recent Unpleasantness seem..quaint, by comparison."
Happily hooking her arm under Kadrian's, Bela uses her free hand to wave off the nobleman's concern. "I'm fine. That little demon barely scratched me. It'll be healed over by tomorrow morning, I'm sure. I'm more concerned about Ameiko to be honest. As strained as their relationship was, she lost her father today. And by her brother's doing, no less." Bela shakes her at the thought of what the innkeeper endured and pauses their stroll to turn to Kadrian. "You'll ask Bethana how she's doing for me when you get to the Rusty Dragon, won't you?"
"As you wish", Kadrian assures the summoner.
Once she has Kadrian's assurances, Bela continues walking alongside the man. "How are you, Kadrian? Are you hurt?" she asks, looking him over for injuries. "You and Algon seemed to take the brunt of today's attacks. I feel like I should be helping you to the Cathedral instead of letting you walk me home."
Kadrian smiles bravely at Bela. "I'll be fine. Much like you, I intend to sleep it off. I'm sure the ale I'll ingest will help with pain's dulling." The nobleman sighs wearily. "No. I can't get too deep in my cups tonight. I'm sure my aunt will want a full report before my head hits the pillow."
Petting Bela's hand with his other free hand, Kadrian looks back into Ms. Vauni's eyes. "I'm so glad to know that I have a powerful summoner and equally powerful eidolon", the swashbuckler raising his voice as he looks back at Algon, "fighting by my side to defend Sandpoint. Thank you. Thank you both!"
Rak happily guides Akuleh in the happy celebration of Cayden's best graces. The day had indeed been long, and tiring, but there was always room to praise Cayden.
And once you'd toasted him once or twice, the weariness went all away.
Rak keeps a good eye on his friend though. "Something a lot of folks don't really know, Akuleh--or rather, they know, but they just don't get it--is that while we call him the Lucky Drunk, he ain't no drunk at all! We drink the sacrament with care, and an eye towards keeping our wits about us! If you get so drunk that you can't take care of yourself anymore, you might as well be defiling his temple. To Cayden!" he exclaims, downing another drink.
"I don't imagine your tribe venerates Cayden in any way, does it? Do you have any totem rituals that use the sacrament of alcohol?"
Kadrian smiles into Bela's beautiful eyes. "Perhaps maturity, not old age, has finally caught up with Kadrian Deverin. I feel we will need our rest, to regain our strength, for whatever horrors still lurk in those tunnels."
Izbela returns Kadrian's smile with a soft smile of her own, grateful for the dying light of evening as she feels the heat rise in her cheeks. "Well, I think it suits you," she tells him, happy to see the real man behind all the rumors.
Kadrian smiles bravely at Bela. "I'll be fine. Much like you, I intend to sleep it off. I'm sure the ale I'll ingest will help with pain's dulling." The nobleman sighs wearily. "No. I can't get too deep in my cups tonight. I'm sure my aunt will want a full report before my head hits the pillow."
"Would that I could join you. A nice drink sounds like just the thing to help me forget some of the things I've seen today before I go to sleep. But I'm sure I'll have enough questions to avoid answering when I get home without smelling of alcohol."
Izbela gently shakes her head as Kadrian thanks her and Algon for their help, a fond smile on her face. "You don't have to thank me. Sandpoint is my home too," she demurs. The summoner gives the swashbuckler a sidelong look, a mischievous glint in light blue eyes as she pauses a few homes down from her door. "But if you really want to show your gratitude, I can think of a good way to do it," she playfully hints, rising to meet Kadrian for a kiss goodnight.
"Would that I could join you. A nice drink sounds like just the thing to help me forget some of the things I've seen today before I go to sleep. But I'm sure I'll have enough questions to avoid answering when I get home without smelling of alcohol."
Kadrian nods. "Yes. Concerning 'certain questions', it is my hope that after the latest events wind down, you and I may have a chance to sit down with your parents and explain my intentions. The rumors have surely reached them by now."
Izbela gently shakes her head as Kadrian thanks her and Algon for their help, a fond smile on her face. "You don't have to thank me. Sandpoint is my home too," she demurs. The summoner gives the swashbuckler a sidelong look, a mischievous glint in light blue eyes as she pauses a few homes down from her door. "But if you really want to show your gratitude, I can think of a good way to do it," she playfully hints, rising to meet Kadrian for a kiss goodnight.
Returning the mischievous glint in Izbela's eyes, Kadrian quickly looks around to make sure they are alone, then picks the summoner up by her waist, and spins her around, setting her down in a nearby empty alleyway, and proceeds to give the harrower a series of passionate kisses.
Rak happily guides Akuleh in the happy celebration of Cayden's best graces. The day had indeed been long, and tiring, but there was always room to praise Cayden.
And once you'd toasted him once or twice, the weariness went all away.
Rak keeps a good eye on his friend though. "Something a lot of folks don't really know, Akuleh--or rather, they know, but they just don't get it--is that while we call him the Lucky Drunk, he ain't no drunk at all! We drink the sacrament with care, and an eye towards keeping our wits about us! If you get so drunk that you can't take care of yourself anymore, you might as well be defiling his temple. To Cayden!" he exclaims, downing another drink.
"I don't imagine your tribe venerates Cayden in any way, does it? Do you have any totem rituals that use the sacrament of alcohol?"
"No," Akuleh says as he swipes the froth of his ale from his lips, "My quah does not venerate Cayden. We let our ancestors guide our way of life. It is this way for many of the quah. We differ in many ways though. My quah, the Shundar-Quah, do not use alcohol in our rituals, but others do." Akuleh pauses to take another long draught of his ale and smiles, "Though we certainly use a good deal of it in our celebrations afterward." With another pull, Akuleh empties his tankard.
He flips the tankard and slams it, upside-down, back onto the table. "Grah! And keep the darkness down," he says solemnly. He reaches over and claps Rak on the shoulder. "Thank you for staying with me, Rak. After today, I fear I may have let myself go too far and done your god dishonor. Tell me, what brought you to worship Cayden. He is not a typical god for your people is he?"
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"Eh, you're far from dishonoring Cayden. I don't know that you could dishonor anybody, Ahukeh!" Renewing his create ale spell, Rak takes a long pull from his personal tankard and continues. "I think that admonition is mostly for the clergy... if you know what I mean!" He laughs and finishes off the liter-sized vessel. "My strategy is just to keep drinking so much that you can't no longer get drunk!"
"But why Cayden, you ask? You're right, he's certainly no typical god for dwarves, but it ain't so strange neither. We all appreciate the sacrament, so there's a good bit of overlap there." He motions for Ameiko to bring some more of the evening's dinner before continuing.
"My family was silversmiths. I know--Opal--right? Don't ask!" he laughs. "We did a lot of traveling, mostly between sky citadels, but sometimes to human towns and whatnot, teaching others. The Highhelm Opals are the world standard in silver, and don't believe it if you ever hear different!" Another casting of create ale replenishes both Rak and Akuleh's mugs.
"Well, so much travel in human lands, and every place you stop--and I mean that, every tavern--is a shrine to my favorite Drunk." He points to The Rusty Dragon's own shrine at the end of the bar. "And there's always joy! Sometimes trouble, but mostly celebration and camaraderie. I just saw this as my way to help do his good work in the world. So, that's what I do."
Akuleh nods his head as he comes to understand his friend a little better. "So you have chosen a life apart from your people to honor your god. That is...a difficult decision, but an honorable one. For myself, I would not leave my people if I did not feel called to this task." He sighs and nods his thanks to Rak for the refill of his tankard. "But it would seem the Ancestors have chosen me to face this evil. I only hope I am up to the task."
After a moment of reflection, he looks up and sees Ameiko striding back across the room with another serving of food for Rak. "Miss Ameiko! I am surprised to see you here tonight. I am pleased, but surprised. I thought you might need at least a night's rest to recover from the ordeals you have faced."
Returning the mischievous glint in Izbela's eyes, Kadrian quickly looks around to make sure they are alone, then picks the summoner up by her waist, and spins her around, setting her down in a nearby empty alleyway, and proceeds to give the harrower a series of passionate kisses.
Izbela's startled laughter is swallowed up as Kadrian's lips find hers. Though she hadn't expected the man to respond to her playful suggestion with such zeal, she nevertheless responds to his passion with equal fervor, hands sliding up to tangle in the swashbuckler's silky hair and draw him even closer. But the intimate moment is shattered—all too soon, in Bela's opinion—by the sound of someone very pointedly clearing their throat. Drawing back, Bela looks to the mouth of the alley where Algon stands, arms folded across his chest and staring disapprovingly at the couple. Bela gives a breathless little laugh, not bothered in the least by her guardian's displeasure but also not willing to carry on her amorous behavior with an audience present. Turning back to Kadrian, Izbela rises to the tips of her toes to brush one last, more chaste kiss against the man's stubbled cheek. "Goodnight, Kadrian. I'll see you in the morning."
With that, Bela leaves the alley, reaching out to pat Algon's arm in a placating manner as she passes him. The eidolon remains steadfast, however, radiating a quiet menace as he continues to stand at the entrance to the alley, even as his summoner walks the few houses down to her door. Only once Izbela is safely inside the house does Algon relent, unfolding his arms and wordlessly turning to follow his charge inside.
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"Goodnight, Kadrian. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Izbela", Kadrian calls out to the summoner as she leaves the alleyway. "Sleep well."
With that, Bela leaves the alley, reaching out to pat Algon's arm in a placating manner as she passes him. The eidolon remains steadfast, however, radiating a quiet menace as he continues to stand at the entrance to the alley, even as his summoner walks the few houses down to her door.
The swashbuckler is a little taken aback as the eidolon stands there in a quiet menace. In a quieter tone, the swashbuckler tries to appeal to the extraplanar chaperone.
"Come now, Algon. You must now I would have hurt her...and do to recent events, Bela and I hardly have any time alone anymore. I'd like to think if I was such a threat to her, you'd stomp me into paste!"Once Algon hears the imperceivable close of the Vauni front door does the eidolon move to meet with his charge. The nobleman waits for the hulking outsider to leave the alleyway before moving on. Calling out as the last gleam of the angelic eidolon's armor disappears from view, Kadrian says, "Good talk, Algon! Good talk."
Leaving the alleyway, the swashbuckler sees the massive back of Algon walk toward the Vauni household. Sighing, Kadrian looks into the gathering gloom of dusk. Two beers. I must limit myself to two beers", thinks Kadrian as he makes his way to The Rusty Dragon.
After a few minutes, Kadrian makes his way to the bustling Rusty Dragon. The nobleman makes a couple customary greetings to those who greeting him as he enters. He looks around the large common room to find Rak and Akuleh drinking heartily, which makes the swashbuckler smile depsite himself. Walking over to the table, Kadrian is surprised to see Ameiko serving some food for the inquisitor.
"Gentleman!" Kadrian says over the din. "Good to see you are still over the table instead of under it. Ameiko! How are you? Are you alright?"
Ameiko greeted her rescuers with a genuine smile and a tray full of mugs. "I'm fine, thanks to all of you. I will talk to Father Zantus in the morning and try to recruit a few able bodied men to recover my father's body."
Her smile faded as she spoke. "You're welcome to come along, but please, don't feel obligated. I'm pretty sure Father Zantus will want to talk to you as well. And besides, you've done more for me than I could ever repay. Speaking of which, your money's no good here. Tonight's on me. Enjoy" she said as she turned to fetch another round.
In the morning, the sun seams to rise too early, and with it it brings a haze of the mind only appreciated after too much ale. Still, the wafting smell of a well-sorted breakfast entices even the sick out of their beds. Father Zantus sits at a large table with numerous dishes spread out. A book in one hand and a fresh apple in the other, he greets you with a warm smile. "Please, have a seat. Feel free to dig in. Ameiko is running a few errands but Bethana is around here somewhere if you need something else."
Akuleh smiles warmly as Ameiko assures everyone that she is alright. "I would accompany Father Zantus and the other men to help recover your father, but I am afraid my body may not be up to the task so early. We certainly do have much to discuss with Father Zantus as well."
When she offers a night of free food and drink, Akuleh leans back in his seat and lets out a bark of laughter. "Ah, Miss Ameiko, you are kind! Please, another order of the delicious stew you prepared, and a roast chicken if it can be spared! My appetite seems restored by the warmth of your establishment!"
The following morning, Akuleh rises early as usual to attend to his daily rituals, then makes his way back to Rusty Dragon. Amazingly, his stomach rumbles expectantly for breakfast, even after he spent the night feasting and drinking with Rak and Kadrian. Upon returning to the inn, he finds Father Zantus already sitting down together, and he joins the priest at the table. "Good morning, Father. Give my friends just a moment. I'm sure Kadrian must be collecting Miss Izbela, and Rak must be praying to his god to prepare for the day."
As Akuleh begins to pile breads and fruits on his plate, he asks Zantus, "Have men been sent to recover Miss Ameiko's father from the glassworks? He was not a kind man, from what I knew of him, but even he did not deserve the fate that met him in the end."
The following morning, Akuleh rises early as usual to attend to his daily rituals, then makes his way back to Rusty Dragon. Amazingly, his stomach rumbles expectantly for breakfast, even after he spent the night feasting and drinking with Rak and Kadrian. Upon returning to the inn, he finds Father Zantus already sitting down together, and he joins the priest at the table. "Good morning, Father. Give my friends just a moment. I'm sure Kadrian must be collecting Miss Izbela, and Rak must be praying to his god to prepare for the day."
Kadrian walks through the door to The Rusty Dragon to find Akuleh speaking with Father Zanthus. After greeting both men, the swashbuckler sits at the table, but does not partake of the breakfast, a determined look shadows his face. In a low tone, the nobleman speaks with Zanthus.
"We cannot stay, Father. Whatever evil is still in those tunnels awaits us this morning."Leaning over to the shaonti, Kadrian asks, "Where are the others? They should have been here by now?!"
The Big Sky The Lost The Inquisitor
The Winged Serpent The Twin The Midwife
The Hidden Truth The Survivor The Idiot
The Big Sky is the first card that jumps out at her, but she hasn't the confidence in the spirits of the Harrow or her divinitory abilities to say whether it's significant or not. It certainly feels that way to the conjurer considering the number of times the cards have tried to show it to her in the past few days. If so, it would suggest that some sort of mass liberation in the past is responsible for recent events. Strange, Bela considers, flipping over the cards of the next column. In the middle of the spread sits The Twin, the card of duality and indecision only further muddling the Unclear Present. She wants to think that the doppelganger is referring to the divided loyalties of Ameiko's traitorous brother, Tsuto. But not only is that a far too tidy explanation for The Twin, the Harrow is a tool meant for learning hidden insights. Or as her Nana would put it: The cards tell you what you need to know, not what you already know. No, it's clear enough that the Twin is referring to someone or something else. But who or what that is, Izbela figures, only time will tell. Flipping over the last three cards of the spread, Bela can't help the gasp that leaves her lips as she reveals the final card: The Idiot. Given what she knows of Tsuto's plan for the town and the card's precarious position in the Negative Future, it's hard for the young woman not to read another, more terrible goblin raid in Sandpoint's imminent future. Remember what Nana taught you. Don't just look at the images on the cards. Look for what they represent. And after taking a calming breath, Bela does just that, looking beyond the mere imagery of the cards and down to what it symbolizes. The man is the idiot, clearly. The goblins, let's see, they represent... greed? So the foolish man is lead blindly to his own death by greed. I think. Certainly sound advice to keep in mind, Izbela considers, and regardless of whether or not there were any hidden insights to be gleaned from her harrowing, the rite accomplished what she set out to do. Feeling her magic restored, the summoner begins the ritual to call Algon from the Harrowed Realm.
"Good morning, Father. Give my friends just a moment. I'm sure Kadrian must be collecting Miss Izbela, and Rak must be praying to his god to prepare for the day."
Izbela and Algon arrive at the Rusty Dragon just as Akuleh is asking Father Zantus for patience on their behalf. "I thought I might see myself to the inn today. I wasn't sure how much venerating you three might have done last night, and I didn't want to risk waiting at home until noon for my escort to arrive. Clearly I made the right choice," Bela says as she approaches the group, lips curved in a teasing smile. A smile that promptly fades when she notices the tension writ large across Kadrian's face. "Good morning all."
Sitting down, Izbela seeks Kadrian's hand underneath the table, not for affection but for reassurance. "We did an admirable job of clearing out the tunnels last night. Surely we can spare some minutes to break fast and hear what the good Father has come to tell us?" she gently questions, giving the swashbuckler's hand a light squeeze. "Sandpoint did not fall in our sleep, after all. I'm sure it will last at least a few minutes more." A hint of a smile reappears as Bela tries to coax Kadrian into relaxing.
As his manners permits, Kadrian rises from the table as Bela approaches and sits back down as she find her seat next to him. The summoner's reassuring hand finds his. Listening to the summoner's words of comfort, Kadrian gives a small smile to his paramour and nods, understanding the wisdom within her words.
Rak sees the others assembling at Father Zantus' table when he comes to the common room. He stops briefly at Cayden's shrine, where he conjures another litre of ale into his mug as his morning sacrament. Drinking half of it down in a single pull, he then joins the others at the table where he finishes the other half.
"If you start every morning this way, you'll never feel it at the end of the day. It's Cayden's way!" Rak's spirits are high as they assemble in the light of day. He fills his plate with breakfast meats and breads, then begins eating as he waits for Father Zantus to share what he knows.
Father Zantus looks to Akuleh first. "I believe Ameiko was organizing men to do just that. Very true, on both points my son."
He then turns to respond to Kadrian. "That is the very reason I am here Master Deverin. Tsuto has remained mostly silent, but we were able to ascertain one important piece of information. It would appear that Nualia has returned and is planning something dastardly for Sandpoint. I fear she means to destroy everything that she can, as recompense for some perceived slights or what have you."
"Through the Nettlewood, roughly two hours from here, is a small island just off the coast. Thistletop. Shalelu says a tribe of goblins dwells here. Tsuto has let slip that Nualia is here as well. Sandpoint will not be safe until this threat is dealt with. After everything we've seen in the last few days, you would seem to be our best chance at uncovering Nualia's plot and put an end to it."
The nobleman listening intently to Father Zantus's words, one finger resting on his lip.
"I still believe that significant danger still roams underneath The Glasswork's, for I feel we did not full explore it", Kadrian explains quietly, mindful of easedroppers.
"It sounds like a response from Sandpoint is needed at Thistletop. If it is the will of the group, we should go the island and end Nualias threat!" Looking to the old cleric, the swashbuckler adds, "I would ask that additional warriors escort the body retrieval team, for their and Sandpoint's protection."
Akuleh nods firmly. "Yes, this Nualia seems to be an agent of great evil. She must be stopped." He takes a drink of the tea set before him and looks around to the others, "Should we complete our exploration of the tunnels under the Glassworks first? I recall that that final chamber seemed to have some useful tools that we were unable to recover at first. And that strange book. Perhaps these tokens would guide us as we delve further into the plots behind the attack on the festival."
Rak's good mood of the morning cools with Father Zantus' words. "Ahhh, Father. When will we have good news instead of ill?" He takes a pull from his tankard. "I was just enjoying this morning!" But he nods his head with the others... the evil needed to be contained, and even Cayden understood the setting aside of immediate pleasure for the greater good.
"Indeed, we weren't able to finish what we started down there. Had we stayed we'd have surely perished, undoing the good we'd already done. Father, if you think your men can handle the dangers we left, then I'll accept your word on that. Nualia is probably the greater threat...."
"It seems I spoke too soon," Izbela grimly says in reference to her earlier assurances to Kadrian. In response to Akuleh's question she nods somewhat ambivalently. "As little as I'm looking forward to going back down there anytime soon, the wand and the scroll could come in handy later. We also have a few things we might be able to sell or trade for some supplies. The bags of gold dust, the spear," Izbela says, pointing to the ranseur in Algon's hands. Reaching under the table for a moment, Izbela comes up with a small cloth bundle and slides it across the table to Akuleh and Rak. Pulling back the topmost layer reveals the tiny dagger wielded by the departed quasit. "We might even be able to find a buyer for this, if we can find out what it does. Can either of you discern its magical qualities? I tried this morning but the enchantment is just not one I'm familiar with."
"I will try again," Akuleh says, holding his hand out over the blade and closing his eyes in concentration.