"Because it makes the shard work better," Zev flatly replies. Which was true.
"Control, power is one thing, but having complete control over it is the ultimate." Ryn adds.
With the finish of the challenge Saersha felt a wash of relief. She wasn't enthused about fighting those things and anything to get past that was a good thing. She smiled and said, "Well done Ulfr, it seems you are more than just muscles." While her tone was a bit mocking her smile took the sting from them, "I approve."
Saersha looked for a spot to sit and examine what was found and when she found one gestured for Embyr to stay with her. She cast a spell to see magic and then examined each item brought to her revealing what she could learn on them.
”Those glasses sound cool.” Zev comments without otherwise taking his attention off of Ulfr.
Ulfr looks at the stone. Then to his companions. He didn't want to give it up, but maybe touching it was a bit much? He slowly and with more than a little hesitation drops his prize into a pouch on his pack...
"Perhaps I can take a look at the remaining items?" says Azura helpfully.
Embyr stares in rapt attention at all the wealth on display. "...oh wow... that's... that's more than I've ever seen!"
She then looks back at the blood-red portal before starting to look between the loot and the party's exit.
Ulfr clears his throat at her. Remember who you're traveling with, Missy.
"Also you're likely to find more, and stay with Saersha, if you stick with us so..." Zev adds.
"O-oh, I wasn't going to run off with it." Embyr folds her hands meekly in her lap. "Sorry. Force of habit."
”Just keep your hands where Saersha knows they are and everything’s fine,” Zev jokes to dismantle the tension.
Once the party has gathered up the treasure from the altar, it's back through the portal and (finally) away from the Crow.
They encounter no resistance as they move.
When they return to Vell's library, they see Vell sitting in front of one of the bookshelves, thoroughly engrossed in The Improbable Illustrated Adventures of Isadora Icygarter.
They glance up as the party enters the library. "Oh! You're back!" It says in its female voice. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
Ulfr pulls the stone from his pack and holds it up between two fingers.
"Yes we did. It was an interesting trip. I think we went to hell and back." She barely manages to control herself, and not start rearranging the books again.
As they begin packing things up, Ryn looks at each of the unidentified item, turning them over in her hands as she touches her pendant, feeling it's magic flow into her mind.
"Oh, that's wonderful news!" Vell claps its hands.
"...does that mean you're leaving?" Its voice turns curious and anxious.
Ulfr shrugs. For now. If I leave town I'll let you know. I don't know what is next for us, honestly. Why don't you leave? Are you compelled to stay here?
Vell starts to wring its claws. "Well... no..."
"...but I don't know where else I would go. This place is quiet, hard to reach, and..." The ugothol trails off, its head turning away. "...I can be myself here."
"That's always a good thing, being able to be yourself without judgment." Ryn says with a smile.
Zev nods. ”It is.” Then he tilts his head. ”We could ask Miss Heidmarch if she has need for a librarian. She and the Pathfinders probably have access to all sorts of neat and weird books that need taken care of.”
"Really?" Vell tilts its head at the party. "...am I going to have to make myself more 'presentable'?"
Ufr shrugs. We'll need to talk to her. You probably can't be the doorman, but she strikes me as the open-minded sort.
There are parts of the library that don't see many common visitors. I'm sure that will be an excellent fit for you. You can do you work, an be who you are there. I'll work with Ms. Heidmarch, and the other librarians to work something out."
Saersha spotted Embyr's desire for more wealth as she looked greedily at the treasure in the room. Sure there was a lot there but Greed came at a cost and it could be hard for most to resist. As they all reached the portal and heard Ulfr's words to her. Saersha was willing to see what her maid would do, a test of her character as it were, and felt a little worry. Ultimately her worry was for naught as Embyr made the right choice.
Saersha spun Embyr to face her, "Had you failed, had you given into it in this place, then I would have been forced to leave you here." There was great sincerity in her eyes as she spoke, "The sins cannot exist in concert, not all of them anyway, and I cannot abide Greed and Gluttony. Those two are the mortal enemies of Lust." She let her hands drift down a bit further as she nibble Embyr's ear a moment and then said, "Come my Pet, we should rejoin the others now."
Coming through the portal with Embyr, Saersha as just in time to hear the other suggest to the librarian that maybe their employer would help him get a job with the Society. "A good idea, at the very least I think she and others would like to visit your library here."
"That sounds like a great plan. The Pathfinder Society is used to dealing with all kinds of people from all around the world, and the sorts of folks who would come to a Pathfinder chapter house are also the sorts who wouldn't bat an eye at chatting up a beholder or a doppelganger or some other individual that you don't see on a typical street corner in Magnimar," adds Azura.
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"And you'd likely have access to first printings of some original Pathfinder tales." Run adds.
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"Yeah! Everyone loves first edition Pathfinder stuff."
"It is very nice? I think we should head out, don't you? I need a bath, and some dinner. We also need to report."
Azura nods again in agreement. "You're right, of course, Ada. We succeeded in our goal here and we should head back. I suppose we just need to make arrangements in case our scholarly friend here decides to visit."
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"Dinner sounds great!" Zev agrees, tail happily wagging.
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"A bath sounds heavenly," says Azura.
"Very much so!" Ryn agrees enthusiastically.
Ulfr starts for the gate and waves his goodbye, We'll let you know what she says.
Vell tentatively waves goodbye. "I'll... I'll start packing my things, then!"
The portal opens to whisk the party away from the Crow.
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Night has fallen by the time the party emerges from the Crow. Their sudden arrival is greeted by a sudden yelp of fright as a couple of vagrants flee from the dilapidated home the portal opens in.
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Maybe it's because of the party's heavy armament, but no one accosts the party as they move. The streetlights of Magnimar are brightly lit, showing several thronging crowds as they bustle about to take part in the nightlife of the City of Monuments.
When the party reaches Heidmarch Manor, they see Captain Heidmarch in the manor's foyer--along with a pale-haired, albino woman in a gothic black-and-red dress.
"Pathfinders, good evening!" Sheila approaches the party with a smile. "Have you found your prize?"
The albino watches the party with a dispassionate eye.
Saersha was surprised at the presence of Madame Albina as she never made house calls herself. Oh her employees occasionally would but the Madame herself? Never! Not even Saersha's Mother had managed to get the albino seamstress to do such a thing. Finding herself cautious about this strange occurrence Saersha reached out and pulled Embyr towards her, hands around the maid's waist, and leaned in very close to speak in her Pet's ear.
Saersha buried her face in Embyr's neck as if she was nibbling on it and chanted, her hands sliding around behind the maid's back to hide them, and then approached the Madame while her spell was active to look for signs of magic upon her. "Madame Albina it's a pleasure as always." She leaned in to kiss each of the Madame's cheeks before stepping back and saying, "How is the order I placed for my Maid coming along?"
Embyr nods once.
Madame Albina returns Saersha's kisses. "The order should've been delivered by now."
"Captain Heidmarch requested that I visit her." She looks over at the captain.
Ufr stands nearby looking brooding. In fact, he's looked particularly brooding ever since touching that stone. Some of his easy confidence is gone, replaced by the feeling of a gathering storm just waiting to be unleashed.
Saersha nodded and said, "I don’t know, we've been gone for a couple of days so I haven't returned home to see just yet." She smiled as she backed away and said, "I look forward to seeing the finished product when we return."
With the explanation of why Madame Albina was there Saersha said in a surprised tone, A house call, you?! Oh wait until I tell my Mother about this. She's been trying to get you to do a house call for as long as I can remember without success, yet here you are at Lady Heidmarch's place." She laughed wickedly as she said, "Oh she'll probably have an apoplectic fit over this news."
Her laughter trailed off and Saersha said, "Don't worry I'll keep it to myself Madame Albina." She looked back to the gathered people and said, "We won't keep you if your business isn't complete yet, we can wait a bit longer if we need to."
Zev waves at the woman Saersha knows in greeting, but doesn't otherwise say anything as they converse.
Madame Albina purses her lips. "Indeed."
"Oh, you don't need to worry about her." Captain Heidmarch briefly claps a hand on Madame Albina's shoulder, causing the woman to flinch.
"I asked her here because she has a few stones I meant to purchase. You know... ones that could be fitted to artifact shards, yes?"
"...you needn't be coy." Albina takes a step away and casts a prestidigitation spell upon her shoulder, smoothing out the wrinkle Sheila's hand left on her dress. "You've already purchased your ioun stone."
Captain Heidmarch slides a hand into one of her pockets and withdraws a spherical ioun stone of a deep red colour.
"Oh, perfect," says Azura. "Madame Albina, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come out personally to assist with this. It'll make this so much easier."
Ada looks at the ioun stone with interest. "What a beautiful stone."
Saersha's concerns were alleviated when it was revealed the Madame was here as a part of what they were doing. She gave the woman an apologetic smile and moved back to her Pet. "I'm glad you took the time as well Madame Albina, and I look forward to seeing what was delivered to my residence when we return home."
"Well there you go. Ulfr, want to get out the shard to see if the stone works with it the way it should?" Ryn suggests, watching her friend cautiously, after noting his increased volatility.
Ulfr nods and produces the shard. He holds it up, but makes no move to hand it over for several seconds. The ruby red glints in his eye. He slowly walks over and very, very slowly extends the jewel. His eyes never leave his prize.