"I'm Merle barer and this is my partner Seph." Seph giving a wave of hello from Merle's shoulder
"I'm case, Justin Case. Pleasure to meet you Sophistacia." Justin says pleasantly, holding out his hand, palm up, as if greeting a fine dressed lady in formal circumstances.
"And, who is your friend?" Justin adds, nodding at the black drake peeking over her shoulder.
As Justin introduces himself to the new woman Hamar realizes he did not give his name, "I am Hamar of the Hyena Tribe, Pride of the Shaar both east and west". He does not offer to shake a hand just a nod of the head.
"I'm Merle Barer and this is my partner Seph." Seph giving a wave of hello from Merle's shoulder.
Sophie looks pointedly at Justin's hand for a few seconds before reaching out her own to take it. "Sophistacia Xen'daren, it's a pleasure I'm sure," she says in a soft sibilant voice, a small smile creeping up the left side of her lips, "and this," she says, reaching behind her to scratch behind the small dragon's horns, "is my companion Erebus."
"I have been speaking with the esteemed Renkar here," she nods deferentially at Renkar beside her, "about the prospects of joining The Silver Rose. I think that it would be a very profitable outcome for all parties involved for you to have the benefit of my expertise in your endeavours."
Renkar nods
“They are , or were, working on a mission to Yggdrasil, but it took a while to get back”
Renkar seats himself back before his plate
“Why don’t you tell us what transpired?”
The Party can hear Mercutio in the rafters. The normally inquisitive faerie dragon seems shy in front of Sophistacia’s drake
Sophie looks pointedly at Justin's hand for a few seconds before reaching out her own to take it. "Sophistacia Xen'daren, it's a pleasure I'm sure," she says in a soft sibilant voice, a small smile creeping up the left side of her lips, "and this," she says, reaching behind her to scratch behind the small dragon's horns, "is my companion Erebus."
Justin starts to reply, "Nice to meet you too, Er,..."
But At Sophistacia's introduction, there is a movement that pulls Justin slightly off balance. From under the wizard's coat flies a purple blur of movement that pauses in mid air directly before the dark haired lady."WELL! Finally! HellOOOOOO NURSE! I know some of the gals in this group are lookers, but I have always loved the Gothic look!" The floating purple crystal skull declares cheerily. It's voice is masculine, and it's eye sockets gleam brightly with arcane fire.
"Names Memnon. Alchemist Extraordinaire and Sagagious Sage of the Ancient Age. Whats your sign sweet scales?" One of Memnon's glowing eye sockets dims in an approximation of a wink. Everyone in the room gets the impression it was a leering wink.
Justin sighs. Heavily. He doesn't even have the energy to facepalm.
"Sorry Renkar. Karrin left out our OTHER new friend. Meet Memnon. Possibly the greatest alchemist in the Planes. Just ask him. He'll be glad to tell you." The wizard says wryly, gesturing towards the floating crystal skull with a tired, blase', 'Ta-Da' hand motion.
"I thought you were lying low. For a change." Justin asks Memnon with forced jocularity.
"I WAS!" the crystal skull replies in the whiney tones of an adolescent.
"But I couldn't TAKE it anymore! The inside of your coat smells like it hasn't been washed in a week! I mean, I KNOW you haven't washed it in a week, because I know you've been running for your lives. But still, a skull is nothing but eyes and nose. I can only take so much!" At this the skull turns back towards Sophistacia and looks at her. Again.
Justin doesn't even bother to sigh. He just reaches out, clamps a hand onto the back of the skull, and turns it to face himself.
"You forgot 'mouth'." Justin mutters to Memnon.
Then Justin turns the crystal skull to face Renkar.
"Memnon. Renkar. Renkar. Memnon." Justin performs perfunctory introductions.
"Memnon. Renkar is my BOSS. Meaning He pays me. PLease do try not to tick him off in the first 30 seconds. For my sake. Or it will seriously curtail any chance I have of getting you that alchemy lab we were discussing." Justin says amiably.
"Release mEEEP!" Memnon starts to say, as Justin beats him to it and drops the crystal skull without warning. The violet skull catches itself before it hits the floor and rises once more to average head height. The look the immobile crystal gives the wizard should not be possible with out moving parts. Then Memnon shakes itself slightly, recovering his dignity.
"Ah-hem. I thought we had agreed, NO man-handling!" Memnon says icily.
"Touche'. Fair enough. I apologize. But I also thought we agreed to a certain amount of, decorum?" Justin replies with a raised eyebrow.
",..." Memnon floats in mid-air a few moments, staring at Justin.
"Touche'."
The crystal skull floats over towards Renkar.
"I am most likely far older than anyone else you have met. I have seen things that others have only dreamt of. And I AM the best alchemist you have ever met. On that I will stake my skull. I have already made use of my skills to aid in saving the lives of a couple of the group. I know the wizard finds my services desirable. And I am happy to continue providing them. As his partner. As long as certain, requirements can be met?"
"WHICH we are still under negotiations over, and that I shall be happy to cover out of my share." Justin pointedly interrupts, smiling.
"And until we get your current bearings back, weren't you laying low? For, some reasons?" Justin nods at Memnon. Still smiling.
"Oh. Right. Until I get caught up on the current socio-political situations in Sigil, it is probably best if it were not too widely spread that you are currently being blessed with my services. Just to be safe." Memnon agrees, his eye-lights flashing slightly redder for a moment.
"I'll just make myself comfortable. Over here." The violet skull floats to the groups table and settles in the center like a macabre centerpiece. By coincidence he faces the side of the table with the most females seated on it. The skulls eye-lights dim so that they can barely be seen in the inn's illumination.
Mustering up the energy for one more sigh, Justin takes a seat.
Giving Nari a grateful smile of response, the gunslinger feels her tension ease a bit. As she's introduced to Renkar and Hanali, she notes the group's employer's distinguished manner, reminding her of some of the Judges back home, and the stunning beauty of a fellow angelblood, made her feel a little more relaxed.
Noting the unusual dark woman speaking with Renkar, she watches the introductions silently, a smirk of amusement popping up at the crystal skull's antics and Justin's subsequent babbling. Amid it all, her attention catches the sight of a familiar weapon strapped to Sophisticia's thigh, her assessment elevating at the acknowledgment of another gun wielder.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Talking dead Wizard skulls. Wizard even in death would you too never shut up like this thing?" asks the Barbarian his stomach growling loudly.
Justin tilts his head thoughtfully for a moment, (or maybe he's just so tired that it's taking him longer than usual for his mouth to catch up?) Before answering.
"Dunno Hamar. That might be one way to get me to stop talking as much. I've certainly had a few, 'offers' from some to help me find out. But as you've noticed since we met, I'm not in a hurry to perform THAT particular experimental venture."
Justin sees Hamar's tired, blank and hungry look, and grins.
"I'm in no hurry to die to find out." he amends.
Justin pushes one of the first platters of food to arrive (probably originally intended for Karrin) within Hamar's easy reach out of deference to the barbarian's growling stomach.
(The wizard knows that putting his hand between Karrin and food is taking all the risk of losing a digit on himself, but he has NO idea what will happen if the barbarian gets too cranky-hungry. Again, another experiment he is in no hurry to get to.)
Once it looks safe to put out a hand between Karrin and Hamar, Justin reaches for the nearest platter of food himself. At this point he doesn't even care if its animal, vegetable, or mineral. The warriors aren't the ONLY one's who are hungry.
"And, technically speaking, Memnon isn't a wizard. Or dead. He's an,... extraplanar spirit who maintains his presence on planes other than his home by being housed in a magically resonant repository designed to,..." At this point Justin notices that his intended audience is paying him not the slightest bit of attention.
Justin shrugs. "He's a spirit housed in a crystal skull, whose been around long enough to amass enough knowledge to make most arch-wizards look like adolescent schoolboys." Justin murmurs. He notices the crystal eye sockets gleam momentarily in appreciation of the complement.
"Too bad he also has the personality of an adolescent schoolboy." Justin murmurs to himself, popping whatever he had grabbed into his mouth. Chewing the potato almost manages to hide his smirk at the resulting sound of a soft sigh coming from the skull on the table.
The bottomless food pit that is Karrin Kind does at times seem frantic in it's need to quell it's seemingly insatiable hunger but she is not a gluttonous beast that is ignorant of her friends. As food comes to the table Karrin sees that her friends get food first as she knows that Ramona and Bess will keep the plates coming, and there is sure to be bread and pickles on the table for her to munch on while she see her friends filled first. Once she starts eating though Karrin eats like five people, if each one of those people happen to be competitive eaters, and anyone fortunate enough to have not seen Karrin eat before will be left wondering where all that food is going. It's as if the slender Tiefling is hollow and she needs to eat her own body weight in food.
"Oh, I'm Karrin Kind by the way," Karrin says to Sophie while she's handing out food, "The groups's muscle, and right hand of what other sucker Renkar puts in charge of this group of misfits."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hamar eats the legs and wings of as many chickens and turkeys as he can get his hands on ignoring all but meat, at least at first. As he reaches for the vegetables he pauses at Karrin's statement, "Karrin Kind, do you wish to relinquish the mantle of leadership?
Why so?
You are a natural leader. You remind me of my mother, though she was taller and more voluptuous in build than are you. She is a leader, a twisted follower of a dead dark God of assassins but a leader nonetheless. Unlike her though, I will not kill you the next time I see you for you have proven yourself true and not false".
Hamar stuffs some broccoli in his mouth and spits as he speaks seizing on a sudden thought, "The more I think on it you do not remind me of her as much as I thought, it was a poor comparison as she is irredeemably evil.
Still, you both have the quality of leadership in common".
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Right hand of what other sucker Renkar puts in charge of this group of misfits."
Sophie quirks an eyebrow at this. "Was your leader lost on your last mission? I had assumed that either yourself or Justin was in charge." She nods in the direction of the mage.
"Yeah, but this gig, it's like herding cats, I mean I might not be real smart but I know enough that this job needs someone dumb enough to think they can do it."
"Exactly." Justin agrees between bites of his own food.
The wizard stops chewing. He gives Karrin a suspicious, narrow-eyed sideways glance. Then continues chewing. Slowly and thoughtfully.
"Issac was our leader, as Karrin said, he got,... called away. Very suddenly. At the speed he took off and considering his penchant for loyalty and service, well, I don't think were going to see him again until whatever the emergency was is dealt with. Because it must have been a doozy." Justin explains for Sophisticaia's benefit, but talking primarily to Renkar.
As the members of the group make their introductions and sit down to eat, Alessia takes a seat in a dark corner, silently scanning the room for potential threats.
Nari sits quietly picking at some fresh fruit, enjoying the flavor even if she didn’t really need the meal. She smiled a little when Karrin tried to foist of leadership of the group on Justin, but didn’t say anything. They would work it out between them, she was certain of that. But she did throw a grape and an exasperated look at Memnon when he was too obviously trying to look down Merle’s shirt.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
"So we started our journey to Yggdrasil, that's like a really big tree for any of you not familiar, through a secret portal, but before we get though the portal someone shows up with a message for Isaac and he has to leave, which was kind of bad as it kind of made me the temporary leader, and we all know how bad a situation that could be, thankfully we mostly made it back in one piece, but anyways when we got to Yggdrasil we were looking for missing people, which is like a really hard mission to deal with in general as missing people aren't around to explain where they went missing, so you got to hope someone said "I'm going to go hang out at that scary looking knot in the tree where I saw all those monsters the other day", or they leave a note with a map before they disappear or something, which, thankfully is kind of what happened, I mean if people hadn't talked before they went missing we'd be likely still be there now. Anyways when we get to this knot in the tree we're attacked by these ghosts with masks on, because regular ghosts aren't scary enough, but we came across these guys before, I remember getting Olli to look into them, but here they are again and Ferissirion does not like them. In fact my axe, which is the best axe in the all of creation, starts glowing even before they appear! So we bust those ghosts and they disappear leaving behind their masks, and the name Tenebrous, which was their boss or something, it's not a well known name but I remember this poem:
"The Prince of Death
Might rule on high
But within stranger Aeons
Even death may die
But what is death
To Death's pale King
A tenebrous fate
His end will bring
"Which sadly nobody in the group is really impressed by, our resident dunderhead remembering a poem she read once in a dusty old tomb she found in the library here in the cage, but that aside we discover there's a portal hidden in that knot that they were coming though and we know that if we don't deal with them here they're going to keep coming so we hop through that portal to see if we can shut it down."
Karrin pauses briefly to see if everyone is following along.
"Anyways we end up in this really creepy theater in Ranaïs, which is this undead dimension, which is where we find Hamar by the way, though not straight away as he's really good at hiding and stuff, and he wasn't sure we weren't more undead, how he got there we're still not certain, but Hamar is so good at hiding that the ghost that was circling the joint didn't see him and attacks us instead. Well we get into a fight and I get drained, which I do not recommend, 0/10, would not do again, but Hamar pops out of the shadows to help and naturally we quickly become friends, and we defeat the ghost. So, we then look for a way to shut down that portal, which we do with magical formulations or something, not sure, was busy being drained and stuff, but Seph seemed to know what was up so maybe he can elaborate, but while we're trying to shut down this portal we're searching for an off button or something, and Hamar finds a secret storage place under the stage and it's filled with evil puppets! So long story short the theater burns down and we're trapped behind enemy lines with no way to get home.
"I mean we were in Ranaïs before, I remembered there was a portal to Sigel under this Pelor Fort, but I didn't know how to get there at the time and I was really out of it at the moment, so we decide to camp so Ekuur can restore me, and after a long night of ghouls, clowns, and other unspeakable horrors, we manage to do so. While we were camping Hamar does some scouting and discovers one of those masked ghost floating around a nearby temple and naturally we go to investigate, this is where we meet Blayze, who was sort of trapped, but was probably going to escape on her own but needed a distraction, and if the Silver Rose is anything, we're one heck of a distraction. Anyways we defeat the ghost and make friends with Blayze."
Karrin again pauses to get a drink of grog and to see if anyone else has anything to add.
Hamar nods eagerly at Karrin's recap, "Yes, this is a good tale so far. There is more to tell but I shall not tell that tale as the tale told by this tale teller is a better tale than I can tell.
I will tell my tale but will not tell it as well as this one once this tale has reached its tail end".
Hamar grabs a mug of whatever is in reach and begins to chug it, a great deal of it pouring over the edge of the cup and onto his shoulders and chest though he does not seem to care.
Justin looks as if he wants to interject something into Karrin's narative, once or twice, but he never seems to get a word out by the time Karrin has regained her wind.
Eventually, Justin starts listening, and ends up mostly just nodding along at certain points, (Although he looks like he might cry at Karrin's dismissal of their brilliantly collaborative arcane engineering process as 'magical formulations or something'.)
(Perhaps he's noticed that despite Karrin's sudden unusual verbosity, she is still telling the tale in many, many, MANY less words than he would be using. And it is fairly entertaining when told in this manner to boot.)
At KArrin's statement of 'make friends with Blayze', Justin salutes the woman named with his own mug, having decided to take a break from talking himself and do his best to keep up with Karrin in eating. Even though Karrin is talking, she is still staying ahead of him on the devouring of food front. But Justin is making a valiant effort and staying closer than ever before.
Hamar nods eagerly at Karrin's recap, "Yes, this is a good tale so far. There is more to tell but I shall not tell that tale as the tale told by this tale teller is a better tale than I can tell.
I will tell my tale but will not tell it as well as this one once this tale has reached its tail end".
Hamar grabs a mug of whatever is in reach and begins to chug it, a great deal of it pouring over the edge of the cup and onto his shoulders and chest though he does not seem to care.
At this Justin looks at Hamar, Salutes the barbarian with his mug, and drains it as well (although slower and less messily than Hamar).
Some things, just can't be said better.
Sophie cocks her eyebrow at the tale Karrin is spinning.
"I can see that working with The Silver Rose is never going to be dull... I can't wait to hear the outcome of this tale"
She picks at her food, continuing to study her new companiosn, especially as each one is mentioned by name in Karrin's retelling.
"We are many things my lady." Justin manages to interject as Karrin is shoving a piece of chicken, (or was that the whole chicken?!?) into her mouth.
"But 'dull' has never been one of them. Not since they let me join at any rate." he smiles at 'Sophie' with a nod.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
"So it seemed this temple had all sorts of inscriptions, and frescoes, but it was weird, parts of the inscriptions were missing, you know it was the usual god talk, but it seemed the one thing missing was the god's name. Like there were bits of paper with the god's name missing, which we'd thought was part of an erase spell or something, but I don't think any of us had heard of stonework and tiles getting erased before. Also we discovered another portal, this one seemed kind of sinister somehow, and once again reminded me of something, way back in the day, when we were investigating that property for Mr Swire, back when we first got drawn into Ranaïs, I had a dream of a strange fortress in a black void, and the words:
"Tcian Sumere,You will find answers at the redoubt of Ultimate Undeath. Find the entry to the bottom of the multiverse in the land of death, where life cowers beneath Pelor's cloak.
"Which I now realize was a vision, sent by someone, because that name, Tcian Sumere turned out to be a real place, Justin recognized it, and it turns out to be a fortress in the negative plane, which I don't need to tell you Renkar was a bad location for a fortress, not a lot of resell value, okay place to hide out if you're the Ultimate Undeath I suppose, but good luck selling that if you can find a bigger place.
Karrin seems to get a bit somber when she begins the next part of the tale:
Anyways we search under the temple, hoping to find a way to shut down this portal, but we discover a giant sized tomb, along with a giant sized war chariot, a giant sized crown, and so we're thinking there could be a giant, maybe the body of this dead power, but what we weren't expecting is the loss of our dear friend Rhiannon . . . turns out the giant burried in the tomb wasn't resting peacefully, and was in fact an undead monstrosity, he pops up, through the floor, with this massive flail and says something about a bug god, and reveals that whatever erased the god's name from the temple and the papers in the temple, also erased it from his mind as well, which seems like pretty powerful magic, but I don't have time to think about it too much as this jerk starts beating the tar out of us. He gets me first, but thankfully Ekurr is there to heal and Rhiannon charges in to absorb some of the damage, but this beast gets a lucky shot off and kills our dear friend with one swat."
Karrin pauses and holds up her mug of Grog:
"To Rhiannon, the best cavalier I ever met!"
“To Rhiannon,” she agreed solemnly picking up the cup in front of her, her green eyes bright with unshed tears
Hamar raises another mug, "Aye, if a warrior must die let it be on their feet in glorious battle as did Rhiannon".
"To Rhiannon." Justin echoes solemnly.
The wizard does seem unduly subdued during this part. As if thinking about something.
Well, he WAS talking with Rhiannon shortly before,... He takes another, longer pull at the mug and drains it in short order. Quickly enough that even Hamar seems to approve.
"Yes. The mummy did not go down easily. But it DID go down." Justin adds after catching his breath. His tone indicates that he would have preferred to 'put it down' again. Several times.
"It seemed to be as confused about the erasure of the Power's information as we were. After, in the tomb, is where we met Memnon," Justin gestures to the crystal skull with one hand, whom everyone glances at just in time to see Nari almost manage to toss a grape into a glowing eyehole that is (still) too obviously trying to peek down Merle's shirt.
Justin shakes his head. "Among the bits of treasure we located some stones that help protect the bearer from Negative energy. Which helped a lot with Tcian Sumere. Um,... sorry. Go ahead." Justin defers to Karrin once more, gratefully taking another tankard from a newly provided tray full.
The wizard promptly stuffs more food in his mouth before he can interrupt Karrin again.
Renkar leans back, and gives Memnin a goance
“You picked up a Mimir in your travels. That alone is impressive. There are very few of them in Sigil, let alone the Great Wheel. It...”
Memnon swivels from his Merle ogling towards Renkar and clears his non-existent throat
“....errrr He is a resource beyond price. “
He steeples his fingers
“This matter seems to be entwined with the machinations of the Powers. Maybe even entire pantheons. I would proceed with caution. But, I would proceed. Something evil stirs from the grave of history. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make sure they were dead for good. To the point of altering reality on a multiverse-wide scale. That is no small feat. “
He looks at them all
“What is your next move?”
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Well our foe didn't last long after we lost our dear friend, he met his final death seconds after he hurt Rhiannon. Anyways me and Naridre tended to Rhiannon's body while the others tossed the place, and in the giant's hoard we discovered Memnon, who was adopted by Justin, there were all sorts of bobs and ends, but no tiefling sized breastplates and no ladles of never ending gravy so I can't remember quite what was in there, someone took notes I'm sure, and not long after that a companion of Blayze showed up, and had he not been a known friend of Blayze things could have gotten ugly as he was kind of monstrous looking, a bit like a tin solder that was set down a bit too close to the forge, but stretched out rather than melted down. His name was Arnev, but he's not going to be joining us here at the Silver Rose, I think he had plans elsewhere and he left us not long after we got back to the cage, I suspect it was because he was more into guarding warehouses and that sort of thing and we did a fair bit of traveling and exploring so that was likely all the adventure he was interested in.
"Well what followed after that was a really long debate about what we should do with the portal, I'm not going to say who was right and who was wrong, mostly because I can't remember who was on what side, but basically I decide to go though and take a peak on the other side, and there was a whole lot of nothing with this one kind of bright light it the distance, and when I get back we decide we're going to try exploring it, which seems like a really crazy move even now, defiantly the sort of thing a good leader would never have allowed, and then, whoever was in charge split the party leaving Nari, Seph, and Merle behind to guard our escape, again, not so bright, thankfully they got board and eventually came to join us, but anyways back in the void we found we could float through space with our minds or something, and we flew towards the light, which I think is one of those things people say you're not supposed to do and stuff, but it was cool, we discovered a base in the void that looked exactly like the one I saw in that dream.
"So now we're exploring this base that's floating in space, with no up or down, doors going off in all sorts of directions, and the whole joint is loaded with undead monsters that kind of explode into ghosts or something when we kill them, so it's like we got to kill them twice or something, which is hardly fair, we only get one shot here on the prime material plane why do they get advantages in the negative? Anyways we fought a bunch of monsters, Justin got sickened and vomited, Justin got drained, you know, typical adventuring stuff, the biggest target usually gets hit the most, and with Arnev Justin was still the second largest. Thankfully about that time Merle, Nari and Seph joined us and we were able to camp and heal up while Mamnon made a restoration potion for Justin.
"So after we rest, heal up, we continue exploring, and we come across libraries, labs, and stuff, you know typical evil lair stuff, but one of the rooms we discovered had a bell in it, and man was that a cool bell! I was gonna take it back with us but I got distracted by the excitement of our amazing escape, which, I don't want to down play it when I say it was the most exciting escape that will ever be told in word, print or song, which is the only reason I left the bell behind. Let me tell you about this bell, it was big and black and iron and even though Justin kept daring me to ring the bell, I decided not to because I'm the responsible one, even though I totally wanted to ring it, though I think we should totally go back there some day to get it, why do the undead get to have bells when only the living can truly appreciate art, quite frankly I think that bell is wasted on them, and it would be a great dinner bell for the Copper Cauldron.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Justin gestures to the crystal skull with one hand, whom everyone glances at just in time to see Nari almost manage to toss a grape into a glowing eyehole that is (still) too obviously trying to peek down Merle's shirt.
Whilst Merle's expresion remains impassive a slowly reddening face, eye twitch and her tail's fur expanding to close to 5 times it's normal size clearly show her growing irritation with the soon to be paperweight.
Seph also takes the oppertunity to move all of Merle's more destructive wands away from easy reach.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Karrin Kind, Wizard's are naturally curious, sometimes we must save them from themselves and their bell ringing desires.
Wise of you to see this and lead us so", he states at the tail end of a huge chunk of ham just devoured.
"My tale...." ends quickly as the sleep deprived Barbarian passes out face first into his plate. The dead could not overwhelm him but gluttonous eating has brought the mighty Barabarian to his knees, er face!
Getting the feeling that there was something odd internal power play in progress, Blayze keeps quiet, enjoying the quite excellent food and drink.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Karrin Kind, Wizards are naturally curious, sometimes we must save them from themselves and their bell ringing desires.
Wise of you to see this and lead us so", he states at the tail end of a huge chunk of ham just devoured.
"My tale...." ends quickly as the sleep deprived Barbarian passes out face first into his plate. The dead could not overwhelm him but gluttonous eating has brought the mighty Barabarian to his knees, er face!
Alessia remains silent and motionless as before, but one could swear that the faint red glow seen through the eyeholes of her mask rolls slightly.
Ramona hesitantly approaches Alessia
"Excuse me, umm... Alessia. If you have need for nourishment, we do have a bottle of Dustman Wine."
She produces a dusty bottle that glows faintly
"We don't get a lot of call for it, but it seems to be still potent."
Renkar nods to Alessia
"That liquid is formulated to assuage any ..um ..problematic ...hungers you might experience. And also sustain your existence should you need to regularly feed on life force. It's basically alchemically distilled positive energy."
"So we fight skeletal hydras, ghouls, a pillar of light, a zombie hydra, some slimes, and every time we drop a foe we have to deal with this undead energy, but we do okay, cept for when Justin got like a bunch of his life drained, made him squishy like a slug, but beyond that we were doing pretty darn good. Then, we discover a glass sarcophagus with this strange undead in it, and she's guarded by elementals, which might have been just me, but I felt like they were actually relieved to get taken out so they could leave this plane of existence, and we also found some really powerful magical items here as well, a magical pendent, a cube, a deck of cards Justin said were best for playing old maid but not go fish, and some earrings, really powerful magic items I guess, but we didn't get to keep them as I'll explain, but the wizards seem to be really excited about the magical items.
"Anyways, there was a puzzle, something to solve to free the undead lady, and Nari couldn't resist, we figured she was a prisoner and an enemy of an enemy is a . . . ally, or at least less likely to kill us on the spot, so we let Nari solve the puzzle and free the undead women, who Justin called a cerbite or something like that, but Nari solves the puzzle and frees the lady, and she pops out of the sarcophagus and identifies herself as Mara who used to work out of the cage with the dustmen, so maybe you know her Renkar, but she says she's Mara and she's missing some things, and guess what those things were? If you guessed all the magical items from before you'd be correct, which Justin hands over a bit too quickly in my estimation, but we get some information in return, not too valuable stuff but she also agrees to come with us to finish exploring the place, which I suppose was something, not sure it was worth a good old maid deck, but she did prove kind of useful later.
"So up one undead ally we continue to explore, it's not long after that we come across our first useful bit of information, sadly that information was sealed away in the form of a monstrous mass of arms and legs and body parts, it was some kind of living thing, and it shot some kind of energy bolts out of it's many orifices, and starts grabbing our spell casters with it's unnaturally long arms with seemingly too many joints and fingers, and I know what you're thinking at this point: Is this the end of the Sliver Rose? Are our heroes murdered by this unnatural horror? Well if this was a book I'm darn sure you'd want to read the next book to find out but spoilers: we survived, and when we finally do kill the monster the spirits of the people that were flesh crafted into that monster are free and thank us for setting them free.
"So one of the spirits was someone from Oerth like me, his name was Prince Brightflame, and before anyone giggles I'll quickly point out that he was an elf and elves and unicorns can get away with having names like that, anyways, he tells us that Tenebrous was once a god demon in the abyss, and he was killed by another god, but because big T was also a Lord of ultimate undeath it turns out he became not quite dead, a lot of his life force was hidden away in some artifact, and the only one who might know were that artifact was hidden was a drow vampire who was imprisoned somewhere in the fortress.
"That somewhere turned out to be the very next room as we walked into a prison, where among the last two strangers you see with us, Alyssa and Ramuah, is a drow assassin being guarded by one of the masked ghosts, which we dispatch quickly and honorably and not at all by stabbing it in the back while distracted, and Alyssa says "Why have you come to Tcian Sumere?" and I say "We're here to kick ass and take names, and anyone without a name better get in the ass kicking line." and then I sort of crack my neck, and Alyssa was suitably impressed with our badassness and decided to join up right then and there, and Ramuah seemed a cool type, I mean look at those colors, so she decided to come with as well, and as for the drow vampire, I assume he was completely overwhelmed by how badassed we were, which I assume will be a common thing from here on out, and he actually threw himself on Arnav's blade! Before he crumbles to ash though he gives us this message:
“The Shadow God will return soon. Go. You must seek Erehe the wizard in Erelhi Cinlu. He must not be found by Tenebrous or his minions. Do not let him find the Great Wand. Do not let him return from death’s embrace...”
And what follows is our great escape, which I cannot oversell enough, it's the entire high point of our adventure, and should have an epic yarn all of it's own, but I think I've talked enough at this point, and I want to get down to eating, Justin could you take over from here?"
And with that Karrin finally digs into her food, eating everything in site, pushing aside Hamar's head so she can finish everything on his plate as well.
"...alchemically distilled positive energy."
"That sounds... painful."
"Alyssa says "Why have you come to Tcian Sumere?" and I say "We're here to kick ass and take names, and anyone without a name better get in the ass kicking line." and then I sort of crack my neck, and Alyssa was suitably impressed with our badassness and decided to join up right then and there."
"However, potentially less painful than present company."
Though Alessia's voice remains a flat monotone, her hands clench vigorously enough on the arms of her chair to splinter the wood. She freezes in place for a few seconds, then slowly swivels her head to face the barmaid .
"After some consideration, perhaps set some aside. It may be of use in the future. If for no other reason than to damage myself enough to no longer have to listen to..."
She waves a noncommittal hand toward the rest of the group at the table a few paces away.
"...this."
Ramona shivers and bustles off
Renkar shrugs
”Positive energy is the source of all life force. Now, concentrated positive energy can overload and burn, but when distilled and filtered properly it mimics the concentration of actual life energy. “
Sophie listens to Karrin's story intently, not just for the tale, but also for any indications about her soon to be new companions strengths and weaknesses.
Those who pay attention will note that while she eats normally, she has been sipping the same wine the entire time she's been here, and it's barely half gone.
"It sounds like just the kind of challenging work that I am after. I must admit that most of the jobs I did for my former... employers... was quite mundane."
"Who what? Me? Oh, sure, no problem." Justin replies to Karrin. He takes a swig of his refilled mug, then takes another.
"Well, you know me boss. I'm happy to provide a detailed, multi-page report, complete with color-coded charts and cross-referenced graphs. But I doubt that my rendition will be nearly as, entertaining, as Karrin's rendition." Justin salutes the tiefling with his mug and hides his smirk by taking another drink.
"Well, As Karrin said, our escape from that negative-nightmare dimension was a well-crafted piece of beautiful teamwork. Worthy of a great bard. Or a great leader." Justin gives Karrin a sideways glance. "And not at all influenced by the fact that the negative energies we were being bombarded with were wreaking merry havoc on our swiftly dwindling resources."
Justin shakes his head back and forth a little,
"So, Mara used of her magical items to open a dimensional portal, and we stepped through right into the middle of the Mortuary District here in Sigil. After a quick stop at the 'erased temple' to pick up Rhiannon, and the treasure trove."
Justin shrugged. "I have GOT to make me one of those things!" He smiles.
Then the wizard turns serious.
"Unfortunately, then everything went to Hades in a handbasket."
"Turns out Rhiannon's body had picked up a hitchhiker. Some sort of body-hopping undead. When we arrived in Sigil, it/she jumped up and claimed Rhiannon's body as it's own. Needless to say,... most of us were inclined to disagree with that. Which left us standing in the middle of the Mortuary District, surrounded by, shall we say 'Pro-undead choicers' , arguing over whether or not Riannon's body was an untenanted dwelling open for occupation. We were about 2 grains of the hourglass away from 'intense negotiations', when Mara and I managed to arrange a cease-fire. Mara has agreed to return Rhiannon's body to us for final arrangements in 3 days, and the hitchhiker will find a new dwelling, courtesy of the mortuary. We weren't happy, but at the moment I thought it beat the heck out of doing a dance with the entire district. Sorry."
Justin stares at the table, not looking anyone in the face.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"nnngh..."
Glancing over at the other newcomer, Blayze arches an eyebrow as she notes the occasional sipping of her wine with seemingly no change to the level of the glass.
'She's a shrewd one.'
Renkar purses his lips in a frown
“I am sorry to hear of Rhiannon’s passing and Issac’s departure. Ekuur I’m sure will eventually return “
He looks at the group
“I think your next step is to find a portal to Erelhei-Cinlu. Your best bet would be to visit Alluvius Ruskin in the Market Ward. She’s the queen of portal keys, and she acts as The ersatz manager for Tarsheeva Longreach. Tarsheeva knows more portals in Sigil than any six other cutters. “
Renkar leans back and lights s pipe
“Their prices aren’t cheap, but I’ll give you all a letter of exchange for each. Negotiate a good price, and fill in the amount. The Silver Rose will cover it”
Sophie puts down her glass and smiles at the group. You think that it's supposed to be a warm smile, but it comes off as more cunning.
"So when do we leave? The sooner I'm away from this city the better."
"Om nom nom nom"
Mercutio is lured to the table by a fresh apple pie Ramona brings over as the main dishes empty out. Bess hands Justin a Growler of Makanali’s Brew, a local ale he is fond of.
“I know you like his work, and I hear his brewpub is doing well over at Alehouse Row” She mentions
Renkar finishes his meal and looks about
“You all might be interested to know that you have achieved a mark of notoriety in our local broadsheet “
He pulls a large folded paper from his coat pocket and sends it about
“It seems Issac chatted with a reporter for The Lady’s Sharper Eye. They published a piece last Peak about the Mortuary Riot, and inferred that you were involved. I wouldn’t worry too much. The Eye has a reputation for exaggerating things. Still, this puts you on the map of Sigil, for better or worse. “
The paper is a large piece of cheap rag paper printed smearily. Folded in quarters, it is designed to be easily carried or pasted on a wall for public view
RIOT ROCKS THE MORTUARY
Last cycle, a large group of Xaositects descended on the Mortuary, attempting to storm the gates. Sources within that faction allege the original cause was anger over missing Hive locals that the higher faction members assumed the Dustmen were taking for nefarious purposes. However, another Xaositect source revealed to this reporter that a band of Sigil mercenaries struck a deal with certain Xaositect faction leaders to stage a diversion so they could infiltrate the Dustman’s faction headquarters. This group, known as the Silver Rose Company, was organized by Renkar Sha’Hagmed. Renkar, as our long-time readers will remember, was the leader of the Ravens, the mercenary troubleshooting company of the Hal’Oight family. This reporter spoke to Issac, a member of the Silver Rose, but he was predictably cagy with his darks. ....
The broadsheet goes on for a bit with speculation about what the purpose of the alleged breakin was, with none of it hitting close to the mark
Justin thanks Ramona with a warm smile, shrugging off his melancholy. He takes a sip of the pint, raises his eyebrows in appreciation, and takes a much deeper drink.
Sophie puts down her glass and smiles at the group. You think that it's supposed to be a warm smile, but it comes off as more cunning.
"So when do we leave? The sooner I'm away from this city the better."
At this, Justin almost loses the beverage, through his nose. But manages to settle for a simple sputter-choke instead. (Would be a shame to waste the good stuff).
After catching his breath he looks at the lady with a look somewhere between consternation and mild panic.
"Um, yeah. We just got BACK, and I know it's only been a few days, but with everything that's happened, it FEELS like YEARS, I swear. We need to rest, recoup, resupply,... and I have a mountain of notes and some interplanar scrolls that don't do me any good if I dont get a few quality hours alone with my spellbook. Soooo,..."
Justin looks at the others, managing not to grin (much) at the sight of Hamar using his plate of food as a pillow.
"I think Hamar has the right idea. We rest up, repair, resupply and update arcane tomes, then we can split up, gather some info, and negotiate with the 'Queen of the Portal keys' for a passage,..."
Justin pauses only briefly, then continues without any sign of his previous angst,
"We'll need three days at least, as we also need to make arrangements for Rhiannon. We can hold the service once we pick her up from the Mortuary."
"Um, yeah. We just got BACK, and I know it's only been a few days, but with everything that's happened, it FEELS like YEARS, I swear. We need to rest, recoup, resupply,... and I have a mountain of notes and some interplanar scrolls that don't do me any good if I dont get a few quality hours alone with my spellbook. Soooo,... We'll need three days at least."
A (very) brief look of consternation crosses her face, as she takes another "sip" from her wine.
"Three days is an awful long time..."She does look mildly interested however as she leans forward slightly in Justin's direction and whispers almost seductively, "but tell me more about this Spellbook you wish to study. Perhaps we can come to some kind of arrangement for me to sneak a look at it too." Again she offers the same friendly/cunning smile, this time directly to Justin.
Ramuah listens carefully to Karrin's tale. She has ordered no food or drink, but lounges amiably in her chair, a pile of her larger (and more uncomfortable to sit with) weapons at her feet. As she looks around, she is trying to maintain an urbane and interested but mild expression, but she can't help revealing surprise at some of the more outlandish residents and sights as she take it all in. She is obviously somewhat out of her depth - and obviously trying to hide it.
The darkness strengthens as Antipeak draws close. The group is feted and fed, and the newcomers are given keys to rooms on the upper floors of the inn. Over the course of the night, the common room slowly empties out of diners, and a small collection of drinkers change places with them. A young elvish wandering bard takes the stool on the small corner stage of the common room and begins playing a lute and singing some Elvish ballads. She glances around and smiles at the group as they lightly clap her efforts.
At Antipeak, the exertions of the last few days catch up with the party. The soft feather beds and quits of Bess' well-regarded rooms beckon.
They sleep, an exhausted happy safe sleep
Karrin:
::you must tread warily. Many foes and false friends are near. Many vie for the Wand. When walking in the spiders webs one must choose one's steps wisely::
She wakes soon after, the pounding of rain on the Inn's eaves heralding the new Peak. Her room is icy cold, her breath pluming in great gusts from her. It isn't uncomfortable though, and as she stretches and pads to the washbowl the temperature rises.
The Beforepeak begins with a heavy downpour, as if making up for yesterpeak. There is a fresh bath with warm water in the end bathroom, and Darroth, Bess' son stands ready to ferry fresh hot water for the next in line. The smell of breakfast cooking wafts up from the common room: Gahveh, tea, bread, bacon, eggs, pancakes, elvenberry jam.