NOW your telling me he's a baronet in the court of a Hydra with a Power Complex?!?
“I’m telling you he’s likely at LEAST a baronet. Maybe a marquis? I’m not sure if Sigil would count as a marquisate or not. “
Renkar picks up the jug of garum sauce and drips some on his beef roast
Renkar mops up the dripping on his plate with a slice of Bess’ sourdough bread and belches contentedly. Ramona brings over an apple pie, still steaming from the ovens in back.
“So, you have contracted to go to Erelhi-Cinlu. But now you have a friend in peril. How will you choose? Lissandra the Gate Seeker will have been making inroads on getting you there, you have paid her. Do you go to the Drow first, or to this redoubt?”
Justin strokes his far-past-becoming unruly goatee thoughtfully. He stares at nothing as the others help themselves to slices of Ramona's pie.
"I need a pipe." He says suddenly.
"I feel that this may be a two-bowl solution." He says, pushing himself to his feet.
Justin starts to walk towards the fireplace. Then he stops, walks back to the table and takes a slice of pie himself. He eats it, then heads back to the fireplace.
The wizard pulls out his pipe, fills it, and lights it with a tindertwig from the fireplace. He spends the next few minutes puffing it thoughtfully as he paces back and forth in front of the fireplace.
He finishes and empties his first bowl of ashes into the fireplace. Then he waves over Romona's brother.
"Would you be so kind as to do me a favor? IF it's OK with Ramona, of course." Justin asks as he scribbles out something on a folded scrap of parchment he pulled from his pocket. He folds the note over neatly as only librarians and scribes seem to be able to do, seals it with a blob of wax from a candle, and hands it to the lad with some whispered instructions. And the smallest gold pebble from their Xorn encounter during the trip to Pando.
"Presuming Ramona won't let you get away, Would you be so kind as to find a trustworthy delivery lad to get this note to Thomas Saunders? His residence is on the note. Tell them to inform the doorman that the message is from me, and to wait for a reply. That nugget should cover the cost. And I have one for you as well if you find a lad who can do it post-haste. And well-earned if YOU have to run back and forth!" Justin grins.
Justin smiles and nods at the lad, who runs over to hold a quick whispered conversation with his sister, then dashes out the door.
Justin wanders back over to the table and sits back down.
"Sorry boss. I should actually have the answer to your question shortly. I hope. I just need to know the answer to another question first. And the messenger lads are the quickest way to get it. I swear they can either teleport or shadowwalk. They can circle the city in half the time it would take me!" Justin says as he cautiously eyes the last piece of pie, and Karrin,...
"In the meantime,... OOoo! I can finish ID'ing the Xorn wands! Now that I can see without all the background magical radiance blinding me. Here Merle, which one do you and Seph want to play with? Hey Renkar, you might be interested in these Xorn wands. Check out the unusual craftsmanship. A lot more solid than a willow wand."
Thomas,
Hey buddy. I'm back. Briefly. Any word on what we last spoke about?
I'm juggling a lot of balls in the air, and I'm running out of hands.
And time. Any info will help.
I hate to ask you to help me out because I don't want you or your family to get involved. But I might have to. I can't be in two places at once.
Let me know if you found anything.
Thanks,
Just. In. Case.
The signature is an agreed upon code between them. It is the only way Justin signs his letters to Thomas, if he really sent it and is really in a hurry.
"In the meantime,... OOoo! I can finish ID'ing the Xorn wands! Now that I can see without all the background magical radiance blinding me. Here Merle, which one do you and Seph want to play with? Hey Renkar, you might be interested in these Xorn wands. Check out the unusual craftsmanship. A lot more solid than a willow wand."
"Yes yes all very fasinating." Merle grabs one of the wands off Justin and takes her self and Seph to the opposite side of the room to examine it. Although she seems more focused on glaring at Justin leaving Seph to figure it all out
Merle spellcraft
Seph spellcraft
Seph discovers that one wand is merely a focus, the other is a wand of haste with 15 charges left
A few hours pass and Darroth returns with the message for Justin
Justin, I have asked about. The people we spoke of are becoming quite important in the architecture of Deadtown. I couldn’t find out too much except they have a base somewhere on the first plane of Acheron. There are several players in the group:
Artorius, a warrior of some sort. Melody, a sorceress, an enigmatic Wizard (?) known as Shade, and some sort of abberation named Taltos. They are the main players, but there are others. Their product is becoming very popular. In consequence they are becoming very wealthy. The one good piece of news is that they seem to have had issues with the Dustmen and are currently not associated with them except in a perfunctory way. I hope this helps. ~T
Justin thanks Darroth, (with the promised small pebble of gold.) :) and walks over to where Renkar is (presuming he's in his office by this point?)
Justin bows his head in greeting and offers Renkar the note to examine.
While Renkar reads the note, Justin examines the package of papers that was delivered for him.
"You know more about Sigil than anyone else I know Boss. Does the fact that a group of vamps is on the outs with the faction that should be their biggest supporters help me, my friend, at all?"
Justin sighs. "I, think my friend is in serious trouble. If I leave,... soon. I should be able to make it back in time for our groups planned trip. I hope." He adds, carefully reading the information from Marconi.
Renkar looks thoughtful
“Well, it would likely mean they are an arrogant uncooperative bunch. It is good for you in that you don’t want the Dustmen angered at you. They might even tacitly ignore any fighting you indulge in”
Renkar hands over Justin’s package
The package is actually a small crate, very solid. Marconius obviously didn’t want anything to happen to the items within. Inside, wrapped in linen are several items. The hilt of a dagger , a peacock feather, an odd silver coin. A scroll within is written in a flowing calligraphy
Mr. Case,
Enclosed are the portal keys you will need to follow the secret path to the Citadel of Ruin. Follow these instructions:
At the Ubiquitous Wayfarer, ask to see the door of Fate. Enter that silver coin into the slot in the door and step through to the False Castle.
At the false castle, you must seek its neighbor, the Black Pyramid. Inside, find a washroom and stab yourself in the heart with the Ghost Dagger. This will bring you to the Pyramid of the Dead.
In the Pyramid of the Dead, you must find your way to its apex and jump, holding the peacock feather. This will bring you to the Peak of Abarntal.
Seek the Tomb of the Ice King, and within touch the Iron Cube. This will bring you to the cavern wherein the Citadel of Ruin lies.
Good luck
~M
.
The next three peaks go by swiftly for those who relax. They buy any supplies they need, they eat lavish home cooked meals, and sleep in their own beds
Hamar looks for Belit, and finds her at the Idol’s Eye tavern. The raven-haired Pirate Queen is playing mumbley peg with a lean Grey-skinned creature, the kukris they use flashing in the torchlight as the wooden *tock* sound of metal into wood beats a faster tattoo into the table
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In the early Peak of the fourth day since their return from Pando, several members of the Silver Rose, being well-rested and with newly-laundered clothing, arrive at the offices ready to go. Another group, much more tired and bedraggled arrives, with various tears and scrapes, looking most haggard. Renkar stands talking to Lissandra the Gate Seeker and two female Drow dressed in leather armor and armed with bow and sword. The four look up at the party.
"Ah, here they are!" Renkar says cheerfully "You have met Lissandra, and these are her two companions Chadra and Alerra"
The two violet-skinned elves look the group over and give them a polite nod.
Renkar continues
"I was just informed they have the pathways all set, arrival and departure. Ladies?"
Lissandra nods and goes to the party and passes out a silvered steel plaque to each party member. A swollen spider sigul niello etching is engraved in the center of each.
"These are your residency visas" Lissandra explains "They mark you as current residents of the Ghetto of Foreigners. If anyone questions you, you are under the protection of House Tormtor. Chadra and Alerra will act as your "mistresses" while in Erelhi-Cinlu. It would be unwise to go off on your own. The visas will give you some protection, but slavers are common, and foreigners from the daywalking races are little loved in the city"
Lissandra looks them over gravely
"Your employer thinks you can handle yourself, but there are many ways to go awry in The Vault of the Drow. Be vigilant and remember that few things there are as they seem."
She looks around
"Darkvision is the norm in the city, except for the Ghetto of Foreigners, and some parts of the Ghetto of Savages. If you need to go outside that area, you will need to be prepared. Torchlight or magical light is expressly forbidden in most parts of the city"
"Ghetto of Savages?" Merle asks as she looks over her new badge.
"Ghetto of Savages?" Merle asks as she looks over her new badge.
The Drow introduced as Alerra nods. She speaks with a lilting accent, turning Planar Common into a smoother rolling cadence
“It is the main living quarters of Underdark races and also the location of the gladiatorial pits. A fair population of humanoid races also live there, so the strictures on light are relaxed”
"I think I'll be alright, I can pass as a blood thirsty tiefling really easy, and we got a legit undead with us, but I guess the most important question is what kind of food is there down there? Should we pack food supplies?"
The next three peaks go by swiftly for those who relax. They buy any supplies they need, they eat lavish home cooked meals, and sleep in their own beds
Hamar looks for Belit, and finds her at the Idol’s Eye tavern. The raven-haired Pirate Queen is playing mumbley peg with a lean Grey-skinned creature, the kukris they use flashing in the torchlight as the wooden *tock* sound of metal into wood beats a faster tattoo into the table
The Barbarian Scout returns looking well rested if a bit thinner than usual. He has a grin on his face so he must have found some way to amuse himself in this place so foreign to him.
He nods at the Drow, "Perhaps my friends we should obtain magics for all who do not see in the dark then before we leave eh?"
"Darkvision is the norm in the city, except for the Ghetto of Foreigners, and some parts of the Ghetto of Savages. If you need to go outside that area, you will need to be prepared. Torchlight or magical light is expressly forbidden in most parts of the city."
"I am sure that I will be fine," says Alessia in a flat voice.
Justin seems subdued. And exhausted. But he has a glimmer in his eye as he examines his own 'Visa' chit.
"Good idea Hamar. We may even be able to get by with a potion or alchemical substitute. Hopefully we wont be needing to wander off too often. Or too long."
Justin glances at Memnon. Buuuut the floating crystal skull is too busy ogling the two drow women and their form-fitting leather armor to take the hint.
Justin shakes his head and looks to Alerra. "Thanks for the warning. Are there any other important tidbits we should know about beforehand? To prepare for I mean? Or can you fill us in about the rest on the way?"
Alerra ignores the leering crystal skull and addresses Justin
“Many things. We have been hired to escort you, but you must act as if we are in control. It is sometimes hard for males of your species to submit to a female’s orders. Unlearn that. You will see many strange things. Some things will likely seem horrid to your morality and you might feel obligated to intervene. If you do do you risk getting us all killed. Although the city has become more open to foreigners since the Incursion, daywalkers are still second-class citizens. Be deferential, do not speak up or argue with any drow, especially not any guardsmen. Many of them pray for an excuse to kill a foreigner.”
"I think I'll be alright, I can pass as a blood thirsty tiefling really easy, and we got a legit undead with us, but I guess the most important question is what kind of food is there down there? Should we pack food supplies?"
Alerra nods to Karrin
“A wise question. There are places to eat in the Ghetto of Foreigners. However, Erelhi-Cinlu is also known as the City of Poisons. It might be wise to bring your own foodstuffs if you think you might come into conflict “
Justin looks a little surprised at the explanation, and nods his appreciation.
"I don't think that following your orders will be a problem." Justin says cheerfully. He looks around at the mostly-female group around him.
"I gave up any pretense that I was in charge a LONG time ago."
"And, Well. We wouldn't want to give anyone any reason to kill us." he says wryly.
"Any more reasons than usual, anyway." He adds with a (Very) small smirk.
Hamar grunts, "Very well, I shall act as if you were my Mother. Few ever questioned her authority, including me".
Justin blinks as he digests that statement. His imagination conjuring images of attractive and brawny women who brook no nonsense from their offspring,...
"Eh, don't worry, I'm totally used to making sure someone else seems in control."
Justin looks at Karrin and smiles. Then turns to address Memnon.
He stops. And Slooooooooowly turns back to peer at Karrin once more through suspiciously narrowed eyes.
Memnon's Bright, crystalline laughter can be heard echoing down the street.
"Now you sound just like my Mother Karrin Kind".
Alerra nods
“This is good. Another thing. The Spinner in Darkness is a jealous god. Do not display overt symbols of any other divinity while in Erelhi-Cinlu. “
The Drow called Chadra speaks up
“We will begin in the Lower Ward. From there we will meet a caravan that carries goods from the Graat Foundry. We will join it, it will be our cover story. We become arms merchants. From there we will travel via portal to the Astral Plane to Zess’s Forge to pick up further items. It will then transition to the Outlands and Plaguemort. From there we pass to the Plane of Infinite Winds, and from there to the Demonweb Pits. That will bring us to the gates of Erelhi-Cinlu”
Chadra smiles thinly as the inevitable questions arise
“Although the trip seems dangerous, this caravan has been chartered and cleared by the Matrons of House Tormtor. No demon in their right mind will hinder us”
Justin nods as he processes the information. He gives a thin smile at the last comment.
"Sounds like we're in good hands then."
The group sets off into the foggy early peak light towards the Lower Ward.
They head down Copperman’s Way, the wide boulevard packed as it is every hour of every peak. The crowd moves them along to the Lady’s Ward and Plauge court. From there they head through the Nobles’ District. The rich mansions soon fall behind them as they skirt the border of the Court District and Greytowers. Justin spares a guilty look towards Martin’s house. Hopefully he was taking it easy this morning after the last three days.
The Temple District is full of early-morning faithful, but no one proselytizes them as they roll on. They leave the last pitiful temple shacks behind them at Meatmarket Square. The smell of blood and meat perfume the air as they pass.
They head down Alehouse Row, the main road to the Great Foundry already swarming with drunks and those who make a living off them. The Great Foundry looms up, its immense chimneys belching sulphuric smoke into the sky. The air is acrid and the fog is thicker here, and tinged with cough-inducing particles.
The two Drow lead them to a wide courtyard. In it a small caravan prepares to begin their journey. A bariaur comes to meet them
“Greetings. I am Quavios. I understand you shall be traveling To Erelhei-Cinlu ? Yes?”
The bariaur nods.
“I’m the leader. If I say anything you do it. I want no mutineers onboard. I know you have paid well to be a part of this crew, but you need to fight off any incursion within the journey. We hit the Astral plane a ew minutes.”
Justin can't help but watch as the bariaur approaches. They are not so common that the mage deals with them regularly.
Justin nods politely as Quavinos introduces himself. He gets the impression that the bariaur might not appreciate his usual, well-meaning but admittedly-annoying rambling this early in the morning. Besides, Justin was still having trouble keeping his eyes open after the last three days. So he spent his energy maintaining a pleasant expression, and nodding politely when appropriate.
When the bariaur finishes the last of his instructions, Justin gives him a jaunty salute. But also a friendly smile to show that he was just joking.
"Aye-Aye sir! Don't worry. We appreciate you allowing us to join you. We'll be glad to assist if needed." He assures the quadruped caravan-master.
The bariaur sighs just a bit and mumbles something inaudible.
“That’s ‘ma’am to yeh, two-footer”
Justin realizes that the bariaur is in fact female, just rather androgynous and hidden under a coat of mail and leather. Quavious instructs the party to head over to one of the wagons. The goat-centaur clops over with them, her hooves ringing sweetly. The party realizes she is shod in silver horse(goat?) shoes.
The wagon is non-standard. It is cigar shaped, long and round. There are stubby fins placed all around its rear section. It is made of steel, with criscrossing support strips attached along it. An opening with a hatch is at the top, which is surrounded by a small platform with a railing on three sides. There is also a forward seating area where the reins are. Four hippogriffs are in the harnesses. The eagle-headed horses seem calm enough. A pair of guardsmen sit at the reins. The one not holding the reins wields a huge crossbow that is supported by a stand bolted to the side. A steel ladder is also bolted to the side leading up to the hatchway platform.
Quavios gestures to the odd wagon
“You ride there. There are some crates stored towards the back. Don’t touch them. It’s spare but functional. There’s room for two if yeh to watch from the hatch should yeh feel a need. The Astral is dealable. You don’t need air there. You don’t breathe. But, we can run into strange things. That hatch is sealable from the inside. I call for the hatches yo be battened, you do it. I pay the Githyanki for safe passage, but that’s only Vlaakith’s lot, not the rogue rrakmas. Plus there’s storms, ghosts, whales and lots of other things we can run into. Be alert.”
Justin visibly winces at being corrected by the Bariaur. He touches the brim of his magic hat (currently in it's 'default' form of a wide-brimmed hat)
"My sincere apologies Ma'am. I knew one cuppa kafe wasn't enough,..."
The wizard follows along with the others as Quavios leads them to the strange wagon. He smiles at the sight of the harnessed hippogryphs as he thinks of Goldenwing, safely tucked away in his Haversack. He takes in the odd design of the wagon, his imagination conjuring all sorts of reasons for the unusual construction.
Some of them may even be correct.
Justin nods to Quavios and smiles.
"Yes Ma'am. We understand."
He turns to the Rose crew. (And their guides) "You heard the lady, ladies! Hope no ones' claustrophobic!" Justin says smiling at the women surrounding him currently. (And Hamar and Mel) He gestures for someone, anyone, to precede him up the ladder.
"So, Who wants first watch? Notit!"
"fine i'll do it." Merle moving to take postition on the patform
"As you know, I have no need of rest. I will keep watch."
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"So what are the chances we'll get to our destination without being accosted?" Karrin asks the Captain.
The bariaur shrugs
“The Astral is a large place. It’s not common to find trouble, but when it happens it’s usually bad. Best to be on guard”
She ponders a bit
“The worst spot along the journey will likely be Pazuzu’s realm in the Abyss. We have safe passage, but..”
She shrugs
“Demons”
"Hope for the best, Prepare for the worst. Got it." Justin's sleepy voice drifts up from below decks.
It sounds as if he has already found a place to bunk. Or at least lay down.
The Barbarian shrugs and sits where he is told, this is all still new to him and being trapped in a small enclosed space hurtling through... realms... is not something that makes him feel comfortable.
The forest, the giants, the Mammoths - free movement - that is where Hamar excels. Regardless, a fight is a fight and if battle is to be had, the Barbarian will answer the call.
The group clambers into the metal wagon. Two drovers get settled at the buckboard and the team of Hippogriffs starts pulling them down the cobbles. The half-dozen other wagons file in behind them and they head towards a large metal arch. The arch suddenly erupts in a silver light as a portal appears. Their wagon passes through with that odd stretching feeling that travel through a portal gets.
The wagon’s interior is filled with wooden crates towards the back. There is room for the party up in the front, but it is close quarters. An iron bench rings the inside, and there are hammocks pinned up at the walls that can be stretched out.
The wagon jolts and then suddenly the ride smooths out so much it feels as if it isn’t moving anymore. Anyone looking outside or up on the top deck can see an endless silvery expanse, with distant silver threads barely visible in the distance that occasionally sparkle brighter than the background. The immediate area is dotted with pools of color, round to oval expanses of every color in the rainbow and then some. The wagon is moving, although there is no jolt or sway to the movement. The hippogriffs steadily pull without effort, their hooves seeming to walk on nothing.
Everyone suddenly notices that they feel strange. Any aches, pains, hunger or thirst have suddenly vanished. It’s like their body’s feedback systems have fallen silent for the first time in their lives. Chadra grins, her teeth white against her lavender skin
“Try holding your breath. If you can practice that, you can learn not to need to inhale anything on this plane. Probably a smart play”
She demonstrates, not breathing for at least two minutes. She starts talking as if nothing is wrong
“You really only need to breathe to talk.”
Despite his obvious weariness, Justin gets up and takes a turn peeking out of the hatch of the wagon. After Chadra's demonstration, Justin tries it himself, grinning afterwords.
He realizes that with all of his recent travels, he's never actually spent much time in the Astral plane. And starts making notes.
“Try holding your breath. If you can practice that, you can learn not to need to inhale anything on this plane. Probably a smart play.”
"I will do my best," says Alessia, completely deadpan.
"Wait . . . somethings wrong . . . I don't feel hungry!"
Justin hides a smile.
"It's OK Karrin. You heard Chadra. You won't be hungry here. But I'm sure you'll make up for it as soon as we leave the Astral plane!"
"But I'm always hungry, even after I finish eating, I only pretend to not be hungry because people start getting distressed after a while of watching me eat, but even after I finish eating I'm still slightly hungry. This is weird. It's like I don't have anything on my mind anymore and I can think about other things besides eating and where to eat. I only hope this doesn't lead to some existential crisis where I start looking inward, freed from the shackles of mortal desire, and reflect on my inner most self, my super-ego if you will, without the id to weigh the mind with the desires of the flesh I'm worried what I might find. What if the true enemy on this journey is ourselves?"
"But I'm always hungry, even after I finish eating, I only pretend to not be hungry because people start getting distressed after a while of watching me eat, but even after I finish eating I'm still slightly hungry. This is weird. It's like I don't have anything on my mind anymore and I can think about other things besides eating and where to eat. I only hope this doesn't lead to some existential crisis where I start looking inward, freed from the shackles of mortal desire, and reflect on my inner most self, my super-ego if you will, without the id to weigh the mind with the desires of the flesh I'm worried what I might find. What if the true enemy on this journey is ourselves?"
Despite Alessia's expressionless face, one can almost feel her eyes roll.
"Ugh... Do not try to think too deeply on the subject, you may risk injuring yourself. I understand; I am sure you will become used to the sensation after a few hundred years."
The wagon travels on in that odd frictionless manner past the swarm of colored pools and into a wider empty expanse. It is hard to gauge time here. None of the regular signposts work. No light, no darkness, no hunger, no sleepiness.
After what seems about half a day, strange floating islands of rock appear out of the silvery void.
as the wagons near, the rocks resolve into immense statues, most in attitudes of repose, like the images carved on tombs. The features of many are worn and faded, but visages of many races can be seen in the stone
The wagon and its sisters head towards one of the islands. This one looks like a satyr, with a blurred bearded face and two curly horns. Atop the surface are a gathering of stone buildings. The wagons slowly settle into a wide courtyard, and come to a halt. The group can hear Quavious’ voice ring out
“Zess’ Forge! Start unloading those crates, you layabouts!”
"But I'm always hungry, even after I finish eating, I only pretend to not be hungry because people start getting distressed after a while of watching me eat, but even after I finish eating I'm still slightly hungry. This is weird. It's like I don't have anything on my mind anymore and I can think about other things besides eating and where to eat. I only hope this doesn't lead to some existential crisis where I start looking inward, freed from the shackles of mortal desire, and reflect on my inner most self, my super-ego if you will, without the id to weigh the mind with the desires of the flesh I'm worried what I might find. What if the true enemy on this journey is ourselves?"Despite Alessia's expressionless face, one can almost feel her eyes roll.
"Ugh... Do not try to think too deeply on the subject, you may risk injuring yourself. I understand; I am sure you will become used to the sensation after a few hundred years."
"Hm. I wonder if that means that I can never really catch up on sleep here either? So I'm going to leave the plane as tired as we entered? That would be depressing. WHAT would be the purpose of having such a perfect nap-catching plane as this, if you can't actually sleep?" Is Justin's murmured addition to the conversation.
Justin's head pops out of the wagon's hatch, followed shortly by the rest of him. Despite his claim of weariness prior, he seems quite energetic as he begins exploring their stopping place.
He keeps an ear out for any 'requsts' from Quavious, and an eye on their dark-elf guides, in case they have any information or instructions for the group. And lacking any directives from either of those sources, begins inspecting the 'island' they have stopped on.
The drovers start unloading the crates stored in the wagons. A motley crew of people from the forge assist them. Most of the boxes look like they contain ingots of metal.
The island itself is naked rock with buildings attached. The buildings are oddly shaped, often with attachments that spread out without fear of gravity. The party feels like there is gravity, but they see many of the locals rise into the air and enter doorways without stairs leading to them. In the distance a mountain looms. Justin notices it’s the satyrish head they saw coming in