You decide to test Janiven's fancy new map and after asking the innkeep for the directions to the nearest sewer grate (which conspicuosly turns out to be right around the building) you find yourselves in the musky darkness of the Westcrown's innards. Some of the more sensitive Children, which have never been to the sewers before, have stopped giggling with excitement and instead began complaining about the smell, feeling sickened with it.
Between the Children's complaints and your own attempts to sober up and properly trace the route on the map in the dull light, the group makes quite a lot of noise.
When they get down to the sewers, Dario almost loses his lunch over the smell. "Gods! This is horrible! And you three took this way to the church?"
He waves his hand and four glowing orbs appear to help light the way.
"Yea, didn't have much of a choice. Between the goblins, Hellknights, and shadowbeasts chasing us, taking the scenic route wasn't on the table."
Ferrucio casts light on one of his daggers and hands it to Sclavo. Here, he says. Best to be on the lookout for anything dangerous.
###
Dracius whispers, "We may want to hood those glowing bits... while the light lets you see, it also lets people see us coming from far away."
He then follows, focusing as much as he can on the shadowy areas where the light spell isn't reaching.
{Possible +2 due to Scavenger racial trait}
Hmm. Good idea, Dracius. How about this?" Dario makes a lowering gesture with his hand and the four orbs sink into the sewer's dirty water, obscuring them a bit, but still allowing the group to see around them.
As you tread through the sewers' murky water, barely illuminated by the submerged lights, Bishop runs into the back of Dario, who has been abruptly stopped by Janiven tugging at his shirt. She is shivering.
"Don't you feel how cold it has suddenly become? I have a bad feeling about this. Could you get those lights up a bit?"
Once Dario does so, a patch of brown mold is revealed roughly 15 feet ahead. Janiven looks back. "There is a hazard ahead! We better find another way."
The brown mold thrives on heat, which it can draw from anything around it, especially fire or living creatures. Approaching it can be quite dangerous. It is, however, vulnerable to cold.
Ferrucio comes to the front for a moment and peers down the tunnel. He grimaces in distaste. Whatever that stuff is, I suggest marking it on your map so we know it's there next time.
Ferrucio then returns to his spot in the line.
Janiven responds sheepishly: "I'm fairly certain it was not here when I mapped this region... It's a sewer, the mold can grow here like... well, like mushrooms after the rain, I suppose."
Dracius says, "While we have more important matters to deal with at the moment, if there is a way to remove that, we should return and do so."
Dario peers at the mold, but simply shrugs his shoulders. "Herbology was never my strong suit." Raising one of the orbs to see the map better, he adjusts his hat and then says, "Ok, how do we go around this? What if we backtrack and then head this way?" He points to another corridor on the map.
"Me neither. We can deal with the mold later."
"Mold isn't really a problem in the sewers anyway. I'm sure there's lots of it down here." Illithia said with a pinched expression. Last time they were down here they didn't really have time to stop and smell.
With some effort, you eventually manage to navigate around the hazardous spot, though it makes the trek longer than normal. By the time you reach the now-familiar intersection and climb out of the marked manhole, you notice that the sky is slightly illuminated by a blueish pre-dawn haze. Once inside the church, one by one the Children groggily trot off to their respective chambers.
Dario strides into the church and tosses his equipment into a corner. The Professor is exhausted from the drinking and the slog through the sewers. He gives a half-hearted wave to the others and retires to his room to remove the foul smelling clothes. He makes a note that he really needs to learn a spell to clean himself.
After a quick bath and tossing his clothes into the dirty bathwater, he finds the bed and is quickly asleep.
Bishop is still feeling a bit of a buzz as he slowly walks into the church. He just removes his dirty clothes and hops into bed.
Dracius mutters, "Maybe the goblins can keep 'til the afternoon." and heads off to his cell.
Dracius mutters, "Maybe the goblins can keep 'til the afternoon." and heads off to his cell.
Not a bad idea, Ferrucio replies. Maybe they'll be sleepy around then, from eating.
Ferrucio follows his companions' examples and heads straight to bed.
The night (and morning) seem to pass uneventfully, and you wake up to a calm fine day. For Ferrucio, however, the awakening is not very calm, as he spots a black velvet pouch near his bed which to the best of his knowledge was not there when he went to sleep.
Curious--and a little apprehensive--Ferrucio goes to pick up the pouch, but stops. He quickly refers to his spellbook. Fifteen minutes later he has taken the time to memorise open/close and casts it on the pouch, peering inside to see if he can work out what's in it.
Dario wakes up late into the morning and walks groggily from his room. After a visit to the privy, he walks back to the common area. He grabs one of the chairs and the mostly-spent decanter of wine. Pouring himself a glass, he takes a drink and then mutters, "Better."
Bishop wakes up very slowly and falls out of bed with a thud. He stands up and puts on some clothes before joining Dario in the common area. He gives a nod before taking said decanter and downing the rest of the wine. "Morning." He says to the professor after he wipes his mouth with his sleeve.
As the strings tying the pouch are magically drawn open, Ferrucio sees the glint of coins inside, and a piece of rough paper. It's 20 platinum pieces and a note, written in crude spotty letters and similarly crude Common, as if the author was not just a foreigner, but one who has never held a quill before. The note says:
The note ends in an elaborate ink spot, which if examined closely reminds you of a letter B.
Tarvi, Ermolos and Amaya leave to their affairs among others, taking their respective goods with them. This seems like a good time to work out a plan for the goblin raid.
Ferrucio enters the room several minutes later, bringing with him a black velvet pouch and a piece of parchment. He hands the parchment to Dario without a word, and waits until the half-elf finishes reading it.
[W]ritten in crude spotty letters and similarly crude Common, as if the author was not just a foreigner, but one who has never held a quill before. The note says:
YOU GOT DEAL. PUT MORE STONES HERE. WRITE QUESTION. LEAVE BAG OR BRING BACK. WAIT REPLY. IF NO ANSWER, I PAY GOLD.
The note ends in an elaborate ink spot, which if examined closely reminds you of a letter B.
Ferrucio waits until Bishop has read the note as well, and then tips the pouch out on the table between them. Twenty platinum pieces scatter onto the surface.
I found that in my room this morning. I am guessing, Ferrucio says, that Bluehood has found us, even if we couldn't find her. Presumably she--or one of her agents--followed me back here after her nosoi entranced me the other night.
He looks chagrined both at the memory of having his mind violated, and being the one who may have given away the location of the Children's lair.
I don't believe Bluehood is malicious--judging by this handwriting she may not even be a member of one of the sentient civilised races--but we should be prepared to move in case her designs become opposed to our own, and she chooses to sell us out to the dottari or the Hellknights.
We also need to decide whether to give her the four remaining shadowstones in our possession.
"That's a good chunk of change. But not enough to fully trust her yet. But I think we should give another shadowstone, see what happens then."
Dario reads the note with some confusion, but then whistles appreciatively when Ferrucio dumps out the coins. "You're probably right, Bishop, but whoever she is, Bluehood has some pretty deep pockets."
"Still, she doesn't seem to want to meet. But she's also not angry about you trying to find out about her. So either you weren't detected or she doesn't care. Maybe we play this game with her. Give her a stone and two or three questions. See if she'll answer them."
"Yep. She's dealt us a hand and it's our move."
Well, there are a few questions I can think of that I'd like to ask, such as 'what do you use the shadowstones for?' and 'what relationship do you have with Pharasma?'. Ferrucio gathers the coins up again and puts them in the bag, pulling the drawstrings tight. Come to think of it, I'd also like to ask 'what the heck is going on at Walcourt?' and 'are the shadowbeasts in Westcrown at someone's specific invitation?'.
That does assume she has some special insight, but it would not surprise me if she did.
He tosses the bag of coins to Dario. Casting dweomers that discern enchantments has never been my specialty. Before we begin dividing this up, it may be worth checking to see if any of it is ensorcelled. Do you think you could do it?
"Maybe 'How to the Shadowbeasts get to Westcrown?' and 'Why are the Shadowbeasts in Westcrown?'"
When Ferrucio tosses him the coins, Dario catches them, but balks at his request. "Bah, I doubt I can do any better than you. Remember, my studies were not in magic per se, but in history. Still I can try." He opens the bag and speaks a soft few words. His eye flash blue and he turns the bag so he can see most of the coins.
Ferrucio watches Dario cast the spell with genuine interest.
If it sounded like I was implying that such a task was beneath me, I apologise--I cannot cast that dweomer, as I've never been able to master it. But then, I spent most of my tutelage busy with...other things. Perhaps when things are somewhat less fraught you could show me again? If nothing else, we may be able to work together to teach Tarvi how to cast the spells I could not teach her alone.
And speaking of teaching, 'Professor', Ferrucio says with a wry grin, have you given any thought to providing the Children with some context to this struggle? Your knowledge of the history of Cheliax could prove invaluable in strengthening their spirit and resolve. And I think Amaya would probably quite simply enjoy hearing the stories.
###
Dario furrows his brow. "I thought this was a basic spell taught to everyone. My mistake, I'm sorry. Anyways, nothing about the coins are magical. It would seem Bluehood is giving these free and clear."
"Perhaps, I can prepare a lecture on the old Westcrown. Some of the old stories from then. It would delve into a considerable discussion of Aroden because the two are inseparable in the past. Cheliax was a different place then. Full of wonder and less of dread. Many of the artifacts we've unearthed from that time paint a remarkable picture. There are even items which we don't understand their purpose. Aroden's influence was mighty and vast. When he departed, the entire world changed."
Dracius enters, still smiling from the beauty of his morning commune with Shelyn, and cocks a head at Dario's statement. "Indeed, sensing magic is a simple orison I was taught as well."
He looks at his companions and says, "Why? What did we find that might be magical?"
Ferrucio retrieves the note from Bishop and hands it to Dracius. I found this in my room this morning. It seems Bluehood knows where we are--and the fact that she--or her agents--went to my room instead of Dario's, even though he performed the drop and I remained hidden, further suggests that she knew I was there observing. The note came with the coins Dario is holding. I thought it best to ensure they were not ensorcelled in some way before deciding what to do with them.
As for the nature of magic, Dario's aptitude is inborn, and yours is granted by Shelyn. Mine is due to study, which means that I sometimes encounter difficulties in binding certain dweomers to my mind--mostly those for discerning information, or for creating false realities. The dweomer for the detection of arcane energies is one such, simple though it is. With further study I might master it, but I will always struggle to cast it effectively.
In any case, it seems the coins are mundane, so we may safely disburse them as we see fit. Dracius, would you deliver another half-share to the Children? Then, we can talk later on what to do about Bluehood--although the fact that she or her agents were here but did not take the remaining shadowstones in our possession suggests either imperfect knowledge or benevolence. I would not like to assume which.
First, we should discuss how we intend to approach the goblins in the sewers. Anyone have any ideas?
Bishop keeps quiet during the "magic" discussion. However he speaks up when Ferrucio mentions the goblins. "Well it might not be surprising, but I'm in favor of going in there and start pummelin'. I mean they are just goblins right? They like fire and breakin' things. We just have to deal with the numbers advantage they prolly got."
Dracius nods, "That *is* an interesting development... I hadn't thought of who made the drop.... This is somewhat disconcerting -- though I do like that she seems willing to answer our questions....." His deep rumble trails off in thought for a moment, then he sighs and nods, "I'll deliver the monies and then we can discuss the goblin raid."
"Not quite inborn, Ferrucio. That would imply I'm some sort of sorcerer." He muses for a moment. "Which, I suppose may be the close, but it's still not accurate. Those of us who study the past and the world in depth, we tend to get a certain 'understanding' of the forces of magic. Not clear 'knowledge' like Ferrucio has, but a general understanding of the forces involved. I can read arcane writings, but I don't truly know how to put them together because I haven't spent my life studying them. Instead, I know what I want to accomplish and I can force the magic to work around me. It's not exact and very few of us comprehend how it works, but we can become very good at what we can do. Ferrucio has forgotten more magical theory than I will ever know, but it doesn't stop me from being able to cast what I want when I need it."
The professor smiles. "In fact, I've heard our abilities are more closely linked to passion. The more passionate and devoted of us tend to have better magical prowess. In some ways, it's like the magic a beautiful woman can cast on you." He chuckles in a knowing manner.
"So how do we find the goblins in the sewers? Or is that a dumb question?"
"Blah, blah, magic, blah... woman?" Bishop thinks to himself. He perks up Dario mentions the goblin plan again. "I can try to track 'em if you want me to."
Dracius says, "I was given some idea of the area they operated in -- I think that would get us close enough for Bishop to find tracks?"
We could also set an ambush, Ferrucio suggests. If we know the kinds of people who have been kidnapped we could set one of us up as a likely target and go from there--if the direct approach doesn't work.
"Our track record with stealth hasn't been good unless it's just you and me Ferrucio. Let's see what Bishop can find first. I doubt the little buggers are hiding their tracks that well."
You're probably right--but what precautions should we take against being ambushed ourselves?