Al continues to poke around, looking for left overs and spare food.
Well, looks like we're all safe and sound. now, I wonder--I don't know anything about these Child cultists, except they're sick freaks who are going to be examining their guts personally if they come near us, or her (here he glances at Albirght) again. Do any of you have any idea if they're going to be seeking revenge on us for taking their precious cargo?
After a pause . . . And, we're going to have to do something about our new friend. I mean, no offense to you kid, but none of us are really equipped to be your family. We're in dangerous biz, and you need some stability. But I wonder . . .
Vaughn starts to gaze off into space, clearly lost in thought.
"And, we're going to have to do something about our new friend. I mean, no offense to you kid, but none of us are really equipped to be your family. We're in dangerous biz, and you need some stability. But I wonder . . ."
"I wonder if Bobo could put her to use around the kitchen at the Revive. It would certainly give her some way to earn her keep, and we could keep an eye on her when we can."
For the first time Albright now looks like a little girl lost in a city full of monsters, her voice is thick with fear as she replies
The child goddesses who have grown too big for the pyramids have always been disposed into the river... and here the orc pipes in An' me an' the other body fishers found them an' sold them to the necromancers...I bet a clever one like Horus realised who these children were...
An' then he troied to browbeat the cult? Goldie asks thoughtful.
Maybe you should ask Goldie, he's so scatterbrained recently :)
"Who is Horus fellow? - someone could go speak with?"
"How ironic, their veneration of the child and disposal of the no=longer-child contributes to the trade in undead they try to oppose...or do i give them too much credit, are they merely trying to cover their tracks?"
*sigh* I wish you hadn't confirmed Kyren's suspicion that these bodies are from the cult. I'll tell you what--I bump into any of these monsters in the street, they're not walking away from the encounter, I don't give a damn who's watching.
.
OK, first things first. We need to figure out what to do with our little munckin here. No, not you Kyren, the CUTE one. ;-) GOLDIE!! Hey, ya big galoot, gecherarse over here, will ya?!?! I'm wondering if you've heard anything from my parents. I expected them to write me after giving them your little gift--but maybe they wrote you? Any idea how they're doin?
"Hey! I'm cute. Aren't I? Well, I guess next to Albright, I can see your point. But either way, if Goldie has a place for her here, fine, but maybe the Broken Chain or the Revive could also do."
"Who is Horus fellow? - someone could go speak with?"
"We could request an audience perhaps. Normally we bump into his underling, a woman named Emerald. She comes across a bit beastly, but I don't mind her"
Al goes back to helping himself to table scraps and abandoned drinks.
"I confess, I find her a bit creepy, but on this occasion I think we are on the same side of the fence. I just don't want to get too close in case some strings become attached, or worse, spider webs that we cannot cut ourselves loose from. First, we have to decide what we want to do about this cult. I personally think that this would be a nice opportunity for the Wee Bluets to do something meaningful for the neighborhood. I mean you have to admit, that's pretty sick what they do to those girls!"
"Hai, sick feckers everywhere... Kenta run out of arrows before kill them all. But these ones killing kids... guess they worth a few eh?" mulling his thoughts and idly scratching at Buta's chin as he does. "How about we speak Horus person, find out maybe where bodies get dump... hurt some people and find out who needs to die? Simple eh?"
Goldie looks a bit like Vaughn caught him out
Oh feck! Oi forgot the letter! Wait!
with a speed you hadn't expected from the burly dwarf, he whirls around and plows through the sea of customers to get into his office.
A bit out of breath but with a beer-stained letter he returns after a minute and hands it to Vaughn
Boy, Oi'm so sorry!
Meanwhile Bobo has pondered a moment about Albright
If Berry will be occupied with adventures and such things in the future I could sure need a helping hand...but the Revive can be quite a rough place from time to time...by the way, have you found Abacus in the dungeon too?
"I think Albright would be a great addition to the Revive if she is interested, but my biggest concern is everyone's safety. Crazzleboks! They came in and took you away thinking you were a necromancer. What would they do if they knew one of their former child goddesses was waiting tables? I mean we should start thinking about hiring some security. I would never forgive myself if something happened. Do you have any ideas, Goldie?"
"The best security would be us taking her far from here"
"I admit, far from here would be safer, but the Tosscobble Family Singers are not exactly within a days walk from here. What about the Fremen? They must have a secret network to help prisoner's escape. I'm sure they may even have enough connections to hook Albright up with some of the Tillers of the Bellflower network!"
"...Or I could just take her wherever she wanted to go, safely and securely, just name the place and it would be so."
"Well yes, I suppose you're right. I just thought that she may not have had any place to go. Let's ask her." Calling the young girl over, Kyren calls out, "Albright, my dear, Alchy and I were just chatting and we agree that we would like to see that you get to any place you would like to go. Is there a particular place you have in mind? You are obviously welcome to stay with us for a while, but we have some safety concerns, if you decide to stay in Kaer Maga. So please tell us where you wish to go to start your new life!"
Elbowing Vaughn "We still plan kill child killing bad guys?"
"I may have an option for dear Albright. I grew up in Magnimmar, in Serno Dolofar's orphanage. A kind man, his "children" are well fed and well educated. It was,is, a safe refuge from the vagaries of life."
"A mere five or six hundred miles, far enough away for her not to be bothered again. I'd be back in a few days easily enough. Maybe two days there, two days back. I'd just follow the Yondabakari river, the river doesn't get lost... it is a great silvery serpent with Magnimar at its mouth, biting the Varisian bay"
Oideas for security? Uh.... he turns around and takes a look at the throng of customers and your new orc friend Yup!
"Tell us, Albright, what are your wishes. Your freedom to choose is high on our list of values."
Mine? Albright aks surprisedly Oh...uh...everything's better than the pyramid...but...honestly...I have never been outside of Kaer Maga...I heard of forests full of trees, and rivers with crystal clear water, high mountains covered with snow all year long and... she hesitates and shrugs Yeah, I think I would like to see the world outside of Kaer Maga.
Goldie nods sadly and pats the girls back
Don't ye worry, ye will see all that an' more, Oi bet!
Vaughn wakes from his reverie--he'd been dreaming of snow-covered mountains, and attaching wood planks to one's feet to speed down them. He shakes his head from the craziness, to return to the craziness before him.
Ah, thanks Goldie. I'll take a look at this . . . but guys, maybe I wasn't loud enough, so i'll suggest it again. My folks live not too far from here, in Riddleport. They might be able to take her in, at least until she knows better where she wants to go. I can find out, but first I need to read this . . .
Vaughn sits down and immediately reads the note from his folks!
"Seems like a sound idea." Says berry in agreeance with Alcheringas idea.
"Riddleport is seven hundred miles, take me an extra day maybe, no problem. Up the Yondabakari river to Magnimar turn right up the Varisian bay to Riddleport. Easier than navigating overland. Rivers and coastlines don't get lost."
"Just tell me where she needs to go, Blaze can stay with the group for a couple of days, she isn't a fussy eater"
"Well, Albright, it sounds like you have some wonderful options ahead of you. Alchy will safely get you wherever you want to go. We will obviously miss you, but we are delighted that you will be free of this city and it's evil inhabitants!"
With a slightly confused look on his angular face, Kenta leans in close to Buta "Kenta wa, wareware ga satsugai no hanashi ka to omotta yo... Wakaranai, naze karera wa ima no kodomo no mono ni... to which the erudite porcine scholar pants... and grunts...
What's that Kenta?
*assuming he translates*
Oh, I'm not done talking about cutting a bunch of new holes in those baby-napping sunzabiches. But I think--and my guess is Kyren and Al at least agree--that getting this little one safe is a higher priority. The cult will be there for us to bleed when Albright is alright. (hehe) We can't be sure of the reverse, though, can we? We don't know how vengeful they are, or the limits of their craziness. We do know that that limit is pretty high . . .
"Quite right, Daggers! We've rescued Albright, and I'm certain the cult is going to be pretty mad about it. I have no doubt that they would love to exact revenge on her and us, if they ever found out we are to blame. No, I say we send Alchy out with Albright and the rest of us enjoy some well deserved rest at the Revive. Perhaps we could even go out for dinner at the Gryphon Plume. However, once the cat returns, we could then try and shut down the Child Godess Cult and rid this city of such sick undesirables. Kenta, have you ever been to Kaer Maga? There are lots of places you could go sightseeing. I could even take you over to the cliff for some thrilling kite flying. I've got a great hot pink craft over there that just might hold you!"
Scratching his head a little as he ponders to truly understand "Hai Kenta understand care about little one... but what if other little ones get" making a throat slitting gesture "while we making with the eating and the drinking and the playtime?"
"I've always believed that too much work and not enough play makes Kyren a very dull boy, but you do raise a very good point, Kenta. I hate the thought that some other young girl at the temple turns twelve while we are out having a good time. I just hate the idea of taking on the the cult without Alchy. You could say that he is sort of like our protector cat. I think we would be foolish to try anything without him. Maybe we should think about rescuing as many goddesses as we can before we send Alchy on his journey? I wonder if we could keep Albright hidden at the Broken Chain until we are ready to lead the rest to freedom?"
Kenta, you raise a good point. But look at it this way: we should take at least a day to plan our assault, don't you think? Maybe talk to the Duskwardens--they're the local law authority--and see if we can get any help? find out what the Cult's soft underbelly is and how to stick a dagger into it? Besides, we might need Al's expertise on golems--I really don't want to fight that iron golem if I can help it.
.
Yeah, those kids don't have anyone to look out for them. The longer we delay, the more suffering they endure. Let's decide on what we do with our new friend, and then I'm going ot start planning our next move. Kyren, bring me some leftovers, I won't be joining you.
Albright beams at Al and grabs his hand
Is that really true? Can you bring me to this place? This Riddletown?
The letter looks like it was scribbled rather hastily and here and there are blotches of ink
The moment we sent this letter, we have left Riddleport by night...hopefully unseen. Your dad got into trouble with a powerful crime lord, Clegg Zincher, maybe you remember him.
You know your dad, he went gambling some nights ago and lost more than he had...than he will ever have... and swore to work off his debt by fighting in Zincher's arena (yes, he was drunk), but alas, he would have died a heartbeat after he had set foot on the bloody sand and so I urged him to leave Riddleport for Kaer Maga. I didn't know a better place, but I bet you were able to find friends and a job there, so maybe you could help us out in the first time? Anyway, we must hurry and I don't have time to write. We hope you are well and are looking forward to meeting youa again!
Love,
Mum
Oooohh--hang on, hang on. My contacts in Riddleport are now, um, heading HERE. My folks are coming here! Looks like my dad is up to his old tricks, and he got into some trouble back home. But maybe this could work out . . .
.
Maybe we could have my folks join Bobo at the Revive and help out there. They can also look after Albright too. What do you all think?
Before anyone answers, Vaughn calls out GOLDIE!! Check this out! he hands the letter back to the imposing dwarf. Look who's coming to town!!
After a moment to calm down, Vaughn becomes a bit more sober. Sure hope I can keep Pop out of trouble.
"Of all the places man has built on the body of the Great Mother, Kaer Maga is one of the worst, this is a place of death. The Revive is becoming a problem too, a place of rest and succor is fast becoming a well known waterhole full of all the wanted prey in the city with nothing to guard them but the most fleeting reputations and the threat of retribution. Not what I had in mind when we siezed it off the dead Necromancer who crossed us... one day the foxes will get into that henhouse."
Alcheringa looks at the small child for a moment, then cracks a wide smile "Yes kitten Albright, I can take you anywhere you wish to go, and show you such wonders of the world that would fill your dreams for a lifetime. The beauty of the great forests, the majesty of the rivers and lakes kissed by the rising sun, the mighty auroch moving in herds across the plains, the grand whales traversing the Varisian bay.... all this you would see. Magnimar though, we would go to Magnimar."
Alchy looks back to his companions "The Cult may or may not have another child victim, and we will save none if we die trying to rush the waterhole to catch the gazelle and instead find the lion, we must prepare as though we expect not to return, and so that means not leaving this small one without certainty; if you rescue a kitten, it is your responsibility until it can fend for itself"
That's exactly what I meant! Yeah, I aint' leaving Albright to fend for herself. And you're right, Al, the Revive might be getting a reputation--but I think we need to go a little further and give it a stronger reputation. A "you mess with me, I'll mess with you, your family, your friends, and your boyfriend--then I'll burn your house down and piss on the ashes" kind of reputation.
In the distance, a Minstrel picks up his instrument.
"It is supposed to be a place of reace and respite, of tranquility and regeneration, of neutrality, of life, and welcoming to all... yest slowly my dream is being whittled away; I wished to build an oasis of love, a waterhole for all the thirsty creatures, I broke a hole in the roof of Kaer Maga to let in the sun to kiss it and allow people to step from the darkness, now more and more people bring chaos and uncertainty. When the animals of Kaer Maga sense the vibration of danger in the place, they will stay away, the opposite of intent of what I want to achieve, which is to invite them in and touch them with the warm embrace of the mother".
"That is why the other Druids in this city fail, they made space devoted to the Mother, but then excluded people and scared them away, no Ardoc would ever enter such a Druids grove, for they would feel anxious they may be in peril, no citizen would feel free to come in and seek sustenance, for they would feel uncertain and not being a building the concept alien to them. If I am ever to help the people realise a new way of thought, they must first feel safe. Life, joy, sustenance, and peace. The only thing I will not tolerate is the Necromancers, as they rob the Mother and break the sacred compact between her and the living. They can always change their ways and make amends though"
"There are already enough places in this city where people can feel unwelcome, it needs a waterhole of tranquility... where poets and artists, craftsmen and minstrels, jokers and tricksters, all can be appreciated... where the injured can find a cure for all that ails them"
As Al speaks his eyes go all dreamy, as though he is not really amongst you but walking in some Nirvana. He breaks off some more of his purple flowers and has a bit of a chew, Blaze nudges him for her share.
Al, you make me proud to know you. I'm right there with you. It's only those who would cross us who need the lesson I mentioned. I think the only way to make the Revive a watering hole of tranquility is to scare off the predators. Make them know it's not worth their while to hunt there--that it'll cost 'em too much.
"Kenta not sure if cat man's ideal is true... but does know that Buta sh1t all over furniture before Kenta house train him." shrugging as he cocks his head to the side slightly and considers the purple flowers that are having such a soporific effect upon the druid "Some people need school with words, some people school with fists... some people not worth school, and better to let god sort out. Just because people stupid not mean dream dumb."
"On other thing, Kenta always prepare like not come back... only other thought Kenta have is whether ones with child gods get upset and make better security when they notice little one missing... Unless want Kenta to take little one's place?" pointing at his disguising helmet.
"Kazam! The true Revive for a better life! That is wicked! Just hold your thoughts for a second, Alchy. I have just the background music to fit your speech!"
Kyren pulls out his harp and plays along with Alchy as he gives his inspiring words.
"So Daggers, if your folks are coming, I suppose that means we need to clean up the Revive for a bit!"
Heh. WEll said, Kenta! I'll have to remember that housetraining bit. Kyren, don't worry about my folks. Considering the neighborhood I grew up in, it won't be hard to impress them! But we should be worrying about Albright, and whether we're going to go and assault the child cult freaks with extreme prejudice.
"Then I should journey with her soon, so that the group can spend some time learning of the vulnerabilities of the cult. To attack it tooth and nail would get us all killed, they have Iron Golems and who knows what else, we must prod and poke for weakness. I need only a letter for the new guardians of this child."
Goldie seems perplexed by the news
What? but then he becomes rather angry and shakes a meaty fist at no one in particular Your pop is such a ne'er-do-well...I wonder what kind of problem he is now in...bah...same old story again and again...and your poor mother always has to endure all this s~$!...
the grumpy dwarf grabs the tankard of one of his customers and empties it in no time
Well...if your Revive is becoming some kind of haven, your mom will surely be the place's heart and soul.
Meanwhile Bobo nudges Kyren...again
Hey, what about Abacus?
Alchy wanders about, still in a bit of a dream from the purple flowers, as is Blaze, whilst he awaits the party's feelings.
Vaughn turns to Al, and the rest of the crew. So, is it settled? Al and Blaze escourt Albright to Magnimar. The rest of us scope out the scene of the Child Cult, determine how best to bring them to ruin--and also see to some security for while we're not at the Revive. he looks thoughtfully at the half-orc hanger-on, trying to size him up. Are we agreed?
then he turns to Goldie. Um, do we need to talk in private, my friend? Anything I should know before my paretns--both of them--show up? I can linger for a drink or three. . .
"I will pen a letter of introduction for you" Tal'Zeneb says to Alcheringa. He then sits a a relatively clean table and fetches his writing equipment from his pack. Thinking for a moment he begins to write:
Dearest Serno, I hope this massive finds you well. The bearer of this letter is Alcheringa, a man of good character and greater devotion. The child was a captive of a deluded cult here in Kaer Maga. Please take her in as you did I, her safety here is not guaranteed. Your son, Tal'Zeneb.
Carefully folding the letter and sealing it with wax from the candle from the table , Tal hands the letter to Al.
"So, is it settled? Al and Blaze escourt Albright to Magnimar. The rest of us scope out the scene of the Child Cult, determine how best to bring them to ruin--and also see to some security for while we're not at the Revive." he looks thoughtfully at the half-orc hanger-on, trying to size him up. 'Are we agreed?"
"You know I'm agreed! Any place to keep Albright safe sounds good to me. The only thing I am going to miss is having a fuzzy cat around to pet when I'm getting stressed out. I'm going to have to find some other method of relaxation while the cats away. Well, you know what they say? When the cats away, the mice will play. For me, that's going to be Tzarek and a little harp. Hey does anybody want some cheese?"
"Blaze will remain here while I am away, she will be following Kyren around, she will let you know if she gets hungry"
Alchy takes the letter and tucks it carefully into his shirt.
"Are you ready? We have an adventure to set off upon" he inquires of Albright. "Oh you will need a warm jacket" he adds thoughtfully
"I am going to go back to my lab. The kittens keep trying to get at Stirgie. Poor thing gets so stressed out I'm afraid he'll get a hold of one of them."