Esfana is too much distracted by the arguing between Alexite and Elsbeth.
But she interested hearing what Nox said
"What women?"
Alexite looks incredulously at Torald. ' You can't see the big covered litter being borne by people right past us?'
'...until all you have is a big fat bottle of vinegar.' Alexite picks right back up, not missing a beat. 'You, dear elfish woman, should have some time before you pickle, but I am detecting a sour disposition. Be careful lest you shrivel up and stink before your time.'
Esfana is too much distracted by the arguing between Alexite and Elsbeth.
But she interested hearing what Nox said
"What women?"
Just a pair of potentially Undead Whores i noticed as we walked. Alexite seems to be the guy who will fornicate with anything that moves. i'm sure he probably must have some frustrations he needs to relieve. i mean he is always seeming to be aroused every second of the day.
"Ahh see now Blaze, the peacock has ruffled the hens by not putting them in a peckin order, and now they revolt and henpeck HIM. Thus we see a sign of natiures order manifested in human guise... although I'm not sure what level of depravity humans would sink to that they would mate with their dead, yes Blaze, those two earth-cheaters are paid for fornication!"
"I would really appreciate if whoever is interested in this examinations keeps talking about them when i'm out of hearing range;i think i could vomit anytime now after that show"
"Such a shame you would think that, dear child." She said, pulling the 'I'm an elf, and therefore way older than you' card. "But I'm sweet enough for those that care to try. Now then, I suggest we leave Alexite to his palanquins and 'undead whores', and go report back." She said, as if undead whores were commonplace - which in Kaer Maga, was not inconcievable.
"Don't let us keep you from your desires, Alexite. We all know you are a slave to them." She flashed a sickly sweet smile at him before quickening her pace. "Lets us leave him before we all become ill." She said, winking at Esfana as she did so.
"How amazing a transformation Blaze; now the elf blood runs true and she wards herself against his colourful plumage and bears herself once again as a more regal elven maiden - the complexities are amazing"
Alcheringa stops to pull a couple of the purple flowers from his hair, and then shares them with Blaze (catnip)
"And that cousin, is the joyous puzzle-box of being half-elven. And of course, changeability is a peroggative of womanhood." Elsbeth said, treating Alcheringa to a genuine smile.
Nox will follow Esfana and Elsbeth for the time being. smiling at how she must have burned Alexite's Ego deep inside. an immature smirk on her face and a bit of faint laughter at the shallow scoundrel's Expense. I beleive that Alexite may need to visit an apothecary very soon!
Noting her haughty arrogance in calling him a child, Alexite remarks, 'You may find that pedistool is not quite so grand as you believe. After all, you are only elf-ish. Just as you are only woman-ish quite like the weird one here who is also split between womanish and boyish. May be you have found another "cousin"?'
Looking to the boyish youth from the south, Alexite rejoins, 'Ware your words, mistress, I've yet to sample your wares. Warning me of an impending need of the services of an apothecary is not the enticement you might have intended it to be.'
"And that cousin, is the joyous puzzle-box of being half-elven. And of course, changeability is a peroggative of womanhood."
Alcheringa bears a mirthful expression, as though this is the greatest show he has seen in ages.
"Indeed it is the perogative of a woman; the earth-mother bestows such temeperament in all her daughters to remind us of her ever changing moods and her ability to transform, yet when we look deep into her heart we see a logic and a pattern in her cycles, and although she can be a harsh mistress, she is not vexatious. Whilst she can manifest terrible beauty in her raging fires and buffeting storms, she also shows us a face of effortless grace and majesty... I guess these gifts she bestowed upon her daughters too now I think of it..."
Nox looks towards Alexite i am perfectly healthy, i was talking about what may eventually happen after you bed yourself with any of the dozens of impure women you may happen to pick up afterwards. i believe that any properly trained apothecary can also prove that i am in perfect health. Nox shrugs her shoulders at Alexite, looking at him again as she was walking the whole time and i'm pretty sure you don't have the stamina to keep up with me either.
"Since we are playing such a game, Alexite, i challenge you in helping me making it back to my family and discovering who sent those assassins after me, and why they told me they were sent by my fiancè.If you manage that i'll be yours"
"Of course, only for one night"
"Of course, only for one night"
Alcheringa looks deeply concerned, his brow suddenly lined and creased as if his thoughts weigh heavily as he looks to Esfana...
"Alexite will surely need all of our help to achieve such a feat, therefore the payment must be extended accordingly, this might make for a very busy 'only one night'..."
Slowly his face begins to lighten as he struggles to maintain the charade, and then bursts into laughter at his jest.
The party, quarreling about Alexite's sexual preferences as always, reaches the Trideon Temple at last.
It's about dawn and a faint rose light dyes the walls of Kaer Maga and the sky over ever awake Downmarket.
Laval is attending an inspection of the Iomedean guards as you enter the temple square.
He turns to you, nods to one of his adjutants who then goes on with the inspection, and walks over to you.
Iomedae speed you! I see you have returned-all alive and unharmed...that is really impressive. Tell me about the ghouls and how you fared.
Esfana assumes the best composure the academy taught her.
"Sir Laval; the ghouls were surprisingly easy to dispose,which of course has been a good thing.There were a couple of some sorts of living shadows, but they were not hostile.They went their way to a kind of bloodied fountain and disappered. "
"I didn't recall much more"
"It is as she says, the strange creatures were ghostlike, and wished us no quarrel... with the ghould dispatched they left the tomb"
The Sword Knight nods thoughtfully at your remark about the shadows
Shadows are normally strong and vile undead who preay on the powers of the living, it suprises me that they simply left after you dispatched the ghouls.
Anymway, I have to thank you for defeating this undead plague, we will now send a priest to consecrate the graveyard again.
Since I have no other urgent tasks for you at hand, I recommend to search the city for other people in need of help...I can assure you, there are hundreds of them. You can also try to assist one of the powers striving for control, but in that case I would only recommend the Duskawardens and the Ardoc Brotherhood...and maybe the followers of the Green Faith.
For your services, the Trideon Temple will grant you another 300 GP and free board and lodging for Esfana and Torald as long as you are in the city.
"Thank you Sir, with your permission, i'll take my leaving now."
It was anhonor to mee, to be at the temples service. When you excuse me, I will back out.
Alexite gives Esfana a dull look. 'That sounds suspiciously like work. Work is so boring.' At the jest of the au natural elf, Alexite arches an eyebrow. 'Ooh, a threesome? Well if you are going to sweeten the pot, that is something to consider. Just to be fair and generous we really should include the others.' To the elf, 'You should invite your cousin and she can invite her cousin. While I know that Torald is veritably buckling at the knees when he hears the dulcet tones of my silky smooth voice, Esfana you should be the one to invite him. I think he would do anything for even a slice of your pie.'
Alexite claps his hands in excitement. 'This could shape up to be fun. Finally!'
Nox looks towards Alexite; i thought you promised to be my test subject . i'd like to know how your surrogate brain works. it's all in the name of science.
"Ok then, i'll ask Torald.I'm sure he will help me without asking my body in return, and he sooooo much more handsome than you."
Esfana smirks to Alexite.
"Now i'll need a bit of privacy, so if everyone will excuse me...."
The young priestess turns towards her rooms.
"...and once again, the hens fall in line behind the peacock, and vie for his attentions. In all fairness the Iomedite threw the offer to the peacock yet now claims he asked... some days the logic is really...strange".
"What say you Blaze?" he remarks to his cat; there is a long pause as they simply look blankly at each other.
Alcheringa collects up his payment of gold, and looks at it quizically, then indifferently, and then puts it in his pocket.
You don't need to ask me. If you remember, I gave you my word to help you in the tavern a few days ago. It is self-evident for me to help a sister.
I will say goodby for now too.
My proposal would be, that we go to meet Mr. Ardoc in the morning.
My proposal would be, that we go to meet Mr. Ardoc in the morning.
"Then I will see you in the morning, and we shall meet with Ardoc"
"I'ld very much like to make my family know i'm alive, they must be awfully worried, but that would be no easy task.Whoever hired assassins to come after me is close to me or to my parents, and i'm too dumb to come up with reasonable suspects.And Vellumis isn't nearby.Plenty of time to talk about this anyway, don't worry for me."
"See you all tomorrow at Ardoc's"
Again. i do not have Worsh's notes. If headmaster Molotov does not get a report on them soon. the government of Alkenstar will likely send bounty hunters to seek my head. and there isn't much you can do to treat a bullet wound fired from a black powder arm. and Dimitri isn't the most Patient of Archmagi either.
Nox begins to shiver at the thought of the vile things she is imagining her superiors doing to her. she then bursts into tears and panics, she cries loudly in a sobbing panic Headmaster Molotov is the most frightening figure i have ever known! i don't think i can get by with mailing his daughter a pretty trinket this time! please, help me get the material needed for the report! in exchange, Alexite's Physical Examination will be extended to become one whole day of experimentation! and you will still have a living arcanist on your side!
Nox isn't entirely sane. some level of mental illness may be involved, possibly caused by on the job stress and an emotionally abusive set of superiors back at home. you probably figure that the name Dimitri Molotov causes a great deal of panic and unrest in Nox's mind. but you can confirm that the guy actually is a living entity and that Nox may potentially be exaggerating certain details a little.
"Speaking of mr.Worsh, we have his scrolls and not used them. I said we would have given them back or paid for them. Not that i usually keep my word with such like him, but cannot simply pretend we don't owe him nothing"
"Speaking of mr.Worsh, we have his scrolls and not used them. I said we would have given them back or paid for them. Not that i usually keep my word with such like him, but cannot simply pretend we don't owe him nothing"
i have an idea, we could return the scrolls and ask if i have permission to review his notes. if we are successful at both, i could get the report readied, find a possible courier, and potentially get a certain archmage back at home off of my back.
Nox begins to say as she attempts to calm herself down. a massive amount of stress seemingly replaced by a simple plan.
if he doesn't offer his notes willingly, we could easily pry them off of his corpse. he has violated several guidelines written by the church of Iomedae, has he not?
she looks towards Esfana and Torald.
the two of you have the potential right to execute him by the laws of your faith. and i can say that he threatened the life of an Alkenstarian government offical, a pair of holy knights of the inheritor, and a spiritual consultant of the green faith. this should possibly clear my state of potential endangerment. which could save me a lot of political trouble back at home.
During all of this discussion and histrionics amongst the others, Alexite will slip away through to the temple of Shelyn and into the alcove.
Alcheringa is off wandering about like the homeless man he is, and will no doubt sleep in the old horse stable again...
Short of anything eventful happening, he will join the others the next morning.
she looks towards Esfana and Torald.the two of you have the potential right to execute him by the laws of your faith. and i can say that he threatened the life of an Alkenstarian government offical, a pair of holy knights of the inheritor, and a spiritual consultant of the green faith. this should possibly clear my state of potential endangerment. which could save me a lot of political trouble back at home.
"As far as i know, he has done nothing directly to justify our intervention,the matter of sir Timodeus seems more bureaucratic in nature.But we can try to ask to sir Laval , or simply ask mr Worsh to take back his scrolls in exchange for your notes,Nox"
"Well, lets not forget he did try to kill us..."
"On the other hand we have scrolls we should return, a deal is a deal, the fact that he dishonours his so readily should not lead us into abandoning them with the same fervour. I will accompany you should you wish to ask him for his notes, yet I do not see why he'd be inclined to hand them over...I wouldn't. I will not demand them from him, but I will accompany you whilst you ask, and do my part to keep the peace should things turn sour - but do not confuse this with me giving any permission to antagonise him"
The alcove seems empty this time and cleaned - no bloodstains or worse...
As you enther the darkness you feel a humid breeze sweeping over you. A moment later you realize that a mist of blood emits out of the deeper darkness. Soon your face drips of blood and your clothes are wet with it. Just two steps further into the spray you are sucked through the black hole again.
Since you awaited it, you are better prepared for the timebending and bodywarping sensation as you are sucked through the black tunnel. This time though, your voyage is shorter by far. After a whiff you stumble into a large hall entirely made of black onyx and anthracite granite.
The room is crowded and the noise is deafening. At least 200 people have assembled here at various instruments of torture. Women and men, slaves and masters, it's a whirling mass of people occupied with a lot of...exotic activities.
After you have got an impression of the scene a bald ebon skinned beauty wearing a collar with a chain is led to you by a nordic looking blonde bombshell. Both wear leathery nothings and after you had time to take a look at them from tip to toe, the blonde purrs:
My mistress is very pleased with your work Alexite. She offers you this little gift she looks over to the black slave
and hopes you like to play with her. Time is of no meaning at this place and you will notice that only minutes have passed once you return to your....plane.... she smiles observing your reaction
There is one thing more my mistress demands of you: There is a guild of builders in the City of Strangers. They build golems by various means and just found out how to include shadow energy in their projects. We want you to steal or destroy the plans for their Shadow Golem...soon. And now, have fun! with that she hands you the chain.
Alexite smiles appreciatively at his gift. He spends several hours exploring her capacity for heightened sensory manipulation. All the while, he draws upon the shared experiences to fuel his own passion for the impending rendezvous with a certain acolyte. He will continue until she is at her breaking point and then abruptly leave off. Alexite leaves the gift lying in a pool of herself as he departs the alcove, giving a nod of acknowledgement to the statuesque blonde as she passes.
Once out, he leaves through the entrance of the temple of Shelyn, bound for one of the brothels that line the street. Alexite will pay for the use of a room for the day with orders that a trio of lovelies be sent up in eight hours to properly awaken him. He will sleep to recover from the past day's exertions and dream of exertions in the night to come. When awoken, he has them entertain him with each other, savoring their cavorting antics, until he feels it is late enough to make his way back to Love's boudoir.
Alexite stealthily gains entrance to the temple and searches out his vict... err, sacrifi... uhm, date.
The cost fro three girls and a room at the brothel are quite high: You have to pay 50 GP.
Once you are back at the Shelyn temple it takes only some minutes until your new "girlfriend" comes over to you.
Laughing she says
Hey hey, whom do we have here? Has my patient returned at last? I bet there is something that needs mending and tending today, mhh?
'Indeed, I have returned, my naughty nurse. Is it time for my sponge bath?'
Only sponges? I have other soft things to offer... she says seductively.
Then she pulls you along into her room...
Alexite allows himself to be drug along to the acolyte's room. There he will deftly ply his talents and skills upon the girl. He makes sure to only give her the first subtle taste of his master's art so as not to alarm her or give himself away. He will take his time until finally allowing her to crest her wave as he, too, finally finds the release he has been building upon since receiving his "gift".
On the clear morning of the 5th of Arodus you meet again in front of the Trideon Temple. Alexite, again, looks tired and somewhat exhausted-but in a very good mood.
Since you decided to visit Perdar Ardoc you leave the brothels of the Downmarket District and venture back into the walls, into the Bis district. As soon as you enter Bis, you realize that this is much more a "normal" city than Downmarket and Ankar-Te.
Patrols of Ardoc guards (always accompanied by golems) and Duskwardens wander the streets. Shops are cleanly kept and there are nearly no goblinoids or monsters to be seen.
No quarrels, no wandering undeads, wasn't it all under a dome of stone you would'nt notice many differences to...let's say Korvosa...
Golems are everywhere: Tiny ones in the shape of dogs or vermin that clean the streets or guard the houses, medium ones that are used as cheap workers or really large ones working as bodyguards.
After you passed half of the district you reach the guildhouse of the Duskwardens. A grey bunker-like building, heavily guarded by the ever-vigilant elite spelunkers, warriors and rangers.
Torald takes the few steps to one of the Duskwarden guards
Dear Sir, would you allow a stranger in this city a question
After he has the attention of the guard
I am looking for the Ardoc guildhouse. Could you give me the directions?
Alcheringa is following along, munching away on his mornings 'salvaged' breakfast... Blaze is carrying some now unientifiable shank of meat.
The adressed Duskwarden, a broad shouldered man with a composite longbow and a two handed axe strapped to his back.
Under his black beard he murmurs
Just follow South Street until you reach the Hammer of Knowledge, the Ardoc Guildhouse is next to it.
I thank you, good man.
"I suppose we had best leave some time asode for visiting Worsh, I'd be expecting Alexite will be looking to get paid twice for the one job"
"What concerns me isn't how much Alexite will ask, but he'll ask as payment...better not wondering after all"
i think we all know what he is going to ask for. i need not say it.
Next to the Hammer of Knowledge, the most famous blacksmith of Kaer Maga, is a large factory-like building. Its chimneys end directly under the dome, so that the smoke is transported outside.
The dimensions of the building are impressive: it's about 100m long and 80m wide. Lots of men in leather aprons stand in front of it heaving a break, while groups of golems transport materials inside and carry completed tools outside.
Wagons are being loaded with spare parts for golems of all sizes and a group of golemsmiths is working in a repair yard where customers can bring their damaged golems.
The whole place is absolutely noisy: It sounds like inside the factory, gigantic hammers are pounding large pieces of metal - it smells like dust, smoke, iron and acidics everywhere and it's quite hot around the factory.