Mithas eats some dates and then squints at the sun trying to think about how he wants to spend the rest of his day.
Ok as for Mithas he purchases some tasty dates and finds somewhere to sit and relax. As he is relaxing a man dressed in a brown robe approaches him. Seeing under the hood is a Silvanesti elf man you don't recognise however when he speaks his voice sounds a lot like the elf who caused that ruckus earlier.
"Greetings wildling. I saw you at the market earlier and I have a feeling that you are a man that is good at hunting for prey. As you know, there are profiteers selling elven relics on the black market of Pashin. Its about time something is done about this. I could use a skilled tracker to aid in the search for these bastard profiteers. If this does not spark you to action, I am willing to pay you for your services. I wish not to say more here in the streets. Please meet me at the Five Dragon Inn at 6 in the evening."
He reaches into his pouch drops 5 steel coins into his hand, "Consider this a payment for your time."
Mithas takes the coins thoughtfully."We shall see," is all he says.
"Very well Alathea, this is my first mission having to assume a disguise so I trust your guidance. We will meet here when the message comes. Until then be safe."
Gabriel sits and waits for ALathea to leave and then another thirty minutes before leaving himself.
"Thank you Klaudia." He says as he leaves.
Alathea makes her pilgrimage to the Temple of the True Gods before heading to the Five Dragons Inn. Once there she will secure a room and sit down in the common room to eat a hearty meal, the long travel has made her quite hungry.
Alathea head off to the temple of the True Gods. The temple appears to be the most ancient of the buildings in all the city of Pashin. It bears the cracks in its white washed facade like a proud warrior that carries its scars. The sprawing building is a mix of archetecture styles, as though it has been rebuilt numerous times throughout its existance. The building has has a mortar, sandstone, marble, azure and other mixed stones which gives the walls odd patterns. The enterance posts are actually statues, a female on the left and a male on the right with features bearing that of Khurite woman and man. The large wooden double doors lie open welcoming all that would come.
Entering the temple Alathea is surprised on the format that the temple has been set up. Many temples devote themselves to either a single god or one of the 3 major pantheons (Good, Neutral or Evil). However this temple she finds that every God has a shrine somewhere in the temple and each are represented equally. Even the Moon Gods have shrines represented here.
There is not many priests in the temple and the ones Alathea see have the symbol of Zivlyn. There is attendents though who see to tending the shrines but wear no holy symbols. The shrine of Zivlyn looks like is it probably the most attented to even though it is not any larger than the other shrines.
As Alathea approaches the shrine of Zivlyn she is approached by a Khursh man with grey hair and a short beard dressed in elaborate robes bearing the symbols of Zivlyn and bearing a medallion of faith approaches her. He speaks in accented common to her.
"Greetings traveller. I see you bear medallion of the Tree of Life. It is good to see the Wise One has followings beyond the lands of Khur. You are most welcome in the temple of the True Gods. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Micah ib'n-Gar, high priest of Zivilyn and keeper of this temple. Is there something I may assist you with?"
Gabriel taking a different route than Althea through the city is walking through the streets and spots some commotion at a nearby alleyway. He sees a group of three dark brown skinned men (Ergothians) dressed in worn leather armor cornering a pair of Kender. One of the Kender is dressed in what looks like an explorers outfit with numerous pouches. The other is a frightened Kender child dressed in blue rags, hiding behind the adult kender and clutching his left hand. In the Adult Kender's right hand is a worn looking dagger. Both of them definitely have an uneasy look in their eyes and posture that marks them as Afflicted as they show none of the fearlessness that the normal Kender would have in this situation.
The lead Ergothian has a cutlass drawn and holds it threatenly at the two Kender while the other two Ergothians behind him have their hands ready on their blades. The lead Ergothian in the front bellows in common pointing at the child, "That thieving brat robbed my coin pouch! I remember that little thieving bastard snooping around the pub last night! Dammed crooked kender are all bunch of bloody thieves. Hand over my steel or I'll take it out of your hide."
So what does Gabriel do?
Terevalis after exiting the sewers decides to take a few back alleyways to avoid attention from prying eyes as well as to avoid leaving a trail back to the elven enclave. As he is turning a side alleyway he overhears an angry voice in Elven.
"This shall be my vengeance Wyllin for the shame you have brought upon me."
He turns the corner too late and catches a black cloaked elven man, dressed in black leathers with a rapier shoved through the heart of a brown robed elven man. The strike is clearly lethal with one blow as he lets out a death wail. As the black shrouded man pulls the blade out, the elven man's body collapses to the ground dead.
The man then whips around his ears perking up to a new arrival on the scene. He gives Terevalis an angry glare with his rapier still dripping with blood. He is currently 30 feet down the alley from him.
As Mithas is wandering down the streets and explores the town he stumbles across a show of entertainers and decides to watch their antics. You see a strange trio. The first you see is a dexterous looking woman of slightly Khurish features but her skin is too light and her curves too thin to be someone of the human race but to broad to be an elf, dressed in an acrobatic outfit. The next member of the trio is a jolly looking female kender dressed in a clownish and humourous clothing. The final individual is a very buff looking Khurish man dressed in a tight muscle shirt and puffy looking pants.
The three start doing impressive acrobatic stunts combined with some humorous antics by the Kender. Despite the impressive nature of the performance they do not attract too many interested parties but the few that do taunt and jeer the motley crew. The group attempts a human pillar maneuver with the strong man as the base, the half-elf in the middle and the Kender doing some impressive acrobatic stunts to get to the top. Unfortunately the Kender lands a bit off-center causing the human pillar to become imbalanced. The strong man loses his grip and the half-elf and kender tumble into the nearby crowd.
He then hears a voice from the crowd yell "Hey! That thieving Kender went for my purse!
Another person yells, "I knew it! Its all a robbery scam!"
The crowd suddenly starts getting rather riled up as they start to close in on the acrobats looking to rough them up. How does Mithas react to this?
Iniative
Terevalis caught by surprise by this event hesitates, a hesitation the black dressed man takes advantage of. The elf as part of a move action pulls a pouch from inside his jacket into his left hand and then hurries down the passage to the left and out of your current sight. Terevalis as a move action you can reach the location where the body is. It is only 30 feet away.
Alathea gives a curtsey to the High Priest.
"I am honored to meet you, Micah ib'n-Gar. I am Alathea of Solace. I have met few amongst our following who were more than simple wanderers. I have come to Pashin to see the Temple with my own eyes. So few structures dedicated to the Gods exist in safe regions here on the continent, indeed there are few safe regions anywhere left it seems. It gladdens me to see that a member of my own Order keeps this place. It is perhaps the best representation of balance that all Gods are venerated in the same way. Without one more dominant than the other. Tell me, when the Gods were once again taken from us, were you still a devout follower?"
That is what he will do. He will say in Elven to the black dressed man, There are too few of us left to be killing each other
Micah ib'n-Gar says to Alathea, "I held true to the Gods through my entire life Ukhti. Before the times of Chaos things were better in this temple. Every shrine had a priest of that faith who served as an intermediary for their God. When the Gods fell silent many of the priests departed to serve their faiths elsewhere or to take up other occupations. I however remained here ever-faithful and doing my best to maintain the temple and educate those who wish to worship or learn the ways of the Gods.
He nods to Alathea and lets her take in his words before he continues his conversation "It has been difficult to maintain the temple on my own but thankfully I had a number of acolytes who aided me in this task. Many of my best students took the journey to the Citadel of Light to study the art of Mysticism. Some have returned and converted back to the faith while the others I know not what path they have taken. Indeed I was offered a chance to also travel to the Citadel of Light and follow the path of the heart. But my duty was here to serve the temple and so I remained. And great Zivilyn has rewarded my wisdom and now with his gifts restored I hope in time to restore this temple to its former glory. Unfortunately I have yet to gather any priests of the other faiths to intermediate the will of the other Gods. For now the best I can do is have some of my staff to maintain the shrines until those roles can be filled again. It does sadden me though that the Bah’Mut and Tii'Mhut shrines shall remain unattended for they no longer exist in the heavens."
"Good afternoon gentlemen. What is the trouble here? A thief? Now that is a terrible thing to call a child, even a kender child. I am sure you just misplaced your steal. Perhaps it was the barmaidens that releived you of it. The child may have just been hungry and looking for food. Either way I'm sure this can be settled without conflict."
Gabriel looks to the child.
In Sylvan "It is ok child. Did you steel from these men. If so please return it to me. I will see you you and your parent are well cared for."
Looking back to the men.
"I have asked the child what happend. Give me a moment. How much steal are you missing?"
The Child looks frightened and confused when Gabriel asks as she does not understand the Sylvan language.
The male Kender says, "My girl Mayleaf would never steal. She's not a petty thief like he's accusing her of."
As for the Ergothian gentleman he looks to Gabriel and says, "You calling me a fool? I would never misplace my money. I had a good 12 steel in my pouch at the time. Now that I don't have any steel I can't afford food and ale. This brat stole my coin purse!"
Terevalis moves to the dead elf and catches a glance of the black dressed elf run out of sight as he does not take up pursuit. Checking the man Terevalis can see the elf took a lethal blow through the heart. His death was quick and brutal. However you can also tell that this elf was suffering the Sunblight. His eyes have an odd pinkish colouring to them and his skin extremely pale with some signs of Sunburn.
Soon after giving the dead elven man a look over a trio of similarly dressed elven men rush onto the scene, perhaps reacting to the loud death rattle. They see Terevalis over the body of their collegue and draw daggers. One of them hisses in elvish "Murderer!". What does Terevalis do.
"Those are your words sir. I simply came up with an explanation just as you are trying to do by accusing this child. The ale gets the best of all of us at times. As a neutral bystander I can't place blame based on your word against theirs. So how about I give you six steel and you leave them in piece. Surely that is fair and you can fill your belly with that. Beating them will do nothing if they don't have your coin, besides for attrack the Dark Knights. So will you hear the voice of reason?"
Gabriel pulls out six steel pieces and offers it to the men to leave.
Gabriel can't tell who is telling the truth but the Ergothian does appear to be angry about losing his money pouch. Suffice to say he puts forth a good diplomatic face to the Ergothians and the offer of money does spark his interest. After hearing Gabriel's speech the Ergothian grumbles, "Well ya got a point that they don't look like they got any coin on em. And I am looking to get back what was taken from me."
He sighs and takes the money and says, "I'll take yer coin to leave things alone but I'ed better not see those Kender get their hands near my purse again or I'll cut their hands off. As for you, I appreciate the coin. At least I'll have some money to eat and drink tonight."
He takes the money, pockets it and then says something in Erothian to his companions and they turn and walk away.
The kender relaxes when he sees them gone and sheaths his dagger. He then says to Gabriel.
"Thanks for your help stranger. Things are getting harder for the Kender in this town over the past few months. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kelwick, formerly of Kendermore. I appreciate your help with those men. My daughter and I have never seen those men before so it is either a case of mistaken identity or they were trying to squeeze us for coin. Still your kind acts may well have saved the lives of myself and my daughter. For this kind act, I owe you a debt of gratitude. If you need help with something, do not be afraid to ask me and I will do what I can."
Mayleaf still looks nervous though and gives a slight wave but otherwise stays behind Kelwick. She is very shy for a girl her age.
Terevalis will talk to the elves. I am Tervalis Unctio of House Mystic and apprentice to the Lady Shelyn. I am a student of Solinari and good magic. I did not murder our brother but happened across an elf in black clothes as he murdered him. I am no murderer, Solinari be my witness.
"Kelwick of Kendermore then. I am pleased to meet you. I leave this place soon as I'm just traveling through, but one can never have too many friends. I know the tales of your peoples bravery and knack for picking up misplaced things. I am happy I could help here as I believe you to be honest. A dishonest man would not speak to me of a debt so for that I am sure I made the right decision. You owe me no debt friend. Just do right by your little one there and consider the debt paid. I will call you friend though and if we should meet again then the gods meant for us too. I am Gabriel. Go now friend. Get the girl some tea to help calm and comfort her."
Gabriel extends his hand to the kender.
Alathea nods in understanding, "I think the transition should be an interesting one for the Gods as well. For so long did they look to Paladine and Takhisis as the leaders of their Pantheons. With them gone, their children must determine who among them will lead. Take this as a token of my appreciation". Alathea hands Micah 10 steel.
"While my path is one of wandering feet, I hope this will assist you in your efforts to maintain the shrines. Will you pray with me Micah? The path I walk will be dark I fear and this may be the last moment of peace I may have for some time".
Alathea lights a candle at the shrine of Zivilyn. She also lights candles at the shrines of Paladine and Takhisis, as this may well be the last time anyone ever does so in this age.
Terevalis speaks to the elves and gives a good speech to the three elves and they are convinced. They put away their daggers and the lead elf says, "My apologies Terevalis Unctio of House Mystic. The surprise of seeing our colleague Wyllin Swiftfox dead has blinded me with my anger.
He looks sadly at his dead friend and then looks to Terevalis, "Wyllin... he was a childhood friend of mine and now he is dead. A man elf in black killed him you said Terevalis... could it be...
He thinks and gives a grave expression realizing something. "The forsaken one... Aranol. He is the only one can think that would have a grudge against Wyllin. It was Wyllin's testimony that brought him to proper justice in Silvanost. For Aranol's crimes the mark of "Dark Elf" was far too lenient in my opinion."
Micah nods to Alathea and says, "Indeed I shall pray with you Althea. We shall pray to the Tree of Life Zivilyn for his wisdom in these dark times. That we may rebuild all that is lost and have the lands grow back into a place of peace and prosperity. For the balance of the world to once again be restored."
So Micah and Althea through a long prayer ceremony that takes the next few hours. By the end of it she feels more strengthened in her purpose. For the next 3 days she will benefit from a constant "Bless" spell effect from her devotion. Unless Alathea want to make some kind of material request from the temple we we shall assume that after this she heads off to the Five Dragon Inn.
Kelwick shakes Gabriel's hand and says, "Its rare to see people show such kindness in these days. I will take good care of my daughter as she is one of the few joys I have left in this world. Still I shall not forget what you have done and if there is anything you need in the future I Kelwick shall be willing to help you Mr. Gabriel."
After the ceremony has concluded, Alathea heads to the 5 Dragon Inn feeling a sense of peace she has not felt since setting on the road for Pashin.
What were the crimes of the Dark Elf that your fallen friend testified to?
The elf replies Terevalis's question saying, "Aranol is a thief and a liar. He showed disregard to the laws of Silvanost and took things that did not belong to him. Wyllin testified at Aranol's trial and by his words and the evidence gathered Aranol was found guilty of numerous crimes of Larceny, stripped of his name, marked as a Dark Elf and banished from Silvanost. It appears that we can add Kinslaying to the list of his crimes as well."
Gabriel nods and parts ways with the kender heading to the tavern to fill his belly with some stew and ale.
I will b e sure to inform the Lady Shelyn about this when I return
Mithas shoves through the crowd in defense of the trio. "Shove off. They're just trying to make some coin. If this was a robbery scam, the Kender would have your purse and you wouldn't have realized it until you were three streets away."
For Televalis the elf says, "I will not waste your time good Terevalis. We well tend to our fallen friend and report his death to Lady Shelyn. The underground should know that there is a dark elf acting in the town. If he can kill one man, he may attack others as well thus the others had best be warned."
With that they head over to their elf friend, give a prayer and then wrap his body in a blanket and are prepared to carry the body away.
The blessings of Quenesti Pah and Solinari go with you. and he leaves towarss the inn.
"And if you don't like it, you can have a taste of an elven knuckle sandwich." Mithas cracks his knuckles to illustrate the point.
Meanwhile Jor is resting in the Five Dragon Inn & Tavern, sipping his mug of beer while leaning against the chair. Sitting at the corner and having a good look at the door leading inside the Inn Jor was enjoying his time. His greatsword was resting against his legs, just enough for him to reach it fast enough if something were to happen
Unfortunately the crowd is not swayed by Mithas as they don't seem very intimidated by an elf. Instead they bunch him along with the entertainers and he takes a mild beating before he and the acrobats are able to flee the scene. The two female acrobats use their skills to dodge their way through the crowd while the muscle man pushes out with brute force. Nevertheless everyone takes non lethal damage from taking random punches from the crowd during the escape attempt.
Once Mithas and the Acrobats escape the crowd the female half-elf says, "I appreciate your help sir but it does appear that this town is quite hostile to the likes of our troope. I am Grace and these are my fellow acrobats Blythe (pointing to the Kender) and Stallion (pointing to the muscle man). Unfortunately because we did not get paid due to this fiasco we're a bit short on money to pay for passage on a caravan out of town. Could you spare three steel pieces to help us out?"
Dominating the northeastern corner of the town's central square is a building that looks quite old although probably not as old as the Grand Temple on the other side of the square. Three stories high the building is L shaped with two wings flanking the central square. The bottom floor of the southern wing is a stable while the northern wing is the tavern proper. Double doors lead into the tavern and the stable. The main door has five dragon heads carved into the door each showing a different color, this being Red, Blue, Black, White and Green although it looks like they have painted over on top of another color.
Jor enters the location through the main doors and sees 3 sizeable tables, a bar with a door leading into the back as well as a stairway heading upstairs.
Tending the main area is a middle aged Khurish woman with streaks of grey in her hair, a younger woman that has some features similar to the older woman but with skin that is a much darker brown. Tending the bar is a strong looking bald man also with similar features to the older woman but also with the darker skin tone. Jor as a well traveled person suspects that the younger people are part Ergothian.
As Jor comes in the middle aged woman approaches and gives a slight bow and speaks in accented common. "Greetings good traveller. I am Emaline Yaseth, the owner and proprietor of the Five Dragon Inn and Tavern. Are you looking for a meal and drink? Or perhaps you are looking for lodging that are available?"
Good day to you Emaline. My name is Jor and currently looking for a lodging for a while as I have business in this town. Also having something to eat is not so bad idea so both would be nice as Jor smiles at Yaseth
Please tell me, is there anything interesting locations I might want to see later? The current situations are what they are but I might as well use it well to educate myself a bit or at least visit and pay my respect Jor mentions as he looks all around the and notices the Ergothian heritage of younger people
As an owner of the inn, surely you hear the latest rumours and have grasp on things in here Khur. What is the word in the street during these times about mercenaries and why people are currently so reserved? Or all of this is because the possible minotaur threath and Nerakans? Jor asks curiously has his fingers tap on the counter
Once Mithas and the Acrobats escape the crowd the female half-elf says, "I appreciate your help sir but it does appear that this town is quite hostile to the likes of our troope. I am Grace and these are my fellow acrobats Blythe (pointing to the Kender) and Stallion (pointing to the muscle man). Unfortunately because we did not get paid due to this fiasco we're a bit short on money to pay for passage on a caravan out of town. Could you spare three steel pieces to help us out?"
Mithas spits blood from a busted lip. "Serves me right for helping," he mutters to himself.
"Ya, ya. Name's Mithas, pleasure to meet you and all that. Since apparently I'm willing to bleed for you, I guess I might as well pay your passage out of town." He fishes in a couple of pockets to find the coins and hands them to Grace. "I wouldn't wait around to long. Next time there might not be someone around stupid enough to stand up for you."
Nodding his farewell, Mithas limps off.
Emaline guides Jor to a table and lets him take a seat and says, "I shall have my daughter Nadya get you a drink and ask my husband Jemson to prepare a meal for you."
She says something in Khurish to Nadya and she replies and nods and then heads into the back kitchen.
Emaline then says, "As for lodgings good sir a common room is five silver pieces. This includes one meal at mealtime although alcoholic beverages cost extra. If you are looking for something more noble bearing we have 2 suites available. Those cost 2 steel pieces a night."
When engaging her in conversation Emaline says "The best places to see in this town is the Marketplace and the Grand Bazaar. Pashin is a town that is much like a melting pot and it is a hub for travelers throughout many lands. Pashin is also well known for its entertainers as a wide variety of skilled performers travel through this town. The biggest news I hear is that a great singer of songs and teller of tales has recently come to the town. I believe is known as the Herald. I heard he is doing a tell-telling outside the Wounded Crow tavern this evening."
By the time she finishes her words a mug of fine Khur Coffee is delivered to Jor. The strong scent of roast coffee beans is an exuberant scent to his nostrils.
To the next question she says "Oh yes, the Minotaurs have made a lot of people in this town nervous. The elven refugees came in droves to this town speaking of the horrors that the Minotaurs had unleashed upon their lands. I defiantly have empathy for those unfortunate people, unlike many in this town who have been treating the elves very poorly. As for the Dark Knights, they bring trouble wherever they go. Indeed it is not just the Dark Knights that are residing here, there has been a large influx of Nerakan citizens as well, almost like they are looking to make this town their own. Those Nerakans make me nervous, many of them have hearts tainted by wickedness. As for Mercenaries, well I do not know too much about that but I believe that if things escalate here they may quickly be in high demand."
Eventually Nadya comes out with a Mezze meal which consists of a mix of small dishes as well as an ale beverage and places it in front of Jor. The food smells good and very exotic.
Grace gives a thankful to Mithas and says, "Your generosity is uncommon and you have my thanks. Perhaps we shall repay you if our travels cross paths again. Be well my friend."
And with that they depart.
The day is winding down in Pashin as people start shuffling into the Five Dragon inn. Jor relaxing at his table sees a man walk in dressed in what looks like a common brown desert cloak with a hood up. However the shoes on him look a bit too classy. Emaline smiles seeing his face first and says.
"Ah Mister Kaienthalas, I see you have returned. How fare you this evening? She says
The man pulls off his hood and Jor sees an elf he recognizes the same elf from the marketplace earlier. He so far has yet not paid attention to Jor and speaks back to Emaline "Miss Emaline. Things have been hard as always in this town but a taste of your fine food and drink should brighten my mood I would think."
So does Jor react at all to this?
Noticing the elf Jor ponders for a moment as he intently watches at so called Kaienthalas Now I know your name Elf... but lets see if there is more to gain at the moment and decides to not do anything.
Pulling his hood up and trying to hide his most promisent features as Jor crouches a bit over his beer and meal while but keeping his attention at the elf
Kaienthalas takes a seat at a table, handing some coins off to Emiline for his food and drink and seems to brood for a bit until Terevalis arrives. When he does Kaienthalas looks to him and waves him over. However Jor give me a disguise check versus Terevalis perception. Add a +2 bonus Jor as he had time to conceal himself and his features.
perception check
The elf will walk over to Kaienthalas and greet him and will begin to talk to him about his time in Silvanesti.
Kaienthalas says in Silvanesti to Terevalis, "Greetings brother. It is good you have arrived. As you know the profiteering of these human bandits have caused the loss of numerous elven relics. I have identified that there is a Nerakan bandit leader named Pegrin who has been running an operation of stealing elven relics and selling them at the markets and bazaars here in Pashin. The bandits I fought earlier are members of Pegrins gang. Thankfully I was able to liberate those relics although it has put me at risk as now I am a wanted man to both Pegrin and the Dark Knights. Thus I intend to leave town and join others of our kind elsewhere. But before I do this, I want to make sure this foul bandit's operation is brought to an end. Most of all I wish to see the recovery of the Key of the Quinari which I have heard he has. If such an important relic is lost to profiteering it would be a heavy loss for our heritage. The problem is I do not know where Pegrin hides except it is outside the town as there is a small bounty out on him. We also lack the manpower to overpower his forces. We cannot depend on the elven underground to spare help due to the Sunblight plague and other concerns. Thus we will need to hire adventurers if we have hope to succeed. Hence why I have come here. Hopefully in the evening we can find some mercenaries willing to help with this task. I haver already put an offer to a Kagnosti woodsman, but we will need a few others. I do have some coin to spare for this endevour."
Trying to blend in the crowd Jor keeps his actions low and tries to hear possible discussions from the elves
As the conversation continues the next to arrive into the location is Mithas who is spotted by Kaienthalas and waved over to join the table. Soon afterwards Gabriel arrives at the inn after doing a few small errands in town. Althea is the last to arrive probably 5 minutes after Gabriel having spent the afternoon engaged in prayers.
Emaline of course greets all of you, offering you drinks, food and of course lodgings if you wish it. Remember 5 silver for a common room with a meal or 2 steel for a suite (Where there is only 2 available as Kaienthalas has one of them).
I will be more than happy to do what I can to regain the artifacts of my people, I would not dream of asking for a reward as these belong to the nation of Silvanost of course this is in Elvish.
Know-Hist on the Key of Quinari.