Owen makes his way back to the ship we arrived on to speak to their "employer."
"We cleared out your orc infestation. Now what?"
"That was the test. Now for the job, I need you to kill someone."
Seerus follows Owen back to the ship, to see what the "employer" wants to do now.
Seerus chuckles, "It always ends up that way. Officials always want some berk dead."
While Owen talks to their "employer", Miijoka takes the time to examine the bodies of the older Orc and Valkyrie commander. Perhaps they hold clues to what's going on.
The Orcs carry the symbol of Sho' Dan, the Dark Orc Emperor, on their chests.
"Now for who I need you to kill. Since I can trust you, I'll tell you. You're to kill Xanaver, High King of the Magi. Old friend of mine, but he went traitor on me and turned me in to the officials."
The man grunts and has a look of remembrance in his eyes.
"Now as you should know, this won't be easy. Man is darned strong, and the magic doesn't hurt, so you'll need to be stealthy. Don't get caught, don't die, & kill him, and I'll give you a huge reward. Can I trust you on this?"
Still struggling with levitation Arther drifts downward to join the conversation. Ceasing the struggle to right himself, he has decided that remaining upside down is now intentional.
"Of course you can trust us. [u]Forstee & Company always get the job done![/u]"
Arther gives a hopeful thumbs up to Seerus, which under the circumstances could be misinterpreted as a thumbs down.
"When you say 'old friend of yours' do you mean it ironically as if you have been at odds for a long time or are you literally former friends?"
Seerus smirks, "Xanaver huh... A big prey to go after. I hope the pay truly is 'huge' for such a target."
Seerus thinks deeply, "There is no way we could take on Xanaver head on. We'll need subterfuge, maybe even find a big baddy that is his mortal enemy and get them to fight it out. Hopefully killing him or weakening him enough we can finish the job."
"I second Seerus' words. A direct confrontation is suicide and I assume if that was your goal there are easier ways to go about it. Do you have any semblance of a plan beyond gathering this band of 'plucky' adventurers and hoping for the best? Do you have any intel or assistance for us? Surely you dont believe your seething hatred is enough of a weapon. " Owen scoffs at the idea.
The man is still in the room.
He looks at Owen and says:
"Of course not. This Orc tribe was at war with another tribe, whom we should be able to get to join us. Take the leader's head, and we will give it to them as a gift."
The man is still in the room.
He looks at Owen and says:
"Of course not. This Orc tribe was at war with another tribe, whom we should be able to get to join us. Take the leader's head, and we will give it to them as a gift."
Looking at Boreanas Owen says something in Auran.
"Fetch"
Boreanas zips out of the room and returns a few minutes later with the body of the Valkyrie
"Anyone have a particularly sharp sword?" motioning to the body
Arther gestures to the Axe end of his Axe-Musket and gives a shrug.
Pats his scabbard where his rapier is sheathed.
Miijoka growls and turns around. "I am not cleaning up the mess!"
"I meant the tribe leader's head, not the Queen's head."
"I meant the tribe leader's head, not the Queen's head."
"Which one is that?"
Detect magic and search the queen so long as she's here.
Owen Perception
Boreanas Perception
"Because of course the Queen doesn't lead the tribe." Arther sighs heavily
"I wanna make sure I've got this plan correct. We find the tribe leader, retrieve their head, find the OTHER tribe leader, present the aforementioned head, then tribe two gets us to the king of the Magi?"
"Not only do they get us to Xanaver, but they'll help us kill em' too."
Owen: Boreanas found 2 scrolls the Valkrie Queen was carrying. One is a Scroll of Fireball, but the other is detailed instructions for attaching and removing Valkrie Wing.
"Let me take a look at that..." Miijoka said, picking up the Valkrie Wing scroll.
The scroll contains elaborate instructions on the creation, attachment, and removal of Valkyrie Wings. It also contains intricate technique on how to use the techniques in involved in using Valkyrie Wings.
The scroll glows for a moment as Mijoka touches it. It makes as rattling noise.
Mijoka, you gain the feat Wing Constructor. This feat allows you to create Valkyrie Wings for 1000 gp worth in materials. The scroll also now reveals some magical words, which glow with a golden light.
Miijoka scrunches his nose. "Ah, Anyone have an idea what dis is?" he asks, holding the now-glowing scroll out to the others.
Owen, since you must have read magic prepared to prepare spells, you know that it is a spell to give you the items to craft Valkyrie Wings.
"Let me take a look at that..." Miijoka said, picking up the Valkrie Wing scroll.
Boreanas looks at Miijoka quizzically, but doesn't resist his attempts to remove the scroll from his muzzle.
Examining the glowing runes a moment Owen replies,
"It is a spell to give you the items to craft Valkyrie wings."
I have a feeling that there is somehting this guy isn't telling us
Maybe I'm wrong tho.
I as the piratey chap
"Apologies, but I've forgotten your name. its only right that we should we acquainted if we are to work together."
He looks you dead in the eye.
"Didn't tell you my name. Never know who's gonna get it out of you. But just call me Gears.
Also, there is plenty he isn't telling you.
"Ah, and what exactly is your relationship to Xanaver? Would he recognize you?"
"I used to be part of his crew. Not quite sure if he would recognize any of us though."
"Xanaver had a crew. Was he a pirate like you? What can you tell us about his rise to power? How did he become king?"
"He was no pirate. Just a rebellious hero. Guess the Magi liked that when the storm started, so they made him king."
"Ah yes, the storm..." Arther trails off in thought.
"Was his ascendancy before or after he betrayed you?"
The storm is a giant hurricane that surrounds the main land. Only orcs and magi are thought to be able to brave it.
"Will we be commandeering the ship we just took to sail forward or use another mode of transportation?"
"You can all take the new ship. If I get to close, Xanaver might recognize me."
"Works for me." Miijoka said. "I am going to inspect the engines. We will need to discuss a few things once he..." he flipped a finger at their "employer" "...is on his way."
While Miijoka checks the engines, Seerus heads to the Captain's Office/Room to check for log books.
There is one small letter on the shelf. When read, it is worded like this:
"Drake, I'm sorry you lost your arm in the demon war, but what you did was unacceptable. The knights were villains, and if they got their way, that demon of theirs would have killed all orcs and Magi. You lost your arms because of you choices, not mine. I hoe you can live without it, but you've lost my friendship.
Once your friend,
Xanaver.
P.S. Gorok' Nall fixed up the ship for you. Hope you can make it on your own with this old thing."
Owen contemplates the magic and resources surrounding the flying metal wings.
Seerus pockets the letter and heads out of the Captain's Cabin. "How is does the ship look?" Seerus asks the others.
Miijoka takes a look around the ship to see what they're dealing with.
Owen: You can use the ritual to create and attach 1 pair of wings. Any other wings you make, you must attach them manually. Also, the wings are big, give a penalty to stealth.
Mijoka: Here is the rundown of the ship.
Size: The ship is pretty big.
Armament: The ship has several guns, and a heavy magic cannon (Knowledge: Arcana check to identify).
Crew Requirements: To simply fly the ship, all it requires is a captain/pilot, and an engineer. There is also room for 7 gunners, including the heavy magic cannon.
Speed: The ship appears to be extremely fast and maneuverable despite it's size.
Other Details: Several of the parts are labeled with the name "Gorok' Nall". There have been several repairs down to the ship, but upon closer inspection, the ship appears to be of Royal Magi make and quality, but with frequent orcish engineer repairs. The ship has the name "S.S. Cutter" embellished on the side in brass. The ship appears to be made entirely of brass, with a few small portions of wood. The ship has 8 beds and a captain's room, which you see Seerus exiting. The captain's room has a large one-sided glass window, allowing to see the sea below.
"If anyone is interested we can give you a pair of those wings immediately. Anyone else who is interested can get a pair, but I'll need some supplies. "
"Anyone skilled in flying a ship like this? And supplies will definitely be needed before we set sail."