I'm not sure if the reputational upside is our primary concern here, as the medical downside may offset any gains. Eugene mutters, but still follows Zilchus closely.
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Zilchus looks to see if Darkrose is caught up and ready to move along.
"Hey Darkrose, it's a book. You like books, right? You're writing one about me, after all?"
Eugene takes a moment to adjust his armour. I find the propensity for this wizard to peruse such chilly quarters as office curious.
Eugene waits for Davros to react to Zilchus' invitation.
Davros slowly and gingerly moves closer to Zilchus. "I am here. For some reason I am no very awake at the moment, but I am here. What is this you say, a book?"
Could it be the book?
Davros cautiously approaches the book and begins looking over the table and the book.
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"Could be interestin'. Book 'bout Zilch." That means a story about nothing, right?
He cocks an eyebrow glancing at the two others, wondering just how they see this haphazard venture. Would such a tome be a heroic fairy tale... or farcial romp? I wonder how Davros the Qadiran sage and slave views this motley crew of Taldan hirelings?
Aodan will follow, sticking close to 'protect' (and watch) the easterner of humble status, the half-elf's bow firmly in hand as he peers over any shoulder in front of him.
Zilchus watches the book as intently as the rest.
"Wassa matter? Don't you want to look at the book?" Zilch waits to see what others do, wondering how Davros intends to examine the book from so far away. He keeps his spear ready.
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Davros moves forward to examine the book some movement to his right catches his eye. He turns to look and gets quite a shock as the creature appears have some features of a plump infant combined with a gore-fattened fly. Upon seeing Davros it flutters it's wings, making a loud but brief buzzing sound. "Releazzzzze me!" It calls out, "Pleazzzzzzze releazzzze me." A circle on the floor with arcane markings seems to imprison the thing.
Eugene whispers to Zilchus Suffice to say, I suggest negative compliance until we have established the affiliation of this chimera.
Zilch moves forward to meet Davros' new friend.
"Whatcha find, Darkrose?" Zilch takes in the creature with pity, not unlike the another prisoner they had encountered.
"Oh yeah, lookie that," Zilch whistles. "Ugly one too. Hey Mauler! Get up here! Look at this one! How come we never find any attractive prisoners? Would it have killed the wizard to chain up a damsel or two?"
"Gah! What in the name of the Nine Hells?"
Davros is startled by the winged creature and jumps back and tries to recall if he has heard of such a creature in his studies.
"Who are you? How came you to be here?"
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"I was summoned to thizzzzz world. Pleazzzzzzze releazzzzzze me before the wizzzzzzard returnzzzzzz."
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The half-elf approaches, his eyes initially on the book until the buzzing and responses turn his attention. He will gaze around the room, and specifically settling on the creature and the surrounding circle, peering through the lense of Detect Magic he has started.
As he scans the creature, he runs through his memory of what he has read and what the Elves had taught him, seeing if this being is similar to anything in his memory.
"Wizard ain't comin' back." And there is little to no chance that we will attempt to liberate you from your bonds until we know more of your intent and ability. Just because you claim to be entrapped by our erstwhile enemy does not necessarily make you hospitable to our cause.
He shrugs. "Why?"
Zilch moves closer to the circle, looking over the creature up and down.
"What kind of questions did you not answer? I don't want the answer, but want to know what he was asking you. Maybe you can answer my questions. I'm Zilch, by the way. I'm the leader of this group of heroes. Over there is Darkrose the Historian, and Aodan, aka, the Mauler of Mutton, and that's Eugene who does stuff too," Zilch remarks.
"So...what did ol' Hunky ask you?" Zilch crosses his arms and leans against the wall, making himself comfortable.
Davros closes the distance between himself and the outsider.
"أعرف أن هذا المخلوق. لقد قرأت عنها في مكتبات كثير ، انها المتهم الشيطان . كن حذرا، انهم المعروف أن عجلات الإملائي."
"Did you tell him how to do that? Did he learn the secrets he sought from you?" He says mustering up enough of his courage to put some disdain in the last words.
Zilch scrutches up his face, trying to understand what the buzzerfly means.
"You mean that Hunky was trying to disguise books? Make a book look like a what? A face? Or a school? Why would he want to disguise a book?"
Zilch looks the buzzerfly up and down.
"How can we send you back home? And don't lie to me. Or I'll send the Mauler of Mutton to have words with you. You wouldn't like him when he's angry," Zilch threatens and turns back to look at Aodan.
"Ain't that right, Aodan?"
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The creature looks at Davros a bit annoyed. "Have you not lizzztened. If I told the wizzzzzard what he wanted I would not zzzzztill be here." It looks at Zilchus with what might be hope in it's multifaceted eyes, "Simply break the circle and I can return to my home world."
Aodan flips through the book and finds it is some sort of journal or log book. He could learn more, but it would take a chunk of time to skim through.
Intimidate
Sense Motive (freeing him to return home by breaking circle)
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"Book seems to be a log. List of stuff done over time."
"الشيطان أقول لكم؟ الحذر ضروري. قد يكون من الحكمة لاستخراج الوعد، ولعل هذا يعود إلى طائرة منزله على الفور؟ إنه لا يفعل أي شيء أو مساعدة أي شخص يسبب لنا، هذه المدينة، أو سكانها وزوارها أي ضرر أو الويل؟
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"We'll consider helpin', but ya' got to go home right away an' promise not to cause any trouble here."
He thinks for a moment. "An' tell us anything useful or interestin' about the wizard, or anythin' you did for or with 'im."
The half-elf turns to Eugene, the one who seems never to stop expounding on contracts and may have more expertise in this area. "Maybe you should make him promise."
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Break the circle? No until we have the proper agreement in place. I suggest a binding agreement between any of the members of the party present here, known by official names of Davros, Zilchus and Aodan, as well as myself Eugene of Winterthrone, as one party, and you (fill in your true name here) as counterparty. Deliverables of the party consist of the enabling of homeward transport, to be enabled by the counterparty itself, by the act, and limited to the act, of disrupting the circle that is as of present preventing the counterparty from exerting free movement.
Deliverables will be delivered to the deliveree, under the following clauses:
Prior to act of delivering, the counterparty will make available, to the party, the totality of his knowledge regarding the wizard Hunclay, his collaborators, relatives and servants, as well as the wizard Hunclay's tangible and intangible assets.
The counterparty will refrain from causing any degradation in value to the assets of the estate of the Wizard Hunclay as well as to the assets of the party.
The counterparty will refrain from causing bodily or mental harm or inconvenience to any of the members of the party, relatives of the party, or direct offspring, including such caused through a third party. This clause will remain in effect ad aeternum
Calistria only knows how many children Zilchus has
The counterparty will, to the full extent of its capabilities, return to its plane of existence of origin, and refrain from returning to the best of it abilities for a duration no shorter than 250 years.
How long do half-elf types live anyway?
Eugene turns to Aodan and asks Anything I missed?
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The half-elf listens intently, trying to follow as well as he can. My family could use a man like this to keep their affairs in order. Every Taldan noble make sure their ventures as so well tended. He glances at Davros. Especially if they ever trade with the Qadirans.
He thinks for a moment... We perhaps should try and protect the village and Lady as well, but since we are only her contracted trap-finders and not really serving the town out of duty or loyalty or fealty, it's not our place to arrange for their defense. ... before shrugging.
"Sounds 'bout right."
Zilch nods along with Eugene's lawyering as if he could do the same thing or do it better.
"Ayep, that's about right."
Very good. Now, to formalise these agreements I need you to provide me with your true name. We shall draft a complete document, for you to sign, after which we shall proceed with the delivery of the requested information, followed by your release and subsequent return home. What is the means by which you intend to return?
Eugene looks hopefully at Davros, expecting the scribe to perform the writing required. If not, he will himself step in and draft a document, with any utensils lying around.
Zilch, who may or may not be able to read and write, does not partake in the writing of the things and the stuff, but mearly lounges on his spear lazedly.
"Darkrose, it is good that Eugene can write good too. He can help you tell others of my deeds and make sure things are spelled so good, too," Zilch comments, admiring Eugene's dedication to the contract.
Eh, You-geen? Are you so sure you should, eh, be doing this?" Davros says unsure of his companion. "These things are no to be trusted."
"Shut up, Zeelchus. This is no time for your stupid book," he whispers to the windbag.
Eugene takes a moment to step out of earshot of the devil, and discusses with Davros.
Your past acquisition of knowledge of matter extraplanar exceeds my own, yet I sense hesitation. I must admit that the weakness might not be with the contract itself, but the jurisdiction under which it is drafted. If this contract is to be drafted under Taldan law, I see potential key location risk in enforcing the contract. Moreover, I do not readily see how a case of arbitrage would extend to the extraplanar in case of non-compliance, Eugene says with a straight face.
Now, I understand that the very nature of this creature is one to uphold binding agreements to the letter, a stance I can certainly sympathise with, though countless examples are known whereby poorly phrased contracts have exposed legal loopholes through which the intended effects of the agreement were nullified.
In light of this, I must stipulate that we have a binding agreement ourselves to remove any hazards as they may presently exist within the ground of this manor. Should this devil prove untrustworthy, we must figuratively combine a set of unities through a binary additive operation, and conclude that this element should be removed from the manor. Note that a clause preventing us from causing harm to the devil has conveniently been omitted, for exactly such a contingency. Eugene concludes.
Davros look quizzically at Eugene.
"I am a simple slave and scribe. My mistress taught me the basics of recognizing the outsiders - no how to deal with them. I... I no understand what you are suggesting. Eh, you know that Taldan is no my first language, right?" he says looking back and forth amongst his companions.
"Your mom has a contract," Zilch snaps back at the pushy fly. "Now shut your flyhole while we discuss things."
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"If this contract is to be drafted under Taldan law, I see potential key location risk in enforcing the contract. Moreover, I do not readily see how a case of arbitrage would extend to the extraplanar in case of non-compliance..."
And I thought arcane formulae were complex. I'll stick with spell books, thank you very much.
"Don' thin' we'll get a better deal. And shouldn't leave him for someone else."
Seeing Zilchus confirm Eugene's words, the half-elf will nod in agreement. "Davros, unless you've got suggestions." Qadirans likely know about trade contracts, and a slave might know of loopholes, but Eugene seems to have it covered.
Zilch waits for the contract to be finished.
Eugene writes the contract on the paper that is lying around. Now before I can let you sign the contract, I will need your name, as given by birth. Eugene says, then hesitates for a moment ... or by spawning?
As soon as the creature gives its name - but no earlier - will Eugene finalize the contract and hand it to the insect-like devil.
... the below signed. Eugene complies, feeling that the formulation is indeed sufficiently binding.
This. will. not. end. well.
"كن مستعدا. هذا قد يكون خدعة". Davros says to Aodan and Eugene.
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"Yezzzzzz, now the tricky part. I don't Supozzzzzze one of you izzzzzz brave enough to come hand me that contract?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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The easterner's warning bothers him. A Qadiran slave as skilled as this one is likely to know about double-crosses.
The half-elf fingers his bow, over-sized pupils narrowing as he stares at the devil, trying to alert for any signs of threat.
Zilch waits and watches.
"I ain't never seen a proper contract before. Usually, we just spit and shake on it," Zilch mentions. "This is pretty hoity-poity, I'd say."
That is correct. Eugene says to the fly, as he pricks the paper onto his longspear and reaches out, carefully avoiding the summoning circle.
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The strange creature snatches up the contract as soon as it is in range and bites the tip of it's finger. In blood it signs the name Chirit before placing the contract back on the spear. "It izzzzzz done. Now realeazzzzzzze me by placing something something over any part of this circle. You can uzzzzzzzzze the contract if you like."
Might I remind you of the following clause in the contract:
Prior to act of delivering, the counterparty will make available, to the party, the totality of his knowledge regarding the wizard Hunclay, his collaborators, relatives and servants, as well as the wizard Hunclay's tangible and intangible assets.
This information needs to be forthcoming before we can proceed to the act of liberation.
Zilch shoots a look at Eugene.
"Sounds like he doesn't want to honor the contract. He was supposed to tell us what he and Hunky talked about. He's not talking about anything yet. Maybe we should start simple..."
Zilch approaches the circle.
"What was Hunky wearing when he summoned you?"
Sense Motive (is it trying to honor the contract?)
Davros places his hand on his scimitar's hilt and confidently takes a step forward.
"Agreed. He seems to be trying to no honor his part of the bargain. Perhaps we leave him trapped here."
"What was Hunky wearing when he summoned you?"
"Answer him and show us that you wish to truly honor this contract. We no want trouble, we just want answers."