"Oh! Thank you." Denair puts her wooden hand in Jamel's and lets her get back to her feet. It's nice to see everyone's concern for her well being. "It's better if I get hurt rather than you- I can just hide for a day or so if it gets really bad."
During the next few days, Denair trades notes about the local flora and fauna. They definitely know their stuff and she's always curious. And if they want to know about oak trees she can go into much more detail than she probably should.
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"Thank you, Jamel." Meredith gets off the horse and looks towards the town. "That was a good trip. Nice and quiet, minus the traps. Someone really doesn't want us looking around here. But we'll show 'em." She laughs.
Back to the city. The noisy city. "We'll make our way in and then introduce ourselves to the mayor. Safe travels!" She waves goodbye.
"Nah, they’re mostly having to do with keeping track of what we see. With Uringen so far from anywhere else, it’s good to keep track of which beasts are wandering about," Jamel replies as he drops his hand down for Frankie's low-five.
"By the way, we're not planning to head back to the river just yet. Unless something changes, we'll be in the area for another couple of days. When you're done with your business in Uringen, come find us before you leave. I've got a special gift in mind for you folks - for all your help - but it'll take me a little time to get everything in order."
He quickly holds up his hand to halt the inevitable flurry of questions from Frankie. "No, it's a surprise. But trust me, I think you'll like it," he winks.
"Anyway, I know you've got things to be doing so I won't keep you folks any longer. Good luck with your business and tell the Mayors I said hello!"
Jamel and the other Travelers wave goodbye as you turn your sights now towards the town of Uringen and set off to keep your appointment with Mayor Ogden...
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The town of Uringen is a flurry of activity. Puffs of multicolored smoke rise from tall stone chimneys that emerge from steeply pitched rooftops, and people dressed sharply in black and white shuffle about the town, preparing for the convergence. The divide between the two halves of the town is stark. A wide street, 20 feet across at its widest, separates the static and unstuck portions of the town. Boarded windows and prominent “closed” signs decorate the static half of the town, whose residents speak in hushed and tense tones. In the unstuck half of the town, excitement and curiosity outweigh fear, and groups of people gather in the streets. Above it all, a four-sided tower looks out upon the town, with an enormous clock face decorating each side at its pinnacle.
In the middle of the street between the two halves, a pair of well-dressed figures - a man and a woman - appear to be locked in a debate, their words clipped and harsh. The man rests his hand on the hilt of a rapier at his side, while the woman hooks her thumbs in the wide sash wrapped around her body. A tiny blue-skinned humanoid with iridescent blue butterfly wings flits behind the woman’s head, a miniscule pair of pince-nez perched upon his pert nose.
Based on their appearances and manner of dress, you’d guess that these are the two mayors of Uringen: Knavar Mieren and Aurelia Ogden.
You’re not entirely sure of why he’s here, but you’re sure that the butterfly-winged humanoid is a pixie.
As you draw closer you begin to catch snippets of the conversation, most of which seems to be in a language that isn’t Common - though you do catch one or two familiar words and some names here and there.
"Jeg kan ikke tro på, at du inviterede udlændinge til Uringen nu af alle tider,” the man exclaims. ”Og ikke bare udenforstående, men Pathfinder Society? Du ved, at de kun er problemer, Aurelia!"
The woman scowls, shaking her finger in the man’s face as she retorts, "Og det er hvor du tager fejl! Knavar, du ved, at alle fire ur-ansigter aldrig har justeret sig - men nu er tiden, og hvem ved hvad der kan ske, når de gør det?"
The man opens his mouth to respond but the woman cuts him off before he has a chance to speak, her eyes glittering with determination. "Det er præcis det, vi skal finde ud af. Men jeg har brug for kvalificerede mennesker til at være der, når vi gør det, folk der er dygtige nok til at kunne tage ordentlige noter og optagelser af hvad de ser....og hårdt nok til at beskytte sig selv og Uringen, hvis guder forbyder noget grimt ske! Det er her, hvor Pathfinder Society kommer ind."
"I can't believe that you invited outsiders to Uringen now of all times! And not just outsiders but the Pathfinder Society? You know that they'll be nothing but trouble, Aurelia!"
"And that is where you're wrong! Knavar, you know that all four clock faces haven't ever aligned - but now is the time and who knows what might happen when they do?"
"That's exactly what we're going to find out. But I need qualified people to be there when we do, people that are skilled enough to be able to take proper notes and recordings of what they see....and tough enough to protect themselves and Uringen if, gods forbid, anything ugly should happen! That's where the Pathfinder Society comes in."
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Lazarus points discreetly at the tiny blue-skinned humanoid with iridescent blue butterfly wings flits behind the woman’s head, a miniscule pair of pince-nez perched upon his pert nose. He whispers, "I'm not entirely sure of why he’s here, but I'm sure that the butterfly-winged humanoid is a pixie."
Hearing the unfamiliar language, the samsaran uses his racial ability to comprehend languages and translates in a whisper.
"The man said, 'I can't believe that you invited outsiders to Uringen now of all times! And not just outsiders but the Pathfinder Society? You know that they'll be nothing but trouble, Aurelia!'"
"The woman replied, 'And that is where you're wrong! Knavar, you know that all four clock faces haven't ever aligned - but now is the time and who knows what might happen when they do?'"
"Then the woman added, 'That's exactly what we're going to find out. But I need qualified people to be there when we do, people that are skilled enough to be able to take proper notes and recordings of what they see....and tough enough to protect themselves and Uringen if, gods forbid, anything ugly should happen! That's where the Pathfinder Society comes in.'"
Denair enters the town full of joy. The guides were ultimately nice to her, and everyone supported her even though she failed to dispose of that trap. Teamwork, partnerships, family? It was much more exciting than staying Home and waiting for friends, that's for certain.
Maybe another friend? Definitely fey but Denair can't identify anything else about it. But those humans guarding the pixie are tense. Maybe someone else can defuse the situation.
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The city is noisy, but only on one side. Imagine blinking once and 6 months just fly by. You miss birthdays. You miss the seasons. You miss yourself grow. Meredith shudders at the thought of lost time. Denair keeps talking about Meredith's days as the Queen of Thorns. Meredith lost all of that time. It's like she's talking about a completely different person.
Meredith is lost in thought as they approach the couple in the town square. "So, looks like they are expecting us. For good or for ill. I'll say hi to them."
She steps forward and Denair quickly runs up to her side, obviously curious about the pixie. "Hello there. I'm Meredith. Me and my friends were sent by the Pathfinder Society. We're to meet with Mayor Ogden."
"Oh, and this my friend, Denair. I think she's interested in your friend." Meredith speaks and Denair remains crouched while waving hello.
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"I am Lazarus Logos, servant of Desna, the Wandering Star," Lazarus says, slender blue hands pressed together against his chest, palms facing one another, his head slightly bowed. "Yes, we seek an audience with both mayors Ogden and Mieren. We also have a missive for them from Jamel Visser of the Embeth Travelers."
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Zavubak looks between the unstuck and stuck portions of the strange town. "I cannot say I've ever seen a town quite like this one..."
Approaching the Skald-speaking duo, Zavubak leaves the talking to Lazarus and Meredith, only pausing in his listening to take another long look at the strange cityscape.
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Frankie's eyes wander around the city, taking in the strangeness of it all. His mouth hangs open and his eyes blink frequently as he tries to understand what's going on "Wow, this place is neat! I can't wait to look around!"
He jumps at the chance to go talk to the strange looking people "A pixie? They have wings? COOL!" He races up and waves at the arguing pair and offering a small handshake "Hey there Mr Pixie and your friend, I'm Frankie!" He pulls out his wayfinder and grins, it looks bran new.
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Jan feels right at home...
Jan addresses the two people in a rather formal way...
(In Skald)-"I am Jan Eriksson, of Ullerskald, Servant of Gozreh... and these are my companions. Blessed be those of this fine village and may the gods of our ancestors bless and protect you all."
(in Common)"Please forgive me... my companions do not speak the tongue of our people. I think it would be better to speak in the language of Taldor to avoid a lengthy translation process."
"We are hear to help. Thank you for your invitation."
When Meredith speaks both man and woman jump as though goosed, turning to face you. While the man frowns and crosses his wiry arms across his rather broad chest, the woman strides forward to greet you.
"Excellent to see that my message was received and heard by the Society! I’m Mayor Aurelia Ogden, and this is my compatriot, Mayor Knavar Mieren," she replies in fluent Taldane as she shakes Meredith's hand. Although her face retains a sort of youthful roundness to it, the barest grace of silver among sun-bleached brown hair at her temples and crow’s feet around her brown eyes suggest that she is older than she appears. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And you too Denair," she adds with a friendly wink. "As well as Master Logos and Frankie."
She turns to Jan, her smile widening as he addresses her in their shared tongue. Even Mayor Mieren's rather chilly demeanor seems to thaw somewhat.
"Og du, Jan Eriksson, fra Ullerskald, tjener af Gozreh. Det er ikke hver dag, at Uringen modtager besøgende fra de gamle hjemlande," she replies. "Velsignet være og må gudene beskytte og holde dig og din."
"And you, Jan Eriksson, of Ullerskald, Servant of Gozreh. It isn't every day that Uringen receives visitors from the old homelands."
"Blessed be and may the gods protect and keep you and yours."
"I trust your trip through the Embeth wasn't too hazardous?" Mayor Ogden queries, switching back to Taldane as she flips through Jamel's reports. "Thank you for bringing these to us," she remarks after a few moments, passing them off to Mayor Mieren. "Not unexpected news, but I will leave the details of the guard arrangement with Mieren. Right now, I must focus all my attention on my experiment — and I, for one, am happy that you are here to assist with it," Ogden finishes, with a pointed glance at Mayor Mieren who simply rolls his eyes.
"Your role in the experiment is very straightforward. I will need several people to observe the westward-facing clock, and record everything you see or hear — taste, smell, or touch as well if it becomes necessary," Ogden explains. "As members of the Pathfinder Society, your experience with...unusual situations is legendary, and this alignment will certainly qualify as ‘unusual’ — one for your Pathfinder Journals, I hope!"
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Meanwhile, the pixie offers a courtly bow in mid-air to Denair and Frankie, who seem quite interested in him.
"Welcome to Uringen! I would be Cerotious, aide-de-camp for Mayor Ogden and advisor of First World affairs to Uringen," he responds at a rapid, cheery clip. "It's unusual to have visiting fey here and with such an unusual entourage, too," Cerotious continues, excitedly flitting about Denair. "What do you do, my friend? What have you seen in your travels?"
He seems just as curious about Denair as she does about him.
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Jan eyes the Pixie with a curious look and then smiles, "An advisor from the First World, that is remarkable! I am glad to see that the fine people of this village are maintaining balance between the Realms of Men and the Fey."
Jan then addresses Mayor Ogden, "An experiment? Hmmmm... do you have any idea what this CLOCK does? Is it somehow related to the distortions of time and travel that we experienced on our trip here? While I am willing to help, my first impression is that whatever forces- natural or magical- that are at work here deserve a healthy dose of respect."
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The statements about notes, observations and recordings slide right off Frankie's back almost like he never even heard the words said Frankie does NOT take NOTES! Sheesh! Instead he focuses his attention on their new flying fey friend.
"Neat wings! How long can you fly? What's an 'eeydecamp'? Did you know Denny can fly too?" He discreetly looks in Denair's direction before whispering to the pixie "I just think she learned to cheat during hide and seek, and tag.. but whatever."
He quickly gets back to business after the little aside "Oh we've been on some AWESOME adventures! We dressed up like prison guards so we could sneak in and release everyone in the jail! We helped save Jan over there too, he escaped from a slave ship! Now he helps keep us safe as we travel around stopping evil-doers!" He only stops his excited word onslaught to take a long drink from his cocoa-skin bag.
"Do pixie's like cocoa? When did you get your wings? Did you get them when you were born or did you have to earn them like a medal? I've got a medal!" He digs around in his belt pouch and pulls out a once shiny, now a bit sticky medal, as well as his wayfinder.
Mendevian Commendation: You have received a medal for your service to Mendev and the Fifth Crusade. For every Mendevian Commendation you have, you gain a cumulative +1 bonus on Charisma-based skill and ability checks made to influence crusader of Mendev (maximum +3).
Delvehaven Star: You were an integral part of the Pathfinder Society’s first sanctioned expeditions in Cheliax in many years. In recognition of your role in this important milestone, the Society has imprinted your wayfinder with the Delvehaven Star—named in honor of a famous Chelish Pathfinder lodge. You gain a +2 bonus on Knowledge (history, local, and nobility) checks associated with Cheliax, and you gain a +1 bonus to your initiative while adventuring in Cheliax. Furthermore, you can check the box that precedes this boon when spending Prestige Points for spellcasting services to reduce the cost by 2 (minimum 0).
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"Thank you for your warm reception, mayors." Lazarus scrutinizes the reticent Mayor Knavar Mieren. Not nearly as welcoming as Mayor Ogden.
"Is there an inn where we can stow our gear and prepare for the experiment?"
He looks up toward the strange clock. "May we have a look around to determine the best vantage points for observing the clock's west face?"
"Oh. Oh!" Denair waves at Cerotious. "I'm helping the Queen of Thorns remember who she is. She saved me from a terrible poison and she gave me plenty of Homes." She grins. "Plus me and Frankie play hide and seek all the time. But sometimes he runs into crowds. I can't do that in the city- not enough people look like me." She grins.
"Your friend is human, too!" Denair glances at Mayor Ogden. "Cities are so loud. And crowded. Do you miss your Home? Oh maybe you get to visit there often!" Denair begins recalling her adventures with the Farheaven clan, and their meeting with the Dragonskull Tribe and the Centaurs who lived there.
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"Your role in the experiment is very straightforward. I will need several people to observe the westward-facing clock, and record everything you see or hear — taste, smell, or touch as well if it becomes necessary," Ogden explains. "As members of the Pathfinder Society, your experience with...unusual situations is legendary, and this alignment will certainly qualify as ‘unusual’ — one for your Pathfinder Journals, I hope!"
Meredith nods. "We will certainly look around and see what happens. Hopefully nothing, but you can't be too sure." she chuckles. It's never that easy, is it?
You don't need to be Denair to notice Mayor Knavar Mieren's reticence. "Mayor Mieren, anything we can do to help beyond Mayor Ogden's request? The Pathfinder Society is here to help, after all."
"Well, the Embeth is home to a great many fey and fey magic can be capricious, as I'm sure all of you know," Mayor Ogden replies to Jan. "As for the clock itself, you may or may not know that when this part of town becomes ‘unstuck,’ as it is referred to in the local vernacular, we lose all sense of how much time has passed. I'm hoping that the timepieces I have constructed will allow us to keep track of time while we remain out of phase with the rest of Uringen. While I’m observing my timepieces, I will not be able to pay attention to other events in the tower. And that's where you will come in."
Her expression grows a bit more somber as she glances back over her shoulder at the strange clock tower. "That said, you aren't wrong about having a healthy respect for the powers at work here. Nethys willing there won't be any complications but as he instructs, magic is always capable of creation and destruction, and either could happen. I won’t lie to you — I do not know the original intent of the tower. Since this alignment has never happened before in Uringen’s history, I'm not entirely sure what we can expect, so be alert and ready. I've heard of the exploits of the Pathfinder Society; you are far better equipped to deal with any situations that arise than our town guard."
"Now you're all welcome to take a look around inside of the tower as well," she continues. "Of course, it goes without saying that disturbing any of the mechanisms could have catastrophic side effects, so I will ask you to refrain from doing so. If you want a more thorough tour, Cerotious will be happy to show you around."
The pixie starts, having been engrossed in conversation with Frankie and Denair. "Huh? Oh! Yes, yes of course, just let me know if you'd like to tour the tower and I'll be happy to do so!"
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During all of this, Mayor Mieren seems to be doing his best to ignore the conversation as well as the group's presence. He keeps his eyes on Jamel's reports, eyes flitting up and down each of the pages.
But he can't ignore Meredith when she addresses him directly and finally looks up, a clearly irritated expression on his face. "Look, this business with the clock and timepieces and whatnot is Aurelia's affair, not mine. We've done just fine here all this time without outsiders and troublemakers butting in and making a mess of things," he responds curtly.
Mayor Mieren clearly distrusts the group and wants nothing to do with Mayor Ogden's experiment.
"Knavar, there's no need to be rude," Mayor Ogden sighs. "Since I invited them here I'll take responsibility for them. But keep in mind that Jamel seemed quite impressed with their conduct and capabilities on the trip here, won't you?"
Turning back to the group, she addresses Lazarus. "On this side of town we've got the Oaken Knot Tavern if you'd like a place to leave your other belongings and get a bite to eat. Please don't worry about the fees, though, I'll cover you for whatever food and lodgings you'd like to purchase."
"Ooh and if you go you should speak to Seripan," Cerotius suggests. "She's our resident bard and teller of tales!"
"Yes, she's quite a gifted storyteller," Mayor Ogden smiles. "At any rate, you've got some time to look around town and make preparations. I'd try to start setting up around 11:45 tonight, but you may have better insights as to how much time you need to investigate beforehand. Oh and be careful when using the clock tower to tell time; the northern clock face is the accurate one."
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Hmm. Mayor Mieren doesn't trust us and wants nothing to do with Mayor Ogden's 'experiment'. At least he's not hostile.
"Thank you, Mayor Ogden," Lazarus says to her.
He turns to his companion, "How about we check in at the tavern and speak with the bard Seripan, then head to the clocktower?"
"Cerotious, would you mind meeting us at the Oaken Knot Tavern in about half an hour or so?" he asks the pixie. "Some of us, I'm sure, would like a tour of the clocktower."
Denair carefully observes Mayor Mieren as he curtly replies.
"Oh yes, let's speak to the storyteller. And then we can talk to Cerotius and see the tower."
Denair tries to recall what she knows about Embeth.
"Oh yes, of course," the little pixie replies with a bow to Lazarus. He then glances at Frankie and Denair and offers a friendly wink. "I'd be happy to show everyone the tower...and it would also be a wonderful opportunity to hear more about your exploits! Freeing slaves and prisoners, quite exciting stuff!"
Mayor Ogden smiles, satisfied. "Very good. Go and settle in, have a look around the town and the tower, and then be ready to set up around 11:45 tonight! I'll send word on ahead to cover your accommodations but then I'll need to go and make my own preparations. I will see you fine folks later, okay?"
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Cerotious quickly guides you all through the streets of 'unstuck' Uringen to the Oaken Knot, doing his best to answer all of the questions that Frankie throws at him in the meantime. Where most people would quickly lose patience with the boy's boundless energy and incessant curiosity, Cerotious doesn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he even seems to enjoy it.
"We pixies are born with wings - how else would we be able to move about? It'd be like humans being born without their legs," he laughs. "But we can fly for...well, quite a while. Until we get tired. Let's see, what else? Oh! An aide-de-camp is like...an assistant, basically. I help Mayor Ogden manage the day-to-day affairs of taking care of this half of Uringen."
The pixie's smile falters slightly when he comes to Denair's question, however. "Well...the Embeth Forest is my home. Or was. I fled here to escape from Mather Nithra, along with Seripan. We both decided we'd rather help the people here instead of plot against them, you see."
Denair recalls that the Embeth Forest or sometimes just the Embeth, is the forest that the group traversed with Jamel and the Travelers and home to many different fey creatures.
"It was a really big adjustment, living here. But Uringen is such a strange and funny little town and its people are pretty nice when you get to know them, so the both of us grew to love it here," he finishes with a smile. "Oh! Here we are!"
You arrive at a large but cozy-looking building, clearly constructed from the wood that earned the tavern its name and decorated in intricately carved interlocking designs. It's near impossible to see through the curtained windows, but the sounds of dancing and singing from within can be heard.
As you enter the tavern you're welcomed by laughing voices and a feeling of comfort. It's as charming inside as it is on the outside; rounded wooden beams support the upper floor and twinkling lanterns dangle from each one. The tavern itself is packed and you notice a mixture of humans and fey among the clientele, laughing and talking and generally enjoying each other's company.
Over on a table by the fire sits a tiny, strange-looking being. Perched on the prickly legs of a cricket, this creature has gossamer wings and the upper body of an elven woman. She's dressed in a long shawl dyed in a vibrant rainbow, with her hair wrapped up into miniscule braids adorned with tiny blossoms.
This creature is a grig, a good-hearted fey.
"That's Seripan," Cerotious gestures, waving at his fellow fey. "Go say hello if you like; I'll go get your lodgings sorted out!"
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Denair nods as Cerotious explains the Embeth Forest, Mather Nithra, and Sepiran. "You like to help people. It is nice when they want exciting adventures and not the boring stuff. Frankie gets it."
She takes a deep breath when she sees fey and humans cooperating and conversing. "W-wow. It's beautiful... does everyone talk like this, here?" Denair wipes away her tears. "Everyone is so happy here."
"Oh, hello Seripan!" She waves to the fey and turns to Meredith. "She's a grig. I wanna trade stories with her!" She bounds over, almost dragging Meredith with her.
"My name is Denair. This is Frankie, and this is Meredith. Oh, and we're here from the Pathfinder Society. There is Jan, and Lazarus, and Yorad and Zavubak!"
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"Greetings, Seripan. It's a pleasure to meet you." Lazarus offers the grig a slight bow, his hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to his chest.
Realizing he might have made some unforgivable social faux pas, the wizard-priest apologizes. "I'm sorry, Seripan, if I've given any offense due to my ignorance. I'm not as familiar as I ought to be with creatures and cultures of the First World."
"We would enjoy hearing some of your tales of the Embeth Forest and anything you might know about this place."
Lazarus nods at the pixie. "Cerotious said he and you fled from the grig Mather Nithra. Our venture-captain said Mather has made numerous threats on the people of Uringen as well as on travelers through Embeth Forest. One of the Embeth Travelers, Jamel Visser worries this might tie in to recent hostile fey activity."
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Frankie is having a great time, not that he usually doesn't have a great time, but this is better than many others "Ya, everyone here seems so happy. I wish Absalom had this many happy people. If the fey in the forest are mean, why are these fey nice? I'm confused..." Frankie ponders as the enjoy the trip, finally heading into the tavern.
"Hi there, I'm Frankie! Frankie the Flash actually." He grins and steps forward to offer up a pinky high five with the strange creature. Most people would be taken aback by the difference creatures but Frankie just goes with the flow.
The little grig looks up and smiles happily at the sudden influx of new faces. "Hello Denair, Meredith, Frankie the Flash, Lazarus, Jan, Zavubak, and Yorad of the Pathfinder Society," she greets you, a merry twinkle in her eye and without even pausing for breath. "Here to see the grand convergence, are you? The whole town has been buzzing about it for weeks and weeks. I'm sure it'll be quite a sight to see."
"Oh sweetie, it's okay," Seripan then giggles at Lazarus as the blue man attempts to apologize for any accidental faux pas. "Don't be so blue! Lighten up a little and relax, have a brandy or whiskey, dance a little jig. You'll feel much better for it, trust me."
But for all her cheerful talk, she shakes her head when Lazarus mentions Mather Nithra. "Oh no, it's bad luck to say that name once the sun goes to bed! But that doesn't surprise me; that snollygoster is always up to no good."
"Enough of that sort of talk, though," Seripan continues, expression brightening. She saws a couple of her legs against her body, making a rather chirpy, catchy tune. "How about a little entertainment, instead?"
As Seripan continues to saw away with her legs she sings a variety of short ditties, occasionally pauses to add a bit of commentary here and there...
~Bones of the earth, rise from the ground
Keep us sound, within your girth~
"Uringen hasn't really been around that long, you know. And even it was built on top of something older," she remarks before continuing...
~Reckless Rhona
Looked at her Tower
But was quite sour
For every hour
She heard every flaw~
"Turns out, no matter how long you prepare, you can't get it right the first time...but I wonder if it was her first time making the Tower?" Seripan shakes her head again. "The Tower does seem to work...mostly. That's a lot of gears and flim-flammery, and it's amazing that even one of those faces is actually useful!"
Rhona refers to Rhona Ambros, one of the founders of Uringen and the architect of the tower.
"And now Ogden wants to to fix the tower to do what Reckless Rhona intended it for..."
~Time is just a door
Just step right through
In stolen cloak of blue
To the days of yore~
You realize, thanks in part to Seripan's song, that Rhona Ambros must have constructed the Clock Tower to study the exotic field of chronomancy.
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A grig? She looks most strange.
Zavubak walks with a steady pace up towards the strange creature, taking a place in the back of the party. He only calls ahead to introduce himself. "And I am Zavubak. I have to wonder... are you often mistaken for a grasshopper?" the half-orc wonders aloud. It sounds like an honest question.
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Lazarus considers Seripan's song, calling on Desna's guidance to help him understand the meaning behind the lyrics.
"Rhona refers to Rhona Ambros, one of the founders of Uringen and the architect of the tower," Lazarus whispers, not wanting to interrupt the grig's performance. He shakes his head, "I'm not sure about the references to time as a door and the stolen blue cloak."
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Jan feels completely out of his element...
"Can you explain what you mean by RECKLESS Rhona?"
Trying to figure out what might have been here before Jan tries to pry what information he can out of his host.
"There are many FEY creatures here and now humans have moved in... Do the FEY WANT humans here or is this an intrusion that is being tolerated at best? In my own native lands the FEY tend to be on fairly good terms with Druids and those who worship and respect the forces of Nature... but as residents of the First World the magic they innately possess can be difficult for humans to understand... how might his affect the clock... is it possible that this is an ancient mound of the Fairies? Doesn't that make the entire area magical? I can't say I am an expert on Fairy Mounds or the like, but in my village we were taught to respect them and not to disturb them or face the wrath of the First World."
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Meredith finds herself tapping along with the beat. Rhythm wasn't one of her strong suits, but she felt comfortable enough to relax.
"So the person who built it didn't do it perfectly. And Mayor Ogden wants to fix it. Or she'll make it worse. I see why Mayor Mieren was so hesitant. Still, if you don't try, you won't know."
Jan begins asking about the history of this town. "Maybe there is some fey resource the humans built the city on top of. Even if it was on purpose, it happened centuries ago. Cooperation with the townsfolk would be better than laying traps." She sighs.
Grinning at Frankie's antics, Seripan finishes her impromptu performance with a flourish and then takes a bow. "Thank you, thank you, I'm glad at least some of you enjoyed it. And Blue Man Lazarus? You should take some pointers from Frankie the Flash - he knows how to enjoy himself," she laughs.
"And you two, go to the head of the class," the grig continues, turning and giving both Jan and Meredith a knowing wink. "Reckless Rhona built her tower atop an ancient fey circle. What's more, she even used pieces of stone from the circle to build the thing! Seems like quite the oversight, doesn't it? Or maybe it was intentional. But either way, very reckless given the nature of our magic, don't you think?"
The grig shrugs. "What's done is done, though. Ones like myself and Cerotious, we never really minded having a human town out here. Some of them are really interesting and nearly all of them are fun to pull pranks on," she giggles. "We're not a collective though and others saw things differently, like that trouble-making gullywart! So you could say that the local fey population is a bit split on the matter, if that makes you feel any better."
"Still...I've heard rumors from friends in the forest that that lickspittle made an appeal to The Many to cast out the humans," Seripan adds. "But even if he did, no one knows what answer he got, if he got anything at all."
The phrase 'The Many' refers to Shyka, one of the Eldest of the First World.
Shyka is known for many things, one of them being the use of time magic.
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Frankie scratches his head at the numerous nicknames to someone, something he and his friends used to use all the time when they jeered at each other while they played kickball, tag, and hide and seek. "Who's gullywart and lickspittle? Those are some pretty fun names!" He starts a mental catalog of new nicknames to call his friends the next time he's back home... er in Absalom. Johnny is definitely a gullywart if I ever saw one!
He takes another huge chug on his cocoa skin, having working up a thirst doing his dance.
"The one that mustn't be named, not after nightfall," Seripan answers. "So foul and twisted, he doesn't deserve a proper name anyway!"
The grig crosses her arms and even some of her legs, looking like the world's grumpiest cricket.
"Snotty little cockalorum..."
You're pretty sure she's talking about Mather Nithra. As to why she won't use his name, who knows?
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"Snotty little cockalorum... that's a good one! But who... oh! The fey that sets the fun wires and tree forts in the road? Ma... or something?" Frankie drums his head and scratches his chin trying to figure out the name.
"Why is he foul and twisted? Maybe he's just misunderstood, like poor Dragbog! He's a goblin we met! The horse people wanted to stomp him just because he was a goblin, but he was super nice and didn't deserve it. He was super smart and careful with fire, not careless like they said he was." Frankie shakes his head gives Meredith a worried look, hoping this other fey guy wasn't wrongly accused like Dragbog.
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"I dunno, Fffrankie," Yorad responds in a slightly slurred voice, "If that RrrrHona built the tower, and used these fey magics as well, the I think she would have been in the wrong no?" He takes one last slug of whiskey before slamming it down, "Kinda puts things into a different perspective right?"