Eri will buy 2 scrolls of identify and try his hand
spellcraft ~ morning star
spellcraft ~ ring
spellcraft ~ bronze griffin
spellcraft ~ periapt
Eri moves cautiously and close to Mort as the group proceeds through the temple of grand weirdness and blood. When he tries to move into a singularity, Eri finds a place by the wall from which to observe, all the while trying to look cool. When the priest's tongue is split his mouth opens and shuts a couple times dispelling whatever cool demeanor he may have had.
Solirsa rushes over to fawn over the baby dragon as soon as it begins to move again. She coos at it, she brushes it, she pets it,
"Aw, don't worry little guy. You're a dragon and I'm one of the Dragon's followers," Solrisa says, pointing to her holy symbol. "You see? We're all friends here and you're very safe with us!" Solrisa smiles and coos.
Diplomacy - make friends
Solrisa looks quite sad when she learns that the baby dragon wants to fly away as she had hoped to have a new dragonfriend. When they leave, Solrisa walks/runs along, keeping her eyes on the baby dragon and paying less attention to where she is going than usual.
She thanks the nice priests at the Grand Temple for their healing, wishing that she could do healing like that as well.
* * *
Whenever the morning happens again, Solrisa tries again to ID the magics.
UMD vs. DC 20 - scroll of DM
Spellcraft - Morningstar
Spellcraft - Ring
Spellcraft - Br. Griffin
Spellcraft - Periapt
* * *
The Morningstar is impressively made. It is a +1 Spell Storing Weapon. It currently holds a charge of Hold Person(DC 15).
The Ring is a Ring of Counterspells, currently holding Dispel Magic.
Both the bronze griffon and the periapt continue to elude you...
The Ring is a Ring of Counterspells, currently holding Dispel Magic.
The other items continue to elude you, as to their magical purpose...
Egorian doesn't have a 'Heights'.
"Try not to talk for a bit and let it settle, but you should be OK now. Have a pleasant day, and a better future!"
"Thwak you. Thawk aw uv you. Ma ame is Stahvith." He shakes his head, frustrated that his words aren't fully formed. "Aie wor on uh riva. Aie won fohit you." The bearded man approaches each of you, and embraces each in turn.
...
As Solrisa approaches the pseudodragon, it takes note of the maiden's gestures and vocalizations, the creature tilts its head, and all of you are suddenly aware of a new, wind-chimy voice in your collective heads. Its language easily understood and communicated in return, if intentionally thought upon and offered up mentally.
"You're maiden, quite pretty, too, but you're not grey? No, not with your complexion. That is a lovely symbol. You follow Apsu, correct? Your eyes would betray Tiamat to me, I would know."
With those words said, the pseudodragon welcomes the brushing, its eyes closing with each stroke.
...
The door is open, and the party is met shortly in the hallway, by a different acolyte, who makes sure you find the appropriate stairwell, and sees you to the front door. The men and pseudodragon follow closely behind. The talons make clean clicking noises on the cold marble floor.
When you finally emerge onto Thrune Square, the psuedodragon begins to unfurl its wings, kept tightly against its sides until now. The wings betray a sense of deep disappointment, as the creature looks at its surrounds.
"What, what, what?! This isn't... this isn't... We're not bayside?! Where are the gulls??"
As quickly as your minds resonate with the pseudodragon's woe, it darts upwards, on frantic wingflaps. Three circles in the air, and it returns to the ground in front of you.
"Where exactly are we?"
Ascaria starts speaking again in Draconic, when he realizes he can think back at the pseudodragon. He twists up his face with the effort at first, until it comes more naturally over time.
"Oh dear. Let's start slowly. What year do you think it is?"
He explains we're in the capital of Cheliax, Egorian. That he was being held in a collection by a, uh, thing, named Zyrxog. Nasty brute of a fellow, and a wizard. Hopefully not his master. "Uh, yeah. So where are you from?"
With those words said, the pseudodragon welcomes the brushing, its eyes closing with each stroke.
Huh. I wonder what that’s like without fur… or what it’s like with fur. Or…, he watches Solrisa caress the pseudodragon, ... what it’s like at all…
"What, what, what?! This isn't... this isn't... We're not bayside?! Where are the gulls??"
”Gulls!? That sounds nice! There are gulls and a bay where you’re from?! Is there also a green place near by? What do you call yourself? I call myself ‘Mortimer’, or ‘Mort’.”
"Oh dear. Let's start slowly. What year do you think it is? Uh, yeah. So where are you from?"
”Or when? Or when?! No! Please tell me there’s a place in this time with gulls and a bay and green!!!”
He explains we're in the capital of Cheliax, Egorian. That he was being held in a collection by a, uh, thing, named Zyrxog.
Solrisa listens as well, learning things she did not know. She smiles helpfully and coos reassuringly.
"If it makes you feel any better, I don't know where I am sometimes too. This one time, Rae wanted to help me get better at learning where I was so she lead me into the forest and spun me 'round until I wanted to throw up! Then she ran and ran away because she didn't want me cheating on my learning and I had to find my way home. I didn't know where I was. Also, I wish I had remembered to bring and extra set of shoes because Rae took the ones I had because she needed them to keep her hands warm on her way back."
Solrisa smiles at the memory.
"I don't remember where I was when Unky Charlie found me, but I was really hungry. I wish I had remembered to bring food and water for my test," Solrisa pauses, looking at the baby dragon. "Are you hungry? I was really hungry when I was lost. Maybe I should buy you some food. I ate worms and the throwy-uppey leaves when I was lost. Did you want that or something else?"
Solrisa will buy food for the baby if it's hungry.
”If it makes you feel any better, I don't know where I am sometimes too. This one time, Rae wanted to help me get better at learning where I was [ … ]. Also, I wish I had remembered to bring and extra set of shoes because Rae took the ones I had [...]. “ Solrisa smiles at the memory. ”I was really hungry when I was lost. Maybe I should buy you some food. I ate worms and the throwy-uppey leaves when I was lost [ … ]”
Sheesh, I’d rather be severely beaten and left for dead on another continent…
”Sol,” Mortimer projectively thinks gently, ”Stories like that don’t make me feel better.” As he thinks, he tries to figure out how to emphasize the world “me” in this business of projecting thoughts to others’ minds, but all he can come up with is a mental image of “Salon Mort”. He shudders at his own mental image, shakes his head to clear it, then blunders on. ”It might just be me, but some of your Rae stories make Rae sound really mean, and I don’t like thinking of Rae as mean, and I don’t like that anyone treated you that way.” It just hurts.”I mean, Rae’s outgrown all of that sort of meanness, right?”
He looks at the miniature dragon. ”You see, you were all rock when we found you. Someone turned you into rock. We didn’t think that was right, so we had you 'unrocked'. What else do you remember?”
Eri does not include his voice in the rising tumult. Instead, he dreams of the sounds of waves and gulls.
Tynan doesn't say a word while in the temple, and his discomfort is readily apparent to those who know him.
After leaving the foul chapel, and safely out of earshot, Tynan speaks.
"I understand wanting to help people, but giving money to them disgusts me."
After leaving the foul chapel, and safely out of earshot, Tynan speaks.
"I understand wanting to help people, but giving money to them disgusts me."
Ascaria looks around, and whispers hoarsely to Tynan, "Watch what you say there... They have people everywhere."
Aloud he says,
He looks to the pseudodragon for answers.
"...make me feel better...Rae's outgrown...?"
Solrisa seems confused, not just because Mort's thoughts are entering her head, but also because Mort seems confused.
"No, Mort, I'm talking about Rae? My sister? You remember her, right? She was big and angry? She was the best big sister in the world?" Solrisa says, trying to de-confuse Mort and explain that Sol was talking about Rae and not someone else. "Rae has always been the best sister. She's always been the best." Solrisa explains cheerfully and aloud.
Solrisa turns back to the baby dragon, smiling yet more.
"Uhm, if you're lost, we can help you find your way home. But we should get you some food first. I'm hungry too," Solrisa chirps. "OH! You know what I love?!" Solrisa looks at the baby dragon with big eyes. "Ham! Let's go get some ham!"
"AND CHEESE!"
Solrisa sets off to find a nice inn to eat food.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"What year do you think it is? Uh, yeah. So where are you from?"
The psuedodragon taps its wing talons together nervously. It resembles crocheting, knit one, purl two, knit one, purl two...
"4707..? Egorian... huh... My home is Korvosa. That would be many miles... north... from here. Um. So, what year is it, in fact?"
"Gulls!? That sounds nice! There are gulls and a bay where you’re from?! Is there also a green place near by? What do you call yourself? I call myself ‘Mortimer’, or ‘Mort’.”
"There is a waterway here, so I expect there should be some gulls here, too, but not like in Korvosa. Granted, the imps there..." The pseudodragon pauses in thought. "Cheliax. There must be imps aplenty here, eh? What about others of my kind? Have you seen many? My name is Raziel. My master is Theadorus. Well, I'm not so sure, now, of course. My absence may have changed things. He is not a patient man..."
Raziel sits put as the maiden and the giant think at each other, facilitating their desire to do so without words. And also, because he can understand and participate in the conversation. He remains silent on the awkwardness of the interaction. After all, he's just met them, and will require time to iron out the rocky bits of his mind...
"You see, you were all rock when we found you. Someone turned you into rock. We didn’t think that was right, so we had you 'unrocked'. What else do you remember?”
"Oh, I'm starting to understand. I am very grateful for you having returned me to animate. I hope that Theadorus will be, too. I can only remember my life, up until Sheeba entered our quarters, and held up a mirror... That cur! Oooo, wait until I find that skulking, hairless demon woman..." Raziel's thoughts become a hairball of frustration, animosity, and confusion. Externally, the pseudodragon hisses and spits, keeping his head down, so as not to wet you with his flecks. He eventually settles down, before turning his attentions outwards, again.
"Uhm, if you're lost, we can help you find your way home. But we should get you some food first. I'm hungry too. OH! You know what I love?! Ham! Let's go get some ham! AND CHEESE!"
"Well, I'm in your debt, and I'm hungry, too. I would like to accompany you, to get my wings about me, until I can figure out how I'll return to Korvosa. You wouldn't happen to know any powerful wizards in this city, would you?"
The day can still be spent on business matters.
Finding your way back to the Crooked House for the night, and you are warmly greeted by Tarquin, Christina, and Scout. Scout's face is smeared in flour and butter, and she doesn't bother to clean herself, as she makes the rounds, giving hugs to each of you. Light inquiries are made regarding your daily activity, but it's soon interrupted by Scout, who returned to the kitchen, and has returned with a sheet of cookies with raspberry smears. Christina steps in to wipe Scout's cheek, but doesn't dote overly so.
...
The day comes to a close, one way or another, bringing the dawn of the next day. The party members awake in their own time, and provided a light breakfast to start their day.
When you travel to Eligos's, you are again welcomed into the sitting room by Reginald. Reginald himself asks if he can fetch anything while you wait. After a handful of minutes following Reginald's fetching, Eligos himself enters the room. He is wearing formal mage robes, starched at the collars, very ministerial. He doesn't sit, rather stands at the entrance of the sitting room.
"Good. You are all here. How did you fare? What did you encounter? Did you destroy the table? Please, take your time. Tell me everything."
"No, Mort, I'm talking about Rae? My sister? You remember her, right? She was big and angry? She was the best big sister in the world? Rae has always been the best sister. She's always been the best."
Mortimer looks at Sol out of the corners of his eyes, trying not to betray any aspect of skepticism. He neither speaks aloud or projects his thought. She doesn't have any other frame of reference, no other experience to compare... ? Well, I guess if she's O.K. with it, I should just accept that. What do I know from siblings?
The pseudodragon taps its wing talons together nervously. It resembles crocheting, knit one, purl two, knit one, purl two...
Somewhat fascinated, Mortimer watches the unique technique and nervous energy of the small dragon almost conjure/weave imaginary sweaters out of thin air. I guess he must be very talented!
"4707..? Egorian... huh... My home is Korvosa. That would be many miles... north... from here. Um. So, what year is it, in fact?"
Korvosa? He projects again. "Korvosa... uh... it's uh," his thought becomes somewhat quieter " ... 4979... I think..." He sheepishly scratches the back of his head.
"Cheliax. There must be imps aplenty here, eh? What about others of my kind? Have you seen many?"
"Uh, no, but we haven't been here for very long, he responds, trying to make his thought 'sound' upbeat.
"I would like to accompany you, to get my wings about me, until I can figure out how I'll return to Korvosa. You wouldn't happen to know any powerful wizards in this city, would you?"
"For my part, I welcome you," he thinks warmly, smiling. I think we might have just killed the most powerful Wizard we've met so far, though... still... "We might know someone who could help. We'll be visiting him after lunch, he should have knowledge we seek. Just don't make fun of his familiar," he cautions, remembering Allustan's advice.
"Good. You are all here. How did you fare? What did you encounter? Did you destroy the table? Please, take your time. Tell me everything."
Mortimer, from the second they land on Eligos property, becomes characteristically quiet once more. He deliberately avoids speaking so as not to say anything that might antagonize the Wizard who not so distantly in the past described him as a loutish boor.
Wait, shouldn't he be the one eager to tell US something?! Mortimer bites his tongue ever so endevouring to stay silent and let the others interact.
Weapon Equipped = None
Conditions = None
Life Link (8)(100’) = Eri, Mort, Raziel, Sol, Tynan
Channel Energy (9/9)(7/7) (DC: 22)(Avoid 6) (4d6+1)
Amiable Blunder (1/1) (if Diplomacy failed by >5, reroll to avoid worsening attitude)
Rod of Extend (lesser) (3/3)
Melee Attack: BAB +6/+1, Size +1 Damage: +0
Ranged Attack: BAB +6/+1, Dex +1, Size +1 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 8, Concentration +14)
Once per Day: Arcane Mark, Comprehend Languages, Mending, Message,
Zero (16): Create Water, Detect Magic, Guidance, Light, Purify Food and Drink, Scrivener's Chant, Spark, Stabilize
First (17): (8/8) Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Undead, Diagnose Disease, Enhance Water, Liberating Command, Remove Fear
Second (18): (8/8) Burst of Radiance, Cure Moderate Wounds, Lesser Restoration, Light Prison, Pilfering Hand
Third (19): (6/6) Cure Serious Wounds, Daylight, Neutralize Poison, Prayer
Fourth (20): (3/4) Blessings of Fervor, Cure Critical Wounds, Restoration
”Sorry little one, but it’s been a few years now as Mort said. You’ve been asleep a long time I’m afraid. Unless your master was of a long lived race, I suspect you are masterless now.” Ascaria says with a frown, trying to break it to the creature gently. ”I’m sorry.”
He suggests he join the group for a time. ”I don’t know that I’ve heard of any pseudodragons around here. I think you might be better off laying low until you get your bearings. I'm sure we'd be glad to help in any way we can.” If he lingers, even to eat, Ascaria concentrates on him and sends a green tendril in his mind to protect him.
He joins Sol and the others for a hearty meal. For a change, he speaks out loud, ”A few things to shop for after we eat, but it shouldn’t take long. I want to visit Lavinia to see about some of our magics - and she may be interested in the curios as well.”
”Oh, and I keep forgetting. We have Ilya’s amulet to address. It protects one from disease and one of us should wear it. I already have an amulet, and I think Mort here does as well. Eri? Tynan? Either of you want this? We shouldn’t sell it.”
Ascaria heads to Lavinia’s to see about IDing that which they have failed to ID. He’ll also sell what items they have to sell and see if she’s interested in any of the other items they still carry. He’ll also pick up his precious… phylactery and he places it on his head just under his hatband. The tiny book sticks out in front, and looks a little comical, but Ascaria treats it with great reverence.
The following morning, after respecting Cayden with a drink, Ascaria starts off with a Restoration to restore his missing intellect. He figures he might just need it with Eligos.
Later, with Eligos, ”It’s been quite hectic and there’s more to see down there I think. But we didn’t want to make you wait on us today good sir, so here we are!”
Ascaria takes great pains to describe what the party found, from the first drow to the mind flayer, to the visit to the church for the tongue-ing and flesh-ing of the prisoners. If Raziel is still with the party, he makes formal introductions.
"You wouldn't happen to know any powerful wizards in this city, would you?"
Solrisa thinks...and thinks some more and fails to remember until others mention Eligos.
"Oh yes! Eligos! Yes, he's very powerful and smart! I think you'll like him!" Solrisa cheers excitedly. "We can go visit him after morning breakfast! You'll like him, I'm sure. He's very what he is!"
* * *
At Eligos' place, Solrisa seems mostly certain that what needed smashing got smashed even if Rae was not there.
Solrisa explains about the pretty-tongued snake thing that got away, then about the octojerks (and the big octojerk) and then about the squidface, she explains it all.
If there are unidentified treasures, she points them out to Eligos as well. She describes in detail her inability to identify them though she tried really, *really* hard.
"I can take the amulet.”
“I am very grateful for you having returned me to animate. I hope that Theadorus will be, too.”
<private thought> Ooh, this sounds like small odds. Poor guy.”
“Well, I'm in your debt, and I'm hungry, too.”
<comm open> “Yes, everything will look better after a proper breakfast.”
“Good. You are all here. questionquestionquestionetc.”
Eri follows the discussion adding pertinent wizardly bits when needed, adding, “Yeh, that was not the easiest thing in the world.”
Thanks for saving our bacon (in more than one way) down in the sewer against the Giant OctoThing. Thanks for everything, really. -Mort
~~~
Too occupied by Eligos's "greeting", and knowing the rest of their adventure story, Mortimer fails to pay attention to the other's recount of the Sewer Tales.
… and …"Good. You are all here. How did you fare? What did you encounter?"
Wait, shouldn't he be the one eager to tell US something?!
"Good. You are all here..."
...is it me? Does he say that like he’s surprised to see all of us?!
Mortimer’s eyes dart around the table nervously, trying to see how the others might be reacting. Calm down, Mort. You’re … probably over-reacting! He bears down on his tongue that much harder. When is he going to get to the part for which we came in the first place? It isn't as if he has been all that spectacularly helpful to us in figuring out this whole Worm thing and Evil Cult thing...
"For my part, I welcome you. We might know someone who could help. We'll be visiting him after lunch, he should have knowledge we seek. Just don't make fun of his familiar."
Raziel nods with prospective anticipation that all you say will come to pass shall. He looks to the sky several times. The one time he manages to spot a pair of imps streaking across building tops, he hisses in frustration, before circling the party, and settling onto Solrisa's shoulder. He occasionally moves his tail to move her symbol into better view.
...
Ascaria heads to Lavinia’s to see about IDing that which they have failed to ID.
You politely wait, as Lavinia finishes a consultation with a young man. The man appears to be of means, though the unibrow does nothing for his overall appearance. Fine clothes can only do so much. Eventually, he makes a decision between two headbands on the counter. You see no money exchanged. Possibly he has already paid, or perhaps Lavinia extends house credit for good customers. He smiles at Lavinia, donning it immediately. As he turns to go, you don't seem to notice the unibrow nearly as much as you did on first impressions.
Lavinia welcomes you forward, then excuses herself for a moment. She returns with a pot of herbal tea, and several small cups. Pouring herself the first, she offers you each a pick-me-up, as she begins to look over the items you offer for inspection.
When Ascaria mentions the difficulty in securing identifications on the two items he sets before her, Lavinia pauses. Her already-wrinkled face sets to wrinkling further across the brow. She picks up the griffon, and the periapt, and excuses herself, with your permission. She moves into the back room, partitioned by a rich, red curtain, and spends a small amount of time, before returning.
"This," she says as she points to the Griffon, "is a Figurine of Wondrous Power. Its command word is 'wingspan', and can be brought to life twice a week, for roughly six hours each use." She looks on it kindly, before turning to the periapt. "This. I would get rid of it at your soonest convenience. It's a Periapt of Foul Rotting. I hope none of you have carried it for more than a day..."
She enjoys the various items you proffer, the dragon's head, the thorn cage. She even thumbs through the Unspeakable Tomes, briefly. From what she reads aloud, you're grateful you haven't eaten dinner yet. She herself takes a moment to regain herself, after several unfinished sentences involving, well, unspeakable acts of depravity, cruelty, and violence, recorded for the ages. She offers you nothing for the Books, but is willing to purchase the dragon's head and the thorny cage, for their aesthetics.
...
Eligos praises Solrisa for her attempt at identifying magical items, as he introduces himself to Raziel, as Ascaria makes formal introductions for the two. The pseudodragon decides to take to higher ground, nestling into the space between bookshelf and ceiling, and watching the conversation below.
He appears visibly relieved that the table was dealt with, and listens with a concerned look upon his face as various members of the group talk about the harrowing events leading up to the demise of Zyrxog.
"Well, that is most fortunate. From what you describe, a mind flayer setting up a new community, under Egorian, well, I'd like not to think on that, let alone its desire to develop its own kind of worm... It's too much of a coincidence that we gather to discuss our own worm problem."
He looks to be ready to speak, then stops himself. He excuses himself, then returns shortly thereafter, bringing in an armful of things, and handing them back to you. Most of it consists of the gnome's drawings and observations. He hands back Thedrick's journal, the vial with the worm, Ascaria's artful sketches, as well as some of Eligos's pennings.
"Alright, I wanted to make sure you had this back. Now, where to begin..." Eligos pauses for what feels like a grand amount of time, before continuing. His hands gesture every so often to the stack of papers, while he looks to each of you, meeting your gazes for small segments of his report.
"Kyuss is a minor deity. Its central focus is the creation and mastery of undead. The worm-infested dead are the most notorious, for their relative ease of spreading. Horribly fecund. They are not the most dangerous of Kyuss-inspired creations, however. For your discoveries, it would seem that the Cult of Kyuss has become activated in our region. Typically, cultists of Kyuss have always been found out to be lone wolves, individuals who maintain an outward appearance of normalcy within small communities, until they unleash an infestation. Then, they relocate. If they're 'lucky', it is said that Kyuss 'blesses' them, and they become one with the creation." Eligos steadies himself, his face looking drawn and pale.
"Your accounting of this Ebon Triad speaks to something new, as of late. A joint venture of some kind, where the Triad's numbers are greater, and may be lending their support to the smaller cult. Both may be looking to bring about an Age of Worms, which may or may not benefit both factions. The Age of Worms is grey legend, also referred to as The Dark Age, End Times, or Eternal Ruin. Nothing uplifting, of course. It is ancient prophecy that refuses to die. It speaks of a Transformation of the World, where Life gives way to something... else. There are many references that speak on this Age- the Book of Vile Darkness, the Necronomicon, Libris Mortis... even the Scrolls you mention. The Apostolic Scrolls. Here, in Egorian? Oh, something is building, and you have been some of the few who have seen a nexus, which points to a larger web of involvement." He stops speaking, a look of worry pressed into his lips.
"Do you understand? If Loris Raknian has purchased the Scrolls, who knows to what end he seeks to apply its knowledge. The Scrolls are said to be penned by Kyuss Himself. I will review my references on the Scrolls this afternoon. Are you sure that Loris himself was the one responsible for contracting this mind flayer? What do you intend to do, given this information?"
”Lavinia, you are too kind. There is much we have to sell, and I suspect buy - either with you or a trusted associate.” Ascaria goes through the list to sell…
So Tynan, you get an extra 6,000gp this time around, for a total of 13,402gp. Everyone else gets 7,402gp in cash to do as they will.
- - -
”So if you don’t mind, I’d like to keep the 1,500gp I owe you for a little while longer. I’m going to buy some armor, and with the increased weight, a handy haversack to distribute my other gear.”
- - -
Mithral Breastplate (4,200) (+6AC, +5maxdex, -1ACP, 8#)
Mithral Buckler (1,005gp) (+1 AC, -0ACP, 1#)
Handy Haversack (2kgp)
Total spent 7,205gp
- - -
Lots of dim dark talk…
He stuffs his drawings back in his sling bag and looks at it’s overstuffed nature ruefully. I need a better satchel. he thinks.
Aloud he says, ”Eternal Ruin? I don’t like the sound of that, no sir, not at all!”
”Are you sure that Loris himself was the one responsible for contracting this mind flayer? What do you intend to do, given this information?”
”Well, our information is that he’s involved sure, but we don’t know how reliable it is.” he shows Eligos the ledger and other documents and helps him make sense of it. ”So either it’s him, or someone is setting him up in a rather complicated way - which seems a lot less likely.”
Ascaria stands and paces a bit before continuing. ”We need to talk to him, take his measure, and then decide if he is indeed the enemy. If so, we’ll have to stop him somehow, though I don’t know how. We can’t just walk up to the guy and start smacking him about! The whole of government would come down on us!”
Mortimer eyes the small cup of tea with trepidation. These little things always have a way of shattering the instant I touch them. He politely declines. He instead flips through the Unspeakable Tomes as if he was looking for loose paper, or additional notes written around the margins, or pressed and dried flower petals etc. Anything, really.
[Eligos] appears visibly relieved that the table was dealt with, and listens with a concerned look upon his face as various members of the group talk about the harrowing events leading up to the demise of Zyrxog.
,,, I guess it’s just relief. Why is this guy so hard to read? Finally, at least he’s getting to the matter we came for in the first place. Mortimer beings to relax as Eligos addresses the matter that brought them to Egorian in the first place.
”Are you sure that Loris himself was the one responsible for contracting this mind flayer? What do you intend to do, given this information?"
Mortimer turns to Eligos, ”What did you call Zyrxog? A ‘Mindflayer’? -- The ledger says 'MindFlayer' Zyrxog received the scrolls for a client named ‘Loris’. Aside from that and the MindFlayer mentioning ‘Loris’ by name is all we have, I think.”
Slightly abashed that he spoke after all, Mortimer recovers from it quickly and presses on more confidently, since no one appears to be throwing rotten cabbage or skunk (or rotten skunk cabbage) at him.
”The scrolls were received by Zyrxog, but can we tell if they were passed on to Raknian or not? Given this information, I think we’d want to prevent this ‘Eternal Ruin’ from happening, disrupt and disband those involved.”
”I don’t know of Raknian. I’d like to know what his interest in the Scrolls are, for starters. He seems to be flamboyant and possible quite wealthy -- the type who might throw a lot of money around. Does he offer prizes like Apostilic Scrolls for the runners-up, or auction/raffle prizes like that for guests for his Gauntlet game -- does anyone know?”
* * *
"Yeah, sure. Pay me whenever you want!" Solrisa is happy to be reminded. She smiles as she walks, laughing at herself.
* * *
"It's a Periapt of Foul Rotting."
"Oh. OH!" Solrisa says as the magics are revealed. "Oh, I'll take that," she chimes happily and grabs the periapt, leaving abruptly and drawing her morningstar as she leaves the building. "I'll be right back!"
Outside, she smashes the periapt to magical rubble, humming and wishing that Rae were there to help and watch and yell ways she could do it better.
She picks up the pieces (lest she litter) and brings them back into the shop to toss them into the trash.
"Lavinia, that book resisted my sword and then fire. How can I destroy it? I'd like to see it never harm another ever again," Solrisa asks of the woman with a big smile. "We can't let bad things like hurt others."
Mortimer happily hands over the Periapt of Foul Rotting for Solrisa to destroy. After she throws the chards into the trash, he stomps on them for good measure, pulverizing them further.
Bear and Bellows will be able to provide you your wares within a business day's time, both mithral products, so either tomorrow or the next day, depending on their ability to pull from their warehouse. Lavinia easily provides the Haversack.
You are less innocent now for having read through the Unspeakable Tomes, and you're pretty sure you recognize a particular apparatus in these pages that resembles one found in the back room of the Midnight Salute...
The poor Periapt of Pernicious Prophylactic is destroyed with little fanfare, its value unknown, save for those individuals who would promote disease and curse...
"Lavinia, that book resisted my sword and then fire. How can I destroy it? I'd like to see it never harm another ever again. We can't let bad things like hurt others."
Lavinia frowns as the maiden describes denied destruction. "Well, if it's anything like the Periapt you've bore, it's likely cursed, and would require removing the curse, to weaken it to the point of destroying it, I'd think. There are powerful magics that could see the work done, as well, but those are costly, compared to a Removal. Does that help?" Her hand is held close to her chest, as she looks over the book's cover, which has changed its title- 'Marvels of Modern Methods in Magic'. A light smell of vanilla can be detected emanating from its vicinity. The smell of a good, old book.
...
”What did you call Zyrxog? A ‘Mindflayer’? -- The ledger says 'MindFlayer' Zyrxog received the scrolls for a client named ‘Loris’. Aside from that and the MindFlayer mentioning ‘Loris’ by name is all we have, I think.”
Eligos pauses, nodding. "Well, you'd mentioned Loris Raknian's name fully, so I hope that removes doubt, considering their proximity in Zyrxog's paperwork. As for mindflayers, well, they're wretched creatures, always looking for footholds and domination. They have a unique ability to secure their prey, with their mouthy tentacles, and suck the victim's brain out in its entirety. Disgustingly horrifying. I'm surprised you attempted to grapple it like you did. I could never..."
"Loris Raknian. Well, I wouldn't have guessed in a million years. He's quite the showman, not shy of the center stages, which feels odd to me, were he to be a cultist for Kyuss. The Gauntlet is surely occupying most his time for the next few weeks."
- - -
”The scrolls were received by Zyrxog, but can we tell if they were passed on to Raknian or not? Given this information, I think we’d want to prevent this ‘Eternal Ruin’ from happening, disrupt and disband those involved.”
”Ahhh, now that I think about it, I can answer that Mort. It’s clear from the ledger’s other entries, that Zyrxog only notes payment when the goods are delivered. What’s strange though is that he didn’t note the date. Almost like he had just delivered it, and we interrupted him making his notes on the matter. ‘course he may have left off the date for some other reason too, I don’t know. But I can say the goods were delivered. Loris Raknian has the scrolls.”
”Loris Raknian. Well, I wouldn't have guessed in a million years. He's quite the showman, not shy of the center stages, which feels odd to me, were he to be a cultist for Kyuss. The Gauntlet is surely occupying most his time for the next few weeks.”
”Oh? So the Gauntlet is going on now? That’s interesting. I can’t help but think that might be useful somehow.”
"Does that help?"
Solrisa looks at the book, then Lavinia, and the book again. She blinks, trying to understand. She takes the book back, wrapping it in her butterfly net, then putting both in her waterproof bag and that goes into her backpack.
"I don't care if it does smell like vanilla cookies, it needs to be destroyed. It's a bad book. I guess I'll see Eligos has to say about it. Thank you for trying, Lavinia," Solrisa says, thankfully. She doesn't quite have the answer she wants, but will continue to look for a solution.
* * *
Solrisa listens to the entirety of Eligos' research before speaking. She has a smile on her face for most of it, but it fades as Eligos hammers at the depth of the plot that Wurms entail.
"The Age of Worms is grey legend, also referred to as The Dark Age, End Times, or Eternal Ruin..."
Solrisa's face perks up at this. She smiles broadly to everyone.
"Oh. My. God! Literally! This is what The Dragon wants me to help with! OH! OH! This will be fun!" Sol smiles brightly at everyone, a serene and complete confidence that The Dragon will help with all this.
* * *
"Eligos, may I have you look at something? We have a bad book that needs to be destroyed, but I'm not quite sure how. A friend said it was 'cursed and we needed to remove the curse' so we could destroy it. Can you help us fix it so it's dead?"
Solrisa will unsling her backpack, then take out her waterproof bag and untie that, then open up her butterfly net to bring out the Evil Book of Evil, not yet letting Eligos hold it.
Solrisa looks at Eligos with somber eyes.
"It's evil. Evil." Solrisa says as the cinnamon and vanilla notes hit her nose.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
“So an evil monster has risen to the heights of government. We don’t really know his plan, but we know it will be bad. It seems that many people are blind to his corruption and hate. We few see the danger and are trying to figure out how to overcome it. This reminds me of a story I heard about a time long ago…”
Eri sits down heavily and asks for something to sooth his nerves.
"We need to do something about this! Before we go talking to Loris, let's see what information we can gather about him. We have some proof, but not enough. If he is powerful we will need some support. Maybe someone else high up has been working at countering him. Let's find out."
Tynan listens to Eligos speak of the likely deadly situation the group finds itself in, and nods in agreement at Eri's summation.
"How are WE supposed to stand up to all of... THAT? Honestly, I have no idea how to proceed. They already want me dead." Tynan shakes his head in disbelief, and sits back in his chair, eyes lowered as he stares at the floor.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Solrisa considers Loris more.
"It's possible he doesn't know what he has...or what he is doing. It's possible he's innocent and that squidface was lying. One look and I'll know. I'm sure," Solrisa says hopefully.
Solrisa looks at Eligos.
"Can you tell us more about The Gauntlet? I've heard a bit, but would love to hear more or hear it again. We might be able to take in a match before or after we go see Loris, maybe."
- - -
”Yeah, without knowing more about this guy, we can’t just attack him. Even when we do know more about this guy, we can’t just attack him without ending up in prison. We need more proof.”
Ascaria isn’t sure what to do.
Mortimer abruptly stops flipping through on of the Unspeakable Tomes, his attention fixed on one page in particular. "Hey," he says absently, "I think I've seen one of these before -- in the Midnight Salute." He reaches up to the base of his skull and rubs it again to reassure himself.
~~~~
"[ MindFlayers ] have a unique ability to secure their prey, with their mouthy tentacles, and suck the victim's brain out in its entirety. Disgustingly horrifying. I'm surprised you attempted to grapple it like you did. I could never..."
Mortimer's pale eyes become quite wide upon this revelation, and he strives not to emit an audible gasp.
... We -- or at least I -- was better off not knowing that... at least It didn't complete Its Worm Project!"How are WE supposed to stand up to all of... THAT?"
"The same way we've been -- we work together as a team, take each faction out by its knees working our way to the top to -- whoever or whatever is ultimately responsible for all of this."
"Can you tell us more about The Gauntlet? We might be able to take in a match before or after we go see Loris, maybe."
”Yeah, without knowing more about this guy, we can’t just attack him. Even when we do know more about this guy, we can’t just attack him without ending up in prison. We need more proof."
Mortimer thinks on this for a while, resisting the urge to stretch and flex his muscles. "Hey! I got an idea! Is it too late to enroll to participate in this Gauntlet? Does Loris himself participate in the matches? Maybe if Sol and I and whoever else wanted to participate, we can get far enough though the ranks to meet him. Maybe even beat him up -- according to the match rules of course if it's an option -- if he participates. All of the beating will be above board and public. Well, as public as the venue, anyway. No jail. Either way, maybe we could track him down that way, and ask him ourselves."
"Eligos, may I have you look at something? We have a bad book that needs to be destroyed, but I'm not quite sure how. A friend said it was 'cursed and we needed to remove the curse' so we could destroy it. Can you help us fix it so it's dead? It's evil. Evil."
Eligos looks at the book, but does not reach for it. Something about the way the maiden handles it? He listens with growing interest, and growing closeness, until the final word is uttered.
"Well, my dear," he pats Solrisa's hand, "I'm sure we can find a way to arrange a neutralization of a curse. The Temple of Asmodeus would surely have scrolls for purchase. That would likely cost you, oh, 375 gold." He pauses a moment for the number to sink in, before continuing. "Of course, I could create the scroll for you for less than that, much less, if you were amenable to..." Eligos raises his eyebrows, encouraging Solrisa to finish the thought.
"We need to do something about this! Before we go talking to Loris, let's see what information we can gather about him. We have some proof, but not enough. If he is powerful we will need some support. Maybe someone else high up has been working at countering him. Let's find out."
"How are WE supposed to stand up to all of... THAT? Honestly, I have no idea how to proceed. They already want me dead."
Eligos considers a moment, looking over each of your faces. Over some, he lingers longer. "Well, it is only a short time since you overcame the flayer. I'm not sure how soon it could have been expected that your team as a whole would have fallen, given their failure on first attempt. If Zyrxog and Loris were close, I would worry that Loris already knows, somehow. If, on the other hand, they weren't, well... You would have time to prepare some strategy, I suppose."
"Can you tell us more about The Gauntlet? I've heard a bit, but would love to hear more or hear it again. We might be able to take in a match before or after we go see Loris, maybe."
Eligos looks visibly energized as Solrisa asks him to elaborate. A light clicking of nails echoes in the hallway behind the old man, coming and going. Eligos himself looks eager to speak, though his brow furrows often.
"Well, what can I say about the Gauntlet of Asmodeus? Well, it's an annual event, of course. So many people, the city gets quite congested, I rarely choose to walk the city streets for its chaos. The contest is only five days long, at its heart, but the preparation up until and thereafter can take weeks to see all signs of it gone." Eligos doesn't conceal his disdain for the disruption.
"I've heard as many as 10,000 spectators have been recorded in previous years. Raknian has declared publicly that he will exceed expectations. A spectacle capable of drawing the gods' attentions." Eligos shakes his head. "I wish I knew more."
"Hey! I got an idea! Is it too late to enroll to participate in this Gauntlet? Does Loris himself participate in the matches? Maybe if Sol and I and whoever else wanted to participate, we can get far enough though the ranks to meet him. Maybe even beat him up -- according to the match rules of course if it's an option -- if he participates. All the beating above board and public. Well, as public as the venue, anyway. No jail. Either way, maybe we could track him down that way, and ask him ourselves."
Eligos frowns, and grows silent. "You're serious? About actually entering the competition yourselves?" He looks at the group as a whole. "If you are, I will put you in touch with a friend of mine. Perhaps she can be of help. If you're serious."
”Ten thousand?! All in one place? That I’ve got to see if nothing else.” he looks to the others, hoping they feel some of his excitement. ”Can you imagine? That many people cheering you on? Well if I were more of a physical combatant, I’d surely give it a try. I’m jealous.” Ascaria looks at the others wondering if they’ll join in.
”So, in let’s find out what it takes to join in this thing. Then lets learn more about our man. Surely there must be some word on the streets about him. Might take a few long nights of drinking, but we’ll learn what there is to learn - right?”
He turns back to Eligos, ”My good man, put us in touch with your friend. Mort here is in, and I bet Sol, and maybe Tynan here might give it a shot too. What does it entail anyway?” he asks curiously.
"Of course, I could create the scroll for you for less than that, much less, if you were amenable to..."
Solrisa looks at Eligos for a moment, not understanding what the man is asking but then assumes its the exact right thing.
"Amenable to paying? Yes, of course! I have lots of money. I'll go to the Temple tomorrow!" Solrisa says, thinking that that is an excellent idea and a good suggestion. She wraps the book back in her butterfly net, then back into the waterproof bag, then wrapping it with the silk rope, then back in her backpack. She seems really excited about the adventure it will be to destroy the evil book.
"Whelp! Thank you for that, Eligos!" Solrisa offers the man a happy thanking hug before rejoining the party.
* * *
"You're serious? About actually entering the competition yourselves?"
Solrisa smiles, looking at Mort, then back at Eligos.
"Oh no! I could never! That's for great fighters like Loris or Mort or Rae. I bet Rae would be really good in there, but not me. Besides, I prefer to battle with my friends around. I could never fight any of my friends, not even for 10000 people. But I could do some very good cheering from the stands. Especially for Mort!"
Solrisa looks around, smiling. She looks forward to cheering for Mort.
Eligos looks visibly energized as Solrisa asks him to elaborate.
”Can you tell us more about The Gauntlet? I've heard a bit, but would love to hear more or hear it again. We might be able to take in a match before or after we go see Loris, maybe."
Mortimer blinks slowly a few times, taking in the scene. Wait -- is he?! … he’s not actually -- n!!? -- nahh… … ? He grimaces and shakes his head attempting to dismiss the very thought.
A light clicking of nails echoes in the hallway behind the old man, coming and going.
Wait, no! He IS! That old Skunk! That’s all he is!!! Mortimer, trying his best to conceal his pity for Eligos looks at Solrisa, then back at Eligos. Ah, but she is sooo out of his league!
”My good man, put us in touch with your friend. Mort here is in, and I bet Sol, and maybe Tynan here might give it a shot too. What does it entail anyway?”
At this, Mortimer stands and nods. ”That’s right, I’m in. Anyone else? What does it entail?
Solrisa smiles, looking at Mort, then back at Eligos.
"Oh no! I could never! That's for great fighters like Loris or Mort or Rae. I bet Rae would be really good in there, but not me. Besides, I prefer to battle with my friends around. I could never fight any of my friends, not even for 10000 people. But I could do some very good cheering from the stands. Especially for Mort!"*
Mortimer flashes Solrisa a broad smile.
”Right!” Now totally focused, he redirects his attention to Eligos ” Individual trials for me -- and anyone else who wants to participate in those, or -- like we said -- we fight the matches and trials as a team! We don’t and won’t fight each other ever!” **
"I'm ok with you guys entering the fight if you'd like. I'm ok with us entering a party thing if that's an option. I think we'll be able to get some information that we wouldn't if no one were in the competition. I think there will be a lot of information we can glean around the event, too."
”My good man, put us in touch with your friend. Mort here is in, and I bet Sol, and maybe Tynan here might give it a shot too. What does it entail anyway?”
"That’s right, I’m in. Anyone else? What does it entail?"
Eligos wrings his hands, as the gnome and giant ask him for more information. "That, I will have to refrain from speaking on, as I would do so in ignorance. I've never really crossed paths with the intricacies of the Gauntlet. From what I've heard, it's quite barbaric, even if it is for show."
"Let's do this- if I'm successful, I should be able to send word to my friend, Celeste. If she knows you're boarding at the Crooked House, she should be able to meet up with you today or tomorrow. Is that alright with you? I am confident that she should be able to inform you."
Raziel pops his head up from the bookcase, as the party is escorted to the front door. "What about me?? Am I to remain here?? I'd prefer to stay with you, but will understand if I must be patient with Eligos here."
From Eligos's disposition, you're aware that he is not part of Raziel's neural netting.
...
Returning to the Crooked House, Tarquin bids you clean up, and ready for your dinner. He's already kept the large meeting room available to your group, even though the Tavern is seeing increased traffic. Tarquin looks pleased.
When you attend to your room, you find the grandest bouquet of flowers you've seen in some time. Freshly picked, by the smell of them, in a well-crafted clay vase which mixes various colors in a tornado-like pattern.
There is a note attached, of course.
Thanks for saving our bacon (in more than one way) down in the sewer against the Giant OctoThing. Thanks for everything, really. -Mort
Tonight's feast seems more decadent than previous meals, but it also seems in keeping with the dinner fare making its way from table to table, with the help of both Christina, Scout, Lulu, and a new young man you haven't seen before.
There is roasted lamb with crisp char, as well as several stewing cauldrons on display in the back of the room, from which Christina pours into wooden bowls. Several kekabs of potato and vegetables are also coming and going from the kitchen. The bar is also better displayed, as Tarquin has several continual flame coins placed beneath his more expensive bottles of alcohol.
Later, much, much later into the evening(well, actually early morning), you are roused from your rooms, and are asked, by Tarquin, to join two guests who wait for you downstairs in the private room.
The Crooked House is completely quiet by this time, so you reckon it's close to 2 bells from midnight. When you enter the room, you find yourselves suddenly aware of the conversation coming from within. Two individuals sit at the large table at the other end of the room. They pause their conversation, and both stand as each member of your group slowly trickles in. The woman looks very traveled, with a pierced lower lip, and penetrating blue eyes. Her companion is much older, with a greying beard on his chin, and notable elven ears, also pierced several times. Both of them nod to you, but only the woman speaks, at first.
"I'm Celeste. This is Eidi. I understand you want to get into the Gauntlet. It just so happens, I'm in the market for entrants. Sit. Let's talk. Get comfortable." She waves to the last of you to close the door.
"I represent a powerful Egorian merchant, who wants a horse of his own in the competition. I'm here to interview you, for him. He'd be here, but he's due back in town tomorrow." She looks over each of you.
"What can you tell me? And what do you need to know?"
Weapon Equipped = None
Conditions = None
Life Link (8)(100’) = Eri, Mort, Raziel, Sol, Tynan
Channel Energy (9/9)(7/7) (DC: 22)(Avoid 6) (4d6+1)
Amiable Blunder (1/1) (if Diplomacy failed by >5, reroll to avoid worsening attitude)
Rod of Extend (lesser) (3/3)
Melee Attack: BAB +6/+1, Size +1 Damage: +0
Ranged Attack: BAB +6/+1, Dex +1, Size +1 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 8, Concentration +14)
Once per Day: Arcane Mark, Comprehend Languages, Mending, Message,
Zero (16): Create Water, Detect Magic, Guidance, Light, Purify Food and Drink, Scrivener's Chant, Spark, Stabilize
First (17): (7/8) Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Undead, Diagnose Disease, Enhance Water, Liberating Command, Remove Fear
Second (18): (8/8) Burst of Radiance, Cure Moderate Wounds, Lesser Restoration, Light Prison, Pilfering Hand
Third (19): (6/6) Cure Serious Wounds, Daylight, Neutralize Poison, Prayer
Fourth (20): (3/4) Blessings of Fervor, Cure Critical Wounds, Restoration
Raziel pops his head up from the bookcase, as the party is escorted to the front door. "What about me?? Am I to remain here?? I'd prefer to stay with you, but will understand if I must be patient with Eligos here."
Ascaria, still unused to such communication, stumbles in his step and stops walking so he can concentrate. ”Dear Raziel, you are a free agent, you may come and go as you please I think. What do you want from Eligos? Do you want him to send you back to Korvosa? Do you want to work with him? What can we do to help?”
Ascaria thanks Eligos for his time, and possibly relays further communication depending on Raziel, before departing.
Ascaria is impressed by the food and drink - a proper godly celebration he thinks. As Scout drifts nearby he looks lovingly at her. She seems to fit in well here. Seems happy. He figures his necklace is hers now, and tries to remind himself to let Tarquin and Christina know it’s value so it doesn’t get misplaced.
When there’s a lull, however brief, he walks to Tarquin, ”Say, have a moment?” he congratulates him on the additional business, and suggests, ”In the next day or two let’s sit down and have a conversation, shall we? I’ve a few things to talk to you about, if you don’t mind.”
During the meal, he draws a picture of the tavern, the whole of it spinning slightly out of focus, spiraling around a central figure - that of Scout, arms filled with plates, glasses, and everything imaginable - scurrying through the main room.
He tucks it in his new pack, smiling at his work, though he knows he can do better, even his average stuff is quite good these days. Might make a bob or two off these things when I retire.
Ascaria is rousted from his bed. Bleary eyed and barely conscious he stumbles down the stairs and into the main room. He rubs his eyes and grabs a pitcher along with several glasses. He Creates Water in the pitcher before casting Enhance Water to create a middling light wine - suitable anyway for a late evening sip. He pours for the party and their two guests before settling down in a chair.
”Hello Celeste, I’m Ascaria, but I suppose you already know who we are.” he yawns and apologizes for it, ”Sorry about that, it’s rather late, isn’t it?”
He stretches a little and continues when more of his companions arrive, ”Well Celeste, I must admit we know very little about the competition. I had wanted to do some research, but we just haven’t had the time. We’re not local you understand.”
”If you could give us an overview of what it entails, that would help immensely. Then we can tell you how we feel we can best fit in - with what resources you understand - and perhaps we can come to some accord.” he stifles another yawn and pays rapt attention to Celeste’s response.
"What about me?? Am I to remain here?? I'd prefer to stay with you, but will understand if I must be patient with Eligos here."
"Oh! You should come with us!" Solrisa says with excitement. "I mean, if you want! We're going to watch Mort in the Gauntlet! It will be fun. We can eat cheese and cheer!"
* * *
* * *
"I'm in the market for entrants."
"Oh! I can vouch for Mort! He's very good with his hands. And sometimes he's very good at playing oops-topsy! Yes, he'd be a very good entrant," Solrisa smiles at Celeste after introductions are made.
"What about me?? Am I to remain here?? I'd prefer to stay with you, but will understand if I must be patient with Eligos here."
Mortimer hesitates on the way out, glancing curiously over his shoulder at the pseudodragon. Didn't he want to go? ... Maybe we're interesting? That's O.K.! I guess he changed his mind. Grinning broadly, he gestures with his head "Come with!" invitingly before following the others out.
~~~
Returning to the Crooked House, Tarquin bids you clean up, and ready for your dinner.
Mortimer heads to his room to tidy up. He looks in the mirror and grimaces. Whoa! So much for 'Salon Mort'. What was I thinking, in doing that anyway? Probably best from now on to just ... be me 'as is'. He tidies himself up before heading down to greet Scout and take his fill of food before returning for bed.
When awoken, he groggily follows everyone to the private room. What time is it?!! I wonder what pseudodragons eat ... Upon arriving, he perks up his aspect as best he can in an effort to look wide awake despite his fogginess.
"I'm Celeste. This is Eidi. I understand you want to get into the Gauntlet. It just so happens, I'm in the market for entrants. Sit. Let's talk. Get comfortable." She waves to the last of you to close the door.
At what time is it usually that people sell their souls to devils? Is now that time?! He suppresses a yawn while listening intently to the others re-iterate and support his interest in participating in the Gauntlet.
"A horse you said?" he asks, looking back and forth between Celeste and Eidi.
"What about me?? Am I to remain here?? I'd prefer to stay with you, but will understand if I must be patient with Eligos here."[/i]
“Yes, come with us. You are welcome!”
Eri sits down and digs in to the feast. When he is full he has a little bit more and sits back to watch the room. When he’s awakened he is slow to move and slower to talk. Mostly he sits and feels uncomfortable. He tries a little of Ascaria’s wine hoping it will equalize him.
She sniffs at them, pokes at them, and then arranges them in the room. She is pleased.
Then she notices the note and read its it, looking around for Mort as if he might be in the room and she had just missed him. She smiles at herself when she realizes she didn't.
As a result of her good mood (not that she needs the flowers to help that), she dresses for dinner (into her casual leathers) and brushes her hair. She adds a single blue flower from Mort's bouquet into her hair.
She breezes down to dinner.
"Mort! Thank you for the flowers! They are very flowery!" Solrisa says aloud, in front of everyone, and with a smile. She sits herself not near Mort, but not close either as if where Mort was sitting had no impact on her decision of where to sit herself.
"Dear Raziel, you are a free agent, you may come and go as you please I think. What do you want from Eligos? Do you want him to send you back to Korvosa? Do you want to work with him? What can we do to help?"
"Come with!"
"Oh! You should come with us! I mean, if you want!"
"Yes, come with us. You are welcome!”
Raziel glides from the bookcase, and tucks himself into the crowd of people passing through the front door. "Perhaps this is all too much for the old man, at this time. I'll let the circumstance settle, then will possibly want to return to visit with him, when he seems less, uh, distracted."
"Say, have a moment? In the next day or two let’s sit down and have a conversation, shall we? I’ve a few things to talk to you about, if you don’t mind.”
Tarquin smiles and nods, himself distracted by the busy business of the evening's crowd. "I rise early, if it's easier for us to sit. Late evening is harder to predict these days."
...
"Well Celeste, I must admit we know very little about the competition. I had wanted to do some research, but we just haven’t had the time. We’re not local you understand. If you could give us an overview of what it entails, that would help immensely. Then we can tell you how we feel we can best fit in - with what resources you understand - and perhaps we can come to some accord.”
Celeste regards the gnome, glad for a reference point.
"That sounds like a good place to start. The Gauntlet is a five-day affair. Including today, we have three days, before the competition rounds begin. It is a four-round elimination event, interspersed with spectacle fights between gladiators and exotic beasts. This year, they're going big, so individual fights have been expanded to team battles. Each team can have no more than eight members. Familiars do not count as such, but animal companions, mounts, and cohorts do. From what we've gathered,"[b] Celeste nods to Eidi, [b]"there is to be a grand dinner on the arena floor on the first night, welcoming all competitors, and allowing them to associate freely. From there, the teams are escorted even deeper, into the Coenoby, where they remain until the finish of the event."
She pauses for a moment, before continuing. "Please do not feel obligated to answer, but why do you consider entering the event? You're not going to attempt a direct assassination on Loris himself, are you?"
Thinking to Raziel, "Tell the others that I don't know if we should be saying things like that out loud, not with possible clairvoyance being used.
"I'm up for group combat if everyone else is. Also, a grand dinner sounds lovely."
"Intersting. Groups huh? I dunno how well we five would fare against a team of eight, but I'm with Eri here. I won't let Mort go it alone if we can join in and help out." Ascaria looks confident, smiling, glad his armor will be ready in time.
"We're entering because we want to get to know Loris, among other things. But we aim to win it, if that's your concern. We're no second rate group you understand. What concerns might your sponsor have - and what exactly is their role in all this? I guess what I'm asking is, why do we need a sponsor?"
Mortimer "grills" the pseudodragon.
"So, Raziel -- what did you think of Eligos? His familiar? What is it exactly that you like to eat?"
"Mort! Thank you for the flowers! They are very flowery!"
As soon as he hears her speak, Mortimer redirects his attention from pseudodragon to Solrisa. As she breezes into the room wearing a blue flower in her hair, he stands and smiles meekishly at her, then gestures broadly at the table in invitation. He waits for her to seat herself before reseating himself.
The flowers! They arrived!
"That flower in your hair is like the blue flame you keep in your shield. It looks lovely!" He looks thoughtful for a second, then suddenly whips the diadem off of his own head (allowing his cowlick to flop in front of his eyes), cleans it, then holds it out to her. "Hey, I bet that this would go well with both! I think it's really more of a woman's thing. ' want to try it on?"
If Solrisa is open to this suggestion, he places the diadem on her head.
~~~
"Please do not feel obligated to answer, but why do you consider entering the event? You're not going to attempt a direct assassination on Loris himself, are you?"
"If you don't mind me asking, I find that that's a bizzare question to ask. Does that sort of thing come up or happen often?"
Solrisa politely refuses Mort's diadem, explaining that wearing two such things would be too much to handle. She smile at Mort's thoughtfulness, but declines.
* * *
"It is a four-round elimination event, interspersed with spectacle fights between gladiators and exotic beasts...but why would you consider entering the event?"
Solrisa smiles, then blushes.
"Oh, I don't know that I am. I have two questions: one, in terms of entrants, are we fighting other entrants? And two, are these fights to the death? I could never kill someone for sport or game. If this is to the death, and if we truly seek Loris, then we would need to find another way. If we are to battle beasts and evil things that need to killed, then perhaps I could enter."
"I'm up for group combat if everyone else is. Also, a grand dinner sounds lovely."
Celeste looks directly at Eri as he makes his pronouncement, and nods, a pleased look on her face.
The feeling you get when you do something that makes someone you love feel proud of you? You feel it now, in Celeste's presence.
"Interesting. Groups huh? I dunno how well we five would fare against a team of eight, but I'm with Eri here. I won't let Mort go it alone if we can join in and help out."
Celeste looks directly at Ascaria as he joins Eri in his pronouncement, nodding, the same pleased look on her face.
The feeling you get when you do something that makes someone you love feel proud of you? You feel it now, in Celeste's presence.
"We're entering because we want to get to know Loris, among other things. But we aim to win it, if that's your concern. We're no second rate group you understand. What concerns might your sponsor have - and what exactly is their role in all this? I guess what I'm asking is, why do we need a sponsor?"
Celeste smiles. "'Getting to know' Loris. I see. As for winning it, you're certainly encouraged to try. It will mean more days for you to... 'get to know'... Loris. To your question, you need a sponsor, for sponsors hold the licenses. Expensive licenses, and licenses which have already been sold to the highest bidders. Revenue animal for the city. Ekaym possesses said license."
"If you don't mind me asking, I find that that's a bizzare question to ask. Does that sort of thing come up or happen often?"
Celeste turns to the giant, and raises a single eyebrow. "The question has never come up, until now. If I understand Eligos correctly, Loris has already made an attempt on your lives by hiring Zyrxog. So, for you, this is personal, is it not? I would only caution you against a direct assault on Loris, because you would never make it out, alive."
"Oh, I don't know that I am. I have two questions: one, in terms of entrants, are we fighting other entrants? And two, are these fights to the death? I could never kill someone for sport or game. If this is to the death, and if we truly seek Loris, then we would need to find another way. If we are to battle beasts and evil things that need to be killed, then perhaps I could enter."
Celeste brings her countenance around to the maiden. "Yes, more questions, please. I am glad, because it speaks to your character and disposition. Yes, you will be fighting other entrants, and possibly those exotic beasts, depending on your draw. Those fights are not to the death. At any time, either team can surrender. The surrenders are honored." The blue-eyed woman looks on Solrisa a little longer. "Are you the Heart of this group? You are the first to ask about the killing."
Celeste turns once more, to face Tynan. "You sir. You must be Tynan. Or should I say 'Shy-man'? You have yet to speak here. Are you reserving judgment until the very last? What would you like to know, if it hasn't already come to light? From the accounts, it was your life that was saved, wasn't it? Has that given you pause? It would be most understandable."