Using the cover provided by Jack and Canacha, Mirabella approaches the queen and makes her request under the pretense of just thanking her for the evening.
"Lady Manticce, thank you again for a truly wonderful event. Time has passed much too quickly. If you could spare us a few more moments of your time, we have a matter of some importance and urgency we hope you are willing to discuss."
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Manticce shushes MIrabella before she can finish her question. "My darlings, your performance at my table has alread made my decision. No need for theatrics. I already know who you are, and why you are here tonight." she says look over the five rebels with a very sharp look on intellect in her eyes. "Of course Vyre will support your bid for freedom. This little banquet is nothing compared to the complex political machine at work. When the time comes to throw off Thrune's shackles, Vyre will be there to aid you. Now I will bid you farewell." she says.
Mirabella lights up in a bright smile.
I promise, you will not regret this. Both Vyre and Kintargo will prosper from this alliance!”
This was an unexpected but welcome turn of events. Logan still had a little wine in his glass and he proposed a toast, "To the future! May it prove to be mutually beneficial!"
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As the party is about to leave Manticce holds up one delicate finger and beckons Mirabella come closer. "You have impressed me particularly tonight, I would like for you to stay behind for a - private conversation." she says waiting for Mirabella's answer.
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For a brief moment, Mirabella looks puzzled at the Queen’s request. Then her keen social instincts pick up the subtle clues in Manticce’s tone and gestures. Her cheeks instantly flush a rosy pink.
A million thoughts flash through her mind. Is this a trap? Some cruel joke? Or simply a strong, powerful woman accustomed to getting whatever she desires…
It took only another heartbeat for Mirabella to realize that she did not mind being the object of that desire. To her surprise, she found that she had secretly longed for it from the moment the Queen made her entrance.
”I…am at you full disposition, Lady Manticce. Allow me a brief moment to say farewell to my friends.” she says, her pulse rapid.
Turning to the rest of the Silver Ravens, she smiles a mischevious smile. ”It seems you will have to return to Molly’s without me. Don’t wait up…I’ll be quite safe here, I’m sure, and I have a feeling the queen and I are in for some… lengthy discussions.” she says and winks at Canacha.
With a twirl that sends her skirt and long locks flowing, she returns to the Queen’s side and places a delicate hand on her forearm, allowing Manticce to lead her from the banquet hall.
”Say, you wouldn’t happen to have a potion of neutralize poison lying about somewhere? That spicy sauce did quite a number on me and I think I should have the full use of my lips and tongue for our…conversation.” she says innocently as heavy drapes close behind them…
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As the rest of the party leaves the manor Manticce leads Mirabella up the stairs for their private conversations.
Manticce’s bedchamber is rather large with luxurious furnishing. Like the rest of the manor the spider theme also extends here too. Her bed has a beautiful crimsom blanket with a silvery spiderweb that seems to fit bottom of the queen’s dress. A few moments after arriving at her chambers a servant brings in her tray with a potion bottle, a crystal pitcher with a slightly sparkling drink and a lot of ice, and two crystal glasses already filled with the drink, setting them on a small bedside table, bowing to the queen and leaving the room.
The queen takes one of the glasses and lay herself seductively on the bed, baring one of her legs for you to see and curl her tail around. ”This drink is quite simple but it makes the feeling of touch on the body much more sensitive, take a sip and you'll understand.” she says drinking the content of her glass. After Mirabella has drunk the potion and tasted her drink, Manticce beckons her to join her on the bed. Once you join her she fishes an iceclub up from her glass while she whispers to you ”Have you ever enjoyed the sensation of an iceclub to your skin, it's quite and amazing experience after have drank this. I wonder how you react to it.” she says pulling Mirabella in for a passionate kiss while holding the ice club against the skin of Mirabella's neck, letting the the smelting water flow on it's own.
Mirabella takes in the sight of Manticce’s lavish bedroom with a mixed sense of admiration and excitement. She feels the flush return to her skin with the anticipation of what is to come. This is not her first intimate encounter, not even her first experience with another female, but she has no doubt that this night is going to be extraordinary in every sense of the word.
Her suspicions are confirmed when she drinks the potion and the sparkling drink. Immediately, she feels the blisters heal in her mouth and her entire body tingle with heightened emotion. She shivers with delight at the touch of ice on her exposed skin and returns the queen’s kiss passionately, biting gently on her lower lip. Then she rolls onto the bed and surrenders to the full force of Manticce’s lovemaking skills.
[Redacted]
[Even more redacted]
[Ohh my…]
[*Fireworks*]
As the last tremors of her ecstasy subside, Mirabella stretches on the tangled sheets, letting her auburn curls flow over her naked body. Her glamourous dress lies discarded in a heap besides the bed and she may have sprained a muscle in her thigh.
”That was…spectacular. I never knew a tail could have such tantalizing uses. You certainly live up to your title, my Queen of Delights. And I am you most loyal subject. If this is going to be the nature of our alliance, I’m going to have to insist on close and frequent diplomatic contact between our two nations,” she purrs.
Sitting up, she flashes a wicked smile at the beautiful tiefling.
”And since any successful alliance is beneficial for both parties, I believe it is my turn to bring something to the table. I suppose I’ll just have to find ways to compensate for my shortcomings in terms of prehensile body parts,” she says, pulling Manticce down onto the bed. ”Unless…”
With a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, Mirabella reaches for her spell component pouch. A few seconds later, her shapely halfling form has been replaced by a golden-furred varana female, complete with a long limber tail. Mirabella giggles as she flicks her new appendage and flexes the long toes on her hand-like monkey feet.
”Now, let’s see how I can put all this to good use while the spell lasts…” the monkey-people version of Mirabella smirks as she caresses the queen’s leg with the tip of her temporary tail.
[Definitely redacted]
[*More spellcasting*]
[Downright dirty]
[*Earthquake*]
"Uh... well right then. Guess she will be busy."
The dhampier blushed a little while clinging to Jack. A slight frown upon her face she sniffed and started to whisper lowly for only her friends to hear really.
"Do you think we should follow that murderess and uh... get rid of her. I didnt like the way she looked at people.... and we should take care of that slaver too. Think you could find them Jack? for me?"
She finished with a slight pout letting her fingers tease and twirl in his hair.
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Jack gave Canacha's request a great deal of thought before answering. "For you I could do anything! But...that sort of thing might undo anything we've attained this night. Remember--Lady Manticce is but one of several kings and queens in Vyre; we might tick off any monarch those creeps might be associated with. Worse, they might bring the hammer down on Queen Manticce if it gets out that we were at her party this evening."
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The next morning when Mirabella wakes up, she finds that Manticce is already up and reading on some documents. It takes a few moments for her to notice you are awake. ”Ah you have awoken at last, I was wondering if you would sleep untill noon. Good morning, I apologuise to leave you sleeping for yourself, but my work demanded I started going through some documents for the city coming through this morning. I also need to make arrangement to speak with the other royalties about our little deal of support, mostly just to inform them on the matter. I took the liberty of asking the kitchen to make you the same breakfast as me so enjoy some food.” she says pointing to a lid covered tray containing some deviled scambled eggs with toast and a glass of fresh orange juice along with a can of coffee the queen has already partaken of.
After Mirabella has had a chance to eat Manticce tells her to follow as she leads you to the front where a carriage is waiting. ”I have some errands I need to attent to so I'll at least have the driver take you to Molly's hostel along the way. I am just going to get Vyre starting on preparation for when you come calling for our aid. When the time comes you will have both Vyre and my personal alliance to come to the aid of the Silver Ravens. I do also have some words of warning for you, one of my guests from last night seemed very interrested in your little group. Hei-Fen may be an old woman, but she is a wererat and a crazy Norgorber fanatic, I don't think she would try anything, at least not in the juristiction of Vyre. But she might make trouble for you in Kintargo, if she asks other fanatics to act in her name, so watch out for signs of the Norgorber in your travels.” she says as she bids Mirabella farewell for now.
In the morning Captain Sargaeta meets the party at the Seven Appels, ”I apologuise for coming to find you this early, it seems we have to sail from Vyre today to make room for some trading vessels coming in today. We plan to set sail in the afternoon going back to Kintargo for our own restocks, while we can get some here we need some things we can only get from the Navy quatermaster so it would be better to acquire all our needs at once so they don't start spoiling at different times.” he says taking his leave to prepare the ship giving you around half a day for shopping if you have things you'll like to buy before returning.
Manticce's businesslike behavior in the morning serves as a stark reminder to Mirabella that the pleasant interlude in Vyre is rapidly coming to an end. There are still many bloody and dangerous deeds ahead before Kintargo can wrest itself free from the opressive grasp of Thrune.
When the carriage drops her off at Molly's, she greets her companions fondly, but swiftly goes to her room to change into her regular clothes and armor. Her sense of urgency is appearant when she rejoins the group.
"I trust you all managed to stay out of trouble while I was busy "securing" our alliance with Vyre. I'm pleased to confirm that we do indeed have the full support of both the city and Manticce personally. However, I have learned some disturbing news. Molly, this concerns you as well"
She pauses to sip from her coffee and make sure everyone are listening.
"It turns out that the old tian woman that was among the guests last night is none other than Hei-Fen, the last surviving leader of the Grey Spiders. While the guild has been broken, she is still a significant threat. Manticce revealed that she is a wererat and a crazy Norgorber fanatic. She is unlikely to try anything in the juristiction of Vyre, but she might ask other fanatics to act on her behalf. So, we had better watch out for signs of the Norgorber when we return to Kintargo."
The arrival of Captain Sargaeta interrupts her, and she agrees that they should all prepare to depart as soon as possible.
"Thank you for all your help, Molly. We could never have secured the alliance without you. I hope we meet again soon and that the deeds we returned to you bring good fortune."
"I was gonna follow that slaver or the murderess last night but they talked me out of it... well and the honeymoon. "
She giggled and blushed at Jack. She quickly got serious though.
"should we try to see what we can dig up on that old tien woman while we make some purchases? I know i could maybe use some things for my gunsmithing....shopping date Jack?"
'...I was busy "securing" our alliance..."
Funny way of saying consummate thought Logan who tried his best to keep a straight face. The news of fanatics however quickly turned the mood sour and Logan remarked, "The cultists are likely to be a problem, we must be wary as you say. Well to Menador's Gap then, and if they come they shall taste my blade."
This wasn't intended as a boast, rather the realization of a grim reality.
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"Well I knew she was a wererat, we kinda know each other in this town. But I didn't know she was among those who stole my deeds all those years ago. If she has been keeping up with her training should would not be an easy opponent. We old rats can have a nasty bite, even at this age." Molly responds to Mirabella.
”I trust Manticce will keep an eye on her here in Vyre and her connections are better than anything we might learn in an afternoon. But once we get back to Kintargo, we should see if we can have some of our people infiltrate the local Norgrober cult so we can get advanced warning if they start to make trouble.”
”We should also beef up security in and around the Lucky Bones. Since it was the Grey Spider’s hideout, we should assume Hen Fei knows all the traps and hidden passages. We may want to install a few new surprises, in case she sends people after us there.”
If there is a chance Bicks will check to see if any news has come from the Menador Gap chatting with servants and gardeners and other people so often forgotten by the powerful that they overhear things.
When we are closer to the region Bicks will look at which plants have been recently eaten, trampled, or clawed by animals. This can often tell of omnivorous predators; rangers and scouts foraging and traveling light; warriors traveling with animal companions or the frequency of pack animals bringing in supplies.
While doing that he will make the normal perception checks for dangers, scouts, tails, and trails.
Logan had the benefit of an expensive education, surely he knew something of the history of the Menador Gap?
Alas he'd been daydreaming during that particular lesson and hadn't taken much in.
To the others he suggested, "Perhaps we should quickly ask around if there is any news of the Menador Gap before we leave. Afterwards I think a discrete scouting mission is in order."
Hearing the others discuss reasearching the gap she nods along.. it is a great idea after all, thankfully she has some connections...
"Hey Handsome (To Jack), want to come see some folk about the gap with me? I will wear something... steamy."
She began with a giggle. She was already writing a note to well he kinda semi secret friend, asking if she had time for a quick meeting...when it hit her. She should stop by and See Rexus after all he had been looking into things and may have heard from Meliora as well... She missed Melly so much. She was positive she would have had nothing but good vibes about her actually getting together with Jack!
Jack has no complaints about going with Canacha to see Rexus; on the contrary, he seems quite intrigued by the idea (or of seeing Canacha wear something steamy).
"When we get back to Kintargo, lets go talk to Rexus. Maybe we'll get some good advice and background info." suggested Logan after Bicks shared what he'd overheard about Menador Gap’s being closed to traffic.
Bick shares what he knows with the group. "Travel back could be tough without some expert liars or some sneakery."
”That’s not a hard choice. As a group, we’re neither stealthy or good at blending in with the landscape. But a couple of us can lie and bluff well enough to convince a succubus to take up a life of chastity. Perhaps we could disguise ourselves as a team of special agents sent to help secure the fortress against sabotage. With a little careful prepreation, we should be able to forge orders bearing Thrune’s seal.”
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”But a couple of us can lie and bluff well enough to convince a succubus to take up a life of chastity.”
As you return to Kintargo, the voyage quite and uneventful, there seems to be a buzzing in the air and you overhear some of the dockworkers unloading ships talking. "It's typical that we get all this work in just because the Lord Mayor wants to throw a party." One says with another chiming in. "Yeah rather than think of the citizenry, as soon as he wants to impress the nobility and other influentials, we need to get the fine stuff in." It doesn't take long for you to find out that Thrune is planing a masquerade ball which is invitations only, it is scheduled to be an evening two weeks from now.
"Thrune is thowing a party? Something tells me that we should find a way to chrash that. No doubt there is some sinister scheme behind it. I guess that puts our little field trip on a tight schedule."
"Mmm, I wonder who will be invited to that? We should ask around. Also lets remember to update the security in case those cultists try something." mused Logan.
"What kinds of 'fine stuff' is being shipped in? Do they have a special delivery company to keep it safe?" Bicks asks, look for any information that may help them get into the party.
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One of the dockworkers look towards Bicks and answers. "Currently it's mostly fabrics and other materiales used to make dresses and masks for the event. But I expect the Lord-Mayor would soon have special edibles brought in from around the Inner Sea, those nobles like to impress others with the strange things eaten in other nations."
As you arrive at the hideout under the Longroads coffee house, for the first time since you took the Lucky Bones, you see a bustle of activity as Laria is busy packing stuff to move to the new hideout through her the routes she previously used to help the Bellflower Network getting halflings out of Cheliax. She quickly greets you all as you head for Rexus’ office, inside it doesn’t look like anything of the office is being packed away. Rexus sits looking a little ragged but still reading through the many documents. He looks up as you have all entered ”Ah I was expecting you all to come by once you returned from Vyre I hope all went well there, we’ve already heard news from the aquatic elves. I’ve been reading through what the original Silver Ravens learnt about the Menador Gap. The Castle was carved from the mountain by dwarven engineers during the Age of Darkness, and as such left some kind of plan for a worst-case scenario. The fortress was built with a failsafe so that the dwarves enemies couldn’t use it against them, an engine of self-destruction named the Anvil of Unmaking, with which they could destroy the keep and close the pass.”
"You don't know the half of it. There's some real freaky stuff going on when fancy folk host a dinner party." Mirabella remarks wryly to the dockworkers.
To the rest of the Silver Ravens, she say, "Perhaps we can secure invitaions through our new noble allies."
Mirabella listens intently as Rexus goes over his research. "A hidden doomsday device to bring the entire fortress and pass down? That's extremly convenient, but I suppose we should not look a gift horse in the mouth. Too bad we don't know any dwarven historians who might be able to tell us more. Do we know anything about the fort's commander, other than that they are a relative of Thrune? "
She could only giggle at mirabella's comment about freaky fancy folk dinner parties... but she didnt have anything treally to add.. She was more curious about this dinner party to be honest. they had to crash it. Maybe her .... friend could help there if they couldnt find a way through other means.. That would mean letting the cat out of the bag of course... she kinda dreaded that...
"Hey Rexy so sexy... hows it hanging? Heard from Mic or Melly recently. Hope thigns are good with mic's family and Melly and her girl are okay. I miss them.
Her ears positively twitched in excitement when she hard about the dwarven engineered death trap. She loved engineering marvels like that. Studying something like that would be so awesome.. almost as cool as figuring out the reasons why the clock towers chimess were so random....Her eyes widened.
did... did someone annotate the times when the clock chimed for me while we were gone? I totally forgot about my resaerch into that.."
Logan's ears pricked up when Rexus told them about the Anvil of Unmaking. Logan wondered if he'd heard about it, but he figured he'd been day dreaming in that lesson too.
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Rexus shakes his head. "Sadly we don't know to much about him. He is kinda a haughty peacokc of a man, always eager to promote his own goverment standing and jockeying for more political power that actually command his troops. As much as we can turn up he was only appointed to the post after the paladins of Iomedea started their crusade along the borders with Andoran. My guess would be he is trying to bolster his reputation by having "wartime experience". As for his actually combat prowess I'm afraid to say we can't find anything other than he trained as a cavalier on horseback in his teens, whether he kept it up or not after being sent to court we are uncertain." he answers Mirabella's question handing her the notes about the anvil.
Turning to Canacha "I'm afraid I'm not the right now to ask about how our previous companions are doing, Laria might have a better handle on things. But I think she doesn't contract them but rather wait from them to send word when they are safe. As for your clock I haven't been told to do anything, so unless you told someone to watch it for you there is most likely as many counts in the journal as you left it with." he answers.
”Do we at least know his name?”
Jack has never heard of the Anvil of Unmaking.
”All right, here is what I suggest we do. First, we reach out to our noble allies, asking them to secure extra invitations for us to attend the ball Thrune is hosting.
Next, we forge a letter to the commander of the Meandor Gap stronghold, informing him that we are a group of special agents sent as reinforcements because the Lord-Mayor has intercepted intel that suggests that the Silver Ravens plan to target the gap.
This is meant to get us in the front gate and up to see the commander. Once alone with him, we can spring a surprise attack to neutralize or take him hostage. After that, we cause as much chaos and confusion as we can while we search for the Anvil.”
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"The notes does suggest the anvil is located in a hidden chamber above the keep. It's possible those stationed there doesn't know where it is, but there has to be a secret entrance somewhere in the keep itself, it wouldn't make sense for the dwarves to have to climb the mountain during a siege to destroy the keep and the gap." Rexus adds to the conversation.