Tyrus weakly shakes hands with Gundar, his pudgy flesh inflamed and wet.
"Yes. Get her home first. Naswel may have something to help - and he'll know where to buy clean leeches."
Luca had no doubts about Tyrus' mastery of the arcane arts. She did, however, have significant uncertainties about his methods of healing himself (he certainly didn't seem healthy right now, which was one argument against his methods...).
Not that she was hugely better off herself, having done quite poorly over the trip. She wasn't used to long, tough walks.
Your group tromps down the streets, carrying Kelsa on her stretcher. Crowds of people, not knowing what might be wrong with the woman, give you a wide berth. As you reach the richer parts of town, you are stopped several times by guards who protest you bringing a "possible disease carrier" amongst them. However, some fast talking and assurances - and the name of Mr. Naswel - get you by. You arrive at Naswel's shop a little after noon.
Naswel looks up as you enter, a smile appearing on his face. Then it quickly disappears as he sees you carrying Kelsa. "Dear gods! Is she dead? What happened?"
"A bad possession by something that shouldn't have been there." Luca answered, briefly highlighting the events that had occurred where Kelsa was. She skipped over mentioning the cave and its power source, as well as the troubles they'd had just walking home - she didn't want Naswel to think of Tyrus as being weak in any way, after all.
"It was a daemon and it was after this," Dante says, drawing the stone from a pouch. "It was using your student through subtle charm spells to summon more. We arrived in time to stop the summoning. Tyrus can tell you more about here condition. Something about long term effect of such mental control."
Naswel shakes his head sadly, but holds his hand up to forestall any more explanation from Tyrus. "Yes, I know a bit about it. Poor Kelsa - such are the dangers of the Planes. What manner of daemon was it?"
After the party describes it to the best of their abilities, Naswel ponders for a moment. "I've heard of something like that. I'll need to check my hunch, though. In any case, you have brought her back alive. I shall make sure that she receives all the help she could possibly need."
Naswel turns and calls out two names. In a moment a man and a women emerge from the rear of the shop. The owner instruct them to take Kelsa upstairs and place her in bed.
"And now we return to the issue of your payment. Or reward, if you prefer. You have my thanks, and I shall honor our agreement as to a discount for you going forward. But is there anything else I might help you with? I'm a man of some consequence in the province, after all."
"Tyrus has been able to keep her sustained but if she doesn't wake up soon I fear she may not at all. You do some way to save her yes? We haven't exactly finished this until she is better."
Naswel nods. "I have many contacts who may be able to speed her recovery, and I myself know of ways to keep her body sustained until her mind can repair itself. I have every confidence that Kelsa will awake. I only hope that the daemon did not do permanent damage to her psyche. In any case, I will notify you immediately when she is conscious again."
"I suggest that you keep the stone secret from her, at least for a while. Keep it safe. Keep it safe from everyone." Tyrus looks at the stone sadly "There are secrets within it that it would be good to deduce, but it has already once corrupted a mage. We were fortunate enough to arrive to stop it before it brought through more, but this could well have become a beachhead into our world."
"It can be safely studied only with the most extreme precautions, I fear."
He sighs, loudly "As for Kelsa - I have ideas on how to speed her recovery myself. There was only so much I could do with a simple healing kit in the middle of nowhere." Tyrus goes on for a while with ideas an instructions.
"As for reward... " he pauses, then continues "We've been talking about going to Keldradt. A letter of introduction and some recommendations for travel would be most appreciated. I'm sure a man like yourself must have contacts there, in the lucrative artefact market."
"That said, I'd like to spend at least a few days recuperating, restocking and conferring with Kelsa's new physician."
Naswel picks up the stone again. A spark of realization lights in his eyes. Reaching behind his desk, he takes a key from his robes and unlocks a drawer. From within he retrieves what appears to be a small egg-shaped object formed from many materials. Whispering a quick incantation, he rubs the egg lightly on the stone.
In answer, red sparks jump away and hang bright and angry in the air for a moment before guttering out. The wisps of smoke that accompany them are foul-smelling.
"Planestone, then." Naswel says. "A very large chunk of planestone, from somewhere in the Hells. Yes, this does indeed need to be kept safe."
After Tyrus mentions Keldradt, Naswel raises an eyebrow.
"I do have contacts there, and if you should decide to go I will give you what aid I can - but I would urge extreme caution. Those ruins are exceedingly dangerous, and the rest of the area only slightly less so. I and my fellows visited them some thirty years ago - and we did not all return."
Naswel pauses for a moment, and sighs. "But then, we were told much the same thing when we set out for the city, and of course did not listen. Just... take care."
"I'll send for help for Kelsa immediately, and would of course appreciate you checking in. No doubt anyone trying to help her could use both your knowledge of the incident and expertise."
Luca looked distinctly nervous at the identification of the rock. She didn't know too much about the Hellish areas, but she was fairly certain that they... weren't allies of the things that had attached themselves to her. One group was bad, but maybe possible for her to somehow learn to deal with. Two would have been infinitely worse.
"Um... if we just check a little of the ruins at a time, I think it will be safe." Luca suggested. They had no particular need to risk their lives on a foray (and if need be, the stone warriors could probably deal with any lesser threats).
"We'd be grateful for whatever you can tell us, and any old maps you might be prepared to sell. All too easy for a newcomer to be fleeced by conmen and fooled by rumours." Tyrus smiles at Naswel.
I'm a dead man anyway.
"We'll certainly do what we can to be careful. And we are a surprisngly competent little group." The old man turns to his younger companions Luca, Dante - it will be dangerous though. If you don't want to go, please say so."
"I'll... stay with you." Luca said quietly. What she didn't say was that around Tyrus was the only place she felt safe - the specific degree of external danger was largely immaterial to her because she simply assumed it as a given.
Luca, Dante - it will be dangerous though. If you don't want to go, please say so."
Dante draws his black blade and pokes Tyrus in the belly. "So are we. Don't chicken out now. We'll need a healer. I intend to push the bounds of common sense and will need a someone to keep me competent and together."
"Ah, to be young. I'd say you'RE like my own children, but that's not the ringing endorsement one might expect." Tyrus voice is joking, but there is also a shimmer in his eyes.
"...I'd rather be your daughter." Luca whispered, quietly putting a hand over her signet ring to hide the symbol on it. Her actual family hadn't exactly been nurturing and supportive, and being raised by a wizard would have been considerably better than what had actually happened.
Naswel watches the exchange with a smile. "Very well then. I'll see what I can dig up for you, and prepare you some letters of introduction. In the meantime, why don't you go see about that recuperation? I can see you've had a hard road."
It is nearly a week before a message arrives from Mr. Naswel - after five days in the city, Kelsa has, at long last, awoken from her comatose state. The message reads: "Kelsa awake. Seems healthy, stable. Has severe memory loss. Please come at earliest convenience."
When you arrive at Naswel's shop you are ushered around the back and up a flight of stairs to a sizable apartment space that appears to occupy much of the second floor. You find Kelsa, Naswel, and a third figure in a bedroom, with Kelsa lying in bed, propped up by pillows.
Naswel steps forward. "My friends, welcome. This is Master Gauth, priest of Tessa, who has been tending Kelsa since you returned her to us." The man rises from his stool and bows as Naswel introduces him. He is an eldery, lean man with a bald head and thin, bony facial features.
"I recognize you," Kelsa says suddenly. She is intently studying your faces, as if searching for something. "A little. But I can't think of names, or when we met... oohhh, it's like trying to remember a dream you had years ago!"
Gauth pats Kelsa's arm soothingly. "Much of it may come back, in time. Try to relax - stress will only burden your mind and extend the healing process."
Kelsa bites her lip and breathes deeply, then turns to you again. "Right. Anyway, if you are the ones who helped me out, I guess I should thank you. So... thanks. Uh... could you tell me your names again?"
"Tyrus Regulus Veneficus" Tyrus bows "At your service. It is good to see you awake Kelsa, I had started to worry that your mind had fractured irrevocably."
Dante trails behind the other two as they head for an inn to stay the night. It had been a long day and a rough adventure on all of them. But somewhere along the line he couldn't help but feel he missed something. Their moment at Naswel's made him feel strangely left out. In fact he felt sympathy with Naswel as he wasn't sure what was going on or what they meant. So he waits for after dinner, after they've had some light banter about the last few days. "So Tyrus, that's the second time you've mentioned your family but I still don't know much about them. I can understand if you don't like to talk about it. You dan't have to. Mine wasn't very...loving either."
"Dante Florence. A pleasure to see you well and thinking for yourself."
"Luca." the girl said quietly, hiding her signet ring and not offering her last name. Truthfully, she didn't want to be associated with her family any more than was totally necessary... although at the same time, she was more than willing to abuse it if she thought it could be useful. (Goodness knew she didn't see any reason NOT to take advantage of them if she could, especially if it wasn't likely to get back to them...)
"So Tyrus, that's the second time you've mentioned your family but I still don't know much about them. I can understand if you don't like to talk about it. You dan't have to. Mine wasn't very...loving either."
"Oh, there's nothing mysterious there." Tyrus look bitter. "I gave up everything for them, and when I needed them they abandoned me."
He sighed "My wife was one of the great Talents of the century. Her gift for mind magics was extraordinary. I was never as successful, and when it was time for someone to raise the children, it only made sense it was me. I'd like to think they did love me, but when they had to choose sides, they chose her."
I'm thinking that basically, trying to upsell reagents with chicanery counts as a bluff of some kind. You'd get a bonus from Luca's calligraphy skills (fancy labels) as well as Tyrus' alchemy knowledge (confusing and legit-sounding descriptions, as well as being actually well-prepared). Maybe a +2 for Luca's skills and +4 for Tyrus'. So add somebody's Bluff check to that (no taking ten or twenty).
HOWEVER, there's a big element of this sort of thing that isn't established: how you find your buyer. Describe to me how you'd go about finding somebody who A) has the money to buy what you're selling for far above its normal price and B) you could convince to buy the items.
You could earn as much as 3x the usual price (which is 1sp per plant, however many plants you found).
Of course, you can also just go the simpler route (as Luca has suggested) and do craft/trade work.
"Well, pleased to meet you all. Again, I guess. I hope I remember whatever it was you saved me from soon."
After a few more brief words. Gauth indicates that Kelsa should get some more rest. Naswel leads you all back downstairs by a different route, which deposits you back into his shop.
"How have your intervening days been?" Naswel asks. "I did manage to dig up some information on Keldradt, and wrote out those letters. If you're still determined to go, that is."
"Absolutely!" agrees Tyrus "That you Naswel - we really do appreciate it. Any verbal advice would also be very useful."
"Oh. Well that was very ungrateful," is all Dante can think to put into words. That seemed far too detached a response for the emotion he seemed to usually show. But Dante didn't press and he figured he'd get even less from Luca. So he left it there for today.
"Boring. Let's see what an undead catacomb has to offer. We'll need a lot to be prepared. Holy water, good aligned weapons, lots of light, gear to get out in case of cave in, probably the services of one capable of tripping traps and locks."
Or they could just stay away from anything TOO dangerous, and not dive into the depths of the place until they were sure the shallows were safe. It all depended on what the place was like, really.
"Much of that you will find in plenty in Keldradt itself. And it's not a catacomb, it's an ancient elven city, so cave-ins are one of the few concerns you shouldn't have there. As for other advice? Don't hesitate to run back to safety, and don't go too far. It isn't just the undead that stalk that place: Such concentrated evil has drawn more evil into it. Be prepared to fight, certainly, but don't imagine that you'll be able to overcome all the dangers there with mere force."
Naswel shrugs. "But my information, and my memories, are outdated. You'll want to seek further help from those more intimately familiar with the city. These letters will help: One is to a Master Oznat, a drecnan mercenary who I've long had business dealings with. He is a laymember of the Order of Illein, as well as a guard captain in the city. The other letter is addressed to one Brienne Alvandrias, an elven woman. She ranks highly in the order, and knows me somewhat. Have you arranged for travel, yet?"
"Nn." Luca didn't answer so much as... vocalize an acknowledgment as she collected the letters in question.
"Thank you Naswel! Thank you" Tyrus grabs the merchant-magician's hand and pumps it up and down firmly. "Rest assured we shall write you as soon as we have arrived!"
"As for travel though... we have not. I'm afraid the last time any of us tried to book passage on a ship we were attacked by pirates! Might I impose on you even further to recommend a responsible - and reasonable - captain?"
Naswel erupts into a short burst of laughter. "Oh, oh dear I'm sorry. Yes, I can recommend a captain, a man I do business with. I've already contracted with him to take you to Keldradt - you should know, though, that sea traffic in that direction is not overly common, nor is it when coming back. Expect delays. This time, you are in luck - Captain Oris leaves in two days."
"Excellent! Thank you again Naswel! How much is the fare for passage?"
Naswel smiles. "I have handled it, don't pay it another moment's mind. Consider this my vote of confidence - and also a way to make it up to me by surviving this little expedition. That goes for all of you. I understand that you think you're capable, but Keldradt is one of the great sources of evil of this world. Do. Not. Take. It. Lightly."
Luca swallowed slightly, looking like she was having second thoughts about approaching the place. Well... worst-case scenario, they would probably make her run... but she was definitely planning to be cautious. Overly cautious, even. Better safe than sorry and so on, right?
"I really wish my first experience in seafaring hadn't ended like it did. I think I would really like it but its been soured. Still, its probably the fastest way. I assume we can get anything we could possibly need to combat undead and other evils in Keldradt but I imagine your prices are going to be significantly better," Dante says smiling. He planned to take advantage of the discounts now . Who knew when or if they'd be back. "I am thinking Holy Water, silver and cold iron ammunition, some potions. Anything else?" he asks the others.
"There's some spells I know of that could make all the difference - I'd like to learn them. If I had the materials then I would scribe some scrolls as well. I'm sure you and Luca could probably understand how they work."
Tyrus' magic was probably safer than what she normally used. She was excessively paranoid about her own powers, but other magic was probably safe, and she slowly nodded.
(The fact that she saw any sort of magic as relatively safe said a lot, when you sat down and thought about it for a moment...)
Naswel nods to Dante. "Fair enough. I do not tend to keep much in the way of armament here, though I can direct you to a man who deals in them. And of course my own shop carries much in the way of alchemical and talismanic protections."
With all your preparations, the pair of days pass quickly. Naswel is unable to accompany you to the docks, but he sends along a letter to make sure the captain recognizes you as his passengers. At the docks you are pointed towards a mid-sized, round-bellied merchant ship.
The captain is a tall man whose lithe appearance hints at elven blood. "Welcome aboard," he says. His accent places him as being from your own homeland somewhere in the Obansul. [b]"It's a week's voyage to Keldradt with normal winds, and that's what we're expecting. Your berths are below, and you're welcome to spend time on the deck so long as you keep out of the crew's way." In no time, he arranges for your luggage to be safely stowed and shortly after the ship hauls anchor and spreads its sails.
The southern Ottrunval coast slips by day after day. For the first it is largely flat beaches with farmland visible not far beyond, and coastal villages and towns are a common sight. You pass fishing boats large and small and the fisherfolk wave cordially up to the crew of the big cargo ship. Soon, though, the trappings of civilization pass behind you. Farmland gives way to brush, then jungle, and the beaches often rise up into imposing cliffsides. Once you pass another ship that is heading back towards Gemny, but aside from a bit of flag signalling the two vessels pay each other no mind and never get close enough for a raised voice to be heard.
As the sixth day draws to a close, you begin to see signs of old ruins at the top of the cliffs. The crew grow uneasy, and at one point the first mate whispers in the captains ear. The captain, though, scoffs, and says: "Wind's good. We'll be by it and into harbor before sunset."
Mist rises from the sea, dimming the sunlight and shrouding the shore. All at once, huge, crumbling towers rise up out of the fog. Even from this distance you can see the signs of masterful elven craftwork - there are trees growing in between the towers, sometimes seeming to be a part of them. Stone bridges weave between mighty boughs - but all of it crumbling, leaning, decaying. Even the trees seem less than alive. Around you, the ship's crew go about their business with sullen attitudes, many of them clutching holy symbols or lucky possessions, mouths moving in silent prayer.
Then the cliffside ruins fall away, as do the cliffs themselves. The mist abates somewhat, and you can see further inland. Amongst the hills is a vast multi-faceted derelict city, as dank and derelict as the rest. The docks are fallen into the water save on the far western side: there they seem newer and in good repair, if much less grand in scale. Old docks and new are separated by a heavy wall, also recently maintained. It is here that your ship pulls alongside one long, heavy pier. You can see light in the city beyond, the first signs of life you've seen shoreside in six days. Dock workers scurry forward, ready to unload the ship. "Here's your port of call," the captain says to you. "Take care."
Luca stepped out onto the dock - and let out a huge sigh of relief, slumping over slightly. "We made it..." she muttered, sounding genuinely somewhat surprised to have gone the whole voyage without incident.
(A week without her Eidolon showing up at all was nice, too. She'd actually been able to relax a bit, and that was a gift whose worth couldn't be easily measured.)
After two days nervously scanning the horizon Tyrus finally believed they weren't about to be raided, and started to relax.
That relaxation abruptly broke when they spotted the other ship, but all went calmly and the wizard started to relax again.
When the ruins rise up, Tyrus takes up a perch on the forecastle, straining to see each detail. His notebook is soon covered in tiny, intricate marks, each asking a new question or making a new observation.
"Thank you Captain! A speedy and safe voyage, thank Lianna!"
Once in the city itself - hand resting on the pouch he's hidden under his robe - Tyrus looks for a guard. "I wonder if I might trouble you for directions to where we might find - or enquire about - guard captain Oznat?" he asks politely "We've a letter for him."
He was right. As soon as Dante set foot on the ship he felt some slight trepidation. And as they sailed, his mind invariably wandered to pirate at the sight of every cloud on the horizon. To keep his mind off such things he trained with his sword. It had a surprising amount of insight for a blade still trying to remember itself. It would critique his form with minor corrections until the blade felt more like part of him than a separate entity. That have just been the mental connection but Dante thought he was getting better. And it was indeed making him forget about the last time he was on a boat. When they finally reached their destination he was feeling much better, even considering the ruined state of their destination.
Tyrus spies a trio of armed and armored people, all wearing some the insignia of a tree growing behind a wall, with the sun's rays shining through the branches. When asked about Oznat they confer for a moment, and the only woman amongst them answers. "Don't know of an Oznat. You should ask up at the keep, they know all the captains." She gives you brief directions.
Luca nodded, and it wasn't too long before she'd located a fairly normal-looking inn. There as no point in splurging for some kind of suite when a normal room was all they needed (and she was kind of tired after the sailing anyway).
The group asks their way to an inn. It turns out that the Order of Illein operates a pair of guesthouses in the city, providing affordable, clean, and safe board for travelers. They charge by the head, not the room, at half a silver per night for a bed, bath, and food for a day. Each of you is able to wash and eat before bed.
The next morning you make your way to the keep, a prominent position that nestles up against a portion of the original city walls, repaired and made to wrap around the newer area. Unlike most keeps, this one has what amounts to a front desk. Upon asking after Oznat, the elf sitting behind it takes a thin leather-wrapped tome from a drawer and thumbs through it.
"Oznat, Oznat... the name seems familiar. Hm... here we are!" As she reads the page she had found, though, her face falls. "I'm afraid I have bad news. Oznat went into the ruins for a patrol two weeks ago and has not returned, nor have any of the soldiers he took with him. He is missing, and presumed dead."
Tyrus turned white. This was not a comforting look on the large, flushed alchemist.
"Oh no!" Here we are, in a strange country, in a strange city, with no friends except a friend-of-a-friend, and that man has died this thought immediately followed by self-disgust the man died fighting monsters and you only care about yourself. Guilt warred with fear. In the end neither won.
"That's terrible news! Is there any chance? Has there been a follow up patrol?"
A few moments later he remembered the other letter "Er, I hate to ask, but is Brienne Alvandrias available?"
"Due to the hazards of the ruins, we do not mount rescue attempts, I'm afraid. All who enter know this," the woman replies. When Tyrus mentions Brienne, her eyebrows shoot up. "Nentir Alvandrias? Ah, well, I will see." She beckons over a nearby dwarf and whispers into his ear, and then he runs off. A few minutes later, another elven woman accompanies the dwarf back into the chamber.
She is tall, sharp-boned and blonde-haired - the typical elf. Dressed in blues and greens, she wears a shortsword slung across her hips. Her only decoration is a golden circlet worked to represent vines winding around her head and clutching a single emerald in the front.
"Greetings. I am Brienne. You asked for me?"
Dante is surprised by the man's reaction when Tyrus mentions the Brienne. All Naswel said was that she ranked highly in the order that ran things here but his reaction suggested she was far more important. But when she arrived she appeared dressed as no more than an armed citizen, albeit a beautiful one. Now he wished he had done some more research on this order and town for all he could do was stay silent and let Tyrus speak.