Varian watches the glowing gem and the inkpen rise up in some surprise and wonder and it takes him a few moments to call the others over. "Zed, Corum, you should come see this... someone more versed in magics should examine this... what's happening here?"
Zed waves Corum back "Go check it out, I'll keep watch"
The inkpen hovers a foot above where it was placed on the table; point down. The brightness of the glowing gem increases slightly.
It looks like the inkpen is waiting for something to write on.
Corum sets some parchment down and watches for the pen to write.
The inkpen lowers to the parchment and begins to write...
"You must leave this place. Gather your collections. The village is surrounded by the burrowing dead. Meet the Duergar scouts here... one hour before first light."
It quickly draws a map of the village and nearby woods, then draws an "X" a mile or two northwest of the village.
"Show them this paper and they will lead you through."
It then signs the name... "Migthwet"
The pen drops, and the glow fades from the gem.
The elf points to paper and comments seriously"
"Looks like I have an appointment early tomorrow. Things are going to get even more tough, so it is gut check time. I know you have been through a lot lately. If you want to see this through, you can be ready to move two hours before dawn."
Suny raises an eyebrow. "Uhh you need to get more sleep... those guys don't look like the type that take breaks for catnaps."
She starts reading "Heh." then out loud super-serious... "This is phase one of the directive our sect, the appeasement of the Eoxians. Though their knowledge has advanced the causes of the Silver Sun exponentially, this divergence from the shackles of their moralities will mark the beginning of our split. Forgive us for the horrors we will visit upon our own to do what must be done in order to save mankind. The Quadrivium will be our salvation. Magnus Horth. Bishop of the Black Sun. Protector of Mankind. ... yeesh."
While on watch, Corum speaks to Zed briefly.
"You are quite a capable adventurer and think quickly on your feet. I am honored to make your acquaintance. Karthak, the dwarven inquisitor watching the witch, lacks your style."
Corum brings anyone that can be roused into a quick planning session at the end of the watch he shared with Zed and shows them the paper.
"I plan on making this appointment leaving two hours before first light and stopping to see Horth. I have the cane, so we can say we are working for Sirius Horth if questioned. You can all claim to be doubles that were put in place by Horth. I don't like dark creatures, so I have no problem fighting them. But I think we want to learn as much as possible. With what has been going on around here, information is power."
He looks around the table. "Anyone want to back out?"
Regardless of the answer, he smiles: "Rest for me and Zed, keep them from stealing me or Zed and leaving you a more docile replacement."
Corum heads off to rest.
Zed laughs "Are you kidding me? Doing this kind of stuff is my job" he grins "Let me do the talking"
"I have no intention of backing out... count me in for sure."
It is about 3:30 in the morning when you find yourselves all fully rested. Brother Sverin still has not yet come for the deceased.
In the time of your stay in Room 3, you eventually venture into the bathroom. In addition to a large mirror, noble taldane-style bathroom fixture, wash basin and stand... there is a teak and brass tub. The tub is heated by a similar gnome-gineered plumbed furnace device, but higher quality than that of the Belching Badger. Around the tub are cut ropes, and sword hacks on the teak siding of the tub. Inside is the same glob of jelly-like substance as discovered before.
I assume you have been up a couple hours (3:30 am)... and are therefore able to meet up with the others?
Corum uses his knowledge of magic to figure out the residue. He suspects ectoplasm or spellplasm of some sort.
"Glad to be powered up. Zed, our talking man, you can take the lead. I will be Mayor Doyle in a new body if it comes up. I have the prop."
The elf points to the cane.
"Shall we check on the prisoners and see if our mayor had anything to say or anything of interest on him?"
While Braxton starts to set up, Corum is able to get some rough ideas regarding the glob.
Before he can share his thoughts, there is a soft knock at the door, and a muffled voice "Terribly sorry sirs... The young ladies insisted they are guests here as well. I do apologize... I am of course aware of the hour..."
There is some sort of constant arcane activity in the substance... You cannot tell how it works, but the effect it seems to have is sustenance and lowering of mental defenses by contact with the skin.
The substance bears a resemblance to brain mold used by derro for mental enhancement... and usually insanity. This glob is more of a green/yellow hue as opposed to the bright blue of the brain mold, and it isn't luminescent... but otherwise looks the same.
Zed silently motions for the others to get ready, then walks to the door.
Zed yawns quite audibly, and scuffs his feet as he comes to the door "Well I am little annoyed you woke me up, but I can hardly deny access to some young ladies" Zed palms his dagger and keeps it so that the door blocks his hand that's holding it, and he opens the door
*Sunny bounces in presenting a covered platter....Closely followed by Suny also who arrives bearing another platter.*
"Hey-YA there!" (^_^) Are Sunny's first words to the group. "I done had some more shrooms made up, with lots'a nice fresh toast an' there be some strips of...um...bacon...an' more shrooms an' tha' butter be fresh..." She settles her load upon the largest, free table thence helping Suny settle hers. Sunny continuing to burble about many things seeming trivial, such as the wonderful quality of next door's shrooms as opposed to here, until the door and the person who showed them into the grouping have departed.
"I thought t'would be best ta' use somat like a code word or such, y'know, given whut we face be critters who can wear t'others faces, like." She grins with a mischievous wink.
"So...I kind'a thought tha' shrooms would best pass muster, kind'a, y'know like a test." Sunny thence pulls the various books she and her friend have kept safe.
"Tha' fellers we wus talkin' too..um...yesterday, they seemed in'erested in these." She puts said books where ever people indicate. "So...we kept 'em safe an' maybe ye can es'plain whut they's about."
"So....why's people bein' up this early in'a mornin'? I mean, I can understand it. I like gettin' up early some times too, y'know, ta' watch maybe tha' sun come up...or get out ta' tha' beach an' get some nice, early mornin' waves ta' ride on....or..." And Sunny's tales ramble off about all the myriad things a sun bronzed Elf might do with the very wee, early hours of a morning. As she chatters away, Sunny slips her arms around Suny and the pair hug.
Rodley stands with his lips slighted parted and eyebrows raised... as if ready to say "If that will be all..." once Sunny stops prattling. He absently inspects his fingers for moment, and scratches something from his fingernails...
Sunny is still speaking, so he just nods with an awkward "thank you sir" smile and half-bow... turning to leave.
Suny fishes something out of a pocket, skips over and hand it to Rodley,
"Thank'e muchly fer lettin' us in an' leadin' us ta' our mates an' all at this time of tha' day." She gushes even as she gently moves Rodley to the outside of the door before closing it. Turning and bouncing back to very one else and helping them 'tuck in' to the breakfast supplied. (^_^)
(^_^)
Rodley takes the coin Sunny gives him, and begins to shut you door, it takes a second to register that he has just been tipped he says, "uhh Thank you young lady." before shutting the door.
With the breakfast crowding his attempts to set up his alchemy equipment, Braxton shrugs and packs it up to eat. He mentions it might be easier to set up at Errik's House anyway.
After your early breakfast you leave Clio and Vern's. There are a pair of lamps lit in front of the town hall, and you see the glow of a couple patrolling watch lanterns. Apart from that, the little village is dark. Just a few stars and the slim moon are breaking through the clouds.
You go across the square, and are led to Errik's by Corum and Braxton. You have a little more than thirty minutes before the time of the meet with duergar scouts.... which was scheduled for someone at Room 3 for an hour before first light.
You see light in one of the windows by the front door, and you hear a raised voice. "Blast it girl... I've had it!! Brother Sverin... get in here'n' magic this girl to sleep!... Huh? Someone at the door? Ooooh.. better not be one'a yer tricks!"
The front door opens and Karthak the dwarf is there. He appears to have some sort of porridge all over his face and red beard. "Ah..." He notices the food on his face being noticed, and flings his dripping beard up to wipe it. "uh.. little wretch... she wouldn't eat... wouldn't eat. Kept asking fer something else.. wouldn't sleep. Then says her food smells funny... so... I smelled it..." He grumbles as he swings the door further open. "and she kicked it in me face." He leans back so he can peer sternly in the door just inside... which causes poorly-stifled cackling from an out-of-view young female to erupt within the room.
"Barrel'a jerky right here inside the door... you know what to do." By the look in his face, his casual demeanor is coming from lack of sleep.
"Brother Sverin is watching Doyle and that fella that looks like that other fella... but they are sleeping... like . Those two cyphermages are straight back, and their half-orc buddyguard is nappin in there."
Sunny frowns a little at Master Dwarf's comments.
"Um...maybe tha' lass could do with, y'know, lady help?" Sunny offers.
Karthak reddens "uhh... she's not really me type. "
Sunny just tilts her head, obviously not understanding what ever it is that Karthak is meaning.
"Um...whut I were meanin' is'at m'self an' m'freind here," And Sunny indicates Suny who is standing behind her, "Might be, bein' lasses our selfs, be in'a place ta' understand whut t'is whut's got yer lady friend all so seemin' out of sorts. Ye ken?" She suggests with a smile. (^_^)
Karthak shrugs "All yours... I'mma go'n get one these robes back here ta fingerwiggle the slop from me face. They been up all night scribbling spells inta their little books. Should come back'n take a peek at what we picked off that no good Mayor."
"Oh and uh.. " He looks to Braxton then across the others among you. "Think Brother Sverin was lookin ta get some input from you folk too... there's a big meeting today at the town hall to assign a new leader'n some other real important stuff." he refers to this town meeting with sarcastic feigned interest in the politics of this little settlement.
Sunny glances at the others, "Um...well...the lass nt' seemin' ta be goin' no wheres right now. We's goin' ta' that other thing, right?" She asks.
Karthak grumbles "Don't let me keep you."as he heads in the side room and opens door of the adjoining room. "Corum and the others are here... they gotta get goin so make it quick."
Brother Sverin approaches "I apologize... I have been here all night. I will ask Drulsk to help me move the deceased to the chapel. There will be a town meeting today to determine a new leader. With the decision comes the choice of our course of actions... if we evacuate the village as Holfstedt Moranni has suggested, send word to nearby potential allies for help and prepare to fight, or do we - as Rodley suggested, deal with them... exchange hostages for peace. Rodley was named by Doyle as his heir and successor in the event of his death, but... he is not well regarded here by most."
"If you are on our side, I think I can convince the others to stay and fight... Think on it. Come back when you have finished with your business."
Sunny steps back aways, arm around Suny, as she awaits the others input.
Zed waits till they have privacy "We cannot abandon this village. We need to get them to stay. As long as we get everything organized we should have a good chance at winning"
Suny whispers to Sunny... perception DC zero
"I got ta thinkin... If you're gonna be pretendin to be me, it wun't make much sense for me to go. Maybe I should squat here for a bit.
Don't worry... I'll be fine. I'll save some seats for the town hall thing...
Do you think that's the kinda thing we get to boo, hiss, and cheer at?"
"errrNevermind... I'll look into that, you... focus on that other stuff." and pats Sunny on the shoulder.
"Sounds good." Suny nods emphatically to show she has been paying attention.
Corum speaks to the brother with conviction:
"I have fought with Abadar against many threats. You cannot appease to make peace. If you let one man kick sand in your face, there will be three more to stand in line to do the same."
Corum looks grimly to his companions.
"Let's do this so we can come back and keep these people from giving away the farm while we are gonde/"
Corum nods to his dwarven 'friend': "Karthak, don't let these people give up to easily while I am gone. I wouldn't to come back and see you working as a stooge for the opposition."
Sunny spins around and hugs Suny,
"That be a brilliant idea!" Giving another fierce hug, "We get this thing over an' done with in'a woods an', if it be some sort of distraction ta' keep us from tha' meetin', ye can keep them folks talkin' in circles long enough fer us ta' get back int'a tha' talkin'." She grins and hugs Suny happily.
(^_^)
She turns to her friends and looks to Karthak, "Aye, Suny will taga long with ye an' help ye out ta make sure tha' folks do nuthin' stoopid t'illl we get back with some more evidence what'll help shift their minds."
Brother Sverin leaves shortly after speaking, and after you've had some time to speak privately... Karthak returns all cleaned up.
Karthak scoffs in response to Corum. "Work for the opposition? Hmmpf.. they lookin fer a babysitter?"
He replies later to Sunny after briefly working out in his head - the fact that he doesn't know Sunny well enough to be anything but polite.
"Mmhmm."
Sunny gives her friend one last hug for good luck, as well as a few, final whispered hints in soft Elvish, before she begins to skip off towards the meeting that the group has found out about off in the woods.
*Skippy, skippy, skip...*
(^_^)
You leave Errik's and head west northwest toward the location indicated by the message. It is a particularly dark night. By the time you reach the treeline, you realize you will definitely require illumination.
The meeting spot should be about a quarter-mile northwest through the woods.
Varian struggles to see through the darkness, sighs in exasperation at the futility of trying to see in the night.
He whispers softly, "I can make light, but that might give away that we are not what we appear to be if I do so."
Sunny finishes patting herself down and steps closer to Corum in preparation to his invisibility field,
"Is simple," She explains to Varian "Ye still be 'In disguse an' so be needin' tha' light ta' 'assuage suspicions' from tha' stoopid locals. Tha' natives dun't wander around in'a dark with out a light and hence, neither should tha' fake locals. Ye ken?" She offers her idea fpor a cover story about why having a light would be a good thing. (^_^)
"Lets do this..." She whispers.
Perc
Braxton tries to make it through the woods, but after a couple dozen feet of stumbling through dark woods he says he needs some light... just a little.
You are pretty certain you saw a brief faraway flash in the woods, but now can just barely make out a light glow in the distance. It is difficult to tell if it is precisely at the location of the meet, but it is in that direction (according to the map on the message) 300-500 feet maybe..?
"Hssst!" Sunny whispers. "Over there..." And she does her best to indicate the direction she's seeing things.
"It's a fire" Zed motions for anybody stealthy to move with him, advancing forwards
The light dims then disappears by the time you halve the distance... maybe another 200 feet to go.
You hear some deep voices ahead. They do not sound "hushed", but are too far away to make out easily at first.