You converse with the marshal, practicing your Common skills. It is difficult, but each conversation you learn a bit more and fumble a bit less. You ask for pointers on grammar and sentence structure. In time you will have mastered it, or at least not sound like a caveperson.
In time you see a boat heading from the lake and comes through the twin towers. The boat contains Head Marshal Hawke, Loremaster Cronin and a contingent of heavily armed and armored dwarven troopers. You also see a dwarven priest, although not the grouchy High Priest of Clanggedin that you met in the Thain's meeting.
The boat pulls up and everyone disembarks. Head Marshal Hawke nods at the group and he asks the marshal to report. She and Hawke step to the side briefly and discuss the situation. He nods and eventually steps forward. "Well done. The recovery of this item will be useful in determining the plans of the giants." He motions to the guards and they carry an extremely heavy looking box forward. It is long almost 6' long and about 2' wide. They set it on the group and open it. You see the reason for the weight, and realize it is lined with lead, and likely magicked as well. Loremaster Cronin asks to see the scepter He examines it briefly and concentrates after casting a detect magic. He turns it over and around looking at the gems and orb and the metal. After placing the scepter in the box, Head Marshal Hawke produces a thick bag, that thumps to the ground though it appears empty. They begin to slide the box into the bag, which appears to be smaller than the box until you understand it is an extradimensional bag. "That should keep that thing safe from hurting anyone, but safe from divination and scrying until the Loremaster can examine it with proper wards and protections in place. He has a full plate lately and rarely sleeps any more."
The old Loremaster chuckles, "Aye, never a dull moment around here. Go to the wilderness they said, it will be a quiet back woods semi-retirement." He presses his hand to his forehead and smiles.
With everyone packed safely, you all usher back aboard the boat and make the trek across the lake again, going through the elaborate security each time without fail. The guards seem particularly vigilant and everyone is on edge given the impending war. As before, the town is a hive of activity, bolstering defenses, fortifying, preparing. The chimneys billow black smoke as the forges run nonstop. When back in the fort, Loremaster Cronin returns to his chambers and several guards accompany him and the bag with the scepter.
Head Marshal Hawke takes you to a small meeting chamber and get a full debriefing from the group, taking copious notes. He refers to a large map and asks you pointed questions about the location of the battle and he is also curious about the ruins. He notes that the hills are full of those sort of things, remnants of bygone eras. After about an hour and a half, he stops and nods to himself, then stands, "You probably want to eat and get some rest, however there is not much time left. The success of the other groups will determine if we need to worry about this scepter and if there are others like it. Not far behind that will be the main force. Are you willing to go back out there after a day?"
"Sleeping in such heavy armor is indeed heavy, though I don't think it'll protect you from the magic of the scepter." Xanya says before she bursts out laughing loudly about the comment that the Loremaster has a full plate. "The moments are not dull if you seek the mirth in them. Full Plate can also mean armor, yes? Humor can keep the stress away."
Back at the fort Xanya answers eagerly. She doesn't seem scared or traumatized by the recent events at all, but rater eager for more. "I would not want to sit still holed up here if I could help it. Always things that needs doing there are. With a war going on it seems much better to be out there and able to affect the outcome rather than stay here and hope for the best. I hope we can go out there better equipped this time though. Even if it wasn't magical the scepter would be worth a pretty penny and it's magical and then some. We also found some gems and such in the ruins that I would hope we could trade in gear that could actually be useful in a fight?"
Loremaster Cronin smiles at Xanya warmly. "It is indeed helpful to maintain good spirits in times such as these, trying as they are on ones soul. I must confess I have never been one for the battlefield, I am a lover of books and scrolls and dusty tomes."
Head Marshal Hawke nods at Xanya gravely, their previous conflict seemingly in the past. "You are welcome to try and sell the gems in town, although with the impending battle, equipment is hard to find. Much of it has been bought up, although some enterprising and daring merchants have been able to bring in their wares lately from within the kingdom to the south and east. I fear these shipments will stop soon enough as the giants come closer. Most of it has been food and some raw materials to help us survive, and the Thain has purchased most of it. More may come, but we are stretched for anything but the basics."
"The scepter is another story. Clearly valuable, but no one in this town has the wealth to purchase something like that aside from the Thain, who may also decide to keep it as a weapon of war. I cannot vouch for him of course, though hopefully you would be compensated for your efforts. This all depends on what it actually does, and if it can be nullified. I would doubt that something like that will never sell on the open market here, as it could fall into the wrong hands if it is indeed a powerful weapon. Discussion regarding its fate will be ongoing."
"How are you provisioned currently for another sortie? We would have you move west this time. Another of your groups left yesterday morning that way, and yet another return last night, but had not slain any raiding party. We have a different mission for them now but that means we only have one group on our western front, and though they are already proven giant killers, it may be a different story for fire giants."
"Tell me Head Marshal. What has changed in our absence? I mean what do your scouts know of the armies position. I trust the others like us are attempting a similar mission? I hope they are successful. Having trained with my brothers and sisters I say now with no hubris that Xanya and myself are Goodwins best warriors. Xanya is a mounted furry and my defensive and offensive ability is unmatched. I hope our brothers and sisters perform as well as we did. If we agree to go back out what type of mission do you have in mind? I think I can speak for our unit in saying we prefer the field work as opposed to sitting an waiting on war to come. We know a time of war may not be the best time to ask for things as Xanya has said, but we have proven ourselves and struck a great blow for the war. We only ask to be rewarded in trade so that we may continue to help the Thane and his people."
ninja'd
Having heard the words of the marshal Goliath will add.
"Would we act in support to the group? Or would we be seeking other scouting groups to take down? Do you ahv information or their troop movements?"
The marshal replies, "Little has changed, although now we know the advance raiding parties of the giants are very close, and we can now speculate why. If this scepter is some sort of magical weapon, it makes sense for them to try and get it into place. We will have to wait and see if the other raiding groups also carried such devices."
"The group that returned from the west," he consults his notes, "with Champawat, Qahnaarin, Goivan, Prar and Gunther had uncovered an old ruin and returned with an item we believe can assist us. The other group," he reads from another list, "With Grobly, Tayanella, Lump, Asheranthi and Karkoran, has also gone to the west, but only more recently. Thus, you can see we are somewhat soft on that side, with only one recent group out there. I know they were delayed in their mission start because they were crafting and had engaged in some research regarding your people's quest to discover your lost mentor."
"You would be acting independantly from the other group, although if you ran across each other, you could work together, though it seems unlikely, as we will send you further west." he points to a map, "We would have you go west, and cross the river here and head this way." "You may not even reach the river before the giant raiding group is close to here. In fact we may have you work with our scouts to pinpoint any groups from the west to ensure none make it here. I see your companion Simon is capable of flight. This will aid greatly in your scouting."
"Give us a bit to rest. Make sure we have plenty of food and do what you can in materials for us to craft and we will prepare to set out. We prefer to be the tip of the sword. We will strike deep and aid in defensed of the west. What would you have us do if we defeat another raiding party. If they are as close as you say should we return to help in the aid of the city?"
Quassine bows low to Head Marshal Hawke, Lore Master Cronin, and council as they approach. And nods to conversations between them and his Brothers and sisters, then adds, "Yes, one days rest, restock of supplies including our portable lab for making alchemical creations and maybe a place where these alchemical items can be purchased, and a few other things such as swords of fine quality for our Sister Kiki is all we need. Then you can send us back into the fight. There are some new techniques I want to try out on your enemies." He bows and then speaks to Lore Master Cronin directly, "Lore Master Cronin may I consult with you? I have a few suggestions regarding the scepter and I have a few questions for a fellow scholar?"
Head Marshal Hawke replies to Goliath, "We can provision you with food, and we can provide some limited raw materials. What would you need? If you defeat another party bring the information and any items of note back here again, unless you see a larger war party or suspect danger to the fort is imminent."
He turns to Quassine, "I believe there are few places in town that can supply reagents for alchemy. There was a girl about here, that helped some of your companion groups, a small halfling girl named Jopple with an injured leg. She may be of assistance in finding what you need. I will have one of the other marshals seeks her out for you."
When Quassine asks regarding the scepter, "Indeed, join me shortly, after your meeting with the Head Marshal."
"East, west, north. Why do they come at us from all directions? Where do they originate from? If we cut them off from that direction then we won't have to worry about the others. Still, that might be to late now, they might already be too close. Do they have a larger force on the move as well and do we know where that might be? It would kinda suck to run into a legion of fire giants. I would like to see what we know of their movements on the map, given they are so close. In the end I am happy to charge in whatever direction we deem most beneficial for our cause. West is fine by me"
Quassine bows with a humble smile to Hawke, "Thank you Head Marshal!" Then to Loremaster Cronin, "Thank you, I shall!"
"maybe they attack from all sides because of the cepter, maybe it's used to set up the ancor points of a spell" Kiki holds out three hands for emphasis, moving the forth between each of them and then to the middle."[/b]
"Head Marschal, do you knows where to find bow and arrow for my size?"
[ooc]CT: can Kiki use a small bow 4-handed?[\ooc]
"Thank you Head Marshal. Understood. We will strike at them hard and fast. It is simple little sister. Their items of power must need to encircle the city. It is also common to show a multi prong attack only to hide the true attack direction. If the Thane is wise he will hold and let the city defend itself as long as it is not cut off from supplies. If they strike out they could fall for a bait and switch. This would allow the other armies to converge on the strike force as they choose a direction. This is bad for the city. The giants are smart. I will give them that, or at least the one that leads is. I would like to bath and rest now. I think I will stay out here on the lake and enjoy the water if that is alright with the rest of you and if Marshal Hessalatonica will share her camp with me."
He looks to the dwarven women for an answer.
Head Marshal Hawke replies to each question in turn. "Xanya, they come from multiple directions to maximize their chances of getting a raiding party to reach us. As Goliath explained, it forces us to split our resources as well to keep track of them. Luckily we have employed the assistance of your people to find these groups. If each group has a scepter like the one you found, then they must be each trying to reach the fort to deliver use them. How they are used we must find out, then we can determine if only one is needed for success, or multiples. Unfortunately time is not on our side. Loremaster Cronin is stretched already and is an elderly man."
"We suspect they have a larger force, hidden somehow, but if the gnolls you mentioned alluded to a larger coming army, that is something we will continue to watch for. It takes considerable time for a scout to fly that far north. As you can see by the map, there is a huge swath of territory to cover. Clearly waiting for them to get closer allows us to cover a small area, but sacrifices time to prepare. We send you west because we know of one other raiding force that is coming from that direction."
At Kiki, he says "Yes, she is probably correct. If they can get perhaps at least two or three scepters here to create a line or triangle, that may be their goal. Clearly, that is only speculation, but seems reasonable."
"In response to your question about a bow for your tiny size, you will have to have them custom made I am afraid. It is exceptionally rare for sentient races your size to be found in many cities. As you are aware and familiar, only the fey are so small usually and we have no contact with them."
"Goliath, yes the Thain is focusing his efforts on holding the fort. These walls are strong, but there is much we do not know about the enemy. It is my people who are trying to do the external tasks of scouting, and why I have engaged your assistance to move swiftly and strike with flexibility. The dwarves move slowly and while they can pack a punch, they are like a slow juggernaut, and not adept at fighting in the open wilds. They cannot adapt quickly to situations like a band of your people with a variety of talents at their disposal."
"You compliment us Head Marshal. Thank you. We had a great teacher. I will take my leave and have my rest then. I will be by the lake with Marshal Hessalatonica and her camp if I am needed. I will see you brothers and sisters in the morning as we head to the west."
Simon is attentive to the meeting, not having much to share as others cover the points that worry him fairly well.
For some reason he some uncomfortable once inside the walls of the great city. Maybe this new natural connection he has makes it difficult to be cut off from the natural world.
He starts after Goliath when he goes to leave.
Hey, Big Guy. Mind having a tag along? I kinda want to sleep outside tonight. I dunno... Being in all these stones just feels kinda... Dead? Cold? I don't know, but I'd have a hard time getting rested here. Mind if I follow? Not to mention, I can keep a lookout while you get a full night sleep.
"Sure everyone is welcome. I know some of you have business here. I am not seeking to get away. I prefer the calm to the outdoor to focus on the battles to come instead of the business of the preparation behind the walls."
"Walls are so confining. I want to be free. I too prefer to sleep under the stars. I feel a draw to them somehow. Desna promotes freedom and stars are also among her area of concern so it is quite fitting. I would prefer to trade away our spoils for equipment to better deal with further challenges before going to rest though. Hawke, will we get some reward or further equpment for our next mission? It might be nice to commission stuff Kiki's size if we can't buy them normally so they'll be ready in the future. Myself I could use a bow to match my strength, though that might be hard without magic. I've also heard about things to attach to the end of javelins to make them go further. That would be useful out in the field."
Quassine bows to Head Marshall, "Do you need to speak to me any longer? If not, I will speak with Lore Master Cronin and perhaps assist him with the scepter."
Quassine bows to Head Marshal again and catches up with Lore Master Cronin, "Can I assist you and your team decipher the scepter? Maybe there is a way to re-tune the scepter so we can turn it on our enemy? I also have a couple of questions regarding our father and if you know more of my kind? I remember others of my kin had more Psionic power than I, but I lack this power. I was wondering if you know or know someone that may have the answer to unlock this power?
"Good, well let us find a tavern and have a drink. I also would like to trade all this loose coin for platinum or gems with a money changer. So shall we have a few drinks and a proper meal?"
Hawke responds to Xanya's query about a reward. "We have not set up any system for that. I can see if the Thain will authorize more funds to supply you, but we cannot spare a great deal. You must also realize this is not a major city with merchants who can supply your every need. With the impending defense of the city, supplies are being conserved or have been pressed into use. The largest sack of gold may well do you no good. A few brave and enterprising merchants have made a last minute attempt to get their wares and supplies into the town, and some of the miners and loggers were able to bring in some of their ore and timber. So I can tell you frankly, we are set on wood, stone and iron ore, but as you well know it takes time to turn those raw materials into workable goods. "
"I do encourage you to speak with the various smiths and craftspeople in town. I frankly haven't had time to assess their acceptance yet of your people. I know that some of your groups have been purchasing supplies in town, and the larger contingent led by Tolhemia has been working hard to win over the support of the people with some success. You may find that your coin and gems may be able to obtain what you need, or at least put in an order for it. Every hour counts between now and their assault, and a quality weapon takes days if not weeks for a craftsperson."
"I know the town has an enchantress, in fact the girl Jopple, a halfing waif who used to run the logs on the lake until she was injured has been working as a liason between the groups and the merchants of town, has recently been accepted as her apprentice. If you can find her, she may be able to assist you. I hope I am not cutting you short. I consider your mission very important, but I cannot spend much more time tonight, it is quite late. I will authorize someone from the fort to assist you with your needs, and if you have any questions about your mission, I will have a marshal who is able to answer."
Hawke, runs his hand through his hair, and he looks like he has aged somewhat recently. There are dark circles around his eyes and a shortness to his tone. Hopefully when this is all over he can get some sleep.
To Quassine, "No, you are free to go, as are you all. I need to attend another meeting and work through the night on pressing matters. I will have some people meet you in the morning first thing."
Quassine, with the help of one of the fortress staff personnel, is able to find his way to Loremaster Cronin's suite. The aged seer, seemingly half awake, answers the knock and nods, ushering you inside. You note that several heavily armed and armored dwarven guards are inside his working chambers. You aren't sure if that is to keep him safe from you specifically, or safe in general. You suspect that it can't be against you as they were not aware you were meeting him. That brings some small comfort. It is more likely that the nature of his research and his value to the fort is of such importance they he is under constant guard.
When you broach the subject of assisting with deciphering the scepter he nods and says he would welcome the assistance. You see the large bag sitting nearby, the scepter safely within the extra-dimensional space and secured in the lead-lined box complete with magical wards.
A stack of books looks as though they have been pulled from a dusty crate. He has opened one so far and appears to be reading from it.
"Start by reading these books. What do you know already regarding the arcane, and rituals?"
"It appears you have been studying our tongue, but you may work faster if you are fluent in it." With that he casts a Share Languages on you. "I keep that handy lately. A lot of you folk running around, digging up things." He waves his hand absentmindedly at what appears to be a large covered painting sitting nearby.
When asked about psionic capabilities and other illithid kin, he scratches his head tiredly, "I must confess that is not my area of expertise. Perhaps when this whole meddling business of the giants and the dwarves and their 'disagreement' is over, I can help you with what you seek." He looks cautiously over the top of his spectacles at the dwarven guards standing stoicly nearby.
"I have some colleagues who may be able to assist you as well. If I get a chance to contact them, they may be able to provide assistance."
Quassine bows as the Lore Master answers the door, "Thank you for allowing me to work with you and answer my questions."
He looks at the books that the Lore master wants him to read, bows from the neck, "Thank you for the Share Languages spell. Goodwin Father intensively trains all of my brothers, sisters, and I in many forms of learning from mental to the physical. When we were living in his pocket dimensional home, I worked in his lab assisting him in his endeavors including converting an Illithid Brain into a control center for various applications which I plan to continue working on with him or on my own depending on his fate. Since I was his lab assistant, I have learned a lot of knowledge but I am quite certain there is a plethora more information for me to learn and remember. What I have learned about the scepter is that it is some kind of siege weapon, ritual in nature, and that is of course what I could only glean in the field without any books to reference."
Quassine picks up a really old book on "DROW, THE PERFECT MAGICAL SIEGE EXPERTS, "Ah yes, the Drow are quite proficient in Magical Sieges. In fact, the drow were attacking my Illithid Captor's compound when Goodwin Father rescued me from termination because see, I am a botched transformed Illithid." Quassine begins to scan the book for any relevant information, and continues, "The Illithid are not born in the traditional sense. They are made by combining a Illithid larva that originates from an Illithid Brain egg and a chosen Illithid seed donor, and they are so boring in this union because true passionate love making is inefficient to the Illithids. The larva is then implanted into a captured humanoid or whatever Illithid they want to make which even includes Illithid Beholders. I was once a Barbarian of great strength which is why the Illithid captured me. They wanted to create more protectors for the collective against the Drow. However, something did not go correctly which is why I have human features, feeble strength, and dismal Psionic ability. Really, the only Psionic power I have, is the infamous Psionic Blast but it is really a lesser form of that power. However, I can not complain too much, it did help us take down a Fire Giant and 12 Gnolls in our last battle." Quassine covers his mouth to mitigate spittle covering the book pages and surrounding area, then laughs.
"I may have something here?!" Quassine hands the Lore Master the book or reads him the possible relevant information he found.
While waiting for Lore Master Cronin to review what Quassine may have found, "I also want to thank you for wanting to help me on the path to restoring my Psionic Ability. If you can do this for me, I will be eternally grateful and praise your help to Goodwin Father when we find him. Perhaps, you can become one of our instructors?" A sad expression comes over Quassine, "I hope the latest information you provided to my other brothers and sisters will lead us to finding him. Have you heard anything else since their departure?"
Towards Xanya "I also dislike beening confined, but walls are no problem for me. If it stays dry tonight I will sleep with you under the stars, if not then I would prefer a place with a roof of some kind"
"I would prefer to visit the loremaster first Goliath, then go out to the lake, but if you can not wait or don't want to go see him I guess you can go ahead first. Either way I think we should do some shopping in the morning, commissioning items and so on, before heading out tomorrow. Not everyone had your luck finding a bow their size. Hawke, do you have Amentum to mount on the javelins to make them go further?"
Once with the loremaster Xanya downs an extract of comprehend languages so she can actually read common as well as other languages they might encounter. "Thank you for your lecture on Ilithids Quassine, but I don't see how it relates to the problem. I too have some experience with Drow ritual magic, but not more than I know it can be a possibility for this item. I have heard of a spell called Legend Lore which might be able to tell us more. Do you know it?"
Xanya will cast guidance and aid in whatever tasks the others undertake.
[ooc]Hawke said we were all free to go there, I assumed we all went together.[/b]"
Kiki takes her customary place on Xanya's shoulder.
"Lormaster, about scepter, does design of scepter fit with giants?"
"
"Sorry if we seem impolite, but we just want to resolve this matter as quickly as possible to get to the heart of the problem. I'm Xanya, this is Quassine, Kiki and Cryxial." Xanya curtsies.
The Loremaster chats with the group as his quarters is quite full. He looks at Xanya and Cryxial and recognizes the twin magical runes, but mentions, "Don't let your eidolon eat anything or knock anything over with his tail."
As the group discusses and reads through some of the texts, Cronin respons to Quassine's discussion about his past. "It sounds like you have had a trying life. I cannot imagine what would have occurred had you not been rescued."
When Kiki asks about the scepters design and style, Cronin replies, "No, I would say it does not seem so. I am not an expert on giant artistry, but this seems very basic, very functional. In some ways I think it may be elemental in nature. It is not unheard of for Azers or Salamanders to work with fire giants. It would be a stretch, but one I can imagine. I am of course not familiar with their ways either. I doubt I have any texts here about them."
"What's that you have there Quassine?" he looks at the book you are perusing. "Hmm, well its possible. The concepts discussed here could indicate the scepter's manufacture is drow like, but the methods discussed here are not known only to them. Unless it is a secret style of magic, other races and people quickly adopt what works well. Also, the design and artristry are not Drow like at all. The Drow are fond of opening gates to the lower planes and working with demonic forces. That 'could' be what we are dealing with her. It's possible this could be some sort of foci for a gate spell. Using a gate to call creatures usually requires significant offerings, but if this was just a foci for a portal, the scepter might work. It would be a very different variant of the spell however and requires significant arcane mastery to have imbued this with such power."
"Let us keep reading. Xanya's suggestion of using the famed Legend Lore spell would help us. I cannot cast that spell myself, but I have some talent and could invoke it."
Quassine in some ways Cronin reminds you of Goodwin, at least in the learned old man part. He smiles kindly, "Although I do indeed like to teach, I don't know if that is to be my role. I am an old man, not as spry as I used to be. I think after this war, it may be time to move back to the comforts of civilization and take up some gardening. Things need to be set right here, there is much going on. I just hope it will all work out without anyone getting hurt. The Thain risks much by sending you and your people out there to fight who knows what. You ask about another group, I spoke with your 'kin', one group seeking some temple. I wasn't able to help them much I am afraid, as I have been buried in work that the Thain demands of me." he seems a bit surly about it too. "I was going to consult some old tomes or ancient treatises, but I think in the end they planned to commune with the higher powers, despite the cost. I don't know what came of it. I only feel bad that I was not as much help. Here I am a sage and master of lost histories, and I could provide little aid to them. I suspect if they had some lead they may succeed, but I also suspect that this temple they seek is buried under black ice to the north. They may have a challenging time of it. The north lands are where these armies are spawned from and home to innumerable denizens."
The Loremaster sighs, "I apologize for rambling, I need to focus." He runs a hand through his hair and digs into another book.
"Lets go with the idea that this scepter will either conjure something, or open a gate, or evoke some destructive magic. It makes the most sense, and is a start." He sits another stack of tomes on the table. They seem to largely deal with enchantments, high level arcane concepts, the planes, and the nature of magical rods and staves.
In response to Xanya's question about an amentum, Hawke shrugged, "Something like that might be around. Not a lot of people are into the javelin throwing tactic. I would check in the shops in town."
"What Type magic aura of scepter is?"
"We already determined it was evocation, conjuration and necromantic earlier Kiki. You must have been preoccupied with something else to have missed it." Xanya responds with a smile to Kiki.
"Necromancy suggest to me that this somehow deals with lifeforce, maybe to kill people, but it could also simply be used as fuel, maybe through ritual sacrifice? Evocation is what is used to blow things apart. Together the two suggests some form of weapon creating destructive force. Conjuration is the most interesting one to me. If this is the strongest part of the scepter and the others are just to support and power it, then it could indeed be used to summon or teleport something. Either summon something from another plane through a gate like you've already discussed or maybe to teleport the giant armies right into the city, sorta like a teleportation circle. How do we determine which though? You think these books are our best bet? Let my magic guide our search." Xanya says to everyone as her input to the conversation. She walks over to the books and starts to help look through them, her potion allowing her to read the books no matter what language they are written in. Before she gets lost in the books though she casts guidance on everyone. Despite her bloodlust and prowess on the battlefield Xanya is also quite the scholar. She can get as absorbed in the books as she gets lost in rage in battle.
Quassine bows from the neck the Lore Master for his "ramblings, nods to the Lore Master regarding doing more research, and nods in acknowledgement to Xanya. He then picks up another book, "SUMMONING OUTSIDERS", and begins reading.
As he reads, he asks the Lore Master another question, "Since the war effort has dried up a lot of the gear in Cliffort. Do you have a book in your possession on how to create magical items that I can purchase or do you know of someone I can purchase such an item from? I would like to ascertain the items here in Cliffort and then make them on the road. Unless of course, you know of some secret stash?" Quassine smiles.
"Hmm, I may have found something more here, he carefully shows the page to both the Lore Master and Xanya." Then moves towards them so they can all read it together.
While the discussion is interesting, it is not Kiki's area of expertise, so she can't do much, which leads to her being bored.
The Spiderling vanishes from the loremaster's room, sneeking trough the fort, looking for the hightes building to climb on.
Simon doesn't have much of anything to ask anyone in charge, so he goes with Goliath to try and find some ale or wine and get the merry making started early, part of his motivation being to get back outside as fast as possible. The other part is up to the imagination.
As the group continues pouring through various tomes, Loremaster Cronin warns Quassine, "Be very careful with that book, summoning outsiders can be a serious and dangerous business. The knowledge in there is intended for potent practitioners and can be perilous to the neophyte. None the less it may contain useful information."
When asked about any books to purchase or acquire about magical enchantment, he replies, "Well I have many such books here, but they are not for sale, and I utilize them heavily, particularly right now. I do not know of any purveyors of such books in the market, though you can buy some books there. Most books I purchase come from afar."
Together the group discusses the information contained. Loremaster Cronin jumps from subject to subject at a rapid pace, and you can see that the elderly man has a sharp mind and decades of lore and knowledge. Though your intellects are sharp, his depth and breadth of knowledge put yours to shame, and he often rambles onto topics which you are only slightly knowledgeable about.
After another hour or so, and the groups pouring through some more texts, you look over and the old Loremaster is dozing a bit, his head bowed forward. You gently clear your throat, and he jars awake with a start. "Hngghaaah.. Oh, excuse me." He looks about focusing his eyes and proclaims, "I think I have an idea...."
Loremaster Cronin chuckles to himself. "We have this painting, that another group recovered and brought in a day ago. It seems cursed and seems to have some ties to the shadow plane. The subject of the painting I believe if trapped, cursed and undying. I wonder if we couldn't alter the enchantments of the scepter or scepters if there are more, to shunt whatever they expect to summon, transport, or the like into this shadow realm. Oh boy, that's a devious plan." He does an old man cackle and begins to scrawls notes to himself quickly. "I think I have most of what I need here but it will take me some time to accomplish. I need to sleep on this some more too."
Goliath, Simon and Aster make for the streets. They are escorted to the gates and through elaborate security, and a handful of dwarven guards accompany them actually as they wander through the tiny town, busy even at this late hour with industry and preparations. Wandering for a bit they find a small pub. The place seems to have no name, but has a large acorn symbol on the signboard outside. Perhaps it is just called the Acorn. Stepping inside the trio are surprised how packed it is, although it is not very lively. A large contingent of the customers appear to be craft or trades people, enjoying a respite from their near 24 hour work load. In fact at several tables people are dozing or perhaps passed out. Conversation is low and quiet, not the raucous chatter one might expect at a public house. One of the dwarven escorts steps in first, and most people look up, a few quizzically at one of the fortress guards entering, perhaps a very uncommon occurrence, but perhaps a random security precaution. All conversation stops when the scaled Simon steps into the small pub followed by his green lion. Eyes widen further when the massive Goliath stoops to enter the small door. Inside, his head nearly touches the ceiling beams, but he has a few inches of clearance in most places. He is followed by the remaining guard. The dwarven escort attempts to mollify the crowd and seems to say something to the effect of 'its ok, just carry on', but people look fairly uncomfortable, and as the group makes their way in, several people sheepishly get up and leave. The place half empties within several minutes as your group settles at a table, Goliath having to sit on a large bench which creaks under his weight and leaves his knees almost to his chin.
The barkeep runs a shaking hand through his wispy grey thinning hair and comes over to the group. Both dwarven guards remain standing and off to the side. Well, you made it, and figure this is as about an unawkward as it is likely to get so at least decide to stick it out.