After returning to Wati proper Turel takes a deep breath of the desert air before nodding in reply to Kito, raising an eyebrow at the new scarf adorning her head. "Feel free to use my share for identifying these items, Kito. I will report our findings to Bal Themm. I am sure the Church will be very interested in our findings. Who wishes to go with me?"
"I should go." Harmose smooths out the desert robes he's wearing, and tilts his head up, enjoying the sensation of the warm sun on his face. "I'm good with people. Maybe I can help the church understand how the mark on Kito's forehead was due only to us trying to be thorough in recording the contents of Akhentepi's tomb."
"As for the scroll. I'll authorize the cost coming out of our earlier funds. That way, all the new people can get their full share." He looks so Aleris and Turel for confirmation. "Sound good?"
Looking a little nervous, Kito offers "I should probably go along so they can see the mark. They may have some insight as to how best to remove it."
Turel smiles. "Sadly, not all of the parties have any interest in studying the past, only plundering from it. You show a deeper understanding of what the past holds."
He holds out a hand to her. I believe I need to feel the desert air upon my face now. Shall we go?"[/b]
Taking Turel's hand Deseri walks back to the others, a small smile on her lips.
That sounds fine to me and I realize I should have a ranged weapon. Pausing to look around, So we are all staying together?
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Kito has no problem locating someone who will sell her a scroll of identify.
You may, for my part, freely now intermix both party scenes and solo activities in flex-time as you will, just mark clearly which parts in your posts belong to which scenes.
When you arrive at the temple of Pharasma (whoever chooses to go), Turel does not locate his contact Bal Themm at this time. You are guided to report to a low-ranking bureaucratic clerk, who will require a party representative (you may choose freely) to sign some pieces of paper regarding the first exploration site, just some trivial legalese. If the representative peruses the papers at great depth, there is nothing evil or soul-binding there.
When you reveal Kito's brand on the forehead, the officials and guards present are at first startled, then appalled, and start to get angry. You will need to roll Diplomacy (a single person only, others may Aid Another), to see whether you can navigate the situation safely.
"My friends, don't be too hasty. I took careful notes during Sebti the Crocodile's speech on the rules of the Necropolis."
Harmose pulls out the notebook, shows them the page, and then quotes one of the sentences under Every Slave's Hut a Memorial. "Some structures may be trapped or decrepit, but willful and unnecessary destruction will not be tolerated."
"Sebti acknowledged that traps are a reality in the tombs of the Necropolis. Our honored dead wished only to defend their homes in the afterlife. Akhentepi had no way of foreseeing a scholarly expedition that would wish to read his journals, understand the life he lived, and record diligently every find. My friend Kito here got her mark not from thievery nor from willful destruction, but merely by attempting to spellcraft an enchanted mirror built into the very wall of the tomb. This is is a simple accident that happened in the effort to record our findings so that others may study Akhentepi as well, and know more about our beloved past."
Kito shrinks back, crying out "I'm sorry! I just wanted to find out what the mirror did. I came here because I thought the people here would be the most understanding."
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"HArmose and Kito speak truly." Turel adds quietly. "We took care to honor the Three Rules of the Necropolis. The mirror has not been damaged, so if you wish to explore it further we can guide you to its location."
Thera excitedly chirps "من فضلك لا يضر مولاتي!" as she nervously flutters her wings. I really don't want to have to start all over training another one!
"They are right in their story. Our job was to record and catalogue the antiquities. It's hard to catalog what you haven't touched."
Diplomacy Aid Another
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I will adjust it so that you located someone higher up in the hierarchy and gave the above explanations to her, not to some low-ranking clerk. In any case, your Diplomacy is high enough to, collectively as a group, explain your way out of the situation. The higher priests, or whoever you feel comfortable revealing the mark to, get over their initial surge of emotion as you catalogue the series of events and assure your good intentions.
You receive information from these people that the brand should likely fade away by itself over the course of several days, and that such mirrors were devised to encourage would-be thieves to empathize with those whose tombs they were desecrating. You get the feeling that it was not a unique item for Akhentepi's tomb, but might be found elsewhere as well.
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Standing to follow, I would love to go with you Aleris.
As they go though the door. I have not had much of a chance to look around the city so as long as I can pick up a crossbow we can go where ever you would like. I the evening I would will need to visit the couple who took me in.
Grinning and then bumping shoulders with Alreis, And you can tell me about how you, Harmose, and Turel ended up together.
Kito thanks the priest for the explanation. She is greatly relieved that the mark will fade in a few days.
After finishing at the temple, Kito asks the others if they want to come along. She wants to find a copy of the scroll so she can learn the spell.
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"Sounds like a plan!" Aleris grins in return. "I'm still not super familiar with the city yet myself, but I think I can get us over to the Midwife District if you don't mind taking the scenic route first; it's where most of the markets are if I remember right."
Mantaining her smile easily, I am thinking they lied, the city seems wonderful. Shaking a finger at Aleris while laughing, I wouldn't have known the difference so you could have played it off and a rich tour.
As they head out the door of the Tooth & Hookah and begin making their way down the street, Aleris adopts a leisurely pace, clearly not in any real hurry. "How I ended up with Harmose and Turel? Well, you've already heard most of the story about how we met up here in Wati and formed Discoveries Unlimited and of course how three of our original six all had to leave us abruptly."
She sighs and shakes her head. "I'm still not really sure if there was something else going on behind the scenes that we weren't aware of or not, but there wasn't anything we could do since they'd already left by the time Harmose found their letters."
"But you know, I think maybe it'll work out better this way," she continues, her expression brightening. "Nothing's official yet of course, but the eight of us now...we seem to make a pretty good team, even if things got a bit cramped in the tomb at times. And it seems like everyone's getting along so far, too. Not that the old group didn't get along of course, but uh...well, Tuneya was okay even if she had a bit of a temper at times. And Camus wasn't the brightest person I've ever met, but I think he meant well. Regina...Regina was...unsettling is about the best way I can describe it." She shivers slightly. "We never had any problems with her, but I also can say that I'd never met anyone quite like her. I don't think Harmose or Turel had either, come to think of it."
Content to fall a pace behind to enjoy said feature of her companion as she talks. Once the explanation appears finished Deseri shifts her gaze back to Aleris's face and replies Actually I was hoping for more personally entertaining stories. You and Harmose seem rather close? Should I make sure watch were my gaze falls? At least when you are watching!
As they leave the temple, Harmose sighs with relief. Dealing with Pharasmites always makes him nervous. There's something about the way they look at him...
Perhaps you're nervous that they might learn you were a detestable undead? The church of Pharasma did not want to bring you back.
That was in a different lifetime. I'm back now.
Harmose turns to the others, looking at his to-do list. "Thank you for your help in there. I suspect that it needed everyone of us to get that priestess to stop glaring at us like that. Shall we try to sell most of these items today? Or should we get Kito her scrolls first?"
After finishing at the temple, Kito asks the others if they want to come along. She wants to find a copy of the scroll so she can learn the spell.
Turel nods in response. "I will walk with you Mistress Kito. I have no pressing concerns to deal with and I feel I should broaden my horizons as much as I can. I have learned much here...and yet I feel as if I have learned nothing."
"Then it's decided! It'll be a lovely expedition for us. Maybe we should consider what other emergency scrolls the group might need!"
Feeling better, he gallantly offers his arm to any of the ladies that might take it.
Smiling, Kito proclaims "Knowledge can often be like that, one answer bringing with it ten more questions!"
"This should be fun! I look forward to feeding Thera the scroll!" Kito says, her step now quickening a little in excitement. "We should check with Akela at the Wyrd Parchments stall first. I do hope she has what we want in stock! If not, there are a few other places we can look."
Her attention is so focused ahead, she doesn't seem to notice Harmose's offered arm.
Harmose does a double-take.
He's only momentarily non-plussed when Kito ignores his arm, but then gamely offers the arm to Qari.
Thera blinks her eyes and looks back over Kito's shoulder at Harmose. "کتیبه؟ بله، زمانی که من خوش شانس هستم. آنها طعم جادویی! چرا می پرسی؟"
Without looking back, Kito asks "Are you going to ruin a little birdie's surprise?
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Ra wandered off, tight lipped and sunk into his own thoughts.
He meandered his way to the common room of the inn where the Company made their headquarters and there bought as much liquor as the few coins he had left would buy.
So this is what it's like to be a tomb robber, He thought, leaning his seat back against a wall and drinking deeply of his mug. Somehow, I thought there would be more money in it...
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* You ask around about the gems at a number of different vendors and the best offer you get is 55 gold pieces. You may choose to sell them for that or hold on to them.
* Kito memorizes two counts of Identify for Day 5 (the day after the tomb) and identifies the silvery liquid and the padded armor. The former turns out to be silversheen and the latter is Akhentepi's armor.
* Kito studies Akhentepi's papers. They consist of papyrus records, private memos, expense ledgers, speeches, and private correspondence. Among the papers are discussions regarding the unfinished tomb of Akhentepi’s mistress (area A13). After the death of his family, Akhentepi took a mistress whom he planned to eventually marry. Preparations for a secondary tomb for her were begun here. When Akhentepi died unexpectedly, no financial provisions had yet been made to continue excavating her tomb. Further construction on his mistress’s crypt was abandoned, and the tomb was sealed in its current state once Akhentepi’s interment was complete. There is little else of interest in the papers, but to a collector or Osirionologist, these documents are worth 250 gp total if undamaged.
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Now comes some NPC stuff. Since this is such a large group of eight players, I beg your forgiveness that these are a bit scant and superficial. The following events may be slotted into either Day 4 or 5 according to your preference. Also, if I have made assumptions too far, please do let me know and we will adjust. I also apologize in advance that some of these are longer than others -- I expect that the amount of springboard I give to each of you will even out as time goes.
Harmose
Meehr Zet, the dwarven socialite, drags you along to a party with her. "It's at Baketra's!" she says repeatedly, quite excited about it since Baketra is one of Wati's richest and most notorious gourmands. "You may not know this because you've been here such a short time, but turns out, nobody leaves one of her parties without at least two inches more at the waist!" She almost bounces up and down at that idea. When you arrive at the party, the booze offerings are good, but the food is really out there. You may never have seen such ostentatious tables full of animal, vegetable and even mineral prepared for consumption, and the tables are literally *sagging* with the amount of stuff. One of the big controversial topics of discussion is that one of the dishes is *minotaur meat*. Several guests are aghast at the idea, "Aren't they sentient? Isn't it like eating a gnome?" "Technically, it's legal! There's an old loophole in yadda yadda blah blah that allows it. You should give it a try, it's a rare opportunity!" "This is outrageous! The haty-a (governor) will hear of this!" "Should we call the city guard to evaluate the legality?" "Wait, people *don't* eat gnome?"
During the evening, Harmose is repeatedly sought out by aging dowager Maru Meshhoten, who drags along with her her granddaughter Namaru. She keeps trying to put Harmose and her granddaughter together, asking about whether Harmose is unattached, suggesting he eat together with Namaru, suggesting maybe they would like to go out on the balcony to admire the moon, asking if Harmose is planning on having children anytime soon and if he has a mother planned out, and so on and so on. If Harmose wishes to navigate the social maze laid out by Maru Meshhoten without causing offense, he will need to do a Diplomacy roll.
Aleris
Aleris at some point visits the Whispering Stone, which is a different tavern than the Tooth and Hookah that most of your interactions have taken place in so far. The Whispering Stone's proprietor, Teht Blackblossom, is one of the people Aleris knows best in the city, though that isn't necessarily saying much. During her time at the Whispering Stone, Aleris overhears a group at a table discussing the large stone statue at the middle of the common room. The bar is built around an enormous, ruined statue buried up to its shoulders and broken off halfway up the head, leaving only a chin and pair of lips visible atop a 7-foot high neck. "I heard that old 'Stone Lips' is a Thassilonian." "Yer barmy, the ancient Thassilon empire never stretched this far south, it was way way more up north." "But imagine if they did have a colony way down here, and this was proof. History books would need to be rewritten."
Teht chuckles a little as she notices Aleris listening in. "Ahhh yes, the old Thassilonian colony theory. Oldie but goodie. But my favorite by far is the one about space aliens. Have you heard that one? That the people of ancient Osirion built all the monuments we have under the instruction of people from other worlds in the sky. Some say those aliens had animal heads and that's why the old gods are often depicted with animal heads too."
A little later, while Aleris is sitting nearby, just within hearing range, a patron opens up to Teht in a wide-eyed, concerned tone, "I heard that there's a plot to assassinate old Ahbehn Okhenti. Heard that a lot of people are unhappy about all these foreigners in here and a different Council would be more willing to stand up to the Ruby Prince." Teht smiles and pours the concerned patron a new drink, saying that "Oh is that what you heard? Here I heard that it was his son working on it, to get his inheritance early. After all, old Ahbehn is probably the richest guy in Wati after the Pharaoh himself."
Aleris may make separate Sense Motive rolls for 1) the table group and the Thassilon theory, 2) Teht and the alien theory, 3) the concerned patron and the foreigner theory or 4) Teht and the inheritance theory. She may roll for none, some, or all of those.
Turel
Turel spends some time at the Grand Mausoleum, the local temple of Pharasma, with his friend Bal Themm, learning that the Grand Mausoleum is the second biggest Pharasmin temple in all of Osirion, only second to the one in Sothis itself. Which makes sense considering the importance of the dead to the, well, "Half-Dead City". Turel finds out that Bal felt the call to religious service at a very young age, when she was still pre-teen, and has worked quite diligently and singlemindedly to attain a position at the Grand Mausoleum. A low-ranking one, but it's still the number two temple in all of Osirion, so even a low-ranking position here is, from some perspectives, a bigger deal than being temple leader somewhere that nobody cares about. Late at night, the moon is high, sitting outdoors, on the front steps to the Grand Mausoleum, Bal Themm says "This is Pharasma's city. I feel very strongly about that. Nowhere in the world is that statement more true than here, among these sands. I feel her presence down to the bottom of my soul, in every piece of my flesh." She holds a long pause, and then says, while looking up at the moon, "Sometimes I feel that we should eradicate every other faith from this city."
Sometime during the busy daytime Turel is walking along a busy street, when a piece of wood holding a wagon in place snaps, and the wagon rolls out of control down the street toward a bystander. Turel may make a Perception roll to notice the wagon in time, and an Acrobatics roll to effect a rescue, if he wishes to.
Qari
Qari is spending some time at the Tooth and Hookah inn, when a group of four armed and armored, adventurer looking types walk in. They are fair-skinned, foreigner-looking, and loud. "Barkeep, a barrel of your finest mead! The Four Lanterns have decided to grace your establishment with their presence!" The group goes over to the best table in the house, but there are some people already there. "I'll buy this table!" One of the group tosses some gold coins onto the table in exchange for the previous patrons to relocate somewhere else. They plop down the barrel in the middle of the table and start filling their steins from it to overflowing, not caring if plenty spills on the table or on the ground -- there's plenty to go in the barrel. "Oh, and another barrel for all around!" they shout, paying for another barrel to be set out as free for all, which gets the bar hopping and buys them a lot of goodwill. The noise level has gone up quite a bit since the group's arrival, as they yell freely, and toss some more gold coin around to persuade one of the female patrons to dance on their table.
If Qari starts to leave, she draws the group's attention, but even if she stays, they notice her after half an hour or so anyway. "Hey, freak, what's up?" they call out. "Were ya cursed by a witch or did ya always look like that?" "Not much luck with men, eh freak?" "I got a sack if you wanna hide that face, no charge! I'll consider it a favor to me!" The group of four laugh at each others' jokes very loudly, and due to them having pretty much bought the crowd's favor, many of them laugh along. Not so, the barkeep. Farhaan walks over, and tells the group in no uncertain terms that it's time to leave. The group tries to buy him with some more gold, but gets turned down firmly, and Farhaan insists they leave. The group is not violent or physically aggressive, and firm enough insisting gets them to get up and head for the door. "Didn't like this place anyway! Smells funny!" After they have been gotten out the door, Farhaan apologizes profusely to Qari personally.
Qari may choose to confront the group either physically or just verbally before they leave, if she wishes.
(more to come)
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Kito
The arcane scroll vendor that Kito locates for the Identify scroll turns out to be a lecherous older man. He is maybe in his fifties or sixties, with a well toned body for any age, and finely trimmed facial hair, so he's rather nice looking, but his behavior is quite the opposite. He doesn't actually touch her, but makes all sorts of lewd comments, including offering that she can have the scroll for free in exchange for physical intimacy (though he puts it in somewhat cruder terms). Kito may save the 25 gold by accepting the deal, buy the scroll at full price, do a Diplomacy check for a compromise (lower the price to 10 gold in exchange for some flirting), or just look for a different vendor to buy the scroll from, which will eat up an hour or so, but is quite doable.
Later on, while studying Akhentepi's papers, she notices some details that might allow for tracking down the modern day descendant of Akhentepi's mistress. It would require quite extensive genealogical study, however, as very many centuries have passed, and would likely take months of research. If she chooses to embark on that line of investigation, Knowledge (local) would give a place to start.
Ra-Khefer
Ra-Khefer spends some time with his city guard contact Tarouk on the off hours, sharing some drinks or whatever would be appropriate. The establishment that the two choose is near the Necropolis gate, and a little after sundown, as darkness is settling and lanterns are being in the streets, there's some commotion from the direction of the gate. If Ra-Khefer and Tarouk investigate, they come upon a battle at the gate. A group of adventurers has just made it back from the Necropolis, torn, tattered and bleeding, and the city guard is fighting back a group of ghouls at the gate. Ra-Khefer may join the battle against the ghouls, and may make three attack rolls if he wishes.
The ragged adventuring group looks to be nearly exhausted, but it looks like all of them will survive. They are not interested in talking to anyone, but Ra-Khefer may, if he wishes to, memorize their faces for future reference.
Polux
Walking along some narrow alleys late at night, Polux spots two unsavory looking types trying to disable a lock into an apartment. They have not noticed him, and do not look heavily armed. He may choose to sneak closer to surprise them, call the city guard either with a loud yell or by quietly going to fetch one, quietly observe what happens, or he may just walk on by without interfering.
Deseri
Deseri has either lunch or dinner, depending on her preference, with the Naahn couple that she had been staying at. The couple are very curious about her sojourn to the Necropolis and the tomb, and eagerly listen to anything and everything she has to tell. After a while, they suggest that perhaps such dangerous line of work isn't worth it, and shouldn't Deseri consider something safer and more conventional. Unfortunately they don't have any particular job to offer, though, so it's just talk. "What if you got killed? Do you ever think about that? Do you have a last will made out where someone can find it?" "Surely if you're taking such chances you should be more prepared than the average person for such an eventuality?"
There may be something deeper lying under their overt concern. Deseri may roll Sense Motive.
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Deseri keeps a smile on her face though most of Aleris's words until her hesitation and seemingly reluctant acceptance of how Harmose draws peoples eyes. At that her smile fades and her tone shifts from carefree to serious. That is a rather beautiful view to have Aleris. Your Shelyn sounds like a fascinating Deity if this is a view you have learned in her religion. He is quite the pretty one though so are you. That hair alone makes you look rather exotic here. I suppose I could try to keep my eyes on other things. There are other distractible people here too.
Putting her smile back on, The limp is actually making me slow down and take things in instead of just racing though the world so its not so bad I think. Just another new thing about myself I am finding I like. Lifting a hand to run though her hair with a sheepish look, If you out pace me by too much I will let you know.
Moving to stand closer and link arms with Aleris, assuming she doesn't seem to mind, So tell me about where you come from and how you ended up in the church of a pretty flower.
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Event...
Ra noticed the fight at the gate, and seeing that they were ghouls, delightedly charged to join in.
"We! ARE! UNBREAKABLLLLEEEEEEEEE!!!" Is his battle shout.
for a possible crush damage.
for a possible crush damage.
Miss. Nope, ordinary miss.
After the fight, he will make a brief attempt to talk to them about their journey, but will back off if they aren't talkative. He'll remember them for later though; they might be rivals.
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Ra-Khefer joins the battle at the Necropolis gate, as does his companion Tarouk, both of them helping the city guard rout the group of ghouls. Ra-Khefer lands one particularly solid swing, that literally knocks the head off one ghoul's shoulders, sending it flying in an arc through the air. Together, the battle is won, and once it's over, the oread tries to talk to the group of adventurers, but they are very sullen and dour, and unresponsive to attempts at communication. A few curt "thank you"s might be given, but soon enough, they slip away from the scene in the commotion. The city guards are more talkative, giving gasps of, "Whew! That was a fight!" "Never seen that big a group before!" "Did you see that big one?" "I thought I was a goner!" "Oh man, thank you for having my back!" and so on. Particular recurring comments that Ra-Khefer overhears berate the adventuring group. "What were they thinking?" "In the Necropolis after sundown?" "Crazy bastards." "Bringing the dead down on us all." "Shoulda just let the ghouls have'em." Whatever reason the adventuring group must have had to be in the Necropolis so late, the guard seems to unequivocally condemn their actions.
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Sitting to enjoy a meal and ramble constantly about her little adventure into the tombs Deseri is thoroughly enjoying her time with her wonderful hosts. Caught up in her tale she does not dampen down the drama of the fight though she goes into great detail of Harmose's creative use of flour. Her joy in the conversation is not cut short by their attempts to convince her to not rejoin her new companions.
Leaning forward in her chair and grinning, I have never wanted something conventional, not in love or in the pursuit of money. Smiling and letting her tone take on a self depreciation edge, I am certain when I have children they will be as unconventional and bizarre as I was if not more, I certainly have earned it. I think I would be disappointed if they weren't.
Laughing at herself she leans back and lifts her glass to finish it off. Gently placing it back on the table she lets her smile fade, Sehhosep, you more than most know that death is simply a part of life. Death is the only thing we are promised we will all have. Knowing that we will die is the one thing everyone has in common. It is the uniting feature in life and I refuse to stop living because I might die. I could die a thousand different ways in a thousand different place.
Reaching out to refill her glass and compose her thoughts. I love that you both are concerned and I am sorry to worry you like this. Truly I am but I feel this is the path that I must walk. Besides I have very little to my name right now. The things I have on me and my horse any of which you are both welcome to should I pass into the Boneyard. When I have more to my name I will think about having a will written up.
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Deseri
Sehhosep and Bentu glance at each other a few times when Deseri speaks of not wanting conventional things, and about having children. But whatever they might be thinking at that time is not clear to Deseri at that point. It is only towards the end of the evening, after some drink has been consumed, and when Bentu is off to visit the privy for a moment, that Sehhosep approaches Deseri with a more serious look on her face.
"Bentu is dying", she says bluntly. The couple are only in their late thirties, early forties or so. She lets that hang in the air for several moments.
"We've been trying for a child as long as we've been together, to no luck. I believe it is because of me." Again, she holds a lengthy pause, to let her words sink in. "I want...I would want...a part of him to...*stay* with me." She looks evenly into Deseri's eyes. "I want his child. You said you were open to unconventional things...for yourself, for your children...and I know you respect the goddess Hathor. Do you understand what I am saying, Deseri?" Her voice grows more shaky and more whispery the further she goes.
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The preceding personalized encounters are intended for soloing, to give your character a moment away from the group.
The following is intended for the group together.
All
When you return from the Tomb of Akhentepi, Farhaan, the proprietor of Tooth & Hookah, informs you that there will be a gathering of the various adventuring groups at the inn that night (end of Day 4). Harmose, Aleris and Turel have met many of these adventurers before, but for the new members of Discoveries Unlimited, this will likely be their first encounter with the rival groups. Any of you who wish to attend the gathering may participate in the scene. If anyone wishes for their character to be absent, please make explicit note of that too, it will help me remember that you are not present.
After night falls, the adventuring groups start filtering in little by little, mostly in bunches of complete groups, but some of them trickle in individually as well. Unless you make a point out of being the first ones there, the Dog Soldiers and Sand Scorpions are there before you, while the rest arrive after you.
Because the Tooth & Hookah only has some seven tables (layout here), having so many adventuring groups present means that there is only room for a small smattering of other customers, standing at the bar or sitting in the stairs or otherwise similarly sidelined. This gives the evening an air and mood of an insider congregation, as by now, almost everyone in the common room will likely have braved the dangers of the Necropolis, giving you all a bonding experience. Pretty much everyone here is a creed apart from the throngs walking along the streets and markets of Wati. To them, it's that looming, scary part of town, a ghetto to the nth power, that no one ever goes to. You...you've all been there.
The all-halfling group of Dog Soldiers is sitting at a table that's pulled to a corner, out of the way. Accompanying them are two powerfully built, and more powerfully smelling, Mabari fighting dogs. The group's demeanor is silent and withdrawn.
The Sand Scorpions, another early arrival, also have chosen to pull their table to the sidelines, from whence they observe the rest of the common room as silently as the Dog Soldiers do. Ra-Khefer, if present, recognizes this group as the ones from the Necropolis gate.
Then you arrive, if you hadn't earlier.
The Scorched Hand is next. Two women, two men, they take up one of the center tables. The older, darker-skinned of the two men calls for a pitcher of wine and some snacks to the table. They are not as withdrawn as the first two groups, but you wouldn't call this group exactly outgoing either, as they mostly keep to themselves, but if approached, they will make some small talk, especially the two men.
When the Cryptfinders arrive, the mood elevates noticeably. "My friends! Fellow entrepreneurs!" the group's leader, a fair-skinned swashbuckler looking type, greets the common room with flourishing gestures. "Why the funeral? Come, let us eat, drink, be merry!" He buys a round for everyone, and this cosmopolitan-looking group also claims one of the more central tables. When various members of the group head to the bar and back to their table, they stop by other groups, greeting and exchanging words, and inviting people over to their table to play games of chance or skill.
A similar livening up happens when the all-female Daughters of the Desert arrive. After initial greetings, their redheaded leader pulls out an exotic string instrument of some kind and adds some skillful music and singing to the common room's atmosphere, performing an upbeat piece about the joys of living to start out the evening.
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Prior shopping day
Qari happily takes Harmose's arm. "What a gentleman! I'm sure you wil make some lady quite a catch one day, Mr. Harmose," she smiles broadly as her tail twitches.
At the bar...
Qari ignores the barbs from those bastards of the Four Lanterns, sitting quietly and drinking her ale. She makes mental note of all of their faces, however, hoping fate will bring them together in a different circumstance down the road. After Farhaan throws the buggers out, she smiles at him. "You shouldn't turn away good good for my sake. You know I've heard worse in my travels. Not much worse, but still..." she smiles again. "That was really nice of you however," she says, standing to give him a tight hug.
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Qari
Farhaan laughs a little when Qari gives her a hug. "See, kid, I work here some three hundred sixty days a year. Making good gold one of those days isn't worth losing my self respect for the whole year. Now, if they'd be here spending that kind of gold every day, the year entire, *then* I might've considered throwing you to the wolves..." he says with a twinkle to his eye, most likely just teasing.
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Aleris
You do not get much of a feeling for either the guys discussing the Stone Lips statue, nor of the patron concerned about the assassination. To you, they seem like just regular yokels who are just repeating stories they've heard without much source criticism. Teht, on the other hand, you get the feeling that she probably doesn't believe the theories she's putting out, and is probably just throwing stuff out there to stir the pot, possibly just for the heck of it.
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Turel is quiet for a long time as he considers her words.
She feels the need to force her wishes, her beliefs upon the rest of society. Out of such beliefs tyrants are born.
He responds carefully, "Forgive me for not understanding but why do you feel so strongly this belongs to Pharasma. I mean, what you say may be true now, yet there were other older faiths that Wati belonged to before Pharasma. You have seen evidence here from the Tomb of Akhentepi. To seek to wipe out these other faiths is akin to wiping out the history of Wati." He waits for a response.
Turel reacts on instinct here moving swiftly towards the bystanders. "OUT OF THE WAY!" He yells as he barrels into the bystander pushing him (her?) out of harm's way.
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Turel
Bal Themm stays silent for a long while after Turel's words, just watching the night sky. Then, she gives a nod. "I sometimes feel like other faiths should be driven out. But no, you're right. They shouldn't be, for the exact reasons that you state. No matter how strongly the fire burns in my heart, it should be tempered by wisdom. That's what they keep telling me, and that's what I keep trying to learn." She gives a faint smile at the monk, and then a shrug of her shoulders. "The relics from the Tomb are amazing. I mean, only a fraction of them are Pharasmin, but even those few make me think about whether the Ruby Prince might be right. Opening the Necropolis allows us to learn new things about our past. Maybe it's not all about worldly money. But I still have great fears about worst case scenarios. So much could be destroyed, too."
---
During the daytime encounter, Turel finds that his reflexes are a bit on the slow side. Perhaps he has not warmed up his muscles enough yet. But it turns out, his mind is very sharp indeed, and with the lead time that his excellent perception gives him, even his slower acrobatics are enough to tackle the bystander out of the wagon's path, saving her life.
After she gets up, she offers effusive thanks to Turel, introducing herself as Shamihn Hep. She is a beautiful human woman in her forties, with long black hair, and the co-owner of a weaver's shop on Mender's Row, the core of Wati's textile industry. She invites him to visit at any time to get a new wardrobe, on the house.
Although such comments are usually explained to her by a companion after the fact, the comments are so crude and obvious even she doesn't miss them. Is he really suggesting what I think he is?
After a few more comments and offer of the scroll for free, her last doubts have been shredded. What did mom say about how to handle this? Polite, but firm. Look for an exit and leave, but don't run. That just encourages them.
"Thank you for your time, but there are a few other shops that I want to peruse before making my purchase. I will remember your offer though."
Kito silently vows to never step in that shop again.
Once far enough away, she calms Thera and assures her that they will find the scroll someplace else. It takes Kito another hour before she finds a different merchant with the scroll she was looking for.
On returning to the Tooth and Hooka, Kito goes up to her room. Thera, having seen her finally purchase the scroll, is very excited. Kito gets out her mess kit and starts laying out the proper herbs and other materials neatly. She then reviews the procedure with Thera one last time before proceeding.
She looks wistfully at the papers that Harmose gave her to translate, but Farhaan told her about the big meeting. She goes downstairs to check how much time before the meeting. If she has the time, she sneaks back up the stairs to start cataloging the papers before rejoining the group.
--- Meeting the other groups ---
Kito comes down the stairs just before the meeting is supposed to start. She looks around, and joins the others at their table. She has Thera cupped in her hands and is gently rubbing the bird's belly.
Looking around, she politely inquires what is already known about these groups. When told of the twin witches that are part of the Daughters, she asks Aleris "How approachable are they? Could you perhaps introduce me to them sometime?"
Kito carefully catalogs each note, sorting through them by author and date. She keeps careful notes. After she has it catalogued, she starts working on translations and copies. She first copies the original text, and then intersperses her translation. She leaves a wide margin on the translation for further notes later.
I will need help on this. I wonder how many of the others in the group will be interested in this?
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Meehr Zet, the dwarven socialite, drags you along to a party with her. "It's at Baketra's!" she says repeatedly, quite excited about it since Baketra is one of Wati's richest and most notorious gourmands. "You may not know this because you've been here such a short time, but turns out, nobody leaves one of her parties without at least two inches more at the waist!" She almost bounces up and down at that idea.
Harmose is as good as his word. He had promised to be Meehr’s dashing arm candy for any two events of her desire in exchange for a party to which he could invite his team. More importantly, he’d promised to do it without a single complaint. Besides Meehr was his best friend and his literal beard. How could he not accompany her when she asked?
He even laughs when, inspired by the bed sheet, she dresses him like an Osiriani prince in rented gold and turquoise robes and ridiculous plumed turban. He bows low, kisses her hand, and then turns so that she could see the robes flare out to full effect. As she applauds, he grins. “Ha! I’m invincible! Even in this ostentatious, gilded confection, I look good. And I see that you obligingly gave me an outfit that I can still wear if I pick up those extra two inches at the waist!” He looks down mournfully at his backside. “Darling, my exquisite ass may never be able to wear tight pants again after tonight! See what I’m willing to sacrifice for you?”
On the trip there, he regales Meehr with tales not only of his beloved Aleris and Turel, but also of his new team. He tells her of the terrifying fight in the trapped room, and of defeating a construct with goopy dough. Then he speaks of them individually. The dashing Polux with the startling eyes. The lovely and somewhat unpredictable Deseri. Qari, the good natured and surprisingly attractive tiefling girl with a talent for making both chairs and sarcophagi contstructs explode. Cool analytical Kito and her delightful and talkative little Thrush. I have to introduce her to Ra-Khefer... I wonder what she’ll make of him, with his code of honor, stories of having returned from the dead, and crystalline beard?
”Meehr, what do you know of the Pahmet? We’ve got the most remarkable dwarven warrior amongst us, and I really think you two should meet. He’s shy, stodgy, and bound by an honor code the likes of which I’ve never seen before. But... he’s like me. Another ghost made flesh.” Harmose pauses, his eyes meeting Meehr’s with utter seriousness. “He’s walked Pharasma’s boneyard, Meehr. I’ve never met anyone else who has. And he’s daring. Unbreakable will in an all too breakable body. Meehr, I have no idea what you’ll make of him, but he definitely an oddity worthy of collecting for one of your salons.”
When you arrive at the party, the booze offerings are good, but the food is really out there. You may never have seen such ostentatious tables full of animal, vegetable and even mineral prepared for consumption, and the tables are literally *sagging* with the amount of stuff. One of the big controversial topics of discussion is that one of the dishes is *minotaur meat*. Several guests are aghast at the idea, "Aren't they sentient? Isn't it like eating a gnome?" "Technically, it's legal! There's an old loophole in yadda yadda blah blah that allows it. You should give it a try, it's a rare opportunity!" "This is outrageous! The haty-a (governor) will hear of this!" "Should we call the city guard to evaluate the legality?" "Wait, people *don't* eat gnome?"
At first, Harmose is utter gaiety and froth. He flirts outrageously with both the guests and his hostess Baketra, and does his best to be a social ornament worthy of Meehr and the glittering Wati nightlife. Wanting to keep a clear head, he drinks lightly, getting only slightly tipsy, and eating only the obvious vegetable offerings. However, at the mention of minotaur meat, he blanches.
He remembers the taste of minotaur. Not cooked, but torn straight from the howling giant. Raw. He remembers the taste of its screaming soul as he tore it apart. It was rich, spicy, strong. Some of the headiest stuff he’d ever tasted...
He flashes an anguished look to Meehr. His hands are shaking, and Wenet is heavy and warm in his arms again. Stroking the little brown rabbit, he has to breathe deeply to regain himself. Eating sentients? Who do these asses think they are?
“Excuse me, too much wine...” He runs to the vomitorium, and purges himself multiple times, and then consumes nothing more than lemon ice water the entire rest of the evening.
During the evening, Harmose is repeatedly sought out by aging dowager Maru Meshhoten, who drags along with her her granddaughter Namaru. She keeps trying to put Harmose and her granddaughter together, asking about whether Harmose is unattached, suggesting he eat together with Namaru, suggesting maybe they would like to go out on the balcony to admire the moon, asking if Harmose is planning on having children anytime soon and if he has a mother planned out, and so on and so on. If Harmose wishes to navigate the social maze laid out by Maru Meshhoten without causing offense, he will need to do a Diplomacy roll.
After the previous shock, dowager Meshhoten’s approach is almost a relief. This is one of Harmose’s favorite sporting events: dodging matrimonially inclined matrons. It’s a good thing that his mother is not here. Quiet, well-mannered and wealthy Namaru would be exactly the sort of bride she’d seek out for him.
“Your granddaughter Namaru is definitely a jewel worthy of consideration. The man who eventually wins her heart will be fortunate indeed. You should know however, that I’m penniless, an outrageous flirt, unreliable and flighty. Definitely not marriage material. Your lovely girl deserves far better than what I can give her.”
Then he whispers confidentially. “A shame, because it’s clear that all the women in your family are stunning, milady. If she’s anything like you, she’ll be turning heads into her seventies.”
He kisses the dowager’s hand. “While I cannot offer your granddaughter a future, I would be delighted to have a dance with her this evening and flirt with her so outrageously that all the other men in the room take notice. I’m sure we can find someone eminently eligible if we work at this together. Would you like that, milady?”
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Kito has no problem extricating herself from the situation with the over-eager scroll vendor. Working on the writings (I'm assuming both the "gold-plated metal books" and "Akhentepi's papers"?) will take a variable amount of time depending on what she wants to achieve. There's a lot of material there. If she wants to just have a quick summary and choice tidbits for the rest of the group, sometime during Day 5 is reasonable, but anything deeper will take longer. Just plain copying all the writings will take 2d4 days, and accurately translating them completely will require four times the initial dice roll. If she wants to do cross-referencing and bringing in new information from other sources to round out the papers, that will take as long as the translation.
Harmose doesn't do a great job at hiding his emotions about the minotaur meat, but it doesn't really matter, because a lot of people are having a similar negative reaction, though perhaps not as intense. But there's a lot of nose-wrinkling and disapproving chatter. But then again, that might be what the host was going for -- surely the party would be remembered. The "no such thing as bad publicity" principle at work. At the end of the evening, the minotaur remains one of the least touched dishes, but conversely probably by far the most talked about. Dodging the matrimonially inclined matron goes perfectly well, with skill obviously learned and honed many times over, and Harmose extricates himself from that situation with grace and only positive words from both Maru and Namaru.
Qari mainly keeps to herself, not feeling particularly welcome interacting with any of the other groups after her scrum today. She avoids the Minotaur, but eats her fill of the non-sentient foods. She enjoys the cool iced lemon water, but also has a few drinks of more adult beverages, and she starts a lopsided smile as a couple glasses of the stuff began to make her face feel warm.
Qari gives Aleris a big goofy grin and a double fisted thumb's up. "Kito got the scroll. And the markings will slade, I mean fade, soon. The morning went well..."
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Leaning in close with a mischievous glint in her eyes, Now I am perfect to keep a body warm on s cold night
Laughing and moving her head back she is content to wonder about with Aleris. After a few minunets, Keep your secrets about you Rose then. I rather like a mystery.
Deseri walks in not focusing on anything beyond finding a place to sit. Looking around and seeing Aleris Deseri wonders over and sits with a distant and haunted look on her face.