”Aye then. To the mine. We’ve tarried enough.”
As the group begins to file out, Ranek steps up to Oparil and says, "For introductions' sake, my name is Ranek Clifton. My family does trade out of Waterdeep. We don't have time to discuss it now, but once the situation is more settled here, I'd like to talk with you about the possibility of a partnership. We're looking to expand northwards, and prefer to work with those already established as opposed to forcing our way in. Like I said, we don't have the time now, but it is something to think about. Until next time."
Ranek leaves with the others.
Marcus was ready to go. He nodded his thanks to Oparil and headed out the door.
Oparil gave Ranek a polite nod and the company took their leave. Twenty minutes later they were back at the mine shaft.
Thurvek takes his traditional role as flank guard, battleaxe ready.
Ari takes up a position near the back of the procession. She's ready to return to where the thing heard their thoughts. If it's still there, she wants to find out what it was and kill it if necessary.
[ooc]Mage armor up[/ooc
Bolkvar entered. ”Chances are that we will be ambushed. Be on your guard. And don’t the elf either. She’ll try to charm us again.”
Marcus nodded, "If it comes to it, I can petition Lord Torm to protect us from evil. I fear that boon will only last a few minutes however."
He then took point and started leading the party towards the long climb up.
Aldon manifests his Inertial Armor and take shis place at the center of the group.
Aldon manifests his Inertial Armor and take shis place at the center of the group.
Ranek conjures forth his magical armor, then moves in with the others. He hopes they can speak with this elf lady without issue - and without feeling distrust of her.
"Charm us? What charms?" Barra asks as they wander through the shaft.
The company found the mine much as they had left it. At some length they traversed the uneven ground and winding tunnels, coming at last to the spiraling shaft that led toward the mountain's heights. Through the damp, mist-choked air they returned to the abode of Lady Amkathra of the Seven Veils. Again they found her singing.
"My heroes return!" she exulted in her melodious voice.
Will DC 15
Bolkvar didn’t say anything. He just...
Sounding somewhat suspicious, Marcus asked "Indeed my lady. We found many troubling things in this place, how is it again that you came to be here? Surely one such as you can't easily be bound by mere art."
Sounding somewhat suspicious, Marcus asked "Indeed my lady. We found many troubling things in this place, how is it again that you came to be here? Surely one such as you can't easily be bound by mere art."
"Copperdeath's Art is mighty, of a kind beyond your ken I think. His kind hearken back to ages before the People," Amkathra said. "An archmagus might free me alone, but you must bring Copperdeath here. I can feel him stirring. There are...voices."
Gently Marcus asked, "Copperdeath that's Auvan Wyrmslayer's dragon isn't it? Auvan was reckoned a hero, so it seems strange Copperdeath would be enslaving not people to work in the mines. Really not how I'd expect a hero's dragon to behave."
Bolkvar grumbled in Dwarven about the faulty history of mankind, but focused on keeping his detect magic focused on the “elf.” He did not trust this to be her real form.
Bolkvar grumbled in Dwarven about the faulty history of mankind, but focused on keeping his detect magic focused on the “elf.” He did not trust this to be her real form.
Bolkvar detected illusory Art about the elf, just the same as had been seen before.
"You must be mistaken. I've never heard of any Auvan Wyrmslayer!"
Marcus thinks she's telling the truth.
”She’s covered in illusions.” Bolkvar stated flatly. ”I don’t trust anything glamered.”
Ranek frowned and quietly said to Marcus, "Copperdeath is the dragon Auvan Wyrmslayer is supposed to have killed, not a dragon he befriended."
With a glance at Bolkvar, Ranek said, "I know before you said the illusions are to hide scarring, but I must ask you to drop them. We should do business as we are, not as we wish to be."
Ranek frowned and quietly said to Marcus, "Copperdeath is the dragon Auvan Wyrmslayer is supposed to have killed, not a dragon he befriended."
With a glance at Bolkvar, Ranek said, "I know before you said the illusions are to hide scarring, but I must ask you to drop them. We should do business as we are, not as we wish to be."
"No, I will not be stripped naked so you may see me in my shame. I have so little left after all these ages, but I will be spared that," the elf said firmly.
Ari shakes her head at the elf's refusal. "If it will satisfy you, I can have the men look away so that it's just me who sees you, then you can transform back before the others see you again. Regardless, we have to know that your illusions aren't hiding something sinister. It's the only way to get us - at least some of us - to trust you. There's no other way."
"May not be much point in arguing." Barra whispers. "Old elves get stubborn."
Marcus shrugged slightly at Ranek, it was possible he was right, but then again tails where often so muddled even the wisest of sages couldn't divine the truth.
Turning back to Lady Amkathra he asked, "My lady, where would we find this Copperdeath?"
Ari shakes her head at the elf's refusal. "If it will satisfy you, I can have the men look away so that it's just me who sees you, then you can transform back before the others see you again. Regardless, we have to know that your illusions aren't hiding something sinister. It's the only way to get us - at least some of us - to trust you. There's no other way."
"You would lower me so, after all this?" She sounded genuinely hurt and angered. "Is that the demand of all of you?"
”Aye. Don’t trust ye. Could be a demon for all we know. And we’re dealing with fookers who kidnap and experiment on children. Yer scars don’t matter to me when younglings face painful death. Us lads will look away. That’s the best ye are getting, given the circumstances.”
The point of rudeness had already been crossed, and frankly Marcus found Lady Amkathra's behavior to be rather suspicious. So he did the sensible thing and decided to see what Torm thought of the situation.
He opened his senses and look to see if her soul was tainted.
The point of rudeness had already been crossed, and frankly Marcus found Lady Amkathra's behavior to be rather suspicious. So he did the sensible thing and decided to see what Torm thought of the situation.
He opened his senses and look to see if her soul was tainted.
Marcus reached out with his divine senses and felt a taint about Lady Amkathra.
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Marcus's lips formed a thin line and he regarded her with suspicion before whispering something to Bolkvar, "ᛃᛟᚢ᛫ᚨᚱᛖ᛫ᚱᛁᚷᚺᛏ᛫ᚾᛟᛏ᛫ᛏᛟ᛫ᛏᚱᚢᛋᛏ᛬ᚺᛖᚱ᛫ᛋᛟᚢᛚ᛫ᛁᛋ᛫ᛏᚨᛁᚾᛏᛖᛞ᛬"
ᛋᛖᛖ᛬ᚦᚨᛜᚲ᛫ᛃᛟᚢ᛬ᚹᚺᚨᛏ᛫ᛋᚺᚨᛚᛚ᛫ᚹᛖ᛫ᛞᛟ᛫ᚹᛁᚦ᛫ᚺᛖᚱ
A difficult question, the gods it seemed had granted them the opportunity to judge her. Problem was they didn't know her crimes or whether they had been counterbalanced by her long incarceration. He considered for a moment before replying, "ᚢᚾᛚᛖᛋᛋ᛫ᚾᛖᚹ᛫ᛁᚾᚠᛟᚱᛗᚨᛏᛁᛟᚾ᛫ᛁᛋ᛫ᚱᛖᚡᛠᛚᛖᛞ᛬ᛁᛗ᛫ᛏᛖᛗᛈᛏᛖᛞ᛫ᛏᛟ᛫ᛚᛠᚡᛖ᛫ᚺᛖᚱ᛫ᚺᛖᚱᛖ᛬᛫ᛁ᛫ᛒᛖᛚᛠᚡᛖ᛫ᛋᚺ ᛖᛋ᛫ᛏᚱᚨᛈᛈᛖᛞ᛫ᚨᚾᛞ᛫ᚦᛖᚱᛖᚠᛟᚱᛖ᛫ᚢᚾᚨᛒᛚᛖ᛫ᛏᛟ᛫ᚺᚢᚱᛏ᛫ᚨᚾᛃᛟᚾᛖ᛬"
A difficult question, the gods it seemed had granted them the opportunity to judge her. Problem was they didn't know her crimes or whether they had been counterbalanced by her long incarceration. He considered for a moment before replying, "ᚢᚾᛚᛖᛋᛋ᛫ᚾᛖᚹ᛫ᛁᚾᚠᛟᚱᛗᚨᛏᛁᛟᚾ᛫ᛁᛋ᛫ᚱᛖᚡᛠᛚᛖᛞ᛬ᛁᛗ᛫ᛏᛖᛗᛈᛏᛖᛞ᛫ᛏᛟ᛫ᛚᛠᚡᛖ᛫ᚺᛖᚱ᛫ᚺᛖᚱᛖ᛬᛫ᛁ᛫ᛒᛖᛚᛠᚡᛖ᛫ᛋᚺ ᛖᛋ᛫ᛏᚱᚨᛈᛈᛖᛞ᛫ᚨᚾᛞ᛫ᚦᛖᚱᛖᚠᛟᚱᛖ᛫ᚢᚾᚨᛒᛚᛖ᛫ᛏᛟ᛫ᚺᚢᚱᛏ᛫ᚨᚾᛃᛟᚾᛖ᛬"
** spoiler omitted **
"That accursed tongue. Barely fit for animals," Lady Amkathra sniffed. When all the men had turned, she finally obliged. Her delicate features melted away to show a being much the same, save that her form was nude and her eyes burned an unnatural green. Her hair turned from merely red to the color of freshly shed blood. She still appeared vaguely elven, but her proportions were all just a bit off from what one would expect of a true elf. Thick, jagged white scars cut across her body in a map of past agonies.
Ari forces herself to thoroughly examine Lady Amkathra now that she's able to see her with her illusions down. Ari has to be certain that she's not hiding anything else before they can best decide how to proceed.
Knowing Dwarven, she overhead some of the men's discussion, but decided against commenting for now. There would be time for that after Ari examines Lady Amkathra.
Ranek glances at Bolkvar and Marcus. Had they not considered the possibility that she might speak the Dwarven tongue? They had best find some obscure tongue people in the North rarely spoke if they wanted to have private conversations - maybe something from one of the southern nations. Few of them made their way this far north.
Ranek glances at Bolkvar and Marcus. Had they not considered the possibility that she might speak the Dwarven tongue? They had best find some obscure tongue people in the North rarely spoke if they wanted to have private conversations - maybe something from one of the southern nations. Few of them made their way this far north.
Ari's Art, which Lady Amkathra bore with a hard glare, showed no illusions still clinging to her. If she was other than an elf, she was no creature that Ari knew.
Not being able to see, Bolkvar called out in common ”Not helping your case to free ye, lass. Anyone not tainted by evil would be fookin’ more understandin’ on us bein’ careful on savin’ the lives of wee ones.”
Not being able to see, Bolkvar called out in common ”Not helping your case to free ye, lass. Anyone not tainted by evil would be fookin’ more understandin’ on us bein’ careful on savin’ the lives of wee ones.”
"What are the eyeflash lives of Not People to me?" Amkathra said, almost sounding genuinely puzzled.
”Ye...” Bolkvar trailed off, his back still to her. ”...even elflings aren’t like that, nay without just bein’ arses. What’re ye?”