*sigh*
Overall, it can't really be said that the food was delicious, but it was interesting. It does come with excellent-tasting booze to wash it down, though the price tag is pretty high.
Luckily, the restaurant owners accept gold and the party is very replete with that. During the meal, the appearance of Praetorius causes a few looks and a visit from your server but it's very easily rectified once Praetorius flashes his teeth and a few gold.
Back out on the streets of the City of Brass, the party agrees to meet back in front of the Coliseum, where they left Radazik, as soon as everyone's done with their shopping.
Traveling the world is nice - Golarion is so much cooler (in terms of temperature) than you remember the Abyss being, and the feeling of pure, cold water around your feet is wonderful. You've purposefully avoided Cheliax - such a devil-ruled nation would never welcome a demon and they'd be more likely to discover and kill you there. Galt was appropriately anarchic but without enough people waiting on you. Andoran was beautiful, scenic, rich and free but they squandered they wealth and time on helping others.
The Shackles was a place to be, though. There was work, there were whores, nobody looked at you twice if you've killed a man, there was gambling, and the ocean spray was refreshing.
A few weeks into your Shackles stint, though, you spotted something up high, in the clouds. A glimpse of wood and the glint of metal - a small flash of lightning.
Intrigued, you resumed your natural form and took to the skies to investigate. Flying high up (very high indeed - your target floated more than a mile in the air) you find something intriguing indeed. An object that had the form of a traditional pirate ship, but that floated in the sky. Coils spread from its aft, arcs of lightning leaping between them.
On its deck lie two things - one, a glass dome that affords both shelter and observation, as well as a staircase into the hold of the ship. Two, a handsome and lean shirtless man sunning himself on top of a towel. As you crest the edge of the ship and land on its deck, he takes notice, removing a pair of smoked goggles from his face, snatching up a shortsword that lies beside him, and doing a quick kip-up to his feet. He points the end of his pointy stick at you. "Stop! What are you doing up here?"
"Now is that anyway to greet a lady," she chides, finally responding to the armed man. She struts toward him, shamelessly flaunting her body and swaying slightly with every step. Her heels click against the deck and her hips shift as she walks. "And a guest at that. You have such a curious ship here, I just couldn't help coming and taking a look. Now, you really don't mind me being here do you?" Her words are impossible lyrical and seductive, laced with a subtle power that's almost unnoticeable.
Keiko greatly appreciates the high-quality alcohol.
"Perhaps we should go together to sell what we've collected, and split up from there?"
The young man blinks a few times and shakes his head, as if shaking water out of his ears. He looks confused for a second before he regains his resolve and raises his sword again. "Lady or no lady, curious or not curious, you're not supposed to be here. This is private property, and it's supposed to be hidden." He looks cross, and he takes a step forward, dropping a bit into a combat-ready pose.
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave, if you're just here for sightseeing. This ship isn't a tourist attraction."
He furrows his brow in frustration, pausing for several seconds as if he can't understand what she's saying. He opens his mouth as if to respond, and the strength leaves his arm. It falteringly falls to his side, and he responds. "I'm sorry, I was being ridiculous." He approaches her and offers a hand. "My name is Vimes - a crew member on this ship. You are right, we're pretty shorthanded, but that's because most of the crew is gone." He smiles at her. "What should I call a beautiful creature like you?"
He begins to walk towards the glass dome, gesturing towards Elinesha that he wants her to come with. "I'll introduce you, come on."
"The rest of the crew went plane-hopping to buy a couple of things you can't find here on the Material. That and down to Bloodcove to try and get some more crew."
"Really? Which plane? I've been on the Material for a while, but I've been meaning to take a trip to the Plane of Air at some point soon. There's always such interesting things to see in other realms."
Vimes leads Elinesha to the fore of the ship, which is a large hemispherical room that has a domed glass hemisphere facing down. It provides a view of everything in front of and below the ship. The room is filled with technical equipment - levers, tubes, wires, and a classical ship's steering wheel.
Standing restlessly in front of a steering wheel is a tall and imposing woman, obviously inhuman, though similarly aesthetically pleasing and standard-looking. Elinesha recognizes her as a type of genie called a jann.
She turns at the sound of their footsteps, her eyes flickering with an inner light. Her hand falls to a shortsword at her hip as soon as she sees Vimes and the woman he's with. Her face betrays both anger and surprise, and she asks, "Vimes, who is this woman? The captains told us to keep the ship clear until they brought recruits!"
Vimes, with a happy expression on his face and his shirt decidedly off, responds, "She's my good friend Elinesha. She just flew up here to introduce herself and she's..very lovely." he says, hungrily eyeing her now-human features.
Aiesha's eyes narrow with suspicion and her eyes blaze with magic. "Explain yourself, girl." she says.
She recognizes the magic and knows that her enchantment will be noticed. "I was flying by and noticed something unusual in the air. Imagine my surprise when I find a flying ship. Mortals create the strangest things. Or perhaps it wasn't built be a mortal." She looks at the jann knowingly. "Your crew mate here was a bit stubborn in giving me a look around so I had to be persuasive. There's no reason to get jumpy on me, I'm just curious. Who knows, you might have a new recruit interested in joining your crew. No need to get defensive."
Aiesha's face twists into consternation. Having been presented with none of the possibilities that she anticipated, she is faced with several seconds of contemplation. "Alright, so I won't kill you immediately." she allows. "The captains told me they were looking for crew, and here you are: volunteering to be crew. So you get a chance."
She crosses her arms. "Charming the crew is hardly the best way to go about it, but..."
"You have thirty seconds to make your pitch, girl."
"I'm so grateful," Elinesha deadpans. "Truly, I am thrilled you're not striking me down where I stand." It's incredibly obvious that she doesn't take the threat very seriously. "Honestly, I didn't know what I was planning when I came to investigate, but you people have caught my interest. If you'll have me, I'm looking for something to do this decade."
She chuckles. "Would you rather I charm the crew the old fashion way?" She crosses her arms under her breasts, lifting them slightly and putting them more aggressively in view. "Well, aside from my innate talents, I'm a cleric of my lady and I specialize in manipulation, trickery, support, that sort of thing. The power I'm granted gives me some very useful skills for controlling a battlefield as well as individuals."
"Plus, I'm more than willing to entertain my allies if they're... interested." She winks and smirks slightly.
"Yes, better pawn off trinkets we don't need here zen back were we left ze ship ..." Lu agrees, then locks one of her arms around Prae's and start to drag him towards a clothing store. "Better get started zen!" She laughs and starts to blather "Now, she really likes green. Not sure why, so zat can't go wrong. But don't get her shoes! Zey make her self-conscious ..."
"Seems like sort of a whim, doesn't it? Of course, we need to ask the captain. He'll be back in a couple of days." She appraises Elinesha up and down. "I suppose you'll be wanting payment for all of your talents of manipulation and the sexual favors you'll likely be giving the crew. Or are you above wealth?" she snickers. "What do you want out of being onboard? Other than, apparently, domination and sex."
She scoffs again. "Are you going to release Vimes anytime soon?"
She sighs. "Would you believe I don't know what I want? I haven't known what I've wanted in... honestly I don't know how long. Despite what you may think, hedonism gets so boring after a few centuries. And finding something that actually satisfies you when you've spent so long indulging is so bothersome. So I'm looking for something that finally puts that spark back in my life."
She glances back at the enthralled crew man. "Why? He'll be fine in a few hours anyway. It's not a permanent enchantment, just something to make him amenable to me for a little while."
"I would believe that you don't know what you want, and it doesn't surprise me at all that you're one of those immortals after all." says Aiesha, sitting down in her helm's chair and motioning for Elinesha to sit down in an opposite chair, by another console. "Just don't touch anything. You could send us hurtling to the ground by hitting the wrong switch."
"As for interest - well, my passion lies with the ship. I've spent a long bit of my life without it, so I understand the lack of fulfillment. At the same time, if I find out you're lying and you endanger the crew or the ship... I will go to any lengths to ensure you pay."
She stares intensely for a few moments before smiling and snickering again. "When the captains get back, we're sure to plan for something... interesting. I doubt you'll be bored if they decide to keep you on board."
She smiles. "I see. Well, despite what I may seem like, I'm being honest. I have no desire to endanger your ship or your crew. I promise not to harm your pride and joy." She leans back in her chair and folds her arms behind her head, relaxing her body completely.
She chuckles. "Well, then I'll have to make a good impression I suppose. Who is this captain of yours anyway? And there must be other officers."
When asked about the other crew, she answers, "Well, I had a whole crew to myself, but I got hired by the Knights of Ozem to help them combat the Whispering Way - they were paying a lot, so I let a dozen knights onboard and flew to Virlych - bad idea, I lost my crew and almost lost my ship. Another group was there, though, and one of them took command of the ship."
"Praetorius is a vampiric sorcerer. He helped me get my ship back to a safe port to be repaired, and then we went recruiting. We found a young duelist from Cheliax called Lucrecia, and her sorceress friend Trisiphione. There's a young halfling somewhere about here named Lima. We found an imp with a hammer who wanted to eat mages and an elf with a lot of magic tricks up his sleeve."
"We're still looking for swabbies, of course." she says, concluding her explanation. She turns to her console and adjusts a couple of things. "They're all scheduled to be back tomorrow."
She chuckles. "Well, I'm sure it won't be hard to find a few swabs here in the Shackles. Honestly, why didn't you send out a message calling for potential recruits to meet somewhere of your choosing tomorrow? Then everyone who's willing and able will already be in one place. And it's not as if pirate captains don't already do that in the area. Well, that and press-ganging but still..."
Running along with Lu Prae has a smile and gleam to his eyes... its excitement
"I was planning on getting her a Green dress, but with some exotic magicalness to it. What element is her favorite? And does she have a preference on material?"
I was thinking something like this but well nicer, and more magically
also with the bedazzlement I was thinking to replace that with more appropriately expensive jewels perhaps emeralds or some other stone that would look nice. Also I dont know much about dresses actually so feel free with any recomendations
http://goo.gl/UIDaPa
http://goo.gl/8ZD8Mf
"Ohh, elements I don't know. She's pretty much plays with zem all. But bombazine - no, satin - ought to work very well if we can find some in a good shade of green. Perhaps some details of red for contrast yes?"
Having chosen to stay with the group Sparel lingers quietly being reading a small book. Completely not understanding the situation he lowers the book and holds his page with a finger.
"Would it not be more efficient to simply pick up a sketchbook of dress fashions then give... Tris was it? ... a pair of Sleeves of Many garments? She could look at the book then change her clothes as many times as she wished to match however she was feeling. I fail to understand how these places *gesturing around with his book* can even still exist except to provide mundane clothing to nobles. I suppose it could be to showcase 'the latest fashion,' whatever that means, but seems to fail as a viable business."
By his tone it's easy to pick up on that Sparel truly doesn't "get it" or for that matter understand what "it" is.
"And look like a pleb when someone zrows a Dispel Magic? Pffffff!"
"And look like a pleb when someone zrows a Dispel Magic? Pffffff!"
"You have to wear base clothing. I recommend that base clothing not be pleb-isn."
His tone indicates he's not being sarcastic. He's problem solving.
"And chances are that the Sleeves would be far cheaper than whatever genie-dress you'd be buying here would be. Embrace the shapeshifting!" With this last line, Keiko uses her Hat of Disguise to rapidly change through several cultural outfits while simultaneously changing her face through different people she met at the academy, then back to her default appearance of the shrine maiden. "It's fun!"
"It would seem our definitions of that word vary. " he says just befor going back to his book.
Then adding without looking up from his reading, "It's a gift from the plane of fire. Perhaps something that appears to be on fire, but isn't."
"Well THAT's super easy. You get some Wizard to cast a Summon Monster spell to get a creature capable of casting Continual Flame as much as it wants, and have it spam it over an article of clothing. Not exactly a Plane of Fire unique item."
"Well THAT's super easy. You get some Wizard to cast a Summon Monster spell to get a creature capable of casting Continual Flame as much as it wants, and have it spam it over an article of clothing. Not exactly a Plane of Fire unique item."
Still without looking up Sparel casually says,
"You'd actually need a calling as a summoning would prevent such a creature from creating permanent effects. Lantern archon would be the easiest I think. However, you'd still have to barter with the thing and offer payment. Even true death threats rarely get such creatures to budge. Probably easiest to cast it yourself over time. "He adds still not looking up, "I concede that dresses aren't my area of expertise. Making them appear on fire, but not be is."
* casually flips page*
"I suppoooooose... Though for... Twelve thousand? You could get a custom-made thingy that could just infinitely cast it, right? Then you could sell permanent fire-effects!"
Keiko is busily looking around as they walk and talk, drinking in every detail of the City of Brass that she happens to pass.
"I suppoooooose... Though for... Twelve thousand? You could get a custom-made thingy that could just infinitely cast it, right? Then you could sell permanent fire-effects!"
Keiko is busily looking around as they walk and talk, drinking in every detail of the City of Brass that she happens to pass.
"I suppose. If one was so inclined to mass produce fire dresses and had the initial funds to do so."
**flips page**
"And then for a bit extra you could work in delayed Produce Flames that activate at random while the dresses are worn! Nothing like being on actual fire to keep you warm!"
"And then for a bit extra you could work in delayed Produce Flames that activate at random while the dresses are worn! Nothing like being on actual fire to keep you warm!"
"That's a different thing entirely."
sigh
"Sparel, Keiko, I am trying to impress Tris, she is a powerful sorceress and an illusionary trinket wouldn't be much of a gift, Im hoping that the Tailors here in the City of Brass would be able to create something so splendid that to perfectly copy it would be a feat. Furthermore I was also hoping that they could perhaps make it somehow incredibly durable, I wouldn't want such a gift to be so easily destroyed by a stray fireball."
"Why not some stylish magical full-plate, then? Fashionable AND functional!" After a good chuckle she goes on. "In all seriousness though, I see your point. Hmm... Finding a fancy dress is one thing, but the energy resistance is a bit trickier. I suppose you could try to get a modified Resist Energy, with Permanency... That'd be super expensive, though. I think the cheapest route would just be to make it self-repairing, which I think would go for around 1,000, not counting that it'd be a custom job. As long as the entire thing isn't incinerated at once, that ought to keep it together... Wait, the spell I was thinking of requires all the pieces to be present, so it'd work at mending cuts and tears, but not half the thing being burnt off. Hmmm.." Keiko ponders in silence for a bit.
It turns out that the splitting-up-for-shopping plan turns into the group tagging along with Praetorius and Lucrecia going dress-shopping. They group walks together into a tailor or two or three, but the first two don't seem to cater to what Praetorius is looking for. They finally find one called "FABULOUS FANTASIA'S MAGICAL ATTIRE: GUARANTEED TO SURVIVE LONGER THAN YOU DO AND LOOK BETTER THAN YOU DO!"
The inside is garish and bright, but filled with garments that are nothing short of works of genius.
The tailor, an uncommonly large azer who has supressed his natural burn effect in lieu of a beard of real hair - bright orange, braided carefully and falling to the floor. He wears a glittering golden kilt above his bare chest.
He opens his arms and demands to hug every member of the crew, enthusiastically greeting them.
"What can Fantasia do for you, my good sir?" he says, correctly guessing Praetorius as the customer. "Do not worry about telling Fantasia exactly what you want - He is a genius with the cloth and will provide you with what you want, even though you did not know you wanted it."
He smiles cheerfully, and appraises the huge hammer that Praetorius lays down on his countertop carefully. After several long moments of beard-twirling, he judges it worthy payment for whatever they happen to ask for, declaring that he will make something that he feels is worth a similar amount.
Sparel, who was only half paying attention, is surprised when the creature hugs him and is josted so badly he nearly drop his book. He goes back to his reading when the creature reorients it's attentions back on Prae.
Ach! When that knight said I needed a hug, he can't have meant this ... Lu laments as the large Azer embraces her, lifting her a bit off her feet too. And maybe I ought to get longer legs!
But once the moment has passed, she looks around inside the shop marvelling at the wonders therein. If I ever felt the need, I know where to go! But I'll have to send someone in my place, lest I have to endure another 'hug'. Maybe Lima? If he doesn't crush her ...
Keiko heartily hugs the Azer when offered, no hesitation, then thanks him for the warm welcome. After this she proceeds to mill about the shop, looking at whatever happens to be on display, waiting for Praetorious to make his decision.
Happy that someone actually wants to give a vampire a hug Praetorius gives him a jolly one
"Good Day Fantasia I am looking for a dress to give as a gift to a special women. She loves green and is a powerful sorceress. I was thinking that something special like if the dress looked like it was made of a green ethereal fire, like not on fire but that the fabric itself might be fire. And also id hate for such a gift to be easily ruined so however you could keep the dress from being destroyed would be wonderful "
"Oh, Sparel do you have a picture of Tris or can you sketch her for Fantasia im sure seeing who the dress is for would help"
"Oh and one more thing ill be needing today Fantasia, a Flag for my ship I was thinking the classic skull and crossbones on a field of black but with a flame flickering in each eye and a lightning bolt behind the skull crackling with energy, this would of course need to be able to survive the greatest of storms but this is obviously a paltry task for you on great Fantasia"
Prae the whole time he is talking has a stupid grin on his face clearly happy
Fantasia strokes his great orange beard while he listens to Praetorius explain his order, and he smiles broadly when the vampire finishes. "I believe that Fantasia can help you, young sir. Your payment is sufficient and your order is interesting."
He begins to move through his fabrics and materials collections. "I will have your order ready in a single cycle - you are Materials, yes? Eight Material hours. And do not be surprised if it is not precisely what you expected."
"Fantasia needs room to work, now." He smiles bombastically at them again before dropping his friendly demeanor and shooing them out - once the crew is outside, he closes his door, locks it, and puts a closed sign (characteristically literally on fire) in the front window.
Having been unceremoniously ushered out of the shop Sparel gathers himself then calmly suggests,
"We came for very specific scrolls. May I suggest we handle that errand before any others. It should be a priority. We've gone to a lot of trouble to get this far. "
"yea that sounds good Sparel all i need to pick up is a couple music books so the rest of you can do your shopping"
"Seeing a scroll-seller sounds good to me as well. There's a variety of formulae I'd love to collect, if possible."
"Seeing a scroll-seller sounds good to me as well. There's a variety of formulae I'd love to collect, if possible."
"I believe it was this way."
Sparel proceeds to head toward the scroll merchant, assuming he remembers the way properly.
"Didn't know you were ze artistic sort, Praetorious." Lu remarks with a raised eyebrow as they leave the fearsome 'dungeon of hugs'.
Trisiphione and Beaufort (and after a day and a night, they're joined by Belor, who does nighttime investigations) spend the week touring Bloodcove and the nearby hamlets, and they learn a lot about what's going on, and current events in Bloodcove itself.
-Based off of a few quick scouting runs around the Shackles by a growing consortium of the pirates who and sailors who make their home there, many of the ships filled with undead seem to have limited crew and are limited in number. Many shipwrecks that once graced the shallower areas are gone. However, not of the undead seem to be local. The corpses that were used to create them are apparently drawn from all over the world.
-Because of the undead menace, a relatively famous hunter of undead by the name of Emelia Clarke has come to the Shackles. While she's never been to Bloodcove, she's been hitching rides on other peoples' ships all over the Shackles to track down and destroy the undead. From the tales you've heard, she's at least as strong as the crew members on the Good Intentions.
-The ships seem to be emerging from deep underwater when they attack, their holds emptying through massive holes in their hull. Then, they mercilessly invade one of the denser-populated towns and fight to the death. There has only been one encounter with local undead recently that's been different than this. The single survivor spoke fervidly of a reptilian head spilling out magma and claws strong enough to rip people in two with the ease of snapping toothpicks. Oddly, he also spoke of the creature wielding a large weapon in humanoid hands.
-You've found several people who you think might be worthy of joining the crew of the Good Intentions to fill out some of the empty rooms. A dusky-skinned Druman man, clad in white and gold robes and going by the name Ashk approached you early on. He wants to sign on as the group's accountant, if you can believe that. He believes with the right investments and correct management, he can help you make a lot of extra money. In addition, a tiny goblin, replete with large firearms and a lot of technical knowledge about cannons, approached you. He had four arms and pistols for each one, and his name was Goghurt. When you mentioned you needed cannon staff, he jumped on the opportunity. A young man (perhaps twenty years old) who could barely hold all of his scrolls approached you another day. He's seen your airship in the skies above and he introduced himself as Fenster, a Pathfinder scribe - he's offering you the Pathfinder's resources and social standing in exchange for the right to be witness to your story and for help keeping safe.
You think that you can find a few more people if you keep looking. In addition, you can find any number of unremarkable sailors, cannoneers and swabbies looking for a few gold.
-Unfortunately, there is no fifth piece of information.