In the morning Evalee wakes up, takes a moment to summon Semsephiel, and then wakes up everyone who didn't wake up before her.
Erin sleeps fitfully and not for as long as she'd have liked, but when woken she packs quickly for the trip into the city. "Ready to go? Let's hope the grand opening sale is still a thing..."
Once the others are done with their preparations, Erin sets out with the group into the city. If they pass through the gate without incident, she makes her way to Basil Arcto's Arcane Bazaar and enters the shop.
As you approach the recently-established arcane establishment, you are again greeted by the briefly-animate wooden figure. Welcome back! Come on in! the figure says through a broad, painted smile. It bows deeply as it ushers you inside with another sweeping gesture, before again returning to its static pose.
As you enter, the planar figure's volumetric doppelgänger turns to face you, his weighty robes flaring ever so slightly as he turns, as if to emphasize his three-dimensionality. As he sees you, a smile spreads across his face. Back so soon? What incongruous and hazardous constituents can I procure for you today?
"Only the most incongrous and hazardous constituents of all!" Evalee proclaims. If there's something for her to stand on dramatically that wouldn't be too inconvenient to get on top of (so, not a counter, but yes a chair) she'll stand on it. "Which is to say, single charge wands of harmless spells that don't offer a save. We used up the ones we had, but need more reductions to our persons."
Is the opening sale still going on? I should ask about that. But first I should to make him more amenable with flattery! Like a cunning businessperson! Much cunning. Much business. Yes . . .
"Your eyebrows are pretty cool, nice eyebrows, I like the shape, also can I have a discount on my purchases? Uh, not that I'm asking for, that is to say, there was a discount earlier. Because of your recent opening."
I think I handled that rather well.
Semsephiel searches for traps.
They set up the building overnight, it'd hardly take more effort to trap the place after twenty four hours' delay for us to let down our guards . . .
After all, while it seems a coincidence that everyone in this room is in this room, it's impossible to be sure what Arcto knows, or who he knows and what or who they know. This could be an elaborate ruse, a snare set for him or Evalee. Or one of the other party members, and his summoner could get caught in the crossfire. He doesn't know the human, halfling, or goblinoids very well, they may very well have dangerous enemies.
The demon eyes everyone warily, just to be on the safe side.
Reducing our size is priority number one. Something to speed us up would be great as well, though I'm not really sure what our options are." he looks to the more magically inclined members of the group for assistance.
Erin nods. "Yeah, anything to make us smaller, faster, harder to see, that sort of thing." She pauses, reflecting on the request. "Wait, that sounds sketchy. I promise, it's just for a... game. Of capture the flag."
"Less hitting and fire than normal game." Pogug says, reminiscing on the old goblin games he played as a child. "Pogug just want to be small again. Being small was nice. Maybe Pogug should be smallest goblin, rather than biggest goblin. Still would like invisible goblin, but being smallest is like invisible."
The robed man chuckles at Evalee's ranting, listens intently to Ashak and Erin, then chuckles again when Pogug chimes in. Well, I had intended for the sale to be a one-day affair, but seeing as you're my first repeat customers in this new location, and not all of the wands I prepared for the sale were purchased, I suppose I could extent the discount on those that are left. As he says this, he sweeps his hand across the counter, again changing it from black to transparent, and revealing the remaining wands that appear to be embedded in the glass.
You purchased the reduction wand I created for the sale, but I can produce another one if you would like. How many charges do you need?
"Less hitting and fire than normal game."
"I found there to be altogether too much hitting and too much fire for a normal game . . . I always thought that normal games had a marked dearth of hitting and fire. But, as I am unversed in the athletic pursuits, I'll defer to your expertise, Pogug."
"Well, I had intended for the sale to be a one-day affair, but seeing as you're my first repeat customers in this new location, and not all of the wands I prepared for the sale were purchased, I suppose I could extent the discount on those that are left."
Victory! "That's splendid! This is, will be, the start of a wonderfully mutually beneficial business rela- wait no, this is, the start of something grand! You'll make us stuff, and we'll give you money! It'll be a blast." tho . . . "What does a wizard of your obvious power have need of money for? What is there to spend it on? You've got magic! Eh, I guess enough money is like ultimate cosmic might in itself, but personally managing a store doesn't seem like a great way to get super rich . . . "
"What does a wizard of your obvious power have need of money for? What is there to spend it on? You've got magic! Eh, I guess enough money is like ultimate cosmic might in itself, but personally managing a store doesn't seem like a great way to get super rich . . . "
Some people are interested in amassing wealth and power, others seek the thrill of adventure, or the fame that comes with heroism, the sleeves of Basil's garish indigo robes flutter as he thrusts his arms into the air, excitedly, my only ambition is to be the greatest purveyor of the arcane that the world has ever known! As he says this, illusory sparks and fireworks go off above his head, and he smiles broadly.
"Well, if you can make customized wands you've succeeded in my book." She looks to the others. "Think three charges will be enough?" She then continues to look over the other wands available.
Some people are interested in amassing wealth and power, others seek the thrill of adventure, or the fame that comes with heroism, the sleeves of Basil's garish indigo robes flutter as he thrusts his arms into the air, excitedly, my only ambition is to be the greatest purveyor of the arcane that the world has ever known! As he says this, illusory sparks and fireworks go off above his head, and he smiles broadly.
Evalee puffs out her cheeks and shrugs her shoulders. "People are strange monkeys. Well, I won't judge you on how you get your endorphin fix if you won't judge me on how I get mine."
[Erin] looks to the others. "Think three charges will be enough?"
"Three charges should be plenty," Evalee opines, "as it's the number of times we plan to use the wand. Unrelatedly, am I to summon an elemental so's you can once more brave the avian defender, or is Sephy to walk in under guise of disguise?"
She remembers there was something she meant to ask Arcto. "Say, have you ever met a man named Doc, uh, shoot, if I knew his actual name I've forgotten it." That's unlike me . . . "but he has an awesomecool pen and works at the Sirensong Traveling Carnival? Has a liver dwarves envy? He mentioned that he knew you from somewhere. Or maybe just someone with your precise name."
She isn't sure where she was going with this, so she decides to just stand silently and awkwardly until someone picks up the conversation.
Basil looks at Evalee. The fireworks have already ceased, but his arms are still raised at his sides, the heavy fabric of his robes pooling near his elbows. His arms are scawny, pale, and almost hairless. His face is clean, and so devoid of hair that one might wonder if he even needs to shave. He couldn't be more different from the burly, bearded man who ran the shop that stood in this spot not two days earlier.
As he drops his arms, his face turns thoughtful, then slightly quizzical. Doesn't ring a bell, I'm afraid. Should I have?
Erin shrugs. "Maybe? He might just be an old customer." She adds to Evalee, "I don't plan on flying, no. The disguise is up to you, but I kind of think they'll be expecting it... unless you've come up with something really good?"
Seemingly by the time you've made your decision, Basil has your wand with three charges ready. This seems to defy your understanding of how magic items such as this are constructed, but the wand is, by all evidence, exactly what it is supposed to be. Its shaft even sports three notches set into the wood just above the handle where, you now realize, all of the various single-charge wands on display have only one.
As the five of you exit the wizard's shop, you realize that your shopping trip has taken far longer than you expected. As you've been discussing and arguing over what to purchase, the sun has sunken low over Vliasport bay.
Nathaniel has been waiting this whole time, seemingly wholly uninterested in your choice of magical spells, purchased in the form of slender wooden shafts. As you begin to walk back toward the carnival, he seems even more distracted than usual, but the rest of you are too busy discussing your plans to notice. As you walk, your speed doubles, then doubles again, and one more time. Wavy lines appear across the world, along with twin triangles pointing to the right. As your legs swing faster, so do your voices increase in pitch, each word coming out as a short, high-pitched noise. Sentences are shortened to about a second each, becoming completely unintelligible. The sun hastens in its inexorable journey across the sky, now looking more like it is falling into the sea rather than simply drifting toward the horizon. You all continue to walk, seemingly unaware of the hastened passage of time.
When night has fallen and you have concealed yourselves in the forest, the passage of time again begins to slow. The wavy lines disappear, and the two triangles become one, then fade away entirely. It is quiet, and you can hear your own breath over the sounds of crickets and other wildlife going about their nocturnal business among the trees, and the soft crackling of flames from the distant torches the light the carnival grounds.
Nathaniel swings wide to the north, hoping to avoid the rapier-weilding halfling girl. Having twice gone up against her, and twice humiliated by how quickly she removed him from the competition, he hopes to avoid her this time. Perhaps if he can draw the attention of some of the others, he can at least stay in the fight long enough to be a useful distraction.
"Think some of us should try coming from the west this time?" Erin suggests from a safe distance. If the others agree, she takes cover with Chi in the bushes along the trail to the west of the main tent. Once everyone's ready, she asks Evalee for the wands of reduce person and expeditious retreat.
Evalee breaths deeply. Why is it, she wonders, that nighttime air always smells better? Perhaps it's just to do with the temperatures . . .
"Alrighty," she says aloud. "Onward to victory!"
She sends her air elemental above the camp, to verify the positions of the defenders. After it returns to her, she dismisses it and summons Semsephiel.
"Glad to have ya back, Sephy. Here's the plan. I'mma gonna glamer you to look like the one Mr. Malefect, 'cause he's tall and you're tall and it'll work out. Also, he isn't right next to the door. I'mma hafta lead him away, I think . . . anyway, we don't know much about Mr. Malefect, so be careful out there. Don't get caught." She's worried.
The devil isn't worried. "Deceiving mortals is kind of my whole shtick. I'll be fine," he rasps.
"Wonderful word, 'shtick'," Evalee notes.
"Indeed. Now, if you would, cast the spell?"
"I'm not casting a spell, I'm activating a magical devi-"
"The glamer."
"Right." Evalee draws the wand, and activates it.
She watches as the demon morphs and shifts, his too-long and too-thin body compacting into a more human form. It's only an illusion, of course, but it's a most convincing display.
"How does it feel?" Evalee wonders, having never worn someone else's likeness before.
"Glamerous," Semsephiel quips.
Smiling, Evalee will summon a mount and climb atop it.
"I'm not casting a spell, I'm activating a magical devi-"
"The glamer."
"Right." Evalee draws the wand, and activates it.
[dice=UMD]1d20+9
She watches as the demon morphs and shifts, his too-long and too-thin body compacting into a more human form. It's only an illusion, of course, but it's a most convincing display.
"How does it feel?" Evalee wonders, having never worn someone else's likeness before.
"Glamerous," Semsephiel quips.
Smiling, Evalee will summon a mount and climb atop it.
With a silent nod to his companions Ashak slips away into the darkness. He slowly creeps towards the support ropes making sure to stay obscured by darkness and cover.
Having made herself smaller and faster, Erin follows suit. Rather than the ropes, though, her eyes are fixed on the space under the tent wall.
About the same time, Nathaniel begins to approach the carnival from the north, using the bleachers around the temporary arena as cover.
Pogug moves forward, crossing the road and entering the long, wild grass that reaches up to the waist of his miniaturized body. Taking cover behind a small bit of shrubbery, he waits to follow the lead of his companions.
With her squirrel clinging to her back, Erin moves swiftly but silently across the grass, taking cover with the flap of a nearby tent.
Ashak creeps along the dark road before turning to head for cover behind one of the tents.
Pogug resists the urge to whistle, and crouches low. Moving one slow step at a time, he makes his way forward.
Evalee will ready an action to cast grease if someone spots one of her friends.
Pogug hear voices from the tent in front of him, and a rustling as the flap is thrown open. Erin can see a shaft of light cast through the open flap flash across the grass, broken by two long shadows. For a moment, you think you've been discovered.
You see Doc set off across the grounds, headed in the direction of his wagon. he takes a swig from his flask and belches, noisily. Behind him, Gregor steps out into the cold night air, his breath casting a fog across the light of the torch. There's a flurry of movement as a third, shorter figure runs out of the tent behind them to catch up with Doc.