Kage replies to Yanmei, "It is tempting to come in via the front door with you. But I fear my weaponry would cause alarm. Going in via the window will be more dangerous but it may be for the best?"
"Of course Jon, it would be my pleasure", Eris responds smoothly, factoring this useful tidbit into her plans and making the necessary adjustments to ensure her research would be successful
The day of Yanmei's "audition" arrives, and she travels with Gafar and Jon-Wyn as her bodyguards to the Cypher Lodge. Eris, in her infiltration of the Lodge, discovered that Mizrin Albo has a thing for the quiet bookish type that conceals a radiant beauty. By impersonating one of the most reserved junior mages within the compound, she is able to effect a stunning transformation that has Albo completely rapt. Confident that the real Tellia Erenti -- a half-elf diviner of middling ability -- is indisposed for the evening, Eris steps out in a lovely outfit and angles for an invite to the observatory this evening.
Meanwhile, Sa'Kage and Myra scale the walls on the outside of the the compound. Myra does an able job of detecting and disabling the magical wards around the great glass observatory as they ascend to the final spot where they can view the interior. Their adamantine weapons still warm from the gas forges when they picked them up, they sit in wait for the proper time to strike.
Yanmei is greeted by one of Tammerhawk's men when she arrives, and is quickly escorted through the Cypher Lodge to the uppermost level. Tammerhawk is waiting with a small entourage of mages -- Eris among them -- in a breathtaking observatory. Several massive structures made of crystal, glass and metal stand in various places, and one large scale recreation of the Cyphergate itself arches over a row of chairs. It is there that you see Tammerhawk himself sitting in a relaxed posture. He immediately eyes Yanmei with a keen intensity.
But we don't see the golem?
The disguised Jon looks around the room. Disapproval evident on his face. He addresses their escort in a voice full of derision, "Giora will need a private space to make her final preparations. It does not need to be overlarge, but will require a mirror. You did prepare for this, right?"
The aide looks shocked at Jon-Wyn's demand. "Oh! Well, y-yes, but I didn't think of that. I'll have to see if High Cypher Tammerhawk will let her make use of his personal quarters."
The aide hustles over to Tammerhawk and whispers to him. He nods, then stands up and approaches Yanmei with a relaxed smile. "Welcome, my lady. I hope the acoustics and the backdrop are to your liking? Come this way."
He walks her across the wide floor to the opposite side of the observatory, where there are two doors. One is smaller and made of ornate wood, while the other is large, heavy and barred with metal bracing. He opens the smaller door and shows her to a nicely-appointed bathroom, complete with mirror. "This should suffice for your preparations," he says. Another door beyond the wooden door leads to an office filled with cluttered papers, diagrams and books. Tammerhawk closes and locks that before he lets Yanmei alone in the bathroom.
Of course Jon follows them into his office. He looks around with disapproval at first, but when he is about to say so to Tammerhawk, Jon's attitude changes, "This will do quite nicely, sir." He finds a space in the office and begins to pull things out of his bag: make up, implements for doing hair, scarves, papers with song lyrics on them, a pillow (he checks the seat and puts the pillow back)....
Playing bodyguard is always such an arduous task for Gafar. He tries to alleviate the boredom by making the rounds while Jon-Wyn sees to their charge's accomodations, pretending to look for potential security risks and generally being gruff. While the event hardly interests him, he must admit that the observatory is a sight to behold in and of itself. The Cyphergate, even though a paltry recreation of the original, looms impressively over the room.
The climb hadn't been particularly difficult. Master Brin was of the opinion that, "Mages tend to think rather highly of themselves and often neglect basic security. Of course boy, if you're foolish enough to let one catch you, you deserved to be blasted into a fine mist or turned into a frog or whatever their speciality is..."
He may have been a sadist, but Master Brin's lessons had sunk home and Kage instinctively sunk into the area of deepest darkness and watched the various cyphermages kowtow to Tammerhawk.
Out of habit he studies the Tammerhawk, and the nearest mage to him. Watching their movements and the way they carry themselves. He idly tries to decipher the invisible pecking order that the mages have bound themselves with.
There are actual signs up posting warnings of the existence of additional magical traps to deter unauthorized use of the equipment. It would therefore not be advisable to attempt to scale the lab equipment.
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Yanmei takes a moment to reinforce her disguise by applying theatrical make-up. She circles her eyes in red and black. Single black trails streak down her cheeks in a visage of tears of pitch. Her lips become a dark crimson. Her hair is let down and teased out to be wild but still beautiful.
She glances to Gafar and Jon-Wyn as she tries to formulate further plans.
"My performance should only take 30 minutes, m'lord. Do you think we should add in the thieves scene?"
Yanmei used vocal intonations and references as she spoke trying to communicate with the other two while assuming they were under observation.
Secret Message: I can stall them about 30 mins or more depending on how its received. Can you case the joint in that time?
Kage was watching Tammerhawk intently when Yanmei spoke. There was something peculiar about the slightly stilted phrases she chose, surely there was some subtext but whatever it was eluded him.
Still Kage wasn't just going to sit idly, he had an excellent bird's eye view of the area and he intended to use it. He craned his neck around, carefully noting things of interest, paying particular attention to potential threats and exits.
Once Tammerhawk leaves, Jon casts a Message spell and informs his cohorts, "I believe we have found him. We can stall for maybe 30 minutes."
You also can tell the door has been reinforced recently.
Eris meanwhile, is acting every inch the eye candy shes here for, hanging on her partners every word, happy to make him look good to his superiors, while still enjoying the excuse to roam around the room, reading to assist her friends if needed, but in general, keeping a fairly low profile while rewarding Tammerhawk with an interested glance if he ever looks her way.
Elias Tammerhawk is a contradiction made flesh. He appears in many ways to be a scholarly wizard, but simultaneously a ruthless crime boss. He is hard-eyed, stern and his crew respond to his looks and gestures as if they were conjurations of his. The way the diviner looks at Eris, she is unsure if he sees through her kitsune ability to disguise herself, but seems unimpressed nonetheless.
He sits in a plush chair and watches over steepled fingers as Yanmei steps out of the antechamber. With a single spinning motion of his hand, he instructs her to begin. The rest of his crew settle down to watch and listen, although their own interest is only passing.
Jon, in his stage manager guise, helps Yanmei get comfortable then fades into the background. He stays close to her for a few minutes, enjoying the performance and mimicking some of her movements like he's seen this many times before. He will then make his way closer to Tammerhawk. Once there, Jon will begin to make small comments to encourage Tammerhawk to like Yanmei's performance, "Wonderful. Isn't she?" and "Marvelous! Simply marvelous!" and "What an incredible voice.", until Tammerhawk gives him an irritated look. At that point, he'll say a little nervously, "There are some more preparations I need to make." and goes back to the office.
Jon Wyn goes by Eris and asks who she uses for her wardrobe. "My lady needs a good designer while she is in town." Hopefully by now, she has the information the group needs.
Yanmei steps gracefully on the stage. She gives a nod to the instrumentalist who has been provided and they strike up the first cords of the music. Starting soft and low, her voice begins to wash out into the audience. Tightening her diaphragm, the woman's voice rang and filled the hall. Infernal was a harsh and cruel language and though she could not hold a conversation in it, she formed the words in operatic style, making them drip with passion and pride.
While the others are distracted below, Kage cautiously attaches a coiled silken rope to a sturdy roof beam. The rope is thin and knotted so that it will be hard to spot whilst being relativly easy to climb. 'Always know your exits.' thinks Kage, 'Even if you have to create them. Still I think I'll leave this coiled for now.'
That done, he decides to cautiously circumnavigate the ledge, which should help him see the various exits from a different angle.
Halfway through Yanmei starts her performance. It provides the perfect distraction, and Kage finds himself enjoying it. 'She really is very good, although I hope she switches to something less harsh and guttural.'
Hopefully by now, she has the information the group needs
.
GM hasn't said I have, so we obviously don't?
The performance is stunning, even for those who do not have the ear for it. But after the better part of the performance, the other Cypher Mages in attendance start to get restless and fidgety. After a little while, one excuses himself. Then another follows suit.
By the end of the first performance, there is only a smattering of the original crowd left. But Tammerhawk appears most pleased.
He slowly claps, but genuinely.
Kage idly notes which mages were the first to make their excuses and leave and which were the last to stay. 'The enemy is never one uniform faction. Some are more loyal or fearful than others. Knowing this may help should we need to drive a wedge, although that seems unlikely.'
He watches the last few leave and wonders, 'Surely these must be Tamerhawk's lackeys, and this his place of power. Will he be indiscreet? Will he seak to overawe our beautiful performer with talk of heady things? Or is he truly paranoid?'
Kage strains to listen into any conversation.
The Geisha is a little put off at the patrons who decide to leave mid performance, but she hides it well. She gives a curtsy to Lord Tammerhawk, "You honor me, m'lord"
Tammerhawk smiles. "I do," he begins, "but these uncouth, unrefined, small-minded so-called scholars do not. My apologies."
He stands and approaches Yanmei, taking her hands in his. "You performed the Revelae Infiernum with such skill and passion. I can only imagine what circumstance brought such talent to Riddleport. My good fortune, I suppose."
He raves a bit more about her performance, demonstrating a great knowledge of the subject. The rest of the crowd mills about impatiently, but unsure about leaving since Tammerhawk doubtless has it in for the others who left early.
"...Do you know why I enjoy Chelish opera so much?" he continues, as he walks Yanmei around the room. "It's the celebrated ruthlessness. The unholy retribution fated to those misguided fools who overstep their bounds."
Tammerhawk pauses and regards Yanmei, looking deep in her eyes. "You see it, too, do you not? How else could you achieve such a performance?"
While Gafar's interest in the event had thus far been merely perfunctory, he finds himself enraptured by their new colleague's performance. There are some quirks to her performance that betray her; opera likely isn't Yanmei's first style, and it makes him wonder about where her true expertise lies.
Struggling to break himself away from the performance during the second aria, he approaches the stage manager. In a low voice, he details his observations in coded language, using his eyes to point to the reinforced door and the potential hiding place of the golem.
Yanmei let a knowing smile break on her face, "My lord is very perceptive. Theatre is awash of those who smile as they wrap a garrote around your neck. She lets her eyes flicker around and mark any notable figures as well as read any intentions that may be threatening. She was vulnerable and had to stay on her guard, while remaining relaxed, "What truly amuses me is that no matter how we capture and exaggerate such cunning and swift vengeance on stage, it pales in comparison to the true malevolence and power of those great men inspired by it. Their wrath has the ability to shape the law of the world by force as a hammer does to the sword on the anvil."
The Mantises are arrayed around the great observatory. Their whispers and keen eyes have determined that their target, if here in this building, likely lurks behind the heavily reinforced door.
Tammerhawk has maneuvered Yanmei directly in front of the large door, underneath the replica Cyphergate. Kage and Yanmei both realize from his mannerisms that he is not fully taken in by the ruse. His stance is guarded just enough, his cruel glint in his eyes just slightly furtive -- he suspects.
"You do understand!" he points to Yanmei in an exaggerated manner. "And those who dare insult them must suffer the most."
His eyes harden into a malevolent smile. "You wonder, don't you? Is such power within me? A lord of a pirate town like Riddleport, obsessed with the secrets of the ancient ways?"
He glances around the room, eyeing Eris, Gafar and Jon-Wyn before looking back at Yanmei. "May I show you what has happened to the last person who dared incite my wrath? Before you decide to try whatever it is you were hoping to try?"
Yanmei fought to keep her cool, "oh I do not wonder at what power you hold, m'lord...I know." She figured it was no sense lying to the mage...but confirming his suspicions would mean death in this place. The woman did not meet his gaze and instead peered at him out of the corner of her eye, "I am not sure what you believe me to be, Lord Tammerhawk, but I have seen terrible things and would be curious to see the fruits of your ruthlessness." While she spoke, she hoped to catch one of her party's attention with some subtle hand gestures indicating trouble.
Something about the man's posture made Kage's hackles rise, 'He suspects'. When Tamerhawk implied he was going to reveal something terrible, Kage felt a sudden surge of anticipation. With the blood singing through his veins, Kage steeled himself to patience. 'Lord Tamerhawk is a foe beyond us, attacking here in the seat of his power would be the very height of foolishness. No he is the alpha male wanting to strut and demonstrate his mastery. We shall watch and learn and bide our time.'
When Tamerhawk moved to show Yanmei the deadly fruits of his mastery, Kage ghosted closer round the upper level to get a better vantage point. He bearly breathed as he moved and each footfall was deliberate, avoiding all the dust piled up were the mages hadn't bothered to clean.
When Tamerhawk moved, Kage watched, missing nothing. When Tamerhawk spoke, Kage heard.
Kage's skilled eyes notice that Tammerhawk uses a small but elaborate key that appears to bypass a number of wards when employed. The slayer also recognizes a deliberate twist, pause, then turn of the key to unlock the door.
As the door opens, Yanmei is immediately hit with a wave of a reeking chemical smell that threatens to take her breath away. Tammerhawk smirks at Yanmei and throws the doors wide. "Come on out!" he commands into the dark chamber.
There's a stir in the small unlit chamber, and then a heavy footfall combined with a strange clinking and sloshing. More footfalls, and then stepping into full view is the golem. Glass tubes and crystal decanters contain bubbling liquids in bright colors around the otherwise metal chassis. It towers over the humans, being over ten feet in height, though it is skinny with narrow limbs giving it a gangly appearance. Its arms end in syringe-like injectors with tubing running into the bubbling reservoirs of alchemical fluids. And then, horrifically, its glass dome for a head contains a brain floating with two eyes still attached that cast about. Somehow, as they look about at the figures in the room, the eyes project an insane awareness and terror at its situation.
Tammerhawk points up at the brain sloshing about it its jar. "That belonged to a man named Gyr Vestmark, a man who promised much but was unable to deliver. Now he repays that debt at my pleasure while he tries to remember the details of the information that he owes me."
He crosses his arms, clearly pleased with himself, and studies Yanmei's reaction.
Jon's disguise seems to fade away as his demeanor changes. "It so happens that Gyr Vestmark is the reason that we are here." Jon approaches as close to Tammerhawk as he will allow. "We are the ones who killed him and He Who Walks In Blood demands that he stay that way." Jon lets that information sink in some. "We had hoped to finish our business and be gone before you knew, but... And before you say it, I freely agree that it is possible that you would be able to kill us, but if you do, more will come, and more after that if, necessary." Jon stands there. A predator ready to strike. "Rather than making a mess here today, perhaps there is something you would take in trade for the brain and your discretion?"
Yanmei had managed to keep her jaw from hitting the floor at the sight of the golem...but when Jon-Wyn exposed himself, and implicated her and others as well, she couldn't help but express shock. Recovering as quickly as she could, the woman set her jaw and said nothing to see how this played out. Her wrist tensed, ready to command the dart hidden up her sleeve to her hand in case she needed a weapon. We may not walk out of here alive now. she fumed inwardly.
Eris fumed silently, upon hearing Jon-Wyn attempt to negotiate. Openly admitting that Tammerhawk could kill all of them was never a particularly intelligent way to open negotiations, nor would the Mantis organisation strike back at Tammerhawk if he emerged victorious, since he currently lacked a contract on himself. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Eris drifts slightly closer to the action while feigning utter confusion every time Tammerhawk looks meaningfully at her.
There is a long pause, thick with tension, after Jon-Wyn drops his disguise. Tammerhawk is momentarily stunned as well -- clearly he believed he was the target. To his credit, he processes the information quickly and a smoldering fury starts to bubble behind his eyes.
The tense silence is broken by a hollow-sounding, shrill laugh that sounds tinny and distant. As it gets louder, it suddenly dawns on you that it's coming from the golem.
Tammerhawk spins to face the construct, a mix of fury and respect lace his voice. "Oh, well played, Gyr! I take it then that you yourself took out the contract for your life? After I promised you that not even death itself would allow you to escape me?"
The metallic laugh only gets louder, which further incenses Tammerhawk. His rage bubbling over, he turns to the Red Mantis in the room. "He promised me the Key!" His voice echoes shrilly in the observatory as he rants. "I elevated him beyond his station! All he had to do was follow through on our agreement! Yet he strings me along! Vexing and taxing and stalling!
"I WILL HAVE IT!!" he shrieks at the golem.
As his last outburst's final echo fades, Tammerhawk attempts to compose himself. He smooths his slicked-back hair and adjusts his collar before turning to Yanmei and Jon-Wyn. "May I ask of you to stay your blades for a while longer? Prolong his torment until he finally gives me what I want?" A mad look grows in his eyes as he remembers the geisha in front of him and he steps closer to her. "You do appreciate the beautiful cruelty in this, don't you?" He points at the construct looming over him. "You understand? This is a work of art! Would you destroy it so soon?"
Yanmei relaxed some, not feeling threatened by the mage, "You have a unique mastery, Lord Tammerhawk. Your creation is magnificent. And I believe in your interests. Information is more valuable than gold. Especially so critical as to what you seek." She motioned to her compatriot, "However, I do not have the authority to provide you a stay on the contract." She looked up at the golem, more curious than fearful of its visage. Tammerhawk's methods of construction would also be a valuable acquisition for trade.
Kage's heart was in his mouth when Jon-Wwn spoke. Not daring to breathe he waited with sweat trickling down his back while Tammerkawk processed this information. When it seemed the mage wouldn't simply blast the man on the spot, he slowly let out the breath, and the implications started playing across his brain.
He glanced at Eris and wondered, 'Is she thinking what I'm thinking? Can she can read Gyr's mind?'
Mind Reading Ability go!
It prolly wont work cos the DC scales badly but hey, you never know if you don't try!
By touching the mind of this construct, you receive a massive dose of the pain, distortion and confusion that Gyr is suffering. You see his nightmarish existence, hear his screaming madness ringing inside your skull. You can tell he looks to you, or rather the Red Mantis, as his salvation -- salvation from this torment that he paid for.
Throughout the insane noise and babble assaulting you, you do pick up a perverse satisfaction that the torment he is causing Tammerhawk will continue. The denial of the key. The key... You see it thrown into a boiling cauldron of molten metal, and poured into a cast. It's in a statue, here in Riddleport, and Gyr laughs the laugh of the mad.
Your connection expires, mercifully, severing you from the madness. You are confused for rounds. The moment you sever the connection, you get to act normally for about six seconds before another wave of madness hits.
Eris noticeably winced and presses her hand against her temples. "If you would allow me a moment to recover, Tammerhawk, and a further moment to confer with my friends in private, I might have some information that might be of interest to you"
Tammerhawk initially looks outraged at Yanmei's response, but Eris's words catch his attention. He turns and regards the sorcerer with a rather satisfied expression, though still marred by a snarl. "As I suspected. Mizrin, you are far too vulnerable to a pretty face." Eris's date takes several steps away from her and looks shocked.
Tammerhawk steps back from the geisha further under the reach of the golem and folds his arms. "You infiltrate my college under cloak and pretense? Why should I afford you anything?"
Eris responds to Tammerhawk's demand with a string of incoherent babbling.
Jon takes over for a moment while Eris, hopefully, composes herself. "Because allowing us a short time in your well protected study could very well get you what you want." Jon doesn't know if it is well protected, he is going on a hunch that Tammerhawk would have erected magical protections around the place he works.
Released from Tammerhawk's hold, she moves to Eris' side. She wasn't sure that it would help whatever took hold of the woman's mind, but she was going to try anyway. She began to softly sing a calming song in Eris' ear in an attempt to push way the creeping insanity. Yanmei embraced Eris' arm as not to make the woman's brief impediment as obvious.