With Strange Aeons Even Death May Die

Game Master Synxol

The Bartender nods at Ssilax's words and 'says' " Payment for removing a curse and for my freedom. No worries Berk, I figured that you were a Prime and didn't know, no offense taken. " Nodding at Ssilax's order he grins and takes the order, and informs Ssilax the the prices of the two rooms would cost a total of 50gp for a few days, lunch will cost a total of 10 gp

While Ssilax talks to the barkeep, Argon sits back, taking hold of his holy symbol, his Djed-Ankh-Was, and feels for his connection with Ptah. It takes time, but he feels it there, weaker than normal. Gods are not permitted here.

It feels strange to be somewhere gods may not set foot. Though there are angels and devils, and others from the outer planes. He wonders about Dainoth, and about how they will find him. Someone had brought them here, indirectly, through the sky rock, so it's possible that same someone might approach.

"How many worlds are represented here?" he asks to Aliza, though he wonders if Wraith would answer, too. More likely he'll just listen, to augment the knowledge he already has of this place.

"Well, I am glad that you have your freedom, and have been provided with an interesting way to speak with others," the dragonkin says with a smile. "Here you go," Ssliax pays for the rooms and meals adding an extra 10 gp to the bartender for a tip, and for putting up with his questions.

Returning to the others, he lets them know that rooms have been paid for as well as the meals and drinks. Ssilax takes a sip from wine cup and closes his eyes briefly. Sitting the metal cup down, a faintly glowing azure liquid can be seen.

"The latter will be arriving momentarily, the meals will be arriving shortly afterwards. We will have to double up on the rooms," the dragonkin adds with a shrug of his robed shoulders. He grins at his friends and says, "I think you will like the meals and drinks."

Feel free to do your own meals and drinks :)

"Oh and before I forget, here you go Aliza," Ssilax hands the tout a small pouch filled with 150 gp. He had counted it while at the bank, putting the coins in one of the small pouches the bank so thoughtfully provided. For a small fee. "We will be requiring your expertise for a few days. If that is not a problem with you, of course," the dragonkin smiles pleasantly at the teifling. Ssilax waits for Aliza response for speaking further as to what they where doing in Sigil.

Aliza chuckles and says " Well blow me down, alright berks for a few days I can be your main tout. Since you are all new Primes here and I have little else to do, I'll steer you where you want to go and inform you of whats been going on when you want to know. " Aliza says then starts to dig into her plate of food. Aliza does seem to know that the only meal that one can get is the one in front of her, you get the sense that she is ruled by praticallity and surviving on her main job as a tout.
The rest of the inn/tavern seems to be keeping thems elves to themselves, as this would seem to be on of the main attractions to this locale. Everyone seems to be doing their business silently although you do see a demon and an angel sitting together, drinking and laughing about something.

Briefly glancing and at an angel and demon having a grand time about something, Ssilax looks at Aliza when she agrees to stay on for a while longer. Smiling at the teifling, the dragonkin turns his attention to his own meal.

Several thick steaks cover his own plate, each one look to be a different type of type of animal. The only similarity the three shared was that they had been lightly kissed by flame before being severed. It took Ssilax a few moments to decide which of the three he was going to start with. Finally, he settles on slicing a small chunk from each and trying them in order.

Dog looks to be working on a slab of thick ribs. Only three ribs, wrapped in uncooked flesh, but those three kept the familiar very busy. His tail wagging furiously, Dog gnaws on the meat, eagerly working his way to the delicious smell marrow in the rib.

After finishes about a third of his own succulent meal, Ssilax pauses for a breather. Taking a sip of his azure wine, the dragonkin glances at his friends and idly the common room of the inn. Noting the others taking a quick respite for a drink, the dragonkin speaks, keeping his voice soft enough so that it could heard at the table, but hopefully no further.

"Well, we came to Sigil to find our mentor. We are reasonably positive that he is still here. However, he is shielded from detection from scrying," Ssilax pauses to take another sip of his wine. "Now that we are on the same plane of existence, I have another spell I will try. I just need some time to prepare it is all."

"If I can locate our mentor, we will need some more guidance, as well as advice about where we are visit, normal duties, more or less," Ssilax grins briefly at the teifling. "If I am unsuccessful, then, I imagine we would have to locate some being to aid us, for payment, of course. Or perhaps some form of tracker, or the like." Pausing, he stirs a slice of his steak in the juices on his plate before popping it into his maw. Setting his fork down and swallowing, Ssilax continues. "I am decently confident my spell will work, but I prefer to consider the "what if's" that could be floating around," he adds with a grin and a faint shrug of his shoulders.

Aliza nods at Ssilax's words and sets aside her empty plate, and says " Of course, well this is Sigil and trying to find one person can be rather tricky, since things work a bit different then most people who show up here are used too.
" Taking a sip from her tankard she looks like she is thinking of a few different ideas. " This is a good enough spot to keep some of the cutters away from you, and the fact this inn is close to a number of shops that sell magic components, and supplies. I might have to leave you for a number of hours after you have cast you spells, and make some inquires on my end of things. I'm sure Daxniss has an idea or two about the type of people I'll need to ask. " She says with a smirk.
" Your room would be a good enough spot to not be bothered, and I'll need some more information when you want me to know about whom you are looking for and what he did. He could have moved himself into the catacombs, or hidden himself with a number of factions, or he could be in the mortuary, on a slab. I don't think you four would go to that much trouble if he was no longer alive, it doesn't make sense. "

Daxniss had kept her meal simple enough as much as she felt the urge to try something really exotic, there was may or may not be time to sample whatever was on the menu.
Cutting into her steak she briefly wondered what type of meat it could be, or where it had came from, moving that thought out of her mind she trusted Ssilax's judgement on the meal that he had ordered for her.
Daxniss had a feeling that Aliza was a rogue of some kind, after watching on she carrayed herself. Daxniss also felt a little out of sorts with the others doing the talking, but this might be more of Ssilax's element, sensemble she had to spend more time watching the groups back, plus she felt off balance so to speak. The last few weeks had been very odd, and Daxniss felt that once they went back to Sel Torin, after experiencing Golarion that Sel Torin was going to be a little bit on the dull side.
Shaking that thought out of her head, she puts herself back into the present, since there wasn't anything to be gained by navel gazing.

Argon digs into the exotic meal Ssilax had ordered and the tavern had prepared. He is a little reticent, as he's not sure what kind of meat it is. Without knowing the culture, or cultures, of the people here, it could be anything, or anybody, really. He debates internally whether now (at least, after this meal) would be a good time to become an herbivore. He'd need lots of legumes, then.

"We will want to find him, even if he's dead. Both to prove it to ourselves, and to bring his body back home. We will tell you more, but I think we'd better go to a more secure location before we do that. One of our rooms perhaps," he says quietly.

"Thank you Ssilax, for ordering this for us. I think." He takes a deep draft of the different drink he's been served.

Ssilax ponders the question of whether of not Dainoth was alive or not as he has a few more bites from the different types of animal flesh.

"I am fairly certain that he is still alive. Wrathe spoke with him a little over what? A little over a week ago? When he flew off to investigate the maelstrom and was messaged," Ssilax says, tapping the side of his snout. "I would really hate to have come all this way to retrieve a corpse," the dragonkin says with a faint frown. "But it is a possibility we have to consider."

"Your welcome, it is a type of cow from a place that never sees the sunlight. The beer is made by dwarves that live in the Earth plane," the dragonkin adds with a grin curving his Masked snout.

Looking at Alzia, the dragonkin thinks about what she had said.

"Well, our mentor was a powerful arch mage on our home plane, even more magically rich planes, he would be considered powerful. Unfortunately, the current tyrants controlling the major city-states, control magic, along with most other things with an iron fist. He was one of the original members of an organization that opposed the rulers" Ssilax pauses to take a drink. "That did not end well as most of the group was slaughtered, and the founding members where driven into hiding, or slain."

Thinking for a few moments, the dragonkin massively condenses the story.

"Making a long story short, our mentor had been presumed dead for several decades before he rescued and raised some of us, arranging for training for the others. In short, he saved from a brutally short existence in a city that hated nonhumans." The dragonkin pauses for a few more bites. "Many years later, during a lesson that we where all under taking, he had used magic to create a portal. There was something lurking in the inbetween space between the portals." Ssliax takes another drink and continues. "We know that he had been captured by the Arch-Magus, his former student that had betrayed him. Shortly after that, we had to flee the city, and where unable to return for 3 years. In that time, our mentor made it to Sigil, and seems to be in hiding."

Leaning back in his chair, the dragonkin looks pleased about something.

"Things have changed a great deal in that time. Between a war with an invading army, a lich-lord army marching upon our city, and most of the original members that controlled where slain by the lich's forces. Not to mention the barbarians leader found something that lay within our city that allowed him to become a new birthed deity, which we were far too close to for comfort. Needless to say, the viewpoint of magic has been rapidly improving." Ssilax looks over at his friends then back to the tiefling. "Wrathe, in particular, has been instrumental in beginning to dismantle the slave trade. Like I mentioned a great deal has been improving." Ssilax goes back to the last bit of his 3 steaks, finishing his meal with a contented sigh. The dragonkin thinks for a few moments, as he looks into his azure wine. He looks up at the teifling.

"Out of curiosity Aliza, have you ever heard of our home plane of Sel Torrin? If so, what have you heard out it? The last people we had spoke with about it said that it was rare any had managed to leave it. I have a sinking feeling that means there are very few portals to or from our plane," the dragonkin says with a faint grin. "I have a few ideas as too why," Ssilax says, thinking back to what the avatar of Asmodues in the aftermath of the battle between diva and Jaevan.

" No clue where that is, but there are portals everywhere here Berk. Sounds like home kinda sucks for the lot of people. I've heard other places that treat people like less than dirt, some of them on other Primes. However since there are multiple material planes in existence it doesn't surprise me. You have given me a fair amount of information that I can use to make inquires, so there is that. " "
Aliza finishes her drink and taps her fingers on the table top, her eyes moving back and forth as she starts to ponder the groups tale.

"Oh, this might help too. He is, or was, at least, missing his right hand. I'll write down his name in case someone's listening..." says Argon.

Then he writes Dainoth on a slip of paper and hands it to Aliza.

"Yeah, Golarion seems like a paradise compared to our plane. This place is not too bad so far, either."

"If we have the time, I would like to visit a library. I have some ideas and theories I would like to research while we are in Sigil. Any you could recommend?" the dragonkin asks of the trifling tout. Ssilax couldn't argue with Aliza had said.

After all, the multiverse was supposedly infinite, filled with good, bad and all everthing in between. Ssilax chuckles.

Looking over at Argon, the dragonkin nods at his friend and nods.

"Golorian was very peaceful, especially compared to home. Sigil is.., exciting, as if it is literally pulsing with life and activity. I would enjoy spending more time seeing the sights. If we have the free time, that is," Ssilax says with a faint grin.

" Well that makes sense, I'll show you to the Academia section of this ward, Sigil only has 6 hours of daylight at a time, and of course there are lights in the Lady's Ward that help those that can't see in the dark so there is that. The Academia ward has all sorts of wizards and scholars living there, I know a number of Primes have spent time going to the various colleges there. "
Aliza gets up and orders another Tankard from the bartender, sitting back down at the table the rest of the party is at " Alright then, if he is missing a limb when he came here, provied that he didn't get the limb regenerated, there are a number of things he could have done sense then. Of course if he came here of his own powers or had a spell ready to get him to a gate where he could come here, then he might be hiding out. Also sense he is a wizard and one that has lived through a lot, he would have wanted to set up a haven from himself. There is a number of places he could have hidden and warded from people trying to find him from other planes. "
Aliza frowns and takes a drink from her tankard, setting it back down she looks at the four of you and says " You might be here for a while, weeks at the least, depending on how long this takes, you have given me a fair amount of information and I'll look into things on my end, but I might have to get a specialist depending on how deep this rabbit hole go. "

Taking a few minutes, Ssilax heads back to the bar for another cup of the glowing azure wine. Returning, the dragonkin has a thoughtful expression upon his scaled features.

"I did happen to remember something that would be very interesting to see," Ssilax looks over at Dax and Argon. "While Wrathe and myself are in the library, you two could go to the Sensate Palace. If what I read was correct, it is a place where beings sensations and memories are recorded so that another can experience what was recorded," the dragonkin sounds interested in going himself, and would like to at some point. However, with the libraries so close by, possibly containing some clue about the dragonkin, Ssilax had to remain focused.

"Aliza, I believe would be able to explain better than I could," the dragonkin says with a half-grin as he takes a drink from his metal wine cup.

"Or, Argon might be a bit more interested, but there are metalsmiths from just about every corner of the multiverse in Sigil," Ssilax says, faintly grinning once more.

" That is very true, there are a number of things that can interest everyone here in Sigil, so let me know when you four are ready to head back out and I'll lead you where you want to go. Little trouble happens to Primes in the Lady's Ward, sometimes the shops get a better deal then what you wanted to pay though. " She finishes with a smile.

Ssilax hands the others the room key which looks like a stone with runes painted on it. Looking at it with magic, you can see that it had the required passage to open a specific door. The door will open up and a portal will take you to your rooms. It is a great way to prevent theft of anything that you will leave behind.

Daxniss perked up as she heard Ssilax talk about the Sensate Palace, and also hearing about the various shops, she had a number of ideas, and the desire to possible do more shopping.

Aliza informs Argon about a number of shops that craft gems and a number that craft weapons as well, most of the gem crafting was completed here in the Lady's Ward and also in the Merchants Ward as well.

Argon smiles politely when Aliza talks about gemcutters. But his ears perk up when smiths are mentioned. Also, he tells her he's interested in the architecture of this place, its variations, its influences, and so on.

"Still, I think we should stick together - in pairs, at least. That thing that ultimately brought us from home may be here, and might not be friendly."

He looks at their guide and asks, "How much time do we have before it gets dark? I don't mind looking around some."

Ssilax blinks a few times, looking as if he had forgotten about the specter, and it's less then friendly meeting with the group.

"That is a very valid point. Alright, we travel pairs at the very least. I figured the two of you would rather stretch your legs for a bit, and see some sights. Which would be more interesting then watching the two of us read through tomes in a library," the dragonkin says with a grin.

Thinking over another drink from his wine, Ssilax thinks for a few moments.

"Although, I do want to see the Senate Palace, and do a little wandering through the markets at some point, and my research is more personal then anything, so I could push that back a little and we can all stick together. Unless Wrathe wants to head straight to the libraries and collages, in that case, I travel with him," Ssilax says with a laugh.

Aliza laughs and says to Argon and the others " Daylight only lasts about 6 hours here, there are plenty of lights at night. The shape of the place makes it difficult for sunlight to last a long here. Even in the Hive Ward there are a number of lights that dispel the dark. " I would estimate that we have about 4 hours of light before the sky dims and about 2 hours of dusk, before the magic illumates the land. [/b] "
Stopping at Argon's words she looks at him, then the rest of you and says " Now most building are created with magic, whatever people can throw together and the Lady's Dabius'. Dabius' are left alone less you want to get the Lady's attention, which there are other ways to kill yourself that would be less pain full. The Lady mantains the balance of this place and it is a neutral ground for all. Tied to everwhere on the planes, and she keeps that order to herself. "

Putting the last of his second drink back, Argon looks around to see if everyone is finished.

"Let's go walking then. We learn more out there than in here, at this point."

He picks through the last bits of meat on his plate, popping it in his mouth even though they're now cold.

"I hope we go by a few weaponsmith shops on the way..."

Aliza smiles and nods at Argon's words, ready to be on the move. After all that is what she is a guide, glad show other Primes where they want to go and letting them know what they need to know to survive after all, Sigil needs people to import and export things and while their was danger that much was certain, the people that lived in Sigil had many things to offer those that were searching: Be it answers, magical gear, going from one place to another, or lost and looking for home, Sigil had much to offer those that made it to the various gates.

"Alright, I am all for seeing a few sights before jumping into research," the dragonkin says with a smile as he finishes his wine. "One of those sights happens to be a multiplaner shopping bazaar, so much the better," the dragonkin chuckles.

Dog stands up and stretches, looking eager as well to go for a walk and some exploratory sniffing.

Ssilax glances over at Aliza before they leave the inn.

"You mention the Dabius. I have an idea as to what they are, some type of workers or servants to the Lady. But, other than that, I have not really come across an accurate portrayal of their species. Would you mind telling us some more about them?" Ssilax asks of their guide.

Aliza Shrugs as tells the group what little she knows about the Dabus: Though possessing the ability of speech, dabus almost always communicate only through visual rebuses they create, filling the air near them with golden shining lines (from which the name Dabus originates). Physically, a Dabus resembles a humanoid with yellow-tan skin, goatlike horns, and a shock of white hair. Dabus float off the ground, their feet never touching the earth. Fell is the only exception to this.
Their agenda strictly follows the orders of the Lady of Pain, but their principal duty is to build and rebuild the living and growing buildings and streets of the city of Sigil. Certain sources suggest that Dabus can in fact speak, but fear that if they were to do so "their thoughts would be overheard." Another, more cynical source suggests that they simply enjoy frustrating others with their puzzles, though communication with a Dabus proves them to be extremely patient, if rather aloof and alien.
The only Dabus with an identity is actually a fallen one known as Fell, who had become an outcast after he proclaimed the god Aoskar (god of portals) as his patron deity. Shortly after that, the Lady destroyed Aoskar and his temple but for reasons unknown, she let Fell live. He now runs a tattoo parlor in Sigil's Grand Bazaar where he uses his ability to dream whole stories into one picture to create unique tattoos for adventurers who visit it. Most locals still prefer to avoid him, for fear of retribution by the Lady.
all, slender, and looking like the riddles they speak, the dabus are feared by some to be the true masters of Sigil, the hidden genius of her being. For others they are nothing but slaves that maintain Sigil’s mighty engines. Their thoughts literally fill the air when they pass, for the dabus’s speech is illusion shaped into pictures that mortals can then reshape into sounds – the dabus communicate not by word, but by the complicated structures of the rebus. These are the ultimate in thought-pictures, where symbols are chosen for the sounds made in a language, and the sounds are strung together to form words.

Sigil is their sole habitat, which they constantly build, cannibalizing one part to construct another. It is known their homes are in substructures far beneath the city, but few have seen them. They don’t care for visitors in their cramped workshops, and they mislead those who try to follow them home without permission.

The dabus claim to be organized into cells (if their rebuses are read correctly). Each cell has a duty in the city, though it is not tied to one place or skill. One day a member of a cell gathers the trash that blows out of the Great Bazaar. The next, it might be resetting cobbles near the Hive. Whatever guides them in their tasks, the dabus seem to always know what is expected of them. Each cell has 2d6 members.

All dabus are of the same sex, for the race appears to have no sex at all. There are no dabus young, yet they do seem to be able to replace those lost to accident or misadventure. No one is sure how they do so, but the best guess is that a new member is constructed from the merged illusions of the others, that the word-pictures take on real form, that what is written/spoken has reality for these creatures that translates into reality for others.

That leads to their strange speech, the most puzzling aspect of the dabus race. They have mouths and seem perfectly capable of speaking, but they never do. Instead, should they desire to communicate with some one not of their race, images of appear in the air. The images are the picture equivalents of sounds that match whatever language the onlooker speaks. When a dabus is excited, the rebuses can flicker by with dazzling speed.

There is no doubt the dabus have a role in Sigil. They are its cells, constantly repairing the body of the city. It is hard to imagine what would happen to Sigil without them, for no one really knows the full extent and workings of Sigil’s streets and furnaces.

Upon leaving the bar Aliza leads you from the Lady's Ward, the temperature is 60 degrees, and there is indeed enough light to see the surrounding area, various beings can be seen all over the place. Aliza takes the group to various merchants once the group leaves the Lady's Ward.
Argon can see many merchants, few that are plying their wares. One or two shops have smiths crafting while another being is selling their works. Of note a gith is currently frowning at his sword, Argon can see the blade changing sharp as he focuses on what type of edge he wants the blade to be.
Argon learns that this is a special type of steel, that the Gith brought in from Limbo. Aliza informs him that each blade is forged by 'knowing' the metal, it is something that only beings of Limbo understand. It is interesting to Argon however, Argon has a feeling that the skills that he had learned from weapon smiting would do little good into crafting a weapon from Limbo.
Aliza brings the others to another weapon smith that works with every type of metal, the owner of the smith and shop is a being made from metal. It reminds the others that of a construct, but it can think for itself, and is plesent to talk too. It answers Argon's questions about star metal and offers Argon a chance in the next few days to learn about how to work the ore of starmetal.
Aliza shows Ssilax and Wrathe various shops that cater to magic users, supplies and spells can be purchased if they wish. Aliza also brings the others to the Sensate Palace, which offers people to record their experiences so others to can relive them.

Argon is very much interested in many things in Sigil. In particular, he does indeed wish to learn as much as possible about forging, and about working star metal. He tries to get to know that particular smith a bit better, asking his name and sharing techniques with him.

"I'll try to come back more in the next few days. See you soon." He doesn't want to hold up the others too much.

He's also interested in Fell and his tattoos. Maybe Argon will get one. Thinking about it, it may be more suitable to get one just before they leave this place; then a particular memory may stand out, and he may wish to have a tattoo of it.

Along the way he'll pick up another souvenir of Sigil. If he can he'll find something small but representative of the city state. Perhaps something with an image of the Lady of Pain.

Ssilax can be seen grinning slightly as he looks at his friends. He was glad they where interested in the new plane. The dragonkin almost wanted to move here, even more than Golorian, he found. It was a city of paradoxes, a place where what other would be considered planar law to be shifted on its side. Something interesting was literally around every corner.

Fortunately, his possessions would not have to be packed up and moved. Ssilax was all to aware of what difficulties they had laying in store for them once they returned home. He was not one to just give up on all the people he knows and has helped. 'Or yet to help,' the dragonkin thinks with a smile curving his snout.

Taking a moment, Ssilax looks around at their surroundings once more, adding to the mental map he was building for Sigil. Mostly, so he could attempt to find his way back to the Weeping Styx or marketplace and vice versa. Plus, he would be soon adding the way to the libraries and Sensate Palace to that map.

It had taken a bit of effort to keep his jaw from dropping the first time that they entered a small shop catering to those of a more magical nature. The amount of magic, whether it be spells, or anything else required to craft spells. For a brief moment, he expected the guards from Caern to come rushing through the doors. He had a crazy, gleefilled moment, when he remembers that will not be the case here. Relaxing, Ssilax eyes the shop, and looks around at more leisurely place politely commenting on the fine quality of the wares to the owner.

"The living construct was rather interesting, to say the least," Ssilax comments to Argon. The dragonkin looks over from where he is examining a small bookshelf crammed to the point of overflowing with strange looking tomes in every language conceivable. "I can imagine where we will be able to find you over the next few days," Ssilax says to his friend with a grin. "I would like check out that tattoo shop that we passed by. For a couple of different reasons," the dragonkin says, faint grin still visable upon his scaled features.

Walking over to Aliza, the dragonkin hands the tiefling some coin.

"Some spending coin for expenses, as watching over spent coin is not nearly as much fun as spending it," the dragonkin says with a chuckle (50 gp). "And at some point today, probably after the light begins to fade, I would like head to the libraries, to begin my research. Perks of not having to sleep much, Ssilax adds, a grin lighting up the black scales upon the left side of his snout.

Daxniss chuckles and says she will go with Argon to keep on an eye on the slayer, plus some of the shops that he was interested in had an appeal to her. The rogue knew she was going to be at the Sensate Palace sometime in the next day or two she had also made note of the idea of a Tattoo from a fallen Dabus, whatever that was was.

Wrathe spends time picking up trinkets, spells, and supplies from various shops, then sends himself off to various libraries to learn.

Argon spends some time learning from the Construct, as it is the most friendly being around. It calls itself Rivven and it originally came from the plane of Ebberon, which was another prime. It got trapped here years ago and had little desire to go back.

The shop keepers grin at Ssilax's expression but find him a shrewd customer indeed.

Politely finishing his exchange with the shopkeeper after paying for his items with a slight bow of his head, Ssilax puts the gifts away in his Haversack. He had seen a simple looking, long stemmed pipe carved from a strange dark wood and thought of Baba Yaga immediately. Plus, this one could store several different types of tobacco in small dimensional pockets. For Vhomas, he had picked up a metal bound travel journal, mildly enchanted to conatin fare more pages inside, it was covered in depictions of Sigil, and the marking of the Lady of Pain. It pretty much screams, "I'm a tourist." Spent, say 500gp on nik-nacs

For himself, the dragonkin had picked out several tomes of dragonic lore, including a book of tales told by a dragon that fancied himself a bard. The other where in an older style of dragon speech that Ssilax hadn't immediately identified, which caught his eye. 'Some nice, light reading,' Ssilax thinks with a faint grin. Still keeping his eyes peeled for a few more gifts, Ssilax promises to return, and send all who need magical gear to his shop. Smiling, the dragonkin leaves with the others.

When Wrathe mentions that he will make his way to the libraries, the dragonkin looks at his friend. He nods after a few moments of thought on the subject.

"Take care, see you soon, if not at one of the libraries," the dragonkin says with a smile.

After a short while, as Argon and Dax are slowly heading towards the mithy run by the living construct, Ssilax looks over at Aliza.

"Would you mind showing me to the libraries? At the moment, my studies are focused on dragons, in particular ancient history. If that helps you in any way, shape, or form." Ssilax says. "Well, not so much ancient history to a dragon, but to the rest of us," the dragonkin adds with a faint smile.

Aliza had nodded and even had another tout follow Dax and Argon, since the group was spilting up in pairs it was easier and the fact the Aliza had Dax pay for her own Touts for Argon and herself.
Aliza leads Ssilax to one of the libraries, after his shopping is completed, once Ssilax goes through a small vetting process and is informed that s scribe can make a copy of books for him to take back home, that way the knowledge is never lost.... in theory. This particular library is set up for basic knowledge of other planes, and the creatures that live in those planes.
Ssilax as finds out various other prime material planes' history and a few of the possible locations for some of the portals to various planes.
Aliza had also told Ssilax that there are various shops that sell keys to the portals here in Sigil, so if he wanted to go sightseeing tour there is the possibility.

Argon spends much time with Rivven, but when the two take breaks he wanders around, looking at the architecture of the ward Rivven occupies. He is curious about the other wards, but does not wish to wander too far just yet.

He also takes some time out to pray. It is a strange place, and Ptah is difficult to reach from here, but Argon tries anyways.

In forging metals for weapons and other items, Argon learns much and gets a few new ideas to try once he's back home, especially when it comes to star metal. He asks Rivven about cutting the unusual metal, and how rare it is. He doesn't mention any details of his own experience with the metal, only that he "may have a lead on getting some."

While Ssilax was excited to finally get into the library, the vetting process seemed to take a short eternity. Not that it was that difficult; prove he could read and write, that he was capable of magic use, and that he had no hidden desire to burn down the library. Once he finally entered the massive chamber, the dragonkin was dumbstruck. He had seen some libraries, the largest he had come across was Jaevan's library. And thanks to both his and Wrathe's efforts, they had copied that.

Of course, the inside was larger than the outside, magic was the only way that one would be able to fit so many books. Massive bookshelves rose from floor to ceiling, acting as supports for the several levels. The books all have a cared look them, and seem to be well organized. His eyeridges raise at the news he could pay for a tome to be copied, smiling at the news. As the attendant had said, it was the best way to insure the knowledge was never lost.

Keeping his search easy, at first, the dragonkin starts looking for the location of various portals and there keys, to and from Sigil. His main focus is Sel Torrin, of course. If what was known to be true, one couldn't Plane Shift to or from his home plane. Something Ssilax was curious to find an answer to, he had a theory about it involving the King of Hell. Ssilax was also keeping his eyes peeled for mention of portals leading elsewhere, not just to Sigil.

The dragonkin's list of books he desired to have copied kept growing, as he eyes several tomes containing Golorian's accumulated histories. Ssilax wasn't overly annoyed that he didn't find an entire section about Sel Torrin. If the multiverse was infinite, it made complete sense that not every planes histories would be recorded. That didn't give him enough to abandon his search, if anything, dares him to find knowledge about Sel Torrin.

The dragonkin opens his search to lore concerning the Eater of All Things. Thanks to the images shown by the slain Deva, the dragonkin was all to aware that such an entity existed. At great cost, it had been beaten back into in the dimension that imprisoned it. He might be able to find mention of Sel Torrin in connection to the Entity. It was a slim chance, but one none the less.

All the while, the dragonkin is looking for mention of the dragonkin people. Seemingly scoured from the multiplanes, small pockets had existed. But even those seemed to be hunted down and exterminated. All for no clear reason, at least to Ssilax. Even his link to ancestor's memories was little help. None had been historians, or held interest in their own past. And the added mystery of missing ancestor spirits was still lingering in his thoughts.

Ssilax was becoming aware that he was going to be spending a fair bit of time in the library over the coming days. It was simply too massive for him to attempt to search out in a few short hours. It did help that he was able to skip entire shelves. This was thanks to a brief explanation in each different section, or plane, or subject. Not to mention that order was enforced by the robed attendants which seemed to always be around a corner, ready to return a book as soon as it was no longer needed.

Having lost complete track of time, Ssilax raises his head at the sound of a repeated cough. He had been engrossed in what he had been reading, leaving him blinking at Aliza blankly as his brain struggles to switch focus.

"A sight seeing tour? Sure, I could definitely use an excuse to get my blood moving again," the dragonkin says with a toothy grin as he stretches a growing kink out of the middle of his back. Wincing slightly as a pop comes from his back, Ssilax picks his robe. Sliding the midnight blue cloth over the visible platinum and golden scales of his arms and lower legs. Double himself to make sure that he had everything that he came in with, not too mention several longs lists of books that he will be having copied. Seeing that he didn't forget anything, Ssilax nods to the teifling.

"Let us be off to this shop that sells keys. And perhaps a decent street vendor for a snack and more importantly, coffee," Ssilax says with a grin.

Dog, already stretched and eager to go for a walk, "Wuffs" at the mention of snacks. The white furred canine's tail wags back and forth as the lab-husky-shepard dances around the two in canine eagerness .

Ssilax will totally use a hero point to aid him on today's searching. Not sure if you want some roles as well, just let me know :P

Argon learns much about Ebberon, various smiting ideas and techniques as well, and learns about the various difficulties in forging things from Star metal, about how hot one had to get the forge just to make a lasting impression on the ore. Not only that, but also the fact that one would have to fold the metal multiple times in order to craft anything out of it.
Argon also learns that Rivven is in fact a living being with a soul, his kind was created for war, and over time gained the ability to reason and think for themselves, as more and more magic was thrust into the former constructs, they gained souls.
Ssilax learns more about Golarion, and more about pockets of his own kind on other planes, it seemed to confirm what Zass has told him, but the Dragon kin were a secretive race as the years went on. Not all were destroyed outright, as there is possible sighting in other prime material plans.
Ssilax's cost to make copies of the books he wants are about 20 gp per Tome, he also manages to find some reports on Sel Torin, the fact that the plane itself was locked into the devourer of worlds, something that seems to exist in the infinite possibles of worlds, seeks to consume, world's in its sight. Sel Torin was and is the only world that managed to fight back against the darkness. Due to that fact there are very few gates that allow beings to travel to Sel Torin, unless somehow one curries favor with devils.
Ssilax learns that the Devils had managed to gain a foothold into Sel Torin, by locking out much of the access to the Holy Lands, a way of activating a gate could tip the odds and possibly balance the scales.
Ssilax finds out that in the last 200 years the devorver had lost some of its grasp on Sel Torin, but there are little details on how that happened, as any who have managed to reach the being have never come back with answers to their questions...

"Actually, how about a slight change of plans? Let us head to the Weeping Styx for dinner, my treat. I have a few things to discuss with the others, while it is fresh in my mind," Ssilax says, tapping the side of his muzzle as he thinks. He had discover quite a bit of information, some of which the others would be interested in as well. "I would rather explore the key shop when my mind is a bit fresher."

After a few minutes, changing their way to head towards the inn, Ssilax smiles, mostly to himself.

"And I will have to swing by the bank tomorrow to pay for what I intend to have copied over from the library," the dragonkin adds with a shake of his head.

Once the group has rejoined, Ssilax quietly informs them of what he had discovered over their evening meal and drinks, which he had paid for, waiting for the others to return (30gp, meals/drinks). He covers references to portals on other Primes, Golorain, and saves the most interesting for last.

Their realm was the only one that was thought to have actually fought off the Devourer. On a cosmic sense, their prime was somewhat sharing the "space" of the dimensional prison. The good news, is that reports lean towards the Devourer loosing its "grip" upon Sel Torrin over the last two centuries. The bad news was that their plane was indeed "locked," very little, almost none in fact, could leave or return from Sel Torrin with out the aid of gates or portals. The worse news, was that he had confirmed that Devil-kind had their blackened claws hooked into their prime.

At some point in Sel Torrin's history, the devil's had took hold of the realm, cutting off a great deal of the divine's ability to effect, or even aid their plane of existence. Ssilax theorizes that this probably happened around the time the Devourer was stopped. In effect the devils had tipped the balance over to their favor.

"So, in effect, to restore a sense of balance to our home, we would either have to completely sever the plane from the multiverse, something I am not sure is even possible, or to restore, or replace, the missing portals." the dragonkin informs them, taking a deep drink of a bright emerald beverage that bubbles, wisps of smoke roll off Ssilax's drink.

For the moment, the dragonkin keeps quite about what he had gleaned about his own people.

Argon joins the others for dinner, after a gruelling day at the forge. It's hard, physical work, but such work clears his mind and cleanses his soul. That is the doctrine of Ptah, and he fully believes it. Now his body is tired but his mind is wide awake.

As they eat and drink, he listens to all Ssilax has learned, and relates his own learnings too, though they are not nearly as numerous or interesting to the others.

"As much as I like this place, and surely will find a million other things that are interesting (and certainly what you've found out, Ssilax, is extremely important to our world), I think we need to start looking for our mentor. He could be anywhere, and we don't know where to look, but if we don't start somewhere we will never find him."

"Hmmm, I am curious to watch your attempt to forge from the metal. Especially considering the hammer you used to forge the scales our cranky guardian," Ssilax says with a grin, sipping at his smoking drink.

"I was not that badly distracted by the wonders today to forget why we traveled the multiverse," the dragonkin pretending to be insulted like a noble born from Caern. Complete with the disdained snort and upraised nose. Well, in his case entire muzzle, a pose he is able to hold for all of 3 seconds before laughing. "No, in all seriousness, I will be casting the spells once I rest and restore myself."

The dragonkin nods towards the tiefling, raising his goblet slightly in the tout's direction.

"Aliza has contacts that she had mentioned, people able to track down others without the aid of any form of magics. While it might cost us a pretty coin, they will be able to locate him," Ssilax says, looking into the emerald drink, bubbling with its own inner fire. "The actual getting him from where ever he is being held, is entirely up to us. That is based on the assumption that he is being held prisoner, as it is possible he fled to Sigil to hide from the Arch-Magus."

Food is consumed and further plans has been discussed, the group wonders what has become of their mentor. Ssilax later finds out the 'keys' he can purchase are not only a key that will work in Sigil but also work as a 'tuned' fork that will allow one to plane shift to that particular plane from another plane. The key should also work to reactivate a gate back to Sigil, they the group finds themselves plane shifted to another plane, to locate the gate back to Sigil on that plane. The keys are not cheep each one will cost about 1000 gp, but they could be worth it.
Daxniss offers to buy a number of them for the group so Ssilax can hold off on spending all of his coins. ( Dax can buy up to six ), Dax has been spending time learning more about the wards and where the seeder sides of the Hive Ward, trying to get a handle on how things work here in Sigil.

Bidding the others a good night, or whatever time it actually was, Ssilax retires to his room. It takes him a moment to find the small portal key that opens his door. Stepping into his rented room, he breathes a slight sigh of relief. This room was larger on the inside as well.

Setting his things down as he checks out the room, Ssilax slides off his robe, tossing it over the back of a chair. Getting himself situated, the dragonkin sits down on the bed, going over what he has learned today like a baker kneading dough.

Dog hops up onto the bed, circling around a few times before lying down, leaning against Ssilax. Yawning, the canine rests his head on the dragonkin's leg.

Smiling, the dragonkin idly scratches his familiar's ears. Concentrating for a minute, Ssilax cuts the air with his claws, opening his personal pocket dimension. Retrieving both his spellbook and prayer book, the dragonkin opens them up. Reading between the two books, the dragonkin occasionally jots down notes in his travel journal.

Waking in the morning, finished with morning ritual and morning prayer. Which had been an odd experience, given a few minutes of reflection. It had been like trying to communicate with someone just barely within earshot. Also, it had almost felt as though someone or thing had been aware that he had been in a meditative prayer and was listening. Nothing interfered, other than the strange feeling of distance and like he was communing through a filter.

Not sure of how powerful of divine magic the Lady of Pain would allow, Ssilax had wisely prepared both an arcane and divine version of the Sending spell.

"Well, no time like the present," Ssilax says to Dog with a shrug of his scaled shoulders. Closing his eyes, the dragonkin lets the arcane magics fill him. He hoped to give the others some exciting news before breakfast. Calmly, Ssilax casts Sending, decently confident the spell will work as intended. 'It might be a rather awkward conversation, otherwise,' the dragonkin thinks briefly.

"Greetings Master Dainoth, I hope you are well. We are in Sigil looking for you, and hope to see you soon. Ssilax crafts as his message letting magic locate Dainoth.

Blargh, busy day at work and not being able to check my phone. Just got in

Ssilax can feel the access to his divine spells, feels almost sluggish as if someone was carefully looking hard at the access of his choice of spells. All of the divine caster feel like they are drinking from a ration of water that has to be split up between an uncounted amount of other 'peers'
Ssilax's spell goes off, and he feels like he got a connection, but there seems to be no response not a response like the person he is trying to reach is dead, more like a burst of white noise from whomever he was attempting to contact. It would seem that the protective magics that are warding Dainoth is forming more of a protective shield around the intended target.
Ssilax instinctively knows that if he had tried to send a hostile spell towards whomever was warded, would be dealt a triad of spells, intending to strike down whomever was casting the offending magicks. Ssilax receives a sensation of satisfaction that manages to make it though the white noise.

Opening his sapphire orbs, Ssilax looks at Dog and grins.

"It worked. At least I made contact, and confirmed he is alive, if not shielded,' Ssilax excited says to Dog as he stands up, grabbing his robe.

"But you didn't actually talk to the old man, right?" his familiar asks in dogspeak. One of the canine's eyebrows was raised as he looks at Ssilax questioningly.

"Well.., no. But, I received a sense of satisfaction after I made contact. So it was either Dainoth, or whomever crafted the warding magics being pleased that their magics worked. Either way, it confirms that Dainoth is indeed here," the dragonkin says after thinking over the spell. "Time for breakfast, and to tell the others, I hope that they're awake."

Humming a tune to himself, the dragonkin leaves his room, Dog following close by. After realizing he was humming the song that he had been singing on his drunken night out in Golorian, he shakes his head and chuckles.

Stopping by the bar, Ssilax orders for himself, and takes a few minutes talking to the bartender about his coffee options. One in particular catches his interest. A coffee from a place of deserts and few oasis's, it was mixed with milk and spices, made legendary for it's taste and strength. 'Worth a shot I suppose,' he thinks to himself with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

Noting that the others had already gathered, as he had been running behind his normal morning arrival. Not surprising, given that the normal day/night they where used to was missing. He grins at his friends and nods as he sits down. Sitting Dog's dish next to his chair, Ssilax arranges his breakfast and kahlav. The dragonkin looks excited, as evident by the fact he hadn't bothered to pull up his hood, or down his cowl.

"Morning, or whenever. I was successful in confirming that our mentor is indeed in Sigil. He is under a layer of warding magic that made communicating back and forth impossible. My message might have gotten through to him," Ssilax pauses to take a sip of his steaming drink. He looks at in for a few moments, as if unsure about it. Taking another sip, the dragonkin continues.

"I felt a sense of satisfaction at the contact, so he knows we are here looking for him," Ssilac says, then he pauses for a moment. "Our whoever crafted those wards knows I tried to contact him and was satisfied his wards held. Both point to him being alive, and here. Well, here somewhere."

"Now, we just have to find him, and I have a feeling that is going to be the hard part," the dragonkin says dryly, shaking his head with a slight grin. "How odd that it takes us jumping through the mulitverse to feel like we actually had a break from the issues back home."

Argon sleeps well, dreaming of beings made of metal so hot it is liquid, or possibly it is just hot mercury, or another liquid metal. They are talking with other beings made of lava. He can't understand their language, but he tries for a while, and then they all start dancing a strange liquidy dance.

He gets up and prays, finding his connection distant and muted. He wonders if there's a way to unblock the connection to Ptah, but does not know enough to even speculate about it. This gets his mind onto the subject of all these spaces within spaces. He wonders where the space comes from, or does the magic just add more space where there was none before? Perhaps Wrathe or Ssilax would be able to explain.

With his stomach grumbling loudly he heads down for some breakfast, getting an ale, some meat, more meat, and some freshly baked bread to go with it. Finally, he adds some cheese. He sees the others looking at his plate piled up, and asks, "What?"

Daxniss mutters under her breath, her finely crafted cloak is no where to be seen, instead it is the same dark green on the outside and midnight blue on the inside, she also is sporting another ring. Daxniss' breakfast looks like it is half eaten and a steaming mug of some kind of liquid can be seen cooling next to her.
Looking up at the others she snorts at Argon's words and keep scribbling in a book, frowning at something she had written earlier and crosses it out and changes an equation. Setting her book down she looks at the others and smiles saying " Well I learned how to forge rings in the last few days, so once we get enough coin I might be able to alter the magics in our rings to have another effect if I have enough magical power, or I can forge other ones if needed. " Sipping at her drink, her eyes light up, and she says " I've been doing some exploring and I've also been learning about how we can move around this place, I've also spent some time learning some of the passages through the Hive Ward..... Wait what was that Ssilax? You might have made contact with Dainoth?! That is great news. "

Ssilax bearing news about Dainoth was a step in the direction sense the party was worried about him, and the possible news that he might be alive or at the very least in a protective ward was something at least. Questions were on everyone's mind, where was he in Sigil and was in he a condition to live, not to mention Wrathe's news when he had made contact via a planar ally. Still the group had a feeling that this was just another peace of the puzzle, was he being held against his will, or was he in fact hiding out from his many enemies? After all an intelligent wizard was going to make friends and foes in his lifetime, provided they managed to make past their early twenties with the knowledge that they had all this power at their fingertips.
Ssilax knew that for the moment he had little chance at finding out where Master Dainoth was at/held, and Aliza had not given any hope from whom she knew, it would like the four of them were going to have to hire specialists at finding folk whom didn't want to be found. Aliza knew a few that were professional and not just off to bilk jink off of Primes, and they were available for hire.

The party has reached in inpass, at the moment you are certain that Dainoth is alivr, bUT at the correct moment it would take the specialists. At the moment their wad little else the group could do at the moment. They could try to use various sources into possible finding Master Dainoth or they could use the people who had trained to find those that had remained hidden. Of course the main thing that everyone had on their mind was breakfast and deciding their next move.

"It looks like we are going to have to wait for Aliza to show up. Now that I am certain that he is here, we can look for a tracker," the dargonkin pauses to take a few bites of his breakfast. A plate of curious looking green meat, along with two green eggs, sunny side up.

"While I believe we could eventually find our mentor, I think it would be much, much faster to use the services of someone who specializes in locating others," Ssilax says with a faint grin, taking a sip of steaming kahlav. "Hmmm, that's not too bad actually," the dragonkin says, eyeing his beverage.

Ssilax looks at his friends, tapping the left side of his snout as he thinks.

"I am glad to here that you have learned how to forge rings, Dax. I recently figured out the last bit that I needed to craft rods. Both abilities will no doubt come in very useful in the near future," Ssilax says. Pausing, the dragonkin looks rather critically at Argon's heaping platter of food.

"That's a hearty breakfast, needs a touch more meat though," Ssilax says, his maw of sharp teeth visible for a second or so.

Aliza shows up shortly after breakfast has been consumed, and looks at group with a questioning eyebrow, ready to show the group where they would like to go. Aliza has no success to report on her end to locate the group's missing mentor, of course has been only 5 days since you have arrived in Sigil.

Argon looks at his piled high plate, and says, "What can I say? I like cheese..."

Then, more serious, he says,"While I agree that others are better suited because they know Sigil so much better, I think we have a unique perspective because we know Dainoth so well. Whether it's a favorite food, a clue he leaves somewhere, a person or place that appeals to him, or whatever, no hired guide will know that stuff. We lived with him for years.

I'm going to start looking around today. I have no plan; I'll just wander until I see something. Who knows when I might see anything that rattles my head. Is anyone with me?" Argon is determined to do as he says. He looks expectantly at the others. "Ssilax, you should try contacting him again, and I will try too. Tomorrow I will review all my spells - perhaps there's something I haven't thought of that will be useful. I should have done that before now..." He shakes his head at his failure.

After breakfast he will go on a walkabout, and look for any clues as to Dainoth's whereabouts.

"Greetings Aliza, how do you fair today?" the dragonkin asks with a polite smile as the tiefling joins them for breakfast. After responding to their guide, he looks back over to the Slayer, continuing his caravan of thought.

"There is a danger in attempting to contact him. One, whomever set up the wards could become aware that someone is looking for Dainoth. Secondly, the spells are very sensitive. Had I attempted anything more... magically aggressive, like say dispelling the magics, my feeling is that a contingency spell, or several, will activate, unleashing who knows what upon the person attempting to get through the wards," Ssilax says after a few moments of thought on the subject. "So, if you do attempt a Sending, do so with caution," Ssilax advises. "Scrying, might not end.., well."

"I would not beat yourself up over it Argon, we have all been managing shock after shock for the better part of a week. The occasional moment of forgetful has been striking all of us, I believe," the dragonkin grins at his friend.

After Aliza had informed them that her contacts had turned nothing up, Ssilax sips his kahlav, thinking for a few moments. Not that he was really expecting that their would be news after less than a day. Dainoth was far too skilled at staying out of sight. After all, he had avoided the gaze of the Arch-Magus for almost 3 decades.

"I am up for a bit of a walkabout, one never knows what we might see. On that note, keep your eyes peeled for a small grey rat with bright blue eyes. If she lived, that is Dainoth's familiar, and it is slightly possible that she might be looking for us," Ssilax mentions. "Although, like I said, a small chance that is the case. And he is fond of halfing tabacco, a particular summer blend called...," Ssilax's eye narrow as he tries to recall the name. "Burrfoot or Surefoot was the makers, if I remember correctly."

Aliza chuckles and says " Sounds like a number of wizards, once they start to get older they like to ease their memories on some of the more painful things they went through as young men. As for rat's, well they are a specialty in the Hive Ward, grilled with just a hint of spices... If you want to see the sights I can take your around again, no problem, as for something interesting well that depends on what you consider interesting, as things new get too boring here in Sigil. " Aliza says with a grin.
After breakfast, the group decides to go on a walkabout, one of the many intersting things that they see is a zombie standing in front of a bar in the Hive Ward, with a number of parchments stapled too it. Aliza informs the group that this is one of the message boards that they Dustmen use to put up notices. A number of grey robed men can be seen offering jink for dead bodies, only after you are done with your own mortal shell that is.
Contracts can be seen signed by those that think nothing of not having to worry about where their corpse is going to be used for and some people could always use the extra jink in their pockets. Demons and Devils can be seen avoiding each other, some can be seen talking to each other as well, deals are made by all sorts of beings.
After hours spent walking and seeing the sights, going through various Wards and some time spent in shops, you come to the realization that there are millions of beings passing through. Portals can be seen while they are active, people going through portals, some being dumped out of portals as well.
Argon can see all sorts of interesting buildings that are have to be made with magic, Dabus' can be seen working on buildings and people give the Dabus a wide enough birth, as they have little desire to bring the Lady's attention to them by harming the Dabus. The thought that you could spend a lifetime trying to see everything that Sigil has to offer and you wouldn't even scratch the surface of the City of Doors.
Various shops that sell the halfing tobacco, Dainoth's brand is available in almost every shop that sells the leaf. No grey rats with blue eyes can be found looking for you, as there are far too many rats in the city, you can also glimpse some the size of a pony, looking at everyone as if they were food.