The two Niks sidle up to Jek and MaNik elbows his hind-flank.
"Hey Jek, you mentioned something about a prissy elf in black leather, right?"
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Conor glares around at the town from under his closed visor, unable to perform his usual saunter from atop a horse.
"Easy, Roach." he growls at the horse as it reacts to the malevolence of the town.
What idiot named this thing? Dumb name for a horse.
While MaNik talks to Jek, TitaNik rummages through Jek's saddle-bags and retrieves one of the three cloaks from the fire citadel bunk room.
Holding it up, he comments "Hey, it does match."
He folds it over, trying not to let just anyone see the emblem.
"I did. How about that... Rinika, do you see who it is?"
While Savi is sneaking around in (or just outside of) the bar, Lunk occasionally signs in the direction of the bar. His eyes seem focused on a shady nook or a window.
He turns to Jek after a question is posed to Rinika, and signs to Jek.
Do you mean the half-elf? Savi has eyes on him, hopefully from peering through a window.
I can sign to her when she tells me to.
"Yep. I think this is even the place in this old note." Jek takes out the Green Marvent's letter and points to the words "Plague Mort." "We may need to be careful."
Rinika's eyes widen and she hisses, "It's that piece of blessing that slept us all and sold us out to Eighttoes!"
Conor looks over at the group, "Do what now? Do we get to kill someone?"
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Savi surveys 100 people
No aura 54
Feint evil aura 28
Moderate evil aura 8
Strong evil aura 6
Overwhelming evil aura 3
Overwhelming good aura 1
The half-elf detects as feint evil. The entire room seems to give deference to a young human man who dresses in green silks and satins. He's clearly the king in this small corner of the multiverse. He detects as strong evil.
Nik the necromancer quickly conjures a plan.
"I just had an idea: Let's have someone play dress-up and see if we can get the shadowknave out here. We can pretend we're selling Zombington and we didn't want to bring him in. Whaddya think?"
While MaNik talks, TitaNik fastens the cloak around the ex-khaasta zombie.
Lunk tells Nik, Savi is inside. There are some very powerful evils, and one powerful good. Watch out for the one in green silk and satin. He is the king, evil, but not the strongest. He is stronger than the evil half-elf.
He is ready to help with the plan. He gives a thumbs up when Nik asks what everyone thinks.
Savi uses objects in the room (the rafters) to move through the tavern unseen…
…until she wants to be seen. She changes her outfit to something one might wear to church—respectable, celebratory. White tights. White shoes. Colorful knee-length dress. This would look cute for Crystalhue.
She swoops down before the overwhelmingly good person and sits on the table, casually dangling her legs over the edge. “Hi, I’m Savi. Your aura is unlike any I’ve ever seen, so I wanted to understand…” Who you are. What you are. “I hope I’m not intruding.”
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"Do what now? Do we get to kill someone?"
"Only if we're careful... He's certainly not alone. I can't imagine we'll sleep well if they notice."
"I just had an idea: Let's have someone play dress-up and see if we can get the shadowknave out here. We can pretend we're selling Zombington and we didn't want to bring him in. Whaddya think?"
Jek grins. "I think whoever he's here with will notice. He ambushed us and put us to sleep. Maybe we ambush him while he's asleep?"
Savi sees the aura next to the wall surrounding the gilded manor. Three gates sit side by side, two are closed tight and heavily guarded in front and on the ramparts. The third gapes open to a dim, barren place, baking forever beneath a bloated red sun. Innumerable holes and iron fortresses dot the horizon.
The creature is a lithe and beautiful person, they hover on powerful, white wings, and radiates a sense of serenity. They carry a trumpet in one hand and have a greatsword strapped to their back. Savi notices that everyone gives them a wide berth. "I have only a moment." They look at Savi expectantly.
Savi hovers before the larger winged person. (Male or female? She can’t tell! But the person is beautiful!)
“Thank you,” she says politely. “I hope I’m not wasting the moment then, if you’re too busy.
“It’s just that, of several dozen strangers, almost half emit evil auras. It’s… unsettling, to put it mildly. You’re the only one that’s the opposite. And I’ve never experienced an aura like yours that is so powerful.
“Not a good one, anyway. There are three auras around here that are just about strong as yours, but evil.”
Savi looks concerned. It’s not an act. She is concerned, which is a weird feeling to have when facing the strongest benevolent being ever. “You seem nice. You’re not on one of those suicide missions like people keep talking about, are you?” Savi wants to help the angel, but she doesn’t want to get herself killed.
Conor nods, "In that case I'll go see to getting this nag stabled and find us some rooms. Let me know before you pick a fight, don't want to miss it."
With that he heads towards the suggested inn to see about accomodations.
Lunk asks Conor (or whoever—he’ll repeat the message to anyone else who wants to know what his gloves said), We won’t need these horses anymore today, will we? The magic will only keep them around for another eight hours, give or take. Better to free them now, then leave them in a stable.
We would effectively pay rent just to wait for them to disappear.
Unless told the horses may be needed in the next few hours, Lunk dispels the horses that are gonna disappear to their homes anyway.
The angel looks down at Savi and replies in a melodic voice, "Your concern is not warranted. I am simply delivering a message. Be careful." They walk through the gate to the Abyss without another word, heading towards one of the fortresses in the distance.
Savi smiles pleasantly at the angel. They didn’t give their name, so she doesn’t ask. She simply nods in understanding and gives a shy, friendly wave as the angel heads to the Abyss.
She reports what she witnessed to Lunk via message as she heads back toward him at the inn.
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As Lunk dismisses the mount spells the horses disappear as expected. Nik wonder's how they returned to Sigil, knowing that the only way back to the City of Doors is via one of its portals.
Lunk is preparing his greensteel katana for battle, though he still has his living steel katana. It can’t hurt to keep a spare.
He’s about to sign that to Savi, but…
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…if Lunk’s trying to sign to the fairy, she’s oblivious. Savi’s eyes are fixed on her own reflection as she rolls up her sleeves yet again.
This time, her white robe is just a little shorter, her golden-thread-sash a little thicker, and the stem for her golden halo hairpiece brings the halo just a little bit higher. Having nailed the angel look (as best she can without making gossamer wing cozies a part of the outfit), she tries the angel sound next.
“Beeeeee care-fullllllll,” she trills.
She does a pretty good job, but still, her voice is only trained to sing for comedic purposes. Being off-key and limited to an octave and a half works for a slurred limerick or show tune. But the way that angel talked!
“They spoke to meeeeee, in a voice that’s just like Heavennnnn!”
Lunk pity-claps. This better not be our new act.
MaNik makes a half-hearted suggestion: "Think I should just fireball the tavern? Maybe that's too rude..."
While the others debate what to do, TitaNik fastens the cloak around Zombington the III to make the ruse of an ongoing trade more believable.
Rinika cloaks herself in shadows while grumbling a bit about murder. She'll cast message on the group to keep her own side of communication up, then continues to weave the shadows and a pair of wispy wings flow out of the shadows along her back. She gives Savi a grim nod, motions in the direction of the place, and then says the words that wink her out of visibility entirely.
Seeing the sneaky ones wander off, Conor looks to the less sneaky group, "I suppose we should go somewhere nearby in case they get spotted, eh?"
"Na, it's fine. Just do that glare you usually do while I pretend I'm a salesman. If anyone asks, you're store security." MaNik replies, doing a poor job of flashing a winning smile.
Lunk has no problem playing the part of Silent Guard.
Show off, Savi whispers into Rinika’s spell.
The fairy follows along…
…tryyyyyyinggggg not to draw attention as she peers into the window.
Even in the wee hours of the night bubbers still carouse throughout the common room and the gambling tables upstairs. Most of them wear green cloaks emblazoned with the lidless eye. Their king seems to be absent. No one seems to pay Savi or Rinika any mind as they sneak around the building.
Downstairs there's the common room, a private gambling room, a suite, and lavatory. Upstairs are three inn rooms. Which does Rinika and Savi check first?
Savi looks around to see if there are tiny spaces a fairy can safely move through. Failing that, she’ll scope out the common room, then head to the lavatory.
The catch is that her little fairy hands can’t turn a doorknob very easily. She might need to will a tiny object to prop the door a crack open.
Conor grunts and nods, "Guess that can work."
Rinika will check out the suite first.
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