Hrungnir, most of the animals respond to your philosophical inquiry with blank stares or at worst sniffing their own crotches. The fox (a dark brown with a purple stripe about its eye) however nods as if in understanding. "Family is a much stronger bond than race...it matters more." it states powerfully. "So hold the bearfolk of Bjornrike..."
It goes on to tell the tale of a bearfolk king named Mesikammen, once from the Northlands of Midgard. He foresaw a terrible doom growing from the Shadow Realm that threatened his people, so gathered his most trusted warriors and druids and charged them with an impossible task: enter the Shadow Realm and fight back the corruption at its source.
The moon of Midgard itself pierced the boundary of the dimensions, and a new glade was formed here as if to bless the bearfolk in their struggle. The Moonlit Glades, its called. They remain one of the only sources of purity and good here, holding back shadow corruption with great stones of power and the magic of the old ways.
It goes on to mention how other races over time came to find the Glades and integrated into society, including humans and even Reaver dwarves of all things. "...it matters not. In the eyes of the chieftan and thus the eyes of the people, all are family. When you see their banner, a crowned bear rampant on white field with sword and claws, lower your arms less you would destroy the last bastion of hope in the Shadow Realm."
Hrungnir nodded. ”I shall do so. Truly, wisdom comes in all shapes and sizes. Your words are both heeded and appreciated.”
After a moments thought, he added ”Once I caught glimpse of one of the fey. She spoke to me, and the beauty of her voice, form and soul haunt me to this day. Her song is now more a part of me than my own name. Please, tell me if you have seen her.” He proceeded to go into detail, speaking with passion of her. From her gold-spun hair to the way that looking into her eyes was as if falling into the deepest ocean, of how her skin was as pale as the brightest moon, he spoke as one who was desperately smitten. ”...to see her but once more would allow me to die fulfilled. Have ye seen her? And if not, do ye know one who might?”
Carnadine excuses the departure of the elf and then shares all that he has learned with the Alemaiden.
"Alemaiden, we should share what we've learned with Deimus and the Thorsdottir, too, if she's a smith today, especially about the Master of Roads' adventure with the dragon."
"I also learned that Moggo the Chamberlain in the Goblin Court, can grant an audience with the Goblin King. If we're not guests of the royals, then we're servants. So, we need to secure places as servants with room and board. He is found downstairs somewhere. We'll need Deimus to lead that. Let's go tell the troops and strategize our next steps."
The ghost knight calls over to Hrungnir and Lexi (if he sees her) to join him and the Alemaiden in the smithy. At the smithy, he blahs this and that and this other thing.
"Don't be cruel to yourself. Give yourself some kindness." Lexi offered as advice.
Lexi joined the others at Carnadine's position, though she stayed to the shadows as much as possible.
"I will... I will think on it," Raseri says, not quite able to hide her confusion at Lexi's advice.
"I am sorry, my friend, I do not speak that tongue," she apologizes to the goblin before glancing at her pencil and journal. She careful writes something out, her hand neat, but unpracticed with the runes of the languages she knows, save the common tongue of Zobeck. In all three, it asks the same question.
Can you write or speak this language? She hands the journal and the pencil to the goblin and gives him what she hopes is an encouraging smile.
Shortly after, she sees Carnadine approaching, and frowns at the mention of the dragon for just a moment before her jaw drops.
"The wyrm we killed? That was his folly," she asks, something sparkling in her eyes.
"Well done, Carnadine!" The Alemaiden raises her tankard in praise. "Let's find Deimus and see if he can help us gain an audience with the Goblin King."
She looks over at the growlers of fine ale she'd brought along. With a whisper, she adds, "Who knows, maybe goblins have better taste in spirits than the Master of Roads did."
Then, cupping her mouth, she hollers, "Deimus!"
"Here!" Deimus replies, though faintly, not interested in drawing some guardian's attention.
As he listens to the Alemaiden, he looks to Raseri and says: "We could integrate this dragon into the story, yes? Can you take care of this? I would like to stay though. Do we need this audience just now? Or do we need this work first?"
He looks to the others for guidance.
”The audience would be to secure lodging for tonight. But what you’re doing is very important. Can you finish before we’re exhausted?” Carnadine asks the artist.
With Hrungnir, the little fox grumbles deeply in what sounds like knowing laughter "Beauty like that is the norm in the upper courts...but most is at best half-illusion. At worst, you have the geas...a magical obligation to love. What do you seek to do when you find her, I wonder? Simply stare upon the lass?"
------
With Deimus and Raseri, the mute goblin seems scared of the writing, and runs away...but not before peeing his pants.
Hrungnir shrugged. ”If geas it be then neither I nor any other have seen it. And how would I know? I know enough of magic to be proficient, at least. I do not think that I am charmed. But isn’t that what a charmed man would say?” With a slight smile he said ”If I saw her I would express my love. Should I be denied, then I would have no regrets. For I would have sacrificed much in my attempt, far more than is reasonable. And I would take that comfort to my grave, along with the simple joy of seeing her once more. And if she reciprocates? Then I will see where that takes me. Ye probably think me a fool.” He said to the wise fox.
The fox shakes its head "Nay, what other joys of life can rival honest love? Who claims to control it...there's the fool. None can choose who to love...it is a brief touch of the gods...er, the goddess Sarastra, Her Celestial Majesty..." the fox quickly corrects, glancing around in a flash of fear. "I should be going, good dwelf Hrungnir...but know you have a friend in this creature of the courts. And I leave you a warning, not all of us so close to ground are lowly...those that revel in intrigue have many eyes."
Deimus looks at Carnadine, his face a blank metal mask: "Tzk! With your help, we might..." and turns to Raseri: "Right. What next? You seemed to have a better plan than mine, so we're listening."
Raseri looks more than a little troubled by the reaction of the goblin to her attempt to communicate. She was finding it harder and harder to push aside her feelings of inadequacy as she seems to have once again made things more difficult for them.
"Oh, yes," she says, shaking herself and standing back up. "I was thinking of forging and engraving a frieze in the shape of that pendant we found on the master of roads. I can do that, but the pedestal that it sits upon must move and rotate it so that shows the scenes repeating over and over again. I am no gearsmith though, and I would be lost as to how to accomplish such a thing."
As she speaks, she sketches out what she has in mind and even a couple of the scenes. She mentions it probably goin faster if they had some help, and had hoped that she would have been able to ask the goblin she had scared off by accident for some.
"Alas, I fear that I am cursed to make our endeavors more difficult," she laments quietly as she continues refining the design on paper and even sketching out a few scenes for the infinite frieze.
Raseri does not see the hand that does it, but she definitely feels the sharp pinch on her derrier.
"Tzk."
Deimus looks at Raseri, perplexed. He asks: "Right. Soundsz good. I can help with the gear and the rotation. Now, how will this frieze endeavour towards our ends? What do you have in mind to ridicule the Master of Roads, beyond repeating the scene over and over?"
Deimus adds: "I can create a space for us to work in secret, so that no one else can see our big reveal. Hmmm... Now that I think of it, I can also use the same incantation to secure us some lodgings... But I would see this as a back up plan if the rest doesn't pan out."
Raseri jumps and lets out a squeak as Lexi's unseen fingers give her a pinch. She whirls around, her face reddened by embarrassment as she searches for the culprit. Unfortunately for her dignity, there is no one upon whom she could exact her vengeance and turns back to her work with a sigh.
"I was thinking we could do something like this," she says, sketching out ideas for scenes starting with an open road, then the giants and Haylcaster being appointed to be the Master of Roads before moving on to his misadventure with a dragon and subtle hints of how it would go wrong in the scenes leading up to the encasing of giants in the the shadowy crystal. Then it moves on to his misadventures in Midgard, his first defeat by the party on the wall, and the taking and reforging of his weapons while he grows jealous and sulks. The scenes move onto show the defeat of the dragon and the giants of the twin towers flanking the road, then onto his final defeat at the hands of the party. All throughout are subtle, mocking hints and jabs directed at House Roren and Haylcaster before teh frieze wraps up with the party moving down the now open road that connects the whole scene from end to end. She sketches how she imagines the machine could work, hoping that Deimus could work out the mechanical details while she and Kjeta worked on the base that would contain the machinery and clockwork.
"And thats it. Do you think we can do it," she asks the other two with her.
Something seems off about the story, then you notice that it was Hrungnir, not Raseri that forged the starmetal into a new weapon and inlaid it into the weapons lying beside her gear in the frieze, weapons that others in the group carry after their forging instead of being carried by Raseri. Her hand in other parts of the story is also missing. In fact she appears in only a few scenes, and always in a minor role. There's more than simple modesty here, though what?
While the others made art, Lexi turned towards scouting out the rest of the area and making a map, which she returned with shortly and handed to Hrungnir.
Deimus gets into the work. He helps set out shop under an arcane protection that he keeps opaque. He lets only his companions in to help with the construction or bring materials.
He spends most of his time figuring out how to create gear that will make the ring rotate and support its weight. Once this is well under way, he'll work on smaller mechanical projects. The first is the final stabbing of Haylcaster, then he works on the dragon to make it more fearful. His focus is to support the narrative that Raseri envisions, so he'll pester her with questions.
A 10-foot-radius immobile dome of force springs into existence around and above you and remains stationary for the duration. The spell ends if you leave its area.
Nine creatures of Medium size or smaller can fit inside the dome with you. The spell fails if its area includes a larger creature or more than nine creatures. Creatures and objects within the dome when you cast this spell can move through it freely. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it. Spells and other magical effects can’t extend through the dome or be cast through it. The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside.
Until the spell ends, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark. The dome is opaque from the outside, of any color you choose, but it is transparent from the inside.
Kjeta chuckles as she listens to and reads over Raseri's notes. It's painfully obvious though that she's written herself out of it.
"This is marvelous, Raseri! Kudos!! And nice detail work, Deimus!"
Coming closer to Raseri, when it seems others are focused on other things, she adds, "But why write yourself out of it?"
- - -
Kjeta pulls her mallet and chisels from her pack, and goes to work creating a base for the frieze. She prays to Ninkash for guidance and then begins to chisel (making sure to stop and quench her thirst throughout, as her faith demands).
When complete, the base has a nice ribbon motif, and has the words "Failycaster, Disaster of Roads" neatly chiseled into it.
"Shouldn't Failycaster have a Y?" Carnadine offers the master dwarf.
Raseri's eyes dart to the others for a moment to see if they noticed what Kjeta had. She sighs and leans in closer to the Alemaiden to avoid the others overhearing.
"I did nothing of note. Better that I am not seen, or even thought of," Raseri whispers in answer. "Better still if some among the court have silver eyes."
With no further objections, Raseri begins to work on the möbius frieze, first forging the panels that will make up the strip, then polishing, then engraving them.
After a few hours of work, it's clear that Raseri is growing frustrated. After trying, and failing, to get what's in her head laid out onto the steel she is using, she leaves in a huff, walking out into the courtyard, feeling rather useless. Seeing one of the animals roaming about looking at her, she sighs.
"Hello, I do not suppose you know anything about engraving and inlay, do you," she asks quietly. Her mood dark as she wonders why she thought she could do something so elaborate.
A ridiculously steep cobbled path winding upwards to another mysterious Shadow Door. There seems to be a cold, light rain persistent in this area that is killing off the vegetation and slickening the steps. ().
This hall is dimly lit and open to the air along the southern arcade. The hall is a bit of a maze, containing more than thirty striped black and white marble pillars arranged irregularly...like the random growth of a forest. It seems haunted by owls and death butterflies, and smells vaguely of fox urine. There are some signs of battle however, chips and nicks in the marble...shuffling of leaves and other debris on the floor indicating quick movement.
With Deimus' dweomercrafted tent isolating you from most of the court, the work is slow and steady. Food is a bit of an issue after a few days...those f%+&ing druid berries aren't the most appetizing, especially with the strange sour twist they seem to carry here in the Shadow Realm. Kjeta's brew certainly helps, however. Some might resort to begging or stealing from the goblin servants for more palatable fare such as buttered baked bread, salted mutton, and sugary iced sweet rolls.
Eracen, the Court Musician seems to take interest in the project, checking in daily to admire the artistry. On the 3rd day he introduces you to Ulrika the Court Painter (status 3 required to see) who chit chats about the stone working techniques, but seems less impressed with the smithing and mechanus.
On the 4th day, just when some end to the massive work seems in sight, and you are preparing to put the final finishing touches...you step out of the hut meet a small squad of the animated guard. There are 2 of the animated armor, and 2 of the strange animated cloaks.
"Loiterers. Vagrants. You are not welcome and will be dismissed." Their inner fires burst to life, and they come on hostile.
Deimus peeks at the automaton from inside the hut and says to the others: "They can't come in, and they can't see inside. But they're a pain. If we deal with them though, it should be flamboyant in some ways..."
For days two and three, Carnadine would return to the library to read the gossip of the day with his Helm of Comprehend Languages.
Poking his head out, Hrungnir said ”Bah! We aren’t loitering, we’re working. And we aren’t vagrants, we’re diplomats. So go do yer jobs and kick out someone who actually fits that description.”
As the little dwelf lips and beard exit the protective half-shell of the arcane dome, the Monolith simply repeats "Vagabonds. Skulkers. You are not welcome and will be dismissed."
One of them actually tests their sword strike upon the surface, but is turned by Deimus' bardic lore.
There is a bit about how imitating a donkey garnishes respect among the higher class. It then goes on about the strange Midgardians that have taken refuge within an opaque ward in the courtyard...then some speculation about how long until the demons are released to clean up. They mention how its been a long time since they have watched the one eyed, iron fang fiends tear flesh apart and write excitedly awaiting their appearance. 'Psoglav', they call them.
Nothing new, just rehashes of the same stories from before involving the cook and Master of Horses and spiders being royal children...
Carnadine shares his rumors and would have offered for someone to accompany him to the library to stretch their legs.
"The squad or one-eyed, iron fang fiends would actually ensure that we have a large audience when we unveil our art project. I think we should introduce ourselves as an embassy from Zobeck and artists. Did you put Zobeck somewhere on the frieze thingy? That's our actual purpose, right?" Carnadine offers and asks.
When Kjeta hears Carnadine introducing himself to Ulrika, and discussing the stonework, she perks up--a mix of interest and consternation.
"Wait, you're discussing my stonework with someone who likes it...but who I can't see or hear?? What's she saying? Will you let her know I'm more than happy to trade techniques, if she'd like, but that I can't hear her for some reason..."
"Nice try, Hrungnir, but it doesn't seem like they're listening? Shall we go out and teach'm a lesson?"
”Finally, a suggestion that makes sense.”
Lexi, regarding your explorations and mapping. I will detail areas 4 and 5 shortly since those were previously unexplored and easily accessible. There is a locked door leading to area 8 that was similarly unexplored...verify your entry there if going in. Also climbing the walls to the larger palace wings is possible. DC 20 str athletics if not using rope/climbing gear...no check if using. You will also need a stealth check during a climb to remain undetected. Finally, if successful for that, give me one stealth check per hour you explore those larger wings over the 5 days the party is working on the frieze. Failing DC 15 by 5 or more will mean some consequences.
==========================================
"Hello Ulrika. It is a genuine pleasure to meet you."
"So, how did you receive the appointment to be the Court Painter?"
"Do you know Eracen's story of how he became the Court Musician? He's been reluctant to share." He asks in front of Eracen to provoke him to share.
"We've heard that humiliations are a way to increase your status in the court. We're working on one for the Master of Roads. Any advice on how to make it as barbed as possible?"
Raseri watches as Kjeta and Hrungnir go out to fight the the monoliths and sighs. She stops working on the engraving she was finishing up and starts putting on her armor.
As Lexi's haunches flip over the heights of the palace, Deimus sees some of the animal headed courtesans take note and scowl, as best an eagle face can scowl "I say, was that one of those Midgardian homeless atop the Halls of Summer?"
Another, horse faced one "Oh good lord, why didn't she use the shadow door?"
Finally a white feathered chicken face prattles "Not the arcane type I take it. Hmmph. How very tabloid."
The horse brickers and neighs "Tabloid indeed!" and they all snicker like the useless haughty snobs they are.