Martin smiles“Hope is a good woman. She can be stubborn, and she often judges books by their cover. She doesn’t see the good in you that I do, Justin. Your methods are not mine, but the path we walk matters not if we arrive at the same destination. The Steel Maiden works with any who will stand beside her in battle.”
The two arrive at Iomedae’s temple. Martin shakes Justin’s hand
“Best of luck with your quest, my friend. I hope you find Murphy. I’d invite you to stay and participate in the afternoon services, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable coming up with an excuse why you can’t. You know the Maiden’s Keep is always ready to shelter you.”
Martin grins and turns to ascend the temple stairs
"Thanks Martin. Stay safe!" Justin returns his friends' well-wishes and watches him start to walk up the steps. He turns to see Memnon watching HIM. He stares back at the crystal skull.
"What?!?" Justin cracks and breaks the silence first.
Memnon bobs slightly from side to side, (the Mimirs' version of a head shake)
"Well, I thought I had you figured out. You were just like every other humanoid. Simple. In brain and body. But NO, YOU had to go and try to prove me wrong. Congratulations."
Somehow the crystal skull manages to sneer without actually flexing anything on its surface.
"You are, by far, the most unnecessarily overly-complicated meat-bag I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with."
"That group you hang around with everyday is crazy enough, and I mean that in a good way! But these others? A Hardhead? And an Honest-to-Powers-Goody-Two-Shoes-Holier-than-Thou Holy Warrior?!? Where do you even FIND these guys?!?" The Mimir is practically shaking in mid air, (whether in amusement, or frustration, Justin can't tell.)
Justin shrugs. "I had a,... betrayal by someone I trusted. Closely. And NO it wasn't a woman! Ever since then, I'm pretty particular about who I call 'friend'." Justin explains as he turns and starts walking slowly away from Iomedea's Temple.
The wizard can HEAR the eye-roll from behind him.
"Oh, Boo-Hoo! Punk has the power to re-write reality with his bare hands, and he uses it to conjure balloon animals and befriend bleeding hearts! Sigil save me from soft-skulled wizards!" Memnon mutters crossly as he follows. Clearly intending to be overheard.
Justin doesn't even bother looking back over his shoulder. He simply holds up a hand and waves the comment away as if shooing away a bloodfly.
"Oh pooh! You already admitted you like Martin. YOUR just still sore because I didn't take you along to the late-night party. Which I didn't know I was going to. Tell you what. NEXT time, you are DEFINITELY coming along too. I think my brother would like to meet you. I'm sure he would find you,..."
Justin turns, faces Memnon with a stern, emotionless stare, raises one eyebrow, and says in a monotone voice,... ",... Fascinating."
Memnon bounces with childish excitement. "YESSS! Undoubtedly your brother is a connie-sewer of the finer things in life, and has an appreciation of discourse with an unparalleled intellect?" The crystal skull almost demands in its enthusiasm.
"Actually, I think he'll find you fascinating because when he meets you, he WON'T consider you 'food'." Justin smirks.
The wizard looks thoughtful.
"At least, I don't THINK he will."
The glowing motes in the crystal skull's eyes enlarge so rapidly they look as if they might actually exit their crystal conveyance.
"Wait, What? FOOD?!? What is THAT supposed to mean? Justin? Justin! Oh VERY mature, just walk away! Such infantile manipulations will not work on me. Justin! What do you mean FOOD?!?"
The day begins to slide into Afterpeak as Justin ponders what to do next. The throngs of templegoers surge around him as he descends off the temple stairs to street level. The rain is slackening up a bit, but a thick wet fog is replacing it, blurring the temples into in distinct shapes. The fog in the Temple District is redolent of hundreds of spicy scents: frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, copra, and many more burning incenses perfume the foggy air
Justin looks around, squinting to get his bearings through the murky fog.
(Which is worse in Sigil? The Persistent, dingy rain? Or the Pernicious, mud-thick fog? The answer is, 'YES!')
"Hey Memnon, How'd you like to meet an honest-to-goodness 'Legitimate Businessman' with dealings in every neighborhood of Sigil?" Justin asks the Mimir idly, heavily emphasizing the 'Legitimate Businessman'.
"If anyone has information on this new group, it would be Marconi. And afterwords, we can swing by and pick you up another Greenie Dreadful on the way back. Whattya say?"
The purple skull bobs assent, his yellow/orange hat shifting slightly
“Will there be dancing girls? Legitimate businessmen always have dancing girls in the books”
Justin purses his lips, carefully thinking over THAT answer.
"Well, he's a very FOCUSED businessman. When he's working, I don't think he keeps dancing girls around. Although to be fair, I HAVE heard that he can throw a mean party. So your probably right about his having them on the books."
Justin picks a direction, (he's getting better at actually knowing where he is in Sigil now), and begins walking. He focuses momentarily on the tattoo on his arm, and conjures a quartet of different colored glowing orbs of light. (Since they are in a neighborhood where minor displays of power actually serve as a deterrent to being singled out by troublemakers, instead of making you a target.)
Justin idly waves the faintly glowing lights forward to help guide their path through the fog.
"Marconi does like henchm,... erm, associates with impressive resumes'. So he's usually surrounded by an unusual assortment of individuals. Even for Sigil. Some of them even you would probably consider exotic."
Justin knows that Marconi has a mansion in the Nobles' District, but he was never there, and anyway he didn't discuss 'business' there either. It was strictly an entertainment venue to butter up high-class cutters. No, Marconi kept his true kip down in the Marble District, not too far from where Skyy danced at the Fallen Angel. Scab Way was the main thouroughfare through the Marble District, which passed as the 'classy' part of the Hive.
It was a gaudy street, and at some point hundreds of years ago it had been fairly well-to-do. Many of the buildings were once elegant mansions, thus the 'marble' part of the district's name. Time and blight had cheapened the palazzo's facades. Now the ground floors were taverns, gambling halls and bordellos. The Xaos boys and Bleakers were not a big presence here. This district was Taker turf, for all of its Hive location.
Marconi held court in Benni's Tap Room, a venue known as the finest bar in the Hive. Which is like being the tallest halfling. The building is in relatively good shape, its marble facade kept mostly free of the ubiquitous razorvine. Justin has passed it on occasion, and has been in once for a quick chat with Marconi. He turns his feet towards the Hive.
The fog grows thicker and more acrid as Justin heads into the Lower Ward. Alehouse Row is busy, as usual, with crowds of revelers swarming the many different taverns lining the street. The Great Foundry rears up in front of him, its myriad smokestacks belching coal smoke into the foggy sky.
Justin turns onto Gear Run, the shops transitioning from smithies and armories to clockwork and toy shops. The street crowd becomes more gnomish with a sprinkling of constructs.
Passing the kareoke bar Caritas, Justin enters the Hellgate District. The streets here are fairly quiet, as it is just getting into the darker parts of peaktime. A few tieflings walk around on their business.
Hellgate brings Justin into one of his favorite places to shop in Sigil, Ragpicker's Square. The huge bazaar is lined with clothing stores and book sellers.Justin is tempted by the many piles of books on display, but the peaklight gets darker by the minute, and he really didn't want to tarry too long in the Hive.
Justin passes the Mortuary, its huge spider/skull shape squatting on the edge of the border of the Lower Ward and the Hive. He sees the Ditch to his right, the giant crevasse in the skin of Sigil starting narrow, then widening out to the size of a major river. After traversing the quiet streets of the Grey District, He comes into the Hive Ward and Scab Way.
The crowd is similar to the one Justin walked through in Alehouse Row, but a bit...seamier? The street is crowded with furtive men and laughing gangs of toughs, some in Xaos colors, some in flashy clothing.
Justin passes Skyy's tavern, but she wouldn't be at work yet anyway. He travels on further into the Hive, the black-streaked marble buildings stretching off into the fog. Barkers yell at Justin as he walks on, promising him delights he'd never seen before. Several times he has to restrain Memnon from engaging these street touts.
Eventually they arrive at their destination. Benni's Tap Room is a fairly large building, four stories tall, and it sits athwart a small plaza where several smaller roads empty. Justin sees several toughs hanging about the entrance, but no one he recognizes
Justin tilts his head towards 'Benni's Tap Room' for Memnon's benefit.
"Here we are. The finest Pub in the Hive. And yes that's still just as impressive as when YOU used to hang out here." Justin chuckles wryly.
Staring at the building now, Justin starts second guessing how good an idea this actually was. Nope. This was for Murphy. And besides, he'd never let the fact something was a bad idea stop him before. Why start now?
Besides. He had a foul-proof plan. One that would ensure that Marconi would be wondering what he was up too, and keep the entire brief meeting cordial.
Justin was going be polite.
Well,... for Justin anyway.
Humming a ditty that got stuck in his head one night after seeing Skyy dance, Justin motions for Memnon to follow and heads towards the entrance of the Pub.
The toughs around the entrance give him the eye as Justin approaches. They look to be mostly muscle, Hiver admixtures of various sorts, humanoid with a heavy lean on goblinoid and lower planar ancestry. They are dressed in the flashy clothes and jewelry that denotes street-level toughs in the Marble District, but their hardware looks clean and Foundry-forged.
At the doorway is Custis, the tavern's Afterpeak doorman. Justin has interacted with Custis before on a couple of occasions. He tends to spend his off hours ogling the dancers in the Fallen Angel. He's a large old cutter, Earth genasai, and muscled like a old Norse god. Justin has seen him brawl and wouldn't want him to be mad at him. Fortunately, he is a rather calm individual, and has never had issue with Justin. He also work's for the proprietor Benni, not for Marconi. He nods to Justin as he walks up
"G'day Justin, yer a bit off yer normal perch. Fallen Angel's thataways."
"Good day yerself Custis. How's it been going?" Justin returns the gensai's greeting cheerfully.
"Naw, I'm not lost. Not today at least. Skyy won't be at work fer a while yet. I'm just introducing my new partner around some of my haunts, and doing a little gumshoe work. And drinking. Drinking is always good. Walking in circles around this city makes me thirsty."
Justin adds the last bit while making a circular motion with one finger, and then moving his spinning finger up next to his head to create the universally accepted motion for going crazy.
"Speaking of Introductions! Custis, allow me to introduce Memnon. Memnon is probably the smartest crystalline entity you'll ever meet. Memnon, this is Custis. Definitely as strong as he looks. And probably the nicest bouncer you'll ever meet." Justin grins.
"Custis, I don't suppose that Marconi is holding court inside as usual about this time? I can't stay too long, but I was really hoping to be able to speak to him for a couple of minutes."
Custis nods
"pleasure Memnon"
Memnon bobs, his new hat lightly askew
"Tell me, does your establishment feature dancing girls?"
Custis laughs
"Naw, yeh'll want farther down the road fer that"
He turns to Justin
"Yeh, he's in. Go ahead in."
The enter into the dimly lit tavern. It is done up in what Justin can only think of as 'gangster chic'. Dark wood paneling, paintings of half-dressed ladies on the wall, several moth-eaten exotic heads over the large hearth. The air is redolent with various smoked substances, and despite the relatively early hour there is a fairly large crowd. Towards the back is a semi-detached alcove with a two-step riser and a small railing around it. A large table is occupied by Marconi and a few of his henchman. The ever-present Horace is nearby, scaning the crowd restlessly. Justin sees the albino kobold Wightscale, and the kobold construct Clamps. There is a strange cutter in the mix, a large dragonborn-looking sod in black armor and a symbol of five dragon heads on his breastplate.
Justin nods his thanks to Custis and murmurs "May your work-evening be boring, and your personal time be fun!" and enters.
The wizard takes a moment looking around. He mentions off-handedly to Memnon that they HAVE been working a lot lately. And some time at the Fallen Angel is sounding better all the time.
Justin nods to the alcove containing his reason for visiting, and the afore-promised unusual cutters.
"We won't be here long enough for you to get bored Memnon. I just need a minute with the Lizard-in-Chief. Huh. The big Dragonborn is new to the club. Does that five-dragon-heads on the armor mean anything to you? It seems familiar,..."
The sigul is the universal symbol for Tiamat, Queen of evil dragon kin
Justin notices that one of the red-scaled Dragonborn’s hands is withered and black, as if struck by disease. It looks ... off ... Ill proportioned. It looks more like a human hand. But it seems to work still, at least Justin can see the fingers twitching. He suddenly remembers a book he studied in university. Famous Artifacts of High Magik . It basically discussed well-known items like Mjolnir, The golden apples of Aphrodite, St. Cuthbert’s Cudgel. But it had discussed some evil ones as well, including the Hand of Vecna. Could this Dragonborn have found one of the most infamous artifacts in the known multiverse?
Justin nods, and speaks mostly to himself.
"Yep. Thought so. Symbol for Tiamat. Queen of Evil Dragons on most Primes. Macaroni is hanging with more and more,... Interesting persons lately."
The wizard blinks, narrows his eyes as he looks at something unusual,...
"Hrm. Note to self. Antagonize the burly Dragonborn LAST. If ever. And ask him where he gets his accessories,..."
"Come on. The quicker I chat with Marconi, the quicker we can both get to ogling far more attractive sights!" Justin tells Memnon, flicking one of the tassles hanging from the orange hat so that it swings a little before he starts moving towards Marconi's seating area.
The fact that to a small-scale humanoid, the slightly raised alcove would resemble a throne dias is not lost on Justin as he makes his way through the surprisingly heavy early-peak crowd.
Justin approaches the VIP area and a couple of Marconi’s minions step in his way. One is a Xaositect-bedecked aasimar, all rainbow spiked Mohawk, piercings, and leather getup. He’s skinny, but he has a certain look to him. Justin gets a vibe that this guy is a caster, possibly a sorcerer. He has two very odd pistols holstered at his hips. The other is a tall rangy gnoll. He’s dressed in very high-end chain, possibly mithril, possibly enchanted He carries a large great sword sheathed in a black shoulder scabbard graven with golden Abyssal runes. The aasimar looks Justin over
“Ah’m wonderin’ if yew have an invite to Mistah Marconi’s table, sir”
The gnoll giggles that hyena giggle that is the least happy giggle in the multiverse
“Ah’m afrayed if’n yew wasn’t invited, that Mistah Marconi ain’t got no time fer yew.”
The Xaositect man’s accent isn’t local. It has a drawling twang to it. Justin has never quite heard the like before
'I'm here to be nice, I'm here to be nice,...' Justin's mind repeats the phrase like a mantra.
Justin's eyes meanwhile take in the two goons admittedly impressive and unusual gear. Some of it still quite a step or three above his own recently upgraded accessories.
'I'm being nice. Not Stupid.'
Justin smiles.
"Hello gentlemen. We haven't met. YOU must be new." Justin says pleasantly.
The wizard looks at the Xaos-dressed Assimar and raises an eyebrow.
"I like your accent sir. But I can't, quite, place it. But I'm sure the ladies find it charming."
Justin casually raises to his full height, forgoing his usual, slight slouch that he habitually adopts to make talking to those shorter than him (and getting through many doorways) easier to deal with. He is still a head shorter than the rangy Gnoll, whose race habitually towers over most humanoids in any room, But looks just slightly down on the skinny leather-clad Assimar.
"Since your new, allow ME to make the introductions shall I? THIS is my associate, Memnon. A Mimir of unparalleled skills & repository of knowledge."
From his position beside Justin, the crystal skull can clearly see the mage bite his tongueas he looks at the goons. Just for a moment. The wizard is clearly taking his previous declaration to 'be nice' seriously.
"And my name is Case. Justin. Case. 'MISTER' Marconius and I go back quite a ways. And we have an, agreement. We don't waste each others time. I merely need to converse with Mister Marconius for two minutes regarding issues of mutual interests. And then I'll be on my way."
Justin leans in conspiratorially, and makes tiny 'come closer' gestures to invite the goons to join him. He continues in a soft voice, barely audible over the rooms usual background noises.
"I know from experience that the only thing Mister Marconius dislikes more than someone wasting his time, is someone preventing him from obtaining potentially useful information in a timely fashion. If you catch my drift?" Justin smiles pleasantly.
"So,... I'll just pop on in and speak with him quickly, and then get out of your way, shall I?" Justin whispers, still smiling.
The two look uncertain. Suddenly a voice echoes out.
“Doc, Giblet. Let Mr Case through. He’s just going to be annoying unless you let him get whatever it is off his chest”
Marconius peers out at them with bright cats-eyes
Justin manages not to smile. Too much. But the corner of his mouth twitches unmistakably. He winks at the Assimar before straightening back up.
"Thank you Mister Marconius. Your very kind." Justin says aloud, stepping between the goons and motioning for Memnon to follow him. Which the Mimir did with amazing speed.
Justin finds the Mimir to be MANY things. But slow isn't one of them. Mentally or physically. The crystal skull zips between the two goons-for-hire with alacrity, anxious to avoid being used as a ball in whatever demented game the two might prefer at this point.
Justin steps up to where Marconi is seated, nodding politely at those surrounding the gangster that he has met before, like Whitescale and Clamps. The wizard only greets one of the 'associates' aloud though.
"Horace. Nice to see you." Justin says politely.
Inside, Justin cries just a little. He so enjoys yanking Marconi's and Horace's chains. Just for fun of course. But he just keeps repeating to himself, 'This is for Murphy'.
Of course, somewhere ELSE inside a little voice whispers 'There's always NEXT time!', but he tries his best not to pay too much attention to THAT voice. Yet.
"Mister Marconius, How are you sir? I'll keep my visit brief. But if you don't mind, My feet feel like I've circled Sigil twenty times in the last two days. May I?" And Justin pulls out one of the chairs on his side of the table, and sits down in obvious relief.
Now of course, Justin always has a plan. (Some of them even go AS planned. Just ask him!) And this is yet another step to both keep Marconi off-balance, and keep the meeting civil and polite.
Heaven and Hades knows that Justin enjoys, (sometimes a little TOO much) rubbing his much greater height over Marconi's diminutive stature in the little lizard's snout. To date he has never met with the the Kobold where he didn't take the opportunity to tower over him as much as possible. Behind the table, Marconi's chair is on another step or box of some sort, allowing the kobold to sit as tall or taller than those who come to meet with him. Justin's height allows him to sit and talk with the little lizard on more or less 'even' terms.
See?! Justin can do 'Polite'!
Justin chuckles slightly, "I'm sorry, I'm tired. Where are my manners? Marconi, THIS is Memnon. My newest associate and partner. Probably the smartest crystalline entity you'll ever meet. Just ask him. He'll tell you. Memnon, THIS is Marconius Antonius. Probably the biggest individual business-person in Sigil." Justin looks back and forth as he introduces the two.
With NO sign or emphasis of his usual smart-alecknessness at the use of the size-related term.
'This is for Murphy, This is for Murphy,...'
Memnon bobs
“A pleasure to meet you sir”
Marconius returns the nod
“And you”
Marconius looks at Justin
“So why have you come by Mr Case? I imagine it’s something to do with underworld issues?”
Justin nods, smiling and holding our his hands in a 'you got me!' gesture.
"Give the businessbeing an expensive cigar. I do have a couple of questions that I was hoping you might be able to help me answer. And some information that you might not be aware of yet. I was hoping that in the time honored tradition of Sigil, we could trade?" Justin asks hopefully.
Marconius’ eyes glitter
“Mr. Case, you know I am always up for a good trade. What do you ask, and what do you offer?”
The red Dragonborn looks Justin over. He seems neutral, just watching impassively, but he seems to radiate power. Justin can see the withered arm now, and it is definitely not right. Although it fits seamlessly with the Dragonborn’s forearm, it has the look of a mummified human hand. The buried in a bog for a thousand years type of mummification. The skin is coal black, and the fingernails are talon-like. Marconius glances over at him
“Where are my manners? Arkhan, this is Justin Case, a Wizard of some repute. He refuses to work for me, but he still likes to occasionally come to beg a boon of me.”
Arkhan nods slightly, and speaks in a deep voice
“I admire a man who stands by his principles “
Marconius’ toothy grin fades somewhat and he turns back to Justin
“Please hurry, Mr. Case. I have other more important things to do today than act as your reference library”
"Arkhan, Pleasure." Justin nods politely at the big Dragonborn.
The wizard blinks in slight surprise at Arkhan's complement. (The sight of Marconi's predatory grin dimming gives Justin a warm glow that he will savor later. Right now, business.)
Justin turns back to Marconi, focusing his attention on the kobold, trying VERY hard not to look too much at the mummified hand on Arkhan's arm. His natural, wizardly curiosity, (not unlike a cat's) makes this more difficult than it should be. (Yay, Wizardly Willpower!)
'Detect Magic be Darned. If that's not the Hand of Vecna, or some other Prime equivalent, I'll eat my Brand-New Magic Hat!'
"Of course, Mr. Marconi. Believe me, If I could find these answers in a library, I wouldn't be bothering you. Promise." Justin smiles.
"You have a reputation for fair dealings. And my questions are actually very simple. Either you know the answers to them, or you don't. So I'll just give you some information I've come across, and you can determine it's worth. That way I won't waste your time playing '20 questions' or being coy. Either way, I think you'll find some details I've discovered, interesting, at least. Sound fair?"
"You know of this new Vamp nest operating out of Deadtown of course. The Scarlet Circle? They are supposedly stronger and more powerful than your 'run-of-the-mill' vamps, have a rep for ruthlessness, and are sticking their vampire fingers into many pies, and are making headway into the Dustmen Faction." Justin starts,
"They apparently tweaked the nose of the Harmonium enough that the Faction went after them. Hard. And got their Red-Enameled Cans handed to them from what I hear."
Justin waves his hands slightly, "I'm sure YOU know more about the details of that incident than I do. I'm sure the Hardheads gave as good as they got, but they suffered losses. The Dusties and Hardheads reached a settlement over the 'incident', and it's been pretty quiet since. Even the Circle seemed to calm down their activities afterwords."
Justin holds up a single finger, to forestall an impatient reaction from Marconi.
"HERE'S what I don't think your aware of. Because it is so out of character for the Faction. There are certain Harmonium who don't think that the Circle will keep their end of the agreement, or are already breaking it. And have continued investigating the Circle quietly. As in, out-of-armor quietly."
Justin raises an eyebrow. Marconi has a great poker-face, (he IS a cold-blooded reptile after all) but the wizard is pretty sure that he saw a gleam in the Kobold's eye. He had Marconi's attention now at least.
"And then I found out WHY. You've heard of this new street drug, 'V'? I'm presuming that you don't have any direct dealings with it, because as best I can tell, it's sole supplier is the Scarlet Circle. 'V' must stand for 'Very', because it's Very Potent, Very addictive, Very Magical, and Very Dangerous. As in, 'Grants Untrained Persons Magical Powers' Dangerous."
Justin shrugs. "Honestly, I would be surprised if you were involved with it in any way. It didn't sound like your kind of,... thing." Justin admits. He knows full well that the lil lizard preferred his customers healthy and happy. That made for better repeat business. Addiction was fine, but Drugs that a client could easily overdose on, or cause harm in general, weren't good for business, so he usually avoided them. Usually.
The wizard holds his empty hands up next to his shoulders and shrugs again.
"I have a few more details, but that's the crux of it. You have an unusually strong new Vamp gang, operating out of Deadtown, but expanding rapidly through Sigil, and making headway into Factions, especially the Dustmen."
"They are suspected of NOT holding up their end of the agreement between themselves and the Harmonium, are the sole source of a dangerously powerful magical narcotic, which they are clearly using to build up a power base. Presumably they start by building up the numbers of addicted, then when the users can't pay they 'recruit' them into their own undead ranks in exchange for a supply of the drug. The fact that they are drug-enhanced super-soldiers are a bonus I suspect? I figured you would appreciate a heads-up, as it sounds like something that might interfere with your own business?"
"For my questions, I am wondering if you can provide me any additional information on the Scarlet Circle that I don't have. Particularly how to contact them. Without having to storm Deadtown with a battalion of wizards and hardheads at my back. Because I'd like to ask THEM a few questions. One of which I'll also ask you. Have you perchance heard what may have happened to anyone who vanished while investigating the Scarlet Circle in Deadtown? I'm particularly interested in one."
Justin looks directly at the scales between the Kobold's eyes. Risking a Soul-Gaze to let Marconi realize how serious this is to him.
"Harmonium Murphietta Cherrywood."
Marconius steeples his fingers
“I am aware of these .... people of alternative existence. They deal in ... matters ... I am not involved in. They stay in their lane, I stay in mine. “
he peers at Justin. The glitter is back
“I understand you are concerned about your Harmonium friend, but I do not wish to involve myself in the Circle’s business. However...”
The edges of Marconius’ lips pull back, exposing pointy teeth
“I can offer you some information, for a price”
Justin's own lips peel back, exposing less pointy but just as white canines.
"Of course, Good old Sigil. Wouldn't have it any other way."
Justin steeples his own long, thin fingers.
"Please, enlighten me as to the details of your proposal. And I'll see if it's a price I can afford."
'*@&#^$%! DangitDangitDangit! The little lizard KNOWS that my first reaction to his proposal would be to tell him to go suck on a nest-mates egg. But this is Murphy. He KNOWS that he's got me. At least enough to actually listen to whatever he's got in mind. Whether or not I take it or tell him to bite my scrawny keister. DangitDangitDangit! *@&#^$%!'
The small lizard gangster's smile widens a fraction. Arkhan seems intrigued by the back-and-forth. If he had a satchel of popped corn or roasted chestnuts he'd likely be munching them.
"I think you'll find my offer fairly reasonable. I try to stay fair."
He looks Justin over, and taps a stubby claw against his chin
"I think three favors would be the correct price. Standard agreement, pledged in front of my notary, redeemable at any point in the future. You would not be coerced into performing any overtly evil acts."
A part of Justin's mind notes Arkhan's curious observation of the discussion, and files it away for later consideration. Whatever he had expected from a big, burly Dragonborn wearing the Holy Symbol of Tiamat as a breastplate, And probably bearing an Unholy artifact as a body part, Arkham wasn't it.
The main part of his mind is racing furiously as he contemplates all possible responses to Marconi's proposal,...
Outside, the wizard merely raises an eyebrow.
'One man's 'fair' is another man's 'gotcha sucker!'. But he's a businessman, not a thief. Not that you can tell the difference between a good businessman and a good thief,...'
Then, Justin startles both Marconi and Memnon by leaning back in the chair and barking a laugh at the ceiling.
"THREE favors? OK, I'll confess. NOW I'm curious. What kind of information do you have?!? The magical password to the Circle's private Blood Bank?" Justin chuckles as he leans back in the seat.
The wizard smooths his becoming-unruly goatee for another moment. Recalling his own 'agreement' with the Cranium rats not long ago. (They hadn't happily agreed to his terms either, but it had worked out.)
"IF three IS a fair trade, then I would agree to your terms, WITH the added caveats that the Favors asked are in a proportional exchange of course. And that I get to reserve the right to 'pass' on a favor being asked, if I feel that it's tweaking my moral compass too far Planesward South."
Justin flaps a hand back and forth rapidly,
"No eternal passes, yadda yadda, I'll pay the debt. I just reserve the right on where to draw the line. No rush or time limit is fine. But I DO advise you not to take TOO long to collect. The life of an adventuring wizard is not what it should be." He smirks.
Justin snaps his fingers.
"Oh yes, and no claiming that I work for you now. This is a business exchange. Nothing more, nothing less."
Marconius smiles as Justin laughs. He waits until he’s said his piece
“The structure of the favor contract will ensure your morals will not be impugned. As I mentioned before, you will not be forced to do any overtly evil act. But I cannot agree to a right of refusal. It makes the favors worthless. You could decide any task is contrary to your ‘alignment’. “
Marconius leans forward, his dragon eyes boring into Justin’s.
“I know where their secret redoubt is, and I know a portal place and key that will get you close to it. If your friend is alive it will be there.”
At that last statement, Justin stops smiling.
'Hook, and yank. Caught.'
"If you can provide THAT information. Deal." Justin replies without hesitation.
Justin's head tilts to one side.
"Reserve the right to argue vehemently with you about what we each consider 'Overtly Evil'. Because let's face it, I'm going to do that anyway." Justin gives a tight-lipped smile.
Above the smile, The wizard returns the Kobold's gaze flatly.
Soul-Gaze be darned. And his Ethics were as flexible as any conjurers when need be.
He was about to know where Murph was. And he would get her back. He'd deal with this little 'The-Devil-you-Know' afterwords.
Marconius nods and speaks out loud
“Bartlebeeze, attend me”
There is a sulfurous puff of smoke and a being stands before Marconius. It looks like an infernal Dragonborn, dressed in an expensive business tunic. It bows to Marconius
“You called, Lord Marconius?”
The creature’s eyes pass to Arkhan and he starts, surprised. He gives the large Dragonborn a much deeper bow.
“My apologies, your Grace. I didn’t realize you would be present. Does Her Draconic Majesty have a direct interest in this matter?”
Arkhan chuckles, a basso sound
“No, no, good master Bartlebeeze. I was here on other matters. Please continue as if I am not present. I am merely a bystander.”
Bartlebeeze looks nervous and bows again.
“As you say, Your Grace”
He turns back to Marconius
“What is your pleasure, my lord?”
Marconius gestures at Justin
“This person , Justin Case, and I wish to engage in a mutually-beneficial exchange of favors. He has promised me three standard favors with the non-evil act proviso. In exchange I will supply him with the portal path and such information I have about a location he wishes to visit “
Bartlebeeze nods and pulls a fat scroll from a messenger bag he carries. He places it on the table along with a pot of red ink, a quill and a small knife.
“Please prick your finger, put one drop of your blood in the inkpot, sign your name on the dotted line”
When 'Bartlebeeze' first appears, Justin is non-plussed.
It wasn't the first time He'd been witness to a vocal calling of a previously-contracted, magically-bound servant.
Justin even managed to contain his genuine surprise at discovering that the being Marconius had called was a True Devil. The kobold was no caster. So he must have hired some very real talent. Judging by the Devils' appearance and dress, Marconius had been working with some good legal help too. Even the devils who didn't specialize in legal nonsense and soul-contracts were sticklers for details.
When Bartlebeeze bowed to Arkhan, Justin stopped pretending not to be impressed. The wizard and the Mimir turn to look each other in the face.
"Your Grace?!?" They whisper at each other.
The pair turn back to find Bartlebeeze unrolling his fat scroll and setting out his inkpot, quill, and knife.
“Please prick your finger, put one drop of your blood in the inkpot, sign your name on the dotted line”
Justin looks at Memnon again. The Mimir looks at Justin.
Still looking at Justin, the Mimir very slowly and deliberately backs up an arms length.
Justin's mouth twitches at Memnon's reaction. He turns to the table and picks up the pen knife. Looking at Marconi, the wizard quickly and expertly makes a small cut on the ball of his thumb, careful to only drip one drop of blood into the inkpot. He then takes out his own handkerchief and cleans any of his remaining blood from the knife before returning it to the table. He casually wraps his thumb in his kerchief, noting a flicker of, disappointment? wrinkle Marconi's snout briefly.
'Heh. Sorry Macaroni. We didn't join this mutual Mis-admiration society because either of us is an idiot.'
Justin takes the quill, gives the red ink a quick stir, makes a show of tapping the excess ink from the quill (As only a professional Scribe or Wizard can do), and signs his name on the dotted line as directed.
Justin Case
Justin finishes his signature and the scroll snaps shut. It disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving three golden coins on the table. Marconius picks one up and examines it
“Ah, these will do nicely “
He looks at Arkhan and offers him the coin
“Can I offer you a token of my esteem? I do apologize for the interruption. You never know when you might need a Wizard. Mr. Case is annoying, but he is fairly canny ... usually , and powerful. Besides...”
The diminutive kobold smirks
“I never expected to get all three out of him”
Arkhan accepts the coin and smiles at Justin
“Mr. Case. Perhaps we shall see each other some day”
Marconius scoops up the other two coins. Justin notices that the face on the coins is his. He turns to face Justin.
“I shall have the instructions and information delivered to your place of business within three days time. If there is nothing else?”
Justin gets the feeling he is being dismissed
Justin finishes his signature and the scroll snaps shut. It disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving three golden coins on the table. Marconius picks one up and examines it
“Ah, these will do nicely “
He looks at Arkhan and offers him the coin
“Can I offer you a token of my esteem? I do apologize for the interruption. You never know when you might need a Wizard. Mr. Case is annoying, but he is fairly canny ... usually , and powerful. Besides...”
The diminutive kobold smirks
“I never expected to get all three out of him”
"Heh," Justin smirks. The little lizard DID know him well.
Arkhan accepts the coin and smiles at Justin“Mr. Case. Perhaps we shall see each other some day.”
If Justin was dismayed that one of his 'favors' had just been handed to a powerful Dragonborn of evil alignment, and NOW presumably a VIP in the echelon of Her-Five-Headed-Highness' ranks, it didn't show on his face. Much.
Justin nods his head politely to Arkhan. "I would like a chance to talk to you one day. Over a friendly pint. I do enjoy tales of others' adventures. Places they've been, Things they've seen,... Items they've collected." He says with a small smile.
Marconius scoops up the other two coins. Justin notices that the face on the coins is his. He turns to face Justin.“I shall have the instructions and information delivered to your place of business within three days time. If there is nothing else?”
Justin gets the feeling he is being dismissed
The wizard shakes his head and rises from his seat.
"Nope. That works. And That's enough for me for one day. I'm on a budget." He says cheerfully."Thank you for your time Mr Marconi. Until next time?"
Justin glances at the hangers-on around the kobold, Changes his hair-ribbon back into a wide-brimmed hat, and tugs the brim respectfully to Arkham, Whitescale, and Clamps.
The wizard looks the gargoyle in the face, (one of the few close to the table who can actually look Justin in the face while he is standing.)
"Horace! Always a pleasure talking to you big guy." Justin says, resisting the urge to clap the gargoyle on the back.
Justin departs the curtained alcove, Memnon zipping along behind. Both maintaining an unusual level of silence, until they get outside,...
“Justin, YOU LUNKHEAD! Have you never heard of HAGGLING! By all the forgotten gods!”
The skull’s eyes blaze in the fog like twin beacons
“How can someone so smart be so STUPID! Did you even ask to read the contract? He could of had it say anything! All you had was his word what was in it! Your nemesis!”
"Yep. I HAD all kinds of the usual negotiation shenanigans planned. I was totally going to counter -offer with ONE favor. Figured I wouldn't get by with less than two. Seems Macaroni thought the same thing." Justin agrees. He seems, nonplussed.
The wizard looks 'up' at the ever-damp Sigilian sky, and decides that the fog will at least let him get his pipe lit. So he pulls it out and begins to fill it from his tobacco pouch.
The crystal skull is not done just yet.
"SO?!?! What in HAdes happened oh great and wise wizard?!?" Memnon demands.
The sarcasm drips off of his skull heavier than the congealing fog.
Justin makes a final check of his pipe, tamping down the leaves to his satisfaction. He shrugs.
"When the lizard-rat told me what he had, I jumped the gun. That's true."
"SO you totally failed negotiation 101. NEVER take the first offer!?"
"Um. Yes. I totally did." Justin agrees, sparking a candle flame from his finger and puffing his pipe to life.
"You know he played you like a chump! He was a Chump-maestro! And he played you as if you were his masterpiece!"
"Seems that way. Yeah."
"You didn't even get any information!"
"Not yet,..."
"You have NO idea what KIND of favors he's going to demand of you!"
"Oh, I have an IDEA,..."
"So HE got EVERYTHING that he wanted, and YOU got ZIP, ZERO, SHINOLA!?!"
"Hm. It does kinda look that way, yeah.
"Wait, so you admit that he won, and you lost? He gets three favors from you, and you got nothing you didn't already have? Dude. You are the Biggest Loser."
"Sure looked that way in there, didn't it?"
"AND you didn't even read the contract! You have NO idea what it said! You could have sold your SOUL man! Powers know you don't have anything ELSE of any value!"
Justin blows a smoke ring, not perfect, but large, and watches as it wanders forward until it is lost in the fog.
"Actually, I'll have you know I'm not a COMPLETE idiot. I just like to keep Marconi thinking I am."
Memnon snorts so hard he sends the tassels and pom-pom of his orange hat bouncing.
"Well your doing a GREAT job of THAT. SO great that you've got ME convinced your an idiot!" Memnon cries so loud that even the stoic Custis turns to look at them both from his position at the doorway.
"You are a bleeding heart, mush-for-brains, soft spot for your friends IDIOT. I wouldn't trust you to negotiate tying your own shoelaces! Much less a deal with a Deevil involved!"
"Guilty." Justin nods, puffing his pipe.
"Then WHY are you,... still smiling? Seriously, stop that. It's creepy."
Justin puffs a bigger, better smoke ring, which encircles the crystal skull, giving him the momentary appearance of a halo, before fading into the fog.
"Let's go over everything from the top, shall we?" Justin asks, turning and beginning to walk slowly down the street. Memnon, tilts himself, clearly curious, and falls in place beside the wizard.
"First off, I wasn't there to GIVE Marconi any information. I mean I always hope that I have found something that he doesn't KNOW yet. But I never count on it. He has his ears in too many places. I went to GET information."
"And I found out that he was well-aware of the Scarlet Circle, and probably knows more about their dealings than the Hardheads do. At best all I did was confirm for him that they are still up to something, despite their 'cease-fire' with the Hardheads."
Justin turns to Memnon and does a passable imitation of the kobolds hissing, cultured voice. " 'I do not wish to involve myself in the Circles' business,...' Is Sneaky-gangster-ese for 'I wish to deal with the Circle, but in a way that will not directly trace back to me'. Whatever business they are running is interfering with his own, but they have already proven themselves to be formidable opponents. Macaroni's not afraid of a fight, but he's not going to risk getting his own men killed without being certain he can win. And any group of Muscle large enough to guarantee a win with the Circle would potentially be enough to draw the attention of 'She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'. Something we'd ALL like to avoid! Hmmm,..." Justin looks thoughtful,
"I just realized, It seems that Arkham is a high-ranking official in Tiamat's court. I can't help but wonder if Marconi was looking for allies for a large fight?" He shrugs.
"ANYway, Once he realized I had a personal interest, that guaranteed he would give me what I really wanted. Information on where the Circle might be holding prisoners."
"So, wait. He WANTED you to have his information on the Circle summer-home? Why?!"
"Because Marconi knows that I have a habit of making a nuisance of myself when my friends are involved. I mean, I COULD just hand it off to another 'interested' party. I'm sure there's SOMEone out there who will pay a pretty large amount of Gold for the location of the redoubt. But the kobold is quite aware that I tend to take things personally when it comes to my friends. He hopes, and plans, that I will take my argument directly to the Circle's main office. And not coincidentally solve his problem for him. Or at least weaken their forces, so he can deal with them himself."
"WaitwaitwaitWAIT. So you KNEW that he wanted you to do his dirty work for him? And you STILL gave him THREE FAVORS?!? I take it back. You are the Biggest Loser IN THE MULTIVERSE. Idiot."
"Well, yeah. I already admitted that I totally jumped the gun on the three favors thing. Gimme a break willya?" Justin finally looks sulky about it this time.
"But, I repeat, Not an idiot. I just PLAY one on stage!"
"Dude. You Didn't. Read. The. Contract."
Justin's smile returns.
"Actually, I did. What did you think I was doing during the whole 'prick-my-thumb-and-clean-the-blood-off-the-knife' thing? Very nice calligraphy. Very large script. Easy to read."
Memnon zips in front of Justin, forcing the wizard to stop cold or bump skulls with the Mimir.
"You actually READ the contract? While cutting yourself?"
"Well, it just sounds weird when you phrase it like THAT. Yes. I read the contract."
The Mimir stares at Justin, unblinking eye-glows glaring.
Justin rolls his eyes. "Oh OK, I SKIMMED it. I may have missed a punctuation mark or two. The point is it was basically verbatim what Marconi said, 'Three Standard Favors,... No Overtly Evil Acts,... blah blah blah. I figure that with a little luck, and some expert legal wrangling from a certain Mimir of Encyclopedic Knowledge, I can get Marconi to agree that dealing with this Circle should count as one of the favors! Since that's what he really wanted out of this arrangement." He grins.
"If not,..." Justin shrugs. "Well I'll burn THAT bridge when I get to it."
"And what about the favor he gave to Arkham?" Memnon asks.
(Was that concern in the Mimir's voice? Naw. Couldn't be.)
Justin stops smiling, He puffs on his pipe.
"Yeeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh. THAT I didn't see coming. Totally should have negotiated. Marconi wouldn't have given away a favor if he'd only had two."
Justin puffs his pipe some more. Then he looks at Memnon with a serious face. "I know how to handle Marconi. Just as well as he knows me. But I'm going to need you to do some research about this Arkham. Find out anything and everything you can. I don't think we need to RUSH it, but if Arkham calls that coin in, I need to know what I'm dealing with."
Justin snorts, causing smoke to jet out his nose.
"Right NOW the only things I KNOW are, He's a big, burly Dragonborn, who worships Takhisis, has the title of 'Duke', and walks around with an undead Artifact where his arm should be. That's,... not enough."
Memnon bobs in complete agreement. "So, NOW what do we do oh great and wise wizard?"
There was considerably less sarcasm this time around.
"That's an easy one! We are going to rest out weary feet while our eyes feast on the Pangalactic Pageant of Pulchritude!"
"We're gonna what the what now?!?"
Justin taps the ashes from his pipe, and uses it to point down the street.
"We are going to The Fallen Angel, and watch dancing girls.THEN we are going to put the finishing Sealing enchantments on those magic items, and then I'M going to get a little sleep. We have a trip to an elemental Plane to take!"
Memnon huffs
“I think you are once again knitting a magic cloak out of cobwebs, young wizard. “ The crystal skull says dourly
“Imprimis, there was no WAY you read that contract in the 30 seconds you sliced your thumb and signed. I’ve SEEN those contracts before, and they are written in six-point font Infernal Legalese. Which, is fairly inscrutable to NATIVE Infernal speakers , which you are certainly NOT “
“Secundus, if you had just stopped and asked me for assistance, I might have helped, but as a practitioner of these sort of things should know, I was constrained by the Infernal summoning from volunteering any help. Devils don’t like nosybodies. Once you were in the contract stage you needed to ask questions or request lifelines DIRECTLY. Or, I don’t know, visit a LAWYER?”
The skull zips around like a crystal mosquito
“Your white knight complex has basically sold potentially three years of your life to some unscrupulous cutters. All Marconius has to do to get you out of the way is summon you to a beach on the Prime and task you to counting all the sand grains. A totally non-evil task, and you’re there for 366 days getting a tan”
The skull sighs
“Well, good news is, he likely will keep these coins as insurance. They basically mean that you can never act against him openly. People like that appreciate that kind of insurance. Arkhan is another story. I doubt he’ll use it any time soon, but Infernal royalty enjoy collecting favors like old ladies enjoy collecting buttons. They never know when a certain one will fit the task.”
The skull seems happier when Justin mentions the Fallen Angel.
“Now, that’s the SMARTEST thing you’ve said all day! Let’s go!”
Justin nods as Memnon expounds, tucking his pipe away and basically,... not able to really disagree with ANYTHING that the Mimir has to say.
When Memnon is right, he's right. Justin KNOWS he should have, could have, WOULD have handled it better. If it had been ANYone but One of his best friends,... He just,... didn't use his head. When he should have been at his best he blew it.
“Your white knight complex has basically sold potentially three years of your life to some unscrupulous cutters. All Marconius has to do to get you out of the way is summon you to a beach on the Prime and task you to counting all the sand grains. A totally non-evil task, and you’re there for 366 days getting a tan”
"Yeah. Murphy always said that my 'Save-the-Damsel-in-Distress' streak would get me in trouble. Heh."
Justin shakes his head. "She is gonna be SO P.O'd when she finds out she was right. But that the 'Damsel' was her!"
The skull sighs
“Well, good news is, he likely will keep these coins as insurance. They basically mean that you can never act against him openly. People like that appreciate that kind of insurance. Arkhan is another story. I doubt he’ll use it any time soon, but Infernal royalty enjoy collecting favors like old ladies enjoy collecting buttons. They never know when a certain one will fit the task.”
Justin nods again, eyes wide. "You DO know your gangsters. And Infernal Royalty. Well I know Marconi, he may keep one of the favors tucked away, he does play some long games, and as you pointed out, he now holds a 'Get Wizard out of the way Free' card. But Sigil is a busy place. He's far more likely to actually use me as an 'expendable' pawn to help him out sometime. He's smart enough to hold insurance, but not such a dragon that he'll horde them instead of spending them if needed."
"Arkham,... Yeah. I'll just have to burn ONE bridge at a time. And hope he IS a real dragon, that likes showing off his wealth rather than spending it."
The skull seems happier when Justin mentions the Fallen Angel.
“Now, that’s the SMARTEST thing you’ve said all day! Let’s go!”
Justin snorts. "Well, I WAS due one today." he muses, now following the Mimir down the street.
The two made their way down Scab Way. The peak light has faded to darkness as they talked to Marconius, and the bacchanalia revelry is underway. Jinkskirts and jinkshirts loiter on every corner, scanning the crowd with restless eyes. The fog smells of sweat, pesh smoke, cannabis, and burning razorvine. Most of the hovels in the side alleys are warmed by razorvine fires, one of the reasons the rapidly-growing vine hasn’t engulfed Sigil in its barbed-wire embrace.
The Fallen Angel appears out of the darkness , the tavern sign with a stylized celestial female in scanty negligee gently swinging in the foggy afterpeak breeze. The Angel was a cut above many of the cheaper ‘dancehalls’ on Scab Way. The women were independent contractors who weren’t abused or forced to pay cuts out of their tips. There was a good set of security at the club to insure proper behavior from the guests. One manned the door Justin knew, an attractive tiefling named Hermione
Hermione was biologically male, but identified as female. She was working long hours as security at the Angel and at several other jobs in an effort to procure a session with the rare and elusive Girdle of Opposite Gender. She nods to Justin and Memnon
“Evening Justin. Sky just came in a bit ago. What’s with the mimir?”
The skull zips closer to the pretty tiefling
“Hello! A pleasure to make your acquaintance! I am Justin‘a new partner, Memnon, a most sagacious sage of all things wizardry “
Hermione laughs
“I’ll bet yeh are! You’ll be popular in there. The girls love novelty “
Memnon’s eyes glow
“Excellent!”
Justin rolls his eyes.
"Well then they'll LOVE Memnon. He's so Novel, he should be a collectible!"
Justin chuckles at his own wit, (What's LEFT of it after today) and waves at the tiefling.
"Thanks Hermione. Have a good evening." He adds as he follows the eager Mimir into the Angel.
The inside of the establishment is crowded, but one of the barmaids finds Justin a table. Memnon buzzes around like a crystal bee.
“Oooh, look at that one! And that one! “
The night is pleasant enough. Sky does her turn on the stage, and many others while the drinks flow.
The inside of the establishment is crowded, but one of the barmaids finds Justin a table. Memnon buzzes around like a crystal bee.
“Oooh, look at that one! And that one! “
The night is pleasant enough. Sky does her turn on the stage, and many others while the drinks flow.
"I only have the TWO eyes. And not all of us can spin like a top." Justin says wryly. Looking around almost as much despite his denial.
He seems to enjoy Memnon's reactions as much as he does the dancers.
Justin and Memnon have a lovely evening. Skyy gets off her shift and they all make their way back to Flourish Alley. Skyy flags down a hackney cab pulled by a fiendish-looking raptor. As Justin demurs she shoots back
“I never got why you just love walking all up an’ down the Cage. Me legs hurt from dancing all night, and this cab’s on me. “
Justin, knowing enough not to argue with Skyy when her skin starts purpling like a storm cloud, acquiesces.
The cab brings them to the Copper Cauldron. Skyy is famished and Justin can’t seem to remember eating since his Hangover greasy breakfast. That seems about a month ago. Considering the several drinks he partook of while watching the girls at the Fallen Angel and the fact that he was traveling to a most exotic place in the morning, he decides a good meal wouldn’t be so bad.
Bess is long abed, as is Ramona. A few of her older children help Bess’ brother with the night crowd. The fare is mostly leftovers, but there is roast pork, root vegetables, fairly fresh wheat bread, and plenty of leftover pie. Memnon chatters with a late-night group of Young Sensates giggling in the corner. The meal fills Justin and he becomes very tired.
He and Skyy leave Memnon to his own devices and head to their apartment. They both have a pleasant evening before bed, and drift off replete and and tired.
Early before peak, Justin rises and dresses for the day, hoisting his traveling sack of items he keeps packed for his adventures. He slips out the door after giving Skyy a quick kiss and heads to the Silver Rose. Memnon is working on the last bits of the crafting, and between them they get set as the time arrives to head out to the Quasielemental Plane of Mineral
FADE SCENE
Renkar looks thoughtful
“Well, it would likely mean they are an arrogant uncooperative bunch. It is good for you in that you don’t want the Dustmen angered at you. They might even tacitly ignore any fighting you indulge in”
Renkar hand over Justin’s package
The package is actually a small crate, very solid. Marconius obviously didn’t want anything to happen to the items within. Inside, wrapped in linen are several items. The hilt of a dagger , a peacock feather, an odd silver coin. A scroll within is written in a flowing calligraphy
Mr. Case,
Enclosed are the portal keys you will need to follow the secret path to the Citadel of Ruin. Follow these instructions:
At the Ubiquitous Wayfarer, ask to see the door of Fate. Enter that silver coin into the slot in the door and step through to the False Castle.
At the false castle, you must seek its neighbor, the Black Pyramid. Inside, find a washroom and stab yourself in the heart with the Ghost Dagger. This will bring you to the Pyramid of the Dead.
In the Pyramid of the Dead, you must find your way to its apex and jump, holding the peacock feather. This will bring you to the Peak of Abarntal.
Seek the Tomb of the Ice King, and within touch the Iron Cube. This will bring you to the cavern wherein the Citadel of Ruin lies.
Good luck
~M
Justin reads the note carefully. Then he reads it again.
He picks up the dagger hilt and looks at it doubtfully.
"Be just like the lizard to tell me to stab myself with an invisible dagger, then throw myself off the top of a pyramid JUST to make sure." Justin says grumpily. He shakes his head.
"Naw. He's probably having MUCH more fun knowing that I'm actually going to do this. I DO believe that he's already paying for top-notch scrying, just to make sure he can watch the show."
Justin examines the items carefully, while re-reading the note, trying to shake loose any info he might have read about any of these locations,...
When Justin picks up the dagger hilt a ghostly blade materializes. It looks like the ectoplasm that ghosts and specters manifest
Knowledge checks:
Justin hasn’t much to go on. The pyramid names could be anything, he can name six Black Pyramids he’s read about off the top of his head. Same with a Pyramid of the Dead.
The Peak of Abarntal he has read of. It rests within the Paramental Plane of Ice, and is the resting place of several very powerful warlords/wizards/priests that were interred there in an effort to keep them from reviving. The Ice King is an ancient story, a frost-touched goblin who became so powerful that he led a humanoid horde that conquered many lands, even on separate worlds. This occurred millennia ago, and he is still venerated as a folk hero in some goblin cultures.
Renkar looks thoughtful
“Well, it would likely mean they are an arrogant uncooperative bunch. It is good for you in that you don’t want the Dustmen angered at you. They might even tacitly ignore any fighting you indulge in”
Justin makes a combination snicker-snort.
"VERY good, actually. Considering the Dustmen and our previous,... erm,... 'Little Misunderstanding'. And I have absolutely NO idea what I'm talking about!"
Justin adds hastily, his eyes wide with innocence.
Justin recalls some other facts he’s read about the Plane of Ice. As usual, many ‘facts’ are traveller’s interpretations. Justin knows not to trust anything just because someone wrote it down
Justin also combs his brain for information on the Citadel of Ruin’s plane of Avalas.
A series of indecipherable looks crosses the wizard's face in quick succession as his memory (and imagination) starts to put together information about the places mentioned in the instructions.
Justin looks up, and grins at Renkar.
"Oh yeah. This'll be FUN!"
Justin gives a big 'thumbs up'.
Merle pretends not to be paying attention but does roll her eyes at Justin's comments.