Rollo begins to reach in his robes. He searches, pulling out many strange and mundane trinkets. He finally pulls out a pair of glasses and a moustache and places them on his face.
I may need to learn a new spell.
Gift makes looks over each crew member, scanning their minds lightly.
Her new empowered scenes pick out aura paradigms like lawful/chaotic/good/evil and her empathy scans their surface emotions.
Azzim faces Ari at quiet sitting room the new Organization headquarters, a beautiful and ornate former-temple where the group's day-to-day work is happening, for the time being. "I'm impressed you could find The Spire after all these years but unfortunately, we had moved by then. You missed a very interesting seminar but there may an assignment that fits your skill set quite well. What do you know of dream visions? You can speak with Aranuna and with luck catch up quickly" After a bit of tea, the purple-eyed elf hurries off and leaves a Azzim to learn the details of the assignment with the half-metal-bodied Asimar Aranuna and Bethia, the expert in the Organization's dimensional machinery.
When Rollo interviews Amon and Celeric, they say that they indeed stayed in the harbor during their last stay in Ganjee Town but they noticed strange dreams each night: they found themselves wandering through unknown landscapes and meeting old friends who asked them riddles. They did not find the experience unpleasant, however and they are curious to experience more.
Gift's sense of the crew that Babby has hired is they're generally what they seem - neutral, hardworking, resourceful. A couple might have a hint of evil, bullies willing to beat prostitutes or mug drunks but only given opportunities and couple have hearts of gold but average is quite neutral. Most of the men and women are hoping for a good, prosperous voyage and a couple are thinking of home.
She sends to the other.
::"The crew are clean"::
"You missed a very interesting seminar."
Azzim sighed "Ah unfortunate."
"What do you know of dream visions?"
That caught his attention, visions where something of a speciality. Cautiously he replied, "Just about every culture I've encountered has stores of dreams and visions, waking or otherwise. The few that claim not to I believe are lying. Stories abound of kings having waking from strange and fearful dreams to demand their advisors divine its meaning and then everything gets murky!"
"I suspect a lot or perhaps even most of the time, these dreams are just the subconscious at play, reacting to deep seated fears and worries. But every so often someone, often later proclaimed as a prophet, has a true vision where something of power touched their sleeping mind and imparted something. You can be sure that whatever sent it had an agenda, for good or ill!"
"Usually these prophets are utterly convinced they received a message from their god and set off with zeal to put the world 'right'. Statistically the message must be genuine some of the time, the gods are real and nudging things via dreams must surely be one of the easier ways of influencing things in the mortal world. Still I am all too aware that dreams can be manipulated by a skilful practitioner, I know of spells that can send dreams or nightmares. I've read about a powerful spell* that inflicts a nightmare with another spell, such as geas or a curse, as a rider. And then there's an entire branch of magical research into mindscapes..."
"There are other types of visions, ones where the dreamer is more of an active participant. There are rituals for sending your consciousness into the dimension of dreams for lucid dreaming. Naturally there's the infamous astral projection spell. Personally I have seen glimpses of the Akashic Record, supposedly this contains an accurate representation of everything that has ever occurred. Thus far I have never found it to be wrong but it's terribly far away and I'm always left with the worry: what if the record or my accessing of it had been tampered with? How would I know? I'm not exactly going to trek all the way out there on a whim!"
Azzim was about to say some more when he stopped halfway and smiled, "You've been very patient, listening to me prattling along. I think in general my advice for dealing with dreams and visions is to trust but verify."
When Ari finished their tea and hurried off, Azzim asked the half machine Asimar, "Ari mentioned an assignment... What does the Organization have in mind?"
Rollo thanks the pair. The Sage then goes to the library to study anything related to Dreams and riddles.
Terexaltherin, in ferret form, hangs out around Rollo for a bit, but after a little while he starts scurrying around the Dawn East, acting much like a curious little pet.
She sends to the other.
::"The crew are clean"::
I don't know, I think a few of them could bathe more frequently, the disguised dragon responds jokingly, amusement mingled with the scent of unwashed feet from his low vantage point bleeding through the message.
::"A joke, yes they do smell a bit. I may dream about this later and I enter my regeneration cycle. It feels odd to say that, I am still getting used to this new form. It's not as flexible as the last one, but I have found it lets complex feelings, which is also new. I like it, I like it a lot, it's like the world has more color in it now. More Depth. I can see why my stepmother chose to leave her android body, they are so limited.."::
Gift muses as Terexaltherin comes over.
Azzim: Aranuna, Bethia and Ari together describe the assignment , not leaving anything out and emphasizing that the Cucurai communicate primarily by dreams, seem extremely alien and may somehow have a general knowledge of the Dark Traders' "seeds" planted in many worlds. With more discussion, Ari offers Azzima the assignment and transports him Ghent.
Rollo: spends the next day researching dreams.
In greatest generality, dreams involve the soul of a being or part there-of opening to possibilities, from a being's own imagination to influences near and far. The wide area of this zone of potential is generally harmless and insignificant though sometimes used by good and ill-intentioned spirits or wizards for communication. but it's rumored that some can approach area within this zone of potential where the past, the present and the future merge in strange ways.
Ghenta, the party, Dawn East on the verge of departure: Azzim approaches, knowing the hand-signs and other Organization identifier.
A dark brown satyr walks over to the newcomer and makes a short bow, extending his hand.
"Greetings, friend. My name is Strandel the Sublime.." The fey then hesitates, then adds, "..But, please call..me..um..Toric, yeah, Toric from here on in."
She walks with Strandel, and offers her hand and her name.
"Electra Blue"
Rollo appreciates the information that he collected. The Sage whistles a tune, as the dhampir greets the new Agent.
Rollo Qantas, Magic Specialist. Oh, s*@%! We aren't using our real names? Hmmm...how about Merlin? Is that already taken?
Mage Armor (13 Hours)
Heightened Awareness, extended (260 minutes)
Investigative Mind, extended (260 minutes)
Heroism, extended (260 minutes)
Resist Energy, communal Fire (260 minutes)
Overland Flight (13 hours)
Rollo Qantas, Magic Specialist. Oh, s#+~! We aren't using our real names? Hmmm...how about Merlin? Is that already taken?
Toric leans over to the sorcerer and whispers, "Yeah. But I've met three Merlins in my long lifespan, so I'm sure it's alright."
A voice speaks up in the newcomer's mind. Hello! I'm Terexaltherin. If you've been filled in on us, I'm normally a small violet dragon, but for right now I'm the annoying little ferret.
Said little ferret gives no indication that he's speaking at present, instead excitedly exploring between a couple of crates.
The party notes that Shaky Babby stands at a bit of a distance and signals the other crew members to also stay out of earshot of the discussion.
This was big league stuff that immediately posed questions such as: how, why, was this limited to minor plane or where major ones at risk too? Didn't this imply either time travel or immortality? What of the gods, surely this kind of interference was most unwelcome. Azzim voiced these questions and more.
Later the briefing shifted to the mission at hand and Azzim remarked, "So you want to find a book that may have been created in land of the Curenai, animate flowers who communicate through dreams. Dreams that sometimes intrude into those of so called ordinary people in order to conduct trade. You could say I'm intrigued! That's one of the more alien cultures I've heard of, I expect it would be difficult for agents from cultures we're familiar with to not stick out like a sore thumb. I sense the need to be circumspect, more than just superficial disguises, if you act oddly even if you look the part you'll stand out. There are some magics that can help although that would be easily spotted by a practitioner."
He thought for a moment and suggested, "Perhaps on some level this could be run like a classical insurgency, dominate a couple of locals who hire others to go places the agents can't. None of the help has any idea of the overall plan, only they got paid to go and do certain things. Combined with divinations, assuming those are safe, it might be possible to find who has had one of these dreams and examine them, or perhaps even better and riskier to find somebody who is due to have one and eavesdrop... I expect some kind of connection must be formed between the dreamers through the dimension of dreams, one that perhaps could be studied and perhaps even followed. Presumably the book itself has a significant psychic footprint, perhaps that helps somehow." Azzim didn't sound too hopeful about that, it was all very hypothetical.
Azzim considered what he knew of dreams and whether there was some way actually do any of that.
The 'ferret' is keeping an eye on the crew while exploring around specifically to make sure they don't overhear anything they shouldn't.
Azzima, earlier: Aranuna's comment. "Yes, Gift, Strandel, Terex, Armaund and Minna did wonderful work. Rollo and Deumira at the same time provided some key research. Still, some part was known. This has been a war of roots for a while - the Dark Traders attacking the roots in time of planes and we attacking their phylacteries and their bases of operation. Samples of the worms added to our knowledge, yes and gaining them was a heroic act. Still, it's an incremental gain and our hope is go further down the root by investigate this book."
"As far as agents go - we have had luck recruiting local of their own free will. Magical domination is clumsy and so I'd advise avoiding it except in extreme circumstances. We ultimately aim to give freedom after all."
Azzima has sufficient time to attempt to use divination for information on the book but it resists all efforts - it even gives the impression that the Akashic Record has been scrubbed clean of it (though this may be merely a screen in front of it, magic is mysterious).
The party at the docks of Ghent: After introductions are exchanged, Azzima is invited onboard, final preparations are made and the Dawn East sails for Ganjee Town down the wide and winding Unash.
Shielded by a cabin, Rollo wields the Dimensional Compass to bend the Unash's interdimensional windings in the chosen directions. The trip takes approximately ten days, with the river often foggy enough the banks are mere shadows. Occasionally strangle landscapes appear on the bank - deserts populated by shiny black lizards, jungles with pulsing fungi and other strange things. The ship has enough supplies to bypass any ports on the way and arrives at the dimensional coordinates for Ganjee Town at the expected time.
Entering a fair sized harbor, you first see a 20' boat approaching you, painted black, red and gold and moving without oars, sail or motor. Without a word, a tall man uses flags to direct the Dawn East to dock in a position towards the middle of the docks (and leaves once you begin tying up). As you come into the fairly large port area, you catch a grimpse of near-port town; it appears indeed rundown and uninviting. A collection of rough wooden buildings with canvas roofs with torches providing light to unpaved street with sporadic figures walking through the dimness.
The crew works to tie-up the Dawn East. You notice the docks are perhaps a third full, with relatively little activity though you can see a boat nearby with a crew onboard playing a lazy game of cards.
Once your boat is secure, almost on cue, a man dressed similarly to man who directed you, comes walking down the pier and approaches the Dawn East. "Hello, I charged with collected the toll of the port. We require 500 universal gold for a week's stay, the minimum" This is well within the party's means and you pay. "If you wish to trade, the town proper is down Plaza street or you may stay here and see where your dreams direct you" He turns to go once he has his fee
Despite being rough and in places dirty, as you look closely, you can see this an efficient magically-run port, using apparently a fairly small group of sorcerers. Not a lot of traffic but some.
[ooc]You may set out to whatever the town proper is, investigate the port area or simply wait.
Gift sat on the front of the craft as they sailed. It was a simple trip and days. She was lost in thought.
The change had been dramatic and painful, pain, odd to no longer have the ability to just turn it off. She could focus it away but it was always there. She looked again at her legs, they were glowing from the inside.
"There may be some disorientation and you have lost some height"
The man talking was the head medical specialist at the organization.
His privet examining room was suitable decked out, with things she had never seen before. On this or any plane. She lay on his examining bed as naked as the day she was made. Which was yesterday.
"Unlike your Andriod metabolism that could absorb matter from both absorbed nitites and consumption of foods. This body 'replenishes daily from your own psionic core. You self-replicate and absorb its matter. However, should your core power down or be depleted the body will start to deteriorate. But just like you old Andriod form you have no capacity for reproduction and not sex organs."
She looked over at him.
"Will I dream in this form"
He smiled
"O yes, and have emotions unlike any you have had before. even if you left that body and moved back into an Android one, your soul has been awakened so you had better get used to feelings."
She was having feelings now. Trepidation excitement and worry.
And all at once, she was revealing in her new feelings.
Shielded by a cabin, Rollo wields the Dimensional Compass to bend the Unash's interdimensional windings in the chosen directions. The trip takes approximately ten days, with the river often foggy enough the banks are mere shadows. Occasionally strangle landscapes appear on the bank - deserts populated by shiny black lizards, jungles with pulsing fungi and other strange things. The ship has enough supplies to bypass any ports on the way and arrives at the dimensional coordinates for Ganjee Town at the expected time.
Rollo enjoys his contact with Unash's interdimentional windings. The Sage studies each and every magical particle that passes his perception.
Once your boat is secure, almost on cue, a man dressed similarly to man who directed you, comes walking down the pier and approaches the Dawn East. "Hello, I charged with collected the toll of the port. We require 500 universal gold for a week's stay, the minimum" This is well within the party's means and you pay. "If you wish to trade, the town proper is down Plaza street or you may stay here and see where your dreams direct you" He turns to go once he has his fee though you may speak with him more.
The Sage studies the local attire of those about to see if any is more dominant than others.
The dhampir also listens intently to the local language spoken.
Rollo will walk about doing these things for the require time to learn them. He will also cast Comprehend Languages to aid in this matter.
Going for a walk about town. Site seeing as it were.
Terexaltherin, in his ferret guise, rides Rollo's shoulder as he starts to walk.
I'll keep an eye out for anything funny, he states.
Toric follows Merlin out into town, panpipes at the ready.
After quick and careful observation, the party heads down Plaza Street (which turns out to be the one paved street after the first block), past various half-deserted (but maintained) warehouses, to a sort of narrow isthmus where the jungle and the river nearly meet and the street continues between them. During this time, You pass a couple of wagons headed the opposite direction and their drivers ignore you.
Then, once past the isthmus, you come an area of older but somewhat ornate stone buildings with cobble stone streets cutting between them with other rough wooden buildings surround them. Here it's possible to recognize the ordinary bustle of a sort of town. The inhabitants are a mix of races and species and few wear simple sashes with symbols (a light blue five pointed star, a red circle, a spiral and others) but the pattern of dressing down continues.
Some buildings are recognizable as food and other stores, bars of various sorts and possibly a hotel. Others have one or another symbols above their doors and you can guess these are something like faction houses. Various mixed groups of inhabitants are loitering on at various corners, some playing cards, some smoking pipes or hookahs, some looking at the traffic including yourselves, with a sort "disinterested interest".
A bit of music can heard from bars, a wagon is being unloaded by a building with a red circle, but otherwise, the Ganjee Town is fairly quiet. Aside from a murmur of common, you hear a bit of something like Gnoll, too far unless you concentrate to overhead.
As they arrive Gift jumps down and stands close to the doc workers as they come. Their minds pass her sensorium area and she scans their surface emotions and auras. As others see someone so she felt telt them as well. Their mind, their aura, it was like a second level to each and every one who came close to her. Rollo shon bright with reds and golds, Strandel the colors of spring yellows and greens, Terexaltherin deep purples and blues. The local's muddy sandy colors, simple minds living simple lives.
She walked on behind the others scanning, by her side herpsicystal Hexqull.
"As far as agents go - we have had luck recruiting local of their own free will. Magical domination is clumsy and so I'd advise avoiding it except in extreme circumstances. We ultimately aim to give freedom after all."
Azzim was pleased by this response, it strongly suggested members of the organisation really did have principles. If he was going to get deeply involved that mattered.
When Ari offered Azzim the assignment he agreed readily saying, "I accept. This sound utterly fascinating and with luck it could prove to be a step change for the overall effort."
Before he's transported to Ghent he asks, "Any last minute advice? I know frontier towns can hide all sorts of unpleasantness. Do we think the locals are likely to be particularly paranoid? I have access to spells that can disguise my appearance and smooth the way but if somebody was actively looking out for that kind of thing, they'd see right through..."
Rollo appreciates the information that he collected. The Sage whistles a tune, as the dhampir greets the new Agent.
Rollo Qantas, Magic Specialist. Oh, s%!*! We aren't using our real names? Hmmm...how about Merlin? Is that already taken?** spoiler omitted **
::"Check, seems our net works here. Scanning and all seems safe"::
"Hmmm. Toric considers aloud. "Do we want to keep a low profile, or should I play some music for these 'good' folks?"
Terexaltherin continues riding Rollo's shoulder for now, though he looks around curiously.
Let's get the lay of the land first, so to speak. Maybe we can figure out what these symbols are about? We could mingle around the markets for a bit, build up our whole 'small-time merchants' look.
"Sounds fair, little ferret", Toric grinned at the disguised pseudodragon.
"Rollo Qantas, Magic Specialist. Oh, s~$&! We aren't using our real names? Hmmm...how about Merlin? Is that already taken?"
Azzim was excited to meet the sorcerer, he'd read Rollo's reports and he replied with a cheesy grin "Oh hi! Merlin eh? I guess that makes me Palamedes then!"
"Toric leans over to the sorcerer and whispers, "Yeah. But I've met three Merlins in my long lifespan, so I'm sure it's alright."
Azzim was more than a little star struck with Strandel, how could he not be having read the report and he snorted involuntarily at the witticism. He said, "I'm Azzim but perhaps Palamedes will do for now. I uh wow. I uh was fully briefed on your previous exploits, everyone back home is suitably impressed!"
When Terex spoke into his mind, Azzim startled but then laughed "Ah! I was beginning to wonder if you where somebodies familiar, honoured to meet you. I feel a little out of my depth here, but I trust our friends back home knew what they were doing when I was selected. You're all specialists and I... Well the closest thing I have to a specialism would be as a healer although I come from a broad spell-casting tradition. I also have an interest in divinations, visions that kind of thing."
As he was speaking a tiny little Azata with butterfly wings crawled out from his sleeve and she flew several times around each of the people he'd met and inspected them. She was glowing softly and wherever she stepped seemed to shimmer for a moment.
Azzim smiled, "That's Laurana, she's uh a little shy today. Normally she's a chatterbox."
Before venturing out Azzim had carefully selected some hopefully useful spells and he told the groups that, "I know a glamor that makes anyone who looks at you see an unremarkable member of their culture. It would even work on our ferret here. I'm more than happy to include anyone who'd like an extra layer of disguise, it lasts half a day or more."
"We could mingle around the markets for a bit, build up our whole 'small-time merchants' look."
Azzim agreed, replying "Sounds like a plan, I'll try a little small talk and find out what's on the merchant's minds."
Before talking to anyone, Azzim found a suitably discrete spot to cast a minor spell, one that temporarily filled his mind with the knowledge a native would have of how to act in this unusual culture.
Azzim then heads straight into the Market with Laurana hiding in his hood. He took a leisurely stroll through the market, looking to buy some cheap things at random to give him a natural opportunity to chat with the merchants. He'd ask them how trade was and listen to them grumble about this and that and no doubt the weather.
The party members carefully approach the nearest market of Gamjee's town's markets. This market is out-door but circled by wooden wall with a couple guards wearing blue stars standing at the door who allow you in with a nod and a grunt. Inside you can see a couple merchants seeming set-up to resupply ships, another two set up to supply something like jungle expeditions and one apparently just sells miscellaneous goods. A money changed exchanges between a couple Unash currencies and universal gold (the multiversal currency). Each merchant has a stall or table with tent behind them with some good are stored.
Mixing easily with the local culture (such as it is), Azzima moves with circumspect discretion and easily start up a conversation with Eshim, an older half-orc at the more miscellaneous goods stall. "Things have been steady, last week we got some Borsinian Vision Weed (a stimulant and hallucinogen you've heard from your the crew already) but it sold out very quickly. I'm sure folks brewing it now and thinking of home. Course we can go home in also but the people still want the weed. Our girl Pirma did good job buying the entire shipment off the docks."[b] He pauses, looks around, lowers his voice [b]"I hear there are two expeditions out now, should each return within the week. Then there will be a lot of more activity here. There are ships at dock, waiting for the arrivals. I'll sell them some fine spirits while they're waiting and I'll sell them to you as well whatever your business."
It's fairly evident the geometric symbols represent something like factions - both law, protection and maybe some commercial ventures, very familiar to you from Sigil where a similar system often prevails. The blue star and the red circle seem dominant and the others less common.
Gift walsk over to Azzim. Once close he feels a press onto his mind, then her words like Terex's enter his mind. But there is also a feeling she is looking deeper like she brushes across his thoughts, then its gone. She does not look at him directly, her eyes looking off to the distance, yet he gets the feeling she is very much focused on him.
::"Welcome Azzim, I was informed you would be joining us, what you are feeling is our team's psionic Hivemindn, if you are willing I will add you. and if it is sentient Laurana as well. Know this, while we are in proximity to the me, you can both communicate with team members by thinking alone. You also share surface feelings and we will know if you are hurt. I can also distribute helpful effects and healing if needs be as well. Do you consent to be included?"::
If he agrees they can now telepathically communicate with the team.
Azzim had been briefed about Gift of course but even so the metal contact took him by surprised and he flinched. He found her appearance striking, he'd spoken to androids before occasionally in Sigil but Gift seemed different somehow...
::You must be Gift, its an honour to meet you! I have some experience with emphatic links with Laurana, but this so much more... Yes I consent, the hivemind makes sound tactical sense. I assume the hivemind is hard to track?::
Vaguely amused he told Laurana who was inspecting Gift, "Gift asked if you're sentient and would to join the hivemind, I think it might be useful!"
"Hey hey hey!" piped up a little voice, Laurana was standing on Azzim's shoulder, pouting with her hands on her hips, "Of course I'm sentient! And wow where did you get that outfit?! It's soo cool!"
Merlin nods in absolute appreciation of Palamedes' usuage of names.
I have a fondness for studying that particular culture. The Epics are so engrossing, along with the artistic renderings of heroes, villains, gods, and fey. Welcome, Palamedes.
Rollo aimlessly seeming wonders about the stalls and booths of the market. The Sage doesn't physically touch anything, although he does continuously use Mage Hand to barter and bargain for trinkets and information.
::"Very hard to track and Hack, it formed by a construct core I have on my person, that is very resilient to hacking, and if someone did get in, They would then be facing me. And I have a few things in place that would be, well let us say. A little painful. As for Merlin here he is indeed fond of that particular culture. As his numerous illuminating conversations on the subject can attest. There for if we have a Merlin and now a Palamede, I shall be a Morgana"::
And she jocks as she says to herself under her breath.
"Anál nathrach, orth' bháis's bethad, do chél dénmha.
To Laurana she sends.
::"Yes, I can see that and a fun one at that! Please don't prank me for my oversight. Laurana, welcome to the hivemind. As for my outfit, it's from a power I have that protects my Elan psionic form. I can control it to a point and shift it when I shift to a new form"::
All the time she is looking over the stalls and never looks directly at anyone.
Through the hive mind link Azzim said as he continued to browse, ::"Morgana, that seems fitting, too bad we don't have an Arthur or Lancelot. Anyway I learned a couple of things talking to the merchants here. It seems the locals like fermented Vision Weed, apparently it reminds them of home. Somebody called Pirma bought an entire shipment. The merchant told me there's two expeditions due back within the week, I think they might be bringing in more vision weed. Can't say I've ever aspired to be a dealer but that sort of merchant seems in demand..."::
Laurana's enthusiasm bleed into the link as she replied ::"Fancy! Your forgiven Morgana. Sometimes I wish I could change my form too, I told Azzim once I'd like to be a rock, you know a real big one just chillin' on the side of a mountain. He thought I was serious bless him and he tried to talk me out of it. Had him going for the best part of a day!"::
Toric chuckles on the mind link::"I've 'lanced' quite a 'lot' in my long life!"::
Then satyr then turns his attention to the azata in their prescence. ::"Blessing to you, fellow celestial Spirit of Freedom. Well met! I'm so glad you're joining us on our adventure! Hopefully, between us, we can stop the mission getting too dull or boring!"::
I'm sure things will *not* be boring, Terexaltherin 'says', a telepathic grin woven into the words.
The disguised dragon excitedly looks about as Rollo talks with people. He listens in on their answers, but also keeps an eye out for anyone who might be taking too much interest in them...
Rollo smoothly finesses the name of the blue stars and the red circle group - The Mandress Group and The Y's Team. Apparently each has a team in jungle now and each is aiming bring something of value (you assume from the Cucurai but these merchants aren't sure). The economy of the town seems to depend on these expeditions and so the groups sending teams to the jungle also work to keep the peace.
(People are watching the party but no more so than they're watching the other sailors from recently arrived ships).
::"One more thing Laurana, while you are within a short range of me you are protected by my 'sensorium' myself and drones can detect a large number of things that would harm us, and I local can sifts minds for any dangerous intent towards us, of I pick something up I send a warning to our hive mind. If you want to travel any distance, I can send one of my Drones with you so you can keep in touch. Think of me as the comms and security officer for this lot."::
So Gift walked along looking for anything on sale Psionic.
Perhaps, attaching ourselves to an existing expedition would allow us more freedom to explore than initiating our own.
Rollo smiles over at Strandel.
Perhaps, you could integrate yourself with an expedition out into Cucurai territory.
The satyr nods over at the dhampir.
::"Gotcha"::, Toric agrees over the mind link. ::"Time to smooze! This may take a while, children. Hopefully I'll have something narrowed down by sundown. Wish me luck!"
Toric takes out his panpipes and begins to play some melodic jungle tunes. Using his Pipes (Su) ability, the bard stops by many faction headquarters and buildings, gathering information on the next expedition into cucurai territory, and seeing if his band of adventures can gain access.
Laurana was impressed by Gift's abilities, "::That all sounds so neat! If anyone needs healing, Azzim can channel spells through me (which tickles by the way) although if things get hairy I'm totally gonna hide!::"
Palamedes responded to Merlin over the link, "::Good idea. I assume the expeditions are somewhat dangerous so it's possible those runnings them need replacements now and then. Anyway, should we be on the lookout for a place to stay? I could try and find us some digs::"
So Strandel approaches the two visible faction headquarters. At the Blue Stars (The Mandress Group), the guards summon a huge man who might have some ogre blood in him, though he limps with some injury. He listen to Strandel and smiles, "I am Nosfino. Our main group is away unfortunately but I can see your potential. In a few days, they return and I believe they will be very interested in your skills. You can wait 'till then, I hope? Are you alone or with a group?". On approaching the Red Circle (The Y's Team), Strandel meets an ebony-skinned human humanoid with fangs and claw - named Manx, "We might be interest but our policy is to never compete with The Mandress Group - if they decide not to take you, then we could" The other factions don't have visible headquarters...