After being rejected by the other dwarf, Tandri fidgets, opening her mouth a few times to try and engage, but in the end said nothing.
Deregar says a polite goodbye to Valerie. "I hope we will meet again soon, and you can tell me of your accomplishments, lady."
He's caught sight of Linzi taking notes in her book. Always eager to learn more about his family, he moves over to question her, though he tries to appear merely interested.
"I noticed you taking notes about our meeting. Are you a chronicler? Do you know much about the history of Brevy? I find that topic very interesting."
As Deregar engages Linzi in a more appropriate conversation, Floare turns back to Jaethal. "So ... uh ... you plan to carry the worship of the Pallid Princess into the Stolen Lands, then?" she asks. However, her distaste for the subject is immediately apparent.
Linzi smiles broadly up at Deregar. "Yes! I am both a chronicler and storyteller. I've been hoping to find inspiration for what could be my masterpiece: a gripping tale of adventuring triumph in the face of starkest evil! With all the heroes gathered here tonight, I think I finally might have found what I've been looking for..."
"Oh, but you asked about Brevic history! Of course, I brushed up on the subject before coming here tonight. It all goes back to Choral the Conqueror..."
Linzi speaks at length with Deregar, the cheerful halfling quickly warming up to the summoner.
***
Jaethal looks at Tandri quizzically as the dwarf sputters. She turns to Floare. "My faith is a personal one. I will pursue my beliefs, but I have no plans to spread it to the masses." She says nothing further on the matter, and the two fall into a somewhat uncomfortable silence.
***
Seeing Sariana's distraction, Amiri challenges the half-elf to an arm-wrestling contest! The two are quite evenly matched, but the barbarian laughs heartily and thanks Sariana for the challenge.
***
Two hours after the feast begins, a bell rings to announce its conclusion. Servants bustle about as they clean up the feast’s remnants and bring after-dinner drinks to anyone who requests them. Lady Jamandi rises and addresses everyone gathered one final time before retiring for the evening.
“My friends,” Lady Jamandi begins, “I hope you have enjoyed the food and drink this evening!” Her words are quickly met with a round of cheers and the enthusiastic tapping of several dozen mugs and goblets. It takes a few moments for the room to grow quiet again.
Smiling broadly, she continues. “You honor me, truly, but this night is for you! As heroes, you have responded to my call, and I can’t wait to hear tales of your exploits in the weeks and months to come.
“Tomorrow, I shall speak with you all about your individual charters. I suspect it will be a busy day, so I suggest we make an early evening of it. After all, you have kingdoms to plan!” Lady Jamandi’s words are met with an even louder round of cheers and drinkware-tappings. A few goblets even shatter thanks to overeager hands.
Lady Jamandi gestures to the large double-doors to the east and west. “Of course, I’ve arranged bedchambers for all of you. My guards will escort you to them now. I hope you find them restful. We shall speak further tomorrow when we meet back here at sunrise.”
Lady Jamandi and the lord mayor leave the hall, followed by a retinue of armed guards wearing garnet-colored cloaks over suits of chainmail. Other guards begin to escort groups of revelers to their rooms for the night. Maegar Varn graciously declines a room, insisting he must to return to Restov to attend to other matters and that he’ll be back in the morning when the charters are given out. Other groups have made arrangements to stay the night elsewhere as well, but tired-looking guards arrive to escort you to the room provided for your group.
This room contains four beds, a dresser, an oil lamp attached to the center of the south wall, and several potted plants. A decorative brass brazier forged to resemble a sleeping red dragon sits in one corner. The guards bid you good nigh and leave you to your own devices.
The door shuts with a thud, breadking Tandri out of the shock her mind was under "Four beds?" she says as her amber eyes move from cuddly, acceptable, dangerous, and MALE.
Almost instinctively, Deregar settles his bag at the base of the bed closest to the dragon-shaped brazier. He pulls off the fine chain shirt he was wearing and folds it with the rest of his belongings before settling onto the bed.
"An interesting dinner. Certainly plenty of conversation, and most of the guests struck me as very competent. Did you learn anything interesting?"
"I learned that we're going to be sharing the Stolen Lands with some very interesting people," Floare says, looking over the room. "And that we'll be sharing a room with total strangers." She avoids letting her gaze fall Sariana at all and only glances nervously at Deregar once.
Dante gives Tandri's ankle a sniff and a friendly lick before trotting over to one of the unclaimed beds and stretching up to put his front paws on the edge. He turns to look back at Floare with his tongue lolling out.
"So that's our bed for the night, Dante?" the girl asks with a grin. "Good choice." She approaches it and drops her bag on the floor near the head. She quickly makes herself comfortable on the soft bed, pulling her legs up underneath herself and the wolf-pup into her lap.
"So does this mean that Lady Jamandi is grouping us as a team?" she asks the others.
Lady Sariana smells really good and I just know that Lady Tandri is hiding a rabbit somewhere in her clothes. I don't know what Lord Rogarvia smells like - I've never smelled anything like it before. It's not bad, though
"Well, I guess that's something," Floare whispers to the pup.
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"So it seems." Sariana comments lightly. "You can sleep peacefully girls, I'll make sure Mr Rogarvia here doesn't do anything... untoward."
Although I might if I don't get a proper meal at some point tonight. I never thought I'd miss the wilds but damned if peace and quiet are better than I thought..."
Uninterested in claiming a bed for herself Sariana waits until everyone else has chosen, nods and then heads for the door. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back shortly."
As the dark-haired woman leaves, Dante wiggles in Flore's lap.
Uh, Mom? I need to go outside, too.
"Sorry about that, Dante," Flore rises from the bed, setting the pup on the floor to trot along beside her. "I should have taken you outside once we'd finished dinner." She looks up at the remaining two. "I won't be long. Please don't lock me out."
Exiting the room, she asks the nearest servant the quickest way out to somewhere with grass and in a few moments is looking up at the stars as her familiar tends to his needs.
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Damn it girl? Couldn't give me a moment's peace could you? Sariana thinks in annoyance as she prowls around the corner to see Floare and Dante loitering by a small tree.
"Not planning to go to sleep just yet then?" She asks, detaching herself from the shadows where she'd been waiting for the servant with the bucket who'd be coming back this way any minute. "Isn't it past Dante's bed-time?"
Floare turns with a start and takes a slight step back. "Um ... it is actually his bedtime, but I was neglectful and didn't allow him to tend to his needs before turning in." She can't shake the feeling of being a mouse watching the cat approach. "It's a beautiful night to look at the stars," she offers, taking another step away from the woman only to feel the rough bark of the tree at her back.
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"Do you do that often?" Sariana asks, trying not to smirk as Floare shrinks away from her. Most people these days don't have that kind of reaction to her - too long spent with idiots and 'hard men' perhaps, but the shadow of fear in the pretty blonde's eyes is subtly intoxicating, almost as much as the girl's scent, which is absolutely delicious.
"Go out in the dark, alone? Didn't your mother ever tell you what happened to sweet little girls that did that?"
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Floare looked between the hanging entrails on the drying rack and the bloody knife Mother was waving in her direction. "You won't go into the pot yet, Child. Not unless you disappoint me too much. So don't disappoint your dear mother."
Floare shakes her head. "I'm not afraid of the dark," she declares with an assurance that tells Sariana that she's telling the truth. "There are many more things to be afraid of in this world."
Seemingly finished with his 'business', Dante finishes digging in the grass and lopes over to sniff at the dark-haired woman's ankle. Sitting back on his haunches, he looks up at her with a toothy grin.
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Pain. Old pain that sings to Sariana's mind as a symphony. Discordant and strangely relentless. To see that kind of damage in someone so young...
"What happened to you?" The vampire wonders aloud, stepping up to take Floare's chin in her grip. "Whose work are you?"
Then Dante spoils the moment and despite the incongruity of the moment the wolf pup is so dangerously cute that Sariana can't help herself and lets Floare go to crouch down and engage with Dante instead.
"And what do you want?" She asks with a smile. "I've seen a smile like that before. You want something don't you boy? Hmm... a scratch behind the ear? Oh, you want tummy rubs don't you?"
The touch of the woman's cool fingers on her chin sends tendrils of electricity throughout Floare's body. To her dismay, she finds herself unable to move or pull away. Or is it simply that she doesn't wish to? Does the deer feel this way, looking into the eyes of the tiger, knowing that its life is about to end?
The moment is broken when the woman kneels down to engage with Dante. Floare draws a ragged breath and steps away from the tree, kneeling down to pluck the playful pup into her arms. "I'm sure he simply wishes to head off to bed," she says, hoping that the woman doesn't notice all the blood that's run to her cheeks ... and other places.
But Mom, she's offering tummy rubs. I love tummy rubs. I bet if you ask, she'll give you some too.
"Goodnight, then. I'll ... uh ... see you back in the room," Floare says before dashing off back towards the manor.
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Oh...
Sariana's teeth glisten in the faint light of the stars, elongated canines protruding over her lip. Oh my little art-work, you are going to be so much fun!
"I'll see you in your dreams tonight." She calls to the fleeing girl, unable to resist the parting shot. And now she's absolutely going to be thinking about me. That thought makes the millennia old vampire rather proud of herself and as she slips back into the shadows looking for dinner she preens quietly.
This expedition is going to be a lot more fun than I thought...
Tandri claims the bed nearest to cuddly and farthest away from MALE.
As the other two women disappear, she finds herself alone with HIM, who she hasn't said a word to all night.
When she settles in the bed (FULLY CLOTHED with tightly crossed arms and an almost knotted tail), she finally answers his question. "I didn't learn anything." after a moment of her amber eyes looking like a battle is coming with her trying to find a way away from it, she asks Deregar "Why are you risking the Stolen Lands?"
Arriving back at the room with Dante in her arms, Floare risks a friendly smile at Tandri and Deregar. Taking a seat on her bed again and releasing her familiar to roll on the blankets as if to claim them as his own, she looks across at her companions.
"So what is the essence of this 'charter' that Lady Jamandi will be presenting us with? Does that give us authority over the lands we claim?" she asks, reaching out to rub Dante's belly.
Deregar raises an eyebrow as Sariana walks out.
I certainly wouldn't be rude to people I've just met.
With evident comfort, he answers Tandri's question, after introducing himself offhandedly.
"Oh, just trying to win some fortune and glory. Ha! My name's Deregar, by the way. I would bore you with the story, but my family used to be important in Brevoy. We've fallen on kind of hard times, though."
Best to keep "Lost scion of House Rogarvia" to myself for now.
He lies on the bed and stares at the ceiling, distracted for a moment by his thoughts.
Tandri frowns at the man's answer. She has never been a fortune and glory kind of person so naturally distrust them. So socialization attempt number seven ends in neutrality (since she naturally distrust most people... unless they have Dante).
"Without seeing the charters, we won't know the specific details. Though they will only legally be binding in relation to Restrov, since the contract is with them. The people in the Lands might accept it or rebel." Tandri wiggles her toes under the covers, as she considers the legal implications.
"Well then, we'll just have to make sure you take a close look at them tomorrow," Floare says with a yawn as she shifts her position to pull the blanket over the top of her clothes. Dante circles a bit before curling up next to her. "See you then," she says, closing her eyes.
~~~~
The witch's sleep is restless, filled with a sense of being chased through the manor house by something deadly. Sharp teeth and evil laughter fill her dreams and she wakes more than once, sweating, with the suffocating sensation of something looming over her. Fear isn't the only thing filling her thoughts, though. Mixed in with the fear is something else - something new.
Tandri sleeps in a tight ball, arms and tail wrapped around her, waking up often, but that is normal. A rather up uneventful night.
You settle down to sleep, but around 3 a.m., a blood curdling scream from outside your room jolts you awake! You hear the sound of a body hitting the floor. You recall seeing a single house guard in this wing of the manor--it is very likely that he was the source of the scream...
Deregar rolls out of bed, landing on the floor in an undignified heap. He scrambles up and pulls on his armor, wincing at the loud tinkling it makes. "Wake up! But be quiet. Something's going on outside."
He grabs his spear from the spot where it was leaning against the wall and belts on his other weapons.
Floare is up and awake in moments. Dante drops to the floor, tense and giving a low growl.
Tandri shoots up, scampering her back to the head board, her first out and ready to punch... something. She takes a moment to understand she isn't being attack, then her eyes clear. The man's words reach her, the she nods her ebony bed head, jumping out of bed, hurriedly gets her boots on, and grabs the crossbow the had been strapped to her backpack.
She seems more confident with danger than with dinner parties "I am a cleric, keep me from getting put down and I can keep you all from being put down."
Oddly, Sariana is nowhere to be seen...
Deregar has just finished donning his armor when the door to your room slowly opens. Three men in studded leather armor slip in, gripping daggers!
Seeing you awake and ready, they abandon their attempt at stealth, rushing in to stab Deregar!
Deregar puts a hand to his wound. "Ugh, my blood! I'm dying...Tyrkaxian!"
His blood seems to sizzle as it hits the floor. A glowing, serpentine mark flows up his arm, shining so brightly you can see it through the cloth of his clothes. There's a smell of cinnamon and woodsmoke in the room, and suddenly a creature pops into existence next to the wounded man! Covered head-to-foot in red scales, there's nothing the beast could be except a dragon! A glowing sigil of a two-headed dragon beams from its chest.
The newly-arrived dragon roars in fury and bites at one of the attackers.
for
As the men burst in, Tandri spends too long a moment aiming her massive crossbow to stop any of them from slicing into the biggest target in room. Being smaller has its benefits at least.
When the bolt hits the dagger man with a nice THUNK, she smiles, rather pleased with the centering and gushing. But the battle isn't over, and she does have promises to keep.
She pauses as she raises her hand to heal the man (the ally, not the crossbowed one) spilling his blood all over. "What in the- WHAT IS THAT?!?" she shouts, more worried about it than the men with the daggers.
Still a promise is a promise so her magic touches him. Cool silk slid along his wound, knitting it together, raising goosebumps on his skin.
"Wait!" Floare calls out to one of the dagger-wielding men. "There's no need for violence."
Sariana glides into the room behind the assailants. She quickly grabs one and snaps his neck, sending him to the floor in a boneless heap.
Floare's charm settles over one of the cutthroats, and he blinks at the witch before stepping back and raising his dagger in a defensive stance against the rest of the group.
Tandri's crossbow bolt catches the third man in the gut, leaving him doubled over in pain. Then Deregar summons his eidolon, who dispatches the wounded man with a vicious chomp!
The charmed man has no room to flee. He does not surrender, but he remains in a defensive stance, eyes wide as he looks to Floare for help.
Now that you are able to get a better look at him, you can see the dagger he holds his an ebony pommel. There are a trail of three black tears tattooed under his left eye.
You recognize the cutthroats as members of a small-time gang known as the Black Tears.
You recognize the cutthroats as members of a small-time gang known as the Black Tears. The Black Tears are a criminal organization of cutthroats and thieves known to dabble in kidnapping, extortion, assassination, and the sale of illicit substances. Members are fanatically loyal and exceptionally ruthless.
They've been looking for a chance to make it big. It's likely they were hired to raid the manor in return for a chance to bolster their criminal fame.
Dante continues to growl at the lone survivor, but Floare shushes him gently.
Aware that the magic that enchants the man is delicate and easily broken, Floare keeps her voice calm and gentle. "What is your name?" she asks the cutthroat. "Who hired you and why are you here?"
"My name is Soren. We were hired to infiltrate the manor and kill all the so-called 'heroes' who have gathered here. I don't know who hired us. I'm just doing what I was told to do," the man says, eyeing the draconic eidolon warily.
With a frown, Floare looks to her companions before asking another question, "How many of you are there?"
"Several dozen. Enough to ensure we finish the job," Soren says ominously. Indeed, you can hear shouts and the sounds of battle raging in nearby rooms.
Floare again looks around at the others "What should we do?" she asks. "Do we stay here and hope the guards can handle the rest?"
Dante begins growling at the door.
After a momentary glance at Dante, Floare nods her head. Returning to her bed, she grabs her bag and staff before joining the others at the door.
"Let's head and see if we can restore order. I don't want this opportunity to slip away before it's even begun." Deregar steps forward and his draconic companion moves out of his way instinctively, shadowing him protectively.
"Oh, everyone: This is Tyr. Tyr this is...well, everyone. No use trying to keep a low profile while there's murderers around, but Tyr's a little distracting in social situations."
The dragon's muzzle seems to curl in a bit of a smile. "Many people find my presence...a bit threatening," Tyr hisses.
"In more ways than one, my friend." Deregar nods at the dragon, but doesn't elaborate on that statement.
The moment you step out of your room and into the hall, a shuddering, grinding sound echoes through the manor. This sound is followed by a series of reverberating booms as the manor’s interior portcullises are all lowered, sealing off the upper floors from invaders—but also sealing the you into the ground floor with them!
This large hall has a polished marble floor. Several potted plants line the walls and tapestries depicting woodland hunting scenes adorn the east wall.
You spot the body of the house guard who escorted you to your room. He now lies dead in a pool of his own blood near one of the windows.
Five more doors in this hall lead to other guest rooms, while double doors exit to the west.
There are no bodies in the second room, although two of the beds are soaked with blood and a severed human hand lies in the middle of the floor.
The third room is empty, but shows signs of having been slept in.
The fourth room is likewise empty, but fresh bloodstains hint at recent violence.
The fifth room has five corpses (two female humans, a male human, a male dwarf, and a male elf). The elf wears a silver ring worth 15 gp.
Tandri had been busy reloading her heavy crossbow, which is a somewhat cardio intensive task given her size and muscular. "ready" she says simply with no question about hiding in her hard voice.
Slipping her staff through the straps on her bag, Floare picks up the guard's crossbow and the bolts.
"We should check the other rooms and make sure the others are okay," she says, gesturing towards the other doors.
Five rooms and ten minutes later and it's a paler version of the girl that follows the group towards the double doors.
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"Go ahead." Sariana says, "I'll deal with this one."
She shuts the door to muffle what follows and emerges three minutes later, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Fortunately the rest of the group has just been through a couple of rooms and are thoroughly distracted by all the dead.
"I said people would die tonight." Sariana says grimly. "Stay behind me. We don't need any of you getting hurt."
"I am healer" the dwarf tells the warrior lady, since she was absent before. Her amber eyes taking in the bodies, but other than a firm set to get mouth she has no reaction.
"No survivors, Floare? That's a shame. Lucky that we all woke up so quickly." Deregar accompanies Sariana, though he stays a step behind.
Wouldn't want to get on her bad side.
Tandri stays behind the dragon since Who Wouldn't.
Sariana takes the lead, opening the western doors. Beyond is a large, indoor garden that resembles a tropical paradise. Lush plants and flowering vines hang from the walls, while a slow-moving stream of water cuts through the center of the room, flowing languidly from north to south through stone drains. Planters filled with colorful flowers line the stream. Two narrow wooden bridges arch over the water, allowing passage from one side to the other. Partially submerged in the stream to the north stands a life-sized marble statue depicting an armored half-elf woman holding a rose and wielding a shield.
Four Black Tears cutthroats have taken up positions on the west side of the chamber, where they wait with hand crossbows at the ready!
With amber eyes blazing and her pink hand painfully grasping her holy symbol, Tandri seethes pain into the nearest Tear. "Die, and choose better in your next life." she snaps, bringing forth a memory of being kicked in face as a child, the crunch of her nose, her tears mixing with blood and snot, shoving that all straight in the man trying to kill her FOR NO REASON!