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Azura says, "I'm all right, but Trendon's rather limp." Saersha: You suspect that this enchantment is either finicky about your accent, or just malfunctioning due to age. It is probably a querying tool, used by the old library long, long before the current age of Kaer Maga, to provide starting points for research. It can probably be disabled by request, if you tell it to do so in some way.
Behind the GM screen:
The pulsing purple floating blob seems to hesitate for a moment, then its pulsing motion reshapes into a jagged, angular rune, floating in the air.
If you failed the save:
The arcane rune causes a strange shuddering to suffuse your body, and for a moment all of your muscles feel like jelly. They become sluggish and weak, as if the very tissues in your body have started to come apart.
Note that this is damage, not drain, so if your Strength goes to 0, you don't die, you simply become unable to move. Then the rune resumes its blob-like state, floating placidly in the air.
As Ryn and Ulfr skirt the edge of the room as best they can, the blob pulses and then a pleasant femme-sounding voice emits from it. Thassilonian: [b]"Please state your query."
"Well if we're looking for one of the Shards, maybe we start there. Speaking of, when's the last time that Saersha pinged our existing shards for a direction?"
After you settle in Arnic and Arthak at the Velvet Elysian Post, the team pushes through the crowded streets toward the Therassic Spire. It's reasonably easy to use the Spire itself as a landmark: It's a circular tower eight stories tall. As you approach, you see that the huge, iron-bound doors are shut tight, and a small, meticulously lettered sign announces: CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE There are no exterior guards; the door itself is massive and heavy, probably with various ancillary enchantments, likely barred or bolted, with a tiny grille at eye level for a human. What now?
... and a happy new year!
"I don't know about Ankar-Te, but yeah, we're at least not in a terrible place," says Azura.
So, how 'bout that sports team?
"All right, team, time to knock some heads—assuming we can't get them to listen to reason," says Azura. "Or uh, if Saersha wants to charm them?"
Azura peeks out the window to see if it is who it probably is—the goon squad coming for their aasimar confederate.
"Any other ideas? If not, pick a plan."
Azura steps close and puts a hand on Arnic's chest. "Shh. Arshea's looking after us," she says quietly. "Feel my hand? Breathe in and push my hand out. Hold it there... breathe out. Feel my hand following your motion? Good. Breathe in... hold it there. And out. That's good. Imagine you're with a client, helping them after a long and stressful day. So soothing. So calming. Shhh." "We aren't going to let the Seals do anything to you, and we're going to sort this out," she says. "My friends and I are good at this sort of thing." "My name is Azura, and I am also a devotee of Arshea. We're here to help." Looking to one side to Ryn, she says, "We need a plan. We can go with trying to find a personal effect of Berkanin, but there may be other possibilities. I could magically disguise myself to look like Arnic and then see if the Ardocs are looking to pick 'me' up and question me. Or we could just whup a bunch of the Seals so that the Ardocs know that Arnic is under protection, and tell them we want to negotiate instead of just throwing thugs at each other. Anyone have other ideas?"
"Other way around, actually," says Azura. "We are trying to get a bead on your Ardoc customer, and got a tip that it might be useful to come to you and see if you have any leads or personal effects that we could follow up on." Azura grins a bit weakly. "I know it's kind of a weird ask from someone who just met you, and I presume you have a kind of code of honor about not revealing details about your clients. We already know that Berkanin Ardoc has been a client for a bit, and we're trying to tracking him down because there's been a kidnapping... but I'm getting ahead of myself," she continues. "What's going on with the Ardocs? Why are they looking for you, and how can we help?"
Azura rises again and says, "So, shall we go inside and discuss matters further? A little reunion, a little introduction?" She gestures opposite the direction of the cloud that Saersha is generating. "We can talk about business and... other things."
If you don't want to take the lead on this one, just say the word and we'll concoct an alternative plan :)
Azura scritches the rabbit behind and between the ears and gives it a few long strokes across the spine before returning to rub its cheeks.
Azura hunkers down to offer her hand to the rabbit to sniff, grinning happily at the hefty fuzzball, and waits for Saersha to make introductions.
Azura spotted him next to our quarry. It's in the spoiler results for her perception roll.
"All right, well, Saersha already knows Arthak, so let's play this off as just some friends randomly meeting at the festival. Saersha can ask for introductions to Arthak's companion, and we can see about going inside to talk more," suggests Azura.
"Nobody stare, but I have eyes on our quarry," says Azura, "along with Saersha's biphallic buddy from below the Lady's tower. But there are muscle teams moving about the area in pairs. How do we wanna play this?"
"Yeah, talking about myself. These juggernauts are more than just for show," says Azura absently. "You would be our resident cat girl of extraordinary talents."
"And I'm more than a milkmaid, but it's just a quick quip," replies Azura as she tries to get a glance down another alley to see if there are more groups of suspicious-looking fellows.
"Hopefully not looking for a pair of gladiators, a sin-sorceress, a milkmaid and a mystic theurge, or else they're in for a bad day."
As the wandering streets of Kaer Maga give way to the Oriat district's riot of colors, Azura takes on a wide grin. She slows her walk to a casual pace to take in the musicians, jugglers, and raconteurs. Her own garb shifts in color as she moves, the illusions causing it to flow through different hues in response to the brilliant envcironments surrounding her. "This may be a bustling city of commerce, but it's good to see people enjoying themselves."
"I kinda hope it's hard. 'Tallow' was sounding a little disappointing, to be honest." "Wait, what were we talking about?"
Azura nods at Saersha's commentary—that seems to fit what she recalls about extraplanar entities of the extreme ideologies. "Thanks for the tip," says Azura to Sullivan. "Sounds like we're off to talk to a Tallow Boy about a little business... but just the tip."
"Not as far as I know," says Azura seriously in reply to Ulfr. "The totality of being 'angelic' is an ephemeral quality that is more than biology. But we're not going to test it today in any case!" She links up arm-in-arm with Ryn again and says, "Maybe we can find a show to watch or something to buy while we're there, hmm?"
"Aasimar sex worker? Nooooo," says Azura with falsely drawn-out exaggerated shock. "Sounds like this could be an interesting side jaunt."
So what’s next, team?
"I'm torn. On the one hand, heading to the parts of town controlled by the Ardocs, and near the lab, are more likely to yield results. But, those areas are also going to lead to our poking around getting reported back and noticed. So... what to do? Anyone got a great idea?"
"That sounds about right. We don't really know anyone in this town, so either we need to start shaking some trees and laying out some bribes, or figure out some potent divination magic, I guess," replies Azura to Ryn.
"Hmm, that's a lot to remember," says Azura. "Thanks for the breakdown, though." "Anyway... you had something in mind regarding all of this? You didn't invite us up for espresso just to gripe about the Ardocs."
"Wait," says Azura, lowering her espresso back onto its tiny saucer. "How many factions are there? Who controls what here?" "Sorry to give away our ignorance, but... yeah. We're a little new. Of course we can handle alchemical constructs, so hopefully that will dissuade folks from trying to take advantage of us on the assumption that we are easily misled." She gives the mage a wink.
"That's... how is that allowed?" asks Azura before she sips at her espresso. "I guess the Ardocs are influential enough that nobody will move against them? When did this start happening?"
Azura winces ever so slightly as she realizes that she did Ulfr no favors.
Azura delicately accepts the small espresso mug and says, "I'm Azura, and this is my partner Ryn, and our companion warsinger Ulfr. If you've already met Saersha and Embyr then you have some notion that we're a bunch of oddballs, but in this city, that's not saying much." "Is, uh, this sort of construct attack a regular happening, or... ?"
"A dash of sweet cream for mine, please," says Azura. She points a thumb to Ulfr and says, "He'll have his black, with a dash of chocolatl and chile powder, if you have it."
Azura follows Ryn closely up the stairs, perhaps alarmed at the possibility of another random attack.
Azura quickly moves to soothe Ryn and Ulfr's injuries.
Azura keeps her song flowing in a rhythm that intertwines with Ulfr's percussive war-tune as she uses Ryn as cover from the alchemical constructs.
"Now that's a dramatic entrance!" shouts Azura over the crashing glass.
Azura steps back to let Ryn and Ulfr handle this one as she raises her voice in a celestial melody... but she doesn't go for the high C.
*phew!*
I guess we've lost Saersha. :(
Soooo where we at?
"You two look delicious," says Azura breathily. "If we weren't busy on a mission I'd jump you myself. Anyway, this should do the trick. We'll provide eye candy that keeps people distracted and gives the impression that Trendon has an entourage of sexy and risqué associates." Azura pays for the magical clothing and adds, "Remember, this is an illusion, not a transmutation. If someone tries to grab or remove a garment, your real clothes will be what they encounter. Or armor, if you're wearing that."
"I actually kinda dislike these, they are just sleeves, so you have to pull them up and then hook them on with a clasp or a tie or something, it's pretty inconvenient. I much prefer the hat-form, which can transform into a pin or a comb or a diadem or something too, but if this is what we get, then this is what we work with," says Azura. She rummages around for coin to make it clear that she can actually afford these so that the local merchant will let her try them (it would be all too easy for someone to put them on and then try to flee with the merchandise, though in a shop filled with powerful magicians that might not be the smartest idea...). "Also the hat lets you change your own physical appearance, so you can look slimmer or thicker, change your hair or skin color, all sorts of things without using makeup or disguise appliances. This just does your wardrobe. Less expensive, though, of course." She pulls the pair of nondescript yellow cotton sleeves up over her bare arms and loops a cord through them and ties it to her bodice to hold them in place. She turns her arms over, palms up, then back again. "This color does not go with my regular outfit. Fortunately the item obviates its own problem." Visualizing a different appearance, Azura wiggles her fingers as her entire outfit makes a sparkly shift and turns into a unified white color with gold trim. The general shape of her bodice and skirt remain unchanged. "That gives a unified color palette," she explains. "But the illusion can go quite a bit further and customize the shape of the outfit or the presence of specific pieces as well." She brings her hands up to her collarbone and holds her hands there for a moment, then drops them away to make the chemisette disappear, leaving just her bodice for her upper body—exposing both excessive cleavage and a small amount of her midriff. She tugs on the hem of her skirt and it shortens, twists, becomes an angle cut that reveals her right leg. She runs her hands down her arms and the sleeves connected to the bodice by a cord become a seamless part of it, shoulders exposed, the sleeves extending to cover the backs of her hands and loop around the middle finger of each hand. "You can even go wild with the visualizations and create something improbable, though not impossible." She lifts her arms over her head and then folds them out, and a lattice of wires seems to extend from her back like the bony armature of a pair of wings, with golden banners draped over them to give the appearance of streamers of celestial energy. "That might be a bit overboard." She rolls her shoulders forward and the wing-like armatures disappear. "So how do we want to arrange this? I know I'm doing the vapid blonde thing, Ulfr should do something that shows off his pecs and says 'I'm a fighter AND a lover,' and of course my dear Ryn needs to imply 'I might be a little dangerous but I'm also a little saucy.'"
Azura grins at Ulfr and keeps a loose hold on Ryn's arm as the trio head to the Wheel Unbroken. Being a three-story-tall marble building, the structure's easy to spot. The warriors easily push through the thronging crowds as Azura slips in behind them. The heavy doors of the building are already open, held in place by stops so that the traffic of the day's buyers and sellers can come and go as easily. The Wheel Unbroken isn't just a place to purchase magical supplies; it's also a research laboratory and manufactory, where wizards work in a unified guild to advance their skills and construct devices of their own design. Thus, the place is an assortment of petty magics floating components through the air, workstations of various sorts, haphazard stacks of books and library-like shelves along walls, and a range of offices and secured spaces for conducting private or dangerous experiments. A wide range of magicians engage in discussion, spirited debate, tutoring, or collaboration here; one is just as likely to see a wizard muttering incantations over a fine sword blade as to spot an old mentor with a pair of eager apprentices, demonstrating various cantrips. Once inside, Azura takes the lead, looking for wizards invested in tailors and seamstress work. This is a field that is perhaps more well-represented than one might expect, as wizards often wear robes, hats, gloves, and pouches full of spell components. The amiable bard starts poking her nose in on various projects or hagglers, asking where the team can make a purchase, and they eventually find a corner of the building fully devoted to the construction, dyeing, and assembly of enchanted threads, cloths, and garments. Azura manages to garner the attention of a barker who helps handle trades and explains, "We're looking for some enchanted garb—the kind of thing that illusions up your appearance so that you can look like you're wearing, well, whatever you want." By contrast with the charmed blades and ensorcelled armor in other parts of the building, this is a low-value purchase, but it's still in the hundreds or thousands of gold pieces, the kind of thing that would be a ridiculous waste of funds for someone just looking to have a little variety in their wardrobe. Nevertheless, there is some demand for these things—occasionally for nefarious disguise purposes—and some wizards do make them.
Seems like it's a bad day for the more advanced of the two—someone else already purchased the last hat of disguise on display, doubtless for some business outside of the city (because honestly, nobody in Kaer Maga would bat an eye at a dark elf, a tiefling, or a sentient pile of talking rocks). The vendors do have the sleeves in stock, though, which Azura accepts as a fair compromise. "So... how many do we need?" she asks Ryn and Ulfr. "And we'll have to go figure out what our preferred appearances will be."
Should we narrate our own shopping scenes, or wait to move forward? |
