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”Thank you.” She says, taking the items from Tessara. ”I will know more about the merits of your work once I have had my people look at the information you have brought me. But now, if there is nothing else…” Lady Eshin’s voice trails off as she looks towards Cruven. Tess: She is a very hard person to read. From what you can tell, she is being genuine with everything she says.
Lady Eshin takes the note from Vors. ”Thank you” she says gratefully. Her expression shifts to that of confusion when Stenne mentions the parchments. ”Perhaps it is best that I do not fully understand that statement.” ”My lady, you seem awfully calm and collected about this whole ordeal... do you feel alright?" Lady Eshin turns to Cavasin. In a calm tone, she replies ”I must admit that the situation we find ourselves in at this moments is… less than ideal. But I am confident that we will be able to handle it. You all have done Zobeck a great service, and we are deeply grateful for that. Now, is there anything else that you found or have we covered it all?”
Lady Eshin turns to Cruven as he speaks. ”There is no need to act too rashly Cruven. We will wait to see what our informants tell us of what the Collegium is able to discover. Then we will decide our next play.” Lady Eshin turns her attention back to the party. ”You said you found matters that might interest me. May I?” She holds out her hand expectingly.
Lady Eshin turns around to see who Cruven is speaking to. Upon seeing the party, she stands up out of her chair. ”Good. We can get some answers now.” A smile appears on her face as she continues. ”I am glad to see you all alright. We heard there was quite the commotion at the Collegium.” Her eyes move from one party member to the next, scanning each face. Suddenly, a look of concern crosses her brow. ”What happened to the others that left with you?”
"My Lady, you mentioned that the entrance to the secret archive is hidden in the rare books section... but do you have any more details on exactly where it is hidden, or any subtle markers that we might use to identify it?" Lady Eshin looks towards Tessara with a friendly grimace, "Unfortunately, that is where our contact was unable to provide any information too specific. However, he did mention that you would be able to find the entrance by studying honor, courage, and glory. Our circumstance did not allow my contact to explain any further." "I am honored to make your respective acquaintences, but should we not dispense with pleasantries and head to the meat of the matter? Lives are on the line. It is best not to dawdle." "I suppose you are right." Lady Eshin nods and hands the first cloth wrapped package towards Tessara. ”This contains a deck of illusions that I have modified; instead of each card creating a random creature, each one creates a copy of one of you. The illusions won’t interact with anyone, but they can pretend to be reading and deceive the casual observer. Each only lasts for two hours, though. Stick a card to the bottom of a chair to create the illusion, and don’t forget to remove the card when you’re done.” She then takes the second package and hands it to Cavasin. ”This one contains some items to be used in case of emergency; a single potion of invisibility and a potion of pass without a trace. Do not hesitate to use them if the situation calls for it." Lady Eshin then hands the scroll tube to Cassandra. ”Inside this scroll tube, you will find a formal request signed by Orlando, Guildmaster of the Arcane Collegium, to admit the bearers to the Arcane Collegium’s rare books collection. We are fortunate that our contact was able to procure it without creating too much suspicion.” She hesitates for a moment before adding, ”It also includes a letter from the Free City Council, signed by the Lord Mayor himself, with details of your mission . If you must, use this as a bargaining chip. Nearly anyone you meet will look at you more favorably if you surrender it, but doing so would certainly risk the city’s relationship with the Collegium. I’m giving it to you because I trust your discretion in the matter.” Lastly, Lady Eshin takes a small stack of papers, six vials of ink, and six ink pens out of the bag sitting beside her and hands them out to everyone. ”You will also need these. As we want to leave no evidence behind, you must leave all the materials you find in their original location. Use this to write down as much information as you are able in the time you have.” Lady Eshin then sits back in her chair. "Tomorrow evening, the Arcane Collegium will host an extravagant orchestral performance in celebration of the Stross’s Fall. Such an event should last several hours, and if rumors are to be believed, the orchestra intends to play a complex medley of Zobeck's greatest songs. Several of these are rather dramatic at times, and the sound should drown out any noise you make. With any luck, the performance will also draw away most of the guards.” "If there are no further questions…” Lady Eshin stands and smiles towards the group of you. ”Best of luck to you all. The city, and perhaps all of Midgard, are counting on you.”
Lady Eshin leans back and smiles as Stenne posses her question. "I thought you might ask that, Stenne. The Council has put aside an appropriete amount, depending of course on the quality of your work. I am sure you will be more than pleased with your compensation."
Cassandra Cressen (Sense Motive):
As the conversation progresses, you get the sense that Lady Eshin’s intentions are pure. However, you are surprised that a woman who is not part of the Free City Council has this much information about their plans. You start to wonder if she could be a member of the Praetors, Zobeck’s secret police.
"What specific information do we search for in reference to the scáthesidhe? Weaknesses? Rehabilitation? The initial banishment ritual?” ”Any information you can gather would be of use, although the plausibility of rehabilitation is doubtful. The Shadow Fey are far too vein to forgive us building on their land without a complete genocide.” "Now, I'm not one to partake in thuggery or skulking about in the wee hours of the night. But I'll help in any way I can, as any knowledge we can find about the scáthesidhe can only help in the coming struggles.” ”I am glad to hear that. In fact, I would prefer if you all kept the thuggery to an absolute minimum. The last thing we need is the wrath of the Collegium at a time like this. However, I must implore that you keep your activities secret. Any trace could lead the Collegium straight to the Council; make sure the Collegium never finds out that you were in the secret archive.” Lady Eshin, I must say you look particularly stunning today. This contact you speak of. Is is possible to reveal the identity so that we may know friend from foe in this endeavor? Lady Eshin gives Vors a half smile and replies, ”Your flattery is appreciated, but it is best for everyone if my contact remains anonymous. Everyone in the college should be considered a friend, and no harm is to come to anyone, however you should also assume anyone will expose the operation if they discover you. It is unlikely my contact will risk helping you in any way.” "I might ask what kind of guards they employ? A manned patrol? Constructed guardians? Perhaps more arcane protections?” “If the archive istruly secret, then it’s unlikely that you will encounter many people. I imagine there might be traps, so be careful and resourceful. Most importantly, don’t get caught.” Lady Eshin turns to the group again. ”Is there anything else?”
”The Free City Council needs your help. The Council has learned that members of the Arcane Collegium have been studying the Shadow Fey in secret for years. A contact of our’s has provided information that they are keeping all their findings in a secret archive beneath the College.” As Herdri speaks, she pulls a scroll tube with a broken wax seal from a bag sitting on the floor beside her. "Our contact has been able to secure us a few hours in the College’s rare books section during which we can pursue for whatever we wish, so long as we retrieve several documents of interest for our contact. That,” she punctuates by tapping the scroll tube on the table, ”is where things get interesting. Our contact has informed us that the entrance to the archive is hidden within this area.” ”Two hours is little time, so you must make the most of your time. I know it will be tempting to research other interests, but it would be selfish for the Council to think of itself when the Shadow Fey threaten to envelop Zobeck and beyond. I am sending you in with the express purpose of uncovering more information about the Shadow Fey.” “Remember that you have permission to be in the academy’s library, but not in this secret archive, so do everything you can to avoid being noticed while exploring. In fact, the fewer clues you leave of your passage, the better. Specifically do not steal or destroy any of the library’s contents. A few slip-ups might alert the staff that someone has been poking around, and too many will give them enough evidence to trace this act to the Council.” Lady Eshin begins pulling a couple of small parcels wrapped in cloth from the bag beside her. ”Any questions?”
”Thank you, Cruven.” Lady Eshin says to the man, and gives him a smile. The man nodes, and retreats to a plush armchair beside the fire. Herdri Eshin turns her attention to those of you sitting at the table. ”Thank you all for coming; I understand that my invitation was somewhat cryptic, however one can never be too careful at times like this.” As Herdri says this, she looks about the room at each person present, as if judging their character and inferring their allegiances. ”I am sure all of you have heard the rumors of late. Those rumors are false. They were started by the Free City Council in order to obscure the truth, as the truth is far more sinister, and would cause widespread panic. The truth is that it is not the Morgau who are amassing their forces, but the shadow fey.” At the mention of the shadow fey, she looks deep into the eyes of each present. |
