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Hey everyone, real life has caught up with me, and I'm going to have to bow out of this campaign. I've had a lot of fun, but I can't keep up with this as much as I'd like to, and I don't want everyone waiting on me when I can't be consistent. Thanks Voiceless for a fun time, and I hope everyone else enjoys themselves without me! Ta-ta!
Prince Magniventris rummages around in his bag. "Of course, I am never ill-prepared. I have here some parchment." he says, pulling out a few pieces. "And... surely I did not forget... let me see..." Sheepishly he says, "Would charcoal or chalk be of any use?"
"You have been most helpful, Madam Baslee. Thank you." Prince Magniventris searches for books on the shadow fey as well.
Under the weather, sorry guys.
Prince Magniventris waits patiently for a response, playing absent-mindedly along with the faint sounds of the concert on his flute.
"Than it was... the first time? So, madam, it seems you are not unfamiliar with secrets. May I ask what you have done to keep such 'secrets' so... secret? As for us, why on my honor, mum's the word!" Prince Magniventris says. "We are a discrete lot, Iliyana, and no hint of this shall ever reach the administration, I assure you. And if you find this place dull and require entertainment, why, what is more exciting than assisting a few mysterious patrons of the library?"
"If that is not your style of entertainment, may I suggest a short ballad from Duskovsky's second movement from the Rites of Earth?" he says, pulling out his flute and playing a few notes. He turns to the others and shrugs sheepishly. "At the very least," he whispers to them, "I can keep her occupied while the rest of you investigate further. I can play quite loudly."
Sorry everyone, I've had logging in/out problems as well, and then the site was down last night. I should be back and good to go now.
"We must remain loyal to our own superiors, and cannot provide details, alas. But someone as clearly well-informed and intelligent as yourself would surely know something, or at least point us in the right direction?"
If she provides no aid and ushers us out, Prince Magniventris moves to the next door on the left and knocks politely.
Prince Magniventris peeks in behind Vors and with a quick glance around the room for anything related to their quest. "Apologies, madam. Are there any other residents in here we should avoid? I would be loathe to interrupt anyone else's evening."
"Much better than mine own, Sir Aman. Bravo. I was never good at these word games anyway. And you are correct, Madam Deepmug, that is not my usual form of entertainment, true." Prince Magniventris takes his spot behind Vors as Vors attempts to open the door, hoping to see if what's inside will lead to further clues.
Dark Fey, Shadow Fey... they are tricksters all alike, thinks Prince Magniventris. "A riddle? Here's a wisecrack I heard at a tavern once: What never deceives you, but is always lying?" he pauses before continuing. "A lion! Technically this is a pun, which is not quite what you're looking for. And where exactly does a being such as yourself keep a key? A pocket? A swallowed orifice? The bottom of an undergarment drawer?"
Well I'm back. Sorry to hear that, Cassandra. Hope things work out okay.
"The title of Prince is not one to be taken lightly, I assure you," Prince Magniventris says, hearing the Guardian's words on Prince Stavian III. "I, Prince Magniventris, was bestowed that same moniker by my father, though with seven older siblings and a slew of aunts and uncles in line before myself I fear that may be the highest title I can ever hope to hold..." He stops talking for a moment, realizing the zone of truth is making him more brutally honest than he prefers. "Anyway, what books on the Dark Fey were these 'seasoned professors' carrying, and where are they located? Also, would you happen to have another copy of this tome, particularly the damaged pages?" Prince Magniventris says, finding the ale-stained book he discovered earlier.
I'm going to be in and out over the weekend and possibly into next week, so don't wait on me.
To Stenne: "I'm not sure anyone possesses a liver quite as strong as yours." To Tessara: "Please accept my apologies. I know the feeling myself; I am often mistaken for a true dragon." Prince Magniventris shouts in Draconic upon finding the book:
Draconic:
"Accursed dwarves!" He slips back into Common, marginally calmer: "Some drunk was in here, sloshing their ale and violating clear guidelines on the use of food and drink on the premises." Prince Magniventris holds up the damaged book. "This contains exactly the information we're here to find, and it's destroyed!"
Still addled by the ale-stained tome, Prince Magniventris quietly takes the adjacnet book/clue, too caught up in his righteous indignation to admit that what he found next is actually useful. As the Archive Guardian awakens and speaks, Prince Magniventris is startled at the being's voice. "Blessed Apsu! What is this? 'New apprentice?' I'm afraid you are mistaken, but perhaps we can of help to each other. I am... George. It is a pleasure to meet you. And you are...?"
"Goodness gracious, you're an elf?" George asks, clearly flustered. All these longshanks look... no no, prince, do not be speciesist. You spent half a year learning the differences between dwarves and gnomes. Now's as good a time as any to learn what elves look like. "Is it the nose? The teeth? I thought elves kept in their cloistered towers high in the forests, dressing only in clothes made of vines and leaves." Prince Magniventris steals a quick glance at Stenne, double checking to make sure she really is a dwarf and not simply a short human with a love of alcohol.
Organized by musical scales? Prince Magniventris thinks. Perhaps my training under Grand Flautist Galway shall provide a little insight in recognizing their organizational methods.
"Grand idea, madam Silverfrond. I shall scour the section on magical arts. Perhaps an ancient wizard transcribed his experiences with the dark fey? Or a sorcerer found her bloodline tainted by their corrupting touch?" Prince Magniventris heads to the magical studies section and searches for anything related to the Dark Fey. He drags a stepstool or loose chair to assist his search on the higher shelves, not afraid to place a booted claw on the shelf for an extra inch or two.
"I can read Draconic, Dwarven, Gnome, and of course Common. Is anyone here literate in Sylvan, or perhaps Elven?" he says as he holds up an intricately calligraphied but (for him) indecipherable tome. "I can't make heads nor tails of these flowery scripts."
"There is a first time for everything," Prince Magniventris says to Vors. "And better my tough dragonskin take any damage than that scaleless covering you call flesh." He then stares at the door intently to aid Vors, but has no idea what he is looking for.
To Tessara, he says, "Aha, a hidden chamber within the hidden chamber? My not-inconsiderable intellect reels at the thought. I admit I spend little time among the tomes, but now that you mention it, this library does seem abnormally vast."
"Seems we're only uncovering information that leads us to the actually useful information. A curious way to organize a library, but that's what you get for not letting a true dragon-blooded kobold design this repository." "Right behind you, sir." Prince Magniventris moves adjacent to Vors as he goes to the next door. "Shall there be foes afoot behind this next room, madam Deepmug? I do not wish for danger, but I too wish for a little excitement..."
"Ah yes, Grand Prince Stavian III. He was quite... grand, I assume? Not as grand as myself of course, but who can be, ha ha?" Prince Magniventris says to Tessara. "In all honesty I do not recognize the man. I am afraid I am of no help here." Seeing the instruments Magniventris rushes to them. "Aha, we may make a concert of our own to enjoy this evening! Do they have a flute here..." If he finds one, he picks it up, but stops himself before he attempts to play a single note. "Ah! Be not distracted!" He puts back any wind instrument he finds and moves to the baskets on the wall. I am not here for myself. Prince Magniventris looks through the loose sheaves of paper, searching through them for anything relating to the Dark Fey.
"Then I shall remain at your side, Mr. Aman," Prince Magniventris says, watching the rogue examine the door. "How close do your comrades normally leave themselves when you perform your duties? Have they received any, ah, collateral damage?" I don't want to get caught in the fringes of a rain of poisoned arrows or the like. But what is bravery if one is not afraid?
Prince Magniventris sees the bookshelves and looks them over as well, searching for anything specifically about the Shadow Fey and the Arcane Collegium's study of them.
"I'm with Mr. the Gray. Too many books, not enough time." Besides, they have little about kobolds here it seems. If Prince Magniventris doesn't find any of interest, he follows Cavasin to the next room on the left and waits at the door for Vors to check for traps. If Prince Magniventris does find something about the Dark Fey, he tells the others about what he found and takes the book to the desk to peruse its contents.
Prince Magniventris walks quietly behind Vors, keeping eyes and ears out for anything unusual.
Prince Magniventris shrugs at Cavasin's words. "I fear not, Mr. the Gray. If I were to request he refrain from looking in during our visit, that might arouse even more suspicion than before. Let us trust to Apsu and the gods." At the sound of his own words repeated back by Tessara, Prince Magniventris is surprised, but he fills out his chest in pride. Imitation is the highest form of flattery; and by nobility, no less! The House Alkindus would be proud. "That was quite good mimicry, madam Silverfrond. But you give me too much credit; I was merely repeating our benefactor's words from yesterday." After a pause, he turns back to Tessara and taps his earhole, saying, "And remember, it's George." He takes his spot behind Vors, ready to move out when the trap spotter has given the go-ahead.
"Wonderful work, madams Silverfrond and Cressen," Prince Magniventris says, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the secret passageway opening. "But before we rush headlong into danger, should we not decide who will lead our way onward? I know what you are thinking. Yes, I will humbly take the mantle of vanguard. Should the group so desire, of course." He turns to Deepmug and says in Dwarven,
Dwarven:
"If you or I refrain from leading, all we shall see for the next two hours are boots and backsides."
"Worry not, and I'm grateful for your apology. I myself am too used to prejudice, and on occasion can work too hard to combat it, even when, it seems, there was none to begin with." Oh Apsu, I'm grateful for the reminder that not all humans want me roasted on a spit; I'll say a prayer for them tonight at Matins. If we make it out of here at all, that is... "Now, hopefully one of us can find this blasted secret entrance. I have never excelled at finding such contraptions. Got lost hatching from my egg, mother used to say."
Prince Magniventris gives a cursory glance at the kobold section in the front room before shaking his head. "No, what I want isn't here. Perhaps what I seek resides in the rare section. You have quite the extensive collection, however. Good to see someone giving us kobolds our proper due. Would that I had more time to peruse." In the rare books room, once Tobius has left, Prince Magniventris mutters to Cassandra, "My draconic lineage is no laughing matter. I thought it best to at least give the pretext of actually perusing the common stacks to throw off any suspicion." He then looks for the kobold section again and searches for any clues about the secret door in that area.
"Bravery, courage, honor. Bravery, courage, honor," he mutters to himself. "Drat. Nothing here."
He attaches his long lash tail attachment after searching, waiting to see what the others find.
Prince Magniventris walks up to Tobius and says, "Ah yes, I am here to learn more about honor, courage, and glory. Where exactly is your section on kobolds located?" Prince Magniventris follows Tobius to wherever he is led and begins perusing the spines.
The night before, he tells Deepmug, "Oh I dabble in perfumes and colognes, but I find my elixirs are better suited to harm than to soothe. I have a gnome of my own I buy from." He returns to his luxurious rooms for the night, taking his time, knowing he has all day tomorrow to do as he pleases. Extracts Prepared:
Enlarge Tail, Reduce Person The next day Prince Magniventris relishes the excitement the town feels in preparation for the evening's celebration. That evening, he finds himself at home in the crowd, socializing with anyone willing to, adding his own scent of cologne and confidence to the air.
Caught up in the spectacle, he finds himself swayed to the concert hall, thoughts filled with violins and cellos before Tessara's hushed "Friends, this way," snaps him back into focus. "Yes, yes, of course." he says, trying to recover.
Shortened? I'd say she was making a short joke, but she's a dwarf herself. Perhaps she meant it as, I shudder at the thought, a compliment? "George" turns to Deepmug and says, with genuine compassion, "I can understand one's own kind looking down on one's self for 'doing your own thing,' as you say. Not many kobolds appreciate how my family is living in the world." Prince Magniventris tries to, nonchalantly, waft some of his cologne in the direction of Deepmug's mouth.
Good idea, not giving me anything valuable. I'd be the first one they'd search for anything important. Alas about the concert; they have a magnificent wind section. Prince Magniventris attempts to walk more than an arm's length from Deepmug. "You're disgraced? Why, I never would have imagined," he says, trying to hide his smirk. "And that's Your Majesty to you, madam Deepmug. As for my purpose, travel and hardship are core tenets of Apsu, my deity. 'Every road leads to a new beginning,' and when I feel the temptation of a sedentary lifestyle, I must pick up myself and walk whatever road I find. I hope one day to see my draconic heritage fully manifest, though that is up to The Exiled Wyrm himself, may he fly forever." At Vor's words, Prince Magniventris nods. "Nick name? How quaint. I much prefer any name you give me, Vors, than whatever rubbish madam Deepmug has. I'm sure it was an insult of some kind. George sounds like quite a handsome fellow. I'll take it." These longshanks and their silly names. George? Isn't that a type of canyon? But, blend in I must.
"Prince Magniventris, it is an honor to meet you, your majesty. Vors Aman at your service." "And an honor to meet you, good sir." Prince Magniventris bows in return. Oh-ho-Ho! An alchemist,too?! Looks like we be in competition,then. Me brews an' beers versus whatever you got in them bottles an' vials. You're gonna teach me sumthin,eh? Tough talk coming from a bipedal skink. He turns to Stenne and says, "And honor prevents me from weathering insults. I draw my lineage from dragons, good madam, not some belly-dragging reptile! Perhaps the first thing I should teach you is decency. Even a drunken dwarf who favors quantity over quality can surely learn that." ** spoiler omitted ** "You are too kind, your majesty." He sighs and says to Tessara, "Personal experience tells me there can never be enough kindness in the world." 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." "Decisive action! Grand idea, Cassandra," he says, genuinely affected. He stands up to his full, towering height of 2'11". Prince Magniventris looks around at the group and says to them, "And as for this need for secrecy, perhaps you shall refer to yours truly by one of your, what do you call them... nom de guerre? Pseudonym? I have none prepared for myself, of course."
Tessara, Nobility Check:
Magniventris is of the house of Alkindus, a kobold family that worships a LG dragon deity (Apsu) and has only came to prominence not a decade ago with the help of local dwarven and gnomish nobility. The house Alkindus has no clout nor influence, though not from lack of trying; old prejudices die hard.
Magniventris bows cordially to Tessara and Cavasan, and any others that attempt to pray him proper respects. "Ah yes, the Silverfronds. A wonderful family. Their gardens' flora sparkle like diamonds in the moonlight, do they not? Ha, ha." He turns to Stenne with a patronizing look and speaks to her in Dwarven.
Dwarven:
"But how else can a boorish lowlife like yourself learn proper decency if I never grace you with my presence? I may even teach you a thing or two about the alchemical arts in addition to basic civility." He pulls back his cloak to reveal a bandolier glittering with glass vials and flasks. Ah, how we fall into our old animosities so easily. Apsu forgive me for indulging in my baser instincts.
The kobold tries to maintain proper composure as he walks through the stink of bait and river muck. Once inside, he sprays a few puffs of cologne on himself before he straightens his cloak and sits down, straight-backed. There had best be a rear door through a more aromatic exit. I don't my humors could survive that stench a second time. "I second the bespectacled, muscle-bound lady there. Better for us to know more specifics now, rather than return in two hours with the wrong information. My time is not to be wasted, as is yours I'm sure. Additionally I might ask what kind of guards they employ? A manned patrol? Constructed guardians? Perhaps more arcane protections?" Magniventris turns to the other five in the room and speaks to no one in particular, "I know my reputation precedes me, but I am indeed the Prince Magniventris, Eighth of His Name, Loyal to the Exiled Wyrm. You may call me Your Majesty. What shall I call you?"
Can't wait!
May I present Prince Magniventris, or as he likes to be called, his highness Prince Magniventris of house Alkindus, eighth of his name, loyal to the Exiled Wyrm. I'm all for block initiative, that sounds like an elegant solution. I've kept my backstory locations vague, as I know this isn't technically taking place in Golarion. How are kobolds treated/viewed in this setting? Let me know if anything in my character sheet or backstory needs amending.
Generic NPC stands up and looks around.
He sees nothing but empty whiteness. Where am I?, he thinks to himself. "Helllooooooo!" Generic shouts into the emptiness. |
