I let go of Irirangi's hand once we're among our group. I also check my hand, wary from the volatile-sounding warnings of "Kobold goo".
Glancing between the taller figures standing around him, Starlan asks "So there's four of us here now... I do believe Aphra and Cassio and Benefor had announced their presence here, do any of you know where they might be...?"
Ellirayne bows her head slightly and gracefully to the waitress "Thankyou" She chimes happily as she takes her place in one of the comfier looking chairs in the private room. As Wingy pipes up with a question she shakes her head a little almost certain the halfling has opened a rather large can of worms with it.
"Sillas, once you've arrived and are ready to join us just tell the waitress that you're an associate of Deerian and myself and you should be brought through to join us."
"Of course. I'll be there imminently."
"Right here short stuff. And girlfriend, see if Green-Eyes II can lend you a hairbrush. You're a mess. Also, the hands - wash them right now. Acid ray and kobold. Not a great mix."
"She's right. You know this place better than me - Ellirayne? - can I call you that? But I suppose we have been formally introduced. Do you know if there's anywhere I can tidy up a little?"
Irirangi smiles happily at the taller girl.
"I don't usually look this terrible, really."
"Ummm..."
I glance around the room, seeing if I've missed anybody.
And then at my hands. And then back at Irirangi.
Perception check: 24/ 26 sound
Starlan
You see three individuals; the woman who has introduced herself as Irirangi, and the other two who are obviously the twins Ellirayne and Deerian. Aphra, Benefor, Cassio, and Dahl are nowhere to be seen. Given your exploits this same day with invisible creatures, it's a lot to take in.
Two more individuals burst into the private room, the first one greeting the group boisterously.
"Good day, fine ladies, and gentleman. And you too, noble skycoach driver", he adds, bowing to the halfling. "I am Merreck ir'Tharias; a friend of Sillas'. And a friend of his, is a friend of mine. So we're all friends!"
The smell of wine on his breath is tangible.
"Not another one."
Ellirayne smiles gently at Irirangi "Of course, I'm sure we can easily get you cleaned up. I don't have a hairbrush with me but I'm sure if we ask the staff nicely they'll be more than willing to..." She trails off as the door opens and another two people enter the room.
Inclining her head in a small nod in the men's direction her smile becomes slightly more amused. "Sillas didn't tell us he'd be bringing company, but I suppose the more the merrier if you're wanting to help your friend" '...and are willing start on water or something rather than the wine'
"That is of course, if my other companions don't object"
Who me?... I don't see any grounds to...
"So this would be Sillas and...?"
Perhaps I'll start with a glass of the House Port myself, if no-one objects...
Acrobatics roll to flip and jump into nearby chair: 32 w/ Expeditious Retreat (my ring/mark effect)
A man of my own kidney. Wine and beauty - such an irresistible mixture.
Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That's all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.
So very true I'm sure you'd agree. As before I cannot claim to be the author, but I defy anyone's ability to outperform me."
"Cassio, you're embarrassing us. These people don't know who we are yet. I'd rather they had a better first impression. Yes, I know I'm a fool to worry about things like that, but I just do."
"Thank you Ellirayne, that's kind of you."
Iri turns and looks curiously at the newcomers. She sees an elegant figure with an air of fashion and perhaps a hint of something cautious about him as if he's listening to two conversations at once and a more flamboyant figure who looks and sounds remarkably like Cassio.
"He could be your twin. Merreck? Can you hear us?."
"Ho ho! Good jump, little one! You should take that show on the road! You'd make more money than running one of those skycoaches.", Merreck claps. He pulls out the two nearest chairs.
"C'mon Sillas. They look friendly enough. Let's have a drink and find out some more." Merreck sits down in one, and smiles at the other seated people. "So. Which one of you is Aphra?"
"Standing right here smarty. That's all this picnic party needed. Twin aristos, a fashion victim, a bouncing halfling, Cassio in lech mode, Dahl who knows where, Benefor hrumphing and you going twitchy on me. Stuff Benefor's views girlfriend. Have that drink, I'm going to need it."
Iri goes bright red with shame at the behaviour of her friends.
"I'm so, so sorry. It's just that we've only had each other for so long that other people are a bit of a shock. Please don't judge us by this."
"Sillas didn't tell us he'd be bringing company, but I suppose the more the merrier if you're wanting to help your friend"
"I didn't expect to be. I apologize for not alerting you. This is Merreck ir'Tharias.". Silently he adds 'And I think helping me was just a bonus for him'.
Bowing slightly before the assembled people he says "And I am Sillas ir'Vraxeris. An honor to meet you all in person."."C'mon Sillas. They look friendly enough. Let's have a drink and find out some more." Merreck sits down in one, and smiles at the other seated people. "So. Which one of you is Aphra?"
Sillas sighs and takes a seat beside Merreck. 'Maybe I shouldn't have brought him along.'
"I'm so, so sorry. It's just that we've only had each other for so long that other people are a bit of a shock. Please don't judge us by this."
"It's not a problem. I too must apologize for my friend's behavior; he's not usually quite so...flamboyant." 'We? Us? What the devil have I gotten myself into?'
"So... looks like MOST of us are here now..."
"We were talking about learning more about these rings that seem to have brought us together.
I've been having some fun with it's power once I figured out how to activate it..."
"What effects have all of yours had?"
And excuse me, I was out in the King's Forest all night and didn't get any sleep.
"My mark created and arcane barrier, similair to the Shield spell." Sillas says, pressing a long finger to the black swirl upon his face. "The effect isn't repeating, which makes me think that it can only be used once during a given period. And why in the Hells would you spend a night in the King's Forset? Don't you have a home?"
"Benefor says mine is like a magic missile. I won't test it indoors just in case."
Irirangi runs her fingers over the mark on her hand, unconsciously echoing Sillas's movement.
"Wingy says his speeds him up. What do your marks do?" she asks the Lyrander twins.
"Mine contains some light healing and Deerian's the gift of speaking to animals. Both are druidic spells, which is why we were thinking it was druidic to begin with, but it seems we need a new theory" Ellirayne replies lightly with a thoughtful expression.
"It's going to be difficult doing any research about the rings. Mine got sort of sucked into me. There's a lot that's puzzling about this. Do any of you have the slightest idea why they'd just fall out of the sky in chests like that? No, of course not. Wingy says he found his by a wounded bird, Sillas's hit his skycoach, mine hit a dead kobold. Oh - wait, what about you two?"
Musing aloud, Iri turns to the twins. "You just said your rings rolled to your feet. That's not quite the same is it?"
"Same here. As soon as I put on the ring, my mark manifested and the ring vanished, like it had been absorbed into my body."
"Same here. If I can remember what Ellirayne/Deerian said ,
the rings seem to have evaporated into these marks on us. Kindof like dragonmarks, but not.
I mean, there's certainly enough magic floating around Sharn that something like this isn't UNHEARD of. But it's still pretty odd... Were any of you still interested in asking at Isan's shop if he knew anything about this sort of thing?"
Still slightly distracted, Iri thinks hard.
Know (Arcana) 1d20+3; [8,3] = (11)
"I'd be able to find out more from the Silver Flame library. Let's piece together what we do know first though.
We each got a ring. They fell on at least some of us in chests - although the twins haven't confirmed how theirs arrived. The rings disappeared when we put them on and were replaced by something like a dragonmark. We now have some kind of spell each and the spells are activated by touching the marks. We can all talk to each other telepathically.
Do you think the rings were meant for us particularly, or are we accidental? Because if they weren't meant for us, who were they meant for?"
"Come on guys, help me out here. You're supposed to be my friends."
"Green-eyes, forgive me. I'm trying to write a sonnet to the storm-tossed beauty of Ellirayne d'Lyrander. I always follow my muse lest she desert me. Ask me later.
Ellirayne raises an eyebrow at Irirangi at Cassio's remark but refrains from commenting, instead keeping a gentle, professional smile. "As Deerian and I were actually in the tower at the time it would have been a little odd if the rings fell from above on us. They rolled to our feet, one to Deerian's and one to mine, it seemed almost fated."
"The rings were illusionary, the gems are part of us now and if the rings appearing in our lives turns out to be something predestined as opposed to pure chance there is most likely something we need to do to sever the link between us, should we decide at that point that it is for the best."
"Well now what a surprise, butter-wouldn't-melt Dragonmarked scions. "they rolled to our feet". Yeah. And I am the pen of my auntie's garden. Spill you two. You seem very knowledgeable about something that arrived by accident."
"APHRA!"
It is impossible for Irirangi to go any redder.
"It's not always in the choosing. You can wriggle like a worm all you like, but you can't escape what's inside you."
"You're right, kiddo. It does sound fishy. Most likely, they were the ones that started this whole fiasco in the first place. I'd like to find a way to separate us, if that means I can go back to getting some peace and quiet around here. Hrumph!"
"Well now, throwing around wild accusations isn't going to get you the information you seek, is it?" Ellirayne points out, not entirely in the mood for this fiasco after the events with her family. "It is difficult to share details of your life with a group of stangers, Deerian and I were dealing with personal business when the rings found us"
Flapping her hands to quiet her loud-mouthed friends, Irirangi tries again.
"I'm not throwing wild accusations around. I'm just trying to pool all our knowledge. It may not matter how the rings got here, but when you're researching things, it doesn't do to ignore information and it's never a good idea to withhold it either. Please don't take this personally - it's not an ideal situation for any of us, but if we don't help each other with what we know, we're really not going to get anywhere."
Then she adds to the room at large "And you lot, put a sock in it. Now. I am not joking."
"Ummm..."
"Aren't we all here to understand these rings better?
Ellirayne and Deerian, I think me and the others would just like to know anything else you two might know about how those rings came to be rolling towards you. That's the major difference so far that I hear, since everyone else witnessed or came across their ring falling from the sky. Which would suggest it fell from either a tower, likely Lyrandar Tower, or a skycoach or airship."
"And..." I think it would be helpful for our communication if Aphra and the others not present in the room would enter if they are nearby, or refrain from commenting until they arrive. Face-to-face is the start of trust between strangers, right? Could you help, Irirangi, you seem to be friends...?
"The rings came from a piece of cargo from a ship that docked at the tower. There was an accident that resulted in a couple of pieces of furniture breaking and going overboard. The rings were hidden in one of these, two fell out and towards the doors of the dock where Deerian and I were stood and the others obviously fell between the cracks and down upon you." Ellirayne explains gently.
"The owner of the cargo has no idea what they are or where they came from, in fact he had no idea where they came from, thinking perhaps they were in a sealed urn he had that smashed in the accident."
Sighing slightly she folds her hands on the tabletop in front of her "The captain of the ship is a relative of ours. Now do you see why I was reluctant to be forth coming? Deerian and I have been accused enough of being behind all of this without my explaining the situation fueling the fire."
"Aren't relatives awful."
Irirangi looks sympathetically at Ellirayne and Deerian. "My mother is ..." her voice trails off and she looks incredibly uncomfortable.
"Anyway that's a lead we can follow up. Do you think your relative has really told you all he knows about the rings or the urn they came in? Forgive me suggesting it, but might he be hiding things from you in case you got hurt or upset? People do that you know."
Wingy, you're not going to like this, but Aprha, and the others are as here as they can ever be. Just be quiet and let me do this my way, it's my head. It's a long story, but they're in my head. I don't control them and they're real people, but they're just in my head. As far as I know. I have my doubts about Dahl in particular. And I might have a few about Cassio too."
She pauses and looks hard at Merreck.
"I never honestly expected that anyone else would ever hear them. It's a shock."
Merreck is clearly a little lost in the conversation. He's following along as best as he can, but he's obviously not privy to the internal dialogue.
"Well, how many rings are there? Could it be possible that there are more rings, scattered about? I'm no expert on this kind of matter, but there are many people who are. And some are even located in Sharn. I would think, though, that you would have to bring an unused, that is, intact ring to them. They don't really have much to go on. Other than the marks you all received. Maybe there's something hidden in the pattern there?" Merreck takes a swig of his drink. "Bah, what do I know? Where would you even start looking for this rings?"
"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. I like it in here. And these new additions to our little family...they taste so sweet."
Having stood quietly behind his sister chair for most of the conversation Deerian thought it best to speak or they might possibly think him mute.
"We don't know how many rings there may be.. although when we first found them someone made their presence felt and then would not answer again.. I don't suppose it was anyone here?"
At the sound of Dahl's response in his mind the young man frowned. This certainly wasn't a voice he liked being in contact with.
Ellirayne shifts in her seat a little at her brother's words, almost certain that the earlier, rude, voice didn't belong to anyone present. Mind swimming as she tries to fathom how many of these rings could exist so almost misses Dahl's comment. Frowning slightly she looks quizzically at Irirangi. "Is he always like this?" She questions "If it's not too bold to ask..."
"Dahl? Oh yes. Morbid and creepifying. He also has a nice line in cryptic."
(Crossing Fingers) Will save: 13 (but +2 vs. Fear & +2 vs. Aberrations)
The flurry of revelations are almost too much to deal with for this halfling.
"...Is that right, Ellirayne, you first heard ANOTHER voice besides those we're now familiar with?
It COULD be another ring-finder, who's just shy, or maybe someone who knows more about this whole situation...?"
"And Irirangi... ...Just making sure, but you're saying all these OTHERS including Dahn......
were WITH you before ever finding the ring?"
Irirangi nods at Wingy.
"As long as I can remember. Ahpra and Cassio are the closest to me, but Benefor is adorable and he's around a lot as well. Dahl has always come and gone as he chose and you can tell he's not really someone you can tie down can't you? It took ages for me to work out that not everyone had friends in their head."
"... Well, the experience is definitely a new one for me!"
Starlan
You see Starlan blink and falter for just a few seconds before his face slams against the table in front of him, as he falls unconscious.
Ellirayne
In the middle of your conversation, you feel a sudden rush take over your body. It is like a wave, quickly washing over you, like a darkness. You feel your body slump in the quick moment before you lose consciousness.
Likewise, Ellirayne soon swoons, and she slumps down, falling over herself and landing unconscious on her brother.
Sillas
In the middle of your conversation, you feel a sudden rush take over your body. It is like a wave, quickly washing over you, like a darkness. You feel your body slump in the quick moment before you lose consciousness.
Sillas keels over, spilling his wine everywhere, causing Merreck to jump up.
Deerian
Irirangi
"Hey, what's wrong with you lot! Keep it together! Can't handle your wine?", Merreck jokes.
"Ahhhhsssssssssithhhhhhhhhh", Dahl's screams pierces through the minds of the group.
"Dahl? What are you doing? TELL ME."
"Deerian - what's going on?"
Shocked by the screams echoing through her head, Irirangi jumps out of her chair and goes to Deerian.