Dahn:
If possible, I'll make a pass overhead out of view/staying in-conspicuous,
but I'll try to over-hear their conversation/argument if I can. (I speak Orcish)
Are they on the street outside, or within the garden, or what?
Does their outfits/appearance tell me anything? (Druids/aligned tribes/mercenaries?)
Vraxeris Manor
There is a bit of commotion downstairs as the guests start to filter in. Merreck knocks, and pushes his way into Sillas' room. "Hey, people are starting to arrive. The keen ones, anyway! Look who I found!"
Vraxeris Manor
Dressed in a simple, yet elegant dress, Tara steps in. "Oh...Hey Sillas. You going to be ready soon? The sooner you show up, the sooner we all eat, right?"
Her characteristic sidebag is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps a remnant of the embarrassment from earlier that day.
Starlan
You do an overhead fly-by. It's difficult to hear a whole lot, while trying to stay high enough and fast enough to remain inconspicuous. In Orcish you manage you make out, "...and I want you to hit her fast, and hard. Don't mess it up. You'll get one chance. She..." from the main Orc.
They're dress does not immediately tell you of their affiliation or intentions. Most are dressed in thick hides, the patterns of which match each other, suggesting at least in passing, a tribal correspondence. More obvious, however, is that none of these orcs are natives of Sharn, or even Breland.
Dahn:
If so, I want to try and land in the house's walled garden (where I usually land so far), swooping around the back side of the house to avoid being sighted by the Orcs as much as possible. I'm looking to find Zillia, as I'm afraid they were talking about hitting HER fast and hard, and she might want to know she has visitors.
If they are already in the garden instead, let me know, and I'll change plans.
Starlan
Dahn:
I'll land on the top of the garden wall, which is presumably easy enough to jump down from.
"Ho there, Warriors of the Tribes! What does this day find you doing here at the house of Goran?
House Lyrandar
The protection spell once again envelops around Lord Byron. His grimace fades again to his weary sadness as Deerian ties him up.
"Burn it. Just burn it all. Destroy it however you want, but just get rid of it!"
Starlan
The big Orc turns to the others and begins speaking to them in Orcish, pointing at Starlan;
"The Hunter's role is to hunt. Prey are to be preyed upon. Which one are you? And what do you know of Goran?"
Dahn:
Is Zillia here? She warned me of dangerous goings on this day."
Vraxeris Manor
House Lyrandar:
"Be glad of the silence, some things are bes left not shared."
Iri's coach
"Shake! Please - easy on the wheelies - I get really travel sick."
Iri adds her plea to Swtich's.
Trying to quell her nausea, keep her hairdo intact and maintain an impression of calm, Iri finds herself babbling once again to a total stranger.
"You don't have a spare cigarette do you? I know Mama'd kill me, but right now I need all the help I can get."
"And if anyone, anyone wants to comment on that, they can just shut up. Right now."
"I'm not nervous of the drive - well, I won't be if Shake slows down a little. It's the party I'm going to. I'm not that great at parties anyway and this one is really a nerve-shredder. Arranged marriage. Meet the groom." Iri grimaces.
"It's not the most relaxing thing I've ever done."
"Much worse than being asked to rob a bank in fact."
Dahn
Starlan
One of the orcs in the back chimes in: "You? A Hunter? How dare y--" before the leader shuts him up with a disapproving glance. He turns again to Starlan, switching from Orcish to Druidic and says: "Know too that I have hunted with Goran. Zillia is inside, meditating. What is so urgent that you should disrupt her?"
The Orc eyes you suspiciously, waiting for the right response.
House Lyrandar
"Anything else...anything else...", Lord Byron lets the words roll on his tongue. "This day has already asked so much of you both. But there is plenty to do. The servants must be rounded up, Flash must be found, the guards....oh gods...the guards! I murdered them! Each and every one of them!" Lord Byron breaks down under the considerable weight of even the thought of dealing with the repercussions of his charmed actions.
House Lyrandar:
Irirangi
Shake and Switch both exchange glances, seemingly thrown off by Iri's request of a cigarette. Shake slows down the coach and fumbles in his pockets, giggling to himself a little. When he finds one, he tosses it behind him.
"Arranged marriage, eh? It sounds like a bore to me. What if he's ugly?", Shake laughs.
Irirangi
Clearly concerned with continuing his concentration, Switch communicates in a calm and calculated manner.
"So...why...don't...you....change...it? Don't go....make a...bad...impression? Spill wine...on him? Switch...it up!"
Vraxeris Manor
"Well, hurry up then. I want to give you my gift before too many people show up and make me all embarassed!"
Vraxeris Manor
Tara blushes and heads out into the foyer with Merrick.
Iri's coach
"What's in this, before I light it?"
She thinks for a second.
"Well, I'm likely to mess it up anyway, so that would be easy. But mama's gone to a lot of trouble to get me off her hands and you know, I think I need to make some effort not to just throw all that back in her face. I love her after all and I think I do owe her something. Even if it's just the effort.
Apart from that - it's just odd. He might be adorable, he might be dull, he might be a hundred things I haven't thought of yet, but whatever he is, I'll bet you mama hasn't told him or his family why she needs me gone so fast. I'm not sure I know myself. But I can guess. And I'm a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them, so if I'm hiding a lot, I think he will be too. I wouldn't pick me as marriage fodder unless I had some big problem that made it hard to get rid of me otherwise.
What do you think?"
Irirangi
"The cigarette is nothing special," Shake says with a wave of his hand. "As for what I think? I think you should do what you need to do. Sure she's your mum and all, but forcing you to marry some bloke, especially if he's got some problems, doesn't seem cool to me. Let us know if we can help, somehow. I'd hate to think that we were driving you to your doom."
Shake gives Switch a pat on the back; "It's alright. It's alright. You can take a rest, she's cool. Maybe we can think of something better."
Irirangi
Switch inhales and exhales deeply, and waves his hand in front of him for a moment.
Like a soft fading-away, the skycoach loses all of it's accoutrements. The silk banners, the lights, even the perfume that seemed to permeate the coach, all disappear, leaving the three of them sitting in a beaten up old coach. The back seat of which looks like it suffered some serious damage. The side of the coach is all scraped, and the windows are completely busted. It's a wonder the thing is still flying.
Vraxeris Manor
"Way to go girlfriend. You need to be soooo glad your mama can't see you.
"Irirangi, you're sitting in a dustbin ruining your LUNGS. Is this how you repay your family? Have you no sense of decorum? What kind of excuse have you got this time for embarrassing me?"
Aphra's voice is a cruel imitation of Juliana.
"Gotta say - it's a way better look for you. Just ditch the party, roll with these guys."
"I'm not you Aphra. I promised to go, and I'm going..."
Iri's coach
With a few minor changes of plan.
"Guys - just light this thing for me will you and let's see what we can do about getting me to this party looking like me and without my mother finding out any of us cheated a little."
Iri grins at the Shake and Switch and looks more relaxed than she has done for a while.
"How did this skycoach get so bashed anyway?"
Dahn:
<ROA-AR-AH-HHH-HHH> And I calmingly pet Dragonheart...
"Ahem. Honored to meet you Warriors on this day. I am Starlan." <in Druidic>
"I'm simply returning to rendezvous with Zillia, having been busy elsewhere myself since the Demonbane ritual was enacted. I'll just say I've encountered my fair share since the Ritual took effect. I have not experienced this Ritual before. And yourselves? I'm glad to see your presense here in the City of Air supporting the Circle......" (I'm meaning the Gatekeeper sect)
"Don't worry too much; if things go south it's not like you'll be alone there. If he causes you undo trouble I know a warforged butler who could effect his absence."
"Don't worry too much; if things go south it's not like you'll be alone there. If he causes you undo trouble I know a warforged butler who could effect his absence."
"Really? Do you know anyone House Orien might want to marry off in a hurry? Because that's who he'll be, I guarantee it."
Irirangi
At Iri's request, Switch lazily reaches his arm toward her. With a simple snap of his finger, a tiny flame erupts at the tip of his finger. When Iri is done lighting her cigarette, Switch snaps again and the flame dissipates.
Irirangi
"You see why I keep him around? I lost my own lighter earlier. He's promised to teach me how to do that, but he still hasn't. I think maybe he's afraid I'll learn to be better than hi--" Shake is interrupted by Switch jabbing him in the ribs a little. He lets out a laugh and lets go of the steering in order to poke Switch back. The coach rocks back and forth a little, until Shake takes control again.
"Ok, ok. Sheesh. I guess it's fair. He's wanted to fly one of these things for a long time. But I'm afraid he'll crash it!"
Shake lovingly caresses the side of the coach, his arm out the window. "As for the damage; it happened this morning actually. Some goblin-turd must have been throwing furniture out the window or something. Almost crashed me and my client. He's a good guy, and hasn't tried to sue us yet. I think we're in the clear." Shake takes a long drag off of his cigarette, filling the cabin of the coach with a thick, sweet, smoke. "Some people....some people. It's like they're new to Sharn, or something. You can't throw things out the window, in the city of towers!"
"Either way, when we got this 'special' request from...your mum, I guess...I knew I would be screwed unless I could get my pal here to Switch it up. That being said, if you'd like to arrive in a different manor, let us know. He's pretty good, as long as you describe exactly what you want."
Iri's coach
Iri inhales deeply and happily. "I love these things so much." She grins at Switch.
"Want to swap cantrips? I'll trade you create water for that little flame and we'd both be ahead of the game. Although I might need more of that perfumed air before I step out in front of people again."
She suddenly registers what Shake just said about the falling furniture and looks at him, her relaxed mood vanishing fast.
"Sillas!, I think I'm in the coach that your chest crashed into this morning. Twins, Starlan, this might be important. I'm going to ask if he saw anything later in the day."
"Shake, this could be important. When you were driving around after that accident, did you see anything else interesting? Wierd stuff has been happening today, but a lot of the wierd started with those bits of furniture.
And yes, I think some minor changes to my appearance would be good. I hate this hairdo for one thing. I need to arrive in some way my mother can hear about - because she will find out somehow - and still feel like a person. I'm open to suggestions here, but not until you've told me anything you can about falling furniture."
"Is it driven by fellow named Shake? Smokes cigars and talks alot? I know a couple of House Orien fellows, but I don't know if any of them will be here today. Mother was in charge of the guest list for the most part."
"Darn right that's him. Girlfriend's sitting in the back seat smoking with some illisionist type. She's lost the plot."
"It's really not as bad as she's making it sound Sillas. I'm having a good time for once. I'll try and find out some more."
Vraxeris Manor
Merrick leads Sillas out of his room, and toward the great hall where the celebrations are to take place. Servants are still scurrying about, putting the finishing touches on the decorations, setting the tables, fully, adding flowers everywhere, and generally looking busy. One particular worker positions and then re-positions the same wine glass for as long as Sim can see.
There is a stage on the far left of the room, and Tam is on the far right, barking orders.
What catches Sim's eye, however, is that the entire north wall of the room has been taken over by a very large map.
"Well, there it is!"
Vraxeris Manor
"Wow....What is it?"
Vraxeris Manor
Merrick pulls the others in for a closer look. Large sections of smooth white marble have been fitted together to fit the length of the wall. It appears to be a large-scale map of the known world. The map is handpainted, and in painstaking detail.
On closer inspections, it becomes clear that large patches of detail stand next to practically no detail at all. And in fact, the detail that is present is something more akin to a traveller's notes than a map for the general public. Specific names, culinary delicacies, and little points of interest dot the otherwise geographic information.
"Well...it's a map...My map, to be specific. Or rather, I guess, our map. Consider this, an official extension of my offer from earlier in the day. You really do need to travel, and I really like to travel. We can fill in the rest later."
Starlan
"Ah...the ritual. Know that we would never be in such a place as this if it were not for the work to be done. Zillia must maintain her focus. We are but some of the Hunters out in full force today.
I am Kruthak Thornfist. We have travelled far, and have much to do. Shall you help, or hinder, on this day?"
House Lyrandar
"I know father... We'll do all we can to help make this right.. Surely the rest of the house will help.." Looking sadly at his father he forces another weak smile before turning to Elli.
"Of course i'll stay but could you get some water before you head off.. if only so we can clean up a little."
Irirangi
"Weird? Girl, we live in Sharn. Everything is weird here." Shake takes a long haul off of his own cigarette. Sweet smoke fills the cabin, and you begin to realize that he is probably smoking something different than you.
"But I was driving around Lyrandar tower when the crap hit me. I was dropping a client off at the Hideaway, so it coulda dropped from anywhere above there, really. And, I did see some kinda commotion from the tippy top of Lyrandar tower earlier that day. Some fancy vehicle that was. Would love to get my hands on the wheel of that thing..."
Shake seems a little lost in his day dream. He takes control of the skycoach as if it were some kind of racing vehicle. He makes the appropriate sounds as he sends the three of them whizzing at top speed throughout Sharn.
Iri's coach
"Shake - ease off! Travel sickness here remember?"
Surrounded by the strangely sweet smelling smoke, Iri begins to feel inspired as she contemplates Shake's information and how she wants to arrive at Vraxeris Manor.
"How about this for a plan? You put that bunting back, but make it look like we had another accident on the way. We're ... held up by highwaymen! You save me, the coach suffers, Shake gets wounded. I let my hair down ... a little like I'm doing now, and the train on this stupid dress is used for emergency first aid. I'm a healer after all. That way, you're heroes, I'm brave and nobody has to look an idiot. Think that will work?"
Dahn:
I have played my role in helping enact the ritual, and I will face whatever else I confront to the my utmost of my abilities, following the wisdom of the Elders of the Circle, Goran being my first teacher."
I jump down from Dragonheart/ the wall.
"I will speak with Zillia, as it seems we both are impatient to confer with her."
So I'll enter the house, calling out a greeting to Zillia in Druidic, identifying myself.
"Have you been in contact with Goran recently, yourselves?" I direct back to the Orcs, remembering another question.
Vraxeris Manor
Starlan
"No, none of us have been in contact with Goran recently. He has been...occupied. With what, I do not know. He is usually more regular in his communication.
I will leave you to your duties, then. We are engaged in a hunt, and must depart shortly. Though Zillia is rooted to the spot, I'm sure her assistant will speak with you shortly."
Starlan
Before Starlan can fully comprehend who Zillia's assistant might be, a small figure walks through the door. He's wearing a bright red tunic, apparently made out of leaves layered together. A dagger hangs at his side, and he wears a half a coconut on his head as a helmet. His face carries a stern yet officious grimace as he strides out of the compound, speaking, in Common; "Yes yes, what is it now? Zillia i--", though his face breaks into a huge smile as soon as he sees Starlan, switching to Sylvan; "Friend! Play Friend Again!"