You maybe right, sweet Delenn. Perhaps it is a little serious for the morning. How about the Society Pathfinder Extraordinaire is in need of capital and we are to pirate the inner seas for gold and glory.
|
Iacobus is startled out of his jaded reverie by the reactions of the others.
"Oh dear, I'm afraid the only death here is that my poor attempt at humor has slain our appetites. My apologies."
At Soven's words, he tilts his head slightly, "Ah, a life of piracy on the open sea. That would be a terrible fit to one who has sworn service to a god of law, I'm afraid, no matter how romantic the image..."
|
Iacobus is startled out of his jaded reverie by the reactions of the others.
"Oh dear, I'm afraid the only death here is that my poor attempt at humor has slain our appetites. My apologies."
At Soven's words, he tilts his head slightly, "Ah, a life of piracy on the open sea. That would be a terrible fit to one who has sworn service to a god of law, I'm afraid, no matter how romantic the image..."
Dareth takes the time to soothe himself further by relaxing back in his chair. "Speaking of romantic images, the mask you wear is fascinating, Iacobus. I don't think I've seen one like it before."
|
|
"It's quite traditional, all the clergy of Razmir wear them as holy symbol and vestment, although they are made of more valuable metals and stones as one progresses further up the path." Iacobus says, "Perhaps later I'll allow you to examine it more closely, but for now, it must remain in place as a demonstration of my faith."
** spoiler omitted **
'I'll help you solve this mystery, but your secrecy and closemouthedness won't help it's expiedience.'
'Thank you Venture-Captain, for at least giving me something to work with.' At this Komana walks out of the door, ready to meet her new acquantances.
P.S. Komana and the masked man left the room after Komana stood up.
|
|
A gentleman dressed in noble black attire and a mask that covers most of his facial features enters the conference room, accompanied by a young woman (Komana) and a wellknown Pathfinder Venture Captain, Solany.
"If you pass the next challenge, you will understand I think, the reason for our secrecy."
He stopped beside the waiting halfling, and turned to Solany. "This is...?"
"Dird Bungosen", Sol provides. "Well skilled, or so I'm told."
The masked lord turns to Komana, "I recommend taking him into your troupe. His skills may be valuable to you."
'I guess I shall see after the challenge.'
'Good day to you Dird, my name is Komana Tazurin, freewoman and initiate of Abadar, it seems we may be spending some time together.' She smiles slightly at this, a twitch of the lips.
|
As the three walk into the room, Dird almost jumps out of his chair with excitement. His mouth curves slightly upward before expanding into a wide and friendly grin. He puts his hand out for a moment and, when it isn't met with a shake, fidgets with a dagger sheathed on his belt anxiously.
"And a goodday to you, miss. Sol here tells me you might have use for my particular talents? Hm, an initiate and little old me."
Dird pauses, and looks Komana over shamelessly.
"We could make a good team, I think! I'd be glad to help you if only to get out of this room!"
The messy halfling glances to the others in the room.
"Any chance somebody could fill me in on what we're even doing?"
Elsewhere in the castle...
"Complaining won't make them arrive any faster."
A Chelaxian man sits next to the table holding his head in his hands, frowning. A snake lies coiled in front of him. "My name is Zareth Edemont, by the way."
Zareth stands up and smiles as the others enter the room, the snake coiled around his arm. "Yes, why are we here anyway? I could be doing research right now."
|
|
The masked lord looks over at the other man. "Him too."
Solany provides the name again, "Zareth Adamont".
The masked lord continues back into the main hall of the Lodge, so Solany takes the time to describe their situation to the newcomers.
"We have summoned an adventuring party to deal with a rather unfortunate and delicate matter. Two parties have fulfilled the requirements so far, and there is one challenge left before we decide which party we will be choosing. Komana and her friends were doing well, but two were forced to leave through no fault of their own. Since you are not as intricately tied to the Pathfinder Society as some of our other members, we thought you could fill in for them. If Komona agrees, of course."
wondering...lol
'Hello Zareth, glad to meet you too.'
'So, my lord,' she stresses this last word, 'shall we go back to the others and all find out what the next challenge is together?'
Zareth glares at the masked man. "It's pronounced 'Edemont'. Still, a pleasure to meet you Miss Komana."
|
|
Solany blushes. "I am sorry I mispronounced your name. Someone had written it down wrong." She flips open a small leather-bound book and scratches through something with a bit of graphite.
"Anyway, I will leave you three to get acquainted. I'm sure Lord S-, I mean, your potential employer, will announce the next challenge soon."
|
|
"And Zareth said that complaining wouldn't speed the process up! Ha!"
Dird goes to nudge Zareth in the side, but reconsiders when the snake follows his movements. He leans back on his heels for a moment, forcing an awkward cough.
"So, how much work have you each done for the Society? I've picked up odd jobs here and there, just enough to keep my belly fool and my head dry. The Lodge in Oppara is pretty impressive but the one they've got here really takes the cake. Yeah, I imagine they've got somethin' real special for us, we'll probably be searching ancient ruins and fighting evil wizards in no time!"
He stops to take a breath. "You guys don't talk a lot, do you? Or am I talking to much? You should let me know if I do that, my dear ma' always told me I talked to much, nervous habit she said it was. Not that I'm nervous, I'm just anxious to get out and explore."
Well, no matter what they have in store for us, my new friends, may our paths cross many times and our swords never once at all.
Dareth and Delen, two new friends, in as many days here. You should have met the rest of our group. I dare say I know not where they are though.
Probably found somewhere else to shine, hopefully not with that group from Cheliax.
Now where is Komana?......
'Uh, Why don't we head back to the dining hall, you two can meet the others. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourselfs as we walk?'
She eyes Dird warily and looks towards the exit.
|
|
"I look forward to meeting them. As for me, I only recently arrived from Oppara, capital of Taldor. Lived there my whole life, poor and sometimes homeless as long as I can remember. When I was real young they found out I was something of a prodigy with the lute and from then on out I was out on the corner from sunrise 'till sunset earning money to support my mom, dad, and all my siblings. Life was tough, but I was tougher...."
Dird blinks repeatedly, trying not to tear up.
"I was just a child! I had to work hard and a few years later I started taking jobs, any kind of job that paid, do gods name it. Please don't make me go back...."
Dird pulls out a stained handkerchief and blows his nose loudly into it, pausing to glance at his companions quickly before burying his face in it again. His gaze lingers on Komana just slightly longer than their Chelaxian cohort....
Zareth scoffs. "Really. Well, my childhood was what you would expect from the son of a reasonably successful merchant. We had some connections with House Thrune, so I managed to get into one of the higher-quality schools of conjuration. There, I quickly realized how debauched most of my fellow diabolists were. As soon as I got my diploma, I joined the Pathfinders and came here to continue my research away from those fools."
'I see, though no need to be dramatic, nothing shameful about not having a horrific childhood,' Komana says chidingly, clearly baffled by the overt drama.
'Mine wasn't so bad, and my parents are good folk, if still superstitious Kellid tribesfolk at heart.'
'Chelaxian, I had guessed from the accent and carriage, glad to hear your no diabolist, though I'd be interested in learning more about their methods. From a professional standpoint.'
Komana returns to the dining hall with a severe well-dressed human man and a handsome, boyish halfling in rags with a lute under one arm and a smile on his lips. She looks quite harried, and expression which is strangely soft on her usually cool features.
She waves towards Iacobus and Soven and starts making her way towards her companions.
Soven waves back to Komana and smiles expectantly. At long last, perhaps the waiting is over and the mystery task revealed.
As Komana approaches the table, Soven rises from his seat and nods to Komana.
Welcome back, Komana. Is everything alright? Is our tasking that bad, or just that disappointing? Ah, is this the final members of the other party, A gentleman of Cheliax and his servant?
|
|
Cassandra looks up at Soven's suggestion, and replies with humor, "No, they are not with us." She turns to Dareth. "Will you please see what is keeping Nevina and Shakhar?"
Dareth bows his head mockingly and excuses himself from the table, he looks over the two newcomers with a little shake of his head before he departs.
Delenn, who is as curious as Soven in regards to the newcomers, replies as well. "I've not seen them before. Perhaps they are friends of Komana's"
'Kaelor and Dakgu will not be joining us for breakfast, I'll tell you more about it later, as I wouldn't want to bore our companions here with the details.'
Komana seems quite unsettled, and hands whiten slightly at the mention of the two men.
'Suffice to say these fine gentlemen will be joining us in their stead, the Chelaxian Gentleman is a Spellcaster by trade, Zareth Edemont, and the halfling with the untuned lute is Dird Bungosen, esteemed... preformer.'
After this Komana sits into her chair, seemingly quite tired.
|
|
Walking down the hall, Dird glares up at Komana momentarily before losing his strait face and breaking into a childish grin.
"Oh come now, what reason would have to be dramatic? I never said it was horrible, I just got upset is all."
After entering the other hall and being introduced, Dird removes the well-worn scrap of leather he calls a hat with a flourish and takes a bow. He eyes the table, searching hungrily for food.
"For your information, I am free and always have been. I go by Dird, and look forward to unraveling the mystery laid before us. What are your names, again?"
"Are you alright, Komana? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
"I wouldn't say I'm not a diabolist. I'm just one of the few that doesn't worship all things infernal."
Zareth enters the hall with a slight smirk. "So these are your companions then? Well then, let's hope you're as good as I heard."
|
|
Iacobus' mask gives nothing away, but his posture shifts as he stands again politely as Komana returns to the room. One hand remains on the haversack by his chair, while he takes a plate of cheeses and fruits that sit near his place at table and hands it to the halfling that follows her into the room.
"Eat something young man, we wouldn't want you to wither away from privation." he says.
|
|
Dird accepts the plate from the masked human with a raised eyebrow.
"Young man? Exactly how old are you? How young do you think I am?"
He pushes his hair back, revealing ears that taper to a point.
"Five silvers says you can't guess within 2 years of my age!"
Dird sits at the table and dives into the food, his face shifting through a range of emotions with each new and exotic cheese (for him, anyway) that he puts in it. Eventually he reclines in his chair and lets out a belch.
"Oh, that really did the trick. What do you call those little squishy white cubed ones?"
|
|
To Dird's commentary, Iacobus responds with the same distracted monotone.
"I wouldn't hazard a guess as to your age, and, in any event, I do not gamble."
"It's not actually cheese, but the curdled yolk of unfertilized cockatrice eggs. Something of a delicacy, for those brave enough to take the chance."
Komana shakes her head at the halfling.
'Did anything happen in my absence?'
'Dareth seems to have dissappeared I see, off being bafflingly dashing or on an errand?'
|
|
Dareth returns a few moments later, walking between two people of rather discordant appearances.
One is a beautiful elven woman dressed in a traditional gossamer gown with natural crystals sewn into its design. Around her neck is a necklace of silver and gold wire with further natural crystals. In her hands she holds either a small cane or a large scepter, a large multicolored crystal as its head.
On Dareth's other side is a black-skinned half orc, wearing a high collared robe that is traced in silver designs of skeletons, demons, and vicious looking birds. He carries a staff made of black metal.
Dareth returns to the table, escorting both of his new companions to the chairs near Delenn. "May I present Nevinarea Maetra and Shakhar Firum, the last two members of our group."
|
|
Studying the newcommers as they approach, Dird rises from his seat and offers his hand to Shakhar and Nivenarea in turn, shaking hands lightly and introducing himself.
The halfling glances around the table.
"I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I'm extremely interested in finding out what this job entails. Care to share any more information, or are we to pass another test before being brought into the fold?"
|
|
"There is indeed one more challenge before I can reveal more information about the job." The masked lord at the head of the table speaks with a bored voice, but there is an obvious edge to it.
"We have observed your quickness of response, your eagerness to puzzle out curious mysteries, but there can only be one group which is employed. And we cannot determine such things by a flip of the coin. So one other challenge shall be presented to you."
Dareth speaks up, "I do not think I care for your tone of voice, sir. If you've a challenge for us, lay it out clearly. Let's be done with the tasks and get on to what we are truly needed for!"
Shakhar speaks suddenly, his voice cold but somehow softly loud like thunder. "Dareth, speak not so. Let all things come by their natural course."
"I really don't see any reason why ten people can't be involved with this investigation. Still, all will be revealed in time, won't it? Well, what is this last challenge then?"
Komana nods appraisingly at both newcomers.
'Yes my lord, do tell us what our final hurdle shall be?'
|
|
The lord frowns.
"Ten people would be far too conspicuous a group to carry out anything discreetly. But the last challenge, assuming that all the preparations are made will take place in three hours time. You have that long to return to your chambers and make all preparations necessary to fulfill the Challenge of Legacy."
"What does that mean?" Nevinarea asks quietly, a frown settling across her delicate elven features.
Cassandra frowns as a wrinkle crosses her brow. "It means, dear Nevina, that we will need to be prepared for death or worse."
'Lovely, well gentlemen,' she looks around at her party mates, 'shall we adjourn and prepare ourselves?'
She smiles over at Cassandra and her companions,
'May the best team win, I hope to see you all safe and intact at the finishing line, which is to say we'll await your arrival there!'
With that she turns before a grin can spread across her face, and begins to walk steadily towards the alotted apartments.
'We have immediate consequences that I'll have to have you and Soven bear aswell,' Komana says gravely closing the door.
'Dird and Zareth better hear this too. If you'd all take a seat,' her face is grim and humorless as she says this meeting each of thier eyes.