Sabine spots the man and wonders why he'd have to be so discreet about showing off his Wayfinder. She looks down at her own hanging from her belt and feels a little self conscious for a moment.
Alexian gives the man a puzzled look, doing a double take as the man calls out to them. With a shrug he walks over to the man, looking suspiciously around him in case of a trap. "Do...I know you, friend?"
"What's your name?" asks Alexian.
"I am Perith Kinthale, you are Alexian?" he drops his voice to a whisper, "Alexian Parmia?"
"Just Alexian is fine, but yes that's me" says Alexian in a low voice, "good to meet you. Alexian holds out his hand for Perith to shake.
"Sounds good," says Alexian with a curt nod, "lead on."
With that Alexian follows the man named Perith to where ever he leads, always keeping an eye out for trouble and his good hand on his sword grip.
Sabine gives the man a smile and a nod before bouncing along next to them on their way to whereever it is Perith is taking them.
shuriken bows and follows her fellow pathfinders. a playful yet creepy smile across her face. her pupils began to widen with joy. each pair in each eye getting closer to fusing. as she walks, she plays around with the fastners of her detachable sleeves. trying to find the perfect fit. she was still perfectly aware.
Daryan gives a nod to Perith at his introduction and follows him through the crowds, making sure that his own wayfinder is secured inside a belt pouch.
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Perith leads the Pathfinders a short distance through the streets of Xer, to a rather ramshackle single story building whose only door is down a narrow alleyway. "Here we are," he says, opening to door and motioning for the group to enter, while sending a nervous glance to the street.
The room inside contains a wooden table surrounded by rickety chairs, and an unlit fireplace against one wall. Two doors lead out of the room on the opposite wall. Once everyone is inside, the apparent Pathfinder closes the door and makes his way to sit at the table, "please, join me."
Perith leads the Pathfinders a short distance through the streets of Xer, to a rather ramshackle single story building whose only door is down a narrow alleyway. "Here we are," he says, opening to door and motioning for the group to enter, while sending a nervous glance to the street.
** spoiler omitted **
The room inside contains a wooden table surrounded by rickety chairs, and an unlit fireplace against one wall. Two doors lead out of the room on the opposite wall. Once everyone is inside, the apparent Pathfinder closes the door and makes his way to sit at the table, "please, join me."
Alexian steps inside, although he is physically and mentally on guard, as alarm bells are ringing inside his head. It could be paranoia on his part, but something doesn't feel right to him...
"Not...really the level of accommodation that I'm used to...but I guess it'll do" says Alexian somewhat nervously.
"these accomdations should be fine. i have lived with far worse before." Shuriken says as she looks Alexian in the eye, turns towards Perith and nods.
"Soooo Perith, what's with all the cloak and dagger?" asks Alexian as he sits down on the rickety chair.
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"My apologies, friend," the man says with a sigh, "the local church of Razmir is all too eager to impose tithes on anyone who appears to have anything worth taking. It is best to avoid giving them any motivation."
Pushing back on the table, he rises to his feet, "Where are my manners, can I offer you anything to drink?"
Perception Check:
Sabine follows the others in and walks over to one of the walls. She leans against it. At Perith's offer of a drink, she straightens and asks for a red wine.
"Now that, Perith, is an excellent idea" says Alexian with a grateful smile. "So...what news have you heard from Ustalav?"
"Yes, but just some water," Daryan responds to Perith's question, seating himself gratefully on one of the chairs. "Since we seem to be somewhere safe now, may I ask about how the Pathfinders are viewed in this area? Would it be best if we kept our affiliation secret?"
Alexian drinks his wine favorably; like a miser hoarding the last of his gold, he drinks slowly, savoring every last drop. "That's what it looks like to me...at least the secret part. Care to expand on that, Perith?"
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"I've heard very little from Ustalav, I'm afraid. I received a message about a week ago from the Grand Lodge, instructing me to prepare transport for you to Caliphas, but the letter didn't explain the reason for your trip." Perith explains as he disappears briefly through one of the doors to fetch drinks.
"Ah, well, technically there is no specific ill will towards our organisation from the locals, but given our line of work, we tend to develop a reputation for coming into possession of artifacts of not-inconsiderable worth... and as I mentioned, that isn't the sort of thing you would be advised to advertise around here. But in any case, you shouldn't need to worry long, I've arranged for an old friend of mine to ferry you across the lake tomorrow. You'll be in Ustalav before you know it."
Craft (Tailoring) Check (alterations to her kimonos)
Daryan enjoys Perith's company for the evening, grateful for the man's assistance in their quest. He sticks with water for the day, his mind still somewhat unsteady from not having stable ground beneath him all week.
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The sun is setting over the western shoreline of lake Encarthan as the prospective Pathfinders disembark from the ship that carried them to the magnificent city of Caliphas, capital of the county of the same name, and indeed Ustalav as a whole. The red glow of sunset shimmers on the water, and gives the gothic buildings around the docks an almost sinister tint.
The Pathfinder lodge in this dark city is said to be hosted in the large estate of the Vodavani family, located in the north-east quarter.
The sun is setting over the western shoreline of lake Encarthan as the prospective Pathfinders disembark from the ship that carried them to the magnificent city of Caliphas, capital of the county of the same name, and indeed Ustalav as a whole. The red glow of sunset shimmers on the water, and gives the gothic buildings around the docks an almost sinister tint.
The Pathfinder lodge in this dark city is said to be hosted in the large estate of the Vodavani family, located in the north-east quarter.
that's good to hear. i was assuming the alteration were done during the journey as well. i'll just keep that assumption. i guess my kimono sleeves are now detachable (and fastenable)
Looking at the surrounding city with some distaste and trepidation, Alexian turns to his companions, his half-plate armor creaking slightly from the movement. "This city's a bit on the depressing side, eh? Unless you all have some sort of pressing business to attend to here, I would like to make my way to the Vodavani estate, post haste."
Looking around at the dreary town, Sabine nods her head. "Yes I agree. This place is quite depressing, so let's be about our business."
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Traversing the city to find the pathfinder lodge takes the group roughly half an hour, passing through narrow streets and deserted market squares until finally the tall iron fence enclosing the Vodavani estate comes into view. A pair of heavy gates stands closed but unchained, flanked by a pair of stone pillars, decorated with grotesque faces.
A cobbled path leads from the street into the lightly wooded grounds surrounding the manor house, from where the light of internal activity can be seen flickering through the swaying branches.
"Looks like someone's home at least" says Alexian with an easy smile, which turns somewhat concerned as he looks upon the grotesque faces. "Why anyone would want to place those things on their property I'll never understand." Alexian then approaches the gate to the manor, opening it and proceeding at a steady, but leisurly pace up to the manorhouse.
Sabine follows Alexian through the gates but keeps on guard, her eyes darting around the grounds but not really taking in much.
Perception Check:
Shuriken keeps watch, following alexian and sabine of course. she spends a moment here and there to take a look at the unsual Decorations.
Daryan stares at the decorations for a moment before proceeding, noting to himself that many things will probably be different from what he was used to in Osirion... not just the decor. His nervousness makes the surrounding area seem even more grim than it already is.
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The iron gates creak open loudly, the whining sound causing several dozen tiny winged creatures to flock into the night sky from a nearby tree. The path leading to the manor house is lined by unevenly spaced torches that remain unlit in the darkness, though as the group make their way along it, they can make out faintly glowing lights through the trees in other areas of the estate, as well as the brighter light shining from the house ahead.
Eventually the pathfinders emerge from the darkness of the path to the lantern lit front of the manor house, a bench stands empty to one side of a pair of heavy wooden doors, and heavy curtains hang in the windows, allowing out only thin slits of the light from within. A metallic knocker hangs from each of the doors, each looking like one of the faces that decorated the pillars at the gate, the left scowls meanly, while the other seems to be offering mocking laughter.
Sabine looks to Alexian, waiting for him to approach the door and use the knocker, not daring to do it herself despite her facade of bravado.
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Alexian catches his companions looking expectantly towards him when they reach the door, and steps forward to knock and announce their presence. His hand reaches first to the left knocker, before hesitating and moving over to the right, before hesitating once more and moving back to his original choice. The knocker sounds a heavy thud against the metallic plate on which it rests, and silence engulfs the scene once more.
Eventually a rattling can be heard from beyond the doors, and a small hatch opens on the right hand door, revealing an aged face, gaunt and wrinkled, peering out with sunken eyes, "Yes?" the old man croaks, "what can I do for you at this hour?"
Alexian produces his wayfinder in his left hand, holding so the man can see, and says "We have business here, my friend. Tell the master of the house that some guests from Absalom have arrived."
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"From Absalom?" The old man asks, looking over the group suspiciously, before slamming the hatch shut.
A moment later, the lock on the door clicks loudly, and the old man pulls open the doors, "Come in then," he says waving his arm to the richly furnished entry hall, "I'll inform Lord Vodavani of your arrival. Make yourselves comfortable."
The elderly servant ushers the visitors to a cluster of velvet chairs near a low fire before exiting the room though a side door.
Daryan thanks the man and takes a seat. As the servant leaves, he asks the others, "Do any of you know anything about this Vodavani? Everything else here seems a bit creepy, so I'm hoping he's a good guy."
Shuriken Sits down as well. she knew her social skills were not quite the best, so sitting down quietly was her best option. it would be pretty obvious that she was still a novice when it came to ettiquitte and was more used to eating with chopsticks than she was with a fork. as she sat down, she adjusted her massive detached sleeves again, find a perfect comfortable fit, and it gave her an excuse to justify her nervous fidgeting. she had heard random people comment about her exotic eyes the whole time. she didn't know what to do around nobility with much proficiency, even though she was one of them at one point.
Sabine takes one of the proffered seats and proceeds to stare wide eyed around the room. "And this is just the entry hall," she whispers to the others. "I wonder how rich the rest of the place must look."