EtCR: Auspicious Portents

[Tatsel_Ganav]

DAY 1
You have received a mysterious letter from a nobleman, signed Tsielna ir'Vamagat, requesting your presence at the Azure Gateway restaurant in Skyway, high above Sharn. The money you would need for transporation there and back, as well as appropriate clothing for such a rich place (which is both required by the patrons and requested by your host) has been given, and your meal at the place known for expensive, exotic, multicultural cuisine will be payed for. The question remains, though... How does this "Tsielna" person know something so personal?

The pegasus-driven aerial chariot ride to Skyway, a platform made of solidified cloud and held aloft by giant magical bricks of force energy, is short but provides a beautiful view of the City of Towers. The sickening oppulence of the place is readily apparent as soon as you step off the chariot - the poorest of people here have gems encrusted in their elaborate, layered outfits. Every aspect of the terrain is magical crafted to be utterly breathtaking. The stores along the streets offer fruits and snacks that cost almost a platinum, enough money to feed a poor family for a week.

Finally, the Azure Gateway... As overdone as anything else in the place, but at least some real effort is put out to provide food to every possible cultural pallet. The people entering mutter rumors of the owner being a shapechanger, but what catches your eye most is the man by the entrance. Tall and thin, with ash white hair and skin accompanied by bright red eyes, wearing a form-fitting dull black Karrnathi suit with bone inlays. The man is grinning slightly, and seems to be watching you and a few others.

LINK TO OOC THREAD (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127498)

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Mortis steps out of the chariot and surveys the rather opulent surroundings. It was well above his pay grade, to be sure, but he knows how to act in such situations. Being a former officer in the Karrnathi military had its uses, after all. As such, he had used the money sent to them wisely, dressing a relatively plain, but old-fashioned, formal attire. Feeling it was appropriate for the circumstances, he has a small series of medals attached to the correct places on his person, displaying his former rank, as well as a few awards for necromantic duties. In one hand he carried a onyx-capped cane, sufficiently styled for the occasion, as well as a few similarly decorated rings on his right hand, also inlaid with onyx. There was obviously a theme about his clothing.

Aside from his outfit, what would strike you most about the man is his apparent age. Despite knowing that the man had yet to leave his middle years, he seemed well-on in age. Perhaps it was the heavy amounts of white in his black hair, or maybe the paleness of his skin that would convince you of his age. But a definite check in favor would be his almost completely white eyes. Cataracts or something more sinister, it was definitely an unusual sight.

After that short pause, he casually walks up to the white-haired, red-eyed man in bone styling and spoke, "I assume you are the party I am supposed to meet here. A Tsielna ir'Vamagat?" he inquires, a subtle Karrnathi accent on his tongue.

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
Cuilë Ráhonda has had his brass scales polished, gleaming brighter than the gold coins he handed to the spellscale who had done the work for him. He has also added special metallic overlays on select scales - the red metal giving his hide highlights. He personally finds them a bit gaudy and frivolous, but it is how a wealthy and powerful Kobold dresses, and here he wishes to exude nothing but that sense of comfortable power that comes from owning everything a lizard could want.

Wearing an expensive Argonnessen robe, he steps from the carriage with confidence and does his best to show familiarity and comfort in his surroundings, as if he often ate at such restaurants. His small magical doll walks just in front of him, newly polished and stained a dark color.

Despite his exterior, the young Kobold is overwhelmed. He is very careful not to allow his naivete to show on his face, but this is wealth beyond his wildest imaginings. He knew this is what he was destined for, but he had never imagined it would be so... lush.

He strides forward, trying to add a little swagger to his step. He strides up to the man who had been watching him and the other who had just addressed him.

"Indeed, you are Tsielna ir'Vamagat? I am Anto Cuilë Ráhonda; I believe you wished to discuss business? Would you care to introduce your companion?"

Cuilë is a little thrown off here; he knows that he should demand that business discussions occur in private, but he doesn't know who this other man is. He doesn't even know who Tsielna ir'Vamagat is, for that matter, and doesn't even know if he is in a position to demand anything. For now, he tries to just appear as if everything is going according to his own plan.

[Tatsel_Ganav]

The man smiles a bit more before speaking in a thick Karrnathi accent, "I am indeed Tsielna ir'Vamagat. Mr. Ráhonda - may I call you Cuilë? - this is, a fellow Karrn who has not yet introduced himself. However, you are both among a group of four people I have specially contacted for a variety of important matters revolving around a... a book. I will say more, when we look slightly less conspicuous inside with our two other companions."

[Jangoose]

Rask

Rask steps from the chariot nimbly, amusedly looking at the inane opulence. He appears as a roughly gnome sized goblin like creature, but with striking blue skin. About him, he wears a simply but elegantly cut set of blue and beige robes. Traces of glowing blue runes swirl along the shoulders and part of the back. Seeing the man watching them, Rask quickly makes his way over to where the others have started to gather...

make that one other companion... Rask contributes in a gravelly, droll voice as he joins them, looking each of them over in turn. He reserves a slight deferential nod of greetings for their summoner. I am Rask...

[Tatsel_Ganav]

Upon Rask's nod Tsielna nods back, "Good to meet you at last," before turning to Lisa and grinning with his response, "I am indeed, fair lady. All of you, may simply call me Tsel, it sounds far less ridiculous than my given name. It pleases me to no end that you are all now here, so let's go inside, take a seat - I have a table reserved." He heads inside the restaurant while commenting, "they have a wonderful variety of cuisine here, delightful edibles from nearly every culture you can imagine."

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
Cuilë Ráhonda follows Tsielna into the restaurant without a word.

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Mortis follows the pair in as well, pondering idly over their little group.

[Tatsel_Ganav]

Tsel leads them into the Azure Gateway, where people speak in low, polite voices and admire the extravagant architecture and appreciate the exquisite cuisine. After just a couple minutes, you are sitting at a table for five. The table itself is made of expensive swirled metals, and encrusted with gems. Menus are brought out promptly, which list extravagant meals ranging from 8 gold as the least expensive, up to hundreds for their rarest specialty dishes.

"Please, order anything you like. The meal is on me. While you look, I suppose I should explain my summons... You see, I am a curator at a rather important museum in Karrnath. There is an ancient tome of lore that we desire to procure, known as the Tome of Strahd. However, it also contains a deal of necromantic lore, so we worry that the terrorist organization, the Order of the Emerald Claw, may also seek it out. As such, I am seeking to hire a group of skilled individuals to bring my museum said tome. I have many contacts, and some very influential families in Karrnath will be thrilled to see the ancient tome where it belongs. Some of them know a great deal about magical mysteries, as well. Whatever payment you seek, I can most likely arrange before your return. Any questions?"

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
Cuilë nonchalantly orders what he recognizes as a dish out of Argonnessen... and a dish which he realizes is, while not quite the most expensive item on the over-priced menu, rather up there. If Tsielna is everything he claims to be, this should not faze him, so Cuilë considers this an effective test.

"Hmm... might I ask which museum in Karrnath you serve? I know of quite a few that might fit the description."

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Although he displays no outward reaction to the request, Mortis perks up on the inside. Hidden and rare necromantic knowledge? What else could a necromancer want? Retired from the military he may be, but that did not mean he had stopped his practice.

Disguising his thoughts, he quietly perused the menu and ordered something of middling price of local cuisine. For now, he would let the others do the interrogations for him.

[Tatsel_Ganav]

He smiles a bit at Cuile's comment as though a bit proud, "I represent the Harika Barthus Museum of Karrnath National History, at the great city of Karrlakton. I was born and raised there, and got involved in the museum early in my life due to an interest in ancient lore. They've got an entire section on it, it's really quite fascinating."

Mortis & CuileThe museum is indeed an influential and wealthy one, exactly as he says.

MortisKarrlakton is the second greatest city in Karrnath, but it is also the one closest to the border of the Mournlands. Karrns are usually rather grim, somber people - the citizens of Karrlakton, more-so. This man, while obviously a Karrn, does not have the mannerisms would expect of one. Nothing too odd, there's always bizarre people, even if they are especially rare in Karrnath. Mortis may or may not care, don't know.

He turns to Lisa with a look of mild contemplation for a moment before responding in a more serious, less excited tone, "I do not expect they would, no. You would, of course, be free to spend the payment on such a project, and I imagine there might be one or two sponsors who might pay a bit extra if the money was being used for such a purpose."

Then, in a strange, elegant language, he says something else to her.
Cuile and LisaCelestial: "However, should you embark on such an endeavor, I will support it with any personal resources I have available, including my own abilities, in any way I can. Also, you need not call me Lord. Noble blood does make me your superior in any way."

LisaFor as very brief moment, he seemed thrown off by her question before being quite pleased by it. There is something decidedly wrong about this man, but Lisa can't tell what. However, he does seem genuine in his promise to aid her in reconstructing any damaged civilian lives/areas.

CuileHe seems entirely unaware that Cuile speaks celestial.

[Jangoose]

Rask glances at the menu in silence, but does not order any food. He is instead contemplating whether he has ever heard of this Tome of Strahd before.
Knowledge Arcana
[roll0]
I will join as well I believe... My talents should prove useful on our journey...
he pauses slightly before continuing...
Where is the tome currently? do you know?
he asks

[Tatsel_Ganav]

He seems quite pleased with Lisa and Rask's acceptances, and responds to Rask with, "It is currently located in an ancient tome within a valley area between Karrnath and the Mror Holds known as Barovia. I have four envelopes with me, each of which contains some money for travelling expenses, and the necessary tickets and directions to get you there."

RaskYou have never heard of the Tome of Strahd before, but something tells you to be wary about it.

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Not to be left out, Mortis also speaks up, looking between Tsel and Lisa in turn. "I've been ordered by my superiors to help in this endeavor. I think, though, that I would do this regardless, as I have some interest in the details," he states, taking a casual bite of his meal as he finishes.

He declines to speak further about his 'interest,' but seems willing to go.

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"You do realize, of course, that my prices are going to be quite steep, right? I do intend to collect what I am owed."

[Tatsel_Ganav]

He thanks Mortis quickly before turning to Cuile, "And the museum is prepared to pay you accordingly. However, I would like to request that you consider investigating the potential benefits of having... favor... with the noble families connected to the museum as an alternative payment. You may or may not desire that, but if you do, it could work out to be more beneficial to all involved."

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"Oh trust me, that is exactly what I am considering."

[Tatsel_Ganav]

"Wonderful. Of course, I will assist you in meeting with the families once the task is done."

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Mortis finishes his meal in relative silence before inquiring, "So, when do we depart for this little venture? And do we have a reliable means of getting there?"

[Tatsel_Ganav]

"As I said, I have four envelopes with me, each of which contains some money for traveling expenses, and the necessary tickets and directions to get you there." He reaches into his coat and pulls out the four envelopes, which he hands to each of you.

[Jangoose]

Rask looks up from the open envelope in his hands, I am on staff at Morgrave University. Regarding my background beyond that, I think I'll keep my stories to myself. Suffice it to say that should the need arise, the power I wield packs quite a bite...

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"I am Anto of the Ráhonda clan; we are relatively recent immigrants to Khorvaire, coming up from the border region between Eberron and Khyber where we originated. We had some... prominence, in certain circles, but we are currently in a bit of a rebuilding phase; I'm afraid the unexpected death of my predecessor has thrown the clan into some disarray. I am traveling to search for the knowledge and power to successfully regain our prior status."

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Leaning back in his chair, Mortis eyed each of his current companions in turn before answering. "I was brought up in the tradition of the Karrnathi military. Undead and living side by side as soldiers. Very convenient arrangement for someone of my ilk, if you follow," he states, taking a sip of his still-remaining drink. "Despite the military rearing, I'm not one for crossing weapons with anyone."

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"Ah, you are a Necromancer then? I had thought so. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of experience with the Undead; living so close to Khyber, the Ráhonda traditionally practice a very thorough form of fiendbinding that leaves few interested in the Undead. Though I do tend to imagine it is similar in practice to the dolls that we use."

At this point, Cuilë's doll hops up on the table and bows.

"It's not much of a warrior, though some of our most accomplished masters have created quite potent war weapons with a similar process. With one so small, it's generally just used for light manual labor, really, and as something of a status symbol among our people."

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Mortis looks at the small automata with slight confusion. He had never seen the like before, though he could easily imagine uses for such things, depending on their limitations.

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
The doll hops back off the table. "Anyway, we craft their bodies and then animate them, and I suspect the process is fairly similar to that of preparing a corpse for animation. As I said, though, not familiar with the process.

"Certainly the ability to turn one's foes against them is a powerful ability. The Ráhonda has actually been based on the same philosophy, though we don't usually kill our foes before turning them upon themselves..."

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Mortis nods and smiles slightly before speaking. "Ah, but see, we don't have to always kill our foe first, especially not in war. Disease, hunger, poor weather... all of them are more on our side than our enemy's. Our soldiers just endure it, where they may lose some for us to... pick up, shall we say."

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"Ah, I see your point. The Ráhonda are not... exactly warlike, I suppose you could say. Not our line of business, we're more interested in private security."

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"Hmm... 'tattered state of his soul'... perhaps - according to the Silver Flame, certainly. But even among the Purified, is it not said that the hierarchy of evil dictates that one should focus on the evil without before the evil within? My understanding is that the Church's priorities lay with purifying the world of evil before purifying their own souls; certainly the most effective decision for accomplishing the goals of the Silver Flame, for all that other faiths see it as hypocritical. I do applaud the Church for its practical approach to its beliefs.

But in that light, surely our friend's magic is not a greater evil than the potential of the Order of the Emerald Claw getting their hands on this book? I know the Church would not go so far as to say the ends justify the means, but... if the choice is between chastising a loyal and disciplined officer of the Karrnathi army, or preventing a noted terrorist organization from obtaining a tome of likely not inconsiderable power, surely it would be a greater evil to allow the latter, would it not?

Karrnath has a long tradition of using the necromantic arts, and surely even Thrane would hesitate to call the entire nation evil, yes? The relations between your countries has been strained, it is true, but that is no reason we cannot work together for the good of all, yes? And while your faith may call for the destruction of the undead, surely those under the control of a friend are more tolerable than those under the control of the likes of the Emerald Claw, no?"

[Tatsel_Ganav]

Tsielna merely watches, and listens to the conversation, seemingly interested.

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Mortis listens quietly to the debate seemingly about him without including him, mildly amused by it all.

When he is finally addressed directly, he looks at the Lightbringer for a long moment before replying. "First and foremost I am a soldier and a man of honor. My allegiance is to my country. Your ideals, your platitudes, are as meaningful to me as the words I use to describe them suggest. I can work with you, I will watch your back should it not endanger the mission. Beyond that, your ilk are rarely friends of mine and I see no reason to extend a false hand."

[Tatsel_Ganav]

Tsielna leans in for a brief remark, "Don't forget, those most likely to want to take this tome are the Order of the Emerald Claw. Karrnathi soldiers have every reason to hate them. Lisa, while your nation may not be on good terms with Karrnath, the Order is the epitome of necromancy used for evil purposes, destructive purposes. Common enemy, and all that..."

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"Well, then, what more can you ask for from new acquaintances, can we? It is no good to allow personal quibbles to interfere in professional affairs; this is strictly business.

"And on the subject of business, I do believe we require some more information. Where is the Tome located? How have you come by this information, and why do you suspect the Emerald Claw has it as well? Surely it must be a new revelation, or else you or the Order would have already acquired the book.

"Further, what can you tell us of the book itself? The arts of necromancy cover a wide array of practices; is this book specifically dedicated to any particular processes?"

[Jangoose]

Rask sits quietly through the whole dispute, watching the others closely. The woman seems to be a good person, but being what he is, he doubts she would accept him were he to reveal himself... best wait till he has had occasion to prove himself. As the topic of additional information is introduced, Rask speaks up, addressing Tsielna;

Also, if you or your associates have been keeping track of your background research, i would like to take a look through it. Anything we can learn about this area, geography, weather, dangers etc. could be helpful, but we can hardly expect to cover every topic now

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Mortis nods towards the woman in basic assent, only a small smile peeking through, and listens quietly.

[Tatsel_Ganav]

"Basic information is within the envelopes I gave to each of you. As for my personal knowledge, I know that the area is supposedly haunted, although there are no significant historical events there, or actually any events worth noting at all, in the entire history of the place since it's establishment hundreds of years ago. I believe it was some sort of military conquest from an old Karrnathi warlord family. I'm sure the locals, even nearby inns around the outskirts, will know more. Your lightning rail tickets to the nearest truly urban locale are in the envelopes, along with a small amount of spending money for food and the like. Any other questions?"

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
Cuilë Ráhonda checks the envelope, scanning for any relevant information regarding how Tsiel's employers may have come across information on the Tome, and for details of their trip - like the departure time of the Lightning Train.

[Jangoose]

Yes actually... Rask says, in response to Tsel's question, If it would not be too much trouble, I would like to have a few days after we retrieve the book for some colleagues and I to examine it for university records and such. Would you please relay my request to your patrons. As men of knowledge, i'm sure they will understand.

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

The necromancer nods and stands. "If that is all, then? Shall we depart?"

[Tatsel_Ganav]

Tsielna nods, "To my knowledge, that is all. Unless of course, you have any questions."

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"I'm still unclear on how this information came to light just now... I am not familiar with much of anything out of Barovia, which in itself tells me that it has not been of much historical interest to anyone. I make a point to know these kinds of things. Still, it's not unheard of for little backwoods towns that no one has paid attention to for centuries to have secreted away artifacts of considerable power - but it surprises me that you've discovered this without having literally just stumbled upon the book. And further that the Emerald Claw has learned of its existence at the same time as you. So then, I would really like to know more about your sources for this information, and since I know little of the area, information on it would certainly be useful. Who is in charge, what are his politics, what are the major businesses in the region, what are the inclinations of its citizens, that sort of thing."

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"Excuse me, miss, but I am afraid that I have no wish to allow details slip by that we might otherwise have. The details of the information surrounding the tome may be critical to this adventure, and it is unlikely that we would have them other than by asking."

[Tatsel_Ganav]

Tsiel stands and does a small bow as Lisa leaves, then returns to his seat to respond to Cuile. "Well, we have looking for the Tome of Strahd for some time. We knew of it, but not of Barovia. The name of the small valley showed up in some ancient records as the last known location of a minor warlord named Strahd. The man was otherwise unimportant to my knowledge. We found the name of the tome in a dead adventurer's notebooks on an expedition into Khyber some time ago, along with mention it was a necromantic tome of some power. How the Emerald Claw came to know of it, I have no idea - they attacked one of our expeditions that was searching for the location of the tome, and they won that fight."

[DragoonWraith]

Cuilë Ráhonda
"I see, thank you sir. In which case... I believe we all have our things to prepare.

Good night to you all, I will see you in the morning."

[Holocron Coder]

Mortis

Mortis bows slightly to each of the others in turn before heading on his way. Once he is back at his own residence, he will notify his superiors of the nature of the mission and his part to come in it. Then he will prepare for the morning.


Ready for the adventure :smallbiggrin:

[Jangoose]

Rask

Things to prepare indeed. Rask murmurs slightly as he gets down from the raised chair. Nodding brief goodbyes to the others, he slips out onto the tower platform on which they arrived, signaling the first available skycab.

Tipping appropriately, he directs the cab to Morgrave University, where he gets off, and quickly makes for the library. With practiced steps, he wanders the stacks. The small bronze amulet around his neck glows as he telekinetically brings down volumes from the shelves. For several hours, he searches the library for any books with a particular focus on karnathi geography or necromancy, fiendbinding, or any important references from the letter. When he has selected a decent stack of particularly relevant books, he loads them into an extra dimensional bag, and makes his way back to his quarters.

There, he changes out of his formal robes (and places them in his bag along with a few other personal items / changes of clothes), and dons a simple pair of baggy blue and black pants, bound with sashes at the waist and calves, as well as pulling on a single black leather bracer on each arm. Grabbing a black hooded cloak and pulling on the bag with his books in it, he makes his way out, leaving a red book leaning again his door, a sign that he is out adventuring and requesting that others enter his room only if absolutely necessary.

when dawn comes, he makes his way to the sharn lightning rail station, and waits for the others.

[Tatsel_Ganav]

Some time later, the group has made their way to a road through Karrnath called the Old Svalich Road, now on foot or steed. Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors about the muddy roadway. A pall of thick, cold mist is spread over the ground. Giant tree trunks with rotted wood stand guard on either side of the road, looming imposingly over the group while their branches seem to claw at the mists. In every direction the forest seems to grow thicker and the mists darker, and if not for the path it would be an easy task to become utterly lost on the path.

The group of you are set traveling down this path toward Barovia, and it is approaching nightfall. You still have another day of travel, and it is becoming harder to see the road ahead of you. Howls and snarls are echoing through the forests with increasing regularity.

[Jangoose]

Rask stops, as he concentrates for a second on the sounds of the howling, seeing if he recognizes the species of its source.

rolls
Listen: [roll0]
Know. (Arcane): [roll1]
Know. (Nature): [roll2]