AvB - Remilia

[Rizban]

Can you give me a quick recap of what you're trying to do and what you've done already?

[Selinia]

Remilia hasn't done much yet - she's arrived in town, talked to a merchant for directions, and headed straight for the Mage Quarter (the academy specifically). She's currently disguised as a child.

Her purpose for being in the city is to find her friend Guinevere, after the two of them were separated by her mother's attempts to focus Remi more wholly on her duties. Gwen is herself a spellcaster, and would likely gravitate towards an assembly like this - amid the (to the two of them) barbarism of this land, magic-users might offer a chance of some civilization. Her mother is likely less than happy about losing one her of potentially starring playing pieces though, and has will likely make some sort of move to exact retribution - or more likely, force cooperation.

[Rizban]

She's quickly stopped by a faculty member as soon as she enters the gates.

"Are you lost? Can I help you find your mother?"

[Selinia]

"Actually, um, I'm looking for my sister. Well, she's not actually my sister, but she's good as! We were coming to the city when we got attack by some bad people..." She pauses for a moment, wavering slightly. "They were really mean, and they said some stuff I don't really understand, but we both got away, 'cause sis knows the best magics and stuff. But I lost her when we were running away, because she had to make us disappear, and that meant to each other too."

"But she said that if I couldn't find her, then I should meet her here in the city. But..." She sniffled slightly, holding back tears. The tears were partially real, actually - she missed Gwen terribly. She'd never been away from her this long before. "...this town is so big. We didn't think it'd be this big. I don't know where to find her now... where we come from, we always stayed with the magic-people, 'cause she was good like that. So I thought maybe she'd be here..." She looked around, as if expecting to see Guinevere walk around the corner.

OOC:

Bluff Check: [roll0]

[Rizban]

"And who is your sister, child?"

[Selinia]

"Her name is Guinevere. She's, umm..." The small girl raises a hand above her head, to the height of an average woman. "She's about this tall, and she's got hair that looks kinda like honey on tree bark. Its all wavy and pretty, but she's probably not washing it like she should so I bet its all tangled and stuff. And um, she's got blue eyes - like ice, kinda, but not cold like ice. And she might maybe be wearing a uniform with dragons on it, but she might not be."

She almost didn't include that last bit - an educated individual would probably make the connection to the Empire of Seven Dragons. But it would probably stand out for the same reason when other traits might be forgotten, if Gwen was wearing it.

[Rizban]

He thinks for a moment.

"I can't say that I know of any student here by that name. I teach two of the basic mandatory courses, so I know almost every student that's come through here."

[Selinia]

"Oh." The sadness and disappointment in that word didn't need the slightest bit of exaggeration. "Maybe she's somewhere else... or hasn't started classes, or something. She couldn't have arrived more than a couple days ago..." She looked at the ground, scuffing the stone floor with her shoe. "Umm... I don't really know where else to go. Would it be... umm.... all right if I stayed at this place while I look for Gwen? She's been giving me lessons, and I can cast a couple of spells! So I can help maybe, and I have some coins if you need those... I won't get in the way, I promise! Its just that inns are full of big scary people..."

[Rizban]

"I'm sorry, but this is a private university with strict entry requirements and high tuition fees. You aren't even old enough to apply."

[Selinia]

"Oh." Somehow, that disappointed mutter managed to sound almost exactly the same, no matter how many times she said it. "Do you know of any places in the town where it would be okay to stay? I don't like the streets. They're icky and dirty and they make my dress all wet..."

Suddenly, her face lit up with an idea. "Mister Wizard, do you know any wizards who can cast spells to find people? I've heard they have spells that are just for that, right? So there must be someone in this magic-place that knows how to do one!" She didn't know why she hadn't thought of that sooner. It was the obvious thing to do.

[Rizban]

"You could always try renting a room somewhere. I'm sorry though, I need to go. I have a lecture to give."

He makes sure you leave the grounds then heads to class.

[Selinia]

Slightly irritated, Remilia moves off into the mage district.

Gather Information check:[roll0] (Time check: [roll1]) Looking for -

1. A comfortable place to stay - preferably one with a nice, quiet, reputable air.

2. Anyone advertising the ability to divine or otherwise find missing persons.

She also gives Gwen's description to any shopkeeps, innkeepers, or other such individuals she meets, on the off-chance of of them have seen her.

[Rizban]

Please PM a link to your character sheet again. I need to see your sheet again before I respond to the second part.She finds two nice Bed & Breakfasts in the Mages' Quarter, but public lodgings in this part of town are rather scarce.

[Selinia]

She pays for a room and meals for four days in one of them, to start with, but doesn't linger in them much, pressing on in her search for a proper diviner. She could more completely investigate her lodgings later that evening.

OOC: I'm assuming that 10g would cover the room and board, going by the Inn Stay (Good) and Meals per day (Good) in the equipment section of the PHB?

[Rizban]

The B&Bs in this part of town are designed to be for high-level, visiting wizards who don't desire to stay with other spellcasters. As such, they are lavish and extraordinarily built. It's 20gp a night, but breakfast is included.

She hears a rumor of a "dragon group" that fits her description of Gwen to the south in the Temple District.

[Selinia]

Someone had seen her! Or at least, they thought they had. Or someone like her - that uniform might well be the Dragons' actual followers. But whatever the case, any presence of the Empire's heraldy here was well worth looking into - it was probably too close to her own arrival to actually be linked to her and Guinevere... probably... but it would be slightly worrying nonetheless. And if her friend was wearing Imperial colors, she was taking a risk - she had to be trying to alert Remilia to her presence.

The girl moves south through town, making for the source of the rumors.

OOC: Is there anything more to the rumors she's heard than the fact that there are some people about wearing draconic heraldry? Mainly, a location she can head towards?

Also, she notes the location and such of the B&Bs, but decides not to actually purchase a room until she's ready to check in for the night.

[Rizban]

After some searching, she finds the source of the rumors: A collection of priests wearing tabards which sport five dragon heads. One of them greets her warmly.

"Ah, welcome to the temple, little one. Is there some way I might serve you?"

[Selinia]

Remilia looked carefully at the priest. Then she opened her eyes wide and asked in the sort of curious voice any preacher thrived on. "Um, mister, I'm looking for my friend. I was asking around, and I heard someone say... she might maybe have come here?" That last bit was voiced like a question as she looked around her, trying to take in details. "Who is this a temple to? I don't recognize those symbols... my friend had a uniform kind of like them though. They're pretty."

[Rizban]

"This is a temple dedicated to Tiamat, Queen of All Dragons."

[Selinia]

Ah.

Wrong dragon god. She'd heard of Tiamat before, but the dragon goddess' presence in the Empire was minor at best. Rats. There went that lead - or at least, part of it. She supposed that she ought to follow up to the end with this though, on the chance that Gwen had made a similar mistake. "Huh... I don't suppose you've seen my friend, have you? She talks a lot about dragons, and when I heard that some people who had dragons with them had shown up, I thought she might be here. She's..." Remi proceeds to give a rough physical description of her friend, as she had before. She omits the heraldry of Seven Dragons though because these people were still much too dragon-y to be trusted, and there's absolutely no way Guinevere would have been dumb enough to wear her uniform into a potential Empire enclave. She hated the thing anyway.

[Rizban]

"Hmm... I'm not sure that we have anyone here like that. If she's as tough as you say, she might have tried to join the Watch or have a labor job down at the docks..."

[Selinia]

"I don't think so much that she'd do that..." She wouldn't. Guinevere was strong, but manual labor was for peasants. And she'd know better than to head into the most wretched part of town - even with only a few hours of chat with locals, Remi could tell that the docks were bad news. "...she's a good singer though, and she knows a bit of magic..." That couldn't hurt. Lots of people knew a few spells.

OOC: Sense Motive check [roll0]: Hey, it might work. If he's a terrible liar. And he's actually lying.

[Rizban]

"Then maybe she was hired on in one of the brothels? If she's as attractive as you say and has a good voice, I'm sure she'd do well there."

He's not lying, he just doesn't seem to get out into the city much and has a rather low opinion of people in general.

[Selinia]

"...okay then. Bye mister." She glances around the temple one last time, before returning to the streets. Well, there was some time wasted. All she'd gotten was the knowledge that some half-baked dragon deity had some clerics on staff here. She frustratedly punts a loose cobblestone along the road as she stormed along, the childish action not part of her disguise at all.

Fine then. Magic it was. She wished she still had access to her mother's library, but she'd have to do without.

OOC: Since my earlier attempt to find a practicing Diviner didn't give any results, trying again - this time for anyplace that sells scrolls - or better yet, a chance to copy spells from a proper book. Or even better, a diviner that she missed with her first try, but the odds of that seem pretty low, given that I had a natural 20 before.

Gather Information check: [roll0] Time: [roll1]

[Rizban]

She manages to find a street side fortune teller, complete with crystal ball.

[Selinia]

It was heading into evening, and Remilia was getting tired. So she didn't even bother with explanations. "Diviner, are you capable of casting a spell to find an individual? Preferably a precise location, but a simple direction would suffice if you cannot muster magic of that caliber. Anything at all, really..." She had a feeling that she was wasting her time, but she could be wrong... and she was desperate to find some whiff of a trail. She'd been chasing empty threads all day.

[Rizban]

She waves her hands over her crystal ball, which fills with smoke.

"You seek... a woman...
a dragon of many heads...

Hmm... Have you tried the temple of Tiamat?"

[Selinia]

"I did. Those there claimed that they hadn't seen her." Though thinking back, she hadn't actually checked beyond the entryway. Mother had always scolded her for being a poor judge of character... that man might have been lying too well for her to tell. She cursed herself inwardly for letting her frustration make her storm off without thinking.

Spells though, she could understand. They were so much nicer than people - they didn't lie, you just read them wrong. She looked carefully at the seer's motions as she made the gestures for her magic as she continued. "Are you sure its actually a dragon of many heads? Not many dragons twined around one another? And the person, is she okay?"

OOC: Spellcraft check: [roll0] Identify the old woman's spell, if possible.

[Rizban]

"I see... a...
Mongoose and a serpent, their battle is fierce. The mongoose dies!"

She seems to enter a trance.

"Fire and Water allies are, whilst earth and air art lovers.
The four are one where darkness dwells, evil above all others."

The trance ends.

"Seek the mongoose, ye serpent, yet kill it not, lest the elements destroy you."

[Selinia]

Remilia scowled as her mind seemed to almost cloud over, unable to draw anything but a blank about the casting in front of her. Still... there was a reason why of all the Dragons' schools, none ever shunned the Wind's gift of sight. If this woman was a charlatan, then she'd be wasting her time and possibly drawing the ire of a few priests of some half-baked deity. But if she was granting a true vision, and was ignored... whole branches of a family had fallen for less.

She nodded slowly. "...very well then. You have not yet stated what payment you wish. I expect you will now ask me for such?"

[Rizban]

"I've already received it, or will receive it... It's hard to tell sometimes what is past and what is future. Only the present moment is every truly clear as our memories of things to come and hope for things past become murky."

[Selinia]

That was... interesting. Remilia curtsied, acting more like a proper young lady than she usually did out of her childish disguise. "Dragons favor you, seer." She had a feeling they already did. And only a fool would be anything but impolite to one so blessed with arcana.

Remi looked up at the evening sky. There was... enough time left for one more visit, maybe? She didn't like taking risks. Normally, Gwen was there to help her out - the two of them had a way of baffling their way to a risk-free solution, usually laughing the whole way. Mother encouraged it. But she had to, at some point now... so she pivoted on her heel, making her way back to the temple of Tiamat. She was looking for answers. And is some peasant wanted to get in her way, she could use a vent for frustration right now.

[Rizban]

The commoners subconsciously sense her frustration and give her a wide berth. No one stops her. The man she spoke to before is not in sight from outside the temple.

[Selinia]

She enters the temple once more, looking for any obvious exits from the initial room, and taking in the structure of the place. She keeps hers eyes open for the man she spoke to before, who might need to be fed some sort of excuse for returning, but in a public room it was unlikely any of the others would pay much attention to a young girl.

OOC:
Search check: [roll0] Just walking along the temple interior seeing if any doors or other things of note jump out (aside from the non-hidden ones, which I assume she can see without Searching).

[Rizban]

There is a very small entry hall followed by a chapel area which can seat about 100 at a time. A large set of double doors is behind the altar at the front; however, the two temple guards there don't look like they'd let her through.

[Selinia]

Doing her best to keep her motions subtle as she stood just out of their line-of-sight, Remilia casts a minor divination and observed the guards and door again, holding the spell in her mind and trying to glean as much as she could.

OOC: Detect Magic cast, unless something stops her she'll observe for the full three rounds to see if there's any magic on the guards, altar, double doors, or anything else in the room. By my understanding, Concentration-duration still lets you move and act, so long as nothing (like damage) disrupts you, right?

[Rizban]

It takes a standard action each round to maintain concentration.

Please roll a d20.

[Selinia]

Unknown d20 roll: [roll0]
Well, that sucks.

[Rizban]

You do not detect magic of any kind on them or in the area around them.

I'm going to be pretty busy this coming week, so I might not update at all for a few days.

[Selinia]

Well, there were several ways this could go... she hoped these guards were no more intelligent or useful than the average goon considered useless enough to give such a dreary job.

She left the temple quietly, pausing in the street outside to think. Never use actions when words suffice. Never move a queen when a pawn will do just fine. But most of all, know the opponent you play against, and the goal of the game itself. She knew the latter, and from the conversations through the day, likely the former as well...

OOC: Don't worry about it. I'm going out of town over the weekend myself, so I'll be post-limited myself. Works out rather nicely, actually.

Knowledge Check (Local): [roll0] Tiamat is hardly the most savory deity. Has there been any suspicious talk about this temple in particular? Not necessarily reliable stuff - just rumors or even a generally unpopular reputation with the locals.

[Rizban]

She hears from a man on the corner about a rumor that evil dragons secretly run the temple and are planning to destroy the city. She also learns from the same man that the king is actually an awakened elephant and that a psychic sandwich rules most of Guildsman District.

Roll a d20.

[Selinia]

[roll0]

OOC: Just got back earlier today, should be able to get posting properly again tomorrow.

[Rizban]

She determines that exactly one of those three rumors is true. She just isn't sure which one.

[Selinia]

Any of those three could potentially prove useful, eventually, but right this second it didn't matter overmuch which one. Hopefully genocidal elephants/dragons wouldn't set their plans in motion for a little longer anyway.

Working up her most painfully adorable expression, peppering it with tears for added effect, she sprinted to the nearest guardhouse or group of city guards she could find. Sobbing incoherently, she grabbed one by a bit of clothing. "M-mister! H-help! You've g-gotta help, mister guard! P-please help!"

[Rizban]

The guard forcibly pulls her off of him.

"What do you want, kid?"

[Selinia]

She seems to calm down slightly, though tears still flow freely. "M-my big sister and I are new to town, and w-we were just walking through a side street, and, and..." She wipes her eyes, shuddering slightly. "And some people jumped right out and attacked us! It was awful! Normally she'd just make them go 'bam', but snuck up and hit her before she could even cast a s-spell, and they knocked her out and took her into some t-temple-place-thing. It had d-dragons on it, like the ones on their clothes, but they were mean and nasty looking..."

She looks down at her feet, muttering softly. "I only g-got away because big sis gave me a necklace that'd turn me invisible if I was gonna get hurt" She clutches at her Amulet of Tears - which was magical indeed, though hardly in the manner she'd described. "...and I ran away... but she's not dead! I know she isn't dead! You've g-gotta help her, mister! That's what guards do, right? You've gotta go and tell the bad-dragon men to give my sister back! She's everything!"

OOC:
Bluff check: [roll0]

[Rizban]

"If one of the dragon cults took your sister, then I'm not about to go look into it alone and wind up in the same fate. You're going to have to fill out some forms and start up a proper investigation."

[Selinia]

So, the watch was craven and corrupt. Well, that was something comfortingly familiar, at least. If rather annoying. Remilia briefly wished she could order this man beheaded, but that really wouldn't solve anything even if she could do that. Perhaps a different tact?

"B-but... please! I thought the guards were s-supposed to protect people? If you help her, I'm sure my sister would be really happy! She makes all sorts of wonderful magic-y things, and she'd probably give you whatever you wanted if you could help her! Magic, or... whatever! I'd make sure of it! I d-don't even care if you fight the bad men or whatever... j-just distract them or something, so I can get past them." Her face hardens slightly, with a sort of childish fearlessness. "My necklace can s-still be used more today. If I disappear, and can get to her, t-then I can give her her magic things and she'll make those dragon-people wish they'd never, ever ever even thought of hurting us! I know I can do it!"

OOC:
Bluff check:[roll0]
Once again, not sure if this is necessary - its partly an extension of the same lie, but its adding new elements. If its not needed, just keep the original bluff check.

[Rizban]

"And I can't protect people if I'm dead. Now, if you want your sister found, I'll help you fill out the paperwork, but I'm not about to go charging off to face an entire temple full of divine spellcasters by myself. I've got my own family to consider."

[Selinia]

Interesting... well, she supposed it might be worth a shot. He had a point - even with her magic, taking on an entire temple of clerics and their underlings was hardly the sanest prospect.

"...sorry mister. I'm just scared, is all." She looks up at the guard. "If I fill out the papers, then will somebody help my sister before they can hurt her? I just want to make sure that nothing bad happens to her... I don't think I'd be able to survive without her..." She sniffles slightly, then blinks a few times. "What do I have to do, anyway? I know where they are... but we don't have papers for rescuing people where I come from." They had papers for capturing people, but that was beside the point.

[Rizban]

A tall, lanky man stops to interrupt before the guard is able to lead you inside.

"Perhaps I might be of some service. I happen to be searching for a young human female, but all I know is that she has some connection to dragons and/or fiends. Evil dragons seems a logical leap. Little youngling, what can you tell me about your sister?"

[Selinia]

Remilia immediately begins sizing up the man as discreetly as she can. Was this one of Mother's spies? Could they have gotten here already? Or... maybe he was an enemy of hers? He'd just described her eerily well, though she considered her association with the Lower Ones to be purely academic and practical in nature.

"I dunno anything about fiends... sis summoned one, once or twice, and I think I read a book on them. We're from the East though, from the Empire. We ran away from a school there. I mean, she's not like, blood or anything, but she she's still my sister and... We know the Seven Dragons only want to make us stronger, but..." Her eyes watered up again. "They were going to take her away! We had to stay together, so we ran here... and now she's in trouble..." She hung her head before glancing up. "I don't know why anybody would be looking for her though. We weren't important at all, we just had a little bit of magic. Are you going to help Gwen? Please?"

She figures that skirting as close to the truth as possible is probably the best option here. He could be hostile. If he was, then odds were he'd have little trouble finding her out anyway and would know what to expect. If not, he could be a valuable pawn. She also gives a concise physical description of Gwen, as if in afterthought. She wasn't used to having to differentiate this person from that person - normally everyone she'd care to mention was widely known by name alone.

Bluff check: [roll0]

Edited in a few lines to make things more coherent. Was tired when I wrote that.

[Rizban]

Nodding, the man says "I'll certainly try. Where were the two of you when she was taken, and how long ago was it? I'm good at finding people, and that's what I'd like to do. I'm betting they took her to the temple of Tiamat, but I don't want the trail to go cold if they took her elsewhere. I am Gotchka. What might I call you, little one?"

[Selinia]

"Mm... you can call me Remi. Nice to meet you, Mister Gotcha. That's a good name for someone who finds people!"

She nods once, then pointed back the way she'd come. "We were kinda lost, so we were trying to cut through back to a main street. But..." A hesitant pause. "...yeah. They came out of nowhere and whacked sis just like that. 'Bonk' on the head, then she was all unconscious... she didn't even get a chance to cast a spell. I think they musta' used something magic, 'cause she wouldn't normally go down like that. They definitely were taking her towards a temple though! I followed them a little after I turn invisible. I dunno whose it was, but I can take you there if you want."

[Selinia]

"Umm... are they not coming out then?" Remi crosses her arms, clutching her shoulders as if cold and giving a nervous shudder. "I'm so, so sorry... I didn't know Mister Gotchka would do that. I didn't know what to do... I mean, I thought he might help me sneak in or something, but I wasn't expecting him to just rip those people apart..."

She looks up at the watchman nearest to her. "Could we... go back to wherever you're gonna put me now? If you're looking for my spellbook, it's in my bag." She holds up her bound hands and ineffectually wiggles her tied fingers to the extent she is able. "I don't want to cause any more trouble, and it isn't like I could if I did..."

[Rizban]

The guards take her north to the Fortress built on an island in the river. After confiscating everything but her clothing, she is placed in a cell on the ground floor to await official interrogation.

[Selinia]

She cooperates fully, not resisting any of the procedures (though she does ask the guards to take good care of her spellbook, and seems deeply downcast by its removal). In her cell, she quietly sits on a cot and kicks her legs, trying to get some sleep if it seems like it will be a while before they get around to talking to her.

[Rizban]

About two hours later, a man enters the room and places a small fold out table and chair in the center. Sitting down, he begins to write on a piece of paper.

"Please, tell us in your own words what happened."

[Selinia]

"Well, um... is it okay if I go back a little? 'Cause it isn't going to make much sense if I start in the middle." She took a deep breath... but after several hours to think about it, she'd decided that nothing would serve her quite so well as the truth... Most of it, anyway.

"Gwen and I are from the Empire of Seven Dragons, from the east. Guinevere, I mean. We were students there." She looks slightly sheepish here. "...I know it's bad to run away from school, but the people there are not nice at all. We were doing pretty well in our classes, but they were going they separate us. So... we left. We were supposed to meet up here, because we figured Aldhaven is pretty much one of the Empire's least favorite places, like, anywhere."

"I wasn't expecting the city to be so... big though. I was having trouble finding Gwen, so I went to a diviner. They said that she was in some sort trouble, and thought that the temple of Tiamat might be involved. I was panicking kinda then, because from what I've heard of Tiamat she is not a nice lady. So I went to the closest guard-post I could find, because I was hoping to get some help. I ran into Mister Gotchka there - he didn't look like a guard really, but he offered to help and I thought he might be one of those mercenary adventurers."

"He said he was a hunter, so I thought he might be one of those sneaky... sneaky people. When we got there, there was a paladin there already. At least, I think she was a paladin - she was acting all like 'JUSTICE GOOD, TIAMAT BAD', and usually people don't do that unless they've got a reason to. She talked to us a bit, but we tried to just go on past and into the temple."

"Except, the problem was that there were quite a few people there, and I wasn't really sure what to do... so I said to Mister Gotchka that maybe we shouldn't hang around much longer, and I was thinking maybe we should come back to the guards because I wasn't really seeing any way even a sneaky-person could sneak in."

Remi pales slightly, and looks sick again. "I dunno what exactly he did then, but Mister Gotchka went, like... crazy or something. He jumped like a bajillion feet in the air and somehow like... ripped the guards apart. Like, apart apart..." She swallowed hard, putting her hands over her mouth and closing her eyes for a few seconds. Throwing up on the guard probably was a bad idea in this situation.

"I didn't know what to do then. I mean, the other people in the temple ran out, and I probably should have done that, but I was just... in shock. I've done mock duels in school, but I've never seen someone just ripped apart like that. Their bodies didn't even look human when Gotchka was done with them, and he didn't even seem unsettled or anything. The paladin lady - she was a dragonborn, I think - she was all scaly and stuff - came in right then, but she just kinda stood there."

"Then Mister Gotchka asked me to open up the door - 'cause there was a big gold door there, deeper into the temple, and it was locked. I summoned a bison then, and told it to break the lock, because I dunno what he would have done if I hadn't... he probably could have killed me before I could even cast invisibility. I mean, he didn't threaten me but... I mean, he killed someone without any warning at all, and I was scared..." She shudders again. "Anyway, it broke the lock and then I let it go away."

"Another dragonborn showed up then, I think. I wasn't really paying attention so I'm not exactly sure when he arrived, but I think it was after the lady dragonborn - Server... something, the lady's name was. Servergen? I can't remember the man's at all, but I think I saw him get out a little after me. They talked a little. I tried to just stay inconspicuous, but they asked some questions and I answered. They wanted to know what I thought was deeper in the temple and I said I thought it was an immature dragon..."

"Anyway, I was kind of hoping to run into someone then. Gotchka opened a side door, and there was a monk there. He said something about the watch I think, and then Gotchka said something about asking the lady dragonborn if he could kill him. Then the monk did some magic - I didn't recognize it, I think it was divine, so maybe he was a cleric - and set his hands on fire. He moved at us and said he was going to subdue us or something."

"Everyone was distracted right then, so I tried to cast a spell to fill the hallway with gas. It shouldn't hurt anyone, just make it hard to attack or anything like that. It... didn't work. But after that everyone started fighting each other, so I ran away as fast as I could. I didn't think they'd notice me with all the punching and stuff the monk was doing."

"Then when I got out, I saw the guards and let them arrest me. I think I saw the dragonborn guy leave too - I'm not exactly sure what he was, but he was breathing a lot of fire and stuff. I've not really done anything since I got taken here that you all haven't seen."

She pauses, thinking for a little bit. "That's everything I can remember, I think... umm... is that okay? Are there any other questions I should answer?"

[Rizban]

"Uh... huh."

After you finish, he writes maybe three words on the paper then packs up and leaves.

"We'll let you know."

[Selinia]

"Okay then." She remains on the chair, kicking her feet idly again. This little habit wasn't actually part of her persona at all - she was simply terrible at sitting still for any period of time, and there were few chairs where she could actually touch the ground with the soles of her feet properly.

"Umm... should I just wait then? I... don't wanna go to sleep yet. I've heard you don't have dreams if you wait until you're really, really tired to go to bed... I don't think my dreams tonight would be good dreams..."

[Rizban]

The only response is the slamming of the cell door.

[Selinia]

Remi takes full advantage of her complete lack of options, remaining in the cell until something else comes up.

[Rizban]

They hold you accessory to murder, and the judge tries you in absentia based on your confession. He finds you guilty; however the court chooses to show you mercy by only levying a heavy fine.

They levy a 1,000gp fine against you and release you.

When they return your possessions, you receive your Amulet of Tears, Backpack, Cloak of Charisma +2, 7 Sunrods, and Amulet of Navigation.

They keep your Mask of Lies and Disguise Kit as "contraband items," and they say they have no record of your 3 Potions of Lesser Vigor.

Your Spell Component Pouch and Spellbook and held as "evidence" pending further investigation.


The guard who comes to release you whispers, "file an appeal" just loud enough that no one else can hear.

[Selinia]

Remilia wasn't exactly happy with the fine, but it was... bearable. The loss of her veil was worse - she needed that.

But they'd taken her spellbook. Her spellbook.

She felt like throwing a kicking, screaming tantrum at that. She probably would, later, at their utter indecency. You did not take someone's spellbook! It wasn't done! It was beyond rude, it was a violation! Like... like taking your clothes and kicking you out on the street! And... and... it didn't even make any sense! However, after stubbing her toe against a masonry wall with a furious kick, she remembers the guard's little tidbit. There really was no logical reason to continue holding her book as evidence - a conviction had already been made against her, and they'd certainly had a chance to analyze it already in any case. There probably wouldn't be much trouble in getting it back. An argument might even be made that the mask and kit were legitimate conjuring aids (which in normal circumstances, they were), but she wasn't sure how 'legitimate' summoning up bound entities even was here.

OOC:

Knowledge (Local) check: [roll0] What exactly would filing an appeal for the return of (at least some) of her confiscated stuff entail? At the very least, where and how should she start the process?

[Rizban]

Well, she's already at the Fortress, the main garrison of the City Watch. The three local magistrates hold court here, and it is here that all complaints, suits, and appeals must be filed. Unfortunately, you don't know which of the three magistrates tried your case.

[Selinia]

Gather Information check: [roll0] Look through any available records to try and find which magistrate took her case. Time check: [roll1]

[Rizban]

Unfortunately, such records are not open to the public.

[Selinia]

Well then... I suppose I haven't tried the obvious yet.

Remi asks for the paperwork to file an appeal for the return of confiscated possessions.

[Rizban]

The guard she asks says, "Well, you'll need to provide the court with proof of citizenship or be vouched for by a citizen in order to file any sort of appeal.

[Selinia]

Annoying. More bureaucracy.

Still, she puts on a polite face and thanks the guard before leaving and beating a path for the mage quarter. Specifically, to the arcane university she had visited earlier. Wizards of all people should realize the severity of what the guard had done, and it was here that she was most likely to find someone sympathetic to her cause.

She spends some time there talking with any students or staff she can find, relaying that she was a recent arrival whose spellbook has been 'confiscated' by the city watch after detaining her in the aftermath of a scuffle in the Temple district she'd gotten caught up in.

OOC:

Gather Information check: Taking 10: [16] Asking around for anyone willing to write her a voucher so she can file an appeal, preferably as a favor to a fellow mage in need, but in exchange for one if nobody is willing to simply give her one.

[Rizban]

To those she explains her story to, they kindly explain that it's standard procedure, much like taking a sword away from a Fighter. She's just lucky she isn't some sort of innate caster who would be locked in the antimagic ward during investigations.

No one seems to be willing to vouch for someone they don't really know. Perhaps if she tried to befriend one or two of them through some roleplay first...

[Selinia]

Remi finds herself in conversation with someone who seems to reasonably sympathize with her, listening to their response and quietly observing them.

OOC: Apologies if I'm being a little bare-bones with RPing right now. Since I don't really know anyone in the University yet, the purpose of that check is largely to find someone. Not sure exactly who that may actually be.

[Rizban]

She finds herself in conversation with one of the students who seems to hate the City Watch for reasons he doesn't reveal.

[Selinia]

She nods slightly at the statement that it makes sense. Because on some level, it does. A messed up, spellbook stealing level, true...

Running a hand through her long hair in frustration, she sighs and looks up from the bit of slate flooring she'd been observing so intently. "I... suppose. Still, I mean, it isn't like they need it! I cooperated with them, gave them what they asked for. And then not only do they fine me for pretty much the entire fund I'd been planning to use to set up here, they confiscate my spellbook as 'evidence' for a case that they've already convicted and punished me for!"

She holds her arms out wide. "I need that book. A fighter can find a new sword in like, what, maybe... twenty minutes in the trade district? That thing is years of study! I've been working on it since I was a toddler! I can't even replace it thanks to the 'generosity' of the court in taking away the money I might have bought it with."

A bit of anger bleeds out of her voice at the end, and she rubs her eyes softly. "Sorry. I don't mean to raise my voice. But... really, I'm having a hard time seeing the logical side in being tossed on the street with an empty wallet and no means to defend myself." Lowering her hand again, she looks the student in the eye. "Forgive me if I seem like I'm prying, but you didn't exactly seem happy with the Guard when you talked about them just then. Have they given you problems too?"

[Rizban]

"Well, they probably just don't want you committing any more crimes with it or have some other case dependent on it or something. I don't really know. It's not like I work for them.

Well, that's why you should file an appeal... or we could try to steal it back... Yeah! That would show those bastards. Let's do it! I know this guy who...

Oh... m-me? N-no... no problems. Right, no, they're just totally unfair and uh... y-yeah."

[Selinia]

Remi laughs softly at that, muffling the sound slightly with a hand over her mouth. "Somehow I don't think theft is really the best way to make them less annoyed at me, but thanks for the suggestion. It certainly crossed my own mind when they told me they'd be keeping hold of it."

She raised the hand up then, waving it apologetically. "I mean, the way my luck is going, I'd probably wind up being executed at the end of that. What are the odds of showing up in town looking for a friend, and having the person who offers to help you out be some sort of serial killer? I mean, I don't see much wrong with some mischief now and then, but this guy went from chatting one second to murdering temple guards the next. Dragons, I tried to stop him, but the city guards apparently doesn't realize that Cloud of Bewilderment is strictly non-lethal."

She seems slightly nervous for a moment. "The odds... are low, aren't they? This town isn't full of serial killers or anything, is it? Gah, now I'm feeling nervous about my safety, let alone anything else..."

[Rizban]

"Serial killers, eh? With the influx of adventurers... well, that's kind of the definition of "adventurer," isn't it? Slaughtering others to take their stuff and make a profit."

[Selinia]

"I suppose... that's not exactly comforting though." She sighs, and glances out a window. "Why are there so many adventurers around anyway? Aren't they supposed to like, plunge into ruins and dark caves and stuff and leave normal people alone? Murdering everything in sight might work if you're storming a crypt full of zombies or something, but I think they forget that that stops applying when they visit town..."

[Rizban]

"We live in crazy times. Probably because there's so much money to be made here by killing people."]

[Selinia]

"Yeah. I heard your ruler is on his deathbed or something." She chuckles a little. "One thing I have to give my home credit for is that there are generally so many people planning coups at any given time, they've had so much practice by the time the throne is actually empty that actual succession goes off like clockwork. I think the record is something like twelve Emperors in three days, without a single army getting fielded."

Remi quickly resumes her nervous stance though. "Still, adventurous or otherwise, the idea that so many lunatics are just walking around in the bright of day is sorta disturbing. I don't regret leaving, but it kinda makes me miss my old school..." The girl ponders that for a long moment before eyes snapping wide with an idea. "Hey, I know it's probably the middle of a term, but is it possible to enroll here? The Guard took most of my money, but I'm sure I can find work for tuition once I get my spellbook back. I was top of my class in conjuring back home, and things make sense in school."

[Rizban]

"Well, yeah, I think tuition starts at 10,000 per semester though. It isn't cheap."

[Selinia]

"Can't say I expected anything less, really... I'm still a little surprised that the school is public at all. Most rulers aren't keen on just anybody getting a hold of magic. Still, I can probably find the money somewhere if I look. My first problem is still getting my book back though. Aside from the sentimental value, I'm not really good at much else aside from magic, and I can't really see myself making much in the way of a living without it."

"Anyway, thanks for hearing me out. More than a lot of people of done." She scowls, scuffing the ground with a booted foot. "I hate this going around having to scrounge up a stupid voucher though. It feels like begging. Look, I know there's a good reason that they need it and all, but could you lend me a hand? I'd owe you a huge favor afterwords if you have something you need done."

She taps a finger lightly on her hip, as if trying to remember something. "Oh, yeah, I'm not sure I introduced myself! My name is Remilia. Its a pleasure to meet you."

[Rizban]

"You could always just start a new book instead. I mean, surely, it can't be too hard. If you still have some spells prepared, can't you just write them down again?"

[Selinia]

"Yeah, because the lawmen gave me a large supply of inks and arcane dusts to properly inscribe the pages when they looted my savings." She digs into a pocket, producing a depressingly deflated money-pouch. "I have enough here for a nice stay at an inn or maybe a sharpened stick, but I wouldn't be able to afford a single page's worth of supplies. I have to give them credit, if their goal was to keep me from casting spells, they were certainly quite through..."

[Rizban]

"Well, a new book isn't too much, but I can't exactly afford one myself. If you can get a new book, I can filch some supplies from one of my labs for you to use. It's the least I can do for you."

[Selinia]

"Really? I mean, like seriously?" The young conjurer's eyes go wide at the offer. "That stuff isn't exactly cheap. I can probably find a blank spellbook in a few hours of shopping, tops, but if you could get me the components to write down even a few pages... I mean, that would be great. I might actually have a decent shot at something then."

Remilia pauses, hesitating for a split second. "But... I don't even know your name. Could I at least get an introduction before you go nicking stuff on my behalf?"

[Rizban]

"Alton. Alton Pirner."

[Selinia]

"Well then, Alton, you have my thanks!" The wizard smiles and curtsies with a slightly theatrical flourish. "When and where would you care to meet then? As I said, it should take me a couple hours at most to find a decently-priced quality spellbook. Sometime in the evening, perhaps?"

[Rizban]

"I won't have lab again until day after tomorrow. I can have the supplies for you then."

[Selinia]

"Once more, you have my thanks! I shall see you again then, in that case. Best of luck! See you again then." Smiling, she turned away, leaving the building at a brisk pace.

Assuming nothing disturbs her in doing so, she will proceed to purchase a blank spellbook (preferably something simple and durable - it was only intended to last until she could get her real one back, after all) from somewhere in the mage quarter. Such is a fairly fundamental bit of spellcasting paraphernalia, so it is unlikely there would be much trouble in finding one for sale.

OOC: This seems like it could be found in almost any magic-related shop at all, but just in case, Gather Information check to find a store that sells blank spellbooks. [roll0] Time check: [roll1]

[Rizban]

There are indeed several stores that sell them for exactly the price in the PHB.

[Selinia]

She purchases it.

Figuring that, no matter how annoying it was, there was little she could do without even a rudimentary spellbook, Remi decides that her best option is simply to wait out the duration until that Alton Pirner had her supplies. She really hoped that it wasn't a trap, but she didn't really have many options at this point.

As lying low was probably her best bet, she checks into a comfortable inn; nothing lavish, just someplace with clean rooms and decent food. Frustrated at this series of infuriating setbacks, she spends most of the wait either curled up in her bed or sulking in the common room trawling for any information on Guinevere. She'd lost her one decent lead, but Remilia refused to believe that her friend wasn't somewhere in Aldhaven.

OOC:

She's staying at the first inn she can find that fits the 'good' criteria and seems to be fairly reputable, and pays for food and meals for two days. She spends a good chunk of this time trying to get information on her still-missing companion from anyone passing through. Anything that could be relevant would be nice, since I don't really have any specific leads to follow up on.

Not positive what time it is, but she ought to be able to make at least a few checks in her time there. I figure that its probably early afternoon at the moment (maybe say, 4:00 PM), so assuming she goes to bed at midnight, she has eight hours to Gather Information in tonight. Getting up at eight the next day and going to bed at midnight again would give her sixteen hours the next day, for a total of ~24 hours, so just ignore any of the rolls whose time would put them over that.

Gather Information Checks:

Roll one:[roll0] Time: [roll1]
Roll two:[roll2] Time: [roll3]
Roll three:[roll4] Time: [roll5]
Roll four:[roll6] Time: [roll7]
Roll five:[roll8] Time: [roll9]
Roll six:[roll10] Time: [roll11]
Roll seven:[roll12] Time: [roll13]
Roll eight:[roll14] Time: [roll15]
Roll nine:[roll16] Time: [roll17]

[Rizban]

You arrive at Henrietta's Happy Hostel.

Welcome to your team up thread. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11419922#post11419922)

[Selinia]

Sleep. The bed was stupid, cramped, and uncomfortable. But she was dead tired, so she was able to get over that long enough to catch the perquisite winks for functionality. She hadn't really been able to relax for some time though, and wasn't about to start in this rather harrowing situation.

So in the morning, she rolled out of bed with a groan, the coarse material of the bed a harsh aide to wakefulness. She had a day to kill, before the appointment could be met. Might as well make it a useful one. She didn't want to get into any...situations... but asking questions couldn't hurt. She'd been hasty before. This time, she needed information. A few minutes to put her hair in a configuration that wouldn't wind up strangling her, and she was ready to go.

She stuck to the streets and gathering places as close to the inn as she could, asking the same question she had been since she had arrived in this dragons-forsaken blemish of a city...

OOC: Gather Information spam, just using the rolls I made back in Remi's character thread.

Simply moved here for clarity's sake from the now-non-functional team-up thread.

[Rizban]

After five hours of asking around, she hears of a woman matching that description who was seen in the Docks. Unfortunately, she also learns that there is currently great unrest in the Docks and that it's unsafe, potentially deadly, at any time of day.

[Selinia]

Slow, methodical questioning - it was a different tract than what she'd used before, but she didn't want to wind up in another situation like the one she'd narrowly escaped so recently. She was about ready to rethink her course of action when she stumbled across what seemed to be a potentially golden nugget of information.

If it was true, it was rather upsetting. Mightily so, actually. But Remi managed to check the impulsive part of her telling the young mage to just run off to the docks and begin a search. No, that had gone horribly last time - she couldn't even be sure this information was completely reliable. Guinevere wasn't exactly the sort to hang out in a seedy sty of peasantry and worse any more than Remilia was, which meant that either the information was wrong, or something else had gone as such. Either way, she needed to think this through, get more information. And of course, a spellbook... losing hers still stung. She'd get it back, eventually, but still.

For now, she kept up her questions, but along a new line. Namely - why precisely were the docks dangerous? Better yet, how could one ensure they weren't - or at least, were minimally so - during one's own visit.

OOC:
Assuming Remi gets up at 8, it should be about 1PM now, just keeping track of time.

More Gather Information checks, gathering wisdom on how to survive a trip to the docks. If she doesn't find anything by around ten o'clock, she'll call it off and head back to the inn to get some sleep.

Roll 1:[roll0] Time: [roll1]
Roll 2:[roll2] Time: [roll3]
Roll 3:[roll4] Time: [roll5]
Roll 4:[roll6] Time: [roll7]

[Rizban]

By 8pm, she learns that there seems to be a gang war that's getting more and more open, and there seems to be at least three gangs involved in it though possibly more.

[Selinia]

Since burning the docks to the ground didn't seem to be an option, Remi resigned herself to thinking on that particular problem and coming back to it when she was sure it was one she'd have to face. One thing that was obvious though was that she'd want to minimize her time in that area, so she'd need an exact destination before even considering heading out.

But it was getting rather late, and she hadn't eaten since breakfast, so she deemed it best to take it easy for now and fall back to the inn, eat, and rest up for tomorrow. But progress had been made, and she'd be able to act on it soon. If that mage boy didn't follow through, she'd have to think of some creative way to disembowel him.

On that pleasant note, should nothing else disturb her, Remilia drifts off into sleep.

[Rizban]

She sleeps well and awakes the next morning fully refreshed.

[Selinia]

OOC: I'm terribly, terribly sorry about how long I've been unable to really get into this. But now my schedule has calmed down a good bit, and I'm fairly certain I'll be able to post with solid regularity again. Again, deepest apologies and I'm looking forward to picking this back up.

Remi yawns, rubbing the sleepy grit from her eyes as she wakes up. She hadn't really expected to sleep quite so well. Perhaps she was getting used to these filthy excuses for sleeping quarters? She prodded the straw bunking, finger contacting the rough material and bringing a scowl to her features. No. She really wasn't. Stupid plebeians, unable to even make a proper bed-cover.

No, it was probably more that she'd actually made progress yesterday. She had an abiding love for making progress. Too much so, in fact - Gwen usually checked her before she wandered off some metaphorical cliff. But that whole incident with the temple and the moron of a seer (may her entrails be the subject of culinary delight for an assortment of small reptiles) had given her enough of a shock to make her ease on the brakes a little. She had no concrete reason to rush, and it seemed there were consequences for doing so here.

So, with that in mind, she deliberately took to pacing herself. She laced up her boots, did her hair in a clumsy braid, and ate a calming breakfast of... okay, Dragons take this. She scarfed down a meal of whatever flavorless dirt-substitute the nearby eatery was offering, and set off towards the Academy with due haste. She wanted her magic back.

Killing any necessary time by pacing and angry fuming (disguised as deep thought) at assorted entities, she eventually met with Alton at the time and place he had specified before, her new (and sadly, blank) spellbook in hand. She greets the mage with the cheeriest demeanor she can muster, and a simple "Hey. Nice to see you again!" Etiquette dictated that it was generally a good idea to make small talk before a request. But she couldn't be blamed if she'd really rather keep it at a bare minimum.

[Rizban]

He meets you in a common study area, leads you to a table, then drops a load of textbooks and a small bag of enough magical supplies to let her record 9 pages of spells into your book.

"It's all I could get right now... If anyone says anything, you're an unofficial, freelance wizard offering tutoring advice."

He sits down across from you, cracks open a textbook, and begins writing notes from it, trying to not look suspicious at all and failing miserably. After a moment, he begins studying in earnest and appears completely relaxed and unlikely to draw attention.

[Selinia]

"Tutoring, huh?" She supposed it was a fairly viable cover. She certainly had the ability to tutor a fellow mage (at least, a novice or a journeyman) in conjuration, even if she lacked the patience most of the time. Still, she supposed she could try her best, and it was relatively unlikely that anyone would approach her in any case.

She was more interested in the supplies, truly. It wasn't much, and the inks weren't exactly the elegant colored inscription tools she would have liked to used, but they were magic. She cracked open her new spellbook and began transcribing from memory - the crystal-clear images of her uncast spells lingering in her mind even days after she'd first memorized them. She knew from the small inkwells that she was limited, so she began with her most important spells and worked backwards. Small, empty vials began to accumulate in disorderly rows next to her as she scratched out the movements with an oddly precise, jagged handwriting.

-Edited to actually conform to reality. Doh.-

OOC: Yay! Spells again!

Putting down...

Summon Monster III (3/9)
Grease (4/9)
Invisibility (6/9)
Web (8/9)
Caltrops (9/9)

Also, she'll be finally cashing in the levelup she's been holding back since she got that pile of Xp after the Timat battle/massacre. Leveling up in Malconvoker, and picking Summon Monster IV and Black Tentacles as her level-up spells.

Also, levelup health roll: [roll0]

Oops, I think I misread my XP total. Nevermind. Still 5k to go until levelup, I think. Sorry about that.

[Rizban]

It takes the whole day to inscribing your spells, but you do manage to finish undisturbed. He tell you that, unfortunately, he can't get a hold of any more supplies at the moment without raising suspicion.

[Selinia]

"Well, honestly, I already owe you a lot just for what you've done. The essentials are here, and if I have those I think I can take what fire and wind have to throw at me." Remi flashes a sparkling smile. "Seriously, thanks. It's nice to have one of these again, even if it isn't complete. I think the last time I'd been without a spellbook was when I was like, five. Hopefully I can go without repeating the experience."

The girl cleans up her workstation, clearing away the quills and inkwells and assorted traces and such with little effort, never straying more than a few feet from her new spellbook. "I'm still broke, but I think I can work though it now. Speaking of which, is there anyplace around this city that could hire a competent Conjurer? I'm not a big fan of danger, but I'm not seeing many ways around it. My marketable skills are sorta... narrowly focused." She shuddered a little. "And... well, the alternative is more or less standing around and... looking pretty. And I'd really rather not resort to that."

Remilia shrugs and returns to a cheery exterior. "Anyway, no worries if you can't think of anything. I'm sure something will come up. And if you ever need a favor returned, remember me, okay?"

[Rizban]

"Well, I don't know anything really. I'm on a full scholarship, so I've not needed a job since I got here. Sorry that I can't help you..."

[Selinia]

Remi shrugs again, seemingly unperturbed. "Good luck with your studies then. It shouldn't be too hard to find something. Any city this... disorganized... must have someone somewhere looking for a magic-user. Until next we meet then, Alton." She curtsies, and excuses herself from the library, then from the school, making her way towards the same dull but increasingly familiar inn she had been frequenting the past few nights. She drops a gold piece on the counter on her way in, retiring with minimum fuss.

Assuming nothing interrupts her sleep, she wakes the next day as she had done the previous ones. Grabbing a meal and hitting the street in search of... work. The thought was distasteful, but she actually needed money. Even once she found Gwen, they'd need some form of income. And to find her, she needed magic that could really only be bought.

She'd always heard of mercenary companies, of course, even back in the Empire. They were favorite tools of various houses, and even private backers found that they had their uses. The work was dangerous, which was something that left Remilia slightly disgruntled, but the pay was good. And she'd rather race a few ultimately-avoidable risks than continue sleeping in such wretched conditions. Any city of this size likely had at least a few mercenary companies quartered in it, and if it was anything like home, magic-users would be a sought-after prize among them.

She just had to find one that wouldn't stab her in her sleep...

OOC:

More Gather Information! This time, looking for any military/mercenary groups that might be recruiting adventurer-sorts. Preferably a company or something where she could be deployed with actual allies on missions, as opposed to 'adventurer's guilds' where they just hand out solo quests. But anything (beyond those being spouted by the crier) hiring would be noted. She'll be starting her search, as usual, at 8AM, and going until midnight, so the first sixteen hours worth of rolls.

Roll 1:[roll0] Time: [roll1]
Roll 2:[roll2] Time: [roll3]
Roll 3:[roll4] Time: [roll5]
Roll 4:[roll6] Time: [roll7]
Roll 5:[roll8] Time: [roll9]

[Rizban]

To her great fortune, a mercenary company has recently arrived in Aldhaven. The Lucky Lads have been hired by House Dietrich to retake the docks from the hobgoblins and other gangs in the hopes that reliable and profitable trade can be restored.

[Selinia]

She mulled over her findings as she returned from a remarkably productive hunt. A promising lead... even if they shared the apparently universal mercenary affliction of an absurd name. And as a bonus, they were planning to operate in the Docks - where she was intending to She tried to think if she'd heard of this particular group before, but it wasn't as if she had a wide selection to choose from.

The usual routine. Check in, a meal, sleep.

When she woke, she took a tad more care than she had the past couple days to look presentable. Hair neatly braided, clothes as straight and clean as she could get them, and sorely wishing for some cosmetics she could use to make herself look a little less like a kid. Hopefully the spellbook would do that.

So attired, she left the little inn once more (hoping somewhat that she wouldn't need to come back), heading towards wherever it was that the Lucky Lads were said to be recruiting.

OOC:

Knowledge Check (History): [roll0]
Knowledge Check (Local): [roll1]

I'm not entirely sure which it falls more under, but Remilia is trying to think if she's ever heard of the Lucky Lads before. At the least, hoping to get a general idea of their reputation, and anything notable about them in particular.

[Rizban]

The officers for the Lucky Lads are holed up in the Sad Flint. The rest of the militia is camping just outside the city on the south side of the river.

[Selinia]

Sad Flint... the name rang a bell. It took a few moments to tease the information out of her memory, which didn't seem to have quite risen from bed yet, but indeed she had heard of it before - it was that smoky-looking inn near the city entrance. At least it would be easy to find.

Upon doing so, she would enter the tavern and take a look around to see if there were any immediately obvious representatives of the Lucky Lads. And for that matter, to just take a look at the place - it was apparently fairly well known, from its reputation as a hub of assorted adventurers. Ugh. Adventurers.

[Rizban]

Three gnomes in bright green outfits (http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090504113802/uncyclopedia/images/thumb/f/fd/Leprechaun_army.jpg/250px-Leprechaun_army.jpg) sit around a table drinking. They are the most immediately obvious in the room.

[Selinia]

Remilia really found herself wishing that she had a few more inches. Usually she didn't care about her height, but it could make being taken seriously harder than it ought to be. Still, standing as tall and proudly as she could, she approached the table.

"Sirs, would you be officers in the Lucky Lads?" She hoped she was taking the right track here. She had little experience with mercenaries, personally, but they were basically merchants when you got down to it. Perhaps they would appreciate directness. "My name is Remilia. If you are who I think you are, I would ask how one might go about signing onto your force."

...perhaps that was too blunt? She really couldn't do anything but wait and see, now.

[Rizban]

Being gnomes, she towers over them.

"You don't look like much, little girl. Why don't you just go home?"

"Why would you want to go and do something like that?"

"Well, I could probably use a girl like you in my tent..."

[Selinia]

She maintains her composure, slinging her spellbook into her hands and speaking calmly. Of course, she'd have preferred simply punching that third gnome (or better yet, having something devour his innards) but that would just put her in prison again, which would suck.

"I may be young, but I am a trained conjurer. I can summon a Nashrou or a celestial bison in under three seconds, and have it ready to fight the moment it hits the ground, or smother an entire squad of soldiers in webbing while not so much as touching my allies. I don't really mind violence, though I prefer to remain at least ten feet away from it if possible since spellcasting runs into some annoying hiccups otherwise. And I need a decent source of pay - which came down to either selling my combat skills, or selling my body. I'm choosing the former."

"I've heard that your people have been contracted to help clear the docks. Can you really say that another competent mage among their numbers wouldn't be worth a bit of pay?"

[Rizban]

"A shame you didn't pick both. You still could, you know."

"Shut it, ó Faoláin. Yer mouth is worse than the gruel they serve here."

"Yeah? Then prove it. Conjure me up something frightening."

[Selinia]

"...here? Pardon the clarification, sirs, but I have difficulty seeing how summoning anything 'terrifying' in the middle of a busy tavern would not garner some rather unwanted attention. People have a tendency to react poorly to demons, even bound ones. At best, they would likely throw me - and likely you - right out the front door." Remilia nods to the frothy mugs in the hands of the three gnomes.

"Alternately, with the reputation of this place, it might spark a brawl. Either way, as you are currently occupied, I would think myself terribly rude to risk interrupting you. However, when you are done, I would be happy to demonstrate what I can conjure. Do you by any chance have lodgings here where I could do so without causing undue alarm?"

[Rizban]

"Well, that's the point, lass. If you can't scare a few drunks, how are you gonna fare in combat?

And, really, if we were staying here, do ya think I'd be daft 'nuff to tell you to summon? Silly girl. Run along now."

He continues to stare at you.

[Selinia]

Remilia met the gnome's gaze, trying to gauge whether he was serious or not. But she'd never really been very good at judge intentions, which left her with a few options. She could simply walk away... or she could take him up on his offer.

Aw, well, it'd been too long since she'd smelled brimstone anyway. She shrugs, ambivalent.

"...very well then. If you're willing, I suppose I am as well. A moment, please." The mage mutters a short incantation beneath her breath, snapping her fingers on the final syllable and indicating an open space in the tavern's commons. A whiff of sulfur and brief wave of heat swept through the room as the spell tore a gate to the plain of the abyss and vomited forth their contents.

The nashrou fell hard, hitting the floor in a tangle of legs and clawed appendages. However, within seconds it was upright (or as close to it as possible indoors), and glaring around at the patrons with opaque cerulean eyes. However, it kept to itself, not attacking or even moving save to slowly rotate around and view the room as a whole.

"Satisfied that I can do what I say I can now?" Remi takes a small step back, bringing her closer to the gnomish officers, and speaks quietly to the apparent leader. "Or do you want to see it tip over some drunks or something?"

Actions:

Casting Summon Monster III.

[planswalker]

The half-giant bartender gives a shout, leaps over the bar, and three nearby tables animate and approach the demon. "Whoever summoned that, dismiss it now. This is your warning."

[Selinia]

The demon gives what appears to a small, forlorn wave (or possibly a wrathful, directionless strike, it was hard to tell in context) with a limb as it poofs out of existence with another - much smaller - plume of soot. It was soon gone just as thoroughly and suddenly as it had appeared.

Quietly, Remi adds to the gnomes. "I'm pretty sure it could take a couple tables, but I'd rather not be paying bills for anything that gets smashed. Or worse. If I had the money to replace magical furniture on a whim, I probably wouldn't really need a job in the first place. Anyway, I'd hope I've at least proven I'm a conjurer by now."

[planswalker]

"You cast like that again in here, and broken tables are the least of your troubles." The half-giant bartender says as he deftly leaps back over the bar.

[Selinia]

Remi nods at the bartender, but continues to await the gnomish officers' answer.

OOC:

I feel dumb for not thinking of it earlier, but it just occurred to me that Planswalker's post would mean my thread wasn't actually showing me as posting last. Doh. At least this should fix it. :smallsigh:

[Rizban]

The three gnomes are laughing so hard that they can barely talk. One tries to drink his beer, but it comes out of his nose, sending the three to laughing (and coughing) even harder. The leader shoots you a thumbs up but is laughing too hard to speak.

[Selinia]

Remilia feels a bit of relief at the thumbs-up. Apparently, it had worked out. A little less wary, she let herself chip a few giggles into the din of gnomish laughter. It was rather funny, after all; simple, true - but there was a reason that 'messing with commoners' was a pastime which endured through all cultures and ages.

Waiting for the laughter to die down, she ventures a confirmation. "So... would I be wrong to take that as a 'yes'? If my magic passes muster, there's probably a contract I should sign or something of that order, correct?"

[Rizban]

"Yeah, sure. Drinks first though."

[Selinia]

Remilia waits until the officers finish their drinks. After all, there was no rush now.

[Rizban]

As much as they drink, you would swear they were dwarves with that racial resistance to poisons like alcohol. They remain up drinking the entire rest of the night and part of the next morning before finally staggering out into the street, apparently having forgotten about you.

[Selinia]

Of course they would get smashed beyond all reason. Remilia sighs (perhaps a little more theatrically than strictly necessary) and follows the officers out into the street. Finding a pace that would keep her moving along with them in their drunken march, she phrases the question as simply as she could.

"Sirs, would you mind if I accompanied you back to your barracks? I'm sure someone there can show me any paperwork I need to take care of at that point."

[Rizban]

The lead gnomes immediately snaps out of his drunken stupor, seemingly rather disappointed.
"Well, that could have lased longer. Ah, well... such is life. Yes, yes, come along back to our camp. We'll get you signed up straight away."

He leads you west towards Mages' Quarter and then out of the city through the gate. About a quarter mile out, you find a few hundred tents pitched along the southern shore of the river.

"And here we are. If you'll just accompany me into my tent, we'll get all the necessary paperwork signed."

He throws aside the flap of the largest tent in the camp and turns to you to let you enter first.

You notice that the camp is just coming alive with the rising of the sun. Men of different races and starting up cook fires and otherwise prepping for the day. They all seem to be wearing some variation of the green uniforms of the three officers, though none of theirs seem quite so impressive or militaristic.

[Selinia]

While idly curious as to the mechanism of the gnome's apparent recovery (an amulet? A contingency? Had he merely been acting?), the young conjurer decided to simply take the good fortune at face value, for the moment. Information was power, but somehow she doubted that a remedy for drunkenness would provide her with enough to be worth pursuing. Last time she'd touched alcohol, she'd been fourteen; the experience was not one she had any desire to repeat.

She fell into quiet step behind the gnomish officer, following him out of the city. Leaving the walls brought a small smile to her face, as she took in the fresh air. She had little fondness for the wilderness, but it was nice to breathe air free of the rancid masses' stench. Even the camp was comforting, in a way - armies were not so different from a court. There was a clear hierarchy. A degree of order. She'd never thought she could miss knowing who was supposed to be in charge.

Of course, she'd rather it be her. But that was a thought she could deal with later. Still smiling slightly, she curtsied and thanked the gnomish officer before moving in to the tent. Hopefully this would be a tangible step towards finding Gwen... and finding a place in Aldhaven in general. She was getting sick of running in place.

[Rizban]

He has you sit at a low table and produces a small book of some 4 or 5 well worn pages.

"This here is our charter and our rules. Read it now. If you can't read, it'll be read to you."

The book basically says that he's in charge, the other two are just under him, then the squad leaders, then no one. It lists a few offenses that'll get you kicked out or executed, such as attack your allies, fleeing battle, and other such cowardly acts. It also details how loot and pay is to be distributed. The last page is a notarized document allowing them to legally act as a mercenary company in the area.

"Good, good. Now..."
He pulls out a much, much larger book.
"This is our roster. Every member who has ever joined is recorded here along with the dates they served and a summary of their deeds as a Lucky Lad. It's the third of its kind, and our history goes back some three hundred years.

If you add your name here, you're swearing an oath and signing a contract with us, neither of which we take lightly. You're signing up for a one year contract; we don't do shorter. After that, you're free to leave or sign on for another year, provided we still want you."

He opens the book to the first blank page and indicates where to sign. He places a quill and a pot of green ink out for you.

[Selinia]

For all the sweetness she put into her demeanor, Remilia became deadly serious when presented with the documents. She took her time, eyes visibly clicking back and forth as she went over every line of the charter manual with a fine-toothed comb. The gnome seemed like an honest enough man, but she hated reading people. Text was better. And, like any student of demonology, she had been taught early and forcefully to always, always read the contract.

A year. She wasn't sure what would happen then. But she'd have found Guinevere by then, for certain. She might even have some money, depending on how this went. It... wasn't a sure thing, but it was a bet she was willing to try and make. A year of danger, gambling for the future as a prize. At length, she calmly lifted the quill, holding it between her fingers for a moments.

"...very well." In one swift motion, she dabbed the tip of the instrument into the inkwell and moved in fluid strokes across the surface of the page. In seconds, the name Remilia was drying on the page in her elegant, efficient handwriting. "I suppose that does it, doesn't it? I guess that means I am officially at your service now, Commander."

[Rizban]

"Right, right. Welcome to the company. We'll get you setup with a place to sleep, and you're welcome to search our gear haul for anything useful that you might need. And then, it's just a matter of having you don your uniform (http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/323059/323059,1267280375,4/stock-vector-sexy-leprechaun-girl-in-green-suit-with-small-placard-for-text-47560438.jpg)."

[Selinia]

Again, Remi thanked the gnomish officer, taking in each bit of information as it was given to her; examining her new sleeping quarters, and checking the mentioned stockpile of equipment for anything useful. Even if she'd shaken the sicknesses of her childhood, she was about as useful a physical combatant as a malnourished badger, and didn't pay overmuch attention to weapons or armor. But it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that a group this size might have some spare spellbooks or magical writing materials.

And the uniform was silly. The mage scowled at it. She hated pants. A dress was the only proper attire for a magic user. Maybe if she cannibalized her spare, she could make a more comfortable ensemble. A bit of dye for the ribbons to make them match... actually, that could work nicely. She suffered the uniform for the moment (suspecting it was something of a joke, but willing to take it), but she'd have to remind herself to get a more comfortable replacement (http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j326/Selinia-the-Mad/244e047d18c51706ec4628907c5f99f45d78def6.jpg) next time she had the opportunity to visit a tailor. And possibly some dye - her white hair was making her look like a winter's veil elf with all this green.

[Rizban]

You are informed that the hat and striped stockings are mandatory.

Without a search check, she finds nothing of note in the large cart full of random bits of armor and weapons.

[Selinia]

She was pleased to hear that the Lucky Lads were in fact not sworn enemies of good taste. The hat and striped stockings, she could live with, so long as she was allowed to wear a decent dress.

Figuring it worth a shot, she takes some time and sifts through the pile of equipment. Much as she'd like a bit of rest, settling in here was an important piece on her agenda.

Actions:

Search Check: [23] Taking 20 on her check, since there's no danger or strict time constraints. Looking mainly for what was mentioned above - spellbooks, magical writing materials, or anything that might have an enchantment on it. Also,

Casting Detect Magic, to help spot anything fitting those criteria.

[Rizban]

Inside of a rusted gauntlet, she finds a small, gold ring, simply a gold band with no ornamentation on it. It radiates magic.

Nothing else appears magical.

[Selinia]

Remi carefully picks up the piece of jewelry, looking over it carefully to glean anything she might about its nature. This could be a rather interesting find, provided it wasn't cursed.

Actions:

Spellcraft check: [roll0] to try and identify the ring's magical aura.

[Rizban]

Conjuration and Transmutation.

[Selinia]

Remilia hesitates for a moment, weighing her options. She had rather been hoping the magic might be of the school of abjuration, given that she had lost her most potent defensive magic. Conjuration and transmutation were powerful, but they were also incredibly broad schools of study. Much as she would have liked to simply try the item on, she couldn't afford to be turned to acid, or any of the myriad other things that might occur. Still, she pockets the item, and resolves to have it identified next time she has some spare change.

That out of the way, and otherwise fairly prepared, Remi takes a moment to check the schedule for the company. She was hoping to be able to catch some rest before they had to do anything, but her schedule was going to have to be built around the mercenary group's activities from here out. For that matter, the place seemed to be organized on a squad system - presumably, she was assigned to one, and it would probably be a good idea to find out which.

The young mage meanders further into the camp, looking for answers to these questions.

[Rizban]

She sees a number of people, but without approaching anyone or doing something other than wandering, not much happens.

[Selinia]

She asks the nearest soldier she can find who is not already occupied where a new recruit might check her assignments and squad postings.

[Rizban]

He's picking his nose as you approach. When you start talking to him, he wipes it off on the side of his tent. He shrugs at your question.

"I dunno. Some guy come tell me what to do when to do it. Den I go an do it when he says. Dat's all you gots to know."

[Selinia]

Unusual. However, the officer had clearly stated that there were sleeping arrangements to be made. She'd assumed that they would be structured based by squad, like in a military, but perhaps the mercenary group had a more freeform structure. Still, best to make sure. She had doubts as to the intellectual capacity of this individual, so she tried to use small words.

"Thank you, sir. In that case, if I wish to find one of the people who tells us what to do, where might I find them?"

[Rizban]

"Oh, dat's easy. Just look fer the guy with a bigger hat den you. He tells you all kinds of stuff you be needin to know."

[Selinia]

"...right... Thank you, sir." Remilia used the curtsy to mask a sigh. It looked like this would be harder than it ought to be.

Hoping to find a more mentally nimble soldier to ask for advice, she moves through the camp asking anyone she encounters the same queries she had presented to the oafish conversationalist she had just met. Where was a new recruit to check to see where she was assigned, and what were the sleeping regulations and arrangements for the company? Simple-minded though it was, she kept the soldier's notice in mind and kept an eye open for anyone sporting a notably more elaborate hat or uniform.

Actions:

Gather Information check: [roll0] (Time: [roll1])
I'm not sure if this is actually necessary, given that what she's asking seems like it would be common knowledge among the troops and they have no reason to withhold it. But on the off-chance it is, a roll.

Whether or not the check and time is used or needed, she'll stop and talk to the first person who seems inclined to be helpful and in possession of a modicum of intelligence.

[Rizban]

Looking around, she finds that there are a number of people with hats very similar in size to hers, though she quickly is able to find a man with a hat a good inch taller with a much shinier buckle.

"Yes, lass? How can I help you?"

[Selinia]

"Sir." Remilia wasn't quite sure what the codes for dealing with officers yet, but the deferential form of address was fairly universal. "I was signed into the company just earlier this morning, and am still trying to get everything worked out. I was wondering how I might find where I am to be sleeping, and to which squad I am assigned. Pardon the inquiries, but I was just signed on this morning and am still a tad disoriented."

[Rizban]

"Alright. Joiner squad is over there. They'll get you lined up."

He points to a squat, ratty looking tent off away from the fires a bit.

[Selinia]

"Thank you, sir. Have a pleasant day." Remi gives the officer a small curtsy (irksome though it was, staying in good graces with one's superiors was the most basic of basics). But she wasn't really in the mood to exchange pleasantries beyond that, and promptly departed for the indicated tent. It was probably just a decrepit as it appeared to be, if the environs she had been subjugated to in this dragons-forsaken town were any indication.

[Rizban]

It is just a decrepit as it appeared to be, and the environs she had been subjugated to in this dragons-forsaken town were of great indication. A gruff looking man with a tall hat is sitting on the ground whittling at a small block of wood. Looking up at her, he says, "Huh. New Blood. What you got going for you? Don't look like much."

[Selinia]

"I can summon giant monstrosities from the soot-draped bowels of the nine hells and bend them around my little finger with approximately twenty spoken syllables, total." Remi shrugs. "That is... actually my primary skill, truth be told. I can also summon a couple of other things, for area-control and such. But the big selling point is the monstrosities."

The conjurer idly re-positioned some piece of green cloth on her outfit to straighten her thoughts out. Such forthright talk was making her light-headed.

[Rizban]

"Caster. Righto. Well, you'll prolly end up under Peach. In fact, you'd best head over to see him right away. He's over in the tent that way. It's the one with the big, sparkly, metal spinning thing out front. You can't miss it."

[Selinia]

Repetitive though it was becoming, Remilia thanked the officer, curtsied, and set off with new directions in hand. Once again, she moved through camp in the indicated direction, in search of the purportedly un-missable tent.

[Rizban]

She finds it in just over one minute of searching. The spinning metal thing is out front, but it seems smaller than you anticipated, merely two inches in height.

Just inside the door, you can see a man standing over a table, looking down at a pile of open tomes.

[Selinia]

Spirits lifted slightly at the sight of such quantities of writing, she greets the studying figure with a tone whose respectfulness was rather more sincere than any she had stumbled upon in this camp yet. He seemed to be a magic-user, after all - or at the very least, literate.

"Greetings, sir. Would you by any chance be the officer by the name of Peach? I'm a conjurer, newly recruited, and was instructed to report to Peach for further instructions."

[Rizban]

He looks up at you angrily.

"My name is Sargent Latharnach. Don't you dare call me that again, or I swear you'll be on the front lines with naught but a spoon!"

[Selinia]

"Sir, I appreciate your disdain for the moniker, but please bear in mind that it was the only form of identification I was given." Sensing that there was likely a story here upon which it would be unwise to act without more complete information, she drops the subject there and returns to the actual topic of the conversation.

"In any case, Sir Latharnach, I really could use some instructions. Preferably ones not involving spoons or front lines, as neither of those are really within my area of expertise."

[Rizban]

"Yeah, so, you're a caster or you wouldn't be here. What's your school and what circle can you cast up to?"

[Selinia]

"I am a student of Conjuration," She stumbled slightly - the question was such a routine one that she had very nearly said 'wood magic'. She doubted the mercenaries would care, but still opted for the western terminology for clarity's sake. "...and have forsaken the study of Necromancy, Evocation, and Enchantment in order to pursue it."

"I can currently perform magic of the third circle. My studies into the fourth circle have been delayed by a more focused course specifically on the binding of demons and other creatures of the lower planes. I also must shamefully admit that a recent incident has left me bereft of my primary spellbook - my most important spells have been restored in the one I carry now, but I am afraid I will be somewhat lacking in breadth until I am able to amass the funds to restore the spells I have lost."

"Have I answered to satisfaction, sir?"

[Rizban]

"Yes, yes, perfect. I've got just the job for you. How do you feel about being a stone mason? I know, life's dream, right? Great. Report here tomorrow morning for your wall of stone scrolls and assignments of where to build them. There's a tent two to your left when you walk out where you can stay. I want you up early and fresh tomorrow, no excuses. No go away so I can finish planning this."

[Selinia]

"Understood, sir. Thank you." She took the officer's suggestion to heart and exited quickly. Such mundane conjuring was not glamorous, but it wasn't dangerous either - and there were only so many stone walls one could realistically desire, so the posting likely wouldn't last too long. She'd already missed one night's sleep, and getting some rest was a rather inviting prospect.

Of course, she would have to actually get to her assigned quarters before sleeping. Happily, she had very precise instructions to this end - so upon leaving Latharnach's tent, she strolled two tents to the left, and entered, taking a look around at where she would likely be sleeping.

[Rizban]

You see a half-orc female digging through a small chest of clothing. She looks over her shoulder as you enter.

"Whad ya wan?"

[Selinia]

A room-mate. Wonderful. Might as well get this out of the way. Remilia placed a hand delicately on her chest as she smiled and introduced herself. "What I want is, unfortunately, to sleep here. My name is Remilia. I'm a newly-hired conjurer, and this is apparently to be where I sleep. I take it that I shall be sharing space with you?"

[Rizban]

"Thought have own tent since ate last one. Ya look scrawny."

[Selinia]

"Oh, I am, trust me. Very scrawny. I'd probably make a terrible meal, to be honest." She shrugs. "Then again, I can't remember last time I had a growth spurt in anything but my hair, so I wouldn't hold my breath hoping for me to fill into a more substantial dish. On the bright side, I don't take up much space."

Remi smiles and extends a hand. "Pleasure to meet you. Until such time as one of us is eaten, it seems that we'll be sharing space. Might as well get to know each other."

[Rizban]

"Guess that make you dessert." She grins at you.

"You that half." She points at the right side of the tent, which appears to be completely empty except for the tent walls and the dirt floor.

[Selinia]

"Good to know. Maybe I should start chowing down on some pastries to sweeten up." Remi smiles as she tosses down her back in the indicated half, and begins setting up her meager belongings. It occurred to her that she didn't actually have a bedroll, which... sucked, to be frank. She hated sleeping on the ground. "Such a shame I haven't seen any decent eclair shops in this town. I'd kill for one right about now." She meant it too. Stupid barbarians, hiding their fine pastry establishments.

The young mage plopped unceremoniously down on the dirt floor, eyelids already heavy at the thought of what she'd done today. Right now, she didn't even care that it would muck up her hair something awful - she just wanted to sleep. "This place's.... pretty bare..." She lay down, yawning widely. "...needs... furniture... goodnight..."

And with that, she took her commander's advice quite heartily, sleeping deeply - if less than comfortably - until morning.

[Rizban]

"Yeah, furniture. Buy all you can carry when we march."

Remi sleeps through the night undisturbed.

[Selinia]

Despite her weariness, Remilia has little trouble awakening in time to report to her new posting. Even as the weeks away looked to start turning into months, habits of rising for her daily classes died hard - and ironically, the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements might have had something to do with that, leaving her well-rested but annoyingly sore as she donned her emerald-hued headgear and returned to Latharnach's tent. Her salute was a little stiff from a cramp in her shoulder still, but it was at least an effort.

"Reporting in, Sargent Latharnach, sir."

[Rizban]

I'm sorry, for some reason, your reply never showed up on me end. My subscription list stills shows that I was the most recent poster..."Right, right, new kid. I have a bag for you here somewhere..."

After searching around for a minute or so, he produces a backpack, within are 10 Wall of Stone scrolls and a small parchment piece with a crude map of the Docks with 10 distinct red lines.

"Alright, you're in boat number 6. You'll be in the second wave to invade the Docks. You get in, put up those walls, then wait for orders. You got that?"

[Selinia]

Saluting again, Remilia voices her acknowledgment as she stows the scrolls in some of the many pockets of her dress.

"Understood, sir - there shouldn't be any problem here. Where should I be heading to board my boat?"

[Rizban]

"Head down to the river. You'll find the boats there, and yours should be fairly obvious. It'll still be there and will be short a caster."

[Selinia]

"Thank you sir. I'm on my way." The mage left, heading towards the boats with more energy than she'd had in a week, easily. She'd never had a proper job before - there were certainly a good many undesirable things about her current one, but it provided a certain focus that was rather comfortable. Progress was being made.

Taking the officer's instructions, she departs for the boats. Barring anything obstructing her, she will board them and depart for her destination, taking stock of her immediate companions as she does so.

[Rizban]

She finds her boat easily but learns quickly that her boat isn't scheduled to depart for an hour unless something drastically changes. She is ordered to wait around the boats until told otherwise.

[Selinia]

She waits without complaint, taking the time to read through the scrolls and mentally prepare a few mnemonics to make the repeated casting simpler. Remi wonders idly whether they have any spares of these things - access to scrolls to copy would be a nice, unanticipated perk of this job.

Between deciding whether 'Eleven Dragons Ferociously Gnaw Insolent Peasants' or 'Evil Dave Finds Girls Incredibly Pretty' was easier to remember, the mage takes stock of the mercenaries who would be sharing her boat. She would likely be with them for much of the upcoming battle, and it wouldn't hurt to be aware of what she was working with. Sure, they weren't exactly titans of brimstone, but that didn't mean they were useless. Probably.

[Rizban]

She sees a fairly strong man, obviously the one who will be rowing the boat and doing the skull crushing should it come to battle. Leaning against the boat is some sort of gnome or halfling with a bandolier full of daggers and a couple of wands. He also has two copies of the scrolls you are carrying stuck carelessly in his belt. That seems to be everyone.

[Selinia]

Happy to see that her allies at least looked capable, Remilia takes a seat in the driest, cleanest bit of riverbank she can find. It was nice to know there would be another caster around, even if by appearances he was likely one of the roguish sorts who relied on their equipment rather than true spellcasting. And it never hurt to have a meatshield or two around, just in case.

Unless one of the other two initiates a conversation, the mage waits with them for their deployment time to arrive.

[Rizban]

When you approach, the rogue nods at you as he whittles on a stick he has found with one of his daggers. The other one seems too preoccupied with the river to take note of you.

After about 15 minutes, you hear the sounds of battle coming from the Docks. 10 more minutes pass, and some strange device shoots out over the water in an erratic course, leaving a thin trail of smoke behind it, before exploding with a loud pop.

The big man says, "Alright, in the boat. We move now." For such a large man, he is very soft spoken, but his words carry the weight of very demanding orders.

He grabs the oars and hops in; the rogue draws a wand and follows.

[Selinia]

Not one to question a man like that on her very first day on the job, Remilia quickly follows the others' example and takes a seat in small rivercraft.

[Rizban]

The boat launches, and the big man begins rowing. Halfway across the harbor, however, a vicious looking beaver, twice the size of any normal beaver begins charging at the boat with the obvious intent of attacking. The rogue, prepared for exactly this, activates his wand. The beaver immediately appears much less angry and actually falls in next to the boat to see it safely across.

"Well, that will hopefully at least get us there safely."

Spellcraft reveals it was a charm animal spell.

[Selinia]

"...beavers? Strange, I had imagined them to be smaller, from my wildlife texts..." Remi muses, more to herself than any of her companions. She did give an appreciative nod to the rogue, however. She didn't really much fancy the idea of dealing with such unusually sized beavers on such a usually sized waterborne conveyance. She felt that such an encounter would result in her getting wet, and she hated wet clothes. They stuck to you.

[Rizban]

You make it to the far shore, and the beaver swims away. A quick glance around reveals that you've landed on the far west end of the Docks, farthest from the Slums and the majority of the fighting.

The rogue speaks to you. "You know the drill. Get you to spot, cast the walls, and kill anything blue skinned or goblinoid. You're on your own until you get your walls up. Get in, get 'em up, and get back to the rendezvous. Now MOVE."

The warrior grabs a massive axe and runs towards the sounds of combat while the rogue gives you orders.

[Selinia]

"Got it, sir!" And she did. It wasn't exactly the most devious of battle-plans, but it certainly had straightforwardness working in its favor, and Remilia was actually looking forward to properly casting again. Hopping from the boat after the others, the mage makes her way through the docks to the first of the wall locations she had been shown.

Along the way, she keeps her eyes and ears open, taking in her surroundings. It was unlikely that she'd just stumble upon Gwen the first time she came here, but the only information she had to go on indicated that her friend was in the docks district somewhere. Until she had more, all Remi could do was stay alert and hope that serendipity favored her.

That those things might keep her alive in the process was a nice bonus as well.

[Rizban]

She heads further west. Since she's untried in combat, they have apparently planned to keep her out of it as much as possible. Her targets start about 30 yards west of the last building. Other than closed doors and shuttered windows, she sees nothing of note nearby.

[Selinia]

Reaching the first location without issue, Remilia plucks the first scroll from one of her many pockets, unraveling it with probably a little more theatrics than were necessary, considering she was by all appearances alone. Still, scrolls were fun - all the earth-shattering power of her own magic, with none of the icky draining sensation afterwords. She was going to enjoy reading this one, and if that meant striking a somewhat silly pose, so be it. The others probably wouldn't be so deserted, so she'd take the opportunity when she got it.

Once the spell completed its work and the scroll converted itself to ashes and dust, the young mage would once more mentally call up her directions and head off towards the next waypoint. Unless something intervenes, she repeats this process for each of the locations she had been assigned, slowly working through the stash of scrolls Latharnach had given her.

[Rizban]

As she focuses, she realizes that she'll need to make a caster level check to cast successfully from the scroll, as the spell is beyond her normal ability.

[Selinia]

She makes a caster level check.

[roll0]

[Selinia]

Muttering with irritation, she makes another such check.

[roll0]

Along with, now that she thinks of it, checks for the other eight scrolls, for the sake of expedience.

[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]

...and really hopes that her employers had some sort of plan for failed scrolls in place, because these ones didn't seem to like her very much. Maybe she'd have done better if the walls were demons, instead?

[Rizban]

The caster level check is only made when casting the scroll, so I'm disregarding all but the first two rolls. She manages to activate the scroll, but she fumbles slightly with the wording at the last moment. Instead of stone wall ten feet high by fifty feet long, she gets a wall ten feet long by fifty feet high. That's sure to draw attention, considering the tallest building around is only about fifteen feet or so high.

The second scroll she casts successfully, adding fifty feet to the side of this one. Though she's now short a scroll, she should have enough left to finish her assigned task.

[Selinia]

Well... that was interesting. A nice landmark, to be certain. Remi really hoped that it wouldn't fall over, because at that height it was bound to take a few buildings with it when it crashed down. Which was kind of funny to think about, but would also probably get her fired, and she needed this job.

Still, there was nothing to be done either way. Shrugging, the mage pockets the ruined remains of the scrolls and moves to the next location on her route.

[Rizban]

She remembers that she's supposed to put four walls all end to end on this side of the Docks, leaving a gap only for the road. It seems she's putting up the outer walls of the Docks rather than a border wall between the Docks and Slums.

[Selinia]

She realizes that today is probably not her best day for making sense, shrugs, and casts (or more precisely, begins to cast and hopes that the rest of these scrolls remain as cooperative as the second one was) another wall, putting it end-to-end with the previous one as dictated by her orders.

Caster Level Check against Horrible Wall-Based Incidents: [roll0] Edit: so about those Horrible Wall-based incidents...

And then casts a third wall. [roll1]

Followed by the fourth, and final, wall. [roll2]

And has on hand caster level rolls for the rest of her scrolls, just in case one of those first two fails. Unless it triggers a mishap that would for some reason make doing so impractical or impossible, just use the next roll in line if one of the above two ends up fizzling.

Scroll Six (if needed): [roll3]
Scroll Seven (if needed): [roll4]

[Rizban]

Remi flubs the first attempt fairly badly. As she braces for the worst, the magic flashes forth, transforming the scroll into stone.

She manages to get the next two walls up before a group of hobgoblins rushes onto the scene. Shouting at you, they move to charge. Roll initiative.

[Selinia]

"Hmmm...? Oh. Goblinoids, how wonderful. I think I'm supposed to kill those..."

Initiative: [roll0]

[Rizban]

She fails to win initiative, but they are thankfully outside of charging range. Realizing that you're a spellcaster due to the sudden appearance of stone walls, they move to flank you. One runs left, the second runs right, and the third moves slowly towards you from the middle. They move to be just far enough away to charge you.

Your turn.

[Selinia]

Being surrounded by hobgoblins was always bad news. In fact, Remi couldn't think of a single situation in which such proximity to the creatures would be good news. She knew some shabbier armies favored the brutes as mercenaries, but the Empire generally tried to stick with classier alternatives. Goblinoids smelled bad.

Brimstone, on the other hand, really did smell rather nice, once you got used to it.

The conjurer's swift incantation summoned forth the usual gout of the substance, vomiting forth the tangled mess of claws and limbs that was a Nashrou. She'd have liked to have sent the creature charging forth to wreack havoc, but her own safety was really more important to her at the moment. So she signaled the big brute to simply stay put and make ready against the inevitable assault, shifting slightly to keep the demon between herself and the hobgoblins.

Actions:

Casting Summon Monster III to call forth a Nashrou directly adjacent to Remilia. It's positioned itself so that the hobgoblins would have to move through its threatened area to charge Remi, and she's hiding on the other side of it from them.

Since it's guarding her right now and waiting for the enemies to make a move, if possible I'd like to have it ready an attack action against one of the hobgoblins trying to charge into its threatened area. I'm not completely sure if its possible to ready against a charge without a pike or something (or if I'm doing the ready action right at all - it isn't something I've done much, and I had to look it up), but if it is its worth a shot.

Also, her Deceitful Summoning check to double the duration of SMIII:

Remi's Bluff: [roll0]
Demon's Sense Motive Check: [roll1]

[Rizban]

Before you can act, magic missiles appear out of nowhere. You fall to the ground bleeding out. Roll a stabilization check.

[Selinia]

Stabilization Check:
[roll0]

[planswalker]

fortunately, someone must have stabilized you, for you do not continue to bleed out. You're still unconscious, though.

[Selinia]

Well, it's only about two weeks late, but...

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY AVB!!!!


Anyone who sees this and quotes it in their thread before midnight on Jan 30th gets a free 100XP.

Free XP, yo. Every bit helps.

[planswalker]

You feel a surge of energy and groggily wake up as a hobgoblin with a blue hand tatto on his face draws a dagger and waves it in front of your face.

Hello there, my dear. First off, let me introduce myself by saying I am Wilstaff, this bag of bones to my left is Bennett, and I hope you find our faces appealing, because if you do not cooperate they will be the last thing you ever see. Well, and this knife, as it does terrible things to you.

So, we'd like to know a little about what you were doing out there tonight, particularly as it pertains to the unwarranted assault on my people on turf we reclaimed from those villainous Skulks. So sing me a song, little caged birdie, and it better not be out of tune.

[hustlertwo]

It should also be noted that you feel an urge to tell the trruth that is alost irresistible.

Make a Will save

[Selinia]

Will Save: [roll0]

[Selinia]

Remi feels something tugging slightly in the back of her mind, but ends up dismissing it. The spell probably should have done more to her, but perhaps its target being mildly concussed from a magical barrage had ruined its effectiveness. In any case, there was still a fairly large hobgoblin standing over her with a knife, and this whole situation seemed to be a misunderstanding in any case.

Purely on the goblinoid's part, of course, but what could you do? They were hardly the brightest of creatures.

"Well, I for one am here on perfectly legitimate business. You might have noticed, but the docks are a pretty dangerous place these days. I'm a conjurer contracted with a group of mercenaries, and we've been hired to... well, to make it less dangerous. The exact specifics are still a little fuzzy, given that I signed on just a few days ago. I'm just here to put up a few walls. Or was."

The mage gives as much of a shrug as she can in her position. "Honestly, from your description, doesn't that put us on the same side? You're purging troublemakers, and so are we. By most forms of logic, that makes us allies. Also, do you really have to wave that thing around? I dislike sharp objects being placed in such proximity to my person..."

[planswalker]

Wilstaff looks to the skeleton with chagrin.

Noncombatant. I suppose you were right about not killing her, then. Pity. I know I bagged at least nine of 'em tonight, and I really wanted to bump it into double digits.

The skeletons remains silent and motionless.

Alright, fine, WE bagged 'em. Excuuuuuse me. Although I don't know how helpful it was to have you out there spraying arrows all over creation. I expect that bow back, by the way.

The hob then remembers their captive, and as she requests, sheathes the blade.

So, you're basically a glorified stonemason. In a rather rough neighborhood, it would seem. I can tell you the exact specifics of your job: you were hired to aid the infernal Aldhaven government in bringing the docks back under the heel of a corrupt and racist government. And those 'troublemakers' you were purging were people. MY people, that you ambushed without warning, without cause. Now sure, if you'd come in hunting down skulks or ratlings I'd be glad to let you do it. Might even have lent a hand; I have plenty to spare from one of Bennett's bony buddies. But what we saw was an assault on the very people who were doing your job before you even came along.

In fact, we have begun an organization here in the Slums to provide the residents a heaping plate of justice with a side order of....order. We call it the Extracity Watch, and Bennie and I happen to be the leaders of it. And we had been planning on expanding our efforts to the docks until YOU showed up and ruined everything, you....ruiners!

He looks to the skeleton once more.

I'm sorry my language isn't flowery enough for you, Mr. Metaphor, but I'm ticked off.

And he looks to the girl once again.

So, you're a merc. That's good for you. Implies your loyalty can be bought, and I might be inclined to put a bid in on it. Now, there must be something you want or need that would drive you to take such a hazardous assignment. Tell me, and we'll see if I can make it happen in return for you doing a little job for us. Assuming you have abilities beyond those of a wallurgist, that is.

However, I would also like to know the name of your employers, both the organization and, if you know it, the specific people involved. Heads need to roll for this, and the only way to avoid one of them being yours is to start giving me some alternates.

[Selinia]

"You don't say?" Remi pauses, thinking for a moment on the hobgoblin's tirade.

"Well, I'm from the Empire, so you could say I've had some experience with corrupt and racist governments. Quite a lot, actually. I can't say I really hold it against them, but they're also not standing in front of me with a knife, so you have a definite edge in that department."

"..."

"Uh... pun not intended. Anyway, I haven't even been paid yet, so I can't say I feel terribly loyal to those leprechaun-obsessed mercenaries. They have terrible fashion sense, you know. Top hats? With buckles? But even given all this, I really would prefer to betray as few people as possible. I signed a contract, after all. When you work with fiends as often as I do, you don't take a contract lightly. Like you said though, I'm... flexible on this. If you actually want to cooperate, I'm game."

"The only reason I'm even in Aldhaven is to find a friend of mine. Her name is Guinevere, and the thing is, I have reason to believe she's in this district. No offense, but it isn't a very nice district. I was worried, so I signed onto a group looking to clean this place up, and here I am." She shrugs again. "But you... you seem to know your way around, so I'll make you a deal: if you can find Gwen, I'll lend you a hand with whatever you need a hand with. Building walls wasn't really my forte in the first place."

[planswalker]

Your friend is here, in the Slums specifically? Or is it the Docks? Interesting, either way. Tell me more about her; perhaps I can see who around here knows about her.

However, I must insist about the names of those who hired you. That is not negotiable; whoever these leprechaun lovers are, they're enemies of the Khan and will be treated as such. Give me those, then I will go out and do a little looking into your friend's situation to verify your story. You'll stay here, of course; I don't trust you to have free movement just yet. And while you may find the opportunity to escape, I suggest you not take it. As you can tell by my plans for your mercenary mates, I'm a tad bit vengeful. And my connections do extend beyond the Slums and Docks. Which is just more proof of the Watch's corruption, that they would take bribe money from criminals running an illegal fighting ring. Oh, the shame of it all!

[Selinia]

"Supposedly she was last seen in the Docks... as far as I know. She's hard to forget, once you've seen her. Tall, blond hair that's kinda wavy... actual blond, gold, I mean, not white like mine. Gwen's got these eyes too, blue, like ice, if ice was warm. Uhh..." Remi seems slightly flustered for a moment before recovering with a small cough. "Ah, anyway, it might also help to know that she can do magic. I understand that that's not all that common around here. She's also from the Empire, like I am, but I not sure she'd broadcast that publicly. You know, this city isn't very fond of Imperials."

"And as long as you help me find Gwen, I don't mind helping you out, really and truly. Work is work. It isn't like you're any more wrong than anyone else in this city. As for names, the only one I caught of the three was Faoláin. I don't think they're secret or anything, I just haven't been in the company long enough to know the names of the higher ups. But the other two in charge are also gnomes. You can identify them by the great size of their hats. It is... a strange group. Really though, they're mercenaries, and you really shouldn't take this so personally."

"Just out of curiosity though, what am I helping you with? If you're so bent on your little movement's success, I assume you have a plan of some sort. Killing hired swords isn't going to make the nobles any less likely to try and purge you again, even if you got them all..."

[planswalker]

Wilstaff, never one to pick up on interpersonal relationships, fails to notice Remi's fluster. The Docks....well, thanks to you, that'll be more of a challenge, won't it? But no matter. All sorts of ways around a wall. I will go out tomorrow after setting my boys on their daily chores and see what can be seen.

And you're right, of course, I shouldn't take it personally. But then, it is a smart idea to slaughter them from an impersonal standpoint as well; if one mercenary group supports the Watch and suffers dearly for it, how likely do you think it is that others will follow in their stead? No profit in dying.

You need not worry about that; right now our priority, and yours, is the homefront. The Slums are relatively safe, but threats still lurk below the surface. Like, literally; the skulks are not often found in this area, but the damnable ratlings infest the area. They caused no small amount of concern during our assault on the Skulks with their strange powder weapons, and it's time to pay them back in kind. I sent someone else out to learn more about them, but she has yet to actively pursue this goal, it would seem. The pair of you could work together, if you think that preferable. Otherwise, I want you to find out everything you can about the ratlings. The location of their nests, the explanation for their rather mystifying actions, where they are receiving their weaponry (and a working example of one of those weapons would be nice), that sort of thing. I don't have a lot of investigators on my payroll yet, just peacekeepers and...well, some non-peacekeepers. Like, the opposite of peace. Warkeepers. I'll leave you in a private cell tonight, and tomorrow morning one of my men will let you free. You are restricted to the Slums, however; attempt to leave and all the aggression I am currently directing toward your merc friends will fall down on you.


The hob unties her and leads her to a cell, then he addresses his partner.

Now then, let's go, Bennett. I'm beat. But it was quite a bit of fun tonight; nothing is a better break from bureaucracy than a little killing spree.


He then shuts the cell door, walks off and leaves you in your cell. One bored looking hobgoblin is left at the entrance just to be sure you don't dislike the arrangement.

back to your regularly scheduled dm.

after a 1200 xp story award combined with the xp for surviving an encounter with a hostile pc of superior level.

[Selinia]

"Of course. I'll... wait here then. Admire the decor. Get some rest." Yawning, Remi leaned back in the questionable bedding, letting her eyes slide shut once more as she drifted into unconsciousness. This was an unforeseen development, but maybe not an unfortunate one. Time would tell. But until morning, it wasn't like there was anything she could do anyway.

So the young wizard slept through the night, awaiting morning and, hopefully, her release.